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While things such as costumes, techniques, and catchphrases can make an iconic anime character, nothing beats scars as a surefire sign of an awesome individual. Whereas an outfit can help viewers distinguish between characters and even protagonists of different franchises, a scar does more than just reveal someone’s status as an important character. After all, scars almost always hide a story - be it the way the character obtained the scar or the burden the injury has provided them throughout their stint in the anime.

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However, there are certain anime characters with scars that just stand out among the rest. Aside from having a recognizable scar, the tales attached to their injuries have transformed them into admirable characters with story arcs worth following even outside the context of the main plot. These iconic scarred characters are sometimes the protagonists of their own stories, whereas other characters sometimes take the limelight from heroes precisely because of their scars. Just who are some of anime’s best characters with scars?

7 Kenshin Himura – Rurouni Kenshin

Kenshin Himura

Perhaps the first scarred character to enter mainstream media, Kenshin Himura of Rurouni Kenshin was infamous as Battosai the Slasher, a hitokiri or swordsman assassin in the Meiji Revolution who now wanders Japan in search of redemption. When Kenshin becomes a pacifist resident of the Kamiya Dojo, new dangers begin testing his newfound meek self and constantly tempt him to return to his emotionless state as the Battosai.

Not much is actually known about his X-shaped scar, except for rumors that it had constantly bled and never healed as a “curse” that haunts Kenshin for slaying an innocent person. While humble and serene, Kenshin is never to be underestimated in terms of combat. Should the situation arise, Kenshin will hesitantly use a standard grip alongside his mastery of the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu sword style built precisely for assassinations.

6 Dabi – My Hero Academia

Dabi

Considered one of the more terrifying villains to grace modern anime, Dabi of My Hero Academia is iconic for his blue flames and the prevalence of scars all over his body. Despite his mysterious nature, he’s eventually revealed to be Toya Todoroki, one of the children of Eiji Todoroki who desperately wanted a child to surpass his rival, All-Might. Sadly, Toya inherited his mother’s cold resistance, making his body weak to the very flames he wanted to master. This was a shame for Toya, as his Quirk Blueflame proved hotter than his father’s Hellfire.

When a self-training mishap causes Toya to immolate himself, his family thinks him dead and moves on. However, Toya actually survived, bearing scars, immunity to pain, and even more anger for his father. After realizing that his family moved on from him, Toya discards his name and becomes “Dabi,” accepting his fate as a My Hero Academia supervillain whose mission is to ruin his father’s name as a Pro Hero.

5 Kakashi Hatake – Naruto

Kakashi Hatake

Fitting the generational motif of the Naruto series, Kakashi Hatake is his generation of Sasuke Uchiha: a prodigious genius who was too talented for his own good. Despite being one of the youngest graduates of the Ninja Academy and having membership in the elite Anbu black ops team, Kakashi couldn’t save Obito Uchiha and Rin Nohara from tragic fates. When Obito gave Kakashi one of his Sharingan eyes as a dying wish, Kakashi carried the burden of being unable to protect his friends for the rest of his life.

It was thanks to his assignment to be the mentor of isolated Naruto Uzumaki and sole survivor Sasuke that Kakashi started to grow out of his shell, aiming to ensure they don’t end up being alone like he did. Beneath his iconic half-face mask is a scar bearing the very eye that Obito gave him, with his impeccable skill with the Sharingan gave him the moniker Copy Eye Kakashi. Whereas he loses the Sharingan in Boruto, this only unlocks his strength even further - especially now that Kakashi can use the full brunt of his chakra without spending much to maintain the Sharingan years before.

4 Scar – Fullmetal Alchemist

Scar

The Elric siblings of Fullmetal Alchemist have encountered many friends and rivals in their travels to discover the secrets behind the Philosopher’s Stone. Still, they have never encountered a threat as fierce as Scar. Originally a soldier in the Ishvalan Civil War, Scar became a serial killer on the hunt for State Alchemists from Amestris, blaming them for the death of his brother. While he frowned upon his brother’s obsession with alchemical research and even tattooed its results on his arm, a tragic incident that left Scar heavily injured and with a dismembered arm had his brother trade his life to save his.

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When Scar awoke from his coma, not only did he have a terrible scar on his face but also his brother’s tattooed arm attached to him. Moreover, Scar realized his brother’s tattooed arm - the Hand of Destruction - could do alchemy - mainly the second of its three stages, where it destroys matter without recomposing it. Despite his hatred for alchemy, Scar uses his newfound alchemical powers to kill State Alchemists he deems irredeemable. It’s through his encounters with the Elric siblings and being roped into a worldwide conspiracy that Scar begins a new life as an anti-hero, hoping to redeem himself by fully appreciating why his brother wanted to pursue alchemy in the first place.

3 Kenpachi Zaraki – Bleach

Kenpachi Zaraki

Among the various Shinigami Captains in Bleach, it’s perhaps Kenpachi Zaraki that can fight protagonist Ichigo Kurosaki in terms of brute force. In fact, such is Kenpachi’s threat level that Kosuke Aizen, Shinigami defector and perhaps the series’ most intelligent villain, considers his sheer combat strength a danger to his plans. Such is Kenpachi’s infamy that he’s practically earned the title from Retsu Unohana, the previous Kenpachi.

His tenacity, brute force, and sheer love for combat have earned him many scars, the most prominent one being the scar over his eye that he earned in one of his first battles with Unohana, who immediately saw his potential. Such is his ferocity that even his Bankai makes him take a red-skinned monstrous form able to topple buildings. He has so much self-control that he can survive conditions resembling outer space, and even contend with the giant form of Gerald Valkyrie.

2 Roronoa Zoro – One Piece

Roronoa Zoro

It’s one thing for a character to have an iconic scar on the get-go, and a whole animal entirely to encounter the likes of Roronoa Zoro, who continuously gets them throughout his adventures with the Straw Hats in One Piece. In his first appearance, the swordsman already has a glaring scar on his left shoulder to his right hip that marked his loss against Dracule Mihawk, the world’s greatest swordsman. This immediately notifies readers of Zoro’s conviction to become the best there is, with the rest of his scars coming from his other adventures.

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Aside from the unknown left scar on his eye during the post-time skip, Zoro has acquired various swords and scars throughout various fights, such as trying to cut his feet to set himself free. Moreover, the appearance of such scars is befitting the likes of a master swordsman like Zoro, who is also the Straw Hats’ most prominent fighter. After all, it’s much more believable to see Zoro as a skilled combatant when he has the scars to prove it.

1 Saichi Sugimoto – Golden Kamuy

Saichi Sugimoto

In an alternate spin to the post-Russo-Japanese War era, Golden Kamuy takes war veteran Saichi Sugimoto and Ainu huntress Asirpa on a globe-trotting journey to find the rare Ainu gold of her culture. Despite his kind and sympathetic nature, Saichi has a reputation for ending up with the “worst roles,” especially with his tendency to put himself in danger to protect others. This is perhaps what his moniker “Sugimoto the Immortal” meant, as his scars appear not only on his face but also throughout his body.

Thanks to his incredible resilience and self-healing, Saichi can contend with most foes and protect his charge throughout their journey. Combined with his tendency to always help others, Saichi always ends up in many unnecessary fights that often add more to his scars. Despite his penchant for reckless abandon, this does give Saichi the image of a heroic yet realistic fighter, with scars being proof that he isn’t necessarily unbeatable, just ridiculously strong.

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