20 Male Pose References For Anime Character Drawings

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Standing poses, sitting poses, dynamic poses, and more!

Co-authored by Inferno Jae and Marcus Pruitt, BS

Last Updated: March 5, 2026 Fact Checked

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Dynamic Poses

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Action Poses

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Standing Poses

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Famous Poses

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Drawing male anime characters is exciting, but once you get down to the poses and knitty-gritty details, it can feel like you’re running into a wall. That’s where we come in. In this article, we give you a list of 20 dynamic, famous, and action-packed poses to draw your male anime characters in. We even dive into some standing poses so you can show off their full body!

Common Anime Male Poses

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Sketches of multiple anime poses for male characters.

Some of the best (and most popular) anime poses include the classic stand, the Naruto run, a standing pose with a sword drawn, and the Akira Slide. When drawing anime poses, use reference photos (like the ones above and below) to properly sketch your character in a proportionate and natural way.

Section 1 of 4:

Dynamic Male Anime Poses

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Jumping and Reaching Out This pose is used all throughout anime as a way to show characters jumping into the action. It shows the character from the front with their arm reaching out and their knees bent. Their opposite arm is typically stretched out to the side or behind them, sometimes with a fist clenched to show an attack being prepared.
- If your character is jumping off of a building or has super hops, this is a great pose to use, as it shows off their flexibility (and looks super cool).
Showing your character fly is a great way to express their powers without going over the top. Plus, it’s an iconic pose that’s been used all throughout fiction. You can opt for the Dragon Ball Z style of flying where their body is horizontal and their head is looking straight. Or you can go for the Superman pose and have their arms lead the way. Whatever you prefer!

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This is a classic anime pose that shows your character getting ready for action. With their legs together and their feet facing the ground, the character flexes their arms and faces them away from their body, holding a fist as they do. This pose, which has been used in anime like Dragon Ball Z, is often followed by characters charging up their energy and getting ready to fight.
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Naruto Run Whether you’ve got a story full of ninjas or you just want to call back to your favorite anime, drawing your character doing a Naruto run is a great dynamic pose. It shows fierce speed and determination, as they’re going so fast that their arms ride the wind behind them.
- To show your character doing the Naruto run, draw a standard run, but instead of having their arms at their sides, draw them stretched out behind them.
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Jumping Down Into Action When it’s time to get the action started, draw your character jumping down from a high building or ledge from the enemy’s perspective. This will show your character coming down on the enemy, symbolizing their confidence and impending victory.
- If you want to give your character a moment where their confidence leads to their defeat, draw them jumping into the action of a fight they’re going to lose.
- Draw them with their feet facing the page and their arms outstretched to give the illusion that they’re dropping down.

Section 2 of 4:

Action-Packed Male Anime Poses

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An upward kick shows off your character’s flexibility and power. Think about how hard it is to kick someone so hard that you knock them back and your leg goes over your head. It’s a crazy feat! And it’s a way to show that your character’s gaining the upper hand (or foot) in a fight.
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Flying Kick A flying kick is another way to show that your character’s dominating the fight. All you have to do is draw them from the side with their leg going towards the enemy and a knee bent. Draw them with a fierce look on their face to show their determination and some speed lines to really showcase their speed.
- If you prefer to showcase their power over their speed, draw your character landing a flying kick on the enemy with bold impact lines.
Make your character a menacing powerhouse by drawing them from the enemy’s view. Have them throw a punch with a determined look on their face to show how your enemy perceives them. To really display the power of the punch, draw some speed lines around the knuckles and fingers, and draw the fist with thicker lines than usual.
Catch the enemy by surprise by drawing your character swinging from the ground. Draw them with their knees bent, one arm bent downward for momentum, and the fist coming up towards the page. Not only will this catch the enemy by surprise, but it will showcase your character’s cunning and battle IQ, as well!
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Chokehold The chokehold is a powerful technique that can spell the end of a fight if the enemy can’t get out of it. So when your story calls for a high-stakes moment where the tides of the fight shift, draw your character choking out another character. Draw them with a flexed arm and determined look to show how badly they want to win.
- Your character doesn’t have to choke with their arms. If they have a tail or strong ranged weapon, have them use that instead.

Section 3 of 4:

Standing Male Anime Poses

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Sometimes, it’s best to show your character standing straight and showing off the fit. All you have to do is draw them from the front with their feet together (or stretched to shoulder-width) and their arms at their sides. To really make them look cool, draw them with one (or both) of their hands in their pockets.
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Fixing The Hair To make your male character look cool (and cute), show them standing as they move their hair out of their face and fix it up. Drawing them with one of their arms up gives you the chance to show them flexing, and you don’t have to worry about drawing them with their knees bent or sitting down.
- To really up the cool factor, draw your character with their free hand in their pockets and a stoic look on their face.
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Sword Drawn Want to draw your character getting ready for the action and showing off their aura? Pose them with their sword drawn and a stoic or menacing look on their face (whatever your story calls for). The sword type can be whatever you want, and if your character doesn’t use a sword, consider drawing a staff or dagger instead.
- To show how determined your character is to take down the enemy, draw them with one sword drawn and another at their side, being held by the hilt.
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Leaned Against a Wall with Crossed Arms Give your character a cool pose and let them aura farm a bit by drawing them leaning against a wall with their arms crossed. It’s a simple pose that lets readers know that your character isn’t playing around, and it shows off their fit and weapons in the process.
- Consider covering your character’s eyes to make them a bit more menacing and mysterious.
This one’s a callback to Jujutsu Kaisen, as Kento Nanami is always loosening his tie before taking down enemies with his overwhelming cursed energy. Your male character may not have cursed energy like Nanami, but loosening the tie is still a great way to show that they’re loosening up and getting ready to fight their enemies.

Section 4 of 4:

Iconic Male Anime Poses

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According to anime content creator Inferno Jae, the Akira Slide is one of the most iconic anime poses in pop culture. It’s been referenced in plenty of different movies and TV shows, and shows a character dramatically sliding their motorcycle to a stop, often with sparks and smoke in the trail.^{[1]
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Kamehameha If you weren’t cupping your hands together and shouting the iconic “Ka-me-ha-me-HAAA” alongside Goku as a kid, were you really a Dragon Ball Z fan? This pose is arguably one of the most recognizable poses in all of anime, having been referenced in Jujutsu Kaisen, One Punch Man, and Bloodlad, among other anime.
- To pull this one off, draw your character with their hands cupped together at the base of their palms. Have them pull their arms back towards their back to charge the attack, then push them out in front of them to blast it.
In My Hero Academia, when you hear the iconic words “I am here,” you know you’re safe. Next thing you know, All Might is swiftly defeating the enemy and raising his left fist in victory, showing onlookers that they’re protected in his presence. This iconic pose is beloved among My Hero Academia fans for that exact reason, as it shows his unyielding strength.^{[2]
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Yusuke Urameshi from Yu Yu Hakusho is already iconic in his own right, so when he showcased the Spirit Gun in the 90s, it quickly shot up to iconic status, and for good reason. It’s a simple finger gun pose that Inferno Jae says is one of the most iconic poses in anime, being referenced in shows like Jujutsu Kaisen and Gintama.^{[3]
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Gojo’s Domain Expansion Domain expansions are a game-changer in the Jujutsu Kaisen universe, often serving as a representation of the character’s absolute power. So it makes sense that the strongest sorcerer of the modern era, Satoru Gojo, has a domain expansion hand pose that fans use all the time.^{[4]
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- This iconic sign shows him twisting his index finger behind his middle finger, a simple gesture that activates his Infinite Void.
- The Infinite Void Domain Expansion exposes victims to an infinite void that’s nearly incomprehensible to anyone whose name isn’t Satoru Gojo.