10 Most Iconic Anime Characters Missing a Limb

There are dozens of iconic anime characters, and most of them are fully intact, but there are quite a few iconic anime characters who are missing limbs. Most people would assume these characters are at a disadvantage because of their missing limb, but that is not the case. In fact, the majority of these individuals are among the most powerful characters in their respective series.

Most of the iconic anime characters who have lost a limb found a way to replace their limb with some type of prosthetic. A few of these characters decided not to replace their limbs because of pride or atonement. Even missing a part of their body, some of these characters are so strong, they can still destroy a city with a single attack.

10

Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto From Bleach

Captain Commander Yamamoto founded the Gotei 13 and led them for over 1,000 years because he was considered the strongest Soul Reaper in the Soul Society. He wielded Ryujin Jakka, the most powerful fire-type Zanpakuto, and it gave him the ability to incinerate or erase almost anything. His Spiritual power was so great that he could crush Captain-level fighters with his bare fists.

Yamamoto had all his limbs for most of Bleach‘s story, but he lost his left arm during the events of the Fake Karakura Town arc. After being seriously injured by his own flames, Yamamoto attempted to kill Sosuke Aizen with a forbidden Hado spell, which consumed his entire arm. He could have regained his arm with Orihime’s special healing, but he decided against it out of pride and stubbornness.

9

Joseph Joestar From JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure

Joseph Joestar is the second JoJo of the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure franchise, and he is arguably the series’ most beloved protagonist. Over the course of his life, he battled vampires, ancient humanoid super beings, and dangerous Stand users. Joseph is a natural Ripple user, which means he can produce sun-like energy throughout his body, and he can create thorny vines thanks to his Hermit Purple Stand.

Joseph lost his left forearm to Kars, who at that point, was considered the world’s ultimate being. He replaced his lost limb with a prosthetic metal hand that functions pretty much like a real hand. The Prosthetic might not be able to produce Ripple on its own, but Joseph can still direct energy through it during fights.

8

Vash The Stampede From Trigun

Vash is the main protagonist of Trigun, and he lost his left arm when his twin brother, Knives Millions, shot it off during the infamous July Incident. Knives wanted to unlock Vash’s full power, which ultimately destroyed the town of July and most of its inhabitants. For this reason, Vash is regarded as a harbinger of destruction and chaos.

Vash replaced his left arm with a cybernetic arm that conceals an integrated gun. Originally, the arm held a semiautomatic pistol with a lot of recoil, which is why he upgrades it to a fully automatic submachine gun. Vash tries to conceal his arm’s true nature with leather wraps, but he rips them off whenever he is forced to go all out.

7

Shota Aizawa From My Hero Academia

Shota Aizawa was the homeroom teacher of Class 1-A, but he was also a well-established Pro Hero who went by the name Erasure Hero: Eraser Head. There are only a handful of god-tier Quirks in My Hero Academia, and his Erasure Quirk qualifies as one because it has the power to nullify other Quirks. Following the events of the Final War, Shota is now in semi-retirement because his eyes have sustained a lot of damage.

Shota was forced to cut off his own right leg during the Paranormal Liberation War arc after he was struck by a Quirk-destroying bullet. He sacrificed the limb in order to protect his Quirk, and he did it without a moment’s hesitation. Shota replaced the missing limb with a prosthetic leg, which seems to function just as well as his real leg.

6

Gildarts From Fairy Tail

Fairy Tail is regarded as the strongest guild in the Kingdom of Fiore, and Gildarts was one of the guild’s most powerful S-Class mages. He wields Crush, an extremely powerful Caster Magic that smashes everything the user comes into contact with. As a result, Gildarts can nullify other forms of magic, including some of the most powerful spells. He can also choose to weaken or deflect them.

While on his 100-year quest, Gildarts encountered Acnologia, Fairy Tail‘s main villain. Not only did Gildarts lose the fight very quickly, Acnologia destroyed his left arm, leg, and an unspecified organ. Gildarts eventually replaced his missing arm and leg with functional, armor-like prosthetic limbs. Given his skill, Gildarts can channel his magic through his metal arm.

5

Tengen Uzui From Demon Slayer

In Demon Slayer, The Hashira are the strongest and most skilled members of the Demon Slayer Corps. Tengen may have been born into a ninja clan, but he went on to become the Sound Hashira. He invented Sound Breathing as on offshoot of Thunder Breathing, and it allowed him to fight on par with Daki and Gyutaro, who were among the six strongest demons in the series.

While fighting Gyutaro alone, Tengen lost both his left eye and left hand. Despite losing the limb, Tengen fought Gyutaro at high speed with both his signature blades. That said, Tengen was forced to retire after Gyutaro’s defeat because he could no longer serve the Demon Slayer Corps at full physical capacity. He never replaced the hand with a prosthetic.

4

Guts From Berserk

Berserk is considered by many to be the most iconic and influential dark fantasy series of all time, and Guts is the series’ tortured main protagonist. Guts wields the Dragon Slayer, one of the strongest anime weapons of all time. It has killed so many monsters and astral beings that it has become imbued with immense power, and Guts can still swing it despite having one real arm left.

Guts lost his entire left forearm during the Eclipse when his arm was caught in the jaws of an Apostle. It was not the Apostle who took the arm though, as Guts cut off his own arm in an attempt to save Casca. After the Eclipse, Guts received a mechanical forearm that is equipped with a hidden repeating cannon. It also has a magnetized hand which makes gripping the Dragon Slayer easier.

Edward Elric became the youngest State Alchemist in history when he was just 12 years old, and he was called the Fullmetal Alchemist because of his metallic right arm and left leg. When it comes to Alchemy, Edward was a true prodigy, meaning he could perform a wide range of transmutations. Not only was he incredibly smart, he was a capable fighter.

Edward was able to perform Alchemy without a Transmutation Circle because he opened his Gate of Truth after attempting to bring his mother back from the dead. This human transmutation came at the cost of his leg. His younger brother lost his entire body, and Edward sacrificed his arm to place his brother’s soul into a suit of armor.

2

Sasuke Uchiha From Naruto

By the time he was 18, Sasuke was already one of the most powerful ninja in history. Like most Uchiha Clan prodigies, Sasuke mastered the Sharingan and Mangekyo Sharingan when he was very young. He obtained god-like power when he acquired the Rinnegan, and his complete Susanoo can destroy a village on its own. Sasuke’s power increased in Naruto‘s New Era, to the point he can now face most Otsutsuki-level threats alone.

Sasuke lost his left arm at the end of the Fourth Great Ninja War during his final fight with Naruto. It was destroyed when his final Chidori clashed with Naruto’s final Rasengan. Naruto lost his arm too, but he replaced it with a new arm made with Hashirama Cells. Sasuke decided to not get a new arm as a form of self-punishment for all the evil things he did during his quest for vengeance.

1

Shanks From One Piece

Shanks is one of the last remaining One Piece characters that Luffy needs to surpass in the Final Saga, which is ironic since Shanks is the person who inspired Luffy to become a pirate. Shanks is now the longest reigning Yonko in the New World, making him one of the strongest pirate captains in history. He did not eat a Devil Fruit, but he is the most powerful Haki user of the current era.

Shanks lost his left arm to a massive carnivorous Sea King while saving Luffy’s life. Luffy was still a child at the time, and he could not swim because he had already eaten his Devil Fruit. Despite having only one arm, Shanks can clash evenly with someone like Whitebeard and Akainu, and he can still obliterate powerful pirate crews with a single slash.