The designs of many anime characters have become iconic for a whole host of reasons. Everything from outlandish outfits to crazy scars has led to many anime characters becoming 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.

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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 people who love the many ways that artists play around with the eyes of anime characters especially love certain iconic designs that fans will remember long after they're finished watching a particular show.

Updated on February 11, 2024 by Ritwik Mitra: Character designs can be quite over-the-top in anime, but no one complains because of how much people are used to and expect characters to boast iconic looks and recognizable styles that become pretty iconic in their own right. This is especially true when it comes to the eyes that some characters have. Some of these eyes are designed in such a manner that they become the biggest defining feature of any character, with some artists going so far as to use this part of a character's body to show the powers they have.

15 Control Devil's Eyes

Chainsaw Man

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 that the Control Devil will play a major role in Chainsaw Man for quite some time indeed.

14 The Foresight Quirk

My Hero Academia

Sir Nighteye was a pretty unique character in My Hero Academia, with his presence elevating the stakes during the arc where the heroes initiated an operation to take out Endeavor and 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 pretty stylish, and it's a shame that they were only featured in a solitary arc.

13 The Attack Titan

Attack On Titan

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, and 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 and killed 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 the entire series that has become legendary for reasons that don't need to be clarified.

12 Jogan

Boruto

Boruto is a series that is hated by many since it feels like an unnecessary continuation of a series 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.

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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 that is yet to be uncovered in its entirety, with teenage Boruto showcasing the ability to activate this eye power at will. Only time will tell how powerful this eye technique is in Boruto's hands, and the fact that people are already hotly debating the potential of this dojutsu is hopefully a sign of things to come.

11 Jagan

YuYu Hakusho

Before working on the critically acclaimed Hunter X Hunter, Togashi penned another iconic shonen manga that became all the rage early on before the mangaka's lack of belief in his own work translated 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 Hakusho is still a brilliant series that deserves a ton of praise for all the right reasons.

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.

10 The Byakugan

Naruto

The Byakugan is one of the most powerful eye techniques in Naruto. It has been described to be superior to the Sharingan despite the latter having more powers over the course of the series. However, many fans of Naruto understand 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 of Naruto.

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 of Naruto, a series that is known for featuring eyes with incredible powers.

9 The Erasure Quirk

My Hero Academia

My Hero Academia's current season is poised to cover one of the most engaging arcs in the entire series, with the Paranormal Liberation War arc being quite riveting already. One of the heroes who's bound to play a major role in this arc after seeing the gruesome fate his friend was subjected to is Shota Aizawa, whose Erasure Quirk is one of the simplest yet best powers in the entire series.

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Given how much both heroes and villains rely on their Quirks in My Hero Academia, it's easy to see why losing their 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.

8 The Sharingan

Naruto

Naruto is the first thing that comes to the mind of many people whenever the topic of anime eyes is discussed. After all, there's a reason why people who aren't even remotely familiar with anime still know about the look and iconic nature of the Sharingan.

These powerful eyes helped the Uchiha become one of the strongest clans around. While this clan was annihilated in one of the darkest moments of Naruto's timeline, the surviving members have still done a great job of proving time and time again why this eye power is so amazing.

7 Brock

Pokemon

In a medium where pretty much every character has exaggerated eyes of their own, it's odd that one of Brock's definition visual characteristics... is that his eyes don't show at all!

This comic relief character is quite a pervert, but his comedic nature and surprising competency in battle still make him a fan favorite in Pokemon. It helps that his drying pan comment has become one of the most hilarious lines in anime history as well.

6 The Geass

Code Geass

Code Geass is one of the greatest anime of all time. Viewers shouldn't be fooled by this anime being a part of the mecha genre, as the multi-layered story and great social commentary are what place Code Geass in a class of its own.

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Each character has their version of Geass powers that are activated mainly through their eyes. The intricacies and well-thought-out nature of these powers are what make Geass one of the most riveting parts of the show time and time again.

5 Shinigami Eyes

Death Note

Death Note sees two of the best anime characters of all time in a battle of logic and wits that is simply incredible in more ways than one. The ritual Death Notes are owned by Shinigami who can only be seen once somebody touches their Death Note, and these Gods of Death are easily one of the best parts of Death Note by a country mile.

A rather interesting power afforded by the Shinigami is letting other humans have their eyes in exchange for a contact that shaves away half of their lives. This lets users see the name and lifespan of everyone around them, which is pretty useful for a person who uses the Death Note for nefarious purposes.

4 The Six Eyes

Jujutsu Kaisen

The Gojo family has an ocular jujutsu that is unique in their bloodline and one of the most powerful abilities in the series as well. In fact, this ability is so powerful that Satoru Gojo has to keep his eyes hidden at almost all times, with the powerful sorcerer only whipping this ability out when completely necessary.

It helps that this Six Eyes ability looks downright gorgeous in the anime adaptation of Jujutsu Kaisen. Watching Gojo pull this ability off is a visual spectacle that further hammers home just how big the power gap is between Gojo and the rest of the jujutsu sorcerers.

3 The Twelve Kizuki

Demon Slayer

Demon Slayer has absolutely exploded in popularity in recent years, courtesy of Ufotable's incredible adaptation. The animation is simply in a class of its own, and the eyes of the Twelve Kizuki look extremely alluring and intimidating at the same time.

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The members of the Upper-Rank Kizuki are especially daunting, and seeing this rank appear in their eyes never ceases to be fear-inducing for both the Demon Slayer Corps and the viewers themselves. Thankfully, with the deaths of Daki and Gyutaro, it seems that the Demon Slayers finally have what it takes to defeat these powerful threats once and for all.

2 The Kakugan

Tokyo Ghoul

It's a shame that Tokyo Ghoul failed to live up to the massive expectations set by its first season. Tokyo Ghoul:re rushed through its source material at a blinding pace, and the mere mention of Tokyo Ghoul √A makes the blood of many fans boil due to the horrible liberties it takes with the source material.

That being said, the excellent base of Tokyo Ghoul still makes it a great manga to read for many fans. The visual appeal of the Kakugan is pretty excellent, with Ken Kaneki shining in his lead role as the One-Eyed Ghoul.

1 The Rinnegan

Naruto

Dojutsu plays a key role in Naruto time and time again. The Sharingan has already received the praise it deserves, and the fact that the most powerful villains in Naruto actively sought out the Rinnegan makes the most powerful dojutsu in the series earn its mention on this list too.

Aside from augmenting a user's power, the Rinnegan also gives access to the Six Paths Technique as well. It's a truly powerful dojutsu that, when combined with the Sharingan, forms the all-powerful Rinne-Sharingan!

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