The world of anime is unlike almost any other form of entertainment in the world. The Japanese-based animation format encompasses various genres, styles, and narratives that stretch across the entirety of human imagination. Whether you want to watch a young man attempt to become a pirate king, fancy seeing huge fighting robots battle it out in space, or even be absorbed into a world of satire, anime has you covered with everything from “One Piece” to “Dragon Ball Z.”

There are literally dozens of brilliant anime shows, each of them often filled with powerful characters who are capable of impressive feats of strength. That has led to debates about who exactly is the strongest anime character. While we will never get a definitive answer to that question as these characters are never going to face off against each other in a battle royale, it is possible to try and judge them based on their powers, abilities, and sheer natural force.

These are the best of the best, and if you want to know exactly who the strongest anime characters are, all you have to do is read on.

Anyone who has ever watched “One Piece” might assume that protagonist Monkey D. Luffy is just a fun-loving young boy out to make a name for himself as a pirate. However, any slightly closer examination will reveal just how powerful the character really is. He’s been on television screens since 1999, with the entire “One Piece” timeline stretching across more than a thousand episodes, and has risen to every challenge he has encountered. In fact, he shows no sign of ever not being able to meet the occasion thanks to his sheer force of willpower and the momentum of the anime’s fans.

The captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, Luffy is ultimately on a mission to become King of the Pirates, a title once held by the legendary Gol D. Roger. Able to best numerous foes with fierce reputations, Luffy derives his power from a number of sources. Having eaten the zoan devil fruit known as Hito Hito no Mi Model: Nika, he has gained incredible powers and rubber-like properties. Combined with training from formidable figures such as his grandfather Monkey D. Garp and sworn brother Portgas D. Ace, along with his lineage — which includes his father Monkey D. Dragon — Luffy has seemingly unlimited potential.

“Gurren Lagann” — sometimes known by its Japanese name “Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann” — is an anime series that aired in 2007. The series takes place in an unforgiving future where humans have been forced underground to live in small subterranean towns. Determined to break free and reach the surface, youngsters Simon and Kamina team up to oppose the Spiral King, fighting against his forces with a mecha called Lagann. Simon becomes the main protagonist of the series and, following the death of Kamina, is the primary force opposing the Spiral King.

Like many other characters within the “Gurren Lagann” universe, Simon possesses Spiral Power, a special ability that essentially allows people to continuously evolve and grow. It is also noted for giving those who contain Spiral Power within them a ferocious drive to complete their goals. Simon has more Spiral Power than anyone else in the show and his reserve of Spiral Power increases to a near limitless amount after he merges with his alternate versions from other universes. This makes him an unstoppable force who can complete any task he sets his mind to, with Simon even recognized as the most powerful figure in the universe by the end of the anime.

On the air since 2012, “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure” follows the Joestar family, a cursed group that discovers they have powerful psychic abilities and are apparently trapped in a cycle of battling against supernatural foes. Each chapter of the show focuses on a different member of the family throughout the ages. As such, “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure” has some incredible villains that the Joestars have to face, usually revolving around recurring antagonist Dio Brando. Part V of the anime takes place in 2001 and sees Brand’s illegitimate son Giorno Giovanna take up the mantle as the Joestar hero.

A member of the Passione Italian crime family, Giovanna eventually comes into possession of the Requiem arrow, upgrading his Stand — the psychic avatar he generates — to Golden Experience Requiem. It is a powerful Stand that allows him to create organic life from inorganic material or effectively stop time and force actions to reverse. This makes him functionally immortal and provides him with more power than any other “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure” character. It is especially useful against other Stands as it can basically stop Giovanna from ever coming to any harm.

Appearing in the “Jujutsu Kaisen” anime series, the sorcerer Satoru Gojo is widely regarded as the most powerful magic user in the show’s universe. A member of the Gojo Clan, he acts as a tutor at Tokyo Jujutsu High and mentors young fighters in magic. In his life, he has inherited the technique known as Limitless, giving him the power to manipulate and control space. Gojo also is gifted with the Six Eyes, an extrasensory gift that allows him to see and control cursed energy.

While several people have one of these talents, Gojo is the first in centuries to have both at the same time, making him an extraordinarily potent figure. They combine to give him the same sort of power you might expect of a god. He is practically invulnerable and capable of performing feats that no one else in “Jujutsu Kaisen” can do. Gojo can travel at incredible speed, heal himself of any damage, reverse magical attacks, and create Hollow Purple orbs that destroy anything in their path. Few beings from any anime series would be able to go toe-to-toe with Gojo in a fight and live to tell the tale.

Any fan of “Dragon Ball” will undoubtedly argue that Goku is the most powerful figure in anime. An alien who is part of the Saiyan race, he was born on the planet known as Vegeta before being sent to Earth. Initially something of a troublesome child, Goku has done some questionable things but eventually has become more carefree and friendly, before growing up to become a hero who protects Earth from threats of all kinds.

Thanks to his natural ability and training, Goku possesses superhuman strength, durability, and speed along with a host of other attributes. The character also has the ability of Instantaneous Movement, which is basically a form of teleportation, and has mastery of the fighting power Ki. Able to master almost any combat technique, he has proved capable of defeating almost any opponent he has come up against — especially as he grows stronger after recovering from damage.

What really makes Goku so powerful, though, are his transformations. These allow Goku to drastically change his physical body and access new abilities and energies to vastly improve his fighting ability. When turning into Perfected Ultra Instinct Goku, the character becomes almost god-like in terms of raw power.

The truth about “One-Punch Man” is that, unlike most other anime series, it is actually something of a satire of the genre. Its main protagonist, Saitama, is a character who has been purposely made to be stronger than any other being that he comes up against. In fact, as the name of the series suggests, Saitama is able to dispatch any foe with a single punch. This leads him to seeking a worthwhile challenge, who can actually force him to try harder, as his ability to instantly defeat any opponent leaves him feeling bored and downbeat.

Saitama doesn’t have an outlandish origin story or any particular special powers. The character simply explains that his immense abilities come from a daily training routine that involves push-ups, sit-ups, squats, and a long run. He also fortifies his mind by refusing to use the air conditioner and heater in his apartment. This leads to Saitama being able to move at high speeds, jump to incredible heights, and even survive in the vacuum of space. His power is such that he can destroy planets and kill dragon-level threats such as Lord Boros with ease.

“JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure” features plenty of powerful characters that have specific abilities thanks to their use of Stands. These are essentially manifestations of an individual’s soul, creating a psychic link that provides supernatural capabilities to the Stand user. Father Pucci is an antagonist who appears in “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean” as a follower of the villainous Dio Brando (or just DIO). Originally possessing the Stand known as Whitesnake, Pucci is a formidable fighter who can steal memories and Stands from other people.

The Whitesnake Stand eventually becomes Made in Heaven and has extraordinary abilities. The main one is to control time, dramatically increasing the speed of time so that it flows faster than intended. Made in Heaven provides Pucci with several advantages in battle, allowing him to move faster than anyone around him to devastating effect. More importantly, though, the Stand can accelerate time to the point that the universe comes to an end and a new universe is created to take its place.

Understanding the entire backstory of “Sailor Moon” is no easy task, considering that there are hundreds of episodes, several television specials, and even a spin-off series. One thing that is clear, though, is that the titular character is easily among the strongest anime characters of all time. Otherwise known by her given name of Usagi Tsukino, Sailor Moon starts life as a somewhat clumsy and naive young girl whose life begins to shift when she attends middle school. Here, she meets a group of students who become the Sailor Soldiers and go on to protect Earth and the rest of the universe from antagonists.

While not physically strong, Sailor Moon has immense magical abilities due to the way she can transform into various different forms via magical items like the Moon Prism Brooch and Crystal Star. Her most powerful form, known as Sailor Cosmos, seemingly has powers to reshape and interact with the entire universe. Meanwhile, Sailor Moon’s array of weaponry also allows the hero to fire blasts of energy that can purify or kill enemies. A future version of the character in the guise of Neo-Queen Serenity can even revive entire cities of millions of people. Now that’s power.

“The Misfit of Demon King Academy” might not be as popular as some of the other anime series on this list, but that’s mainly because it is one of the more recent releases. Based on a 2018 manga series, the anime only hit television screens for the first time in 2020. The show follows protagonist Anos Voldigoad, a former demon king who laid down his own life in order to create peace between humans and demons after thousands of years of conflict. Reincarnated two millennia later, Voldigoad sets out to reclaim the title of demon king and restore peace once again.

As is befitting someone who was once the king of all demonic forces, Voldigoad is super fast and strong to such an extent that he can outperform any other figure he comes up against. However, his real source of power comes from his magical abilities. He has more magic energy inside him than any other being in “The Misfit of Demon King Academy” and can destroy enemies simply by looking at them. Having been reincarnated, the demon king will only grow more powerful as he becomes more familiar with his new body and realizes his true potential.

“Bleach” established itself as one of the most popular shonen anime in the world following its introduction in 2004. Running for some 366 episodes, the show contains an array of powerful characters. That makes ranking the strongest “Bleach” characters a difficult task — except when it comes to the No. 1 spot. After all, there’s an undisputed champion when it comes to this particular anime.

While series protagonist Ichigo Kurosaki is undoubtedly heroic and Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto is regarded as the most powerful soul reaper of all time, they pale in comparison to the villain known simply as Yhwach. Able to summon bat creatures to fight alongside him, travel instantaneously through portals, and give himself superhuman strength and speed, Yhwach is a tremendous threat.

That’s before you even consider his telekinetic feats and his ability to absorb the powers of other characters, increasing his own capabilities and providing him with immunity from almost any form of attack. He does this by sharing parts of his soul with other beings and then later reclaiming that soul, killing the victim and sucking up their essence.

Although “The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya” had a short run it had a big impact on the world of anime. Set in a school for teenagers, the story follows the seemingly ordinary Kyon and Haruhi Suzumiya as they start a club to investigate strange events as a way of bringing some excitement to their lives. It is slowly established that the pair’s friends are far more mysterious than they appear, and they eventually reveal to Kyon that Haruhi possesses spectacular powers of her own — powers unwittingly bestowed upon her by Kyon.

Haruhi’s abilities begin to manifest throughout the series, with the character soon capable of god-like powers that can change reality at her whim. Simply by thinking about something, she can will it into existence, whether it breaks the laws of physics or not. At one point, she is able to create pocket universes known as Closed Space, and can even manipulate time into endless loops. Haruhi can effectively bend reality and create entire worlds with almost no effort.

“Puella Magi Madoka Magica” is a 2011 anime series that follows a group of teenage women who become Magical Girls, beings that fight against witches. One of these is Madoka Kaname, a girl with a large well of magical potential who is apparently destined to be a savior to mankind. This is largely a result of her classmate Homura Akemi, who has reset her timeline numerous times, increasing her power with each new misfortune she encounters. This multiplies her innate abilities and greatly increases her power to levels never seen in any prior Magical Girl.

By the time the show ends, Kaname transcends time and space to become a god-like entity called Ultimate Madoka. A wish to remove Magical Girls from the world and save them from suffering effectively transforms her into a new form of existence where she can bend reality and reshape the universe, changing its laws as she sees fit. This makes her functionally omnipotent and above the level of most other anime characters, literally existing in the universe as a timeless, ongoing concept.

Although he may look silly and diminutive, with a seeming indifference to events that are unfolding around him, Zeno is actually the strongest character in all of the universes in existence. Known as the Omni-King, he is the ruler of the multiverse and has reigned for millions of years. He is above any other deity and is capable of erasing any being, item, or even universe from existence. Zeno can do this with zero effort and his power affects even those who are blessed with immortality from the Super Dragon Balls.

In fact, Zeno is so powerful that the character is generally left out of rankings of the most powerful “Dragon Ball” characters just to keep things interesting. His inclusion would mean he would shoot straight to the top of TheShockNews as he simply has no equal in the anime. Although he isn’t a fighter and does not seem to possess any fighting skills, he is all-powerful and unmatched by anyone else within the world of “Dragon Ball” — and anime as a whole.