Top 10 Anime Cyborgs

Written by Shiggins

Lao Tzu once said "the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step". What he failed to mention however was that sometimes you can't use your own feet, and instead must use a robotic one that you got from a mechanic or a mad scientist. And today, we're going to celebrate the people who had no other choice but to do so! 

For those of you who don't know, cyborgs are living people with mechanical limbs, organs, skin or whatever else. If a character has a metal arm instead of a living one, they can be considered for the top 10. So sit back, relax, and enjoy God's greatest creation in fiction... the cyborg!

Note: This list is only counting anime series, not movies. So, there is no Ghost in the Shell.

10. Jet Black (Cowboy Bebop)

"I hate stories like that. Men only think about the past right before their death. As if they were searching frantically for proof that they were alive."

I doubt I'll ever get bored of writing about Cowboy Bebop, the charming and engrossing saga of some criminals as they travel through space and deal with alien problems in an adventure that could almost be mistaken for Red Dwarf's badass cousin. And speaking of badass, let's talk about Spike's best friend and "bro", Jet!

Is the badass scar a cyborg part too? If so, I'm ordering 20.

Once a former police officer that got Robocop'd, Jet Black works as a bounty hunter and reluctant chef for the spaceship Bebop with Spike Spiegel, trying to maintain order as the ship is filled with pesky women, kids and dogs during their story. Disgusted by the corruption of his fellow officers and missing the love of his life, Jet ran off to the vigilante lifestyle and still remains half of one of anime's greatest bromances of all time to this day.

9. Wall Eehto (Fairy Tail)

"I am the elite Machias, Wall-sama! Never underestimate me!"

This is a special case and one I debated having appear on my list, but I'm being lenient here. A member of the "Machias" race in Earth Land, Wall Eehto serves under Zeref during the Alvarez Empire arc and is considered one of his strongest warriors. Made of organic metal, which is probably an affront to science, Wall has the power to alter his body into different attack modes and even control an ugly Gru-puppet from far away.

Most importantly, he has Zappy Fingers!

Handsome, cruel and batshit insane, Wall is a favourite that I'm sure many will disagree with but I defend regardless. He's such a fun, kooky character and it's so refreshing to have a nutjob just get to cut loose, in this day and age where most of our villains have to be sympathetic in some manner. Wall is all crazy all the time and I love him for that. Not the deepest character, but he's got a screw loose and that's what gets him here.

8. Rudol Von Stroheim (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure)

"German science is the greatest in the world!"

Oh yeah, spoiler alert. Nazis could build cyborgs! I wish history had taught me about that instead of suffragettes and stuff, because it turns out we had a lot to learn from Nazis if they had cyborg majors! In Part 2 of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, Joseph Joestar comes across this unique character while fighting against the forces of "The Pillar Men" and despite the fact he is literally a Nazi, the two do form a surprising alliance.

The only cool Nazi ever. (I felt dirty writing that...)

What's truly surprising about Stroheim (besides his amount of death scenes) is how likeable he is, and how much of an asset he becomes for the protagonists. This is a Nazi, the ultimate symbol of evil and violence, yet Jojo's Bizarre Adventure actually took the huge risk of making him a fun character with honour and dignity. This move could have so easily backfired, but Stroheim proved to be a winner for the series and worthy of our respect.

7. Vash the Stampede (Trigun)

"I meditate diligently every morning. The subject is Life and Love. I quit after three seconds."

Nobody talks about Trigun anymore, and that's a shame. We should take every opportunity we can to discuss the series, and so let us do that thing which I just said! Trigun is awesome and if you haven't watched it, you're missing out big time. Although if you haven't seen the cowboy-themed adventure, then skip this entry and move on to number 6. It's a fun entry and this one has spoilers.

How do you know he's a cyborg? Only cyborgs can twist their faces like that. (Which means Nisekoi is full of nothing but robots)

If you're confused why Vash made it onto this list, then you can blame/thank his amazing "Angel Arm", a city-destroying gun of great magnitude that exist inside every "Plant", one of which is Vash. The usage of this gun is said to be the real reason behind Vash's nickname "The Humanoid Typhoon", and while it does come across as a bit ridiculous, it lets Vash enter this list. And we should always have as much Vash as possible.

6. MetalGreymon (Digimon Adventure)

"Giga Blaster!"

Didn't expect this one, did you? Ha! Yes, the Ultimate Level Digivolution of Agumon is qualified for this list, and while I was tempted to pick the Mega Level WarGreymon instead, my childhood nostalgia refused and demanded that the more ridiculous of the two deserved to be here. Originally debuting in a battle against Etemon, MetalGreymon's appearance in Digimon Adventure was a turning point for the series and one that many, myself included, remember to this day.

Paint me like a French girl? Ha! Paint me like a MetalGreymon!

Before his introduction, nobody was sure what to expect regarding Ultimate Digivolution. At this point in the series, Etemon was the most powerful threat (which is really odd when you see his personality) and it looked like nobody could stand up to him. It turned out that what we needed was a massive dinosaur with a robot arm, purple shredded wings, a metal helmet and ROCKET NIPPLES! I can't think of any situation that would not benefit from rocket nipples!

5. Guts (Berserk)

"Even if we painstakingly piece together something lost, it doesn't mean things will ever go back to how they were."

Guts has led a harsh life. First of all, his name is Guts. That's just unfortunate. Literally born from a hung corpse, adopted by a man who sold him for underage sex, killed his father figure, became best buddies with a pretty boy... He's taken far more shit than anyone should. In fact, it's amazing that he's only lost one arm! You'd think that someone like him would have lost his head by this point, but he keeps on trucking!

I refused to show you an anime screenshot from 2016 so here is the poster instead. You want crappy CGI? Watch the Dragonlance movie. (Trust me. You'll love it).

After losing his arm and friends in one of anime's most horrifying, brutal and yet brilliant events, Guts was looking to upgrade and was given the Cannon Arm. The Cannon Arm is usually unable to move properly like a hand but it has fast become one of Guts' greatest assets, thanks to the titular weapon lodged inside it. With just a pull of a string, Guts can blast a literal cannon into the face of his enemies to devastatingly satisfying results. Who doesn't love it when Guts bangs someone? ......wait.

4. Franky (One Piece)

"SUUUUUPEEEEEER!"

Whenever I think of cyborgs, Franky is usually the first one that comes to mind. And as long-time readers will know, that's quite an impressive feat. For me, Franky is the perfect example of a fun cyborg, and one that I wish more creators would try out. He has a fridge in his stomach! That's almost as badass as the nipple rockets!

Would you drink Franky's juice? Open him up? Go deep? Yeah, you would.

For the five of you out there who don't know, Franky is a member of the One Piece crew. Constantly performing maintenance on the ship and literally turning it into a battle robot after the timeskip, Franky is one of the most useful crew members they could have ever hoped for. He drinks soda to keep his energy running, constantly updates himself like a Cyberman would, can transform his body into a robotic centaur because why the fuck not and more. His post-timeskip design is disgusting to look at, but at least I'll always have the memory of a cyborg posing in a speedo with two square-haired sisters. And no other anime can make me write a sentence like that.

3. Android 18 (Dragon Ball Z)

"I hear you destroyed me in your era. You owe me compensation... Just kidding!"

There was definitely a lack of hot female characters on this list, but thankfully 18 is hot enough and female enough to take on everyone here. Often incorrectly referred to as an android, 18 was one of the major antagonists of the Cell Saga, surprising audiences with her immense power and unstoppable pursuit to kill Son Goku, alongside her brother 17. We had never seen someone destroy a full-power Super Saiyan... then 18 showed up.

I love her little jumpsuit SO much!

Over the years, 18 has dipped in and out of the spotlight due to being pregnant and then a mother and wife. Marrying Krillin almost felt like the end for her, but that changed when Super came along and she was back in the fray. 18 is one of the best characters of the Dragon Ball roster and that is proven time and time again, from her cruelty to Vegeta to her blackmailing of Mr Satan, and of course to her surprising love for Krillin. I can't wait to see what the series has in store for her in the future.

2. Genos (One Punch Man)

"I will eliminate you."

Why can't Genos catch a break? The Ironman-inspired colleague of One Punch Man Saitama has a running gag than in every single battle, no matter how hard he tries, he will lose to an opponent. Whether it's giant beetles or ocean monsters or even meteors falling from the sky, Genos will fail. Despite all that however, he remains an endearing and enjoyable character that I can't help but root for. Or maybe I just pity the poor lad.

LEAVE GENOS ALONE! HE'S ONLY HUMA... CYBORG!

Genos is the ultimate modern cyborg. He has a tragic backstory that resulted in him being saved by a doctor but at the cost of most of his body, replacing his organs with amazing enhancements. Powerful robotic arms that can be traded for another, a glowing core that powers him, scanners, incinerator guns and more. If I could become any cyborg on this list, it would be Genos. And if it wasn't for the running gag of watching him fail, he would have been number 1.

1. Edward Elric (Fullmetal Alchemist)

“A lesson without pain is meaningless. For you cannot gain something without sacrificing something else in return. But once you have recovered it and made it your own... You will gain something irreplaceable. A heart that's built fullmetal."

It should come as no surprise at this point that I, and many others, consider Edward the greatest protagonist in anime. While not as iconic as Goku or as disturbing as Alucard, the Elric brother has fortified his place in my heart and I have no regrets naming him the best cyborg of the group. While not as advanced as some of the other entries, Edward's metal side is iconic. (And not Ubisoft iconic. Real iconic).

A SHINY EDWARD?! Where's my Master Ball?!

After failing to resurrect his mother and losing a leg and brother in the process, Edward immediately gave up one of his arms to bring the brother back and had to get "automail" limbs to replace them until he could literally grow them back using magic alchemy. What is different from Edward compared to everyone else on this list is how he handles the robot arm, not easily but rather painfully. He suffers whenever he gets it clamped on, and he misses the feel of his fingers. Nobody else here expresses their pain like Edward does, and it makes him a cut above the pack.

Honourable Mentions:

Jeremiah Gottwald (Code Geass)

Nagito Komaeda (Danganronpa)

Jinno (Afro Samurai)

Any I left out? Or are there any other articles you'd like to see? Comment below!

Shiggins:[Admin]
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Born under the stars of the Dark Gods, Shiggins owns the power of the Great Eye and is utterly magnificent in his omniscience. If you dare to discover more about someone as great as him, then go ahead. And to all my friends and family members, YOU are wrong and I should be disappointed! Not the other way round!,. You can find out about him or ask him stuff on ask.fm/shigginsishere or go to his tumblr page http://otakugajeel.tumblr.com/