August 13th. Not only is it the infamous AkuRoku Day for Kingdom Hearts fans, it means something else for the world! It’s International Left-Handed Day! Last year, we did a shortlist of only six characters, but this year we’re back with a slightly longer one, and possibly with a few faces you didn’t expect to see. Here’s our 2021 highlight article of some of our favorite characters that originated in Japanese media!

Zoro Roronoa (One Piece)

Zoro being left-handed might be a detail easily missed, seeing as he fights with three swords at once, and at times he is shown fighting with either hand when using only one sword. However, the big indication of Zoro favoring his left hand is the placement of his swords on his belt. Keeping them on his right hip allows for swifter attacks when drawing his blades with his left hand. Zoro becomes the first person Luffy recruits to his pirate crew, saving him from being executed by a corrupt navy commander.

Wakatoshi Ushijima (Haikyuu!)

Fun fact! Left-handed people tend to accel at sports more than right-handed people, not just because of their skills, but because of their playstyle. In tennis, for example, a right-handed player would not have practiced their backhand volley as much, and so going up against a left-handed player puts them at a disadvantage because of the trajectory a left-handed player would normally serve the ball. Whereas a left-handed player would have more practice with their backhand, playing commonly against right-handed opponents.

Wakatoshi has a similar advantage in volleyball. In Haikyuu!, he serves as one of the series antagonists, placing as the top ace player in Miyagi prefecture. In his childhood, his mother tried to actually change his left-handed behavior — a common practice that still occurs in Japan even today.

Dabi (My Hero Academia)

Although Dabi has never said it directly in the manga or anime, nor has Kohei Horikoshi confirmed it himself, Dabi is almost always drawn and animated favoring his left hand for use of his quirk. From the manga to the anime, to even chapter illustration and promotional artwork on merchandise or collaboration campaigns across Japan, it’s probably safe to say that Dabi has quietly been designed to be left-handed.

Norman (The Promised Neverland)

Dark, horrifying, and oh so good, The Promised Neverland has given us one of the most entertaining and well-written stories in a long time. Norman, one of the smartest kids of the main cast, is also left-handed. Living at Grace Fields Orphanage feels like an almost perfect life. There, they are provided for by kind caretakers and are in the company of dozens of other orphans ranging from toddlers to 12-year-olds. However, as Norman and his friends get older, small details of their daily life start to connect to a grim fate that awaits every one of them. Norman and his friend, Emma, are the first to discover what is going on and decide that it’s time they abandon what they understand about a promised life to escape.

Kain Highwind (Final Fantasy IV)

Kain Highwind is a soldier for the kingdom of Baron and was childhood friends with the game’s protagonist, Cecil. Consumed by his feelings of both love for Rosa, and envy towards Cecil, Kain became an easy target for Golbez’s mind control, feeding into his jealousy and hatred. Kain was confirmed to be left-handed in the book series, Ultima Archives, which was released by Square-Enix in 2012. While some of his artwork from the 90s, and even the game’s original title logo showed him holding his lance in his right hand, Kain has since been more consistently animated to reflect his left-handedness. This included all battle animations for his appearance in both fighting games, Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy and Dissidia Final Fantasy NT.

Sephiroth (Final Fantasy VII)

Another one from the Final Fantasy series, and possibly the most famous left-handed fictional character ever is none other than the one-winged angel himself, Sephiroth. Even dating back to the PS1 up through his most recent incarnation in Super Smash Brothers Ultimate, Sephiroth has been modeled and animated with his sword in his left hand, taking reverse fighting stances, and sword hilted on his right hip. In his final form on the PS1, while his right arm is transformed into a giant wing, his left arm remains human.

Amy (Soul Calibur)

The gothic lolita fencer, herself! Amy was an orphan in Rouen who grew up in a broken world. As a child, she quickly concluded that hope only served as fuel for greater despair to come. However, her miserable life changed when fate threw her into a chaotic situation with Raphael. Assisting him in hiding from city guards lead to him taking her back to his home, and deciding to raise her as his own daughter, training her in his own sword style. Convenient for her, Raphael also happened to be left-handed.

Honorable Ambidextrous

Since there isn’t an international day to celebrate the ambidextrous, we’re including a few here in our list.

Allen Walker (D.Gray-man)

Allen’s use of his hands and his own perspective on them are critical aspects to his character throughout the entire series. From the first chapter, Hoshino-sensei made it clear that Allen’s left hand is both a blessing and a curse, having a cross embedded into his palm, and the skin naturally colored crimson. In volume 6 of the manga, Allen’s left arm is destroyed, leaving him unable to fight off akuma. He falls into a state of depression, unsure if he can even go on living while trying to recover his arm, questioning his purpose if he can no longer be an exorcist. When he can regenerate his arm, Allen vows that his right arm is for the sake of mankind, and his left is for the sake of the akuma, declaring himself both a destroyer and a savior.

Marisa (Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones)

It’s little tucked away trivia, mentioned only in one support conversation she has with Tethys, but Marisa admits that she is capable of using her sword with either hand. However, she does go on to mention that she favors using her left hand. This is reflected in her Fire Emblem: Heroes artwork, using her right hand for normal attacks, and her left hand for critical hits, and skills.