In the history of anime, there have been some extremely overpowered characters. Not only do characters boast the strength to achieve incredible physical feats, but other characters have also had the power to destroy civilizations with little more than moving a finger.
For this list, we’ll be making our picks for who are the top 15 most powerful characters in all of anime. With there being thousands of different series narrowing this list down has been very difficult and we will be taking into consideration only the power that we’ve seen a character display during their corresponding show. Here are our picks!
Light Yagami
You might be thinking this is an odd character to start with but Death Note’s Light Yagami is unbelievably powerful with the assistance of the Death Note. It is established early on in the show that just by writing someone’s name and how you’d like them to perish into the book will result in the hit being completed without issue. This means that Light is quite capable of taking out some of the more well-known characters on our list without even needing to be near them.
Although an odd choice, with Light’s spectacular mind and the power of the Death Note at his hands he is one of the most powerful characters in anime.
Korosensei
Similarly to Light, Korosensei’s place on this list is mostly dependent on how much prep time you have to take him on. Korosensei is almost impossible to take down if you don’t have access to anti-sensei weapon, so for the average Shonnen character this is probably going to end with an L on their record.
Sasuke
Sasuke is still one of the strongest characters in the Naruto franchise, but while he was on par with Naruto during the original series, recent events in Boruto have seen him fall behind. Still, he is incredibly powerful with the almighty Sharingan, Rennigan, Susanoo, and other game-changing powers at his disposal.
Naruto
Naruto creeps ahead of Sasuke on our list simply because of his latest gigantic power jump with Baryon mode. This evolution of his Jinchūriki roots may have come at the cost of Kurama, but the powers that it gave Naruto in the moments he used it push him up higher on our list.
Satoru Gojo
C’mon… He’s Satoru FREAKIN Gojo, of course, he gets a spot on this list. Gojo has countless incredible talents in combat from hand-to-hand skills all the way to the Six Eyes with Limitless which allows him to use unlimited cursed energy. Furthermore, good luck taking him out as this unlimited power will let him heal back any damage he may take in real-time. Yeah, he is very strong.
Sukuna
We could have easily paired Gojo and Sukuna up on power level given recent events in the manga, but we believe a fully restored Sukuna may slightly edge out Gojo. Being the case, Sukuna gets a spot above on our list because of his mastery of poisons, being the king of curses, and a master manipulator which has allowed him to come back to life and haunt the Jujutsu world once again.
Beerus
The God of Destruction is the first of many Dragon Ball entries to this list thanks to his incredible strength. From the moment he is introduced Goku is forced to work tirelessly to reach his level, something which is something he looks to have achieved later in the series, but Beerus can still hold his own and destroy planets at will so it only feels right that he take a spot on our list.
Goku / Vegeta
We have grouped both Goku and Vegeta as with each arc these two will at times out-skill each other but generally, their strength levels are similar. While most of their combat ability is hand-to-hand, the energy blasts that both Z Fighter can utilize would make them a difficult challenge for many of the characters who came before them on this list.
Kaguya Otsutsuki
While either of the last two entries to this list may be able to take out Kaguya together, neither Goku, Vegeta, Sasuke, or Naruto solo would stand a chance against the mother of Shinobi. In her final battle during the series we see her handily take on both Naruto and Sasuke, it took all of squad seven as well as Kakashi’s help to take her down. For a single character to achieve this they either need unbelievable power or a handy trick that can get the job done.
Whis
On a similar power level to Kaguya, Whis is one of the most powerful characters in the entire Dragon Ball series. While we don’t see him engage in combat he’s been shown to knock the God of Destruction Beerus himself unconscious with a single blow. Even with his Ultra Instinct skill acquired it’s likely Goku couldn’t stand a chance against this angelic being.
Rimuru Tempest
Another character that might seem out of place on this list, That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime’s Rimuru Tempest character isn’t all that he looks to be. With the ability to take on the power and abilities of anyone he absorbs, it should be clear how this character would find itself so high up on our list.
Tetsuo Shima
If you’re an anime fan then you’ve probably seen Akira. The extremely popular film has been a cult classic in the genre and something that all anime fans should watch at least once. In this film, Tetsuo Shimar shows some ridiculous capabilities on par with any god-level character. The psychic powers he possesses can facilitate teleportation, all the way to creating a new universe. Of course, this feat lands him on our list.
Zen-Oh
Zen-Oh is unequivocally one of the most powerful characters in any anime right now. When he first appears in Dragon Ball Super we are told that he can destroy universes with a single click, a feat that we see him do on multiple occasions. With this ability, there is absolutely no way a character could challenge him without getting the jump on him.
Madoka Kaname
I’m sure you didn’t see this one coming. The number one spot on our list goes to the character Madoka Kaname from the anime Puella Magi Madoka Magica. While the anime isn’t particularly known for its powerful characters, Madoka becomes quite literally an immortal goddess with the ability to influence and manipulate reality.
Saitama
When it comes to characters that utilize hand-to-hand combat, none can match the abilities of the One Punch Man himself, Saitama. If you’ve seen the show you already know why he made it on this list and if you haven’t the show’s name should give it away. Saitama can take out his enemies with a single punch making him an extremely dangerous foe. That power combined with his speed, reflexes, leaping ability, and other skills makes him the ultimate hand-to-hand fight and arguably the most powerful in anime.
