50 BIPOC Anime Characters Who Deserve Their Own Series

From Naruto to Pokemon, Dragonball Z to Cowboy Bebop, these cultural caricatures deserve their time in the spotlight.

Michiko & Hatchin, Carole & Tuesday, and Afro Samurai are not enough. I need to see more of our favorite anime side characters with black and brown pigment get the moment they deserve.

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Rules are simple: I'm wishfully thinking all dark-skinned sidekicks and supporting cast into the main character spotlight.

This melanated list consists of characters loosely based on complexion, style, and attitude. Most mention of characters' ethnicity isn't explicitly included in the anime/manga. Miss me with the problematic race debate.

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Color is a spectrum, and so are these conclusions.

50. Don Kanonji (Bleach)

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Don Kanonji is the loud-mouth host of the Ghost Bust TV show and a self-proclaimed spirit medium. When he captivates 25% of the Japanese airwaves with his over-the-top antics, he becomes a problem for the real heroes and pure entertainment for the real threats to society.

49. Blue (Wolf's Rain)

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Blue discovers her true heritage as a wolf, meets her sworn enemies, and becomes a major player in the wolfpack. Nobody knows much about her past or where she came from before being Quent Yaiden's lap dog.

48. Muhammad Avdol (JoJo's Bizarre Circus)

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Avdol is an Egyptian beefcake and bosom buddy of the second "Jojo" Joseph Joestar. When he joins the squad, they're introduced to his powerful fiery stand, Magician's Red. Avdol's intelligence on strand users is necessary, and very few are a match for his prowess.

47. Phil (The Promised Neverland)

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Don't let Phil's little cherub face fool you. Behind that cute mug is a brilliant and perceptive orphan. He's loyal to his friends, and it's not easy to pull the wool over his angelic eyes.

46. Lenora (Pokémon)

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Lorena is not just a tough gym leader. She's an archeologist and the director of the Nacrene Museum. If Pokémon trainers want to win the Basic Badge, they need to beat out her awesome normal-type Pokémon. Good luck.

45. Kilik Rung (Soul Eater)

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The young meister is a death weapon master. With his twin death weapons, Fire and Thunder, giving him a hand, Kilik manages to be a top dog of the academy, knicking out all the competition left and right. 

44. Agni (Black Butler)

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Agni is a Brahmin who comes from a family so set up they used to directly serve the gods. He almost gave up everything, his faith and life, until he met Prince Soma Asman Kadar. Agni has more than history and the talent to fend for himself.

43. Reg (Made in Abyss)

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Reg, the cute little "treasure of the deep," is the robot-boy companion of the aspiring delving White Whistle Riko. Not much is known about his origins or history, except he is the only being immune to the deadly curse of the abyss. He's more than just a relic of advanced machinery. He's a real boy! 

42. Simon Brezhnev (Durarara!)

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Simon is a gentle giant and owner of his own little sushi spot with his buddy Denis. He's originally from Russia, once a special forces soldier, but now uses his intimidating appearance to keep the peace and make people good sushi.

41. Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing (Hellsing)

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Integra Fairbrook Wingates is the cold-blooded boss of the Hellsing family and the Hellsing organization's bureau director. Eerie and foreboding behind a pair of glasses, Integra is a loyal leader with a whole vampire sidekick, so don't come for her unless you want an immortal problem.

40. Zapp Renfro (Blood Blockade Battlefront)

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When they say blood is thicker than water, they're talking about this guy. Zapp is a hot-headed fighter who uses his blood for weapons and charms for the ladies. The Libra Organization and Zapp protect the balance of Earth and the Alterworld with his unrivaled technique.

39. Karui and Omoi (Naruto)

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Before joining the Hidden Leaf Village and marrying Choji Akimichi, she was one-third of the coolest ninja squad in the Land of Lightning. Along with her level-headed teammate Omoi, the Hidden Cloud Village is always in good hands. Their loyalty to the Raikage and their village can bring anyone to tears.

38. Agil (Sword Art Online)

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Andrew Gilbert Mills is the best team player online and offline. When all 10,000 gamers became trapped in Sword Art Online, "Agil" courageously fought alongside his fellow players. When he reached his limit, he became a merchant and set up all his friends with the best gear in the game.

37. Canary (Hunter x Hunter)

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She's a ride-or-die teenage butler apprentice for the ruthless Zoldyck family of assassins who leaves no room for fools crossing the line. Her greatest loyalty is with the promising heir of the family, the rookie hunter Killua. One time, Canary put hands on a hundred henchmen and didn't break a sweat.

36. Azuma (Fairy Tail)

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The first fearsome face of the dark guild Grimoire Heart was Azuma, the great tree wizard of the Seven Kin of Purgatory. He almost single-handedly beat the breaks off Fairy Tail before the rest of his guild had to show up in support.

35. Yasutora Sado (Bleach)

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Known by his friends as Chad, he's a professional boxer and good friend of the main teen hero, Ichigo Kurosaki. He blends the best of both worlds from his Latin Japanese heritage and ability to commune with the spirits. He is the dark, moody, silent type who packs a mean punch.

34. Ren Akatsuki (Fairy Tail)

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The silent night Ren is a pretty boy wizard of the Blue Pegasus Guild's womanizing boy group, the Trimens. With the help of their magical airship, Christina, they travel the world, spreading chaos in the form of love.

33. Cho-Cho Akimichi (Boruto)

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When all the original ninjas became parents, Choji and his wife, Karui, gave birth to one of Boruto Uzumaki and Sarada Uchiha's greatest allies, Cho-Cho. She has all the best qualities of mom and dad, from expansive ninja powers and hand-to-hand combat.

32. Coffee (Cowboy Bebop)

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Inspired by Pam Grier's blaxploitation characters, Coffee is a sassy grenade-launching bounty hunter who won't let anyone get in her way. Except for the obliviously disruptive Edward and her puppy pal, Ein, nothing will stop Coffee from sticking it to the man.

31. Bob Makihara (Tenjho Tenge)

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You don't want to get on breakdancing Bob's bad side. The dreadlocked member of Juken Club stays ready to throw hands if anybody messes with his friends or even looks at his girlfriend, Chiaki, the wrong way.

30. Kuzan (One Piece)

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If you're a pirate, you best fear this cold piece of work with a Jheri curl. Kuzan is a marine baddie sailing the seas, laying the smackdown on pirate's booty, and decimating entire islands with his bone-chilling devil fruit powers.

29. April (Darker Than Black)

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April is a foxy chick who's found that her only means of survival is to align herself with the winning team. With her contractor powers to manipulate atmospheric pressure, April is a force to be reckoned with and a lot of fun to share a drink.

28. Darui (Naruto Shippūden)

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While the entire Hidden Cloud Village deserves a shoutout, they couldn't do it without the full support of the right-hand man of the Raikage. Darui and his storm release fought their way to the top, shocking everyone on his path to success.

27. Marik Ishtar and Yami Marik (Yu-Gi-Oh: Duel Monsters)

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There are always two sides to the story. One moment, Marik is the level-headed Tomb Keeper seeking to protect the Nameless Pharaoh's tomb. On the other hand, he's the villainous demon entity Yami Marik seeking total annihilation as the ultimate Yu-Gi-Oh villain.

26. Jerso (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)

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Jerso fought alongside his fellow chimera-experimented soldier buddy Zampano under the command of Kimblee until the tables turned. He transformed into a toad-like beast to fight Edward Elric until he realized his Princess and the Frog fairy tale should have a different ending.

25. Uub (Dragonball GT)

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Homeboy is the reincarnation of the deadliest villain to step foot in the Dragonball universe. Now the pure-of-heart Uub flies on clouds just like his super-powered mentor Goku. Uub and the next generation vow to rid the world of all evil and represent his family his people proudly.

24. Franceska Mila Rose (Bleach)

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It doesn't matter the other 54 Arrancar come before her in Sōsuke Aizen's army. Mila Rose serves as one of the formidable third Espada Tier Harribel's three Fracción, Tres Bestias. The girl-powered quartet is the most fearsome group of females in the purgatory dimension of Hueco Mundo.

23. Aluura (Voltron)

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The princess of the planet Altea is a legend among heroes. Since day one, Aluura was championing wars for her kingdom and battling cosmic threats in her Blue Lion alongside the other colorful Volton pilots.

22. Sol Marron (Black Clover)

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The third-class intermediate magic knight is a down-to-earth fighter of the Blue Rose squad. Sol Marron quakes the landscape under her captain, Charlotte, with her earth-shattering magic and rambunctious attitude.

21. Tier Harribel (Bleach)

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There's no other female Arrancar that competes with her. Tier Harribel is the third Espada in Aizen's army, holding her own against all odds and Soul Reapers. Once free, she became the de facto ruler of her kind and an official queen of the baddies.

20. Acnologia (Fairy Tail)

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You have to be pretty dangerous if you're even more feared than the anime's main villain. Acnologia is the "black dragon of the apocalypse" looming in the shadows, waiting for his chance to completely annihilate the remaining dragon slayers.

19. Love Aikawa (Bleach)

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Love is the former captain of the 7th division, forced to live in exile as a Visored after being betrayed and hollowfied by Sōsuke Aizen. It didn't get his spiritual pressure down because now he's the hippest masked fighter in a green tracksuit.

18. Abdul Hakim (Cowboy Bebop)

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You don't have a dog in the fight if you go up against this notorious criminal. Hakim attempted to snag data dog Eom from shady scientists but found himself crashing into Spike and Jet, two bounty hunters and the dog's new best friends.

17. Villetta Nu (Code Geass)

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Villetta is the loyal Knightmare frame pilot of the Brittanian Empire. When she comes face to face with Zero and the terrorists, the Black Knights, she shows them all why she's more than just a sidekick for the Purist Faction.

16. Sid Barrett and Mira Naigus (Soul Eater)

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Sid is a three-star meister instructor of the Death Weapon Meister Academy and a CIA commander alongside his demon weapon partner Mira. After their demise at the hands of the youngest Gorgon witch, they were resurrected as zombies. This is how important they are to the academy's survival.

15. Barret Wallace (Final Fantasy Advent Children)

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Years after they saved the world from a meteor and an angry, vengeful alien orphan, Barret was locked and loaded for another fight to save the planet from calamity. He's a tough eco-terrorist on the outside and a sweetheart father figure on the inside.

14. Urd (Oh! My Goddess)

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Urd is the rowdy, nosy big sister of the Goddess Sisters who came to Earth to help out a struggling college sophomore. Based on Urd's extensive knowledge and her unique demonic heritage, she's a standout compared to the other girls.

13. Killer B (Naruto)

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Nobody can handle the younger brother of the Raikage of Hidden Cloud Village except the eight-tail demon ox. When he's not training Naruto and kicking shinobi butt, he's aspiring to be the world's greatest ninja rapper. 

12. James Ironside (Blood+)

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Ironside is the lieutenant colonel and the sixth and final chevalier of the evil vamp queen, Diva. As a respectable soldier and a vampiric bodyguard, he leads the Corpse Corp assassins to secure a future for his master's diabolical five-year plan.

11. Mr. Popo (Dragonball)

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Dragonball knows better. This terrible blackface caricature is actually one of the most important characters in the DBZ universe, assisting Earth's guardian and tending to the grounds of the lookout. He trained Goku when he was just a kid, helping shape him into the strongest man in the universe.

10. Karako Koshio (Deadman Wonderland)

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Karako, also known as "Game Fowl," is one of the baddest chicks locked down in the Deadman Wonderland prison. She's second in command of Scar Chain, the vigilante group who fights to expose the prison's bloody secrets, and she's come for your blood in a second.

9. Atsuko Jackson (Michiko to Hatchin)

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Atsuko used to be a law-abiding policewoman until her childhood rival's arrest 12 years ago. Now the spunky diva is a vigilante looking to settle a score, whether it ends within the full letter of the law or not.

8. Kaname Tōsen (Bleach)

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Kaname is a captain of the 9th division of the 13th Court Guard Squad who sees things differently from his peers. Secretly, he aligned himself with the nefarious plot of the Sōsuke Aizen and Gin Ichimaru, despite his closest allies' protest. Don't underestimate the Geordi La Forge of the Soul Society. He doesn't need eyesight to fulfill his vision of revenge.

7. Dutch (Black Lagoon)

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Nobody messes with the leader of the Lagoon Trading Company and lives to tell the tale. Dutch is always equipped with his trusty shotgun and a freshly lit cigarette. On any given day, he's ready to show what all those years in the United States Marine Corps did for his future in mercenary work.

6. Jet Black (Cowboy Bebop)

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Once upon a time, he was a respectable cop of the Inter-Solar System Police force. When a botched raid took out his arm, he left to become a bounty hunter and captain of the converted interplanetary fishing trawler, Bebop. Now he keeps Spike Spiegel and the gang in line with an iron fist.

5. Scar (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)

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If you see this scarred face man coming your way, run. Using the tattooed arm of his late brother, this Ishvalan survivor vows to seek revenge on every State Alchemist who wronged his people. One by one, he will deconstruct their entire bodies with alchemy.

4. Brock (Pokémon)

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The closed-eyed gym leader of Pewter City is a natural liability but a reliable friend. When he's not chasing Nurse Joy, Officer Jenny, and anything that remotely looks like a woman, he's serving as the wise big bro of Ash and the gang.

3. Piccolo (Dragonball Z)

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I don't care what they say. Piccolo and his Namekian brethren are definitely black aliens outside the bubble-lipped blackface characters. He played no games and had to fight hard to clear his good name and show his people are nothing to mess with.

2. Edward (Cowboy Bebop)

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Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky IV is a genius-level hacker from Earth who makes up one-fourth of the unique Cowboy Bebop bounty hunting crew. Radical Edward is a mystery to most galaxies, but she's definitely the brightest asset to Spike and the gang.

1. Yoruichi Shihouin (Bleach)

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To the untrained eye, she appears to be a helpless kitty. Those within the Soul Society understand she's a deadly weapon with sex appeal. As a former captain of the Soul Society and legendary ninja, she always impacts when she enters the battle.