Ever wish you could just leave the ground behind? Anime grants that wish constantly, and it does it in wildly different ways.
Some sprout wings. Some ride brooms or clay birds. Some bend the wind, and a few bend gravity or time itself.
That variety is what makes anime characters that can fly so fun to line up side by side.
Like your fliers villainous, with an unconventional method? Donquixote Doflamingo and his string-powered sky-walk are worth a look too. Here are the ones who own the skies.
Incredible Anime Characters That Can Fly
From Ghibli heroines to psychic espers, these are the fliers worth knowing. Each entry looks at how they get airborne and what that freedom does for them.
Nausicaä from Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
Nausicaä is one of anime’s most celebrated fliers, even if her wings are technically glider wings. She whisks through post-apocalyptic skies on her jet-powered Mehve. From up there she reads the wind and the toxic jungle like no soldier could.
Flight Style: Vehicle-assisted gliding.
Why It Matters: Seeing the world from above makes her a peacemaker, not a conqueror.
Sinbad from Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic
Sinbad does not just fly; he commands the wind and the sea. Through his mastery of the Djinn, the High King of Sindria treats the sky as one more domain to conquer. His charisma makes it look effortless.
Flight Style: Powered magical flight.
Why It Matters: Owning the sky is one more sign of his overwhelming, all-around power.
Yuno from Black Clover
As the wielder of the four-leaf clover grimoire, Yuno whips up a gusty ride whenever he needs one. Later bonded with the wind spirit Sylph, his aerial control turns his fights into high-speed duels most opponents cannot follow.
Flight Style: Elemental magic flight.
Why It Matters: Air control mirrors his cool prodigy status and keeps him above his rivals.
Howl from Howl’s Moving Castle
Our enchanting wizard needs no broomstick; he shape-shifts into a great bird-like creature to journey across the sky. That freedom is also his curse: the more he flies as the beast, the harder it is to change back.
Flight Style: Shape-shift flight.
Why It Matters: It captures his tug-of-war between freedom and losing his humanity.
Homura Akemi from Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Homura is best known for stopping and rewinding time. Her magical-girl powers also include flight and teleportation, shown by the dark wings she gains late on. That extra mobility keeps her one step ahead in her endless battle to protect Madoka.
Flight Style: Magical flight.
Why It Matters: Extra mobility helps in a fight she has waged across countless timelines.
Winged Kuriboh from Yu-Gi-Oh!
He may not be a typical pick, but do not underestimate the Winged Kuriboh. This little fluffball flutters to its owner’s side to shield them from big attacks. It wins hearts as a guardian, not a fighter.
Flight Style: Natural winged hover.
Why It Matters: It flutters in to shield its duelist, a mascot turned loyal guardian.
Ange from Cross Ange: Rondo of Angel and Dragon
Ange takes to the sky in a giant flight unit called a Para-mail, dueling otherworldly dragons in white-knuckle aerial combat. As a princess turned outcast warrior, the cockpit is where she reclaims her agency.
Flight Style: Mecha-assisted flight.
Why It Matters: The sky is her arena, where a disgraced royal reclaims her purpose.
Kiki from Kiki’s Delivery Service
What do you get with a witch-in-training, a broomstick, and a coastal town? An airborne delivery service, and one of anime’s most beloved fliers. When Kiki briefly loses her power to fly, the whole film becomes about finding it again.
Flight Style: Witch flight.
Why It Matters: Losing her flight, and earning it back, is her whole coming-of-age.
Washu Hakubi from Tenchi Muyo!
When she is not inventing reality-bending gadgets, this self-proclaimed greatest genius in the universe sprouts wings to float around. For a being of her power, flight is barely a footnote.
Flight Style: Whimsical magical flight.
Why It Matters: Casual floating is a quiet flex from a near-omnipotent genius.
Yusuke Urameshi from Yu Yu Hakusho
The Spirit Detective starts as a ground-level brawler. By the later arcs he channels his energy into true flight, trading blows in mid-air. His brash charm makes him a character we cannot help but root for.
Flight Style: Energy-based flight.
Why It Matters: It marks his leap from street punk to a fighter who spars with demon kings.
The Angels from Neon Genesis Evangelion
The Angels redefine what airborne even means. These otherworldly entities come in wildly different forms: some winged, some floating, some descending from orbit. Their unknowable movement is a huge part of what makes them terrifying.
Flight Style: Otherworldly and unpredictable.
Why It Matters: You cannot fight what you cannot reach, which makes them a planning nightmare.
Ryuk from Death Note
He may not be the first name you think of, but the Shinigami Ryuk drifts through the human world with ease. He is the ever-present observer, hovering just over Light’s shoulder as the whole game plays out. See more in Death Note.
Flight Style: Natural floating flight.
Why It Matters: Effortless hovering keeps him the unseen observer, always just watching.
Happy from Fairy Tail
The lovable blue Exceed cat takes flight in a league of his own. Using his Aera magic to sprout wings, Happy is literally the wings of the team. He ferries his partner into battle and makes the guild’s aerial plays possible.
Flight Style: Winged magic flight.
Why It Matters: He carries grounded teammates, the mobility engine of every mission.
Kazuma Yagami from Kaze no Stigma
As the Contractor of the wind spirit, Kazuma commands the air completely, and flight is his most casual trick. He tends to fight from above, where almost no one can reach him.
Flight Style: Elemental magic flight.
Why It Matters: Fighting from above suits his aloof confidence and keeps him untouchable.
Mob Kageyama from Mob Psycho 100
Beneath his reserved exterior, this quiet middle-schooler holds staggering psychic power, levitation and flight included. When Mob hits 100 percent, flight is one of the milder signs his power has slipped its leash.
Flight Style: Esper levitation.
Why It Matters: Flight is a warning sign that Mob is close to losing control.
Ainz Ooal Gown from Overlord
The undead sorcerer-king of Nazarick wields a staggering spell list. Simple flight magic is one of its least dramatic entries. He drifts above a world that mostly cannot follow him into the sky.
Flight Style: Cast-magic flight.
Why It Matters: Effortless flight underlines his god-king status over everyone below.
Hawks from My Hero Academia
Among the pro heroes of My Hero Academia, Hawks is the definition of a flier. His Fierce Wings quirk gives him huge red wings. He can expand them, contract them, and even fire off feather blades.
Flight Style: Natural winged flight.
Why It Matters: Speed and altitude make him the fastest hero alive.
Deidara from Naruto
The explosive-obsessed Akatsuki artist takes to the sky on giant birds sculpted from his own detonating clay. Bombing his targets from above lets him stay untouchable while he stages what he calls his art.
Flight Style: Vehicle-assisted, using his own constructs.
Why It Matters: The sky is his gallery, letting him bomb targets from out of reach.
Tatsumaki from One-Punch Man
The Tornado of Terror almost never touches the ground. Her immense psychic power keeps her airborne at all times in One-Punch Man. She uses it to hurl buildings and conjure tornadoes.
Flight Style: Esper levitation.
Why It Matters: Constant flight lets a tiny woman loom over giant monsters.
Ichigo Kurosaki from Bleach
Once he gains Soul Reaper powers, Ichigo learns to stand and move on the air itself. That keeps him level with Hollows and captains alike. As his power climbs, more of his fiercest fights play out entirely in the sky.
Flight Style: Spiritual flight.
Why It Matters: Air mobility lets him match opponents who fly, escalating his duels into full-sky showdowns.
Raynare from High School DxD
Manipulative and ruthless, Raynare manifests black angelic wings for flight and hurls spears of light from above. She uses her aerial edge to strike her targets before they even realize she is a threat.
Flight Style: Natural winged flight.
Why It Matters: Her wings make her a predator from above, striking before victims react.
Sakura Kinomoto from Cardcaptor Sakura
As she captures each Clow Card, Sakura gains its power. The Fly card grants wings to her staff. That single card opens up the whole sky and marks a real turning point in her growth as a Cardcaptor.
Flight Style: Card-magic flight.
Why It Matters: Capturing the Fly card is a rite of passage that widens her world and grows her confidence.
Tanya Degurechaff from Saga of Tanya the Evil
Tanya cannot fly on her own. As a military aerial mage, she uses a computation orb to levitate and streak through the sky. She pairs that flight with ruthless tactics to outmaneuver entire armies.
Flight Style: Powered aerial-mage flight.
Why It Matters: She wields altitude and speed like weapons against armies that outnumber her.
More Anime Characters That Can Fly
The skies are crowded, so here are a few more worth a mention, from Saiyans to fairies to fallen angels.
Came looking for female anime characters that can fly?
Tatsumaki, Nausicaä, Kiki, and Erza prove the air is no boys’ club.
- Goku from Dragon Ball Z
- Erza Scarlet from Fairy Tail
- Mavis Vermillion from Fairy Tail
- Meliodas from The Seven Deadly Sins
- Shiki Granbell from Edens Zero
- Leviathan from Seven Mortal Sins
- Lucifer from The Devil is a Part-Timer!
From broomsticks and clay birds to pure psychic will, these fliers make the sky look easy. Which flight method would you pick for a day off the ground?