Anime and Manga Eye Color Meaning

Updated October 19, 2022 by Ernie

They say the eyes are the windows to the soul as they often provide initial information about themselves. Choosing the right eye color is essential for making a character as this allows life to breathe into them, it is these aspects that can make them distinguishable for certain aspects. Well, sometimes authors would stray from the usual colors and would make bold decisions, ranging from orange to white, or even using all the colors they could imagine.

It’s fun knowing that certain characters have really cool eye colors because it adds to the appeal. Not only that, it’s cool to get a deeper understanding of what eye colors would signify, though some may have no meaning at all it‘s still fun to find that out.

But it’s not just the colors that could help us understand the character better. Sometimes we have to consider the shape as different eye shapes enhance our perspective of the characters. It’s pretty neat that there is a lot of effort that goes into character designing because it shows that the characters we love are thoroughly created. From the hair color and beauty marks, down to their eye colors, we are given so much to unpack. Before we get all jittery and excited remember that sometimes eye colors aren’t all that it would seem.

So are you interested in knowing what other eye colors mean? Then let’s get right into it!

 

EYE COLOR IN ANIME AND MANGA

 

Brown

Brown eye color would often refer to being simple and plain, but there’s more than just that. For some characters, brown eyes could represent being trustworthy, down-to-earth, and even stable—sometimes it can create an illusion of these traits making you believe that they’re good people. While brown may be a plain color, it’s still pretty to look at with its different shades. Brown eye color is a good example that would make us think about whether this character is simple, plain, boring, or perhaps a facade. 

They can convey a sense of mystery because of their dark hues. Sometimes they can be lighter and brighter tones of brown, which can be striking as they can draw you in. Characters with brown eyes include Sasha Blouse, Light Yagami, and Haruhi Fujioka.

Check out: 13+ Best Android In Anime You Can WATCH!

 

Red

Red eye color can represent power and strength since it is such a bold color. Usually, red eye color is reserved for monsters and evil creatures as it gives off a dark aura. It also relates to when people describe “bloodshot eyes” because red would often be attributed to evil characters. But sometimes red can signify power or awakening as it can sometimes be connected to being brave. Showing that the color can represent both good and evil, it’s best to think about certain characters and see if you can trust them or not. Red eye color can be seen in characters like Iskandar, Juuzou Suzuya, and Akame.

 

Green

This eye color is refreshing to see because it would be attributed to characters who have an affinity for nature and life. They are striking in a way that you are met with a familiarity with fresh greenery. But it’s not just about plants and nature as this eye color can also signify magic.

They are often paired with red hair because green and red are a cool combination. Green can sometimes be associated with envy or greed and on the other hand, represents calm, friendly and empathic. These characters exude a gentle aura that would be associated with traits that are caring, approachable, centered, and very friendly. Characters that have green eye color are Asta, Tatsumaki, and Eren Yeager. 

 

Purple

Purple is actually rare in anime and manga and they would often represent mysterious characters. As if their eyes could tell you how many stories they have in their lives. These stories could be sad and tragic or they could be dark and traumatic. Either way, their eyes alone will get you sucked in—leaving you pining for more. Usually purple is used as an indicator of royalty because of how rare it appears.

People would often assume them as gods or spirits but never common men. Purple can also be sexy because it gives off a vibe that is alluring and devious. As I said, it would leave us wanting more and digging through unnecessary stories. Characters that have this eye color are Lelouch vi Britania, Yin, and Zero Kiryuu. 

 

Blue

Now, this eye color is often used for protagonists because it is quite an uncommon color for characters in anime—since most of the time it’s made around Japan. This color would resonate with peace, innocence, clarity, and hope. It’s literally the color of the ocean that one could drown in, there’s something about this color that lures you in…sinking deeply into its cold waters. 

Now characters with blue eyes are often portrayed as hopeful and happy, it would represent their joy and well their adventures as main characters and it could also signify their troubled or dark past. There’s just something about blue-eyed characters that become so known for being main characters, while it could mean Western standards but I’d like to think that blue is the most distinct from other colors. Examples of these are Naruto, Nagisa, and Toshiro Hitsugaya. 

 

Gray

Gray eyes are cool eye colors as they would often represent inner calmness and healing. Sometimes it could be tied to spiritual abilities or an enlightened disposition. It would make sense that it is associated with people who are blind as when they lose their vision, their eye color changes in color. It can also be considered a sign of strong will, unapproachable, and gentleness. But not all gray-eyed characters are like that, gray eye color could mean a power that no man could reach. 

Sometimes it could be on par with purple in its mystery since gray has this smoke tied into it, allowing us to think that certain characters are shrouded with mystery and questionable feats. Characters with this eye color are  Byakuya Kuchiki, Wakana Gojo, and Allen Walker.

 

Black

Black eye color would often be associated with horror, death, and evil characters. They seem like bottomless pits when you look into them, which could signify how much strength or power they have. The level of mystery would put other eye colors to shame as black just seems endless. But black isn’t always negative because black can represent timeless beauty and a sense of dignity. 

Though it can’t be helped whenever it’s paired with sinister and mystery as black is a powerful color that can easily overpower other colors. But not all characters with black eye color are bad as it could just be a different color used other than brown, sometimes black could also mean laid-back and emotionless. Characters that have black eye color include Madara Uchiha, Zeref, and Ryuuji Takasu

 

Heterochromia

These different eye colors tend to represent either cool abilities or possess split personalities. Heterochromia is a genetic disorder that would usually mean nothing to real-life people. But in anime and manga, it can mean that these characters are not common. They are the type who would have underlying abilities, some power that could be hidden and would be activated whenever they need it. But it’s quite common and you could find different characters with this eye color as it would appeal to us readers. Having characters with Heterochromia can also be a good representation as this is a real disorder that people have. Though regarded as a disorder, one can’t deny how cool and beautiful it is to look at. Some of them are Ciel Phantomhive, Elizabeth Liones, and Mei Misaki.

 

What do these eye colors mean?

In anime and manga, these eye colors would mean the same thing, however, there can be instances that the anime may go a different route when it comes to eye color. Sometimes their budget won’t be able to include so many colors and would resort to colors that are cheap and easy to manipulate. Well, aside from budget cuts these different eye colors create a clear distinction of who’s who. 

Though sometimes the eye color would have nothing to do with the personality of the character and would often have to do with the aesthetic or the feel. And that’s okay! Character design is really meticulous as it would require a lot of creative processes in order to come up with a well-written and well-drawn character. 

Whenever I start making new characters I would end up using whatever color would match their hair because—well I’m lazy but, sometimes it would boil down to which color would fit. But, having different meanings with the eye color for anime characters creates a great depiction of what characters can be since we get to have prior information based on certain tropes. 

 

Conclusion

Well, I hope you enjoyed reading about the meaning behind different anime eye colors! While they are sometimes insignificant, it’s cool to know that most eye colors actually have an impact on understanding the characters. For instance, in Tokyo Ghoul, the eyes of the ghouls are red with black scleras having that eye color that is easily identifiable because of its colors. Red signifies power and strength and the black scleras show the difference between the eyes of a regular human and a ghoul. Another example can be Ciel with his cursed eye, the color purple for his cursed eye could mean a tragic past that he has gone through. The color and the design allow us to get a better picture of the curse looks and why the color fits with the design. 

Related: How to Draw Your Own Manga or Anime Character