When it comes to anime characters who stand out, bearded anime characters often have that special factor.
Few style choices are as versatile as rocking a full beard. It can make you the aged hero, the notorious villain, or the lovable grandpa figure who lords over the group like a sage mentor.
Many anime characters with beards fall into one—or more—of those archetypes, but some wear the face fuzz better than others.
Here are our picks for the best bearded anime characters, who sport anything from a goatee to a full-blown facial beaver, along with why they stand out as awesome characters.
10. Ox King (Dragon Ball)
Ox King doesn't get to do a lot in Dragon Ball after he's first introduced, but you have to admit: it's a heck of an introduction.
Standing beside a literal mountain of fire and fighting off anyone who dares approach, he's huge and scary and his beard makes him look like a feral mountain man.
He might not have the training or strength to keep up with Goku and his friends, but Ox King makes an undeniable impact on the world of Dragon Ball simply by being Chi Chi's loving father.
When it comes to fat anime characters with beards, few can rival the sheer intimidation factor that Ox King has.
9. Danjuro Tobita (My Hero Academia)
Danjuro Tobita (better known as Gentle Criminal) only appeared in half a season of My Hero Academia, but he's easily is one of the most fun villains we've seen throughout the series.
While everyone else is basically trying to dismantle the fabric of society, Gentle Criminal just wants to rock a dapper beard-and-mustache combo and perform some flashy crimes.
Danjuro pulls off the "gentleman thief" act remarkably well, especially in a series that doesn't offer much nuance in its villains.
8. Sig Curtis (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)
When we think of anime characters with beards, it's the image of Sig Curtis that immediately comes to mind.
He's built like a strongman, runs a butcher shop, and looks after his chaos-inclined wife like any good husband should, all while living in a war-torn nation that's overrun with magical scientists.
Sig has a natural calm to his almost placid exterior, though you can tell he's always one mere step away from going full papa bear on someone who even looks at his family the wrong way.
7. Juzo Okita (Star Blazers 2199)
Juzo Okita sports what I like to call The Santa Claus: his beard is thick, snowy white, and tells you he's smart and wise.
He's absolutely dedicated to his mission of saving Earth from the radiation that's slowly making the planet uninhabitable for humans, and he's happy to do all this despite the fact he's dying himself.
And even when his sickness renders him bedridden, the crew of the Yamato continue to turn to him for advice. If that isn't a sign of an admirable leader-type character, we don't know what is.
Note: Star Blazers 2199 is a remake of an older classic anime series called Space Battleship Yamato from 1974. While we love the original, it's hard to acquire and not streamable.
6. Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto (Bleach)
With age often comes wisdom, but in shonen anime, age can also help old men amass ridiculous amounts of power.
When Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto is first introduced, you wouldn't be the first if you thought he was just the elderly leader of Soul Society. Wise, for sure, but not necessarily strong.
However, it turns out he's extremely capable in a fight, which explains how he's survived so long as a Soul Reaper and ended up as the Commander of the Gotei 13.
When Yamamoto cuts loose and unleashes his Zanpakuto, you really don't want to be the fool who underestimates him.
He has the wisest and longest beard of anyone on this list, making him one of the best anime characters with full beards.
5. Asuma Sarutobi (Naruto)
Great characters stick with us, but so do great character deaths—and that's one of the many reasons why we consider Asuma Sarutobi one of the greatest bearded characters in Naruto.
First introduced to us as the leader of Team 10—consisting of Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji—his manly beard and permanent cigarette told us everything we needed to know about his cool attitude.
Yet even though Asuma did have a casual outlook on life, he was absolutely ready to put his own life on the line to protect his students, his friends, and his village.
While he would ultimately meet his end early in Naruto, his death had a lasting impact on his students and fans of the series.
4. Jigen Daisuke (Lupin the Third)
Jigen Daisuke is one of the most stylish characters on this list. Seldom seen without his signature hat and suit, Jigen serves as the Lupin crew's expert marksman and sharpshooter.
Yet even with accuracy and speed that border on superhuman, he's still often caught off guard by the over-the-top antics of his friends.
Jigen's character design was inspired by classic American gangster films, from which he gets his long, frazzled beard that sticks out well past the brim of his fedora.
3. Joseph Joestar (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)
Joseph Joestar is the second "JoJo" of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, the one who's shown up in the most adventures so far.
He doesn't actually get his signature beard until Part 3, when he and his grandson go on a globetrotting adventure to stop an immortal vampire who can control time.
As the title says, this series is extremely bizarre—but Joseph is one of the few consistencies within its story. Not only is he instrumental in saving the world twice from two vastly different threats, he has one of the greatest beards in modern anime.
2. Master Roshi (Dragon Ball)
Son Goku was already strong when he met Master Roshi, but it wasn't until Roshi trained him that he became a martial artist. In that sense, Dragon Ball would be nothing with this iconic badass.
While Roshi is often used for comic relief, his dedication to his students is undeniable. He went so far as to enter the World Martial Arts Tournament twice—while wearing a disguise, of course—to help encourage their love of training.
With his bald head and long goatee and badass beard, Master Roshi became the blueprint for many of the mentor characters that would come in later anime series.
1. Jet Black (Cowboy Bebop)
Jet Black—the captain of the Bebop—has a lot on his hands. Not only is his partner Spike Spiegel a former yakuza with a bounty on his head, but both of them are perpetually broke and always running into trouble with the beautiful yet devious Faye Valentine.
Despite all this, Jet Black manages to keep his cool and provide fatherly wisdom to go along with his distinct bearded look.
We don't know where he finds the time to keep that beard so immaculately groomed, but the man rocks the chinstrap beard so much better than anyone we've seen in anime.
