Top 10 Anime Characters Broken By Battle

“Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest” (2019)

It must suck being transported to a fantasy world and being the only one of your class to get the short end of the stick. With minimal power to his name and an apparent target on his back, Hajime found himself plummeting into the depths of a labyrinth occupied by all manner of monsters, as well as a naked vampire. While he would eventually go full edgelord and manage to escape, he still had to go through a few rough days, wherein he lost his eye, his arm and any reservations about the kill or be killed mentality.

“Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal” (2003)

Ever wondered how the former Manslayer got the iconic ‘x’ scar across his cheeks? Turns out that it not only would go on to brand him for the rest of his life, but his accumulation of each cut would result in his perception on death and killing being radically shifted. While one scar came after slaying his target, Kenshin would gain the second at the hands of the woman he had given his heart to. Just a shame he had inadvertently killed her husband prior and she had been gunning for him ever since. At least she had the courtesy to make the second strike match the other …

“Fist of the North Star” (1984-88)

What had originally meant to be a series of wounds to remind this goliath of his failure to save the one he loved eventually became his most defining, badass feature. That and his ungodly amount of muscles. After being overpowered by Shin’s forces and losing his beloved Yuria, the jealous love rival brands Kenshiro in the most painful way possible – stabbing him seven times in the chest with his fingers, creating a Big Dipper pattern in the process. Hope Shin enjoyed inflicting that, because in the long run all he accomplished was giving Kenshiro an iconic look and nickname, further spreading his legend across the wasteland. Good job.

“Naruto Shippuden” (2007-17)

While both he and Naruto ended up losing their arms during their climactic showdown in the Valley of the End, only one of them actually bothered to keep it that way. While the Seventh Hokage scurried off to get a prosthetic attachment ASAP, Sasuke decided that he only needed one in order to kick ass and take names. Apparently getting it blown off courtesy of a Rasengan/Chidori shockwave made for a much better tale to pass down to Sarada, plus it totally fits with his brooding dark knight motif that he’s flaunting these days. Hope he’s a righty.

“One Piece” (1999-)

For the longest time, Shanks was the one rocking the iconic scars on account of him losing his arm in order to save his young charge when he was still a kid. That being said, we think Luffy managed to one up his idol in this instance, courtesy of getting his chest nearly blasted open by Akainu following the death of Ace. Sure, plenty of pirates can boast about getting stabbed and shot, but how many can say the widespread scar on their body is from nearly getting melted by magma!

“Vinland Saga” (2019)

You give Thorfinn an inch and he’ll take a mile. As his duel with the mighty Danish warrior Thorkell the Tall comes to a close, some last-minute words of wisdom from Askeladd reveal a possible weakness in the form of a glass jaw. This is proved to be true, leading to the giant of a man going down for the count. Normally that would be enough, but considering this is Thorfinn we’re talking about, he decided to pay him back for the broken arm by plucking out his eye! Lucky for him Thorkell is a good sport about it…

“Attack on Titan” (2013-)

You’ve got to admire the stones on this guy. He leads a suicidal mission in order to rescue Eren, charges straight into a swarm of Titans, gets his arm bitten off during the chase, and he’s STILL barking out orders to finish the job. Now that’s a boss you can get behind. Even after getting his captain’s arm devoured, the head of the scouts still finds a way to swing himself back into the fight and save the vengeful brat before he gets himself shipped off with Big Bro Reiner and Bernie. We’re still convinced he’d find a way to keep fighting even if he lost all his limbs!

“Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood” (2009-10)

Kind of obvious, right? During the Ishvalan War of Extermination, this nameless warrior found himself losing everything to the madness of the Crimson Alchemist. With Philosopher’s Stone in hand, Kimblee slaughtered many of Scar’s countrymen, all before leaving him decimated in both body and soul. While the mercy of Winry’s parents saved him from death, he was left adorned with painful markings, most notably one on his face. Now fuelled by hatred, Scar would go on to accept his new life as a murderer, sadly starting by taking away those that had saved him.

“Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans” (2015-17)

If it meant helping Orga and the other abandoned residents of Mars, Mika was willing to do practically anything. Whether it be taking on the forces of Gjallarhorn, or pushing himself and Barbatos to the limit, this little firecracker doesn’t hesitate to pull the trigger, though sometimes his body ended up paying the price. After taking on the likes of Ein and the Mobile Armour, parts of Mika’s body ended up shutting down for good. First it was his arm and eye, then everything except his head. Sure, he had to be carried around everywhere, but put him in a Gundam and he’ll still wreck you.

“Berserk” (1997-98)

Where do we even start with this guy? You can literally point to any part of Gut’s life, and he’s likely got a corresponding wound. Sword training as a child, getting his arm broken by Griffith, going head to head with Nosferatu Zodd, cleaving through a hundred soldiers in one night. The list is endless. Though by far the most grievous injuries he’s ever sustained came from his fight for survival during the Eclipse. Chopping his arm off with a blunt sword in order to escape a demon’s jaws, getting his eye stabbed out by a talon, the sad truth is you can’t even look at Guts now without being reminded of the horrors he endured.