Same rules as my list for top 5 water users and top 5 fire users which are:
- I’m only going to include anime characters from anime/manga I’ve read or watched. Mainly because I would be familiar with their powers.
- I’m only going to include ONE character per series. This is difficult to do, because there are many strong characters in any given series, but I want some variety.
- I think it will be difficult to determine how each character on the list would fare against each other, so I going to focus how strong they are within their series. However, I will be thinking how they compare relative to each other.
[Note] This list and any others will focus on characters that MOSTLY or significantly use the element. In this case ice. What that would result in is having a list of characters that will have more that just the element in their abilities and I will be factoring these other abilities in as well.
5. Shoto Todoroki (MHA)
[Note] I’m putting Shoto fifth despite his ice powers being more powerful (in my opinion) than Gray and Haku. In My Hero Academia he often uses abilities without names and the heroes in the series really only have a handful of techniques. Shoto really only has one ice attack at the moment, because he hasn’t reached his full potential yet.
Shoto is a student in Class 1-A, where he got through with official recommendations. The youngest son of the number one hero Endeavor, he’s one of the best young heroes in the series. As a child he was trained to be the successor of his father from an early age. His Quirk is called Half-Cold Half-Hot, a powerful versatile Quirk that grants him both fire and ice powers. While Shoto has begun to use his fire side he’s far more advance with his ice side. He was capable of freezing entire buildings and creating large waves of ice. He has enhanced durability, stamina and agility.
Shoto’s top ice abilities:
- Heaven Piercing Ice Wall – Shoto creates an enormous ice glacier, that can either encapsulate his opponent or block the immediate field of battle in ice.
Source: MHA Fandom
4. Haku (Naruto)
Haku was an orphaned ninja from the Land of Water, and a member of Yuki Clan. He became a mercenary ninja under the tutelage of Zabuza. He posses the Kekkei Genkai: Ice Released. For his age, Haku was advanced. Haku was also incredibly fast, and was capable of killing without making a sound. Haku could also perform hand seals with only one hand, a feat that remained rare even at the end of the series. His uses of Ice Release granted him unique offensive and defensive abilities.
Haku’s top Ice abilities:
- Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals – a technique is performed by Haku. He creates several large mirrors out of ice, which he surrounds a target with. By entering one of these mirrors, Haku’s reflection will appear in all of them. Haku can travel between these mirrors near-instantaneously, giving the appearance that he occupies all of them simultaneously.
- Ice Release: Ice Rock Dome of Magnificent Nothingness – Haku can quickly freeze the surrounding air and create an icy, transparent igloo-like dome around himself and/or allies to act as a defense. It is strong enough to withstand the air assault of so many explosive tags at once, remaining almost undamaged.
- Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death – Haku creates a thousand long needles from the nearby water, which surround the target. The user carefully aims the needles at the target and fires them at rapid speeds. Targets who are struck by the needles suffer significant injury.
Source: Naruto Fandom
3. Gray Fullbuster (Fairy Tail)
Gray is a Mage of the Fairy Tail Guild. He’s the master of Ice-make magic. This allows him to create ice at will and shape it into anything he wants. He uses Static Ice-Make that allows him to shape his ice into inanimate things or weapons. Ice-make is known for being effective as both offensive and defensive magic. He also has resistance to ice and snow magic. Gray also has “Ice Magic” that allows the user to create and manipulate ice. He can even freeze, boiling water and flames.
Gray’s Top Ice abilities:
- Ice devil Slayer Magic – A form of Devil Slayer Magic that Gray can manifest at will which allows him to produce, manipulate and control the element of ice. Like other Slayers, he is able to consume external sources of ice in order to replenish his strength and enhance his power while immune to it.
- Unison Raid – Gray is capable of using this ability, although he has only performed it alongside Juvia till now. During their fight against Daphne’s Dragonoid, Gray and Juvia were able to fuse their Magic together, causing massive amounts of water and ice needles to erupt all over Magnolia Town.
- Shotgun – Gray utilizes water provided by a Water Mage in conjunction with his Ice-Make Magic to solidify the water, which is then aimed at the target and released as sharp, thick spears of ice.
Source: Fairy Tail Wiki
2. Rukia Kuchiki (Bleach)
Rukia is the current Captain of the 13th Division. She’s the adoptive sister of Byakuya Kuchiki, friend of Ichigo and wife of Renji Abarai. Rukia is an expert swordsman, kido user, shunpo expert and hakuda combatant. She also has enhanced strength and endurance, along with high intelligence.
Rukia’s top Ice abilities:
- Shikai Special Ability – Rukia possess an ice-type Zanpakuto called Sode no Shirayuki. Her Zanpakuto has general freezing abilities, basically anything its wielder touches freezes.
- Tsugi no mai, Hakuren – Rukia, calling out the name of the dance, punctures the ground once, creating a large ice circle, similar to the first dance. She punctures the ground in front of her four times in a semi circle. As ice particles begin to flow up from the punctures she made in the ground, she takes a battle stance. The particles, building up at the tip of Sode no Shirayuki, are released as a large, powerful avalanche of cold air. It flash freezes whatever it comes into contact with, encasing it in ice.
- Bankai (Hakka no Togame) – increases the area of influence of Rukia’s ability to reach the temperature of absolute zero. Upon release, a pillar of cold mist rises up into the air from where she is and covers a wide area in her vicinity. Anything within the area of influence of the mist is frozen. Once frozen solid, victims crumble away within seconds. Physical contact with Rukia herself causes other people to begin freezing solid due to how cold her body is.
Source: Bleach Fandom
1. Aokiji (One Piece)
Also know as Kuzan, Aokiji was a Marine Admiral. He was nominated for “fleet admiral” by Sengoku, but lost the position to Sakazuki. As a marine admiral he had a large number of marines under his command. He could holds his own against a pirate as powerful as Whitebeard. He also has a great deal of speed as he was able to sneak up on Doflamingo with him noticing. He has enhance endurance, being able to fight Sakazuki for 10 straight days before being defeated. He was able to take a Haki imbued kick from Marco and Jozu. He possess acute hearing, even being able to hear things underwater. He possess Haki, Busoshoku Haki and Kenbunshoku Haki. Aokiji ate the Logia type devil fruit, the Hie Hie no Mi. This allows him to turn himself and his surroundings into ice. It’s strong enough that he could change the weather of one half of an island.
Aokiji’s top ice abilities:
- Ice Age – An attack used only near the ocean or another large area of water. Kuzan places his hand in the water, then in an instant freezes it (along with anything in/on it) completely solid.
- Ice Time – Kuzan touches his opponent’s body, then freezes them into a human ice statue. They can remain alive in a form of suspended animation for some time in their icy prison, but any decent hit will shatter them to pieces. This ended up being the case for Jozu, whose right arm broke off at the shoulder upon falling over while completely frozen.
- Ice Time Capsule – Using his powers, Kuzan sends a wave of ice along the ground. Anything it hits is frozen in place.
Source: One Piece Fandom
Shoto Todoroki is worthy of a place in this top five. I am not familiar with the other characters. One addition I would make is Esdeath.
I never heard of Esdeath.
She is the villain in Akame Ka Kill. Very easy on the eyes.
Seconding Esdeath.
Todoroki and Rukia are both favorites of mine! Good picks! I don’t know much about the others tbh!
I like Gray as a character a lot. Haku was cool as well. But when it comes down to ice users I like Aokoji
More than anyone
Sorry it’s Aokiji
Kuzan is by far the best ice user.
I can’t shake the feeling I’ve seen loads of anime characters with ice powers but can’t think of a single one right now.
Great I love the list
Thank you.
Ice is a pretty cool power. Depending on how it’s portrayed, though; it doesn’t have the same “Flash” as the other common elements of Electricity and Fire. It’s slower, and it’s limited to a surface or static constructs. Vs the other 2 that are shown to often make LITERAL MONSTERS.
That’s not to say that I don’t like the ability, though; these characters all show how far you take take such a limited power. But I’d honestly choose Electricity if I had the chance.
(Sorry for the late response.) I think that the main elements earth, fire, wind, water etc. are often associated with a specific speed. Ice is general assumed to be slow and more defensive than offense. I personally prefer fire. Thanks for the comment.