#BLACK ANIME CHARACTERS SERIES#

She’s got the looks, the moves, and doesn’t take any nonsense from anyone. Michiko is another Afro-Latina and one of the titular characters in Michiko to Hatchin.

I also like that she’s Afro-Brazilian because that gives representation to Afro-Latinx. She’s tough and determined to reach her goal and I think her complicated relationship with the main character, Michiko, is really interesting. I can’t think of any other way to describe Atsuko, other than a badass.

#BLACK ANIME CHARACTERS SERIES#

Originally she’s introduced as another antagonist, but she’s more complex than that and I will say that her arc in the series is one of my favorites. Everything she’s done, she’s done it to survive. That aside, I still like her overall and I just get her. I have complicated feelings when it comes to Sister Krone, mainly because I don’t like how her Black features are exaggerated in a stereotypical fashion during certain scenes. What I like most about her is her 70s Blaxsploitation aesthetic and mannerisms. We don’t get much time with Coffee when she appears in Cowboy Bebop, but she does leave a lasting impression. So on one hand I have a few some issues with her being named after coffee, because fetishization is real and gross. So in honor of Black History Month, I’ve put together this list of Black women in anime who I have been proud to claim over the years.

So I have hope that representation for Black anime characters will continue to improve. There is even anime that get produced and created by Black people, like Cannon Busters, where most of the characters are Black. Thanks to shows like Carole & Tuesday, Michiko to Hatchin, and Hunter x Hunter that give great representation to Black women anime characters. Compared to when I was a kid to now, I don’t have to settle for glimpses anymore.