It doesn’t matter whether or not you are one of the millions of people that love and watch anime. These anime inspired nails are bound to give you some inspiration for your next set.
Each of these 19 manicures is unique and created based on specific anime shows you may know and love. They’re either intricate or simple, and depending on the tools you have at home, or the time you have to hit up the salon, some may be more suited to you than others.
How to do Anime Nails
Follow this simple step-by-step video tutorial for an easy anime nail style you can do yourself. You may even want to consider paring this look with an anime makeup style.
Anime Nail Design Considerations
When aiming for a detailed design, some factors are always good to keep in the back of your mind. For one, if you have shorter natural nails, we suggest extending the length with either press-on nails or acrylics.
These two artificial nail types allow for:
- Extended lengths
- More surface area
- Different nail shapes
Zohna Tip
If you plan for more simple anime nails, adding false nails is usually optional.
Another critical part of intricate anime nails is having suitable material. If you were sitting at home and the idea to give yourself a spa day, manicure included sprung upon you, you might not be totally out of luck.
There are specific tools you can use that you might already have at home to help achieve the most fantastic anime nails, such as:
- Cheesecloth
- Tape
- Toothpicks
- Stamps
If you can get creative, we’re sure there are some super cool designs you can add to your nails to replicate your favorite anime shows. If you want to go all out and get into nail art, there are a couple of items you should add to your toolbox to support your nail art abilities.
| Nail Art Tools | Description |
| Dotting Tool | Help to create various dot sizes and shapes. |
| Nail Art Brush Set | It helps to get the polished designs right and as precise as possible. |
| Painting Liner Pen | This tiny brush pen will get the job done for the most detailed designs and lines. |
| Nail Stamper | It helps to stamp on different designs, so you don’t have to draw them. It also helps remove air bubbles from under nail stickers. |
Since you know what needs to be done to create the best and most intricate anime nails, the time has come to pick which show or movie you want to draw inspiration from.
Demon Slayer Nails
If you’re a big fan of the anime show Demon Slayer, then these Demon Slayer nails are perfect for those of you that want to show off their love for the show. Many different styles of nails encompass the movie or the characters. These nails pay homage to the half-demon half-woman nature of Nezuko.
Nezuko Nails
If you’re a big fan of Nezuko, what better way to carry her around than copying her nails? Nezuko’s character has distinct stiletto-shaped nails that are a pink ombre color and are easy to replicate at home for your own Nezuko nails.
Sailor Moon Nails
If you are into the anime action film Sailor Moon, these nails will be right up your alley. It can be hard to choose a favorite character, so translate the movie’s overall themes into your nails, like moons, stars, and the night sky.
Luna Anime Nails
If Luna, the talking cat, is your favorite character in the show, it might be a good idea to embody her into your nail art. These nails here pay homage to Luna’s character and the show’s themes by adding stars and Luna’s distinguishing moon symbol.
Naruto Nails
Suppose you have followed young Naruto Uzumaki on his journey to seek recognition from his peers and his dream of becoming the Hokage of his village. In that case, you’re going to love these Naruto nails. Using the colors black and red bring to life the mysteriousness of Naruto’s journey and add to the drama.
Sasuke Uchiha Nails
If you prefer the character Sasuke Uchiha, a member of the notorious ninja family, Uchiha, take inspiration from these nails. Perhaps you only want to do the red clouds inspired by his cloak, or maybe you like the inky purple swirl designs inspired by the overall look of this iconic character. Either way, you can get a bit of both with this look!
Jojo Nails
Harbor the drama of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure as he becomes involved in the battle against Dio Brando, his stepbrother. Adding detail and precision to your nail design can take a lot of work, especially if the drawings are portraits of the characters. That’s why there are tools on the market that can help create these nails without you having to sit in a salon chair for hours and pay a ton of money.
Those tools include:
- Press on nails
- Nail stickers
- Nail stencils
Kuromi Nails
If a cute white punk rock cat that looks like Hello Kitty and is the leader of a biker gang called “Kuromi’s 5” sounds appealing, these nails are in your department. Channel the darkness and cuteness of Kuromi in your nails by getting her and some attributing characteristics like crosses and pink skulls designed onto your nails.
My Melody Nails
Perhaps you like Kuromi’s punk rock energy and My Melody’s sweet innocent energy. There’s no need to stress about choosing which character to inspire your manicure when you can do both on each hand. It will be like the devil and angel on your shoulders, except in your manicure.
Easy Anime Nails
The easiest and quickest way to get anime nails is to use press-on nails or nail stickers. They will likely both come with the anime theme on them that you are searching for. All you have to think about is the application process. Don’t worry – we can help with that.
DIY Anime Nails
Here are some easy steps to apply anime nail stickers at home.
What you’ll need:
- Nail stickers
- Tweezers
- Silicone Tool(optional)
- Cuticle trimmers
- Top coat
Once you have gathered the materials you need, it’s time to move on to the application.
| How to Apply Nail Stickers | Description |
| Step 1 | Ensure your nails are clean and dry. |
| Step 2 | Use tweezers to lift stickers off the sheet and place them onto the nails. |
| Step 3 | Once happy with the sticker position, use a silicone tool to push it down. |
| Step 4 | Either use the pad of your finger or the silicon tool to try and release any air bubbles. |
| Step 5 | Use cuticle trimmers to cut around the nail’s edge to ensure it fits perfectly if necessary. |
| Step 6 | Apply two layers of clear top coat to ensure it’s all sealed in. |
Simple Anime Nails
Are you wanting to do an anime-style nail but are still trying to figure out what to do? The best way to figure out what to do is to pick your favorite anime show and one specific attribute that stands out to you most and combine it with a classic nail style.
These black french tip Naruto style nails are a great example. These claws keep it classy and straightforward while paying homage to the show by placing the symbol for Naruto’s home village, Konohagakure, on the ring finger. These nails look clean and straightforward but still symbolize anime and Naruto.
Attack On Titan Nails
The beloved show Attack On Titan is arguably one of the highest-rated animes of all time, so we have no doubt you might want to express your love for it. Going for a green nail color, you can feel like you are a part of the Survey Corps fighting the front line in their green capes against the Titans. Adding roses like in the image represents the Garrison corps and adds pretty details.
One Piece Nails
If you know what each of these nails represents, you are a true One Piece fan. Painting the pirate ship flags of each of Monkey D. Luffy’s enemies, all fighting to find the “one-piece”, is a great way to show off your knowledge of the show. This is a great way to do it if you want to incorporate color into your manicure.
Most anime shows are filled with tons of distinguishing and vibrant colors. Choose a shade that encapsulates your favorite anime show’s theme if you want a colorful manicure. Especially when anime nail designs can be tricky to accomplish.
Nami Nails
Big fan of One-Piece? In that case, you probably know who Nami is, the heartthrob crewmate aboard Luffy’s ship that almost everyone is into. For your Nami anime nails, we suggest channeling Nami’s distinct copper hair shade into your choice of nail color. If you want to add more spice and distinction to your manicure, try replicating her arm tattoo onto your ring fingernail.
Spirited Away Nails
If you love this movie as much as we do, getting nail designs representing the film is perfect for showing your support. One of the best characters in the movie is Haku and his dragon form. Embodying him in your nails could be a great way to show your love for Haku and feel reminiscent of the beautiful night sky Haku flies through.
Soot Spirit Nails
If you have ever seen the movie Spirited Away, you know what those little fluffy balls are and who they belong to. The little black soot spirits make it easy to incorporate the movie into your anime nails without too much effort and time.
DIY Soot Spirit Nails
Here’s an easy step-by-step on incorporating those cute creatures into your next manicure.
What you’ll need:
- Black nail polish
- Base coat polish
- Top coat polish
- White polish
- Thin nail polish brush (or toothpick)
Now that you have the materials you need, it’s time to get crafting your DIY soot Spirited Away nails.
| Steps On How To Draw Anime Soot Spirits | Description |
| Step 1 | Apply a layer of your base coat color. |
| Step 2 | Apply a small dot of black nail polish wherever you want the Soot Spirit to be. |
| Step 3 | Take your nail polish brush, stick it into the middle of the black polish, and drag it outwards from the circle, creating tiny little spikes. |
| Step 4 | Repeat that a few times around the dot till it resembles a Soot Spirit. |
| Step 5 | Use the nail polish brush and dip it into the white polish. With light pressure, add the eyes to the Soot Spirit. |
| Step 6 | Repeat for as many Soot Spirits as you want, and apply a top coat to seal it all in. |
Todoroki Nails
If you feel the pain Todoroki is going through being torn between his two superpowers, fire power, and half-ice power, then these nails are perfect. Despite what people think, both sets of fingernails, on either hand, don’t have to be the exact same. It could be fun to take inspiration from these nails and Todoroki’s story and have one hand be painted one color for fire and the other for ice.
Death Note Nails
One of the best ways to incorporate your favorite anime show into your new manicure is to pick specific details from it. These Death Note nails are a great place to take inspiration for your anime nails. For example, the show’s name is written in its particular font, and the nail technician even puts apples on the pinky finger. Apples are what Light feeds the demon attached to the notebook. You’ll have to watch the show to understand the reference fully.
Ryuk Nails
If one of your favorite characters in Death Note is the evil demon that controls the notebook, then these creepy nails will be ideal for you. You should get some professional tools, already-made stickers, or press-on nails.
Inuyasha Nails
If you love the anime show Inuyasha but need more money or time to go all out with your nails, these simple Inuyasha nails are perfect. They are classy and discreet while still representing one of the main characters, Sesshomaru, with a moon shape and red slashes. Sometimes less is more, and only the true fans will recognize your nails, a perfect way to strike up a meaningful conversation.
Kagome Higurashi Nails
If you are really into the character Kagome Higurashi from Inuyasha, channel her outfit into your nails. She’s known for wearing her green, red and white outfit. You could use a polish like this to honor her or paint each fingernail green, red and white.
Zohna Tip
These nails would be great around the holidays, thanks to the red, white, and green color scheme.
Totoro Nails
Whether or not you watch anime, we do not doubt that you have come across a picture of Totoro at some point during your online career. This little woodland creature eats acorns and resembles a bear or a raccoon, depending on how you perceive him. This creature loves and cares for girls missing their invalid mothers.
If you want to pay homage to this creature and his loveable ways, try these nails out for a spin.
Doing things differently is great, so instead of painting your nails all one color or one nail per color, try doing two colors on one nail, like in this photo.
Kakegurui Nails
Just because we say it’s easier to do anime nails on longer nails doesn’t mean you can’t do them on short ones. These Kakegurui nails are a great example of ways you can incorporate your favorite anime shows onto short nails. These nails represent the gambling theme in the movie, but they can also be worn by someone who loves cards or red, white and black.
Yumeko Jabami Nails
If you like the character Yumeko Jabami in Kakegurui and want the most straightforward nails, then you have found your match. Jabami usually has distinct red nail polish on. To channel her character into your new nails, you have to pick a similar red color, and you’re good to go.
Soul Eater Nails
If you have watched the anime show Soul Eater, you probably love it, and you probably also love these nails. These stiletto-shaped acrylics represent Death himself, shown through the skeleton. His son, who runs the academy in the show, is expressed through the three lines. These nails don’t appear out of the ordinary to someone that’s never seen the show.
Just because anime is often about mythical creatures and people with powers doesn’t mean the nails have to be unwearable every day. There are many ways to incorporate the anime you love into your anime nails without going over the top.
Seven Deadly Sins Nails
When there’s an anime show that has a ton of essential characters, as Seven Deadly Sins does, it can be a great idea to put your favorite ones on your anime nails. Your best bet is to either use press-on nails with their portraits already designed on them or get nail stickers to add to your nails.
Zohna Tip
Getting acrylic nails put on before adding the stickers is best. Especially for portraits because they tend to be long, trimming them to match your short natural nails could distort the image.
FAQ
How To Draw Anime Nails?
There are many different tools to help with nail art. Still, depending on how tricky you want to get with your anime nails, we suggest searching for an appropriate nail stencil. There are lots on the market, and it can help create detailed designs.
If you are creative and a good drawer, there are tools that will help you to draw whatever anime you want onto your nails, such as:
- Dotting Tool
- Nail Art Brush Set
- Painting Liner Pen
- Nail Stamper
Sayonara!
It’s come time for us to say Sayonara ( さよなら), goodbye in Japanese. We wish you luck on your journey toward whatever anime nails you choose. There are so many great anime shows and movies to take inspiration from for your new set of claws.
We have no doubt something spoke to you. After reading this, whether you grab your popcorn and turn on some anime or start painting your nails, we hope we have inspired you in some way as anime does for millions.
