For viewers who just don’t have the time to experiment, some anime with overpowered main characters do feature powerful first episodes that could grab anyone’s attention. And fortunately for anime fans, great anime featuring overpowered main characters already exist even before mainstream titles.
Updated on May 2, 2022 by Rhenn Taguiam: With the Spring 2022 anime lineup having its fair share of action anime ranging from Spy X Family, Skeleton Knight In Another World, I’m Quitting Heroing, and The Dawn Of The Witch, it’s easy for otaku to miss seeing overpowered main characters just make quick work out of even the most powerful of enemies. And while modern anime graced otaku with quite a number of powerhouses, other anime with overpowered protagonists do include a “Human Typhoon,” an ancient vampire, a vampire hunter, a psychic, and oddly enough, a spider.
15 Trigun (1998)
It’s one thing for someone to become extremely overpowered that they get to save the world, and another for them to be feared of truly destroying it. In the space-faring future of Trigun, protagonist Vash the Stampede is roaming the desert planet of No Man’s Land to find peace… except he is almost always chased by people who simply want to kill him.
This is because he’s nicknamed the “Humanoid Typhoon,” after he’s destroyed a city with his vast supernatural abilities. Possessing a bounty of $60-billion, Vash of Trigun is followed by two insurance agents who start to observe that the destruction that follows Vash isn’t caused by him, but the people chasing that bounty. And when he’s truly provoked, Vash can use his extreme physical attributes and is skilled with guns to overcome threats.
14 The Disastrous Life Of Saiki K. (2019)
When an anime features an overpowered protagonist, they’re often tasked to save the world eventually. Not in The Disastrous Life Of Saiki K, as powerful psychic Kusuo Saiki simply wants to have a normal life. In The Disastrous Life Of Saiki K, Kusuo Saiki inadvertently finds himself forced into various uncomfortable situations at school that tests his ability to hide his powers.
As a result, the anime becomes a festival of hijinks and various shenanigans. Saiki is often followed by various classmates who either need something from him or want his help with something, and Saiki is almost always dumbfounded to the point of just wanting to use his abilities to escape these awkward situations.
13 Hellsing (2002)
Known as one of the most over-the-top anime out there, Hellsing is perhaps an anime that defines the epitome of overpowered. Set in an alternate take on the modern times, Hellsing stars the “original” vampire Alucard who swore devotion to the Hellsing family after his defeat at the hands of Abraham Van Helsing. As a result, Alucard comes under the employ of the Royal Order of Protestant Knights in order to hunt vampires all around the world.
Thing is, Hellsing isn’t exactly a “calm” individual. Alucard is known for his bloodlust and love for violence, something the Knights use to hunt their current targets: the Millennium, a group of Nazi remnants that want to create a battalion of vampires to revive Nazi Germany.
12 So I’m A Spider, So What? (2021)
Perhaps one of the weirdest overpowered individuals to ever star in an anime is a spider, and this is So, I’m A Spider, So What? tries to show this in a rather odd take on the isekai genre. At its core, the anime starts when a climactic battle between a Hero and a Demon Lord had a powerful spell “misfire,” transcend spacetime, and kill everyone in a school instead.
And while everyone who died got reincarnated into better lives, high schooler Shiraori gets the short end of the stick and gets reincarnated as a spider in a dungeon. And unfortunately for her, the dungeon’s denizens have a pecking order that makes her a prime target for obliteration - but not on her watch. She slowly evolves into an extremely powerful being throughout the series, and with terrible consequences.
11 Noblesse (2016)
While vampires aren’t a new occurrence in anime, Noblesse turns the trope into its head by instead starring the most powerful vampire in existence. In Noblesse, vampire noble Cadis Etrama Di Raizel wakes up to the modern world after 820 years of rest, with his assistant Frankenstein (that one) slowly helping him readjust to daily life.
In the advent of Raizel’s reawakening are strange supernatural events that are happening in his neighborhood in South Korea, prompting him to easily take care of them with whiffs of his hands and a bit of blood magic here and there. Thing is, Raizel is actually a Noblesse - a being so powerful he’s technically beyond a vampire. However, when threats soon become so overpowering that previously-hidden vampires start showing up, fans may start to fear that Raizel’s “Superman-like OP” stories aren’t always going to be the case.
10 Yu-Gi-Oh! (2000)
Granted, Yu-Gi-Oh! doesn’t have the most complex of stories. And it doesn’t help that Yugi Muto and Yami Yugi consistently save the world from otherworldly threats through a children’s trading card game. Regardless, seeing Yugi consistently outmaneuver his opponents - be it through actual rules or The Heart of the Cards - remains ever-satisfying, even in rewatches.
Contrary to other anime with OP protagonists, Yugi’s status as an overpowered character fits the simple nature of the anime. However, Yugi’s lessons on friendship, hope, and hard work remain great companions to his prowess as the King of Games.
9 Sword Art Online (2012)
Despite the divided reception among fans, a viewer can’t deny that Kirigaya Kazuto (Kirito) of Sword Art Online is perhaps the most overpowered video game player, ever. In Sword Art Online, Kirito and thousands of others find themselves trapped in the VR MMO “Sword Art Online.” And when dying in-game somehow kills a player in real life, only Kirito manages to power through the countless threats the game presents him with.
And it seems Kirito isn’t planning on stopping anytime soon. New seasons in SAO introduce new MMOs for Kirito and his pals to play. And soon enough, Kirito proves his supremacy in each new game, with equally new disasters that somehow only he can solve.
8 Dragon Ball (1989)
Much in the same vein as Yugi, Son Goku of Dragon Ball (and its many sequels, like Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball Super) doesn’t need much justification for his power as a protagonist. It’s just that, regardless of the threat, Goku will always power through - be it through a new Super Saiyan form or the good old kamehameha.
For newcomers, Dragon Ball is one of the most iconic shonen anime of all time. The anime stars Son Goku, a member of the Saiyan warrior race. Having been raised as a human, Son Goku uses his superhuman physique and martial arts training to fight extraterrestrial threats that want to conquer or destroy Earth.
7 Irregular At Magic High School (2014)
Irregular At Magic High School changes the dynamics of modern fantasy anime. In its story, magic has now become a scientific study. At school, students with remarkable marks in magic are called Blooms. Meanwhile, the other passing students are considered Weeds.
However, protagonist Tatsuya Shiba doesn’t fall into either category. While his sibling Miyuki displayed enough magical prowess to be a Bloom, Tatsuya’s lack of magical abilities made him a Weed. What’s more interesting is how Tatsuya’s impeccable knowledge of technical magic places him above a Bloom’s level. As such, Tatsuya has become irregular at Magic High School - which in itself poses some problems, as the story will show.
6 That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime (2018)
When Satoru Mikami risks his life to save a colleague from a street attack, Satoru, unfortunately, succumbs to his stab wounds. In his dying moments, Satoru simply wished for a body that could withstand any physical attacks. And through the guidance of a mysterious voice, Satoru receives his wish - and becomes a slime.
In his newfound life, Satoru finds himself surrounded by magic and dragons, and fantasy creatures. With a dragon friend renaming Satoru as Rimuru Tempest, Satoru now ventures into this new world with an impenetrable body. And given he doesn’t have any goals, in particular, That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime is a treat to both isekai and slice-of-life lovers.
5 Is This A Zombie? (2012)
Is This A Zombie? stars Ayumu Aikawa, a deceased boy who became a zombie courtesy of the necromancer Eucliwood Hellscythe. While Ayumu’s zombified body carries power on its own, perhaps the more OP character in Is This A Zombie? is the necromancer, Eucliwood herself.
Being the secondary protagonist, Eucliwood helps Ayumu acclimate to his new undead life through handwritten notes. Arguably the most powerful spellcaster in the series, Eucliwood refuses to speak as any word she speaks wills itself to reality. The mere word “Die” from Eucliwood can kill someone hearing it. Her powerful magic, combined with Ayumu’s adjustments to undead life, becomes the center of the anime’s ironically cheerful and delightful story.
4 Assassination Classroom (2015)
At first glance, Class 3-E of Kunugigaoka Junior High seemed like the typical class of misfits. However, these youngsters hold the fate of the world in their hands. After all, their homeroom teacher Koro Sensei - an extraterrestrial yellow octopus - will destroy the world if the class doesn’t find a way of killing him.
It doesn’t help that Koro Sensei is possibly indestructible as well. Assassination Classroom shows students try rather serious killing methods that fail to assassinate Koro Sensei. And being the supportive teacher, Koro Sensei himself offers tips on making their killing methods more effective.
3 Mob Psycho 100 (2016)
Shigeo Kageyama seems like an ordinary eighth-grader struggling to socialize with others as an introverted youngster. Unbeknownst to everyone, Shigeo is one of the most powerful psychics in the world. Given his power’s untapped nature, Shigeo goes out of control by the time his Meter reaches 100. But thanks to the efforts of his mentor, Shigeo begins to grasp the nature of his abilities and his role in the world.
Unlike other anime, Mob Psycho 100 is action with a dash of slice-of-life. Shigeo’s misadventures add a lot of comedy to the series. However, Shigeo’s heroic nature shines when the stakes need him to.
2 Overlord (2015)
Overlord is yet another “virtual world” anime that tries to add its own spin to the mainstream SAO formula. This time around, the anime stars Momonga, a Wizard and one of the leaders of Ainz Ooal Gown, a prominent guild in the “Yggdrasil” VR MMO. However, Momonga finds himself trapped in the game just as its servers shut down. More peculiarly, NPCs in the game start to develop personalities of their own.
With his magic at his disposal as well as NPCs and items under his control, Momonga is easily the most powerful character in the game. Unlike other action-packed anime, Overlord showcases Momonga’s unique abilities in the midst of his newfound and often hilariously mundane adventures in the MMO.
1 One Punch Man (2015)
Unlike other anime, Saitama of One Punch Man serves as a parody of his own series. In the world of One Punch Man, superheroes have become part of the public eye. One Punch Man stars Saitama, the One Punch Man, a B-Class superhero who somehow couldn’t catch a break.
However, behind Saitama’s rather lazy and dull exterior lies perhaps the strongest superhero in existence. As his superhero name implies, even one hit from Saitama is more than enough to annihilate the strongest supervillain. Unfortunately for him, Saitama’s toughest battles never get an audience. And more popular heroes always get the credit for Saitama’s victories.
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