Archery takes time and patience to master, and only those with perfect aim and determination can hone this skill. While it's an acquired talent that many want, it's not a universally popular choice of weapon. Most people would choose magic, a superpower, a gun or even a sword to use in battle and leave the bow and arrow behind.
In anime, many characters reflect that reality and tend to choose a sword, like Kirito i Sword Art Onlineor superpowers like Deku in My Hero Academia. Seeing an anime where the main character or supporting characters choose to become archers may be rare, but it's not completely uncommon either. These are just some of them best anime archers who would rather fight from afar with bow and arrows than in close combat.
While their general popularity will be considered, priority will be given to characters synonymous with archery.
Updated on November 15, 2025 by Mark Sammut: Fall 2025 has a few archers as minor characters, but they seem unlikely to eventually land among the most iconic of all time. Therefore, we have adjusted this article's images, along with two new entries: Aura and Makoto.
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Aura Bella Fiora
Overlord
Starting with a unique case, Overlords Aura Bella Fiora is technically a ranger who uses a powerful bow, but you could completely miss that if you watch the anime. If I'm not mistaken, which could be the case, the Floor Guardian never uses “To Your Heart”, her bow, in the anime, and she rarely gets much of a chance to show off her abilities.
Once she gets the spotlight in Season 4, Aura chooses to focus primarily on commanding her beasts, which (admittedly) is a neat option. Although additional reading is required, Aura is recognizable enough to at least warrant an honorable mention. Who knows? Maybe one day she will get to shoot an arrow in the anime.
23
Charlotte Perospero
One Piece
Charlotte Perospero is the eldest son of Big Mom. He held the post of Minister of Sweets in Totto Land. While the Sweet Generals were considered the strongest members of the crew after Big Mom, Perospero wasn't too far behind them. Perospero ate Pero Pero no Mi, a Paramecia-type devil fruit that served a variety of purposes.
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Perospero used the Devil Fruit's power to create all kinds of objects, including weapons. Of his many weapons, Perospero was particularly adept at using the bow and arrow. The arrows created by the candy are sharp and they can pierce anything in their path.
22
Sawa Okita
Tari Tari
Sawa is the daughter of Shōichi and Shiho Okita. She is passionate about Japanese archery and riding horses, as her dream is to become a horse rider one day. As a member of the archery club, she is ambitious, playful and friendly.
Sawa is a perfect example of archery being an underrated skill. Although she can almost always hit her mark with a little concentration, she is more interested in becoming a rider than mastering skills acquired with a bow and arrow. Archery in this series functions more as a therapeutic and fun activity than something more serious.
21
Sasuke Uchiha
Naruto
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Naruto Naruto Shippuden Release date 2002-10-02 2007-02-15 Genres Animation, Action, Adventure Animation, Action, Adventure, Fantasy Studio Pierrot Pierrot Based on Manga Manga Creator Masashi Kishimoto Masashi Kishimoto Streaming Service(s) Hulu, YouTube, Netflix, Crunchyroll Hulu, Crunchyroll
Sasuke Uchiha is one of the main characters in the Naruto anime series. He had a rough childhood that made him a loner obsessed with gaining power. Sasuke trained a lot, which helped him gain enough power to achieve his goals.
While Sasuke has a sword, he used to carry a bow and arrow when he was young. Sasuke's Susanoo is also equipped with the same weapon. He has used it several times in fights. The arrows launched from his Susanoo blow fast, and only a handful of characters can dodge them. Even Sasuke's strongest attack is called Indra's Arrow, and it was powerful enough to interrupt Naruto's attack and destroy a large part of the Valley of End.
Sasuke is one of the most iconic anime characters of all time, but he's not really considered an archer. Consequently, he cannot be ranked too high.
20
Sasha Braus
Attack on Titan
Sasha Braus was a brave and kind member of the Surveys Corps. She loved food, and although she made mistakes along the way, she always persevered and followed her intuition.
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In the second season of the anime, Sasha used a bow and arrows to save a young girl from a Titan. It may have taken her a few tries before she succeeded, but she never gave up, and her resilience is something fans have seen throughout the series. Her experience with the bow helped her become a sharpshooter, and when she chose a different weapon, she became one of the best snipers on her team.
19
Ukyo Saionji
Dr. Stone
Introduced at the beginning of Dr. Stones second season, Ukyo is initially presented as a villain when he sides with Tsukasa; but like his leader, he eventually becomes part of the realm of Science. Using his incredible hearing and precision with a bow, Ukyo is not only one of the strongest characters in a fight, but he is also the best scout of the group, with his skills being put to good use.
Although he is very cool and gets opportunities to shine, Ukyo fades somewhat into the background in seasons 3 and 4, a consequence of Dr. Stones huge cast. Still, he's always a welcome presence when he appears in an episode.
18
Minato Narumiya
Tsurune: Kazemai High School Kyudo Club
Tsurune is undoubtedly the definitive one archery anime. Focusing on kyudo, traditional Japanese archery, the story follows the members of a school club as they practice their skills and slowly prepare to compete in competitions. Although it may sound like every other sports anime out there, Tsurune is surprisingly character-driven, focusing on the members' relationships and hang-ups. This is best represented through Minato, the protagonist of the story (although the show appears as an ensemble piece).
Due to a personal tragedy, Minato had to turn his back on archery, largely due to suffering panic attacks while trying to perform. Season 1 focuses a lot on Minato's rehabilitation, and it's generally handled well. Season 2 splits its attention more evenly between the characters, with Minato serving as the glue that holds the group together (sometimes).
17
Shera L. Greenwood
How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord
Although not without problems, How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord is a fun enough isekai comedy, especially the first season. Summoned by an elf and bestgirl, Diablo is a normal human being in the body of his OP video game character, and he basically has to fake it until he makes it. As one of the three protagonists, Shera is a major player throughout both courses, and she is arguably the most likable character.
Elf is skilled with a bow and can be quite useful in tough situations, although she is significantly weaker than Diablo. Similar to who she is, Shera doesn't get to show off her bow skills very often, which hurts her position somewhat. She is also a more iconic elf than one iconic anime archer.
16
Poke
Hunter x Hunter
Hunter x Hunter
- Release date
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2011 – 2014
- Directors
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Hiroshi Kojina
- Author
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Atsushi Maekawa, Tsutomu Kamishiro
Pokkle made his debut during the Hunter Exams, and it didn't take long for him to cement his reputation as a strong character. Unlike most shonen characters, Pokkle didn't go out of his way to fight his enemies. He was cautious by nature, so he always made plans before going on a mission.
Pokkle was a transmitter, which allowed him to separate his aura from his body. This was the perfect Nen ability for Pokkle, as he was an archer. He could split his aura into different colors and shape them into arrows. Each colored arrow had a special power. These powerful arrows, combined with Pokkle's great aim, made him a dangerous opponent.
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Iruma Suzuki (and some other characters)
Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun
Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun is such an entertaining magical school anime, with most of its main characters extremely likable. As the eponymous human who attends a school filled with demons who start each day by singing a song about eating people like him, Iruma has a lot to contend with, even if he does have some powerful aces up his sleeve. Now, it takes quite a while for Iruma to pick up archery, with the ability only developing in season 3; consequently, his archer status is a minor part of his portfolio. Still, he looks pretty cool with a magic bow and arrow.
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Iruma is not the show's only character to rely on archery, although he is the most famous due to being the main character. His mentor, Bachiko, is an incredibly powerful archer who creates some of the most visually striking bows in anime. Even Bars Robin, a teacher at Babyl's Demon School, has a cool arc.
