Anime is home to a good number of impressive marksmen; skilled in the use of guns with feats that regular human beings can only hope to achieve. Even more impressive are those who have achieved a similar level of proficiency with long-distance firearms. These characters have honed their abilities through intense training and sometimes even have their talents augmented by supernatural abilities.
Over the years, different popular anime have constantly featured characters possessing this unique skill. These individuals are also fitted with distinct personalities, which allow viewers to become easily attached to them. Here are some of the most notable figures in anime known for their exceptional sniping ability.
10/10 Kouta Hirano – Highschool of the Dead
In a world where zombies roam the streets in search of unfortunate humans to devour, Kouta Hirano serves as an indispensable offensive unit within a group of surviving high school students. He is a bespectacled gun-nerd who is adept with various types of ammunition. It is stated that his skill comes from a period he spent overseas training with Blackwater USA.
He originally appears to be relatively reserved, but once in possession of a firearm, his personality drastically changes to that of a frenzied one. The first weapon he ever handled in the series was a handmade nail gun, but as the series progressed, he got hold of an AR-10 rifle which was remodeled into the sniper rifle he is mostly known for today.
9/10 Tina Sprout – Black Bullet
In a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by dangerous creatures called gastrea, humanity’s strongest fighters are little girls born with a virus that grants them superhuman abilities. They are referred to as initiators and are usually accompanied by older partners called promoters.
Tina Sprout is an initiator who originally had a partner that was rarely ever seen in the anime. She has a rather bland personality but greatly admires the protagonist Rentaro Satomi. Tina is extremely skilled with a sniper rifle. This impressive skill was shown during her first assassination attempt on the Tokyo Area Governor, accurately firing a difficult shot from multiple buildings away. She is also capable of manipulating small drones with decent firepower of their own.
8/10 Mine – Akame ga Kill!
Mine belongs to a special group within the Revolutionary Army called Night Raid. She is the sniper of the group and an extremely good one. Moreover, she possesses a rifle categorized as an ancient relic, capable of switching forms based on her situational needs.
Using this special weapon, she is able to fire off spirit energy as opposed to regular ammunition. The power in her strikes is proportional to the amount of danger she is feeling at that moment, but they nevertheless always pack a serious punch. She can snipe targets from considerably far distances and has even shown some skill in hand-to-hand combat.
7/10 Caine The Longshot – Trigun
Caine is a mysterious figure and stays that way throughout his time in the anime. He belonged to a group named Gung-Ho-Guns and was tasked with eliminating the series protagonist Vash the Stampede.
He is able to cloak himself and possesses a ridiculously long rifle. Though his mobility is severely restricted due to the size of his gun, he is extremely skilled at hitting targets from long distances. He is further aided by a telescopic barrel atop his rifle, allowing him to see even farther.
In a series with special individuals capable of manipulating the physical makeup of different substances using alchemy, Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye’s main strength lies in her skilled use of guns. She is one of the calmer characters in the series, often displaying a reserved demeanor with a rather interesting sense of humor.
As previously established, she is adept at using multiple types of firearms, with sniper rifles being one of her many specialties. She is such an excellent marksman that she built a reputation as a soldier who never misses her target. Despite this, she has strong ideals regarding the use of guns and refers to them as tools used to protect.
5/10 Yoko Littner – Gurren Lagann
Yoko is a daringly dressed redhead who serves as the talented sniper of team Dai-Gurren. Compared to other characters in the group, she is level-headed and can usually be seen with an exasperated expression when dealing with her colleagues’ stupidity.
While other characters contribute to battle mainly using mechs of their own, Yoko went on for a long time solely using her rifle, though she did so with impeccable precision. Due to being introduced very early in the series, she is considered the main tritagonist of the series and remains in the hearts of many to this day.
4/10 Benn Beckman – One Piece
Benn Beckman is the Vice Captain of the Red-Hair Pirates, second only to Shanks himself. He was one of the first characters to be introduced in the series, along with the rest of Shanks’ crew. In addition, he was involved in a significant memory regarding Luffy’s past, rescuing the young protagonist from mountain bandits and listening to his pleas of wanting to grow stronger.
Not much has been seen of Beckman’s power in the anime, but he is known to be extremely skilled with a gun, especially over long distances. Furthermore, he was strong enough to intimidate one of the navy’s strongest assets in Admiral Kizaru, keeping him in place just by pointing a gun at him.
3/10 Sinon – Sword Art Online
Sinon is an online alias of Asado Shino, with which she displays her outstanding prowess with the rare sniper rifle PGM Ultima Ratio Hecate II. She originally assumes a collected, calm, and serious demeanor, most apparent when preparing for battle. However, after meeting Kirito in Gun Gale Online, she began to show a wider range of emotions.
Surprisingly enough, she had a significant fear of guns due to an unfortunate event that occurred in her childhood, which is one of the reasons why she decided to pick up Gun Gale Online. The decision proved a good one, as she discovered talents she would have otherwise not known she had. While fighting alongside Kirito, she usually plays a more supportive role and is skilled enough to place in the top three in two consecutive Bullet of Bullets tournaments.
2/10 Usopp – One Piece
This long-nosed crew member of the Straw Hat Pirates is known for his cowardice just as much as he is known for his marksmanship. He is a skilled sniper and was one of the first characters to join the crew. His main weapon of choice is currently the Kuro Kabuto slingshot; however, he has used two others pre-timeskip.
In tandem with his unconventional weaponry, he also possesses unconventional ammunition. He uses special pellets with unique abilities grown from his little flower bed on the Thousand Sunny. He has never been known for having great strength but has repeatedly proven that his sniper skills are the real deal, rarely ever missing a shot, even in high-pressure situations.
1/10 Tanya von Degurechaff – Saga of Tanya the Evil
Being reborn as a little girl in an unfamiliar world is becoming somewhat of a recurring theme in modern isekai; however, Tanya is a little more unique compared to her mini-sized counterparts. She was formerly a twisted salaryman living in modern-day Japan, but after her death, she was reincarnated by a mysterious being into a time resembling Europe in World War I.
She retained most parts of her twisted personality and is even referred to by some as a psychopath. Tanya also possessed impressive magical aptitude, an attribute highly valued in her new environment. As a result, she was enlisted into the Imperial Army and armed with flying devices along with her primary Mondragón Rifle. By skillfully using both assets and her impressive capacity for magic, she can pick off soldiers in the air with tremendous accuracy, making her one of the most highly valued soldiers in the Empire.