A lot of anime characters, perhaps unsurprisingly, possess the ability to control ice—and the ability usually bleeds into their personality, resulting in frigid attitudes and cold stares. But on the inside, they’re often warmer and loyal toward friends and leaders. Here are some of the coolest anime characters who have ice powers, ranked in order of our favorites.
12. Mariella (Black Clover)
Mariella is an assassin from the Diamond Kingdom who was taught and trained by Fanzel Kruger—the same person who taught Asta how to use his swords to best effect. She owns a Diamond Grimoire with ice-based spells, like her ice daggers which she uses for attacks. Though she was tasked to hunt down and capture (or kill) the Kingdom’s escapees Fanzel and Domina, she instead decided to live with them far from the Diamond Kingdom’s rule.
11. Horohoro (Shaman King)
Horohoro’s real name is Usui Horokeu and he’s one of the Shamans who accompany Yoh Asakura in Shaman King. With his Guardian Spirit Kororo, together they can freeze water vapor in the air and turn them into projectiles, a large defensive wall, and more.
10. Rukia Kuchiki (Bleach)
Rukia Kuchiki is one of the main characters of Bleach, and she’s the sister of Byakuya Kuchiki, one of the captains in Soul Society. Rukia owns an ice-type Zanpakuto named Sode no Shirayuki, which gives her abilities which she calls “dances.” With it, she can drop the temperature of everything surrounding her to freezing point.
9. Tokiya Mikagami (Flame of Recca)
Tokiya Mikagami wields the mystical weapon Ensui. The Ensui looks like a bladeless tsuka or sword handle when not in use, but can absorb water to form its blade for battle. Most of Mikagami’s techniques are based on the water and ice manipulation abilities of the Ensui, like the Icicle Dance. The weapon’s ability isn’t limited to water manipulation, though, as seen when he uses his own blood to form the Blood Sword in absence of water.
8. Brook (One Piece)
Brook is the musician of the Straw Hat Pirates and one of the close-combat fighters of the crew. Not much is known with his cool-yet-badass techniques that cut and freeze with his cane sword. His graceful swordsmanship gives him a sure hit with techniques like the Pastoral Song: Blizzard Slash, where Brook simply walks past the target and sheathes his sword while the target is instantly slashed and their blood frozen. His movements are so fast that even the effect of his cuts take time to sink in before the victim realizes they’re cut.
7. Esdeath (Akame ga Kill!)
Esdeath is the antagonist of Akame ga Kill! and has the ability to freeze anything with her ice abilities, including time itself. She’s a brutal combatant and a fierce leader of her army. Her Teigu, the Demon’s Extract, gives her the ability to manifest ice out of nothing and freeze her surroundings to absolute zero. With her ice manipulation ability, she can even make her own army of ice soldiers and command them to war.
6. Lyon Vastia (Fairy Tail)
On top of being an expert in hand-to-hand combat, Lyon Vastia is also a mage who uses Ice-Make Magic. He can form a dragon, an ape, or snow tiger that he uses to attack opponents. He also has the ability to craft weapons from ice and use them for offense and defense.
5. Gray Fullbuster (Fairy Tail)
Gray Fullbuster is another mage in Fairy Tail who can use the Ice-Make Magic and is a student of Ur alongside Lyon Vastia. He can make ice weapons like a lance, an arrow, and a giant hammer. He’s also capable of using the Ice Devil Slayer Magic, with abilities similar to any Slayer Magic that can consume elemental sources to regain strength as well as manipulate ice. Next to Juvia, who uses water-based magic, they make devastating Unison Magic out of their mixed water-and-ice powers.
4. Haku (Naruto)
When Naruto first aired, everyone was confused and/or deceived by this boy who looks very much like a girl. Haku seemed nice enough to be a potential ally, but turned out to be the sidekick of Momochi Zabuza who could use the Ice Release bloodline limit. His most notable technique is the Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals, which looks like a wall of mirrors and allows him to jump from mirror to mirror in the blink of an eye, attacking opponents as he does so and making it difficult for them to predict his movements.
3. Shoto Todoroki (My Hero Academia)
Shoto Todoroki is the son of Endeavor and a student of U.A. High School. He possesses the Quirk “Half Hot, Half Cold” which is a combined manifestation of the Quirks of his parents. He can make towering pillars and large walls of ice, which he uses offensively and defensively. During the early episodes of My Hero Academia, he was noted to use only his ice abilities because he despises his father from whom he inherited his fire powers.
2. Toshiro Hitsugaya (Bleach)
Toshiro Hitsugaya is the most iconic ice user in Bleach, who owns the Zanpakuto named Hyorinmaru. His ice abilities are among the most destructive, what with their huge ranges and areas of effect. With the Bankai form Daiguren Hyorinmaru, the ice forms from his sword to his hands up to his shoulders, forming armor and wings. In this form, he can use more ice abilities for offense and defense.
1. Aokiji (One Piece)
In One Piece, Aokiji (or Kuzan) is a former admiral of the Marines who resigned after his fight with Sakazuki. He has the power of the devil fruit Hie Hie no Mi, a Logia-type fruit that gives him the ability to create and control ice and even become ice himself. If he’s shattered while in his solid ice form, he can easily restructure his body back to normal as if nothing happened. With his abilities, he can freeze someone to death—or freeze an entire ocean. He can make weapons out of ice (to fight opponents) and even craft a prosthetic leg to substitute for his own missing leg. He’s so powerful that he was able to change half of an island’s weather and make it succumb to snow blizzards. (The island’s other half was left burning under flames by Akainu.) Read next: The best anime characters who can manipulate time
