The world of anime loves to experiment with the aesthetics of its characters in all kinds of ways that set it apart from live-action TV shows or most Western animation. The industry might be made fun of for its "anime hair" cliche, but the industry can be more creative than that when it comes to character outfits, hair color, and even eye color.

Many anime characters have an unusual eye color that may somehow be symbolic of the character, or at least their eye color might contrast sharply with their personality or role in the story. For example, someone might think that gray eyes would be dull or lifeless, but on the contrary, many lively anime characters have bright gray eyes full of energy and wonder. Who has gray eyes in anime?

10 Yuki Sohma Has Vivid Gray Eyes (Fruits Basket)

yuki sohma

It's true that the beloved kuudere Yuki Sohma had violet eyes in the 2001 Fruits Basket anime, but the 2019 reboot anime returned his color scheme to fit the original manga, including his eye color. Yuki now has bright gray eyes to match his equally gray hair, and it's a good look.

This grayish color represents how Yuki felt alone and unwanted in isolation; his entire life was shrouded in grayness and misery for years until Tohru Honda came along. Now Yuki is turning his life around, and his gray eyes are now full of hope.

9 Byakuya Kuchiki Has Slate-Gray Eyes (Bleach)

byakuya bleach petals

In some scenes of the Bleach anime, it might be easy to mistake Byakuya for a character with black eyes. Still, according to official Bleach character data, Captain Byakuya Kuchiki actually has slate-gray eyes instead. His eyes may seem dull or humorless at times to match that gray color, too.

Byakuya may seem rather gray on the outside, but on the inside, he is a caring big brother who was simply conflicted about the law vs protecting his foster sister, Rukia. Now Byakuya has embraced shonen values of family and friendship, and his gray eyes are warmer than ever.

8 Near Has Gray But Sharp Eyes (Death Note)

near twirling his hair death note

Unlike his dark-eyed mentor L, the boy wonder known as Near has gray eyes that match his fairly colorless design. Near is noted for having a pale outfit and white hair despite his age. But even if this boy seems dull and gray on the outside, he has a powerful mind that is more than worthy of challenging Kira.

Near's dull gray eyes and weak interpersonal skills belie his true brilliance and creative mind, though he might need help actually executing his plans and getting things done. Near's eyes may seem bland at first, but those gray eyes are actually sharp and cunning.

7 Wakana Gojo's Gray Eyes Match His Meek Personality (My Dress-Up Darling)

gojo surprised face

Wakana Gojo is the shonen-style protagonist of the charming rom-com series My Dress-Up Darling, and he does very little to stand out in terms of his outfits or his haircuts. He is content to blend into the background, but he does nurse a secret passion for hina dolls, a hobby he shares with his grandfather Kaoru.

Wakana has gray eyes to match his unremarkable and shy personality, and most people who meet him don't get a strong impression of him at all. The exception is the lively genki girl Marin Kitagawa, who recruited him to help her make cosplay. Wakana quickly became her friend, then her love interest as well.

6 Avatar Aang Has Lively Gray Eyes (Avatar: The Last Airbender)

stubborn Zuko and Aang

In certain lighting conditions or scenes, Avatar Aang's eyes appear brown, but they are primarily gray instead, which is his default eye color. In fact, eye color in the world of Avatar is based on elemental bending, such as Firebenders having gold eyes and Waterbenders having vivid blue eyes.

As a native of the Air Nomads, Aang has bright gray eyes that are alive with enthusiasm and curiosity, proving that gray is not always the dull color people think it is. The same may be true of other Air Nomads too, who were often known to be good-natured pranksters, such as Aang's beloved mentor, Monk Gyatso.

5 Allen Walker Has Silver-Gray Eyes (D.Gray-Man)

Allen Walker from D.Gray-man.

Allen Walker is the shonen protagonist of the gothic anime D.Gray-Man, where it seems every day is a spooky Halloween. Allen is an Exorcist, a trained agent who can use the supernatural power of innocence to take the fight to the monstrous Akuma and the Noah family. Allen's innocence first appeared as an oversized arm with clawed fingers.

Allen is noted for his dull color scheme, including his silver-gray eyes and equally gray hair, but not his dull personality. Allen is a cheerful and caring boy who will risk his life for others, like any shonen hero, and he will openly weep if a friend or innocent people get hurt.

4 Ken Kaneki Has Grayish Eyes (Tokyo Ghoul)

Kaneki at the cafe Tokyo Ghoul

Before he became a one-eyed ghoul, the college student Ken Kaneki had grayish eyes with a hint of brown to them, a fairly unremarkable and ordinary eye color for an anime hero. At the time, Ken was a polite but shy boy like Wakana Gojo, who mainly expressed himself through his hobbies.

Ken's eye color changed somewhat when his left eye became a ghoul's eye, glowing red with hunger. However, Ken tended to keep his left eye hidden under an eyepatch so he could blend into human society without anything going wrong. So, only his gray right eye can be seen.

3 Yu Narukami Has Gray Eyes & Hair (Persona 4: The Animation)

Yu and Yosuke get thrown off a cliff, Persona 4

Both Persona 4 and Persona 5 have anime adaptations, and the quiet hero of P4, Yu Narukami, is known for his gray eyes and hair, as opposed to Akira's darker hair in P5. In this story, Yu moves to the rustic Japanese town Inaba, where nothing is as it seems. When the rain and Midnight Channel coincide, someone's bound to go missing.

It's up to Yu and his gang of friends to investigate and find the truth about people disappearing into TVs, and Yu's sharp gray eyes will miss nothing as he and his friends scour Inaba for clues.

2 Nezumi Has Cunning Gray Eyes (No. 6)

nezumi in no. 6

The short sci-fi anime series No. 6, based on the nine-volume manga series of the same name, features two main characters — the innocent and naive Shion and his new friend, the gray-eyed Nezumi/Rat. These boys come from very different backgrounds, but they will work together to unravel the secrets of the too-perfect city of No. 6.

Nezumi is a tough and pragmatic young man with gray hair to match his eyes, but while he acts like a total kuudere at first, he has his compassionate side, and he becomes Shion's best friend before long. Soon, they became even more than that and found true happiness with one another.

1 Momo Yaoyorozu Has Brilliant Gray Eyes (My Hero Academia)

Yaoyorozu from My Hero Academia looking determined

Momo Yaoyorozu is easily class 1-A's smartest student, and she is likely U.A.'s smartest student overall, too. Momo may come from a wealthy and comfortable background, but she won't dare coast on her family's prestige. Instead, she will push herself hard and devote her life to becoming a true pro hero.

Momo has bright gray eyes that often burn with her sheer passion, and she is ready to share that passion with her classmates, too. She generously tutored several of her classmates before midterms, and she is a highly cooperative and sharp-minded teammate, too.

Next: 10 Anime Characters Who Keep Their Eyes Hidden