Gunslingers in anime often appear in western-inspired settings, resulting in some of the medium's most iconic characters. While the top touchstones like Trigun and Cowboy Bebop hit their heights in 1990s, the time is always right for a comeback... and to appreciate the lone wolves that cemented their place in anime history.
There are many other types of gunslingers in anime: charismatic vampires, like the immortal Alucard from Hellsing, or trained assassins, like Train Heartnet from Black Cat. All of them are well-known for their precise skill with a gun, and ability to take out targets most would think impossible. Gunslingers come and go in anime, but here are the most elite to carry the name.
Death The Kid (Soul Eater)
Death the Kid is the son of Death himself, and the most popular character in Soul Eater (an anime famous for its controversial ending). He receives his name from the famous historical gunslinger, Billy the Kid, and fights with his Demon Twin Guns, whose power depends on the strength of the one wielding them.
Death The Kid is a truly extraordinary gunslinger, who has earned his reputation. His long-ranged skills are precise, and he has many attacks that can take out thousands of enemies with a single shot. While gunslingers are generally known for firing bullets, Death the Kid also uses the guns as close-range weapons, using martial arts skills to make them deadly weapons in an up-close fight.
Revy (Black Lagoon)
Revy is one of the most popular antiheroes in anime and one of the main protagonists of Black Lagoon, providing most of the action in the series. She has spent a long time honing her skills with a gun and had her first kill at a young age. At some point, she develops a sadistic glee for harming others.
She is capable of using all sorts of firearms, however, she primarily sticks to her two Beretta 92F, which is a common military and law enforcement handgun in real life. Her proficiency with her handguns is perfect, and her abilities increase even further when she's under extreme pressure. Revy also has unnatural capabilities including dodging bullets and being able to rapidly fire her handguns directly after.
Guido Mista (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 5: Golden Wind)
Mista is one of the best characters from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure and one of the major characters in Golden Wind, as well as one of the most interesting. His Stand is called Sex Pistols, which works in tandem with his marksmanship.
Mista's Stand are six individuals who look like bullets themselves. He often fires them alongside actual bullets, where they can then redirect his bullets any way he desires. This makes his shots far more precise than any real talent could ever offer him. It also makes his battles far more interesting, with careful tactics that surprise his enemies. His Stand also aids him in loading his gun more swiftly, as they quickly insert the bullets.
Ryo Saeba (City Hunter)
Roy Saeba is one of the best anime characters from the '80s and is a jack-of-all-trades gunslinger who serves as the main protagonist of City Hunter. His organization serves the same name. Given his profession, alongside his skill with a gun, he ends up in skirmishes that constantly rely on his shooting abilities.
Near the beginning of the series, he loses some of his memories and has no knowledge of what he was previously. However, his skills with a gun never disappear. He's always able to shoot precisely where he wants and can hit the same exact spot over and over again without fail. While he is proficient in all sorts of different firearms and has an incredible aim with even non-firearms, his primary gun of choice is a Colt Python handgun.
Spike Spiegel (Cowboy Bebop)
Spike Spiegel is the antihero main protagonist of the popular series, Cowboy Bebop, inarguably one of the best anime original series ever made. He is good at everything he puts his mind to, including hand-to-hand combat, and has a high level of proficiency in various weapons.
One of his favored guns is the Jericho 941, which happens to be a fairly uncommon gun in the real world. However, his is a highly modified version of the gun that's more suited for a man aiming to shoot to kill. Due to his sharp senses, he's able to accurately hit most of his targets. Spike is also seen using various other guns in the series, many of which also are not popular in the real world.
Kiritsugu Emiya (Fate/Zero)
Kiritsugu Emiya is the main protagonist of Fate/Zero and a phenomenal character, as well as the father of Shirou Emiya, who serves as the main protagonist for Fate/Stay Night, one of the best fantasy anime out there. His dark and antiheroic traits make his dynamic with the chivalrous Saber fascinating.
Kiritsugu was trained in all manners of weaponry and combat, where he took on jobs initially of killing Magus. Kiritsugu does not have a specific weapon that he favors, as he's constantly seen shifting between various firearms. He is skilled in all ranges of combat, whether it's sniping, mid-distance, or close combat. His magic is also focused on time manipulation, which dramatically helps improve his already precise marksmanship abilities.
Train Heartnet (Black Cat)
Train Heartnet is a former assassin and the main protagonist of Black Cat. He is trained in how to survive and use a gun by Zagine, who killed Train's parents. Train uses the training in hopes that one day he can exact revenge, however, Zagine is killed by someone else.
Train, one of the best assassins in anime, spends most of his years as a skilled assassin until he quits and becomes a bounty hunter. However, his skill with a gun never changes. His weapon of choice is a unique revolver called Hades. Hades has many special bullets and abilities, such as the Freeze Bullet, which will freeze anything it hits upon contact. His strongest attack used in the series was called the Burst Railgun, which used both his physical power combined with a bullet. This attack manages to destroy the barrel of Hades, which is supposed to be indestructible.
Beyond The Grave (Gungrave)
Gungrave is based on a video game series and is one of the best noir anime series to date. It focuses on Beyond The Grave, who is a unique character that was previously known as a man named Brandon Heat, brought back to life. In his life, he was already an exceptionally skilled gunman, as he worked as a Sweeper.
He primarily specializes in three weapons. Two of them are dual pistols called the Right Head of Cerberus and the Left Head of Cerberus, named after the three-headed dog of the underworld in Greek mythology. His third weapon isn't the third head but instead, a coffin that turns into a weapon called the Death Hauler. In addition to his skill with guns, he has gained several other abilities after being resurrected, like regeneration and improved strength and speed.
Alucard (Hellsing/Hellsing Ultimate)
Alucard is one of the strongest vampires in anime and the main protagonist of Hellsing and Hellsing Ultimate, the latter of which adapts the manga series completely. He is a vampire whose true identity is the infamous Vlad the Impaler and Count Dracula. While he has many incredible vampiric powers, he often focuses on using his two handguns.
The first handgun is a specialized weapon of the Hellsing family designed to kill monsters by using silver bullets. It is named the Hellsing ARMS Casull and is a massive semiautomatic pistol. His other gun is nicknamed the Jackal and was manufactured specifically for Alucard and improves upon the Hellsing ARMS Casull in every regard. Alucard has gun skills, but he more relies on their power, as they create large wounds in his opponents and can even explode upon impact. His vampiric strength and speed also allow him to fire rapidly and take out dozens of monsters swiftly in what is one of the best anime about vampires.
Vash The Stampede (Trigun/Trigun Stampede)
Vash the Stampede is the main protagonist of Trigun and the new adaptation of the series, Trigun Stampede. He is a cheerful hero who never aims to kill, despite his expertise as a gunman, and he's one of the best characters with "a no-kill rule."
Vash's primary gun of choice is a .45 Long Colt, which happens to be the weapon his brother Knives uses, as well. Due to Vash's alien abilities, he's able to perform all sorts of different attacks. This also increases his exactness with his gun. Vash has his fair share of gunfights in the series, but none were better than his final duel with his brother Knives, who was one of the creepiest kids in anime when he was younger. This fight alone is one of the best, if not the best gunfight in anime.
Post a Comment