How anime characters fight and carry themselves can tell the audience a lot about their personality and approach to life. Anime heroes rely on unorthodox quirks to intrigue the fans, setting them apart from others. Be it a hero from a battle shonen or a sports drama, all characters develop distinctive movement styles that suit their capabilities, agendas, and physique.
Most rely on their hands and arms to fight off opponents or perfect a unique martial art style that utilizes the entire body. However, these anime characters mainly rely on their feet to get the job done.
10 Sanji Never Risks Damaging His Hands In Battle
One Piece
One of the strongest fighters in his crew, Black Leg Sanji from One Piece perfected a unique kick-based martial art to save his hands for his real passion - cooking. The Straw Hats’ chef treasures his hands as a sacred tool for food preparation.
Nevertheless, limiting his arsenal doesn’t make Sanji any weaker. In fact, his kicks are powerful enough to send most opponents flying. Sanji’s superhuman lower body strength also gives him unbelievable speed and agility, making his unique Black Leg Style extremely difficult to counter.
9 Kakeru Was A Pro At Running Since High School
Run With The Wind
The main hero of Run with the Wind, Kakeru Kurahara is one of the only members of the Kansei University Track Club with actual running experience. He used to be an ace runner in high school and still takes the sport very seriously.
Reluctant to join the team at first and cold towards his new housemates, Kakeru slowly warms up to his new friends, buying into their dream of running in the Hakone Ekiden marathon. For Kakeru, his legs and feet are the primary tools to excel in his sport.
8 Kisara’s Kickboxing Skills Shouldn’t Be Underestimated
KenIchi: The Mightiest Disciple
A petite fighter with incredible agility, Nanjou Kisara from KenIchi: The Mightiest Disciple can easily outmatch much larger and stronger opponents using her Tae Kwon Do mastery. She fully embraces the unique kick-based nature of this martial art, using her feet with superhuman accuracy and skill.
Despite looking fragile, Kisara is a loud-mouthed tomboy who never backs away from a fight and loves taunting her rivals. No foe should take her threats lightly, as Kisara’s kickboxing mastery makes her one of the strongest fighters in the series.
7 Toph Senses Objects Around Her Through Her Feet
Avatar The Last Airbender
With her feet on solid ground, Toph from Avatar the Last Airbender can sense everything around her despite being blind. A tremendously talented earthbender, Toph uses seismic sense to navigate the world around her and overpower her opponents in battle.
Her feet are much more sensitive than other people’s, as she uses them to connect to the earth and feel its slightest vibrations. Toph’s unique style of earthbending transforms her natural disadvantages into weapons, compensating for her lack of sight with a heightened sense of touch.
6 Rin Itoshi Perfected The Accuracy Of His Kicks
Blue Lock
One of the strongest players in the hit soccer anime Blue Lock, Rin Itoshi is famous for his supreme kick accuracy, allowing him to utilize a variety of different techniques and score from long distances.
In a sport reliant on leg strength and precision, Rin excels at making his kicks near perfect while never neglecting the importance of technique. One of the top scorers in the series, Rin is strong, experienced, and unpredictable, thinking quickly on his feet and always aiming for the best results.
5 Zenkichi Mastered A Unique Style Of French Kickboxing To Protect Medaka
Medaka Box
Zenkichi Hitoyoshi from Medaka Box specializes in Savate, a French kickboxing combat sport that utilizes skillful footwork. Strong enough to cause a small earthquake with a stomp, Zenkichi vigorously trained his body from childhood to stay by Medaka’s side.
Savate is an incredible style for disarming opponents, which is why Zenkichi took a liking to it in the first place due to his fear of fighting. Over time, he mastered his footwork to become an incredibly powerful combatant who combines agility with pure physical strength.
4 Deku’s Fighting Techniques Mostly Rely On His Feet
My Hero Academia
Just after inheriting One For All, the protagonist of My Hero Academia, Izuku Midoriya, struggled to utilize his newfound powers, constantly damaging his body in combat. Yet, after training under Gran Torino and gaining more control over his Quirk, Deku started to rely on his feet rather than his hands, spreading the power across his body more evenly.
Kicks suit Deku much more than punches and strengthening his feet allowed him to improve his mobility and speed, unlocking new potential for Deku’s form of One For All.
3 Chuuya Rarely Faces Foes He Can’t Defeat With Just A Few Kicks
Bungou Stray Dogs
The short-tempered mafia executive Nakahara Chuuya from Bungou Stray Dogs restrains his inhuman strength by utilizing kicks instead of fists in a fight. His ability, Upon the Tainted Sorrow, manipulates gravity, and unless he needs to use its ultimate form, Corruption, Chuuya never even takes off his gloves.
In Chuuya’s mind, the only instance in which he’ll need to utilize his hands outside of Corruption is to protect himself from a truly formidable opponent. So far, no one of such caliber has crossed Chuuya’s path.
2 Suzuka Values Her Skills As A Track High Jumper Above All Else
Suzuka
The titular heroine of the romance anime Suzuka is a sports prodigy specializing as a track high jumper. The strength and agility of her lower body made her a sought-after athlete in multiple prestigious high schools. Suzuka doesn’t take her sports career lightly, constantly training to better herself and fearing disappointing others.
Holding herself to the highest possible standard, Suzuka often exhausts herself with practice, putting her best efforts into becoming a professional in track and field, even when it negatively affects her social life and mental well-being.
1 Mikey Easily Overpowers Most Delinquents With One Kick
Tokyo Revengers
Fragile-looking and short-statued, Manjiro "Mikey" Sano from Tokyo Revengers fully earned his status as one of the strongest fighters in the series. His signature technique is his powerful, swift kicks, capable of disarming an opponent in a single blow.
Agile, flexible, and skilled in martial arts, Mikey is much more formidable than a typical run-of-the-mill delinquent. Combined with his outstanding leadership skills and charisma, Mikey’s strength allows him to stand on top of the Tokyo Manji Gang, inflicting fear and respect in every rival daring to stand in his way.