Anime coloring pages full of expressive characters and bold poses

Fun facts to share while coloring

Anime is the Japanese word for animation, and outside Japan it usually refers to animated shows and movies made in a Japanese style. The large, expressive eyes many people associate with anime were strongly influenced by artist Osamu Tezuka, whose work helped shape modern manga and TV animation. Chibi characters, often drawn with tiny bodies and oversized heads, are used to make a character look extra cute or funny; “chibi” can mean small or little in Japanese. Anime voice actors are called seiyu in Japan, and many become famous for bringing heroes, rivals, and magical companions to life.

Coloring tips

Classic anime character palettes often start with crisp black outlines, peach or brown skin tones, glossy hair in black, chestnut, silver, pink, blue, or violet, oversized eyes with white sparkle spots, and outfits built from navy school jackets, red bows, white shirts, dark boots, metallic armor, or bright magical accents. For hair, color each lock from dark at the roots to lighter at the tips, leaving a sharp white streak for shine. Eyes look more anime-inspired when you layer a dark rim, a bright iris color, and two clean highlights. For a theme-specific twist, add a glowing aura, manga-style speed lines, floating petals, or a patterned screentone background behind the character.