Many anime characters fight with all sorts of weapons, from longswords and katanas to giant robots and magical powers, or perhaps their bare fists in a martial arts series. Other anime characters fight with ranged weapons, such as crossbows and firearms, and this includes plenty of anime girls, too.

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In many works of Western and anime fiction, gunslingers are typically rugged male characters such as cowboys, soldiers, outlaws, and mercenaries, but plenty of fictional girls and women get a turn too, and some of the most popular female action characters have a rifle, pistol, or shotgun of their own.

10 Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye Has Impeccable Aim (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)

Riza Hawkeye Preparing To Fire Fullmetal Alchemist

Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye is a beloved supporting character in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, being Colonel Roy Mustang's best friend and, at times, his conscience as well. Unlike the many alchemists around her, Riza uses firearms in battle, most often pistols and bolt-action rifles.

Riza Hawkeye survived the dreadful Ishval Civil War, and then put her skills to better use against the homunculi, bravely going up against the likes of Gluttony and Envy many times. Even when going grocery shopping, she isn't unarmed, such as when she shot at Barry the Chopper one evening.

9 Two-Hands Revy Is Deadly & Reckless (Black Lagoon)

Black Lagoon's revy with two pistols

Black Lagoon is a popular seinen action story that appeals to fans of The Expendables or Quentin Tarantino movies, and the main characters are all armed to the teeth for a life of crime in the South China Sea. One of them is Revy, a Chinese-American outlaw who isn't afraid of a fight.

Revy is famed for her use of two identical pistols, and she has taken down dozens of enemies over the course of Black Lagoon's story. Depending on the situation, Revy might use other weapons too, such RPGs or shotguns if necessary. She rarely fights bare-handed, with her brawl against Roberta being an exception.

8 Bisca Connell Is A Magical Sniper (Fairy Tail)

Fairy Tail bisca connell sniping

The Fairy Tail guild employs a remarkable variety of wizards, most of whom use traditional magic based on summoning, fire, ice, lightning, and more. But magic can also be used to augment fists or bullets, and Bica Connell and her husband Alzack would know all about that.

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Bisca is a dedicated sniper, and she can use her unique brand of magic to guide her bullets in battle, giving her many obvious advantages. She put her skill to good use during the clash against the Phantom Lord guild, for example.

7 Yoko Littner Is A Lady Sniper, Too (Gurren Lagann)

Yoko from Gurren Lagann

For the most part, the sci-fi series Gurren Lagann is a mecha anime story, and the most important battles are all fought with gigantic war machines. Still, there's room for a token sniper character, and that character is the charming Yoko Littner.

Yoko doesn't need a giant robot to defend herself. She can handle enemies from afar with her trusty sniper rifle, though Simon and Kamina value her even more as an empathetic and thoughtful friend. Yoko's heart isn't cold like the metal of her rifle is.

6 Mai Zenin Uses A Revolver (Jujutsu Kaisen)

Mai Zenin holding a gun Jujutsu Kaisen

The sisters Maki and Mai Zenin aren't worthy to be sorcerers in the eyes of their traditionalist family, so Maki vowed to defy the odds and become a great sorcerer anyway and defy her family. Her sister Mai had no choice but to follow suit, against her own wishes.

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Maki and Mai have little to no cursed energy, so they use weapons that do have energy in them, such as Maki's knives. Mai, a student of the Kyoto jujutsu school, uses a revolver to take out curses from afar, and, once per day, she can create a single bullet out of thin air if she runs out of ammo.

5 Eda Is A Nun With A Gun (Black Lagoon)

eda in black lagoon

The Black Lagoon anime series actually has quite a few well-armed characters, with Revy being the most prominent of them. Revy also has a friend, a nun named Eda who runs the Ripoff Church in the shady city of Roanapur. Eda is usually seen drinking or making snide comments rather than praying, though.

Eda is Revy's obnoxious friend, and they love to mock and tease one another. Despite their differences, the two of them sometimes fight side by side against all kinds of foes, and Eda has a pistol or to of her own. Some works of fiction subvert the "pious nun" character type in true style.

4 Sinon Can Snipe Anyone Online (Sword Art Online)

sinon aiming from sword art online

As per its title, the anime series Sword Art Online focuses mainly on powerful swords and fantasy monsters in online games, but there was an exception. The MMORPG Gun Gale Online is all about ranged combat, and while Kirito had an off-brand lightsaber, his new ally Sinon fully embraced this game's gun-based combat system.

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Sinon can dispatch any foe from afar, and she often supports Kirito during their desperate battles against myriad foes. Later, Sinon joined Kirito and Asuna in ALFheim Online, where she traded her rifle for a fairy-like game avatar.

3 Motoko Kusanagi Is A Mechanical Soldier (Ghost In The Shell: Standalone Complex)

ghost in the shell motoko kusanagi

Major Motoko Kusanagi is a human brain in a mechanical body, giving meaning to the title of the series, Ghost in the Shell. In this future setting, man and machine have a fuzzy boundary between them, and Motoko Kusanagi can fight with the courage of a mortal but with the robotic precision of a machine.

Motoko may be deadly, but she still has a sense of justice and empathy deep down, and she is a professional who fights to defend the law. She is known for using a wide variety of firearms, from rifles to pistols and shotguns, and she can also fight barehanded if it comes to that.

2 Yuri Nakamura Fought Angel With Firearms & Grenades (Angel Beats)

Angel Beats yuri nakamura looks over shoulder

The popular anime series Angel Beats mixes up many concepts and genres at once, from action/adventure to heart-wrenching drama to high school hijinks, and it's all centered around the mysterious girl Tenshi "Angel" Tachibana. When this series starts, Angel is the target of Yuri and her allies in mortal combat.

Yuri has some talent as a leader, and she is also noted for constantly attacking Angel with scoped rifles and even grenades. Using firearms isn't the sole defining attribute of Yuri, but she is certainly deadlier than most other Angel Beats characters.

1 Mine Can Snipe Anyone With Pumpkin (Akame Ga Kill!)

akame ga kill mine Snipe With Pumpkin

The Night Raid organization has members with diverse skills and talents, and the heroine Akame fights with a deadly katana, while her companion Mine is a dedicated sniper, much like Yoko and Sinon. Mine's weapon is known as Roman Artillery: Pumpkin, and it actually has three firing modes, not just one.

Mine can use Pumpkin in sniper mode, long barrel mode, or machine gun mode, and Pumpkin's power is boosted according to its user's sense of danger. If Mine must fight an incredibly powerful foe, her life is in far greater danger, but on the plus side, Pumpkin will hit that much harder. In most situations, it's a worthwhile tradeoff.

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