FEATURE: 10 Flyest Anime Characters According to a Style Expert
Recently I had the chance to interview stylist Alexander-Julian, a huge anime fan who has worked with the likes of Jonathan Majors, Laverne Cox and Idris and Sabrina Elba. After discussing how anime has made a huge impact on the fashion industry, I was curious to hear his thoughts on who the flyest anime characters were.
First and foremost, narrowing it down to ten is a bit unfair because anime is full of iconic looks. From series that actually touch on fashion like Paradise Kiss or Princess Jellyfish to characters in the middle of a magical girl transformation sequence, an epic shonen battle or just on their way to school, we're spoiled for choice when it comes to who's got the best fit.
RELATED: Stylist Alexander-Julian on How Anime Inspires Fashion
What's interesting about Alexander's picks is that they mostly fall into the category of "this is not a fashion anime." Many of these characters aren't intentionally trying to be stylish, they just... are! With that said, Alexander has decided to take on the herculean task of keeping his picks at ten, but I suspect we could've made this an ongoing series where we pick a character a day from now until the foreseeable future.
Before we begin, Alexander wants everyone to know that we could've made an entire feature based on Sailor Mars' looks alone. He's absolutely right and I'm glad he said it. Consider Sailor Mars an honorable mention of the highest ranking possible.
Yusuke Urameshi (Yu Yu Hakusho)
AJ: How can someone make a green school uniform look so badass? Yusuke is a perfect example of effortlessly cool 90s style in and out of his school uniform. He’s also the blueprint for the schoolboy delinquent/yakuza style we see in new anime like Tokyo Revengers.
Nico Robin (One Piece)
AJ: Robin has some of the most versatile styles we’ve seen in anime. Her style is chic, mature, cool, sexy, daring and jam-packed with leather. She also invented the color purple. Some of her strongest looks were pre-time skip, but she’s still known to step when she needs to.
Seto Kaiba (Yu-Gi-Oh!)
AJ: Also known as Seto “DO YOU SEE THIS COAT?!” Kaiba. A vetted and proven outerwear enthusiast. Kaiba is no stranger to the statement coat and spares no dollar on impeccable tailoring. We all remember that he was, like, written to be rich. Well, we can see where the budget goes when he’s not buying out the world supply of Blue-Eyes White Dragons.
Trunks Briefs (Dragon Ball Z)
AJ: Trunks was created to be the coolest character in Dragon Ball Z. The way he was introduced, his backstory and his iconic popped-collar denim jacket look were all calculated parts of a greater agenda to engrain in our brains that this guy was cool as hell. Mission Accomplished.
Misa Amane (Death Note)
AJ: Misa is the standard for ALT Girl Style, a viral trend today. It’s a perfect mix of alternative, goth and 90s styles that many fashionistas and designers have on their mood boards today. Her look can definitely be seen on a Versace runway… no seriously, image search Versace Spring 2023 RTW Look 50.
Naruto Uzumaki in Sage Mode (Naruto Shippuden)
AJ: This is a character I wouldn’t typically categorize as fly, BUT this particular look, with this particular entrance, is undeniable. Naruto’s Sage Mode debut look on its own is top tier, then when you factor in how he arrived in said look?! Untouchable.
Then there's the fact that he improves on Sage Mode later, adding his own Tailed Beast flair to an already top-tier look. Half the job of being a style icon is your outfit, and the other half is how you show up when you’re in that outfit.
Sinbad (Magi)
AJ: When every other dungeon capturer was out using knives, swords and other various weapons as their djinn metal vessels, Sinbad was linking his djinns to his bling — very intentional. Fly, but not without function. It doesn’t get any drippier than that. And that’s all without even factoring in how cool he looks in full djinn equips.
Donquixoute Doflamingo (One Piece)
AJ: In the world of One Piece, where every character’s style is deliciously vibrant and quirky in their own right, Doffy manages to shine with his iconic pink feathered coat, cat-eyed sunglasses, pointed-toe heeled loafers and pink zebra pants. The idea of a man so engulfed in his own purely evil schemes still taking the time to meticulously curate his outfits is not lost on me.
Ichigo Kurosaki (Bleach and Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War)
AJ: You know how in school or work you have to wear a uniform with the idea of everyone looking alike, but there’s still that one guy that shows up and somehow has freaked his uniform out and manages to look 20 times cooler than everybody else? That’s Ichigo.
Ichigo has given us so many creative and stylish renditions of the Soul Reaper uniform by switching up the tailoring, adding accessories and even adding a few cutouts here and there, and it always works.
Sesshomaru (Inuyasha)
AJ: I’ve always enjoyed an elegant villain, and Sesshomaru is the OG of that archetype.
While there’s his wild and barbaric half-brother, who is always out causing a stir, there’s Sesshomaru who, granted, is also out causing a ruckus but doing so elegantly in his finely detailed hand-painted kimono, metal harness accessories and luxurious fox fur stole to top it all off. Then he even spends a few extra minutes a day doing his make-up perfectly. This list cannot exist without him.
Curious to see what specific fashion designers some of these characters would wear? Alexander talks about it right over here! Be sure to check out Alexander-Julian's work over at his website. You can also follow him on Instagram and TikTok.
Briana Lawrence is the Senior EN Features Editor here at Crunchyroll. When she’s not writing she’s taking care of her three butthead cats and playing Hades for the 100th time. You can check out her writings and her book series over at her website and give her a shout over on Twitter.
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