Bounty hunting is one of the oldest and most clear-cut professions. It involves the capture or death of targeted individuals for a lucrative reward, typically in the form of monetary compensation. There are many intriguing bounty hunters in anime that fulfill this definition almost to the letter.
Such characters are willing to do virtually anything so long as they're properly compensated for their work. As a result, they can be tremendous forces for good or evil depending on whose pockets are deeper and how desperate either side is to procure a decisive and thrilling victory.
10 Silva Zoldyck (Hunter X Hunter)
Silva was the patriarch of Hunter X Hunter's Zoldyck clan. Leading a family of assassins, he gained worldwide renown for his abilities and was hired by the Yorknew Crime Families in order to kill Chrollo.
It didn't take long for Silva to gain the upper hand on his opponent, especially since he brought reinforcements. However, he ended the fight the second the bounty got called off, which meant that the Phantom Troupe leader avoided what could have been a grisly conclusion to his wicked life.
9 Kenny Ackerman (Attack On Titan)
Kenny Ackerman was easily the most powerful human antagonist in Attack On Titan. Once a prolific serial killer, he helped lead the Military Police under the promise of financial compensation. Kenny had no issues with attacking his own nephew, Levi Ackerman, which illustrated how any target was fair game to him.
Intriguingly, his ultimate goal was not solely money; he wanted to steal Reiss' Founding Titan and use its power himself. When Kenny realized such ambitions weren't possible, he abandoned Reiss and succumbed to his wounds shortly after. In the end, Kenny's only allegiance was to himself.
8 Hol Horse (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)
Unlike most villains in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure's Stardust Crusaders arc, Hol Horse did not blindly worship DIO. Instead, he was a self-reliant mercenary only interested in the wealth the vampire might give him for defeating his foes.
After facing the Crusaders himself, Hol Horse realized they were far out of his league. Brazenly, he pulled a gun on DIO in hopes of simply killing him in his mansion and stealing his riches. Amused by his impudence, DIO forgave Hol Horse's transgression so long as he continued to hunt down Jotaro's crew.
7 Combustion Man (Avatar: The Last Airbender)
Avatar: The Last Airbender's Combustion Man took his job too seriously for his own good. Once commissioned to finish Aang off, he proved so unrelenting that not even Zuko – the person who issued the bounty in the first place – could call him off.
While Combustion Man's motives were not clearly explained, it suggested that he's either utterly loyal to his missions or to the Fire Nation as a whole. Considering that Combustion Man didn't work for Ozai, the former is the likeliest possible and conveys a deeply unique sense of personal duty.
6 Kakuzu (Naruto)
Kakuzu proved unlike any other member of Naruto's Akatsuki. Rather than being driven by an insatiable thirst to kill or some misplaced moral philosophy, he chased bounties and surmised that the Akatsuki could adequately compensate him.
Kakuzu did not discriminate when finding targets.
Before joining the Akatsuki, he even attempted to kill Hashirama in an ill-fated maneuver he somehow survived. The villain's highly materialistic personality put him at odds with Hidan, who perceived life itself through a spiritual lens and didn't find any merit in accumulating currency. Nonetheless, their immortal abilities complimented one another well.
5 Biscuit Oliva (Baki)
Biscuit Oliva was considered Baki's strongest man in America. Relying little on technique or caution, he preferred to smash through his adversaries and whatever underhanded tactics they devised. Despite being a resident of Arizona State Prison, Oliva lived like a king in exchange for certain favors.
Every so often, he would be dispatched in order to deal with serious threats, such as the escaped convicts that attacked Japan. Oliva had no issue with putting them down since he took personal offense to any inmate who might be living even better than he was.
4 Masterson (One Piece)
Masterson was among the few bounty hunters shown in One Piece. A brilliant marksman, he was feared across the East Blue for the many pirates he brought to justice. Typically, Masterson preyed on weaker villains who didn't pose a serious threat against him.
His restraint wasn't out of a sense of cowardice or lack of confidence; instead, the man simply didn't want to risk leaving his daughter without a guardian if something happened to him. He also had an established sense of honor, as seen when allowing Usopp to go free when he made a nearly impossible shot from across a town.
3 Askeladd (Vinland Saga)
Askeladd was the main antagonist of Vinland Saga's first season and a self-serving mercenary. His first on-screen mission was the assassination of Thors the Troll, which proved a challenging yet fulfilling endeavor. Ever since, Askeladd's band roamed the land in search of fame and fortune.
Whether helping random armies seize castles with the promise of loot or even using Prince Canute as leverage for King Sweyn, they had few allegiances other than to themselves. When Askeladd's people wanted to submit to Thorkell the Tall, he had no issue with cutting them down personally.
2 Zeno Zoldyck (Hunter X Hunter)
Zeno Zoldyck was a veteran assassin arguably even more respected than his son, Silva. He assisted with the attack against Chrollo during the Yorknew arc, which illustrated the level he fought at from an early point in the series.
Curiously, Zeno was also commissioned by the Hunter's Association to help against Meruem's forces. Though not fighting the King Of Ants directly, he proved instrumental in clearing the playing field so that both warriors could have the fairest duel possible. Zeno was so skilled that Netero himself relied on him as a trump card.
1 David (Cyberpunk: Edgerunners)
David was the main protagonist of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners and effectively a bounty hunter. His career was based around taking jobs from fixers, whether eliminating corporate rivals or procuring valuable items for the sake of faceless benefactors.
Unfortunately, David's lucrative enterprises gradually came to an end as his team began dying one after another.
After Fixer Faraday betrayed them and captured Lucy, he used the exoskeleton to storm Arasaka Tower and free her. Already on the brink of cyberpsychosis, David sacrificed himself so that the remaining heroes could escape Adam Smasher and continue living in his absence.