Best Anime With Overpowered Main Characters, Ranked

Overpowered or “OP” becomes a dreaded term when used to describe a protagonist of any story. Why bother exploring the story of a character already at the top of their game, right? Fortunately, some anime that feature OP main characters still shine thanks to ridiculous shenanigans or overwhelming threats that will make any audience root for protagonists.

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. Fortunately for anime fans, many great anime with OP MCs already exist.

Updated on August 18, 2024, by Mark Sammut: Two more anime with OP protagonists have been added to this discussion.

Anime with powerful protagonists that have clear weaknesses or equals will not be included, and the same goes for shows that do not emphasize their leads’ OP nature. Shows like
Dragon Ball
,
Naruto
,
Code Geass
,
Rurouni Kenshin
, and
Kaiju No. 8
will not be included.

Summer 2024 Anime With Overpowered Protagonists

• Failure Frame: I Became the Strongest and Annihilated Everything with Low-Level Spells

  Japanese Title

  Hazurewaku no “Joutai Ijou Skill” de Saikyou ni Natta Ore ga Subete wo Juurin suru made

  Studio

  Seven Arcs

  Based On

  Light Novel

  Creator

  Kaoru Shinozaki, KWKM

• I Parry Everything: What Do You Mean I’m the Strongest? I’m Not Even an Adventurer Yet!

  Japanese Title

  Ore wa Subete wo “Parry” suru: Gyaku Kanchigai no Sekai Saikyou wa Boukensha ni Naritai

  Studio

  OLM Team Masuda

  Based On

  Novel & Light Novel

  Creator

  Nabeshiki

  Streaming Service(s)

  HIDIVE

• The Rookie Middle-Aged Adventurer Was Trained to Death by the Most Powerful Party to Become Invincible

  Japanese Title

  Shinmai Ossan Boukensha, Saikyou Party ni Shinu hodo Kitaerarete Muteki ni Naru.

  Studio

  Yumeta Company

  Based On

  Novel & Light Novel

  Creator

  Kiraku Kishima

The current season is well underway by this point, and the lineup contains quite a few characters that can be described as OP. Sure, they cannot all destroy armies with a single swipe of their wrists, but they are generally capable of overwhelming most enemies without really breaking a sweat. Summer 2024 also has a couple of protagonists who are fairly unaware of their overwhelming strength, at least initially.

As it is still too early to promote a single show, let’s highlight a bunch of Summer 2024 anime with OP protagonists that anyone craving a power fantasy should check out.

• Failure Frame: I Became the Strongest and Annihilated Everything With Low-Level Spells – A nasty goddess summons a whole class to serve as her world’s heroes, granting them special powers. Unfortunately, Touka draws the short end of the stick as he can only use status spells, which have low accuracy rates in this universe. The goddess banishes Touka to a dungeon that is very much designed to kill him; however, the protagonist quickly realizes that his poison and paralysis skills never miss. Before long, he is massacring powerful enemies and leveling up endlessly, paving his way to freedom and revenge. Failure Frame is the season’s OP isekai anime, with Touka becoming overwhelmingly strong by the end of the first episode. He is also vicious, which makes for some rather memorable months.
• I Parry Everything – Lacking talent for any class, Noor spends a decade fine-tuning a single low-level skill, Parry, while hoping that he might learn something else in the process. Unfortunately, that never happens, forcing Noor to accept that he might never become a great adventurer. However, he has grown so proficient at parrying enemies that he is (unknowingly) extremely powerful. I Parry Everything features an OP protagonist who is not aware that they are OP, at least not initially. This joke can be quite funny at times, and Noor’s misadventures and misunderstandings are entertaining.
• The Ossan Newbie Adventurer, Trained to Death by the Most Powerful Party, Became Invincible – Deciding to become an adventurer at a very late age, Rick takes the admission test after spending two grueling years training with S-level warriors. Due to one of his master’s teachings, Rick initially thinks he is weak, although this belief is challenged when he faces off against a couple of arrogant high-ranked adventurers. Like I Parry Everything‘s Noor, Rick also underestimates his own strength, a misconception stemming from spending two years working under the tutelage of four very powerful teachers.

21 My Instant Death Ability is So Overpowered, No One in This Other World Stands a Chance Against Me!

Yogiri Takatou

This anime is a bit of a strange case. Frankly, My Instant Death Ability is So Overpowered, No One in This Other World Stands a Chance Against Me! is not very good, at least compared to the light novel source material. The story is unfocused, the characters are one-note, and the animation is nothing to write home about. There are plenty of better isekai anime with strong leads out there.

However, My Instant Death Ability pushes the concept to its absolute limit, reaching the point of absurdity. In a sea of OP anime protagonists, Yogiri stands as arguably the most broken. He is so powerful that he kills a world-level threat by accident. This show parodies isekai and fantasy tropes by unleashing a cosmic monster upon archetypes that would be considered powerful in other universes. The humor does not always land, but the concept is pretty fun.

20 Bofuri: I Don’t Want To Get Hurt, So I’ll Max Out My Defense

Maple

Not every story set in an MMO is isekai; sometimes, an anime just wants to follow a girl who inadvertently breaks a game, driving the creators mad in the process. Bofuri is just a blast, delivering a stress-free experience that contains plenty of humor along with a surprising number of fights (season 2 in particular). Not experienced with games as she starts her first virtual reality MMORPG, Maple decides to invest all her stats in defense, just to ensure she does not get hurt. Due to a bit of luck and a lack of foresight from the developers, she ends up destroying the game’s balance, becoming ridiculously overpowered as she tanks everything thrown her way.

As it is just a game with no stakes, Bofuri‘s action sequences are, admittedly, style over substance. However, they are generally entertaining since they are driven entirely by the characters’ lovable personalities, and that goes beyond Maple. The anime wisely pairs the protagonist with capable but vulnerable players, adding a touch of strategy to all her encounters. Still, the most memorable moments almost all revolve around Maple’s silly OP nature.

19 Cautious Hero: The Hero Is Overpowered But Overly Cautious

Seiya Ryuuguuin

Countering the overpowered nature of Demon Lord’s Takuma is Seiya Ryuuguuin of Cautious Hero: The Hero Is Overpowered But Overly Cautious. As with other isekai stories, Seiya takes the role of a protagonist also called forth by a goddess (this time Ristarte) to save the world (this time Gaeabrande) from an evil Devil Lord. And while Seiya has power levels far greater than most heroes Ristarte has encountered, it’s his overcautious nature that drives her to her wits’ end.

Whereas the OP-ness of an isekai protagonist is usually shown with them almost shrugging off most problems, Seiya’s overpowered nature is shown in his deliberate overpreparation for most situations. It doesn’t help that Seiya is portrayed to possess more than enough power to contend with most threats anyway. In the end, Cautious Hero shows that the true measure of being overpowered may rely not on how heroes showcase awesome power but on how they can prepare to settle the most intense of conflicts with the barest minimum effort.

18 Haven’t You Heard? I’m Sakamoto

Sakamoto

Overpowered protagonists are not exclusive to isekai stories, they just seem to be sometimes. While not as common as they should be, the comedy genre has made some great use of OP anime main characters over the decades. Haven’t You Heard? I’m Sakamoto is one of the most famous examples and serves as a prime example of how a “perfect” protagonist can be used to great effect.

Sakamoto is what everyone should aspire to be. His mere presence attracts attention, admiration, hatred, love, and every other emotion under the sun. While he might not acknowledge his own god-like brilliance, his classmates cannot help but bask in his light, and any attempts to dampen his flame only succeed in fanning it further.

17 Mashle: Magic And Muscles

Mash Burnedead

Most anime overpower their protagonists by handing them unique abilities that set them above everyone else; however, Mashle does the opposite. In a world tha />

In the world of Charlotte, a fictional comet of the same name passes Earth once every 75 years and leaves dust that transforms a percentage of preadolescent kids into superpowered beings by the time they hit puberty. When invisibility user Nao Tomoro exposes protagonist Yuu Otosaka and his ability to control the bodies of others temporarily, she forces him to attend the Hoshinoumi Academy and join other power users in the Student Council.

While much of Charlotte revolves around Yuu’s body-swapping shenanigans, things become more serious when Yuu realizes that the true nature of his powers isn’t to control the bodies of others but rather to steal their abilities. At some point in the anime, Yuu travels the world to steal the abilities of all power-users on Earth at the cost of his memories and sense of self. While the scale and nature of all these abilities remain unknown, the fact that Yuu already had the power of time travel before his power-stealing spree immediately catapults Yuu as one of the most powerful protagonists to ever grace an anime.

16 Trigun

Vash The Stampede

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 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 by 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.

Trigun Stampede
is also very good.

15 Hellsing Ultimate

Alucard

Known as one of the most over-the-top anime out there, Hellsing Ultimate is perhaps an anime that defines the epitome of overpowered. Set in an alternate take on modern times, this OVA series 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 to hunt vampires all around the world.

The thing is, the protagonist 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.

14 Yu-Gi-Oh!

Yugi Yami

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.

13 Solo Leveling

Sung Jin-Woo

While not a hard and fast rule, many anime with OP protagonists tend to either start with their character already overpowered or speedrun the process to getting there. Although ultimately falling within the latter category, Solo Leveling goes to great lengths to chronicle Jin-Woo’s blossoming strength, with the hunter constantly growing stronger throughout the first season. This structure grants the story’s early chapters a lot of forward momentum, something that can be an issue with similar series.

The weakest hunter in the business, Sung Jin-Woo accepts each mission fully aware that death could await him. When an operation goes sideways, a demolished Jin-Woo finds himself walking toward the light, only for a mysterious opportunity to present itself. Suddenly, the protagonist gains the ability to level up, starting him down a path that quickly leads to overwhelming power.

12 Irregular At Magic High School

Tatsuya Shiba

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 Bloom’s level. As such, Tatsuya has become irregular at Magic High School – which in itself poses some problems, as the story will show.

11 That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime

Rimuru Tempest

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, 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.

10 Fist Of The North Star

Kenshiro

Fist of the North Star is generally regarded as one of the most influential battle shonen manga of all time, and its anime adaptations are pretty good as well. While the 1984 series shows its age in terms of animation, the writing has aged beautifully, so it is still definitely worth watching regardless of some rough edges.

At the heart of this epic journey sits Kenshiro, a hero who wanders a post-apocalyptic hellscape similar to Mad Max. As a practitioner of Hokuto Shin Ken, Kenshiro has the potential to be undefeatable due to the martial art constantly evolving to ensure its students acquire the necessary power to overwhelm every opponent. Consequently, Kenshiro is both overpowered but also vulnerable and constantly striving to get stronger. He meets opponents like Raoh and Kaioh that are initially beyond his grasp, but it is only a matter of when rather than if Kenshiro will eclipse them.

9 Assassination Classroom

Koro-Sensei

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 trying 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.

8 Death Note

Light Yagami

Death Note was almost disqualified since Light does not fit the typical blueprint of an overpowered anime protagonist and, more importantly, spends about 20 episodes evenly matched in a cat-and-mouse game against L. However, Light’s ability is as broken as they come in anime. Through the death note, he can kill anyone by just writing their name on a piece of paper. That’s it. He brings the whole world to its knees from the safety of his bedroom.

Sure, Light borrows this power from Ryuk, but he uses it freely. During the story’s run, he is in charge. He is also smart, manipulative, and ruthless. He is so OP that Death Note throws out multiple geniuses to level the playing field.

7 One Outs

Toa Tokuchi

For the most part, overpowered anime protagonists are associated with extraordinary abilities that put them well beyond the reach of anyone else who exists within their universe. However, these types of stories can work without a supernatural element, and One Outs serves up one of the better examples of an OP main character who is, technically, just a normal guy. The title refers to a baseball street game where a pitcher and a batter face off with cash on the line.

Despite not seeming to be all that amazing of a pitcher, Toa is undefeated, and he even takes down the Saitama Lycaons’ best batter. This incident causes the team to offer Toa a contract, albeit a twisted one where the pitcher is locked in a continuous battle with the Lycaons’ owner. Throughout the series, the protagonist constantly gets into the psyches of other players, destroying them mentally before they even step on the mound. While he might not have any special powers, Toa is so incredibly overpowered that victory is never remotely in doubt.

6 The Misfit Of Demon King Academy

Anos Voldigoad

When Anos Voldigoad entered the Demon King Academy during the Magical Age, his antics had people brand him as a misfit. However, the titular protagonist of The Misfit of Demon King Academy is constantly hiding the fact that he is the reincarnation of Anos, the Demon King of Tyranny himself. After his realization that his descendants have grown weaker in power, Anos has become motivated to reclaim his power in his reincarnated state. This proved to work in Anos’s favor, as The Misfit of Demon King Academy almost always shows him to be better than most of his peers who also use source-based magic.

As the wielder of the Source of Destruction, Anos can bypass the usual limitations of his weaker body by virtue of his magic growing in power the more he gets close to death. On top of his impressive magical powers are physical qualities that put other characters to shame, such as having enough strength to carry a castle and spin it with one hand as well as casually going faster than the speed of light.

5 Mob Psycho 100

Shigeo Kageyama

Shigeo “Mob” 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. However, thanks to the efforts of his mentor, Shigeo begins to grasp the nature of his abilities and his role in the world.

Mob Psycho 100 takes a few pages from One-Punch Man‘s playbook, but Shigeo’s character arc is nothing like Saitama’s journey. Mob’s isolation comes from his belief that nobody can relate to him, something that changes as he grows more confident socially. More than anything, this series tells a coming-of-age story, and it is great.

4 Overlord

Ainz Ooal Gown/Momonga

Overlord is an isekai anime that presents a “villain” as the protagonist, although the audience is certainly meant to side with him. This time around, the anime stars Momonga (or Ainz Ooal Gown), 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 a world that appears to be his game just as its servers shut down, and he still has all the powers he had before. More importantly, he is surrounded and aided by very powerful NPCs who have developed legitimate personalities.

With his magic at his disposal as well as NPCs and items under his control, Momonga is easily the most powerful person in this universe, and his subordinates tower over pretty much everyone else. Unlike other action-packed anime, Overlord showcases Momonga’s unique abilities amid his newfound and often hilariously mundane adventures in a world inspired by an MMO.

3 The Disastrous Life Of Saiki K.

Kusuo Saiki

When an anime features an overpowered protagonist, they’re often tasked to save the world eventually. This is not the case 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 test 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.

2 The Eminence In Shadow

Cid Kagenou

The Eminence in Shadow pushes the overpowered isekai protagonist trope to its endpoint. Both self-aware and utterly oblivious, Cid is the shadow that pulls society’s strings, a role he has dreamed of fulfilling since before he died and reincarnated in a new world. Backed by a powerful organization called Shadow Garden filled with women who will do anything for their leader, Cid’s strength is nearly beyond comprehension – he is living in god mode. No enemy in the anime’s two seasons has even come close to presenting Cid with a challenge, especially since the latter loves to show off his strength when he is playing the part of Shadow.

The Eminence in Shadow blends action and comedy, with the latter influencing the former quite a lot. For the most part, Cid is under the assumption that Shadow Garden’s members are just humoring him, a situation that can be quite illogical considering all the outlandish things that have happened in the series. However, Cid is so overpowered that he can comfortably believe in any falsehood he wants.