You Might Not Know Who Björn Andrésen Was, But You Know These Anime Characters Inspired by His Beauty

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Ignacio Weil

Entertainment - November 4th 2025, 23:30 GMT+1

Cropped Björn Andrésen — About This Gallery:

For this list, we dive into the world of anime (and a few video games) to highlight characters clearly inspired by Björn Andrésen. Of course, it’s not a complete list – Andrésen’s influence can be felt in countless characters, especially during the 1980s, when the anime and manga industry was captivated by his look. His face and presence were so iconic that they ended up setting a standard for beauty that shaped an entire generation of characters, defining how elegance, delicacy, and magnetic charm would be drawn in anime for decades to come. | © Alfa Film

Cropped griffith berserk anime 1997 — Griffith - Berserk

There’s something disturbingly magnetic about Griffith: the white-haired mercenary leader whose beauty seduces both friend and foe alike, and whose ambition radiates with such intensity that you almost forget how much darkness lies within. His pale serenity, perfect composure and luminous presence evoke that “face you’d stop and stare at” quality – the kind of look that seems to belong in a painting you’d hang in a gallery, only to realise the subject just stabbed you in the back. Griffith’s story arc stings because the charm is real, the betrayal is worse, and the contradiction between celestial beauty and monstrous acts is what makes him unforgettable. You see echoes of that same haunting, fragile‐yet-terrifying beauty in characters who are meant to enchant before they destroy. | © Nippon Television

Cropped Howl Howls Moving Castle 1 — Howl - Howl’s Moving Castle

He drifts into Sophie’s life dressed in velvet, with a wand and a castle on chicken-legs, and you’re halfway in love before you realise his heart is more complicated than his wardrobe. Howl’s look – flowing locks, aristocratic lines, the kind of lit-from-within face you’d find in an era of romantic portraits – carries a timeless beauty that whispers “I hover between realms.” And yet, behind that elegance lies cowardice, war, sacrifice and transformation: the beauty is both armour and burden. If Björn Andrésen’s ethereal image was a muse, Howl seems to embody what that muse might feel like if it got tangled in magic. | © Studio Ghibli

Cropped imagen 2025 11 01 213834039 — Johan Liebert - Monster

It’s all in the eyes: Johan isn’t screaming, he isn’t obviously evil, and his countenance could have you thinking he’s just another pleasant boy next door. But the beauty he wields is like a weapon of suggestion – the kind that makes people trust him, follow him, even love him, before they realise the nightmare they’re living. That exterior calm and flawless charm make Johan’s fall and his manipulation all the more disturbing; the difference between his appearance and his deeds is huge, and that contrast resonates with the way iconic androgynous beauty lurks behind ambiguous intent. In a sense, he answers the question: what happens when your hero’s face is too perfect? | © Madhouse

Cropped Ryo Devilman Crybaby — Ryo - Devilman Crybaby

He walks in wearing white, silhouetted against chaos, and you’re torn between “Is he the angel?” and “Is he the devil?” Ryo’s sleek design, clever smile and posture that suggests both control and danger, carry a beauty that isn’t safe. If Björn Andrésen conjured an image of “the most beautiful boy,” Ryo is what happens when that beauty chooses violence. Every moment you think you know which side he’s on, the game shifts – the design lulls you, the mannerism unsettles you, and by the end you realise the beauty was the bait. For fans of characters who look like gods but behave like predators, Ryo delivers hard. | © Science Saru

Cropped Alucard Castlevania — Alucard - Castlevania

Imagine a vampire born of Dracula himself, yet cradled in moonlight and melancholy – that’s Alucard. His long silver hair, pale skin, elegant lashes and tragic serenity all telegraph a delicate, graceful beauty, but the weight of immortality and the conflict in his soul turn that beauty into something like a relic: stunning, wistful, and haunted. The look evokes not just admiration, but pity and longing, as though you’re witnessing someone who was once idealised and is now burdened. That’s exactly the kind of emotional complexity that Björn Andrésen’s legacy seems to have inspired – a beautiful façade holding something broken underneath. | © Netflix

Louis Metaphor Re Fantazio — Louis – Metaphor: ReFantazio

There’s something almost chilling in how Louis carries himself: immaculate white outfit, silver-blond hair, and a gaze that could carve statues. But the beauty isn’t just surface-level – underneath you sense the ambition, the arrogance, the weight of “I deserve this crown” echoing in every line of his face. He fits the mold of the “beautiful monster” archetype in a way that makes you both admire and fear him, and that duality is exactly the kind of aesthetic echo we trace back to the slim, haunting visage of Björn Andrésen. When you see Louis stepping into his throne room, you don’t just see a villain – you see a work of art in motion, and maybe a little bit of doomed elegance. | © Atlus

Cropped Lady Oscar The Rose of Versailles movie — Lady Oscar – The Rose of Versailles

She strides through the palace gardens, rapier in hand, her blonde locks framing a face carved from myth and marble – and then you remember: she was born a woman, raised as a man, and sent to command the royal guard. That tension between presentation and identity gives Lady Oscar a kind of magnetism few characters achieve. Her beauty isn’t just about perfection, it’s about conflict, duty, hidden longing, and the tension between defiance and elegance. It’s not surprising that this kind of layered, androgynous ideal feels like it emerged from the same aesthetic impulse that inspired Andrésen’s impact on anime character design. | © MAPPA

Cropped Gilbert Cocteau Kaze to Ki no Uta 1987 — Gilbert Cocteau – Kaze to Ki no Uta

If elegance were pain, Gilbert would be a masterpiece painted in sharp edges and sad curves. He lounges in the boarding school’s corridors with the kind of provocatively beautiful face that draws whispers, glances, and danger all at once. Yet behind his pale features is a history of abuse, neglect, and a longing so intense it burns. That tragic glamour – the beautiful boy who knows too much, feels too much, and ultimately shatters – tracks exactly to the kind of timeless beauty that names like Björn Andrésen helped mythologize. Gilbert makes you feel the beauty *and* the betrayal of it. | © Pony Canyon

Reinhard von Lohengramm Legend of the Galactic Heroes 1988 — Reinhard von Lohengramm – Legend of the Galactic Heroes

In the vastness of space, Reinhard stands out like a comet of gold: towering, striking, his hair shining and his ambitions shining brighter. He’s not just pretty – he commands, he conquers, he romances the stars and war. His visage has the calm authority of royalty, the weight of destiny, and the softness of someone born beautiful but trained for greatness. When you see a character that blends “leadership” and “breathtaking looks,” you can trace that aesthetic lineage back to the quiet myth of Andrésen’s face becoming anime ideal. Reinhard doesn’t just look like a hero – he looks like legend in uniform. | © Kitty Films

Cropped Jessica Edwards Legend of the Galactic Heroes — Jessica Edwards – Legend of the Galactic Heroes

Following the same galaxy as Reinhard, Jessica Edwards brings a different angle: where he is gold and daring, she is silver and composed, elegant in her certainty. Her appearance, her uniform, her gaze – all hint at someone who came with beauty built in and then sharpened it into intellect and poise. She’s a reminder that the “beautiful boy/girl” aesthetic isn’t just about looks but about bearing, presence, and that indescribable spark of “look at me but also fear me.” Jessica channels a symmetry between charm and power that makes her an excellent example of how the “Andrésen model” of beauty extended beyond just male characters. | © Kitty Films

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Though you probably don’t hear his name every day, Björn Andrésen’s legacy just got a lot more real – he passed away at the age of 70 on October 25, 2025. Once dubbed “the most beautiful boy in the world” after his spell-binding turn in Death in Venice, his face became a quiet blueprint for beauty across cultures and decades.

Even if you’ve never seen that film, chances are you’ve seen his influence – in the elegant youth, the dreamy stare, the androgynous grace of countless anime characters. This article will take a look at how one Swedish actor’s image rippled into Japanese animation and beyond, leaving its mark when you least expected it.