Shonen anime consists of thousands of series with a multitude of powerful heroes. Who is the strongest hero among them?
Anime that fits into the Shonen genre is one of the most consumed forms of media, and fighting is an aspect that is heavily ingrained into it.
With hundreds of thousands of universes built and expanded upon in the various series, there are all sorts of characters with abilities.
While the protagonist or the “hero” of each series undoubtedly ranks supreme, most are only limited to their particular universe or world.
However, with such a varied cast of characters and powers, we can’t help but compare their power levels. There have often been debates springing up contrasting the Narutoverse with Dragon Ball’s universe, and many more.
While it may be impossible to properly rank the characters based on their strength due to each being from a different series, this list will attempt to definitively rank the top 25 strongest heroes when they are at their strongest in Shonen Anime.
25Lelouch vi Britannia
Anime – Code Geass
Power System – Geass
Signature Ability – Geass
Lelouch vi Britannia is the main protagonist of Code Geass. He was the leader and founder of The Black Knights using the alias of Zero.
After being bestowed with Geass by C.C., he gained “The Power of Absolute Obedience”, which allowed him to plant commands within a person’s mind upon eye contact.
While Lelouch is not exactly a hero, the motivation and purpose behind his actions were good. Since his ability does not really have a definitive set of rules when taking into account superhuman powers and beings, he is placed last on this list.
24All Might
Anime – My Hero Academia
Power System – Quirks
Signature Ability – Texas Smash
The next character on this list is anime’s or specifically, My Hero Academia’s very own Superman – All Might.
Regarded as the strongest hero in the world, he is the eighth holder of the One For All quirk, which he has now passed on to Midoriya.
The power of One For All allows the user to stockpile and access power, which in turn grants nearly unlimited, superhuman strength, agility, and speed.
A single punch from All Might can generate enough pressure to destroy rows of buildings.
He is strong enough to face All for One multiple times and successfully defeats him twice, despite the latter’s stockpile of powers. Due to this, he is ranked 24th on this list.
23Yami Sukehiro
Anime – Black Clover
Power System – Mana
Signature Ability – Dark Cloaked Dimension Slash
Yami Sukehiro is the captain of the Clover Kingdom’s Black Bull squad of the Magic Knights. He is an incredible swordsman with polished magical skills and mastery over Ki.
Despite being very reckless and hot-headed, Yami is an experienced and powerful Magic Knight, capable of identifying his opponent’s strategies with a glance and is continuously trying to come up with counters for them.
He also possesses an exceptional level of strength, speed, durability, reflexes, and power.
Yami’s unique Arcane type Darkness magic, along with his ability to surpass his limits, makes him one of the strongest captains in both Magic and brute force.
Currently, he has once again proven that by fighting on par with and almost defeating the current antagonist of Black Clover.
22Eren Yeager
Anime – Attack on Titan
Power System – Titan Powers
Signature Ability – None
As the protagonist of one of the most gruesome yet fascinating shows, Eren Yeager is a powerful character who can transform into a 15 meter tall Titan.
He is the current inheritor of the Attack Titan, War-Hammer Titan, Founding Titan, and Ymir’s powers, which grant him incredible strength and regenerative abilities.
While he demonstrates excellent combat skills and mastermind-level manipulation, the main reason that he’s ranked 22nd on this list is because of his ability to command legions of Titans with the power of the Founding Titan that allows him to bring entire nations to ruin.
21Kageyama Shigeo (Mob)
Anime – Mob Psycho
Power System – Psychic Powers
Signature Ability – None
Don’t be fooled by the looks of our next strongest hero. Despite his basic appearance, Kageyama Shigeo, aka Mob, is an ultra-powerful esper who can cause widespread destruction once his emotions run rampant.
His powers are so immense that they are on par with literal natural disasters.
The scary part of his ability is that its nature makes it impossible to guard against.
Mob’s immeasurable telekinetic powers allow him to create impenetrable force fields, move huge structures, fly, as well as eliminate matter from existence.
These overpowered abilities, coupled with his emotional state, make him similar to a time ticking bomb. Due to the uncertainty surrounding his exact power levels, he is placed 21st on this list.
20Isaac Netero
Anime – Hunter x Hunter
Power System – Nen
Signature Ability – 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva
Netero was the Chairman of the Hunter Association and one of the most powerful hunters in the Hunter x Hunter universe.
He spent years training both his body and Nen ability to their peak. Despite being way past his prime, he was known as the fastest man in the series.
Netero’s Nen ability allowed him to assemble the 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva, which unleashed over 1000 devastating blows in seconds.
Though he lost against Meruem, he fulfilled his goal by killing and making the invincible king feel fear for the first time.
19Korosensei
Anime – Assassination Classroom
Power System – Unknown
Signature Ability – None
Korosensei was the byproduct of an experiment gone wrong.
Due to that unfortunate accide19nt, he turned into a yellow octopus looking creature with powers well beyond what humans could tolerate.
He took the entire world hostage and threatened to destroy the moon unless a group of children stopped him before the end of an academic year.
Korosensei had unmatched speed and destructive power, which allowed him to avoid bullets at unfathomable speeds, outfly fighter jets, and even punch a hole through the moon.
With a genius intellect and superhuman abilities, he is ranked 19th on this list.
18Guts
Anime – Berserk
Power System – Magic, Martial Arts
Signature Ability – Unknown
A soldier since the age of nine, the next entry on our list is Guts, the protagonist of Berserk.
Throughout the years, his combat abilities develop to the point where he single-handedly defeats a troop of 100 soldiers and even apostles.
This Black Swordsman manages to defeat terrifyingly powerful demons with his Dragon Slayer sword, prosthetic arm containing a hidden cannon, a pain suppressing armor, and, most of all, his incredible will power. Despite not using mystical powers, Guts stands at the top of Berserk Universe.
17Adult Gon
Anime – Hunter x Hunter
Power System – Nen
Signature Ability – Jajanken
Gon is the protagonist of the classic anime called Hunter x Hunter. With one of the most diverse and well-developed power systems in anime, known as Nen, there are many unique abilities shown.
Gon’s nen ability is called Jajanken, a play on the classic game “rock, paper, and scissors.”
After Kite’s death and Neferpitou’s inability to bring him back to life, Gon extinguishes all of his future potential to exact revenge.
He summons all the power he would ever have and grows to an age where he can defeat the latter. His physical strength, Nen abilities, aura output, and aura reserves increase dramatically, to the point that he has power that rivals Meruem himself.
This power, comparable to the Chimera Ant King, deserves to be ranked at the 17th position.
16Kenshiro
Anime – Fist Of The North Star
Power System – Martial Arts
Signature Ability – Hokuto Shinken
Kenshiro is the protagonist of “Hokuto Renkitoza,” who lives in a post-apocalyptic world and fights against those who abuse the weak and defenseless.
He is the 64th successor of the Hokuto Shinken style and possesses great strength.
While his ability to kill any opponent by striking their pressure points does not sound as glamorous as other abilities on this list, when paired with his ridiculously honed battle sense, it is extremely lethal.
15Monkey D. Luffy
Anime – One Piece
Power System – Devil Fruit, Haki
Signature Ability – Gomu Gomu no Pistol
Monkey D. Luffy is the main protagonist of One Piece, and a man who’s going to be king of the pirates someday. He possesses one of the most unique, and what was initially thought to be useless, power of rubber.
During the two year time skip after the Paramount War, Luffy was taught Haki by Silvers Rayleigh, the former First Mate of the Roger Pirates, and became proficient in all three types. During this time, he also developed a Fourth Gear in addition to his prior three.
Luffy is now strong enough to contend with the Four Emperors’ top commanders and has already defeated Big Mom Pirates Sweet Commanders Charlotte Cracker and Charlotte Katakuri.
His strength is further solidified due to his reputation as one of the Worst Generation Pirates.
As the series goes on, Luffy is going to grow more powerful. Due to both his current strength and future potential, he is placed 15th on this list.
14Gray Fullbuster
Anime – Fairytail
Power System – Magic
Signature Ability – Ice-Make
Gray is one of the strongest characters in Fairy Tail. His Ice Devil Slayer Magic is extremely powerful and effective against Demons.
Gray has become proficient enough in this Magic to be able to encase an enemy in a spiked cocoon of ice and manipulate it.
In one instance, Gray, who recently inherited his father Silver’s Magic, completely freezes multiple twisters from Tempester, who was in his Etherious Form. By the end, he became powerful enough to rival Natsu’s E.N.D form.
13Edward Elric
Anime – Fullmetal Alchemist
Power System – Alchemy
Signature Ability –
The main protagonist of Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric, is a daring young man who gained a natural command over alchemy after failing to bring his mother back to life using forbidden alchemy.
During this process, he lost not only his right arm and left leg but also his brother’s physical body.
Edward is a master at alchemy and can alter the terrain of any battlefield, and transform nearly any substance into a weapon.
By the later half of the series, he becomes so powerful that his abilities allow him to go against homunculi and even defeat a creature that consumed a literal God. His immense power places him 13th on this list.
12Whitebeard
Anime – One Piece
Power System – Devil Fruit, Haki
Signature Ability – Unknown
Next on this list is Edward Newgate, aka Whitebeard, a man with enough power to destroy the world.
Hailed as the strongest man in the world, Whitebeard was one of the Yonko, the four most formidable pirates that rule the second half of the Grand Line.
Even after factoring his age and declining power, just his name alone was enough to instill fear and awe in anyone.
In his prime, Whitebeard was equal to Gol D. Roger, the Pirate King, and was the only one who was known to rival him.
As a man who lived way past his prime and etched his mark into the world, Whitebeard is ranked 12th on this list.
11Julius Novachrono
Anime – Black Clover
Power System – Mana
Signature Ability – Chrono Anastasis
Julius Novachrono is the 28th Wizard King of the Clover Kingdom and a user of Time magic.
Using this extremely rare Magic that comes with an equally, if not more, rare Grimoire, he can control and manipulate time itself.
His immense magic reserves and grasp over Mana Skin, experience, and skillset, make him one of the strongest characters in Black Clover.
His semblance has often been compared to that of Itachi Uchiha, in a way that both characters were so powerful that the creator had to either kill them off or reduce their power so that the main characters could shine. Julius’ powers warrant him the 11th position on this list.
10Ichigo Kurosaki
Anime – Bleach
Power System – Spiritual Power
Signature Ability – Getsuga Tensho
Ichigo is the epitome of a character with unlimited sources of power. His broad set of capabilities and skill allow him to defeat even the most overpowered antagonists.
He excels at swordsmanship, and when combined with his intellect and strength, he is nearly undefeatable.
With Quincy, Shinigami, Fullbring, and Hollow powers, he can take down all-powerful god-like characters such as Aizen. All of this makes Ichigo immensely powerful and one of the strongest characters in Bleach.
9Giorno Giovanna
Anime – JoJo’s Bizzare Adventures
Power System – Stands
Signature Ability – Gold Experience Requiem
As the fifth JoJo of the series, Giorno’s Stand is easily the most broken ability in the entire franchise.
This ability, called the Gold Experience Requiem, allows him to nullify people’s efforts. It basically means that no matter how strong his opponents are, their attacks won’t even reach or work on him.
Regardless of his own strength, just having this ability alone makes him, honestly speaking, way too overpowered. Due to this, he is ranked 9th on this list.
8Etherious Natsu Dragneel
Anime – Fairytail
Power System – Magic
Signature Ability – Dragon’s Roar
Natsu is the male protagonist of Fairytail and the younger brother of the strongest mage, Zeref Dragneel. He had died in the past but was revived by the latter as his most powerful Etherious – E.N.D.
He was stated to be Zeref’s greatest creation and the only one capable of slaying the Black Wizard. E.N.D.’s power was so great that he surpassed some of the Gods in the series.
He easily defeated the mighty Wizard, who was on the same level as God Serena, and even Acnologia feared him. In the end, Natsu managed to defeat the latter and became one of the strongest characters in the series.
7Meliodas
Anime – Seven Deadly Sins
Power System – Magic
Signature Ability – Full Counter
Meliodas is the Dragon’s Sin of Wrath and captain of the Seven Deadly Sins.
He was also the head of the Ten Commandments and the eldest son of the Demon King. With only a fraction of his power returned, he easily defeated members of the legendary Ten Commandments.
After successfully absorbing all of the Commandments, Meliodas assumed the Demon King’s position, therefore increasing his powers to the same godly levels as his father and becoming literally immortal & invincible.
6Sasuke Uchiha
Anime – Naruto
Power System – Chakra
Signature Ability – Amaterasu, Amenotejikara, Chidori
Next on this list is the character who single-handedly pulled the story in Naruto – Sasuke Uchiha. He was the last surviving member of his clan, and just like Naruto, was a member of team seven.
After leaving Konoha to exact revenge upon his brother, he grew extremely powerful. He awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan, as well as the eternal Mangekyou later.
As if this was not enough, he even gained the Six Paths Chakra during the Fourth Great Ninja War and unlocked the Rinnegan in his left eye.
Sasuke is the only shinobi that can rival Naruto and is one of the strongest characters in the series. Due to his immense power, he is placed in the 5th position.
5Naruto Uzumaki
Anime – Naruto
Power System – Chakra
Signature Ability – Rasengan, Kage Bunshin
A character that represents the anime niche itself, Naruto, is the definition of a true success story.
Instead of from rags to riches, he literally went from the most hated person in his village to the most beloved character in the entire Naruto universe, and arguably, ours too.
While being the host to a nine-tailed beast, Kurama, seemed like a curse at first, it was this exact power that opened the gateways to him becoming one of the strongest characters ever.
By the end of the anime, he had virtually complete control of the tailed-beast, along with his own sage mode, and the Six Path’s Sage Chakra. When using all three, few characters can hope to beat him.
4Vegeta
Anime – Dragon Ball
Power System – Ki
Signature Ability – Galick Gun
Vegeta is the prince of the fallen Saiyan race and one of the most notable characters of the Dragon Ball series. As someone matching Goku himself in strength, his power is nothing less than admirable.
After achieving the Super Saiyan Blue transformation, he has been able to access divine energy and, therefore, become even more powerful.
He has even been able to land an attack on Jiren, shocking the latter himself. In combination with his evolution and Fission, Vegeta is one of the strongest Saiyan’s right now.
3Saitama
- Anime – One Punch Man
- Power System – Unknown
- Signature Ability – Punch
Saitama is the protagonist of One Punch Man. He is someone who wants to be a hero just for fun and is also the strongest character in the series.
After three years of training, Saitama became inhumanely strong by breaking through the limiter he had on his body. After doing so, he has yet to find an opponent against whom he can let loose completely.
He is strong enough to kill Boros, the strongest alien, with ease and defeat Garou (who defeated multiple S rank heroes).
The main reason he is ranked on this list is that Saitama is a parody character, and there is simply no one who’s meant to be more powerful than him.
However, this also means that we have not seen his full power, which limits how high we can rank him in this list. Due to this, he is ranked 4th.
Note: In my opinion, Saitama and the saiyans are equally powerful – the reason for the small edge given to Goku is because of Ultra Instinct.
2. Son Goku
Anime – Dragon Ball
Power System – Ki
Signature Ability – Kamehameha
Next on our list is a hero who’s so well known that even people who’ve never watched anime know his name. It is not too far fetched even to say that he is one of the characters that represent anime in general.
As the strongest martial artist of all time, Goku is unfathomably powerful.
With his newly acquired Ultra Instinct form, his power has no limits. After mastering this form, he even overwhelms Jiren, who is stated to have the that rivals God’s.
Capable of easily destroying an entire universe as simply collateral damage, Goku is legendary, and he still continues to get more powerful over time.
1Simon
Anime – Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
Power System – Spiral Power
Signature Ability – Giga Drill Break
Simon, also known as Simon the Digger, is the protagonist of Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. Simon is the strongest anime hero of all time. He stores and develops so much spiral energy that he can create a robot the size of an entire universe or even a galaxy.
At the beginning of the series, he is a simple human who later learns to incorporate spiral power into the attacks of mechs.
He can further create a grill that can rip reality apart, let alone individual worlds. By the end, he becomes a God-like figure with command over everything as we know it.
If a character with such power doesn’t deserve the first position on this list, who does?
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