I really don’t get why there are so many anime eye patch wearing characters (and there are a lot of them when you start looking) but I do know that some of these characters are pretty cool.
While for some the eye patch is a practical device, for others it is an unexplained mystery. Here are my top 5 anime characters that wear eye patches. I’d love to know who you would have picked.
Please Note – There are spoilers below. You have been warned.
Honourable mentions this week go Misaki Mei (Another), King Bradley (Full Metal Alchemist), Valmet (Jormungand), and Ciel Phantomhive (Black Butler). That’s a lot of honourable mentions and that is only a fraction of the list I started with. Too many characters with eye patches. And we love them!
Anime Eye Patch Wearing Character No. 5: Sven Vollfied (Black Cat)
So with so much competition, how did down and out sweeper Sven of Black Cat find his way onto this list?
Probably because he was one of my first eye patch wearing anime characters and his eye patch served a purpose. Sven can see a few minutes into the future but using that power takes a great toll on his body so most of the time he keeps his eye covered.
However, when things are at their worst, he will lift the eye patch and use that power to his full advantage. Besides, Sven is more unlucky than incompetent because he has some mad skills when push comes to shove. It just turns out making money isn’t one of them.
Anime Eye Patch Wearing Character No. 4: Kaneki Ken (Tokyo Ghoul)
Okay, Tokyo Ghoul was an obvious choice but a necessary one.
The way the eye patch and mask are used to show Kaneki’s dual nature is actually quite clever and a critical plot device throughout the story. Basically, he keeps his ghoul eye covered when he is human and his human eye covered when he’s a ghoul and slowly we see the divide between these two existences disappear.
When it isn’t just a stylish choice but a character necessity, the eye patch really takes on a life of its own.
Affiliate Link
Anime Eye Patch Wearing Character No. 3: Rikka Takanashi (Chyunibyo)
After the last two serious entries, I really wanted to include Rikka from Love, Chuunibyou and Other Delusions.
Rikka is a fantastic character who suffers from 8th Grade Syndrome and so believes that she has super powers which she cleverly conceals by wearing an eye patch, among other things. She get’s some very cool moments when she reveals her eye and at first it appears magical but then it’s revealed she is wearing a coloured contact in the eye under the eye patch.
While her eye patch is definitely an affectation, Rikka is a fantastic character and the eye patch is almost inseparable from her as a character so I felt she deserved a spot on the list. It’s such a fundamental part of her character that when she gives up her ‘delusions’ she removes the eye patch and essentially becomes a different person. However, that transformation is short lived.
Anime Eye Patch Wearing Character No. 2: Worick Arcangelo (Gangsta)
This one is included because unlike a lot of these characters, Worick from Gangsta isn’t hiding a super power but rather is covering an injury. One that the memory of haunts him and when we flash back and see the injury it actually makes the audience wince.
This is a physical and emotional scar on the character and is definitely a symbol of the events that have shaped who he is.
While it isn’t as fun as characters hiding amazing powers or using an eye-patch because they are delusional, Worick’s eye-patch is a fundamental part of his character and you have to admit, he looks pretty awesome.
Anime Eye Patch Wearing Character No. 1: Lavi (D Gray Man)
Yes, some of the other characters have more dramatic stories and more purpose behind their eye patches. I’m not going to argue that this choice is anything but my own preference.
Lavi, from D Gray Man, is awesome. I loved him as a character and like Sven, Lavi was one of the first eye patch wearing characters to catch my eye. And while it isn’t fully explained (or at least the anime hasn’t), the eye patch is a part of who Lavi is and the thought of Lavi without an eye patch is just kind of strange.
Plus, I’m intrigued at how well he manages to fight despite his hair and eye-patch really obscuring his vision.
So who would you have listed? Share your favourites in the comments below.
Thank-you for reading 100 Word Anime.
Join the discussion in the comments.
Karandi James
My favorite anime characters to sport an eye patch is Rikka from “Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions”, she is very cute !!
Recently, i got her on patch in 4inCustomPatch .You can also try it if you are interested.
One of the very first if not THE first anime characters to sport an eye patch, was my first crush – and totally ages me above the average anime otaku because most don’t even know who he is anymore- Space Pirate Captain Harlock.
It would be interesting to find out who was the very first anime character to wear an eye-patch. At least being a pirate gives you a good reason.
Rikka is bae 💜 I just started watching Another and the female lead on that series strikes me as a “darkest timeline” version of her.
Does Asuka count? She starts an eyepatch in the Rebuild continuity. Also, while he is from a video game, Zeke from Xenoblade 2 is one of my favorite male chuuni characters for how over the top and silly he is.
I guess Asuka counts though I wasn’t a fan of the updates to Evangelion and prefer the original series and the way the characters were portrayed there.
So at first I saw that title and was like, “Huh? That’s not very common, is it?” Then I stopped and thought and had about ten characters pop to mind in 30 seconds. So I guess you’re right, it is more common than one might think.
Some of my favorites: Rikka of course, Megumin from Konosuba, Breetai from Macross, and Akito/Agito from Air Gear.
It is way too common considering how rare it should be. It does give us some cute characters though.
Great choices. I’m also fond of Badou Nails from Dogs.
Where’s chiel phantomhive?
Definitely could have been on the list, however I don’t think of cool whne I think of Ciel. He is in the honourable mentions because he certainly deserved to be in this post.
Cool list but Mei from Another should have totally been on that list.
I really did want to add her but ultimately Mei just didn’t have enough individual personality to hold her own on the list.
That makes since
The announcer from G Gundam. That guy knows how to rock an eye patch