Best Anime Archers

Archery takes time and patience to master, and only those who have perfect aim and determination can hone this skill. Even though it’s an acquired talent many people wish to have, it is not a widely popular choice of weapon. Most people would choose magic, a superpower, a gun, or even a sword to wield in battle, leaving the bow and arrow behind.

In anime, many characters reflect that reality and tend to opt for a sword, like Kirito in Sword Art Online, or superpowers like Deku in My Hero Academia. Watching an anime where the protagonist or the secondary characters choose to become archers may be rare, but it is not entirely unheard of either. These are just a few of the best anime archers who prefer to fight from afar with a bow and arrows rather than in close combat.

While their general popularity will be considered, characters who are synonymous with archery will be prioritized.

Updated on December 25, 2024 by Mark Sammut: The year is coming to an end, and the anime industry has mostly managed to deliver. Obviously, it is way too early to describe any 2024 anime archers as iconic; consequently, two (somewhat) older characters have been added to this article. Click on the below links to jump directly to these entries.

19

Charlotte Perospero

One Piece

Charlotte Perospero is the eldest son of Big Mom. He held the position of Minister of Candy in Totto Land. While the Sweet Generals were considered the strongest members of the crew after Big Mom, Perospero wasn’t too far behind them. Perospero ate the Pero Pero no Mi, a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit that served a variety of purposes.

Perospero used the Devil Fruit’s power to create all kinds of objects, including weapons. Out of his many weapons, Perospero was particularly proficient at using the bow and arrow. The arrows created by the candy are sharp, and they can pierce anything in their path.

18

Sawa Okita

Tari Tari

Sawa is the daughter of Shōichi and Shiho Okita. She’s passionate about Japanese archery and riding horses, as her dream is to become an equestrian someday. As a member of the archery club, she’s ambitious, playful, and friendly.

Sawa is a perfect example of archery being an underrated skill. Although she can almost always hit her mark with a little concentration, she is more interested in becoming an equestrian than mastering skills earned with the bow and arrow. Archery in this series serves more as a therapeutic and fun activity than anything more serious.

17

Sasuke Uchiha

Naruto

• 	Naruto	Naruto: Shippuden
  Release Date	2002-10-02	2007-02-15
  Genres	Animation, Action, Adventure	Martial Arts, Animation, Action, Adventure
  Studio	Pierrot	Pierrot
  Based On	Manga	Manga
  Creator	Masashi Kishimoto	Masashi Kishimoto
  Streaming Service(s)	Hulu, YouTube, Netflix, Crunchyroll	Hulu, Spectrum, Crunchyroll

Sasuke Uchiha is one of the main characters of the Naruto anime series. He had a rough childhood, which turned him into a recluse obsessed with obtaining power. Sasuke trained a lot, which helped him gain enough power to achieve his goals.

While Sasuke does possess a sword, he used to carry a bow and arrow when he was a kid. Sasuke’s Susanoo is also equipped with the same weapons. He has used it several times in fights. The arrows launched from his Susanoo are blistering fast, and only a handful of characters can dodge them. Even Sasuke’s strongest attack is called Indra’s Arrow, and it was potent enough to cancel out Naruto’s attack and destroy a large part of the Valley of End.

Sasuke is one of the most iconic anime characters of all time, but he is not really regarded as an archer. Consequently, he cannot be ranked too highly.

16

Sasha Braus

Attack On Titan

Sasha Braus was a brave and friendly member of the Surveys Corps. She loved food, and although she made mistakes along the way, she always persevered and followed her intuition.

In the anime’s second season, Sasha used a bow and arrows to save a young girl from a Titan. It may have taken her a few attempts before succeeding, but she never gave up, and her resilience is something that fans have seen throughout the series. Her experience with the bow helped her become a sharpshooter, and when she opted for a different weapon, she became one of the best snipers on her team.

15

Minato Narumiya

Tsurune: Kazemai High School Kyudo Club

Tsurune is arguably the definitive archery anime. Focusing on kyudo, traditional Japanese archery, the story follows a school club’s members as they practice their skills and slowly prepare to compete in competitions. While that might sound like every other sports anime out there, Tsurune is surprisingly character-driven, with the focus being squarely on the members’ relationships and hang-ups. This is represented the best through Minato, the story’s protagonist (although the show comes across as an ensemble piece).

Due to a personal tragedy, Minato had to turn his back on archery, largely due to suffering panic attacks when he tried to perform. Season 1 focuses a lot on Minato’s rehabilitation, and it is generally handled well. Season 2 splits its attention more evenly among the characters, with Minato acting as the glue that keeps the group together (at times).

14

Shera L. Greenwood

How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord

While not without issues, How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord is an enjoyable enough isekai comedy, particularly the first season. Summoned by an elf and beastgirl, Diablo is a normal human who finds himself in the body of his OP video game character, and he essentially has to fake it until he makes it. As one of the three protagonists, Shera is a major player throughout both cours, and she is arguably the most likable character.

Proficient with a bow, the Elf can be quite useful in tough situations, even if she is considerably weaker than Diablo. Likable as she is, Shera does not get to show off her bow abilities all that frequently, which hurts her position somewhat. She is also a more iconic elf than an iconic anime archer.

13

Pokkle

Hunter x Hunter

Pokkle made his debut during the Hunter Exams, and it didn’t take him long to solidify his reputation as a strong character. Unlike most characters in shonen, Pokkle didn’t go out of his way to fight his enemies. He was cautious by nature, so he always made plans before going on a mission.

Pokkle was an Emitter, which enabled him to separate his aura from his body. This was the perfect Nen ability for Pokkle, as he was an archer. He could separate his aura into different colors and shape them like arrows. Each colored arrow had a special power. These powerful arrows, combined with Pokkle’s great aim, made him a dangerous opponent.

12

Gowther

The Seven Deadly Sins

The Seven Deadly Sins‘ reputation is all over the place. While far from flawless, the first two seasons are generally enjoyable as battle shonen fluff with a medieval fantasy-style twist. After that, the anime loses steam quickly, becoming a caricature of itself by season 4. Even at its best, The Seven Deadly Sins was just above average, and its steep decline has made the show difficult to recommend as a whole.

Still, some of its characters are fun. Escanor tends to be considered the best member of the eponymous group, but Gowther is not far behind as the simultaneously stoic but funny Sin of Lust. Due to his background and status as an amnesiac, Gowther comes across as robotic and a blank slate at times, but his desire to comprehend human emotions gives him a fairly straightforward and satisfying arc. His bow is cool too, even though he is not necessarily known for battles.

11

Yona

Yona Of The Dawn

Yona is the only heir and Queen Kashi and Emperor Il, so she became the crown princess of the kingdom, Kouka. As the reincarnation of King Hiryuu, she has many expectations to fulfill. After her father was murdered when she was sixteen, she became a fugitive and had to learn how to protect herself from harm.

At first, she was a selfish character, but through her many travels, she gained empathy for strangers and changed for the better. When she first learned archery for survival, Yona was terrible at it, but with perseverance and patience, she finally managed to master the skill. As awesome of a character as she is, Yona is held somewhat back by an incomplete anime adaptation that only chronicled the first steps of her growth, to the point that viewers do not get to see her at anywhere near her best.

10

Itsuki Kawasumi

The Rising Of The Shield Hero

Itsuki got summoned to another world just like Naofumi and got chosen to be the bow hero among the four chosen ones. Itsuki may have started the series the wrong way by siding with Ren and Motoyasu by treating Naofumi and some villagers poorly, but he is slowly coming around and learning from his mistakes.

As a secondary character, Itsuki doesn’t have much screen time, but Rising of the Shield Hero fans are looking forward to seeing what else he can do with his bow to help Naofumi save the world in upcoming seasons.

9

Sinon

Sword Art Online

Sinon first appeared in Sword Art Online in the third arc called Phantom Bullet. Sinon was a professional sniper in the battle royal shooter game Gun Gale Online and helped Kirito in his quest to find Death Gun, the antagonist of the season.

After the Phantom Bullet arc, Sinon moved on from being a sniper to using a bow and arrows as her weapon. She’s a calm and collected person with a kind heart who is always there for those she loves. She’s a talented archer who rarely misses her mark.

8

Sailor Mars

Sailor Moon

Rei Hino is a fiery character with many plans and big ambitions. She hopes to become a songwriter and singer, a voice actress, and a model. She is known to be boy-crazy, but that never stops her from being loyal to her friends and family.

When Rei becomes Sailor Mars, her fiery spirit never wavers, and she can get easily angry. She’s a tough and resilient person who won’t ever give up on her beliefs. One of her iconic attacks, the “Mars Flame Sniper,” is unleashed with her flame-engulfed bow and arrows and can reduce any target to ashes after being burned.

7

Asirpa

Golden Kamuy

Golden Kamuy is so weird. The historical anime follows different groups as they search for the Ainu tribe’s hidden gold, basically following the structure of a rat race. Due to taking place in the aftermath of the Russo-Japanese War, the story also dives into PTSD, cultural destruction, grief, desperation, and just general war crimes. While not focusing on non-stop action, Golden Kamuy‘s battles are often brutal, bloody, and ugly, with death or mutilation being well on the cards. The anime is also stupidly hilarious, with the characters frequently indulging in slapstick shenanigans or nonsensical banter. Somehow, these elements come together to create an all-around masterful show.

Asirpa represents Golden Kamuy‘s strangeness in the best possible way. The only staple Ainu character in the show, this young girl carries the weight of her people’s history and future, a responsibility that has forced her to age beyond her years. Asirpra is mature, strong, and reluctant to trust; conversely, she can be surprisingly childish, occasionally innocent, and always brimming with life. She is also deadly with a bow, allowing her to hold her own against soldiers twice her size.

6

Ashitaka

Princess Mononoke

Prince Ashitaka is a cursed character in Studio Ghibli’s anime Princess Mononoke. His curse, however, doesn’t stop him from pursuing his goals and helping his village regain peace. His kindness is one of his true qualities, and he is always helping strangers without asking for anything in return.

Ashitaka is also a trained warrior and uses a bow as one of his main weapons. He is a skilled archer with quick reflexes and once caught an arrow flying in the air toward him without much difficulty.

5

High Elf Archer

Goblin Slayer

While perhaps not the most “iconic” character in general, Goblin Slayer‘s High Elf Archer could very well be the first anime figure to pop into somebody’s head when they consider a bow and arrow. After all, she literally goes by “archer” and fulfills that role within the show’s central group. Initially, the High Elf comes across as rather stereotypical, as do most of Goblin Slayer‘s characters; however, she softens up considerably as the story progresses, to the point of arguably developing the most endearing friendship with Orcbolg (the eponymous slayer).

In terms of abilities, High Elf Archer is fairly powerful, showing incredible accuracy and speed with her weapon of choice. That said, she does not seem to be far superior to the standard High Elf, and she is likely a touch below the best marksmen in the anime.

4

Uryū

Bleach

Uryū Ishida is a doctor at Karakura Hospital and a former member of the Wandenreich’s Sternritter in the anime series, Bleach. He’s usually quiet and likes to keep to himself, but his strong sense of justice will put him on the map as he stands up for others often.

Uryū prefers incapacitating his enemies rather than being lethal with his bow and arrows. He’s an anime archer character who has mastered precision and can easily take down his opponent with one single shot if he has to.

3

Kagome

Inuyasha

Kagome is the modern reincarnation of a once-famous archeress and priestess named Kikyō. Kagome is a kind and pure-hearted girl who isn’t afraid to say what she thinks. She also stands up for herself and for those she loves without hesitation.

Like Kikyō, Kagome decided to use the bow as her main weapon, and even though she wasn’t as skilled as her ancestor, she persevered and mastered it to the best of her ability. She can now kill an enemy holding a hostage without endangering the innocent.

2

Tigrevurmud Vorn

Lord Marksman and Vanadis

Tigrevurmud Von, or Tigre for short, is a master archer and hunter. As the Earl of his home of Alsace and renowned war hero, he will always fight to protect his people from possible enemies and put their safety first before the obligations of the crown.

Although he is known to be lazy and loves to sleep until noon, Tigre is on constant alert due to his experience as a hunter. Known as “the monster” due to his talents in archery, he’s the envy of all his allies and enemies. Tigre is also known as the best archer on the entire continent since he can shoot from the furthest range with perfect accuracy and with three arrows while riding a horse.

1

Archer

Fate/Stay Night

Archer, aka Emiya, is a servant of Rin Tohsaka in the Fifth Holy Grail War in the series. As a Counter Guardian, he is devoted to fixing humanity’s mistakes and can be bitter with certain people depending on the circumstances. He may be sarcastic, but he’s always truthful in his advice unless he says half-truths.

Emiya has various skills, but using a long-range weapon always turns particular situations in his favor. His bow can resist some Fire Noble Phantasms (weapons) and make Broken Phantasms shots from various distances with the greatest accuracy possible.

Fate/Stay Night Unlimited Blade Works has the most iconic version of Archer.