In both the real world and the world of anime, not everyone has two arms and two legs. For this list, we're highlighting some of the most interesting anime characters who lost their limbs. After all, what’s cooler than a robot arm? Most of these characters had their arms or legs cut off during battle. Tengen Uzui of Demon Slayer lost his arm while fighting Gyutaro, and Naruto and Sasuke destroyed each other's arms while facing off at the end of Naruto Shippuden. Others lose their limbs to the natural world, like Shanks from One Piece whose arm was eaten by a Sea King. A few dabbled in the supernatural and it did not turn out well - Edward Elric from Fullmetal Alchemist lost his arm and leg while trying to bring his mother back to life using alchemy. Take a look below and vote for your favorite characters who have lost a limb (or limbs).
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After an attempt to resurrect his mother using alchemy went horribly wrong, Edward Elric lost his left leg and his right arm. He's lucky that he only lost that much - his brother lost his entire body and had to affix his soul to a suit of armor. Ed uses prosthetic limbs that were created and regularly serviced by his childhood friend and eventual wife, Winry Rockbell.
While fighting Gyutaro, Sound Hashira Tengen Uzui ends up losing his hand and part of his forearm. Though he might have been able to avoid the injury if he weren't trying to protect Hina and Tanjiro, the complexity of the battle leaves him vulnerable. His injuries prompt him to retire from the Hashira and lead a peaceful life with his wives.
When the young Luffy was not only drowning but was also staring down a menacing Sea King, Shanks dove in to save his life. While he could have hardened his arm with Haki, he chose to prioritize protecting Luffy and ended up losing a limb to the Sea King's jaws. After losing his arm, he usually keeps the empty spot hidden with a jacket.
When Hyakkimaru was a baby, his father Daigo made a pact with a group of demons. In exchange for his son's skin, eyes, limbs, and other body parts, Daigo and his land would prosper. While this saved a lot of people from starving, it wasn't a sacrifice that baby Hyakkimaru could have possibly agreed to. His father asked a servant to end his life, but the servant decided to leave him alone to pass away naturally. Instead of expiring, Hyakkimaru grows up, attaches some swords to his stumps, and starts battling demons to get his body parts back.
After Gilbert Bougainvillea is severely injured during battle, Violet Evergarden picks him up and tries to carry him to safety. This gives the enemy an opening to shoot her and toss a grenade at her, causing her to lose both arms. When the war ends, Violet starts working as an Auto Memories Doll - that is, someone who writes emotional letters on behalf of others. Using her new adamantine prosthetics, she can't easily maneuver a pen and needs some time to get used to the typewriter. Once she gets the hang of it, she can type at lightning speed.
After Aizawa gets hit in the leg with a quirk removal bullet, he decides that he'd rather lose a leg than lose his Erasure. Showing some serious bravery and stoicism, he saws off his own leg before it can take effect. While he'll probably have to avoid fighting villains for a while in order to recover from the injury, he knows that if he doesn't have his quirk, he won't be able to help Eri train hers. There are ways that his leg could be restored - Eri might be able to Rewind his body to a time before he lost it - but for now he's recovering in the hospital and will need to use a prosthetic.
During Naruto and Sasuke's final showdown at the end of the series, the two unleash the most powerful versions of their signature moves, Rasengan and Chidori, at each other. The impact destroys Sasuke's left arm and Naruto's right arm. Afterward, Tsunade develops a prosthetic arm for Naruto made from Hashirama's cells. Later, he ends up using a shinobi-ware prosthetic that lets him absorb incoming chakra-based attacks. Sasuke chooses not to get a prosthetic. This is likely because he used to be consumed by an unending desire for power, and he wants to keep that part of himself firmly in the past. While he could probably get a regular prosthetic that wasn't made from Hashirama cells, he needs a visual reminder of how he's changed.
During a battle with the Armored Titan, Erwin Smith's arm was bitten off by a mindless Titan. He might have been able to prevent this, but he was preoccupied with giving his troops orders to protect Eren Jaeger at all costs. Despite his serious injury, Erwin continues leading the Survey Corps until he meets his end during yet another conflict with Reiner and Bertholdt. He never gets a prosthetic, likely because there were only a few months between these two events. Had he survived, he may have gotten one, though with the limited technology inside the walls, it might not have had the best quality.
Guts is the sort of person who will sacrifice anything to help the people he loves. When Griffith sexually assaults Casca, Guts wants to rush over and stop him, but unfortunately his forearm is locked in the mouth of Borkoff, an apostle. He can't cut through Borkoff's jaw, so instead he decides to saw through his own flesh and bone in order to protect Casca. His prosthetic arm features a powerful cannon that has helped him through countless fights.
During the July Incident that cemented Vash's reputation as the human typhoon, Vash shoots his twin brother Knives Millions in the shoulder. Knives responds by slicing off Vash's arm. Knives was attempting to unlock Vash's latent powers. This results in a blast that not only wiped out the town of July, it also annihilated 200,000 people. Vash eventually replaces his arm with a cybernetic implant that contains a whole arsenal of weapons.
Back in the day, Gildarts Clive used to take on SS-level missions, including a quest that lasted 100 years. During that time, he encountered Acnologia. The ensuing battle cost Gildarts his arm, his leg, and an unidentified organ. At first, he uses wooden prosthetics, but eventually replaces those with more functional, armored limbs.
So far, Bleach hasn't explained why Shiba has a missing arm. There are a number of theories, ranging from Shiba actually being a Royal Guard whose arm was removed to make an Ouken to the whole thing being somehow Aizen's fault. It's even possible she was simply born with a limb difference. In the anime, Shiba is depicted with a prosthetic. However, she doesn't use one in the manga.
If Jet Black had wanted to, he could have regrown his arm with advanced cellular regeneration technology. But he opted for a prosthetic instead, because he wanted to remember the circumstances that led him to lose it in the first place. Jet used to be an Inter-Solar System Police investigator. Realizing that the organization was a nest of misconduct and deceit, he quit and started working as a bounty hunter. For a long time, he thought that the person who cost him his arm was European syndicate hitman Udai Taxim. Udai led him to a secluded area and then used a spotlight to mar his sight. Supposedly, he shot him. Jet's prosthetic was meant to remind him of his failure to stop Udai. But it turns out that Udai wasn't the one who shot him - it was his former partner at the ISSP, Fad.
Before Najenda became the leader of Night Raid, she was a General of the Empire. When she discovered that it was utterly corrupt, she decided to defect. This decision ultimately led to a fight with Esdeath, during which she lost both an arm and an eye. Because she could no longer use her Teigu, she ended up passing it along to Mine. Though she doesn't fight as much as she used to, she's still capable of taking on opponents. She uses her prosthetic arm to create momentum during battle.
When Hajime Nagumo is transported to another world along with his class, he's one of the few students who isn't granted an impressive new power. For this reason and others, his classmates end up betraying him and tossing him into the Abyss. There, he suffers greatly - he even has his arm and eye torn from his body by a Claw Bear. But he also gains exceptional powers that will forever change his position in the pecking order. He not only gets a prosthetic arm, he also outfits it with a variety of guns and magical abilities. What could have been a detriment is now a source of strength.
Unlike most of the characters on this list, Kotoko Iwanaga doesn't lose her limbs in battle. Instead, she exchanged her right leg and left eye to become the Goddess of Wisdom. As the Goddess of Wisdom, Kotoko serves as a liaison between humans and supernatural creatures. Kotoko uses a prosthetic leg and eye during day-to-day life, but often pops her leg off while relaxing at home.
Juuzou Suzuya lost his leg in a one-on-one confrontation with the One-Eyed Owl. Though he was able to remove the Owl's left arm, he had to sacrifice his own right leg to get it done. After losing his leg, Juuzou began using a prosthetic. But he doesn't just use it to walk - he also outfitted it with an array of knives that he can use during battle.
At the end of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Battle Tendency, Joseph Joestar takes on Kars, one of the Pillar Men. Joseph manages to send Kars hurtling into a volcano, but because Kars' ultimate form is ludicrously strong, he manages to escape and lop off Joseph's forearm with a bone knife. Not long after recovering from his injury, Joseph starts using a prosthetic. However, he usually conceals it with gloves.
During the battle against Shougo Makishima, Nobuchika Ginoza ends up stepping on a tripwire and triggering an explosion. This gets him trapped under a pile of crates. His father Masaoka tries to help him, but before he can, Makishima attacks Masaoka. During their battle, Makishima tosses a stick of dynamite towards Ginoza. In order to save his son, Masaoka dives in front of the dynamite, sustaining severe injuries in the process. Hoping to help his father, Ginoza forces his way out of the debris. This crushes his arm. Sadly, there's nothing he can do for his dad - Masaoka passes away soon afterward. Once the conflict is over and Ginoza returns home, he gets a prosthetic that's similar to the one his father - who was also missing an arm - wore in life.
When Natsume was a little girl, she and her father were attacked by a mysterious creature called a Gadoll. The attack ended Natsume's father's life. She survived, but she was severely injured and ended up losing her arm. She uses a prosthetic that appears to be made from scrap metal. This is a huge part of her motivation to join The Power and fight the Gadoll. Unfortunately for her, she isn't accepted right away, and has to start off in repairs and sanitation.
When Kushana was a child, she lost one of her arms when an Ohmu attacked her. She ended up losing not just her arm but both of her legs. After this harrowing experience, all she wanted was revenge. Like Ahab chasing his white whale, Kushana wanted to eliminate the Ohmu at all costs.
