Summary
Thedesigns of many anime charactershave become iconic for a whole host of reasons. Everything from outlandish outfits to crazy scars has led to many anime characters to become the most recognizable parts of their respective series. Of course, it would be impossible to talk about the recognizable physical traits of anime characters without mentioning their larger-than-life eyes. Eyes in anime are almost always exaggerated and are typically the most striking aspect of a character’s appearance.
More often than not, these eyes are pretty massive and make their roots pretty clear, with Japanese artists often leaning heavily toward making anime characters have the most noticeable and memorable eyes around. This trope has been lampooned quite a bit by people who don’t understand what anime is all about, and understandably so, but it’s still hard to deny howcool anime eyescan be in certain shows.
Updated on July 11, 2025, by Ritwik Mitra:Character design in anime can go down some wild routes, with fans loving the idea of enjoying how their favorite anime characters look regardless of what they’re doing. These unique character designs are always fun to look at, and many fans love the idea of their favorite characters having eyes that are unlike anything they’ve ever seen before. Thecoolest anime eyeseither serve a purpose, hint at a character’s potential, or just become an iconic part of their character design that viewers will love looking at time and time again.
One-Punch Manis one of the most popular anime of all time, even if the gap between seasons has been so long that fans have been left salivating for new content. Saitama’s adventures are a blast to witness firsthand, and fans can’t wait to see what later seasons of the show have on offer, especially for those who are up-to-date with the anime and want to see some ofthe best fights in the seriesbe adapted after an agonizingly long wait.
The comedy in this series is a huge reason why so many people love it, with Saitama’s deadpan stares becoming an iconic part of the experience. To call it one of thecoolest anime eyeswould be a stretch, but the protagonist’s gaze will always elicit a laugh from viewers and help the comedy of this title stand out even more in the eyes of many.
One of thecoolest anime eyesof all time that accompanies an iconic transformation, the green-hued eyes of a Super Saiyan are intimidating to look at whenever these fighters transform to lay waste to their enemies. Goku’s icy glare sent chills down the spine of both Frieza and fans lucky enough to witness the moment he transformed into a Super Saiyan for the first time.
These green eyes may have been replaced as the Saiyan transformations changed colors, but that doesn’t take anything away from the iconic green eyes and how they continue to enthrall fans whenever this form is accessed inDragon Ball. These green eyes will continue to be one of the most recognizable parts of a transformation that is amazing to witness no matter how many times it’s pulled off over the course ofDragon Ball.
Mob Psycho 100is a short and sweet anime series that fans loved for how it portrayed psychic powers, with the protagonist adding to the series' unique nature. Mob himself tries to go through life without relying on his psychic powers, especially since his emotions get the better of him and make him lose control over and over again. This causes him to recede into his shell, unable to fathom the depth of his psyche.
By repressing his emotions, Mob’s stare is usually pretty unemotional and does a good job of hiding his true nature. His stone-cold eyes are incredibly cool to look at because of how much power is hidden behind them. Whenever Mob’s emotions peak, they lead to some of the greatest moments in the series that have establishedMob Psycho 100as one of thebest shonen animethat doesn’t overstay its welcome.
Chainsaw Man’s twelve episodes may have been a bit too brief for one’s liking, but there’s no denying that people were more than invested in what is easily one of the most unique shonen anime of all time. The characters in this series have become pretty iconic in their own right, with Makima being an obvious mention.
Fans of the manga are well aware of the fact that Makima is the Control Devil, with her eyes being a dead giveaway. Given the events that have transpired in the manga, it’s clear thatthe Control Devilwill play a major role inChainsaw Manfor quite some time indeed.
Sir Nighteye was a pretty unique character inMy Hero Academia, with his presence elevating the stakes during the arc where the heroes initiatedan operation to take out Endeavorand save Eri from his abuse. One of Nighteye’s students, he parted ways with his mentor after finding out that he was going to pass on his powers to a Quirkless child instead of Mirio, who was seemingly groomed for the role.
His Foresight Quirk let him predict the future, assuring him that there was always a way to defeat a villain no matter how much the odds were stacked against him. Unfortunately, this reliance on his Quirk sowed the seeds of doubt that led to his demise. After seeing no hope against Endeavor, Nighteye lost his cool and was impaled by Endeavor’s powerful Quirk. Despite everyone’s best efforts, the man and his powers faded away after a tearful farewell. His purple eyes looked stylish, and it’s a shame that they were only featured in a solitary arc.
For the first three seasons, no one could’ve assumed that the Attack Titan’s eyes would be special in any way. After all, Eren was a classic shonen protagonist who would always strive to do the right thing, and this translates to his Titan form that went berserk a few times early on before he managed to control his powers. However, in Season 4, things changed in a way that no one could’ve expected.
The assault on Liberio was a turning point in Eren’s life, repeating the events of Shiganshina as he transformed into the Attack Titan as a declaration of war andkilled numerous innocents in cold blood. There’s a shot where Eren gobbles up Willy Tybur before looking at the crowd, and his sadistic gaze makes it clear that he is taking no prisoners. It’s one of the more sinister shots of the Attack Titan in all ofAttack on Titan.
Borutoisa series that is hated by manysince it feels like an unnecessary continuation of a story that should’ve ended with Naruto’s final confrontation against Sasuke. Instead, while the idea of witnessing an age of peace was pretty engaging in its own right, fans hated Boruto as a protagonist for being a crybaby despite having everything handed on a silver platter to him.
However, Boruto does go through his fair share of strife, including the link he shares with the Otsutsuki after receiving the powers of the Jogan. This mysterious eye technique has a suite of powers, and Boruto has finally attained the means to activate this ability at will after the time skip. It can perceive the flow of chakra and has predictive abilities that will allow Boruto to reach greater heights of power as the series unfolds.
Before working on the critically acclaimedHunter X Hunter, Togashi penned another iconic shonen manga that became all the rage early on beforethe mangaka’s lack of belief in his own worktranslated into a poorly-paced final arc, discarding everything that was carefully built up in the series for a hasty conclusion that allowed him to take a break from penning manga to focus on his inner strife. Despite this disappointing ending,YuYu Hakushois still a brilliant series that deserves a ton of praise.
One of the best characters in the series is Hiei, a cynical being who initially appears as an antagonist before becoming a major part of the four-man group that bands together to tackle the many threats that come their way. This character implants himself with the Jagan to prepare for the Dark Tournament, unleashing the full power of this third eye when he summoned the Dragon of the Darkness Flame to completely obliterate his foe in no time at all.
The Byakugan is one of the most powerful eye techniques inNaruto. It has been described to be superior to the Sharingan despiite the latter having more powers over the course of the series. However, many fans ofNarutounderstand just how powerful and impressive the Byakugan is, with its importance rearing its head in the movies and a new show released after the events ofNaruto.
It helps that the design of the Byakugan is pretty visually striking and memorable. These clear-white eyes remain dormant until the full potential of the Byakugan is activated, following which the veins near the user’s eyes pop out in a pretty remarkable fashion. The Byakugan is a pretty intensive visual jutsu that has become a staple ofNaruto, a series that is known for featuring eyes with incredible powers.
9The Erasure Quirk
Aizawa Can Nullify Someone’s Quirk Temporarily
Quirks can take on various forms and shapes inMy Hero Academia, but one of the most visually memorable ones featured in the anime is Shota Aizawa’s Erasure Quirk, which is one of the simplest yet best powers in the entire series.
Given how much both heroes andvillains rely on their Quirks inMy Hero Academia, it’s easy to see why losing one’s Quirk for even a few seconds can prove to be so debilitating. Aizawa’s eyes look especially cool when pulling this Quirk off, shining a bright red and leaving a streak of color if he’s in motion while using the same.
