Most Iconic Anime Poses Ever

Summary

• Iconic anime poses are memorable and recognizable even to non-anime fans from various shows and genres.
• Cosplayers often replicate famous anime poses, showcasing the influence and popularity of these iconic stances.
• From Armstrong’s flex to Sailor Moon’s punishment, anime poses define characters and emphasize key moments in anime history.

There are many things synonymous with manga and anime that pretty much everyone adores. One such aspect of anime that has remained consistent since the early going is the characters’ tendency to strike an over-the-top pose that’s often highly impractical yet immensely satisfying to watch at the same time. These anime poses have become a part of the public consciousness. Even those who have never watched anime before might recognize them from memes, scenes, and easter eggs tucked away in other media.

It’s a testament to how iconic anime really is that even the silliest-looking poses end up being all the more memorable in the correct context. Many fans of these shows have gone so far as to pull off these poses in real life that look downright ridiculous at times. Of course, this doesn’t apply to cosplay veterans, who have mastered these iconic anime poses and look downright incredible when they pull them off. But some of the more daunting poses are best left in animation, no matter how much stretching people do.

Updated February 3, 2025 by David Heath: They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and a good pose can show people what a character is all about more than any essay, article, or list. It can make a character instantly recognizable even when silhouetted, or showcase their whole personality and ambitions with a single gesture or expression. This is why there are a ton of poses in anime that have become iconic within and outside their fandoms.

So, this list has been updated with more iconic poses that could only really be pulled off within anime. Or at least not without some work and plenty of confidence in real life. Cosplayers have managed to bring their characters to life, but some poses are easier to draw than they are to do physically.

32

Armstrong Flexing His Muscles

Fullmetal Alchemist

• Character Debut: Episode 13- ‘Fullmetal Vs Flame’ (2003), Episode 1- ‘Fullmetal Alchemist’ (Brotherhood).

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is regarded as one of the greatest animes ever made, though some prefer its 2003 predecessor. Either way, both series feature memorable characters in their own right. One of the most memorable and entertaining characters is the Strong Arm Alchemist himself, Major Alex Louis Armstrong.

This bald hulk has some amazing shapely muscles, which he is acutely aware of. He never misses out on an opportunity to flex what he’s got, as his family has specialized in combining alchemy with physical prowess for generations. The result is he becomes one of the buffest characters in anime since Fist of the North Star, and viewers love him all the more for it.

31

Drive Shot

Captain Tsubasa

• Debut: Episode 82- ‘A High-Spirited Drive Shot!’.

In anime, basketball has Slam Dunk, volleyball has Haikyuu, and soccer has Captain Tsubasa. He’s practically the household name for the sport in Japan, if not Asia in general, with his numerous manga and anime series detailing his rise from a humble soccer-loving kid to a star athlete playing for Barcelona and Japan’s national team.

Even people who don’t know much about Captain Tsubasa recognize his iconic Drive Shot pose. It always precedes a powerful hit that sends the ball spinning towards the back of the net. When viewers see it, they know it’s either going to lead to a dramatic goal, or a shocking near-save, that could clinch the game for Tsubasa’s team.

30

Gainax Pose

Multiple Gainax Productions

• Debut: Gunbuster Episode 4- ‘Launch! The Unfinished Ultimate Weapon!’

It was sad to see the famous animation studio Gainax go bankrupt back in June 2024, though by then all the people and series that made the studio famous had long since departed. Still, they’ll live on through the original Neon Genesis Evangelion series, FLCL, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, and the legendary Gainax pose that appeared in nearly all their productions.

Performed as a simple crossed-arm stance of defiance, it made its debut in Gunbuster, an OVA series where the titular mech pulls off the stance. But the most notable show to pull it off often was the aforementioned Gurren Lagann. Watching either its character or their mech stand with their arms crossed in such a cool manner was always amazing, regardless of how impractical the act of cracking said pose might be.

29

Shaft Head Tilt

Multiple Shaft Anime

• Debut: Bakemonogatari Episode 2- ‘Hitagi Crab, Part 2’.

Only in the world of anime can a simple head tilt become the stuff of legends. Popularized by the anime studio Shaft, they’ve created several series that feature this iconic Shaft head tilt, from Bakemonogatari to Nisekoi: False Love. Director Akiyuki Shinbo and his team made it their trademark to make talking scenes a little more dynamic and interesting.

Watching these anime characters break their necks just to look behind them with some swagger never fails to be entertaining. It works in getting across the confidence cocky characters have or adding to the unsettling nature of the villains. As the pose shows, they can’t be bothered to turn around fully to face who they’re speaking to.

28

The Brave/Sunrise Perspective

The Brave Exkaiser, Multiple Anime

• Debut: The Brave Exkaiser Episode 32- “It’s Here! Super Giant Fusion!”

Chances are that, if an anime features a hero wielding a giant sword or another similar weapon, they’ll eventually be shown at the Brave Perspective, aka ‘the Sunrise Perspective’, or the ‘Obari Perspective’. It was developed by animators Mitsuo Fukuda and Masami Obari (of Angel Blade and Fatal Fury fame) to show off the Great Exkaiser’s take on the Thunder Flash move. It must’ve struck a chord with more than just viewers, as it would go on to appear in many more Sunrise anime series.

Aside from turning up in more Brave series, it popped up in the Mobile Suit Gundam series, then got picked up by other anime that either directly paid homage to the pose or did their own spin on it. Bleach, Transformers: Cybertron, and Utawarerumono used it to its full cool potential, while Pokémon and Pop Team Epic used it for gags. Unless Farfetch’d is meant to look intimidating with that leek.

27

Gojo’s Unlimited Void

Jujutsu Kaisen

• Debut: Season 2, Episode 9- ‘Shibuya Incident- Gate, Open’

One of the newest poses to catch on with fans is Satoru Gojo crossing his fingers. On its own, it doesn’t mean much, until people know this is how the special-grade sorcerer pulls off his Domain Expansion skill. Put simply, it combines the user’s innate domain (mental realm) with their innate magical abilities, trapping their opponent within a deadly barrier that shuts them down or kills them outright.

That’s a lot to get out of one man crossing his fingers, and one that was built up over the show’s seasons. At first, it was a simple gesture Gojo would do as a greeting and feature, usually while talking about the concept of infinity. Then he showed the gesture, and the technique, to the evil spirit Jogo to show him just what ‘infinity’ truly means within the empty void his Domain Expansion revealed.

26

Ken Kaneki Cracking His Knuckles

Tokyo Ghoul

• Debut: Episode 11- ‘High Spirits’.

While this might not be a pose per se, one can definitely count Kaneki’s impulsive knuckle cracking as an iconic part of his character and Tokyo Ghoul in general. How he developed this technique is no laughing matter. After being tortured both physically and mentally by Yamori for ten days, Kaneki finally broke down and embraced his ghoul powers.

This led to him adopting the same behavior that Yamori used during the torture, where he cracked a finger for each act of torture he performed. Since then, knuckle cracking has become a salient part of Ken’s character. It shows he isn’t the guy trying to maintain his humanity from the show’s first half anymore. He’s more brutal and power-hungry, which Yamori gets a first-hand taste of.

25

The Scout Regiment Salute

Attack On Titan

• Debut: Episode 1- ‘To You, in 2000 Years: The Fall of Shiganshina, Part 1’

Attack on Titan is easily one of the most popular anime of all time, as its premise, deep storytelling, and twists and turns led it to become a phenomenon, catching on beyond its target audience. Particularly with how hero Eren Jaeger ended up becoming its antagonist, providing anime with one of its most iconic heel turns, if not the most iconic heel turn in anime history. It’s all symbolized in a simple salute.

The Scout Regiment (Survey Corps in the manga) is the only group on Paradis Island that actually bothered with scouting missions to figure out the mystery behind the Titans. Their salute was designed to showcase their dedication to saving humanity from the Titans, symbolizing that they’d ‘dedicate their heart’ to the cause. From there, ‘dedicate your heart’ became a key message in the series, though the story’s different revelations change what its characters dedicate their hearts to.

24

Hare Hare Yukai Finisher

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

• Debut: Episode 1- “The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Part 1”

Anime fans aren’t immune to dance crazes. Particularly if they’re done by cute girls. For a while, it seemed like the only videos on YouTube were spins on the intro dance to My Deer Friend Nokotan. However, that was a drop in the bucket compared to the power of Hare Hare Yukai from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. Its end credits would feature different clips of the cast doing a little dance, which was later fully revealed in a DVD release.

Once that happened, online sites were full of different takes on the song and dance. It was done by rival high school girl comedy Lucky Star, the cast of Mega Man, prisoners in the Philippines, and multiple different cosplayers from across the world. The dance became a phenomenon that could only be stopped by its final pose…and the show eventually ended. But though the craze has died down, the dance still pops up sporadically at anime conventions and YouTube videos.

23

Josuke’s Flamboyant Pose

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 4: Diamond Is Unbreakable

• Debut: Episode 39- ‘Goodbye Morioh- The Golden Heart’

It would be impossible to do an anime pose list without mentioning Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure. The series is so famous for its physical contortions that this entire list could be covered by JoJo poses. Creator Hirohiko Araki’s love for fashion and fashion photography really shows in his work, as they inspired each one of JoJo‘s iconic stances, from Giorno’s neckline-pulling stance in Part 5 to Josuke’s vogueing in Part 4.

So, what better way to finish off Diamond is Unbreakable than with a sassy fashionista pose? Both the manga and the anime conclude with this shot of Josuke enjoying his hometown’s newfound peace by strutting his stuff. Because that’s what anyone would do after they rid their town of a freaky serial killer. Few series could pull this off, and JoJo does it with aplomb.

22

The Pillar Men Introduction

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 2: Battle Tendency

• Character Debut: Episode 14- ‘Ultimate Warriors from Ancient Times’.

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is full to the brim with over-the-top and memorable poses. Araki loves to test his characters’ anatomy to pull off the most flamboyant stances, be they heroes, villains, or otherwise. This can be seen with the introduction of the Pillar Men, who are easily three of the strongest villains in the series by physical strength and abilities.

The fact that the first thing they do after being revived from their stone-like slumber is posing like they’re on the catwalk of a fashion show displays exactly what JoJo is all about —combining substance with style all in one big, entertaining package. Despite their pose and dramatic Mayan-themed music catching on as a meme, they’re some of the series’ more understated villains. The others can go much further in their flamboyance.

21

Yuno Gasai’s ‘Yandere Face’

Mirai Nikki

• Debut: Episode 1- ‘Sign Up’.

Anime fans know all about ‘tsundere’- a term meaning ‘hard on the outside, soft on the inside’ to describe people who act aggressively towards someone while actually liking them. They may also be familiar with its scarier opposite ‘yandere’- ‘soft on the outside, hard on the inside’- for someone who loves the object of their desire to dangerous, obsessive levels.

It’s since been symbolized by Yuno Gasai’s flushed face when, in the first episode of Mirai Nikki, she declares she’ll protect her love Yukiteru Amano. It manages to sum up the yandere’s devoted love and borderline psychosis in one image, with the lovey, cutesy blush contrasted by the sinister glare and face clutching.

20

Alchemy Without Circles

Fullmetal Alchemist

• Character Debut: Episode 1- ‘Those Who Challenge the Sun’ (2003), Episode 1- ‘Fullmetal Alchemist’ (Brotherhood).

Watching Edward join his palms and perform alchemy without drawing a circle was easily one of the best moments in the Fullmetal Alchemist animes. Though his earlier experiment cost his brother Alphonse his whole body, Edward managed to recover Alphonse’s soul by trading off his left arm to go with his leg. Though he’d require automail prosthetics, this equivalent exchange allowed him to perform alchemy without a transmutation circle.

Since then, whenever viewers saw him put his palms together, they knew they were going to see something special go down, making the battles all the more interesting and engaging. It was a great way to cement the competency of a protagonist who hadn’t really showcased his powers properly up till that point.

19

Saitama’s Confounded Pose

One-Punch Man

• Debut: Episode 11- ‘The Dominator of the Universe’.

The One Punch Man anime bases most of its art style on Yusuke Murata’s re-drawing of ONE’s original webcomic. But both Studio Madhouse and Murata still had to give props to ONE when his simple, doodle-like drawings captured Saitama’s mood better than any elaborate fine art ever could.

The series often switched to ONE’s art for these one-off gags. The best is how, in response to Lord Boros’ monologue about his strength, all about with rich detailing and shading, a confused and unimpressed Saitama nonchalantly says ‘OK’. It’s a simple way to burst the villain’s pomposity with a pin prick with great comic timing. It’s little wonder that it caught on in pop culture.

18

Instant Transmission

Dragon Ball Z

• Debut: Episode 123- ‘Goku’s Special Technique’.

Goku learned how to pull off this technique when he was stranded on Yardrat, where, by placing two fingers on his forehead, he could essentially teleport to any spot he liked. Or at least that’s how it appears. It’s more like he moves at light speed to his desired location. Hence, the name Instant Transmission.

The simple shot of Goku pulling off this pose is one of the more subtle ones DBZ has popularized, as fans young and old have pulled it off without risking straining something. Since the Instant Transmission technique has been used several times across the series, it hasn’t died down in pop culture either and doesn’t look like it’ll do so anytime soon.

17

L’s Thinking Stance

Death Note

• Debut: Episode 2- ‘Confrontation’.

In terms of legendary anime, no one should fail to mention Death Note. Its premise of a book capable of killing whoever’s name is written on its pages was one that caught people’s attention and appeared beyond anime fans to get referenced in The Simpsons and other Western shows. However, they didn’t go as far as replicating the signature pose of its most beloved character.

Detective series with quirky leads aren’t anything new, but watching L, the genius on the trail of the Death Note’s owner Kira, squat in his seat instead of sitting in it, was unusual. It made seeing him ponder over the puzzles and mysteries his investigation would lead to more interesting than him sitting in a chair normally. On top of his sleep-deprived eyes and eagerness for sweets, it added to his character and made him a fan-favorite.

16

Light’s ‘According to Keikaku*’ Face

Death Note

• Debut: Episode 24- ‘Revival’.

Light, the central character and antagonist of Death Note, is one of the most infamous figures in anime. Some think he’s right in leading the way to a world where the bad get their just deserts. Others, like the manga’s creators, consider it a cautionary tale of what happens when punk kids get power beyond their control and comprehension. But until reality ended Light, he managed to out-scheme L and the police.

His menacing scowl at his plot in Episode 24 going right became famous on both sides of the Pacific for different reasons. In Japan, it caught on for being such a lasciviously evil look, often used in memes, ironically or unironically, to show a scheme has worked out. In the West, it was used to tease fansubbers who loved Japanese too much to translate it and subsequently adapted to scenes from other anime, games, shows, and more, to show when a keikaku* has been successfully carried out.

*’Keikaku’ means ‘plan’.

15

Yamcha’s Death Pose

Dragon Ball Z

• Debut: Episode 23- “Saibamen Attack!”

Yamcha’s status as Dragon Ball‘s buttmonkey technically began before the Saibaman blasted him to bits. Though even in the latter stages of the old Dragon Ball series, he was portrayed as a contender. Just a weaker one than Goku. But once DBZ became a thing and the Saiyans arrived, he was blown up and reduced to a fetal position. At least Tien and Chiaotzu managed to go down fighting.

Since then, things went downhill for the master of the Wolf Fang Fist, and he became a jobber to the next villain of the week. When he wasn’t losing to Saiyans or Androids, he was losing Bulma to one of his killers, and paying off vehicles that got blown up by one big bad or another. His death pose has since become a symbol of where everything began to go wrong for the guy. Still, at least he’s got his baseball career to fall back on.

14

Spirit Gun

Yu Yu Hakusho

• Debut: Season 1, Episode 6- ‘Three Monsters’.

Before working on Hunter x Hunter, Yoshihiro Togashi tried his hand at another legendary anime series. Yu Yu Hakusho was an instant classic that saw school delinquent Yusuke Urameshi come back from the dead to defend the world of the living from rogue ghosts as a Spirit Detective. It started as an investigative series but got more battle-based as Yusuke developed new techniques, like the Spirit Gun.

Watching Yusuke point his finger to launch a terrifyingly powerful blast never gets old, acting like a refined, paranormal version of Dragon Ball‘s Kamehameha. It’s certainly one of the most iconic takes on finger guns in media, though it’s also one that would contribute to Togashi’s health complications, as his hectic schedule led to the series’ petering out and to Hunter X Hunter‘s infrequent hiatuses.

13

Guts Crouched In Berserker Armor

Berserk

• Debut: Volume 35, Episode 315.

Debuting in ‘Claw Marks’, Episode 222 of Berserk‘s Millennium Falcon arc (seriously), The Berserker Armor is one of the most iconic pieces of equipment in anime history. How this armor pierces Guts’ flesh to make him more effective is absolutely brutal and proves just how much of a monster Guts really is that he’s able to annihilate pretty much everyone with this armor on.

Though it never made it into animation (‘episodes’ are just another term for ‘chapter’ here), the image of Guts crouched pensively in the armor from Episode 315 became one of the most iconic portrayals of Berserk‘s protagonist. It’s been replicated in a range of media, perhaps most famously by Artorias the Abysswalker in the original Dark Souls.