What is a cyborg?
Cyborgs are beings that are both humans and machines. They're different from robots, because they're still considered humans. The only difference is that cyborgs have gained some sort of power-up after merging with machine parts. Let's talk twenty anime characters that have gained enhanced skills with their new prosthetic body parts.
Come check out 20 of the best anime cyborgs!
Genos
From One Punch Man
Genos is the serious cyborg disciple of Saitama. This guy uses his robotic upgrades to fight his enemies, but it often doesn't matter when Saitama finishes them off with one punch. Still, you gotta love a cyborg that is respectful and over-protective of his teacher.
Franky
From One Piece
Franky is the shipwright for the Straw Hat Pirates, and he's also a really cool cyborg. He has an armored body, equipped with tons of weapons. Even his hair can be used as a gun. Along with his super-strength, he makes sure he can hold his own against his collectively awesome shipmates.
Jet Black
From Cowboy Bebop
Jet, much like a lot of the characters in this list, lost his limbs and replaces them with mechanical ones. This turns him into a cyborg granting him superhuman strength. Jet is mostly known for his personality though, as he is the serious but reliable man in Spike's crew.
Motoko Kusanagi
From Ghost in the Shell
Motoko is probably the cyborg we wish we could be. She sports an awesome mechanical body that lets her fight enemies with style, and she also has the intelligence to match. In the original movie, she tries to find out if she has a soul and her attempt at fixing her existential crisis is probably something a lot of people would enjoy watching.
Frank Archer
From Fullmetal Alchemist
Archer is an original character in the 2003 version of Full Metal Alchemist. He is an opportunistic madman trying to gain fame and notoriety through shady means. His ambitions get the best of him though, and it almost costs him his life. He comes back with freaky automail limbs replacing half his body, which give him the power to shoot bullets and projectiles from everywhere, including his mouth.
Solty Revant
From Solty Rei
Solty is a cyborg with a fully prosthetic body. In other words, she's a cyborg with a human mind. Solty is nearly indestructible; she is first introduced falling from the sky, and she ultimately leaves the show by blowing up in space. That's only half of what she can do though, as the series slowly unravels who Solty really is.
Ichise
From Texhnolyze
Ichise gets both an arm and leg cut off and is then left to die in a street alley. He is saved by a doctor who gave him mechanical parts, and is asked to join a turf war for control of the city. Texhnolyze focuses on his vulnerable human side which is suddenly plunged into a world he does not belong in, but his bad ass cyborg fists often does all the talking for him. There's no easier way to solve your problem than to punch the lights out of somebody.
Kikuchiyo
From Samurai 7
Samurai 7 is a steampunk retelling of the Japanese classic "Seven Samurai". It's about a group of samurai protecting a farming village from bandits. In the anime version, one of the samurai is a cyborg that carries a chainsaw sword. Kikuchiyo is also the group's comic relief, but he does pull his own weight in battle.
Keel Lorentz
From Neon Genesis Evangelion
Keel is the primary antagonist of Evangelion, but little is known about him. His transformation into a cyborg is also downplayed by the series. I bet they wanted him to be more menacing, because a super villain indestructible from the neck down just sounds even more terrifying.
Jinno "Kuma"
From Afro Samurai
Jinno is rescued from certain death after he commits suicide. After the incident, his body is more robot than human, with a life support system keeping him alive. He dons the teddy bear mask after his suicide attempt and swears revenge on Afro Samurai. As a cyborg, he has a more powerful blade strength giving him an edge in battle.
Retro
From Dead Leaves
Retro is a super violent guy with a TV for a head. In the movie, he uses his super-strength to rampage on the authorities. With his martial arts skills and his ability to use anything for a weapon, Retro is someone you don't want to be around. It's still cool seeing him wreak havoc though.
Yaya
From Machine-Doll wa Kizutsukanai (Unbreakable Machine-Doll)
Yaya is a puppet, but she has human skin and blood. She's technically a reverse cyborg, and a taboo one as established in the anime. She possesses the classic cyborg attributes of superhuman strength and indestructibility. Yaya is special though, because she is also a great source of fan service for the anime.
Ryou Takatsuki
From Project ARMS
Project Arms is about a bunch of normal kids experimented on and given super powered limbs. The main character Ryou is special because he is a good example of human strength combined with robot awesomeness. He is a skilled military tactician, but he also craves blood and destruction when pushed too far. The Jabberwock inside Ryou is absolutely terrifying in this anime as well.
Briareos
From Appleseed (Movie)
Briareos is a human turned cyborg who now assists his girlfriend in destroying the robot problem plaguing the world. Despite his robotic appearance, he is still capable of human affection. As a cyborg, he has the ability to control aircraft carriers with his cybernetics controller. He is also a skilled marksman, but he mostly does support fire for his battle hardened girlfriend.
Inferno Cop
From Inferno Cop
Despite looking like a more badass version of Ghost Rider, Inferno Cop has one storyline where he actually has a cybernetic body. His identity is completely unknown, but that's what makes him fun to watch. With his deadly handgun, we witness Inferno Cop deliver his justice in all its flash-animated glory.
Gally "Alita"
From Gunnm (Battle Angel Alita)
Gally might be the only one in this list that has gone through many cyborg bodies. She gets a new body for every new mission she undertakes, and each one is an upgrade from the last. With her cyborg body, Gally displays her cyborg martial arts known as the Panzer Kunst.
Chise
From Saishuu Heiki Kanojo(Saikano)
Chise isn't just a cool cyborg; she is also a weapon of mass destruction. It must be fun being her boyfriend, but then again she shoots missiles out of her frail body. She is probably the most disturbing cyborg in the list, because she starts out human in the anime and then slowly transforms into a WMD.
Rudol von Stroheim
From JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)
Stroheim is one soldier that simply will not die. In the second arc of JJBA, Stroheim is a Nazi officer that aids Joseph in fighting the resurrected vampires. This guy is killed three times in Battle Tendency, but he keeps coming back. Each time he returns, he sports a new mechanical body to put the hurt on his enemies. I bet a lot of people wish they had a machine gun stomach like Stroheim.
Jeremiah Gottwald
From Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch R2 (Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2)
Jeremiah is made a laughingstock by Lelouch, and exacting revenge on Lelouch ultimately leads to his demise. He comes back in season two as a cyborg, and his now robotic eye is given the Geass Canceler. It's a powerful tool meant to finally get his hands on Lelouch, but Jeremiah realizes he can do so much more with his new found power.
Henrietta
From Gunslinger Girl
This anime follows a group of cyborg girls trained to be assassins. Henrietta is the most human of the assassin girls, since she is a new addition to the group. She is also suicidal after realizing she's been experimented on. She eventually copes, and sets out with her new mission in life: to kill people in cold blood without being fazed by it all.
