Talented Artist Draws Iconic Anime Characters in Traditional Japanese Art Style, Marrying Modern Myths with Historical Techniques

Ely Bulnes • Writer and Editor

Jan 20, 2025 1:00 PM EST

Ahoy, anime fans and stans. They say that superheroes are the modern day myths and legends. In some sense, it is true. Comic book and manga protagonists represent their culture's ideals through their journeys, struggle, and successes. However, the stories of humanity's ancestors were greatly intertwined with their religious beliefs — Superman and Naruto not so much. Plenty of modern "legendary figures," so to speak, are based off of and influenced by tales that have existed for centuries. Famously, Marvel's Loki and Thor are based off of the Norse gods of the same name, and even Dragon Ball takes heavy inspiration from 16th century novel Journey to the West.

At the height of the Aztec empire, artisans carved statues of their gods out of stone. In ancient Rome, painters decorated their walls with frescos depicting their own mythologies. During the 17th through 19th centuries, Japanese artists painted their myths and legends in the art style known as ukiyo-e, which translates to "pictures of the floating world." Below are some of the most legendary anime characters drawn in the style by an incredibly talented Taiwanese artist. Scroll down to get a taste of his talent!

01
Piccolo and Goku (Dragon Ball)

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02
Frieza and Goku (Dragon Ball)

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03
Goku and Vegeta (Dragon Ball)

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04
Goku and Super Buu (Dragon Ball)

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05
Yuuji and Nobara (Jujutsu Kaisen)

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06
Boros and Saitama (One Punch Man)

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07
Luffy (One Piece)

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08
Tengen (Demon Slayer)

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09
Eren and the Colossal Titan (Attack on Titan)

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Other than Erin's outfit, this totally looks like it belongs in a museum. It is reminiscent of Utagawa Kuniyoshi's famous woodblock triptych, Takiyasha the Witch and the Skeleton Spectre, which features a giant, imposing skeleton.
10
Goku and Broly (Dragon Ball)

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11
Megumi (Jujutsu Kaisen)

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12
Trafalgar D. Water Law and Other Pirates (One Piece)

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13
Naruto, Luffy (One Piece), and Goku (Dragon Ball)

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14
Buggy, Shanks, Blackbeard, and Luffy (One Piece)

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15
Master Roshi (Dragon Ball)

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16
Beerus (Dragon Ball)

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17
Ichigo (Bleach)

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18
Toji (Jujutsu Kaisen)

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19
Saitama (One Punch Man)

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20
Vegeta (Dragon Ball)

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21
Gojo (Jujutsu Kaisen)

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22
Monkey D. Garp (One Piece)

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23
Frieza (Dragon Ball)

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24
Cell (Dragon Ball Z)

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25
Inosuke, Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Tamayo (Demon Slayer)

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Demon Slayer canonically takes place in the 1900s, a bit after the popularity of ukiyo-e, though, the characters would probably be familiar with the iconic style.