8 Best Users Of Shadows in Anime, Ranked

Shadow-related abilities aren't all that rare in anime. Many iconic anime characters make use of shadow powers, showing great mastery over them. Anime and manga tend to be filled with abilities that revolve around the usage of the five main elements, but light and shadow are a cut above the rest. Some of the shadow abilities include the power to fully control shadows, like Fumikage Tokoyami from My Hero Academia, while others offer more creative liberties with how they work, like Sung Jinwoo’s shadow army from Solo Leveling.

Gecko Moria

• Anime: One Piece

Gecko Moria is a former Shichibukai from the One Piece series. Moria is not the most popular villain around; however, he had a major impact during the Thriller Bark arc. With the Thriller Bark arc of One Piece being a horror-based island, it's unsurprising to see that its main antagonist, Moria, had shadow-related abilities. He has the power of the Kage Kage no Mi, which translates to the Shadow Shadow Fruit.

The Shadow Devil Fruit is a Paramecia-type that allows Moria to snatch and control shadows. This control includes absorbing the shadows he stole from others to gain a power boost or even implanting these shadows into corpses, creating zombie creatures. His Devil Fruit is actually quite overpowered, and while Moria has been mostly absent from the story, he definitely has a role to play in the future as the Ruler of Shadows.

Nacht Faust

• Anime: Black Clover

Nacht Faust is a major supporting character from the Black Clover series, acting as the vice-captain of the Black Bulls. At first, Nacht may seem like a suspicious character; however, he is still a major ally of the main group. Nacht Faust is definitely the most iconic shadow magic user of the Black Clover series. He uses his grimoire to make use of his shadows. Nacht can slip between shadows to hide or travel, and he can even use his shadows to immobilize his enemies. His magic is quite compatible with Dark Magic, and even light magic.

Shikamaru Nara

• Anime: Naruto

Shikamaru is a part of Team 10 in the Naruto series. He is not the strongest ninja around, but he still holds his own very well with his shadow-based technique — something he has inherited from the Nara Clan.

Shikamaru’s most iconic shadow-based technique is the Shadow Imitation Technique. When his shadow touches his enemies, he can use it to immobilize them or force them to mimic his actions. He has grown greatly over the years in the story of Naruto, all the way until now in Boruto. In fact, he has even been chosen as the Hokage until a true replacement is found for Naruto Uzumaki. While not the most powerful shadow user, he uses them to their full potential thanks to his extreme intelligence.

Fumikage Tokoyami

• Anime: My Hero Academia

Fumikage Tokoyami is a member of Class 1-A in My Hero Academia. While he isn’t a main character and never got the same spotlight as Midoriya or Bakugo, he has definitely gotten some chances to shine during the series. Tokoyami’s Quirk is known as Dark Shadow, and grants him shadow abilities.

With this Quirk, he is able to summon a powerful shadow creature that can act both offensively and defensively in battle. The power and control over this Quirk all depend on the lack of light. The darker it is, the stronger Dark Shadow, but the harder it is to control. He has proved himself to be one of the very strongest members of Class 1-A, which is no small achievement with individuals like Deku, Bakugo, and Todoroki around.

Pride

• Anime: Fullmetal Alchemist

Fullmetal Alchemist has cemented itself as one of the greatest anime series of all time. What makes this series as iconic as it is is its main antagonists, well-known as the Homunculi. Among the Homunculi, Pride stood tall as one of the strongest and most memorable members. Formerly known as Selim Bradley, he takes on the appearance of a child, so the reveal of his true nature was all the more shocking.

Pride is one of the greatest shadow users in anime, and his shadow form proved itself to be a dangerous enemy. It was able to consume everything in its way at blinding speeds, and the monstrous size made it a major offensive threat. With its versatility, Pride easily stands as one of the best shadow users in anime.

Yuka Okkotsu

• Anime: Jujutsu Kaisen

Yuka Okkotsu is a rather recent addition to the Jujutsu Kaisen cast. She acts as one of the new main characters of the JJK sequel, called Jujutsu Kaisen: Modulo. Yuka is the granddaughter of Yuta Okkotsu and Maki Zenin. Through the blood she has inherited from her grandma, she was born with the coveted Zenin Clan ability, the Ten Shadow technique, a power that previously belonged to Megumi Fushiguro.

The Ten Shadow technique, as the name implies, is a shadow-based power that allows one to have some control over the shadows. This was seen when Yuka hid from Mahoraga in the shadows. This technique also allows for the summoning of powerful Shikigami as well as the usage of animal-like attacks.

Megumi Fushiguro

• Anime: Jujutsu Kaisen

Megumi Fushiguro is a part of the main cast of the Jujutsu Kaisen series. He has always been one of the most popular characters in the story, and in big part, this is thanks to his captivating Cursed Technique, which is known as the Ten Shadow technique. This technique is the coveted ability of the Zenin Clan, and grants control over the shadows.

With it, Megumi can summon Shikigamis but he can also use the shadows for hiding. Through this ten-shadow technique, Megumi's strong trump card, known as the Divine General Mahoraga, can also be summoned. Mahoraga is powerful and can only be defeated by the very strongest of the JJK series as he can adapt to any and all phenomena. Megumi also has a shadow domain expansion, called Chimera Shadow Garden.

Sung Jinwoo

• Anime: Solo Leveling

Solo Leveling is the most exciting new anime series that features stunning combat. Having made its debut in 2024, Solo Leveling has garnered praise from all over the world. Fans have been obsessed with it, and a big reason for that is its unforgettable main character, Sung Jinwoo. Jinwoo has developed a lot throughout the story, but after defeating Igris, he took his biggest step as he went on to unlock a new class through his System which turns him into the Shadow Monarch.

By becoming the Shadow Monarch, Jinwoo gains some unique shadow abilities. Anyone he defeats and kills, he has a chance to turn into a shadow soldier. These shadow soldiers become like his personal army. They fight for him but they can also allow him to teleport places or keep an eye on other characters. Jinwoo has definitely become the most iconic shadow user in all of anime.