There’s no shortage of overpowered main characters in the anime world. The tale of a scrappy young protagonist who can overcome literally any and every obstacle that comes their way—even when you think they’re backed into a corner—is a tried and tested formula of anime and manga, specifically in the shonen genre. That means there are countless characters who can potentially be dubbed the “strongest of all time.”
But if every main character can overcome any and all obstacles that come their way, who would emerge the victor if all the anime universes converged into one battle royale?
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While no one can give a definitive answer, we try to answer that question anyway. You know, for scientific purposes. Here’s what anime fans said when confronted with one very difficult query.
Some spoilers ahead.
Saitama from “One-Punch Man”
“I would normally choose Goku [of Dragon Ball] but it’s safe to assume that Saitama is intended to represent the strongest anime character of all time. From how his character is made to all his fights, Saitama didn’t even break a sweat.” — Joshua Zamora, 24
“Because he defeats his enemies without even breaking a sweat.” — Anton Honrado, 32
“For me, and I think a lot of people will agree with me on this, the strongest anime character of all time will have to be Saitama from One-Punch Man. He’s a hero with incredible strength that can obliterate all his opponents in one punch. No one has beaten him or has done serious damage to him so far. It’s funny because he looks so ordinary and his style goes against those superhero tropes we are so used to, yet he can end extinction-level threats in just one punch (without putting his back into it). He probably can beat all other anime heroes—yes, even Goku.” — Raphael Banico, 24
“He does not have any special abilities like other shonen protagonists like Luffy from One Piece, Ichigo from Bleach, and Goku from Dragon Ball. Saitama is most known for his ability to punch an opponent once, so hard that they either pass out or pass away, depending on how much he holds back his true power. This is even when against more serious and intergalactic opponents like Boros and Garou, who are strong enough to defend from his punch. Because of the power of each of his punches, even the strongest opponents for Saitama suffer massive injuries from just a single punch.” — Joseph Raphael L. Perez, 22
“One-Punch Man’s creator… created a character that is all-powerful from the beginning, whose main character trait is not perseverance or sacrifice, but the fact that he is just the most powerful being on earth. A normal shonen manga or anime story progression starts with a threat that the main character overcomes by seemingly pushing their limits, only to have an even more powerful threat appear, and the cycle continues. One-Punch Man, instead, has its world rise in power around its main character, Saitama, with a wink-wink-nod-nod type situation where the reader or audience pretends like there’s a chance that Saitama won’t win even when everyone knows it’s going to end in one punch. So because of the genre’s self-awareness and the surrounding meta-narrative, One-Punch Man has rendered the point moot.” — Forest Candelaria, 29
Satoru Gojo from “Jujutsu Kaisen”
“His ability essentially gives him complete power of space. He can make it so none of his enemy’s attacks ever actually hit him. Instead, they just hit the infinite space between the attack and him.” — Martin Ablanza, 25
“This is a hard question to answer because, with so many anime series around, the ranking would depend on the context. It will also depend on how you define strongest. I define strongest in terms of brains and brawn, and for that reason, I choose Satoru Gojo from Jujutsu Kaisen. The dude is strategic, smart, cunning, and cruel when he wants, and is easily the strongest Jujutsu sorcerer with his Six Eyes and Limitless. He can literally crush an opponent from afar or at point-blank. He almost died but brought himself back to life with the reverse cursed technique. I personally don’t like his personality but the guy’s too overpowered.” — Pam Luber, 29
Ryomen Sukuna from “Jujutsu Kaisen”
“I think Sukuna has a great track record, undefeated as the king of curses… As the king of curses, he’s stronger than Gojo.” — Eric, 31
Son Goku from “Dragon Ball”
“The man can’t die. When he does, he just gets stronger. And he can literally blow up a planet.” — Hans Natividad, 25
“To be honest, just because I grew up with him and he holds a very special place in my heart.” — Mathew Yuhico, 28
Rimuru Tempest from “Slime Isekai”
“He can copy anyone’s power. It’s literally cheating! And he keeps the powers permanently.” — Pio Dumayas, 26
Arataka Reigen from “Mob Psycho 100”
“He somehow survived near-apocalyptic moments several times despite not having any powers. And he can bullshit his way through any conflict. Of course, Mob is also very powerful, but Mob wouldn’t be where he is without Reigen.” — Kirana, 30
Alucard from “Hellsing”
“The abilities that Alucard displays early in the series are pretty straightforward. He has the strength, speed, and immortality of a vampire. His weapons of choice are twin large caliber handguns, loaded with bullets that can destroy the undead. But Alucard’s true power is that he can devour his enemies and then later call upon them as familiars. One memorable scene has Alucard summoning legions of Wallachian and Ottoman soldiers to aid him in battle. Spoiler alert: the closest Alucard comes to dying is after he devours an enemy who has the power to exist and not exist at will. This causes Alucard to disappear and he is assumed to be “dead.” But Alucard eventually returns, and not only is he still immortal, he has complete control over his existence and can appear anywhere he chooses to be.” — EA Aguirre, 30
Interviews have been edited for length and clarity.
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