Best Black Anime Characters

Summary

• POC representation in anime is growing, with shows like “Carole & Tuesday” featuring confident black characters like Angela.
• Characters like Bob Makihara from “Tenjho Tenge” add diversity and unique styles to the anime world as leading POC characters.
• Strong characters like Darui from “Naruto: Shippuden” and S.A.M from “Cannon Busters” are paving the way for more diverse representation in anime.

The world of anime is huge, but most fans can agree that there’s a lack of racial diversity. Characters from varying racial backgrounds are uncommon in anime, but a few franchises are becoming more inclusive. There have been some black anime characters that appeared in some old-school shows, but some are controversial because of their portrayal and looks.

Luckily for fans, the shows of today are on the road to including more black characters and representing them respectfully. Many have appeared as key supporting characters, but some shows have them as leading characters. Either way, these characters are memorable and are some of the best characters in the anime world.

As quite a few anime do not specify race, ambiguous characters are going to generally be avoided. This includes Yakitate!! Japan‘s Ken and Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo‘s protagonist.

Updated on March 18, 2025, by Mark Sammut: Black anime characters are fairly rare, and that pool shrinks considerably if bit-part players who are mostly there for a brief appearance are removed. Still, there are several notable characters out there. This article has been updated with Musa Kamara from Run With the Wind, who is arguably one of the more realistic and ground black characters in anime history.

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Special Mention: Annette (Technically, Castlevania: Nocturne Is Not An Anime)

A Young Woman With Godly Powers And Fights Against Slavery

A young Afro-Caribbean woman who was a slave in her youth and managed to escape to join the revolution against slavery. Annette was born with strong magical powers because her parents were descendants of orishas/divine spirits. She met her mentor, Cecile, shortly after, and learned how to both use her magic and fight with a sword.

Because of her harsh background, Annette often struggles to empathize with her comrades and their problems. However, she learns to be more patient with them and strives to do better, so they can all work together with no issues.

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Caldina

A Dancer Who Is Also A Deadly Warrior And Illusionist

Beautiful, exotic, and confident, Caldina might not look like much at first glance, but she’s a pretty deadly warrior. She’s an accomplished dancer, card games, and games of chance, but her true talent shines as an illusionist.

Caldina is great at almost anything she does and was even recruited by Zagato for her assassin skills. She eventually deserts him after she’s defeated by Fuu and becomes a confidante for Ascot, whom she treats as a younger brother.

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Bob Makihara (Tenjho Tenge)

A Strong Warrior And One Of The First POC Characters To Be Part Of A Main Cast

A South African teen who joins the Juken Club alongside his childhood friend, Souichiro. Thanks to the training he’s done, Bob becomes one of the physically most powerful members of the club. If his physical strength isn’t enough to scare people, his main style of fighting is using Capoeira, a Brazilian dance-based style of martial arts that makes him unique and stand out from the group.

The anime doesn’t give Bob the credit he’s due, but Tenjho Tenge fans know the manga gives him everything he deserves. Overall, Bob is a great character who was one of the first POC characters to be part of the main cast in anime.

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Musa Kamara

A Great Member Of A Great Team

While technically featuring two protagonists in Kakeru and Haiji, Run With the Wind is closer to an ensemble piece, especially since the story emphasizes the importance of teamwork and connecting with others. Kakeru’s entire character development revolves around him gradually learning to trust his University dormitory mates, nearly all of whom are relative beginners when it comes to marathon running. The first half of the anime revolves around the characters’ training and, more importantly, developing stronger friendships, with the second half being dedicated to the actual races. One of the best sports anime, Run With the Wind is an easy recommendation for both genre beginners and veterans.

A transfer student from Tanzania, Musa Kamara is one of the best-rounded black anime characters. Although his background is referenced on occasion, he is never defined by his race or succumbs to stereotypical characterization. He is just a three-dimensional figure who has way more going on than just taking part in races, and he is very likable.

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Mira Naigus

A Demon Weapon Who Cares For Her Students

The demon weapon partner of Sid Barrett, Mira is also an instructor at Death Weapon Meister Academy. She holds the school in high regard and is a strong believer in following the rules. She doesn’t let emotion get in the way of making decisions and often advises her peers to do the same.

Though cynical and quite cold to her peers, Mira is a passionate and caring teacher toward her students. While fans don’t get to see much of her combat abilities, Mira is known to be skilled in hand-to-hand combat which is a rarity among Demon Weapons.

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Onyankopon

A Young Man Willing To Help Those Who Should Be His Enemies

He might’ve appeared late in the series, but Onyankopon has earned his spot as one of the best supporting characters in Attack on Titan. Since his appearance, Onyankopon has proven to be a valuable ally and willingly shared the technology of his and his comrades’ home with the Eldians. He’s a relatively peaceful guy who gets along with the main cast and they have a mutual respect for him.

Even after the Survey Corps was locked up, Onyankopon proved to be a trustworthy ally when he freed them and told them he knew nothing about Yelena and Zeke’s euthanasia plan. As the only one who could pilot the flying boat, Onyankopon made it his mission to get his comrades as close to Eren as possible even with the odds stacked against him.

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S.A.M (Cannon Busters)

A Friendly Robot Who Turns Into A Lethal Weapon When Her Friends Are In Danger

A robot that’s programmed for friendship and grows as the series goes on. Because of this programming, S.A.M. is a pretty sweet girl who just wants to befriend everyone around her. This does make her come as naive and let some people take advantage of that. S.A.M. She also can’t process when someone insults her or disrespects her, and just brushes it off.

Overall, S.A.M. is just a sweet girl that fans can’t help but love even if she’s oblivious to things around her. However, S.A.M. is extremely protective over her friends and transforms into a pretty terrifying weapon if they’re ever in danger.

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Darui

The Right-Hand Man And Bodyguard Of The Fourth Raikage

Darui has had quite an interesting life so far. He was a student of the Third Raikage who taught him how to use black lightning and is the second person to know how to use it. He’s a pretty powerful shinobi and almost defeated the Gold and Silver Brothers single-handedly which is pretty impressive since they were using the Tools of the Sage of Six Paths. Darui is also the right-hand man and bodyguard to the Fourth Raikage and comes off as more mature than him.

Though often apologizing for the Fourth Raikage’s impulsive actions, Darui highly respects him and is quick to defend him if anyone says something negative. During the Fourth Shinobi War, Darui was the leader of the Allied Shinobi Forces First Division. After the series ends, Darui is now the Fifth Raikage, showing that he’s only gotten stronger.

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Miyuki Ayukawa (Basquash!)

A Mechanic With Beauty And Brains

She might be a supporting character, but Miyuki is Dan’s mechanic and a really good one at that. Her contributions to Dan and his team are large and he should be grateful that someone as amazing as Miyuki is helping him. She’s more than happy to help out and keep their Big Foots up and running.

Miyuki is just the total package having beauty and brains. She even remains friendly with Dan (whom she has feelings for) after she learns that he has feelings for Rouge.

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Ogun Montgomery

A Fire Soldier With Some Awesome Abilities

A longtime friend of Shinra and Arthur, and a Third Generation pyrokinetic. Ogun is a Fire Soldier who is extremely powerful and has some pretty awesome abilities at his disposal. He’s able to create his own flames unlike Second Generations who can only control existing flames. He uses his abilities to create multiple spears and sword-like weapons to use in battle, usually by throwing them.

What makes Ogun stand out is his Flamy Ink ability in which he tattoos his flames onto his skin. This ability greatly increases his strength, but it does come at the risk of him overheating quicker. Ogun sparingly uses this ability, but when he does, it looks awesome.

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Coffee

She Made Her One-Time Appearance Count

She only appeared in one episode of Cowboy Bebop, but Coffee has left a lasting impression. A bounty hunter who just happened to be after the same guy that Edward and Ein are looking for. Needless to say, Coffee found herself in some strange situations revolving around the duo, but kept her focus on finding the man. It’s almost funny how serious she was while Edward and Ein were just being their eccentric selves in the middle of a shootout and car chase.

Her one-time appearance was more than enough to make fans love her. Wielding a grenade launcher with no issues and looking fabulous while doing so is tough to do, but Coffee pulls this off effortlessly. If there is one character who could have their own spinoff series, Coffee would be an interesting character to watch.

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A, The Fourth Raikage

The Fearsome Fourth Raikage Of Kumogakure

The older adoptive brother of Killer B and is one of the strongest characters in the series. The Fourth Raikage has been able to match the speed of Minato Namikaze and the strength of Naruto and Sasuke. Though a stern man who’s not afraid to make heavy sacrifices should he have to for the greater good, A is a man who cares deeply for everyone around him.

He loves and cares for his younger brother, but he does not hesitate to rough Killer B up if he gets out of line. Even though Killer B is possibly a lot stronger than him, he’s not going to antagonize A if he can help it.

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Claudia LaSalle

A Second Lieutenant Who Helped Pave The Way For POC Characters

A character from an 80s anime that is a well-written character along with being well-designed, especially compared to other POC characters that came during this decade. Claudia is a supporting character that usually helps out her friend Misa Hayase whenever she needs it, usually revolving around her growing feelings for Hikaru. Though her job as second lieutenant can be pretty stressful, Claudia remains confident and professional. Her relationship with Roy was a pretty good one until his death, and they are one of the very few interracial relationships in the anime world. Even though she grieved for him, Claudia continued to remain strong while doing her work and always remembering the good times she had with Roy.

Most black characters in 80s anime were usually designed and portrayed with problematic stereotypes, but Claudia came out unscathed from this and broke down barriers. She showed that a black character (and a female at that) doesn’t have to be those things to be successful and iconic.

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Andrew Gilbert Mills, AKA Agil

A Good Friend Who Is Always There To Help Others

Andrew is a man who enjoys playing video games and owns a cafe with his wife. He was one of the 10,000 people to get stuck in the game and has led a few groups to defeat powerful bosses. At first, it seemed like he was a greedy man who only cared about making money. However, Kirito saw that Andrew was using that money to help weaker players level up. Andrew is willing to help people and defends others when they’re getting heckled by other players.

He’s one of the few people Kirito can always count on to have his back and gives him a place to stay whenever he needs it. Andrew is just a good and patient friend to have, and it’s easy to see why Kirito and others enjoy being around him.

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Kaname Tosen

A Powerful Warrior With His Own Code And Morals

Though he’s an antagonist in the series, Kaname is a man with his code and morals. His creed is “take the path with the least bloodshed” and following Sosuke Aizen was the lesser evil. He knew thousands would die, but believed the outcome was worth it. After his dear friend was killed and her killer was free from the crime, Kaname secretly sought justice against the Soul Society that allowed this.

It’s hard to not feel sorry for him because he saw the dark and ugly side of the justice system and his friend truly loved the Soul Society. His path in the series asks many questions about how justice truly works and shows the corruption hidden in the world. Despite his philosophy that less bloodshed is better, Kaname was a pretty deadly and powerful warrior that very few would dare to cross.

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April (Darker Than Black)

Has An Iconic Design And The Power To Create Deadly Storms

April could be iconic for just her looks alone. Even among other anime characters, her look is unique with her light blue hair, pink fur-lined jacket, and the beautiful pink color on her lips. But April is more than just a pretty face and this woman can be pretty deadly since she can create hurricanes and strong winds.

Plus her high tolerance of alcohol made for nice and lighthearted moments. Any time she’s around, it’s hard to not look at her because of her bright appearance in a rather dreary and dark environment.

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Yasuke (Yasuke)

A Samurai Who Doesn’t Like Violence But Will Fight To Protect The Innocent

Yasuke is a kind man with a dark and grim past. He used to be a samurai but saw the fall of his lord when the demonic warlord, Yami no Damiyo, and his forces defeated them. After 20 years have passed, Yasuke is now living as a boatman in a remote village. Even though he’s not a samurai anymore, he’s still a deadly warrior.

He has his own set of principles that he believes in, and has strong willpower when fighting against enemies stronger than him. He’s reserved around most people, but he opens to others once he gets to know them, as seen during his travels with Saki.

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Muhammed Avdol

A Man Who Wants To Look Good And Responsible

A very important ally in Stardust Crusaders since he’s the one who helped find a way to defeat Dio. He’s very concerned with his “image” and this could easily sound self-absorbed, but this is not the case since he wants others to know he’s responsible and mature. His sense of duty and loyalty is very strong, and he was dedicated to helping the Joestar family put an end to Dio. He is one of the wisest characters in the series, making him a valuable ally.

Avdol was confident in his abilities and wasn’t afraid to boast about them and his Stand’s strengths. He was a mentor and great friend to Jotaro Kujo, helping him understand how Stands work and teaching him and the rest of the group many things.

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Carole Stanley

A Young Woman Working Hard To Make Her Musical Dreams Come True

Carole’s life has been less than ideal, being an orphan and constantly fired from jobs. However, she doesn’t let that bring her down. She’s straightforward and a little brusque when dealing with delicate situations and customers, which usually leads to her getting fired. Still, Carole is quite nice, patient, bright, and outgoing, so it might be surprising that she has few friends. However, this could stem from the bullying she faced from both her peers and teachers.

Despite the hardships she’s been through, Carole doesn’t give up her dream of being a famous musician. She’s independent, strong, and confident, which makes her a great older sister figure for shy, less confident Tuesday. Carole doesn’t see her as a burden, even though Tuesday lacks social skills and is a bit of an airhead.

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Afro Samurai

A Strong Samurai That Very Few Will Cross

One of the most iconic black anime characters, Afro Samurai is a highly skilled swordsman who can deflect crossbow bolts and bullets and even fight in the air. He is ruthless in battle, and people have considered him a monster because of it. He’s taken out thugs and warriors with relative ease. He is seen wearing the Number Two headband, which marks him as the second-strongest swordsman in the world.

Though he’s quite cold and aloof, Afro Samurai has shown that he does care for a few people, like Jinno and Otsuru. Even though Otsuru was sent to kill, it’s shown that he had an emotional connection to her, and kept her hairpin after her death.