The four classical elements—water, earth, fire, and air—form the basis of most elemental powers in anime. Subsets of these categories include sand manipulation and lightning control, among others. In many shows, the ability to control sand is one of the more underutilized elemental arts, despite the fact that it may be as destructive as earth manipulation in the right hands and can be used in many different contexts.
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Over time, characters likeOne Piece’s Sir Crocodile andBleach’s Ganju Shiba push the boundaries of what it means to manipulate sand as an element. Being able to control sand and use it to build things or even drain the moisture from living things is a terrifying ability. Fans have a lot of respect for characters who can control sand because of what they can do with it.
7Sandman
In the third season premiere of the South Korean anime seriesShinbi Apartment, the antagonist Sandman is shown as a master of sand manipulation. The protagonists of the Haunted House anime series are two brothers and sisters who move into a house with a reputation for paranormal activity. The siblings must vanquish several ghosts, including Sandman.
Sandman has the appearance of a plague doctor, with his crow-like head and crimson, glowing eyes. His sand abilities are more magical than elemental, as he more often than not assumes the form of sand rather than exerting direct control over it. Besides putting kids to sleep for good, Sandman can also command crows to terrorize them forever.
6Gaara
As one of the most well-known anime characters, Gaara stands out among the many who can control sand. He was created for the massively successfulNarutoanime. Gaara, the protagonist of the anime series, wentfrom being an antagonistto a revered shinobi leader.
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Gaara can shape sand in various ways, and his talents are both potent and versatile. He can use his sand-manipulating skills to launch attacks from afar or close up. to ensure that he has access to sand even in difficult environments, Gaara carries a massive sand gourd on his back. In comparison to other anime characters that have sand manipulation abilities, Gaara’s is unique, allowing him to perform things like create sand shadow clones of himself.
5Crocodile
Sir Crocodile is a major and recurrent character in the popularOne Pieceanime series. After consuming the devil fruit of the Sand Sand logia, Crocodile obtained the ability to produce, control, and transform his body into sand. Its Crocodile sand power has incredible range and adaptability. He has the ability to manufacture sand blades as sharp and sturdy as swords, as well as sand storms so violent that they eventually escape his control, killing living things via dehydration.
Being in the desert appears to improve Crocodile’s sand abilities. Due to the abundance of sand in deserts, Crocodile is able to locate hidden rivers and detect any movement beneath the surface. Although Crocodile can use sand to his advantage in almost every situation, most liquids dilute his sand powers,giving his adversaries a window of opportunity. Taking advantage of a vulnerability that Crocodile is aware of, on the other hand, is a much more difficult proposition.
4Sand Hero Snatch
Quirks, or special powers, are commonplace in the fictional world of theMy Hero Academiaseries. Because of the wide distribution of human abilities, both heroes and villains are widespread. Sajin Higawara (hero name Snatch) was one of the many heroes who possessed the quirk Sandstorm.
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The sandstorm quirk was Snatch’s way of transforming his upper body into sand. Using his thoughts, he could direct the flow of sand and shape it into various forms. Due to the fact thatTomura Shigaraki’s decay quirkrequired him to touch an object with all five fingers, Snatch was one of the few Pro heroes capable of defeating him before his transformation.
3Ganju Shiba
As portrayed inBleach, a renowned top-tier anime, Ganju Shiba is a member of the former noble Shiba clan. Ganju is equipped with a wide range of skills, including those related to hand-to-hand combat.His ability to transform different materialsinto sand is awe-inspiring. To use this power, he makes the trembling current sign, which is the symbol of the Shiba clan.
When Ganju first appeared in theBleachanime series, he utilized his sand powers defensively, turning walls into sand to run away. However, as the series proceeded, he showed that his sand powers can also be used offensively, by sinking Ichigo’s Zangetsu (the moon-cutting sword) into the earth.
2Ajeel Raml
In the anime seriesFairy Tail, Ajeel Rahml is known as the “Desert King” for his exceptional skill with sand magic. Like Sir Crocodile fromOne Pieceand Gaara fromNaruto, Ajeel is a powerful sand manipulator with skills that can be used in different ways.
Ajeel has the ability to transform his body into sand, build sand golems, detect the presence of creatures in or near the sand, and unleash devastating sandstorms on entire cities. As an added bonus, Ajeel can drain moisture from any living object by touching it. He is a formidable foe because of his superior sand manipulation skills and his cruel love of battle, but he is also arrogant because of his superiority complex.
1Iggy
InJojo’s Bizarre Adventure, only the main characters have Stand powers. Since Stands are the materializations of a character’s life energy, they take the form of otherworldly beings with unique combat abilities. As shown by Iggy, a stray Boston terrier,animals in the anime seriestake stands similar to those of their human counterparts.
Iggy’s stand, appropriately named “The Fool,” is a sand stand. The Fool’s body is shaped by manipulating the sand and dust found in its natural habitat. Iggy also uses The Fool to make constructs such as sand shields, swords, golems, or wings. It can also shape-shift into anything and change the color of the sand to match said thing.
