Anime and manga have a unique way to convey a character’s whole personality at first glance. Just one look at All Might tells you all you need to know about his character, and the same goes for someone like Goku or Naruto. This is partially due to how Japanese character designers understand the use of colour to convey emotions. Typically, the “cool and composed” characters in anime will be the ones wearing glasses and dressed in blue. If you want your typical shōnen hot-headed protagonist, you better dress them in red. If you wish to unequivocally communicate how fiery they are, you better paint their whole body red. Red characters are surprisingly sparse in anime — but that doesn’t mean there aren’t a few notable standouts. Whether they are demons or some other form of mischievous creature, these seven red characters are scarlet standouts in their respective series.
7. Gel Sadra (Gatchaman Crowds Insight)
If you liked series like Voltron or Power Rangers, chances are you’ve heard of Gatchaman. In most English-speaking countries, the show was called Battle of the Planets, and it quickly became one of the most popular anime of the late 70s.
2013 saw the release of Gatchaman Crowds, a spiritual revival for the series. The second season, Gatchaman Crowds Insight, introduced audiences to a modernized version of Gel Sadra, a tragic character from the original series. In Insight, however, Gel Sadra is more of a beloved, almost comic relief character who manages to become the Prime Minister of Japan.
While the Original Gel Sadra was an intersex person with androgynous features, the Insight version of the red anime character is an alien with red skin and pale blue hair. In combat, Gel Sadra can summon a humanoid battle suit similar to what the Gatchaman uses; alternatively, he can manifest feelings as tangible bubbles for him to ingest.
6. Oars (One Piece)
The One Piece mythos is so massive at this point that some characters safely get swept under the rug. After more than 1100 episodes, only the more dedicated fans — and those with a knack for fan theories — remember Oars, the red giant from the Thriller Bark arc.
Reanimated through the evil powers of Gecko Moria and Dr. Hogback, Oars “the Continent Puller” is one of the most enigmatic characters in One Piece lore, and he just happens to be red. As his name suggests, Oars was capable of physically moving continents as he was around four times bigger than the average giant.
Oars were reanimated with Monkey D. Luffy’s shadow, giving him the stretchy powers of the Gum-Gum Devil Fruit. Add to that his massive stature and formidable strength and it’s easy to see why Oars was such a massive obstacle in the Straw Hat Pirates’ journey.
5. Jeice (Dragon Ball Z)
Dragon Ball‘s villains have always been some of the most memorable characters in all of anime, no matter how small their roles might be. A group that lives forever in fans’ memories — despite their very brief (and comedy-infused) appearance — is the Ginyu Force.
A ragtag group of intergalactic mercenaries under direct orders from Frieza, Jeice the “Red Magma” was the second-in-command for the Sentai-inspired squadron. With his supersonic speed and impeccable tag-team skills with his partner, Burter, Jeice quickly rose through the ranks in the Ginyu Force.
Unfortunately for him, he crossed paths with Vegeta. With one swift attack, Jeice met his end. Still, The Ginyu Force has made some brief cameos in the series, even in Dragon Ball Super. Beyond that, Jeice and the other members of the Force are landmarks of Dragon Ball fighting games, so we might see him returning in the upcoming DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO.
4. Menthuthuyoupi (Hunter x Hunter)
Hunter X Hunter is nearly as dense as One Piece in terms of lore and runtime, and that means it also features a similarly picturesque cast of heroes and villains. Gon’s quest to find his father has led him to meet some very unique — and, at times, very evil — characters. The Chimera Ant King is one of them, and he’s definitely not one of the nicest ones.
Meruem, the Chimera Ant King, had three Royal Guards under his service, with the red anime character Methuthuyoupi — often simply called “Youpi” — being the brawns of the operation. With transformation powers and the ability to unleash explosive energy blasts, Youpi is a force to be reckoned with — and his name is not easy to pronounce at all.
The Chimera Ant King might be green, but Youpi is almost completely dark red, save for the black “pants” covering his lower body. Youpi’s color scheme goes in line with someone with such destructive power, not to mention he’s the more hotheaded member of the Ant King’s entourage.
3. Scanty and Kneesocks (Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt)
Imagine an anime series inspired by … Drawn Together? Yes, it really happened, and it’s called Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt. With a name like that, you might already know where this is going. The series draws inspiration from the crude humour of American cartoons, and its tongue-in-cheek tone means that you never know what to expect.
The series revolves around two angels, Panty and Stocking, who are kicked out of Heaven for their bad behaviour. They now dedicate their afterlives to collecting Heaven Coins in hopes of buying their way back to Paradise. The catch is they have to defeat evil spirits to get the coins — and the occasional demon, like the devilish sisters, the red anime characters Scanty and Kneesocks.
Both sisters are designed as stereotypical devils, complete with horns and — you guessed it — red skin. Though the series has a cartoonish style most of the time, the transformation sequences are a bit less, let’s say, family-friendly than the rest of the show.
2. Gamabunta (Naruto)
When you think of Naruto, you probably think of powerful ninja warriors with weird eyes and flashy hand signs. What viewers often forget is that there’s a whole mythology behind every power in Naruto. For example, Naruto Uzumaki’s Sage Mode would have never existed if it wasn’t for the powers of the toads from Mount Myōboku.
Perhaps the most iconic of these amphibians is Gamabunta, the trusted companion of Jiraiya and, eventually, Naruto’s battle pal. The giant katana-wielding toad saved Naruto and his friends more than once, even standing tall against some of the most powerful Tailed Beasts in the series.
Much like Gamakichi and other toads, Gamabunta is red, though he appears rustier in tone than his children.
1. Beelzebub (Sand Land)
Though most fans know the legendary Akira Toriyama for his lifelong work on the Dragon Ball series, the mangaka’s true calling was always comedy. With series like Dr Slump and other one-shot comics that proved his wit and bizarre sense of humour, Toriyama was an understated comedy genius who loved blending humour with adventure to create truly unforgettable stories.
Originally released in 2000, Sand Land was a bit of an oddity for Toriyama fans. At the time, there were no new Dragon Ball series being published, and Toriyama’s latest work was more prominent in the Dragon Quest series than in creating new manga or anime. Unfortunately, we lost a true legend of the medium this year when Akira Toriyama passed away on March 1st.
Sand Land received an anime adaptation along with a video game this year. The story follows the mischievous but heroic Beelzebub, a young devil who goes on adventures in the desert lands. Beelzebub’s pinkish-red skin is a nod to his demonic heritage, which isn’t exactly hero material, but it certainly fits within Toriyama’s quirky sense of humour.
Are we missing any other red anime characters from our list? Also, check out our list of red-haired anime characters.
