And it’s easy to understand why. Never having to get on a bus is pretty dope already. But when you can also put on your best Superman impression, it only gets that much better. And just like every other thing one could want from life, flight is very much present in anime. So let’s take a look at this massive list of anime characters that have taken to the sky, and see what they’re all about.
20. Koro-Sensei
Anime: Assassination Classroom When it comes to flight, Koro-Sensei is an absolute pro. He can dot around the entire continent, cleaning fighter jets mid-flight as he does so. He’s also aero-dynamic, splitting the wind in his head and creating a little shield around his body in case he’s carrying some passengers. Most flying characters have wings or something like that. And yet this yellow tentacle blob is somehow the best pilot around. I don’t mind it, but man is it funny to think about.
19. Ryuk
Anime: Death Note Although Ryuk rarely spreads his wings like a bird and flies through the sky, he’s constantly gliding right next to Light. In fact, I do not know whether I have ever seen him walking. I can’t even imagine it, if I’m being honest. In his everlasting pursuit for apples he’ll sometimes pick up the speed, but most of the time he’s just straight chilling. I wish real Shinigami were like that. Maybe not in terms of appearance, because that would be terrifying. But in the chilled-out flying apple-lover department.
18. Dio Brando
Anime: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure I sometimes just forget that this dude can fly. I mean, all of his best memes have him walking around or being on top of a road roller. “Oh, so you’re flying towards me” just doesn’t have the same ring as the original. However, we did see him flying around when he faced Joutarou. So canonically he’s no flightless bird. Although I do question why he doesn’t use that power more often. He made an entire thing of kidnapping a senator and making him run over pedestrians, but he could have easily flown to his destination. We might never understand how this manly vampire thinks.
17. Asta
Anime: Black Clover For the longest time, Asta was the only land-bound peasant among the wizards. Everyone had their own broomstick, mount, or otherwise flying ability – while Asta either hitchhiked or went places the old fashioned way: running and screaming. But after the time-skip, he finally leveled up. Not only did he gain the ability to fly on his sword, but he also sprouted some demon wings that give him insane aerial mobility. It’s rather impressive how he went from being a kiwi bird to a falcon in just one time-skip. But that’s anime for you.
16. Hawks
Anime: My Hero Academia Speaking of birds, Hawks is undoubtedly the best thing going on for the series currently. He looks like an angel of death with those majestic wings, and the mysterious aura around him makes for some serious hype. Plus his wings are way more versatile than one would think. Not only can he fly at some pretty neck-breaking speeds, but he can also use his feathers individually to gather info, move people out of harm’s way, and even take out enemies. They’re the Swiss army knife of wings. Plus, he’s just really cool.
15. Shaiapouf
Anime: Hunter x Hunter (2011) This demonic butterfly can definitely give Hawks a run for his money when it comes to getting the full mileage out of your wings. He’s also extremely fast while in the air, but that wasn’t good enough. So they added the ability to hypnotize people as well. He can even create little clones of himself that all sport miniature wings and can dart around, messing with someone’s day. His flying method might not be the most interesting in the series, as we have dudes riding energy dragons or standing upon levitating dismembered fists. But he’s the only character that could not exist without his wings, so he gets a leg up.
14. Morgiana
Anime: Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic Every major character in the entire series can fly by using their Djinn equip. Hell, Sinbad can basically fly in seven different variants, depending on how he’s feeling that day. Morgiana was the last character to gain this ability, but she went about it in such a badass way that I have to give her a spot on this list. Prior to the show, Morgiana was a slave and carried shackles and chains around her ankles. Although this traumatic upbringing initially put Morgiana down, she eventually did a complete 180, setting her shackles on fire and using them as wings to fly. That’s just so poetically beautiful that I can’t pass her up. She’s also straight waifu material.
13. Onoki
Anime: Naruto: Shippuden As a series, Naruto power-cliffed so hard that we went from walking on water to flying very quickly. Half of the time the characters don’t even seem to know how they can fly. However, Onoki is different. He’s just this old grumpy dude that always just flies around and packs some insane power. He’s the size of a toddler, and yet he managed to fly up and catch a meteor falling from the sky. We stan a good powerful grandpa character too. So Onoki has to be given a shoutout right here, right now.
12. King
Anime: The Seven Deadly Sins King is another example of a character that just looks weird when he’s on the ground. He is the Fairy King after all! He did spend most of his screen time with his pre-puberty wings, which did look quite underwhelming. But his battle style and kit were interesting enough to keep my attention. Then when he finally sprouted those big boy wings, I was all in. Not only did he get a massive power up, but he also finally fit the part of being an all-powerful king that will lead a nation.
11. Happy
Anime: Fairy Tail In a lot of ways, Happy is more the face of Fairy Tail than even Natsu. Sure, Natsu brings us all the good fights and nakama speeches. And sure, Erza has all of our hearts in a jar. But only Happy can give us that delightful “ay sir”. Exactly why a flying blue cat leaves such a lasting impression on my soul, I do not know. But I can say that I’m always pretty happy to see the little goofball. See what I did there? OK I’ll show myself the exit button.
10. Ichigo Kurosaki
Anime: Bleach Just like every good shounen protagonist, Ichigo just has all of the abilities. We went from him just being good with a sword, to flight, and then dimensional deities. Every class of the Soul society is somehow also part of Ichigo, so he never feels left out. And every power-up will become his sooner or later. I say all of this as if I mind, when in actuality Bleach fights are some of the most hyped fights you can see in anime. And who really wants to see dudes clanking swords on the ground anyway? What is this, Samurai Champloo?
9. Ristarte
Anime: Cautious Hero: The Hero Is Overpowered but Overly Cautious If you love KonoSuba (and especially love Aqua) then this character should be right up your alley. I chose her in particular because she had one of the most hilarious flying sequences I have ever seen in anime. Like a true useless goddess, she couldn’t keep up with the protagonist with her wings alone, straining herself completely in just attempting it. So he finally gives in and just drags her alongside him. What happens then is just some S-class physical comedy. I never expect to see humor in the air, so she gets bonus points for this stunt.
8. Saiki Kusuo
Anime: The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. Okay, I guess there’s a bit more comedy in the sky than I expected. As a complete esper package, Saiki can do just about anything. From talking to animals to uppercutting ghosts, to even seeing your muscle tissues. And then there’s flight, of course. He doesn’t actually fly too often, as he can just teleport. But there’s an episode where he’s forced to help a plane safely land – and that scene has some of the best jokes in the entire series. Being funny is a really easy way to get onto my list, in case you haven’t noticed.
7. Pack
Anime: Re: Zero Pack is the most adorable flying little ladies’ man I have ever seen. Just like Subaru, he keeps an eye out on Emilia and makes her feel less lonely on a daily basis. Unlike Subaru, he’s also a fierce warrior, and once nearly destroyed the world. True story. But if we just don’t focus on that nightmare sequence, Pack is just lovable to death. He has charm, humor, and a wholesome relationship with both of our main characters – which is all you could ask from a spirit animal.
6. Goku
Anime: Dragon Ball Z Of course, if I wanted to be a buzzkill, I could have included every character from the Dragon Ball franchise on this list, as they’re all rather cool and famous. However, that seems a bit repetitive. So I’m just going to use Goku as the face of the entire show. Although he’s one of the worst fathers in all of anime, Goku brought us some of the most iconic fight scenes in all of anime as well. His first Super Saiyan transformation defined a generation. And you can’t shake a stick without hitting a discussion board that references Ultra Instinct. He can fly, teleport, drop spirit bombs, come back from the afterlife like 20 times, he can do it all.
5. Ryuuko Matoi
Anime: Kill la Kill What I would give if clothes were as cool in real life as they are in Kill la Kill. Okay, maybe not the part where they can eat you. But the power-ups definitely! From Gamagoori’s kink suit to Ryuuko’s very own rocket-powered chainsaw Sanketsu, clothes are just really cool in this universe. And even though OnlyFans would basically go bankrupt if everyone wore Sanketsu clothing, I think the tradeoff would be worth it.
4. Tatsumaki
Anime: One Punch Man Who doesn’t love a pint-sized overpowered tsundere? Tatsumaki is a rather prideful demigod, easily throwing fits if you call her a child, and holding grudges longer than Zeus. That wouldn’t be much of an issue if it weren’t for the fact that she’s an absolute powerhouse. Having the ability to fly is honestly the most tame and balanced thing about Tatsumaki. Once she starts dropping meteors without breaking a sweat, you really start to question how deep this well of power is. And even when she gets drunk and casually stabs someone, we all still stay by her – because tsundere stans are a resilient bunch.
3. Rimuru Tempest
Anime: That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime If you think about any superpower in the world, there’s a large possibility that Rimuru either has it already, or is about to acquire it. So learning that she can fly is about as shocking as Shion’s return after that one certain episode. It’s handled in a really cool way though, as Rimuru sprouts demonic wings to take to the sky. And knowing what happened in the second season gives this move some extra brownie points.
2. Shigeo Kageyama
Anime: Mob Psycho 100 I truly love Mob, as he has the two characteristics I love in a main character: kindness and badassery. On the one hand, he has a heart of gold. And is incredibly relatable in his day-to-day life. On the other hand, he brings some amazing fights to the table whenever his counter hits 100. Like seriously, seeing him go berserk, fly around, and toss entire buildings at an enemy will never get less satisfying. He might do his best to run while everything is calm. But the second he takes to the air, you know that things are about to get really colorful and really intense.
1. Tanya Degurechaff
Anime: Saga of Tanya the Evil I wanted to end this list off with Tanya, since aerial combat is the backbone of this entire series. Zipping around through the sky, breaking the enemy’s formation, and letting loose hell upon their cities constitutes every big moment in this show – and I love it. Tanya is at the head of all the action, taking on entire platoons by her lonesome, and carrying the title of Demon upon her chest. If you’re a war nerd but also a fan of some sci-fi action, she’s bound to be on your list as well.
