Guns have a uniqueness that makes them cool in ways that even swords and magic lack. Whether they’re crafted to the personality of their wielders or simply non-lethal works of art, guns can be awesome. Here are some of the coolest and most iconic guns in anime and what makes each one uniquely memorable.
15. Jigen’s Smith and Wesson Model 19 (Lupin III)
Jigen Daisuke of Lupin’s crew prefers to use his Smith and Wesson Model 19 revolver gun. The Model 19 is chambered for .357 Magnum, giving it more stopping power and reliability, which is well-suited for Jigen’s high-speed 0.3-seconds quick-draw and superhuman accuracy.
14. Spike’s Jericho 941 R (Cowboy Bebop)
Spike Spiegel owns a Jericho 941 with a custom hand grip. Aside from that customization, there’s really nothing “special” about the gun—but it fits well and looks cool in the hands of the space cowboy, not to mention how cool the model is in real-life.
13. Beyond the Grave’s Cerberus (Gungraves)
Cerberus is a set of three handguns named after the three-headed dog from Greek mythology who guards Hades. The high-caliber Left and Right Heads, designed with cross-shaped patterns of white and red, are owned by Beyond the Grave as his firearms. His arsenal also includes the Death Hauler, a large coffin-like gun that works like a machine gun and rocket launcher.
12. Alucard’s Casull and Jackal (Hellsing)
Hellsing ARMS .454 Casull was the first handgun Alucard used in the series to hunt vampires and ghouls. Its rounds are very powerful, leaving huge holes in targets before they disintegrate into ash. The 13mm Combat Pistol Jackal was created on request by Alucard, as the Casull was unable to meet his needs during his fight with Anderson. It has a larger bullet with far more destructive firepower, as seen when an entire wall is destroyed by its shot.
11. Mine’s Pumpkin (Akame ga Kill!)
Mine of the Night Raid owns a huge gun-type Teigu called Pumpkin, which uses its wielder’s spirit energy as bullets. Mine says when she’s in more danger, the power level and range of Pumpkin increase. Pumpkin can also be configured in three different modes: the long barrel for additional power, the sniper barrel for far-ranged shots, and the machine gun barrel for multiple shots.
10. Gene’s Caster Gun (Outlaw Star)
Gene Starwind uses a caster gun to fight enemies when he’s not on his XGP ship. The caster, like most guns, uses ammunition called caster shells, which are products of utilized mana and harnessed in shells. The caster shells give off different types of magic-based effects that are still useful against new spells and magic users of the Towards Star Era.
9. Franklin’s Double Machine Gun (Hunter X Hunter)
Franklin Bordeau of the Phantom Troupe uses an Emitter-type Nen ability called Double Machine Gun. As the name suggests, he can shoot Nen bullets with a high fire rate and piercing power from the fingertips of both his hands. We saw him use this ability to massacre the people at the invaded auction.
8. Wolfwood’s Cross Punisher (Trigun)
Throughout Trigun, we see several huge cross-like weapons called Punishers, but Wolfwood’s is the most notable one as it’s the one also used by Vash the Stampede himself. Wolfwood’s Cross Punisher isn’t just a machine gun on one end and a rocket launcher on the other, but it also has a compartment for handguns on the rest of the arms.
7. Urameshi’s Spirit Gun (Yu Yu Hakusho)
Yusuke Urameshi’s signature ability—and the first one he learned as a Spirit Detective—is the Spirit Gun. It concentrates spirit energy at the tip of his fingers and fires it as a beam. During the early episodes, he’s limited to one shot per day. Later, with training and heightened spiritual energy, he can use up to four. In his fight with Yomi, Yusuke uses an unlimited number of shots that are combined with demon energy, making them more destructive and able to break Yomi’s shield.
6. Cross’ Judgment (D-Gray Man)
Marian Cross uses an equipment-type Innocence called Judgment, which takes the form of an auto revolver. Cross is known to effectively utilize his weapon and can empty a load in a matter of second. With the ability Bullets of Condemnation, Judgment fires homing bullets that will not stop until they hit the target, even if they’re blocked by an obstacle or get stuck on anything that isn’t the target.
5. Vash’s .45 Long Colt (Trigun)
Vash and Knives’ .45 Long Colt isn’t something an ordinary gunslinger can handle. Its notable features are the break-action chamber and low barrel, but the coolest part of the gun is hidden deep inside its housing. The gun is created with a miniature Plant placed inside, which merges the .45 Long Colt to Vash or Knives arms when activated, creating a weapon of mass destruction called Angel Arms. Being an independent Plant, only Vash and Knives are able to use this feat which no one else can.
4. Death the Kid’s Demon Twin Guns (Soul Eater)
Death the Kid’s Demon Twin Guns are the weapon forms of the Thompson sisters, Liz and Patty. They look like normal guns in their initial form, but instead of bullets they shoot compressed soul wavelengths. In their Soul Resonance, the twin guns turn into cannons for more destructive firepower. Death the Kid holds them in an unconventional way and pulls the trigger with his little finger, making them (and him) look cooler and more badass.
3. Lilynette Gingerbuck (Bleach)
Lilynette is part of Coyote Starrk’s sealed power and takes the form of dual-wield pistols in their Resurreccion. The pistols can shoot Cero in a single large blast after charging, or as a continuous rapid-fire using smaller Ceros. Even in this form, Lilynette can still communicate and feel stimuli like pain.
2. The Reaper’s Invisible Scythe (Assassination Classroom)
Assassins can hide their weapons almost anywhere on their body, but the Invisible Scythe is like no other. It’s a small gun with the barrel, chamber, and trigger mechanism built and operated inside The Reaper’s hand. Though the round is too small to be called destructive, The Reaper can shoot it accurately to the target’s heart, which causes excessive bleeding and death by blood loss.
1. Juzo’s Head Gun (No Guns Life)
Gun Slave Units like Juzo Inui have a distinctive feature: their heads are guns. In Juzo’s case, he has a revolver model. Others have different models, like Seven and his Desert Eagle model. The Head Gun is powerful as it shoots a laser-like beam that melts steel and concrete in a hundred-meter range. But Gun Slave Units can’t fire their own heads—they need their Hands partners to do so. Aside from his Head Gun, Juzo Inui also has a revolver in his right hand, adding explosive power to his superhuman punches when loaded. Read next: Most common anime weapon tropes and cliches
