Ok, so I made a rule to myself that in 2009, wriXeL will post articles every Sunday night. Hopefully I’ll be able to keep this up throughout the year. So last Wednesday I was burning a copy of Ghost in the Shell, Stand Alone Complex, for one of my close friends, La Femme Reaper (check out her blog http://www.lafemmereaper.com). While I was burning the anime I remember that the show has one of the coolest snipers. As I was burning the series I got distracted and started thinking about all the other cool snipers in Anime.

Wiki defines a sniper as:

“A sniper is an individual, usually a soldier or law enforcement agent, who specializes in shooting targets with high-precision rifles from very long distances, usually from a concealed location. Most are skilled in carrying out stealth and camouflage tactics on a battlefield zone. Military snipers are also adept at carrying out methods of infiltration, reconnaissance, and observation techniques.”

I’m going to loosely use this definition for my top ten list. After going through a whole bunch of animes I narrowed it down to my list to 5 snipers. This list was pretty fun to make and I hope you enjoy reading it.

#5 on our list is:

Vash the Stampede

Vash comes from an anime called “Trigun”, which aired in the late 90s. Now I know Vash isn’t your typical “sniper”, but I feel that because his accuracy with his revolver allows him to be placed on this list. The story behind Vash is actually long and confusing so I’ll just sum it up quickly: Vash is an alien life form on a quest to save humans from his evil brother. Now the anime doesn’t really explain why he is so skilled with firearms but then again does it really matter? Regardless, Vash is a force to be reckoned with.




Here is the intro to the Anime series…. Ahh this brings me back.

#4 on our list is:

Uryū Ishida

You might recognize this character from the ever so popular “Bleach” anime. I hate referencing Bleach and Naruto because of all the insane fan boys out there, but in this situation Mr. Ishida deservers all the fame.

In the “Bleach” storyline, UryÅ« Ishida is part of a line of a warrior monks called “Quincy”. The “Quincy” are a clan of humans who, over many centuries, became spiritually aware. In doing so they devised their own brand of spiritual powers; they can absorb spiritual energy and then manipulate for offensive purposes. They most commonly reshape spiritual particles into various types of bow and arrows, but can also concentrate spiritual energy into the form of swords or explosives. UryÅ« Ishida himself uses his spiritual powers to manifest bow & arrows, which he uses to sniper evil spirits.

 

#3 on our list is:

Yoko Littner

Yoko Littner is from the Anime called Gurren Lagann. Yoko is a girl from Jeeha’s neighboring village of Ritona. She wields an extensive range of firearms, most frequently of which is a long range sniper rifle modeled after the Barrett M82. She uses her marksmanship from afar to assist the other characters in the show. I’m too lazy to get into her full story but if you want to learn more, here you go:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Tengen_Toppa_Gurren_Lagann_primary_characters

Now why is she on the Top Snipers list? She kicks ass, uses a sniper rifle, and is extremely hot. If you can find a better anime sniper, let me know.

(WARNING THIS VIDEO HAS LOTS OF BOUNCING BOOBS AND FANSERVICE)


#2 on our list is:

Lockon Stratos

“Lockon Stratos will SNIPE THEM!” Sorry small anime reference there.

Lockon Stratos is the call sign of the sniper in the anime series Gundam 00. At a young age, Lockon witnessed the death of family at the hands of terrorist. Since the attack he has carried a deep resentment towards terrorists ever since. This resentment pushes him to join an anti-terrorist group called “Celestial Being”, allowing him to pursue justice against evil-doers.

Lockon is #2 on this list because he can snipe moving targets while piloting a huge Robotic war machine. Now I know this is all fictional but that definitely sounds a little difficult. As the sharpshooter for the Gundam Meisters, Lockon proved his value in combat against overwhelming odds several times.

Check out Lockon in action:

 

Finally the

#1 Sniper on our list…

SAITO

Saito comes from the Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. anime. Saito is an elite soldier in an government anti-terrorist group known as Section 9. He can handle any automatic firearm with deadly accuracy and precision, but his primary role is as the unit’s tactical sniper. His left eye was replaced with the “Hawkeye”, a prosthetic eye that interfaces with satellites to allow for shots of incredible accuracy. He is also valued for his ability to think like enemy snipers; on two separate occasions his ability at determining sniping locations impacted Section 9′s actions.

See why Saito is #1:

 

I hope you enjoy the list! If you have any comments or questions feel free to ask! Think you know a better sniper? Try us! Want to call us noobs? Bring it! Until next week!

Stay tuned for small updates throughout the week.