The most popular anime characters are well known for their amazing strength, superior intellect, outstanding charisma, and many other characteristics that audiences find attractive. Other characters, however, manage to catch the attention of their onlookers despite lacking attributes generally considered desirable.
A good example of these are characters with disabilities, or in this case, characters lacking the capacity for sight. People who are naturally disadvantaged but possess the strength to overcome difficult situations regardless. They are admired by many who watch them as they serve as an inspiration to others who share their same predicament. This list consists of those anime characters who have appeared over the years who will not be forgotten easily despite their disability.
10 Uzu Sanageyama – Kill La Kill
Kill la Kill is an anime known for its over-the-top characters who possess rather eccentric personalities, with Uzu Sanageyama fitting this description perfectly. As a member of the Elite Four of Honnōji academy, he is originally boisterous and condescending. However, he undergoes a complete personality change after his defeat at the hands of the series' main character Ryuko Matoi.
Uzu is a peculiar case as his blindness was something he chose for himself. After his loss against Ryuko, he resolved to sew his eyes shut as he believed his heavy reliance on them was what led to his defeat. Surprisingly enough, during their rematch, his choice paid dividends as he bested Ryuko remarkably, making up for his shortcomings and turning a disability into a considerable strength.
9 Ryo Shimazaki – Mob Psycho 100
The world of Mob Psycho is one where supernatural occurrences are not uncommon. Mob Psycho is filled with powerful individuals mostly belonging to the categories of espers and psychics. In this world of impressive power users, Ryo is considered one of the strongest among them despite his inability to see.
Ryo makes up for his lack of sight with his Extrasensory Perception. This ability gives him an even better understanding of his environment than others with perfectly functioning eyes. While in combat with Mob's allies, he awakens an evolved form of this power called the Mind's Eye. It is a state achieved through extreme concentration where he shuts out unnecessary entities and focuses solely on objects around him he wishes to sense, a state that makes him nigh-unbeatable.
8 Okada Nizou – Gintama
This cold-blooded killer served as one of Sakata Gintoki’s main adversaries during the Benizakura arc of Gintama. He had heightened senses due to his lack of sight but mainly relied on his sense of smell for navigation. He was a blind assassin who made his first move in the series while trying to recover the grandson of a man named Hashida Kohei but was defeated by the silver-haired protagonist.
Nizou was a man who claimed to be able to see a “light” within people that shone brightest at their deaths, a feature of his which stood as one of his main reasons for killing. At the height of his battles with Gintoki, he pushed the famous samurai to his limit, even leaving him with a fatal wound on one occasion. Though he was beaten during their final battle, he would be remembered as an individual who pushed Gintoki to his limits.
7 Uonima Usui – Ruroni Kenshin
In the world of Rurouni Kenshin, set in Meiji-era Japan, an elite group of fighters called the Jūppongatana, was formed to lead a revolutionary army to overthrow the government. Usui served as a member of this special group, his main motive being to get revenge on the group's leader and main series antagonist, Shishio Makoto, for robbing him of his eyesight.
Usui was a talented murderer who relied on his other senses, which had been heightened to a superhuman level following the loss of his eyes. He was considered the second strongest in the Jūppongatana, and his strength was emphasized during the Kyoto Arc, where he killed 50 policemen in less than 2 hours.
6 N’doul – JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders
The JoJo's Bizarre Adventure franchise is one of the most popular in the medium, with the third part, known as Stardust Crusaders, standing out as one of its most popular installments. The sequel follows the battle of a family against the immortal vampire, Dio Brando over multiple generations. As one of Dio's subordinates during the Joestar Group's expedition in Egypt, N'doul was the group's first enemy on their journey.
N'doul was a blind man with extraordinary senses, just like many others on this list. Most impressive though, was his hearing. N'doul could hear even the slightest noises from as far as a hundred meters away. In addition, he possessed a stand named Geb which took the form of water and could slice anything it came into contact with. He was also an extremely honorable character, as shown when he took his own life following his defeat at the hands of the Joestar Group, a measure taken to ensure he wouldn't leak any of Dio's secrets.
5 Nunnally Vi Britannia – Code Geass
The story of Code Geass is one filled with lies, deception, death, and sadness, with Nunnally being directly exposed to all the aforementioned themes at one point or the other over the course of her young life. Nunnally vi Britannia was a former princess of the empire and the sister of the series's main protagonist. In many parts of the story, she serves as his raison d'être and is thereby given more important roles as the series progresses.
Nunnally lost her sight at a very young age following her mother's death, after which she was exiled from her homeland by her father. She often desires to make a difference but is usually taken advantage of due to her royal heritage and childish outlook. However, despite her visual impairment and cruel treatment, she maintains the personality of a kind and gentle girl, often seen offering emotional support to those in need.
4 Kaname Tousen – Bleach
This traitorous Shinigami was a former captain belonging to the 9th division of the Gotei 13, an organization within the Soul Society consisting of multiple divisions which were each assigned unique tasks. He is well known throughout the series for his pacifist ideals, stating his approach always to be to “take the path with the least bloodshed”.
Tosen could sense the presence of others despite his blindness while also possessing an impressive array of skills, allowing him to fight on equal footing with many extremely strong opponents. When he used his Resurrección, he gained immense strength and the ability to see. However, similar to Uzu Sanageyama, as mentioned earlier in his list, the ability to see did not necessarily translate to better performance in battle, as shown when he tasted defeat at the hands of Hisagi’s Zanpakutō despite regaining his eyesight.
3 Gyomei Himejima – Demon Slayer
Demon Slayer is arguably one of the most popular anime to come out in the past decade, bringing with it an impressive roster of characters as well. It is set in a world where powerful demons plague the nights, with the Demon Slayer Corps serving as the sole organization dedicated to eradicating them, the strongest of whom are given the title of Hashira.
Gyomei is a hashira that achieved the rank within just two months of joining the corps. Gyomei can interact with his environment naturally, making it seem as if his eyes were functioning perfectly. In the series, he is among the strongest members of the Hashira, a claim properly backed by him fighting and surviving two consecutive battles against the high-ranking demons.
2 Admiral Fujitora – One Piece
The world of One Piece consists of three major groups usually at odds with one another, with the world government acting as the main organization tasked with eradicating the other two, namely pirates and the revolutionary army. Working for the world government are the marines, a military organization made up of officers possessing different ranks, the highest ranked officers being the Admirals.
Issho, also known as Fujitora, is an admiral who was appointed after a good part of the story had run its course. His blindness doesn’t impede his battle prowess as his mind's eye allows him to visualize the auras of individuals in colorful silhouettes. In addition, he has extremely impressive observation haki and the power to manipulate gravity itself. Fujitora is also one who chose his predicament on his own, deciding to blind himself because he was tired of seeing constant evil in the world.
1 Komugi - Hunter x Hunter
Hunter x Hunter is a widely acclaimed series with an engaging story and many interesting characters, Komugi being one of them. She is a girl who appears in the Chimera Ant arc of the series at a time when the world faced an unknown threat in the form of a nigh-perfect being who was also the king of the chimera ants. Unlike many in this list, Komugi does not compensate for her blindness with superhuman senses that allow her to fight deadly enemies or perform supernatural feats.
However, her development in the anime is the main reason for her inclusion in this list. She was originally an extremely timid girl who lacked a proper sense of self-preservation but possessed a great talent for a game called Gungi. After being invited to the Meruem’s palace to prove his superiority over a game of Gungi, the two develop an unexpected relationship together, with both characters repeatedly experiencing unfamiliar emotions. Despite possessing no significant physical strength whatsoever, her existence served as the first real challenge for the seemingly invincible Ant King, Meruem.