Best Pirates In Anime

Pirate anime shows are a lot of fun and are usually filled with some of the trickiest and strongest anime characters ever created. These shows take pirate lovers on epic adventures in brilliantly detailed fantasy worlds and even to the future.

Pirates in anime come in all shapes and sizes, giving fans some of the most interesting and powerful female characters with great backstories and one-of-a-kind personalities. Fans can get lost in these adventurous stories with fun-loving pirates, megalomaniac pirate antagonists, and even all-powerful pirate kings who will give viewers a truly memorable time.

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By  Huzaifa Haq

Updated December 21, 2024, by Ahmed Rehan Nasir: The pirate anime landscape has long been dominated by One Piece and its many pirates, yet plenty of other great anime feature incredible pirates who have made a name for themselves, either on the open seas or in the skies above. Whether they're sailing across the high seas or exploring new galaxies and planets, pirates come in all shapes and forms, and these are some of the best ones out there. Pirates have remained a popular archetype in anime, evident from old school pirate series such as Space Pirate Captain Harlock to newer shows like Edens Zero. For those looking for more pirates to adore, this list has been updated with a few more entries.

18 Gram River (Mars Daybreak)

A Laid-Back Space Pirate

Mars Daybreak has one of the most beautiful planets in anime as well as a spunky space pirate named Gram River. Anime fans can dive deep into the Martian seas with the help of Gram, who accidentally befriends some of the most notorious Martian pirates and becomes one himself.

This beautifully animated series is not just for adventure addicts but for all who love mecha and even marine anime shows filled with great characters and a unique story. The narrative follows Gram's adventures with his new crew as the resilient pirates use everything they got to keep going in a completely corrupted world.

17 Ranban (Space Pirate Mito)

An Eccentric Alien Space Pirate

Space Pirate Mito provides anime fans with vintage charm, fun adventures, as well as hilarious characters. However, the show's most powerful space pirate is Ranban. She's one of the fiercest fighters who has a complex relationship with Mito.

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Ranban loves power, and since she's a great strategist she's capable of defeating her enemies with ease. In the world of Space Pirate Mito, the emotions run deep and battles are intense, and thanks to the brilliantly crafted characters and backstories anime fans get to enjoy a one-of-a-kind cosmic saga that's full of heart.

16 Maya Mikuri (ID-0)

A Student Turned Space Pirate

ID-0's is one of the most thought-provoking space opera anime with mecha elements and features one of the cutest space pirates of all time, Maya Mikuri. Maya starts out as a shy geology student who eventually becomes a capable pirate after accidentally getting involved in the world of space pirates.

In ID-0's world, humans became capable of transferring human consciousness into robots, called I-Machines, which makes this adventure-filled pirate anime even more interesting. Viewers will go on many epic journeys with Maya's and her own I-Machine avatar while enjoying meaningful stories about the essence of self, set against the vast canvas of space.

15 Cobra (Space Adventure COBRA)

An Oddly Charismatic Outlaw

Cobra is Space Adventure COBRA's legendary outlaw who is famous for his roguish charm. This cool, cigar-chomping anime pirate travels the galaxy with his android companion Lady and his psycho-gun and gets into all sorts of highly entertaining adventures.

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However, underneath his carefree demeanor, there is a sharp mind and Cobra is also a fierce fighter that helps him get out of most troubles with ease. Space Adventure COBRA has a dazzling universe, a vintage art style, and is a thrilling space opera with unforgettable pirates, filled with vibrant planets, treacherous villains, as well as mysterious beauties.

14 Dita Liebely (Vandread)

A Skilled Mecha Pilot

As a pilot of a Dread mecha, Dita is one of the strongest space pirates in Vandread. Her status as the leading lady of the anime further backs this notion. However, Dita can also back these claims herself through her piloting skills and her overall persona in the anime. Dita also serves as an impressive support to the series’ protagonist. She can merge her Dread with Hibiki's Vanguard, turning it into a humanoid mecha that is much more powerful than both characters' individual strengths.

With an optimistic outlook on life and a straightforward persona, Dita has the perfect temperament for being a space pirate. Her lack of awareness can sometimes be a bit unpalatable, though she makes up for these flaws with her strength and mecha piloting skills.

13 Capo (Porco Rosso)

A Sky Pirate With a Gentle Side

Porco Rosso's most dangerous and egotistical pirate has to be Capo. This large and loud anime pirate is not afraid to use machine guns or even kidnap young schoolgirls just to get what he wants and to finally defeat Porco Rosso. However, he also has a gentle side to him and is not willing to physically hurt innocents, and he even shows kindness towards others.

Porco Rosso is one of the most iconic pirate anime movies of all time. It's about a bounty hunter called Porco Rosso, who was cursed and turned into a humanoid pig during World War I and is now a bounty hunter who tries to stop the pirates who terrorize the Adriatic Sea. One of its most ruthless pirate groups is Mamma Aiuto, and their leader Capo is one of the strongest anime pirates in the story.

12 April Bikirk (Sol Bianca: The Legacy)

The Piloteer Of Sol Bianca

April Bikirk is one of the coolest space pirates of all time and is the talented pilot of the Sol Bianca. She's the wise leader of the all-girls pirate group and is not afraid to use deadly force to protect herself or her loved ones. While she can be violent in certain situations, she's also a caring person, and her friends and crewmates often turn to her for advice and guidance.

Sol Bianca: The Legacy is one of the best pirate anime shows with interesting and well-crafted female pirates similar to Yona of The Dawn. It's a creative sci-fi anime set thousands of years in the future and follows the adventures of a small group of fearless female space pirates on their colossal starship Sol Bianca.

11 Soi Len (Angel Links)

A Pirate With a Touch Of Sorcery

Soi Len is one of the strongest anime pirates of all time, thanks to her exceptional skills in Tao Magic. While she's one of the most powerful pirates in the anime, she doesn't like to attack and hurt others and instead uses her skills to defend herself, track their target, and support the other pirates in her Guild. While she's still a kid, she takes her orders seriously, so much so that she would even consider using deadly force.

Angel Links is one of the most fun space pirate anime series that's perfect for Captain Harlock and sci-fi anime lovers. It's about a young teen girl named Meifon Li who is the leader of a famed corporation that protects transportation companies in outer space from pirate attacks.

10 Emeraldas (Queen Emeraldas)

Pirate Queen Of the Galaxies

Emeraldas is one of the strongest and loneliest anime pirates and is often compared to Captain Harlock. These two iconic anime pirates often crossed roads, and in Queen Emeraldas, she finally became the protagonist of the anime. Similar to Captain Harlock, she's a wanderer space pirate who is looking for some meaning during her adventures.

Queen Emeraldas is set in the same universe as Captain Harlock and is one of the best classic anime pirate shows ever. Its story revolves around Emeraldas, the queen of pirates who tries to fight against an evil and ruthless race that wants to dominate the galaxy.

9 Gi Gan (Yona Of The Dawn)

A Wise Yet Fearsome Pirate

Yona Of the Dawn is one of the most exciting high-fantasy anime about Princess Yona's adventures. Yona was a princess who had to flee her palace after her father got murdered. She has to escape with the help of her bodyguard General Hak.

As she travels through the kingdom, Yona becomes aware of the serious issues and misery of the people who live in her kingdom and meets various exciting characters like Gi Gan. She's the leader of the pirate crew Awa, and despite her advanced age, she's one of the most powerful rebels against the emperor.