This article is part of a directory: Best Anime of All Time || Game Rant’s Official Best Anime Ranking
Table of contents

Highlights

  • Anime features a variety of skilled marksmen, particularly those with exceptional sniping abilities, who can turn the tide of battles with their well-aimed shots.
  • These snipers often possess distinct personalities that make them easily likable and attached to by viewers, adding depth to their characters.
  • From intense training to supernatural abilities, these snipers showcase their proficiency with long-distance firearms, hitting targets accurately from hundreds or even thousands of yards away.

Anime is home to a good number of impressive marksmen; skilled in the use of guns with feats that regular human beings can only hope to achieve. Even more impressive are those who have achieved a similar level of proficiency with long-distance firearms. These characters have honed their abilities through intense training and sometimes even have their talents augmented by supernatural abilities.

RELATED: The Best Anime For Gun Nerds

Over the years, different popular anime have constantly featured characters possessing this unique skill. These individuals are also fitted with distinct personalities, which allow viewers to become easily attached to them. Here are some of the most notable figures in anime known for their exceptional sniping ability.

Updated July 28, 2023, by Emedo Destiny: In the vast world of anime, sharpshooters stand out as some of the most enigmatic and formidable characters, capable of turning the tide of battles with a single well-aimed shot. They are usually underrated due to the stealthy nature of their job, but make no mistake, they are also some of the deadliest categories of fighters, taking tactical battles to a different level. Some of these characters use good old-fashioned rifles, while some use more technologically advanced ones. A few of them also incorporate their supernatural abilities into their shots to make them more accurate and deadly. Here are some of the best snipers in anime.

15 Isami Toma – World Trigger

isami toma world trigger

Starting as a minor antagonist, Isami became quite the supporting character. His ability with a sniper rifle is second to none in Border, capable of accurately predicting the trajectory of a sniper trigger just by looking at it in use.

So far, his most impressive feat is hitting Chika, six hundred and forty-five meters away, on the head while she was jumping out a window. He is also capable of making calculated predictions which usually come into play when he faces teleporters, shooting them down immediately after they appear.

14 Shuichi Akai – Detective Conan

Shuichi Akai

Shuichi is a master in the general use of firearms, the best in Detective Conan by a mile. Primarily due to his training and experience as an FBI agent, he has demonstrated skills other snipers like Chianti and Korn can only dream of. He can snipe as far as 1300 yards away and shoot a piece of gum in Gin’s hand from 700 yards.

RELATED: Most Iconic Anime Swords, Ranked

His immense skills and intelligence are essential in the fight against the Black Organization. Despite being left-handed, he is strangely ambidextrous with a firearm, allowing him to fire accurately even with his weaker hand.

13 Duke Togo – Golgo 13

Duke Togo – Golgo 13

Duke Togo is an assassin known by many names, one of which is Golgo 13, also the name of the anime series. Known for taking on contracts from an array of organizations and individuals, Togo approaches each job with a detached professionalism that has earned him a reputation as one of the most skilled killers in the world.

He demonstrates his incredible skills numerous times, but his assassination of Robert Horton through a two-foot opening takes the crown. Most would consider the shot nearly impossible, with the sun glaring in his face and the target over 500 yards away.

12 Reki – Aria The Scarlet Ammo

Reki – Aria The Scarlet Ammo

Reiki is an S-rank sniper whose prowess is nothing short of extraordinary. With a range extending to an astounding 2051 meters, she has earned a reputation for unparalleled marksmanship and deadly accuracy. Her weapon of choice, the Dragonauv, has a normal effective range of around 800 meters; however, Reiki defies the limits of this firearm, effortlessly hitting targets well beyond its maximum range.

She has also mastered the ability to hit targets out of her line of sight by ricocheting the bullets off of angled surfaces, demonstrating the skill that earned her the spot as the ace of the Snipe division.

11 Mey-Rin – Black Butler

Mey-Rin – Black Butler

Mey-Rin is far from your typical maid at Phantomhve Manor. She doubles as an extraordinary sniper tasked with protecting the manor at night. With her keen eye, she can discern distant targets and shoot them down with impeccable precision.

She uses a pair of glasses and only takes them off when she assumes her role as the protector of her master’s home. What sets her apart is her ability to use her innate talent without a scope, relying on her eyes and instincts to aim and shoot.

10 Kouta Hirano – Highschool of the Dead

kouta holding his handmade gun

In a world where zombies roam the streets in search of unfortunate humans to devour, Kouta Hirano serves as an indispensable offensive unit within a group of surviving high school students. He is a bespectacled gun-nerd who is adept with various types of ammunition. It is stated that his skill comes from a period he spent overseas training with Blackwater USA.

He originally appears to be relatively reserved, but once in possession of a firearm, his personality drastically changes to that of a frenzied one. The first weapon he ever handled in the series was a handmade nail gun, but as the series progressed, he got hold of an AR-10 rifle which was remodeled into the sniper rifle he is mostly known for today.

9 Tina Sprout – Black Bullet

tina sprout holding a gun

In a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by dangerous creatures called gastrea, humanity’s strongest fighters are little girls born with a virus that grants them superhuman abilities. They are referred to as initiators and are usually accompanied by older partners called promoters.

Tina Sprout is an initiator who originally had a partner that was rarely ever seen in the anime. She has a rather bland personality but greatly admires the protagonist Rentaro Satomi. Tina is extremely skilled with a sniper rifle. This impressive skill was shown during her first assassination attempt on the Tokyo Area Governor, accurately firing a difficult shot from multiple buildings away. She is also capable of manipulating small drones with decent firepower of their own.

8 Mine – Akame ga Kill!

mine holding her gun

Mine belongs to a special group within the Revolutionary Army called Night Raid. She is the sniper of the group and an extremely good one. Moreover, she possesses a rifle categorized as an ancient relic, capable of switching forms based on her situational needs.

RELATED: The Passing Sensation That Was Akame Ga Kill

Using this special weapon, she is able to fire off spirit energy as opposed to regular ammunition. The power in her strikes is proportional to the amount of danger she is feeling at that moment, but they nevertheless always pack a serious punch. She can snipe targets from considerably far distances and has even shown some skill in hand-to-hand combat.

7 Caine The Longshot – Trigun

trigun

Caine is a mysterious figure and stays that way throughout his time in the anime. He belonged to a group named Gung-Ho-Guns and was tasked with eliminating the series protagonist Vash the Stampede.

He is able to cloak himself and possesses a ridiculously long rifle. Though his mobility is severely restricted due to the size of his gun, he is extremely skilled at hitting targets from long distances. He is further aided by a telescopic barrel atop his rifle, allowing him to see even farther.

6 Riza Hawkeye – Fullmetal Alchemist

Riza Hawkeye of Fullmetal Alchemist

In a series with special individuals capable of manipulating the physical makeup of different substances using alchemy, Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye’s main strength lies in her skilled use of guns. She is one of the calmer characters in the series, often displaying a reserved demeanor with a rather interesting sense of humor.

As previously established, she is adept at using multiple types of firearms, with sniper rifles being one of her many specialties. She is such an excellent marksman that she built a reputation as a soldier who never misses her target. Despite this, she has strong ideals regarding the use of guns and refers to them as tools used to protect.

5 Yoko Littner – Gurren Lagann

Yoko Littner

Yoko is a daringly dressed redhead who serves as the talented sniper of team Dai-Gurren. Compared to other characters in the group, she is level-headed and can usually be seen with an exasperated expression when dealing with her colleagues' stupidity.

While other characters contribute to battle mainly using mechs of their own, Yoko went on for a long time solely using her rifle, though she did so with impeccable precision. Due to being introduced very early in the series, she is considered the main tritagonist of the series and remains in the hearts of many to this day.

4 Benn Beckman – One Piece

Benn Beckman pointing his gun

Benn Beckman is the Vice Captain of the Red-Hair Pirates, second only to Shanks himself. He was one of the first characters to be introduced in the series, along with the rest of Shanks’ crew. In addition, he was involved in a significant memory regarding Luffy’s past, rescuing the young protagonist from mountain bandits and listening to his pleas of wanting to grow stronger.

RELATED: One Piece: Ben Beckman's Conqueror's Haki Teased

Not much has been seen of Beckman’s power in the anime, but he is known to be extremely skilled with a gun, especially over long distances. Furthermore, he was strong enough to intimidate one of the navy’s strongest assets in Admiral Kizaru, keeping him in place just by pointing a gun at him.

3 Sinon – Sword Art Online

sinon firing a sniper

Sinon is an online alias of Asado Shino, with which she displays her outstanding prowess with the rare sniper rifle PGM Ultima Ratio Hecate II. She originally assumes a collected, calm, and serious demeanor, most apparent when preparing for battle. However, after meeting Kirito in Gun Gale Online, she began to show a wider range of emotions.

Surprisingly enough, she had a significant fear of guns due to an unfortunate event that occurred in her childhood, which is one of the reasons why she decided to pick up Gun Gale Online. The decision proved a good one, as she discovered talents she would have otherwise not known she had. While fighting alongside Kirito, she usually plays a more supportive role and is skilled enough to place in the top three in two consecutive Bullet of Bullets tournaments.

2 Usopp – One Piece

usopp

This long-nosed crew member of the Straw Hat Pirates is known for his cowardice just as much as he is known for his marksmanship. He is a skilled sniper and was one of the first characters to join the crew. His main weapon of choice is currently the Kuro Kabuto slingshot; however, he has used two others pre-timeskip.

In tandem with his unconventional weaponry, he also possesses unconventional ammunition. He uses special pellets with unique abilities grown from his little flower bed on the Thousand Sunny. He has never been known for having great strength but has repeatedly proven that his sniper skills are the real deal, rarely ever missing a shot, even in high-pressure situations.

1 Tanya von Degurechaff – Saga of Tanya the Evil

Tanya von Degurechaff holding her gun

Being reborn as a little girl in an unfamiliar world is becoming somewhat of a recurring theme in modern isekai; however, Tanya is a little more unique compared to her mini-sized counterparts. She was formerly a twisted salaryman living in modern-day Japan, but after her death, she was reincarnated by a mysterious being into a time resembling Europe in World War I.

She retained most parts of her twisted personality and is even referred to by some as a psychopath. Tanya also possessed impressive magical aptitude, an attribute highly valued in her new environment. As a result, she was enlisted into the Imperial Army and armed with flying devices along with her primary Mondragón Rifle. By skillfully using both assets and her impressive capacity for magic, she can pick off soldiers in the air with tremendous accuracy, making her one of the most highly valued soldiers in the Empire.

MORE: Smartest Isekai Anime Protagonists, Ranked