Updated May 11, 2024 by testing

Protagonists come in all shapes and sizes, many of whom are extremely (and sometimes annoyingly) overpowered. The main character could just look like someone walking down the street, but hold mind-boggling levels of power within their fingertips.

Together, let’s take a look at some of the most powerful MCs who’ve managed to shock the audience and everyone around them by revealing the magnitude of their power.

To grade the characters on this list, we’ll be using the following ranking system:

OP MC	Character’s Writing	Plot	Total
Out 10	Out 10	Out 10	Out 30

 

Anime Where MC is OP and Surprises Everyone

 

23. The Garden of Sinners (Shiki Ryougi)

OP MC	Character’s Writing	Plot	Total
4/10	7/10	7/10	18/30

We start this list off with a very cool female protagonist! Shiki works at a detective agency that specializes in the paranormal. Despite working at this thin on-the-ground organization, her appearance and demeanor don’t point out anything special.

However, behind this seemingly normal-looking woman lies the wielder of the mystic eyes. The eyes allow her to view the lifespan of any beings, dead or alive, as strings. Ryougi is able to manipulate these life strings and put an end to an entity’s life by simply cutting it off.

This premise itself makes the Garden of Sinners worthy of a spot on your watchlist. With its paranormal storyline and psychological implications, it promises to be an entertaining watch. But its scarcity of generic themes and exploration of new ones is what makes this a true hidden gem.

 

22. World Trigger (Yuma Kuga)

OP MC	Character’s Writing	Plot	Total
6/10	6/10	7/10	19/30

50% human. 50% alien. 100% adorable.

Yuma’s dynamic fighting style and impressive swordsmanship make him one of the most captivating protagonists on this list. But undoubtedly, his strongest trait lies in that lethally cute duck face (which is ingrained into the back of my mind for all eternity).

But with a less than impressive win-to-loss ratio, the young man isn’t able to break into the Top 20

 

21. High School Prodigies Have It Easy Even In Another World (Tsukasa Mikogami)

OP MC	Character’s Writing	Plot	Total
7/10	6/10	6/10	19/30

World leaders come in all shapes and sizes. From retired scientists to former activists. In the anime world, they can also come in the form of a Japanese teenager with eyes that have different colors.

Tsukasa’s untouchable intelligence has made him the perfect individual to serve as Japan’s prime minister. His rivals often miscalculate his character due to the tangible age difference but are overwhelmed when he showcases his god-like wit.

 

20. The Devil Is A Part-Timer (Sadao Maou)

OP MC	Character’s Writing	Plot	Total
6/10	7/10	7/10	20/30

Satan himself, the King of the Underworld, spreading terror over this miserable world as he embarks on his daily tasks at a… McDonald’s?!

After a failed takeover of a set of islands, the Demon Lord (Yes! Tom Ellis himself!) retreats to modern-day Tokyo. He finds himself enrolled at a local MgRonald’s (no, I didn’t misspell that) in order to earn his daily living in modern society.

As Maou disguises himself as a flimsy young man to fit in at the fast-food cashiers, he must adapt and overcome his mortal challenges without the aid of his demonic powers.

Who doesn’t want to watch this anime? Of course, we have this one time where the MC became a spider, and another time where he opened up a pharmacy in another world but it’s not everyday you get to see Satan working at a fast-food chain.

 

19. Sword Art Online (Kazuto Kirigiya/Kirito)

OP MC	Character’s Writing	Plot	Total
10/10	5/10	5/10	20/30

The internet never seems to agree on this anime. Some love to hate it. Others hate themselves for loving it. Whatever the case, it holds the name to an MC that is ridiculously skilled in the dynamics of that universe.

Kazuto is just a regular gamer like you and me, who is deeply immersed in the gameplay and its mechanics. He finds himself trapped inside a video game simulation where the controls to his in-game character are executed through his mind.

To make his way back to reality, Kazuto uses the experience he gained as a pro-gamer to work his way through the daunting gameplay. From the very beginning, he has a tangible edge over the other players, making him a powerful, sword-wielding MC.

Who hasn’t heard of this guy, huh? I mean bro, this guy slices bullets in half!

 

18. Drifters (Shizuma Toyohisa)

OP MC	Character’s Writing	Plot	Total
7/10	6/10	7/10	20/30

An Isekai that isn’t set in a bright fantasy world with a generic harem? Take my money! Drifters drift away from your classic stereotypes and base its story around a reincarnated Samurai fighting his way through the modern world. One trope that isn’t going away, however, is the overpowered-ness! Shizuma is capable of tearing apart monstrously large armies, all on his own while swinging around a slender katana.

 

17. Mob Psycho 100 (Shigeo Kageyama)

OP MC	Character’s Writing	Plot	Total
5/10	9/10	7/10	21/30

Mob Psycho is a highly anticipated upcoming anime with a flamboyant third season on its way!

Mob is a boy who strives to live like a typical 8th grader. He isn’t the most athletic and gets flustered during tests like most of us. But Shigeo is much more than your typical schoolboy. I mean where I come from, 8th graders usually don’t have psychic powers.

From Telekinesis to Astral Projection, Mob has everything in the bag to be that typical OP MC. But what really differentiates Mob from the crowd is his ability to get through a predicament in unique and nonrepeating ways. He’s likable and benevolent nature also makes him a universally appreciated protagonist; something that is rare within the Twitter spheres of today.

(This anime is a work of ONE, the author of One Punch Man. Who knows, we might even get to meet him down the line. So stay tuned!)

 

16. Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody (Satou Pendragon/Suzuki Ichirou) 

OP MC	Character’s Writing	Plot	Total
9/10	6/10	6/10	21/30

Satou Pendragon is basically Kirito without the glowing swords and the horrible writing.

No one knows a game better than the devs. They put months of hard work into developing the mechanics and are aware of almost every single aspect of it. So what would happen if they could play that game IRL?

After Suzuki gets summoned to the game world, he is able to use his expansive knowledge of its inner workings to obliterate swarms of monsters effortlessly. In short, Satou is a breathing version of a cheat code, making him principally untouchable in that universe.

 

15. The Rising Of The Shield Hero (Naofumi Iwatani)

OP MC	Character’s Writing	Plot	Total
8/10	7/10	7/10	22/30

The Rising of the Shield Hero, an anime that has it all: suspenseful battles, epic music scores, as well as everyone’s favorite raccoon girl! Here are some quick Raphtalia Quotes, in case you need a reminder.

Our MC’s road to glory isn’t the most glorious at the beginning. Picking out a shield from the 4 Legendary Weapons, (if it even counts as one) is bad enough. Getting falsely charged of assault towards the crown princess, now that’s hitting another level of rock bottom.

Iwatani uses his strong feelings of resentment towards Malty, and the power of the seemingly not-so-useless Shield to grow tenfold in his abilities as a soldier.

Shield Hero puts together an inspiring tale where the weakest and most pathetic character at times climbs up the ladder to establish themselves right on top of the food chain.

 

14. Gintama (Gintoki Sakata)

OP MC	Character’s Writing	Plot	Total
6/10	8/10	8/10	22/30

Gintoki Sakata seems a lot like your ordinary otaku. Being severely broke, ceaselessly reading manga and blowing most of his savings on gacha; looks like it fits the package!

However, behind this seemingly slothful guise, Gintoki is an elite samurai who was a crucial part of the Joui War. Gintoki’s presence on the battlefield was so compelling that it even earned him the moniker of Shiroyasha, roughly translating to White ‘Yaksha’ or ‘Demon.’

His samurai days are long gone now. The unemployed Gin moves on with his life as the master of Gin-chan’s Odd Jobs, along with Kagura and Shimura beside him.

 

13. Overlord (Ainz Ooal Gown) 

OP MC	Character’s Writing	Plot	Total
9/10	7/10	6/10	22/30

A skeleton on steroids? Check! Impenetrable powers? Check! A purple cape with a surface area larger than Paradis Island? Check! Ainz Ooal Gown perfectly captures the dark essence and intimidating aura to fit in the lead role of a medieval-themed fantasy anime.

After ranking up his in-game persona using micro-transactions and countless hours of gameplay, Ainz gains enough power to blow off a small country with just one spell. This hugely works to his advantage when he finds himself teleported to that same game.

 

12. The Seven Deadly Sins (Meliodas) 

OP MC	Character’s Writing	Plot	Total
9/10	8/10	6/10	23/30

If there’s anything harder than beating the Demon King, it’s probably guessing Meliodas’ age at first glance. This MC may look like your average blonde 13-year-old who carries a sword around for some reason, but is actually more than 3000 years old!

After being wrongly accused of an offense, Meliodas and the group he used to belong to (The Seven Deadly Sins) are stripped of their powers. Even without his Demon powers, Meliodas is quite a handful in action, having mastered the art of swordsmanship.

But once the blonde, not-so-young man gets his hands on the powers of the Demon King, you better execute the only feasible plan: turn around and run for your life.

An enraged Meliodas in Demon Form is gifted with ungodly agility, even being able to deflect enemy attacks and counter using them. As his body fills with dark matter, a black curse mark forms on his forehead, similar to that of Sasuke Uchiha. Even if the powers don’t impress you, you’ve got to agree that it looks very cool.

 

11. Assassination Classroom (Koro-Sensei)

OP MC	Character’s Writing	Plot	Total
8/10	7/10	8/10	23/30

Koro Sensei may give off comfy sub-teacher vibes when you first meet him, but your normal sub doesn’t usually have a smiley face and have octopus legs, does he?

This seemingly innocent man is an ex-assassin who was widely referred to as ‘The Reaper’. But his days of violence are long gone. Just the slight plan to destroy the earth after teaching his class for a semester, nothing too violent.

Koro is able to prepare the students for this inevitable day by educating them on the means of killing him. I could go on for ages about his abilities, but his mental resilience is what makes him a truly overpowering enigma.

 

10. The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. (Saiki Kusuo)

OP MC	Character’s Writing	Plot	Total
8/10	7/10	8/10	23/30

Saiki K may not have a Sharingan, but he can turn you into stone by just taking off those flashy green glasses.

Saiki Kusuo seemingly has no particular interests in life. He constantly strives to live a regular life as a regular teenager, in addition to being your friendly neighborhood coffee jelly connoisseur.

But Saiki is no ordinary teen. With long-range telepathy and specialized telekinesis amongst his skills, he’s one of the most powerful psychic entities in possibly all of anime. With an amazing wit added on top of it, Saiki is immensely mighty despite his goofy attire.

 

9. That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime (Rimuru Tempest)

OP MC	Character’s Writing	Plot	Total
8/10	8/10	7/10	23/30

If the long title didn’t already hint it, this revolves around Satoru Mikami, a man in his 30s, who gets Isekaid to a fantasy world.

Even though he wasn’t fortunate enough to die at the hands of the world-renowned Truck-kun, Mikami finds refuge in his new life as Rimuru Tempest; which is quite the opposite from being this 37-year-old dude.

The youth turns out to be the preeminent warrior of the Isekai world after doubting her competence initially. It is able to emulate and reproduce the fighting styles of it’s opponents, giving it a resourceful trump card in battle.

Rimuru Tempest then becomes one of the most prominent figures in the world. From just a lowly slime, one of the weakest monsters, to becoming a True Demon Lord, yes, you heard me, he became a True Demon Lord! Rimuru Tempest will shake the balance of Power and stand at the top.

 

8. My Hero Academia (Izuku Midoriya/Deku)

OP MC	Character’s Writing	Plot	Total
8/10	8/10	8/10	24/30

Midoriya starts off as a quirk-less young kid who grows up idolizing All Might. He dreams of joining UA High School in order to follow in the footsteps of his role model. But with his visibly apparent lack of (you guessed it!) quirks, Deku is largely held back in his occupation as opposed to the other students.

However, his luck turns upside down after he inherits the transferable One-For-All quirk from All Might himself.

The frequently underestimated Deku sees himself learning through experiences of defeat to turn out victorious against overbearing opponents like Overhaul and Shigaraki.

Because of All Might, Deku, who once was quirkless, can now use his power to protect the ones he loves and forge his path as the number one hero in the world. Will Deku be able to surpass All Might and finally bring justice into the world? Or will evil crawl its way up from the depths of darkness and destroy the life he cares for the most.

 

7. Black Clover (Asta)

OP MC	Character’s Writing	Plot	Total
9/10	7/10	8/10	24/30

Asta is able to do a lot of things with just one hand. Do one hundred vertical push-ups, swing around a humongous sword, and also carry the entire series single-handedly (pun intended).

Being the typically noisy Shonen protagonist, Asta can come across as quite annoying to a fresh viewer. But behind that kid lies an individual with mythical amounts of strength despite his inability to use magic (magic = a key requirement in the series).

With mastery over his swords and physical strength, Asta makes up for his mystical shortcomings and effectively dismantles several tough opponents on his way to becoming the Wizard King. He then possesses something more incredible than Magic itself, Anti-Magic! Anti-magic basically negates all magic present in the Black Clover universe and you cannot tell me that is not OP. Because of his lack of magic, only Asta can use that power and truly shine as an overpowered Main Character.

 

6. Hunter x Hunter (Gon Freecss) 

OP MC	Character’s Writing	Plot	Total
8/10	8/10	9/10	25/30

‘Oh look! A cute kid in a nice green outfit. Couldn’t possibly push 4 tons by himself, could he now?’ Hunter x Hunter revolves around a young boy who discovers the past of his father, a renowned hunter who hunted down some of the most exotic beings on the planet. At the start of the series, Gon is merely 11-12 years old.

Despite his pocket-sized outer appearance and charming demeanor, Gon is no force to be reckoned with. Freecss is convincing when it comes to the departments of stealth and physicality due to his Hunter background. I wouldn’t want to face any version of Gon on any day, and it sure as hell wouldn’t be a Gon on steroids! 

 

5. Hellsing (Alucard)

OP MC	Character’s Writing	Plot	Total
10/10	7/10	8/10	25/30

Alucard is the slightly more fashionable cousin of Dracula who also doesn’t die in the sunlight. A vampire without its most notable weakness is similar to a god. Unlike his more famous relatives, Alucard’s lack of this renowned Achilles Heel makes him a virtually immortal being. On top of being an omnipresent creature, he also commands an army of undead soldiers. Alucard’s reflexes and agility also make him incredibly hard to track down in combat, creating a tough dilemma for the Queen’s soldiers.

 

4. Dragon Ball Series (Son Goku) 

OP MC	Character’s Writing	Plot	Total
10/10	8/10	8/10	26/30

The God of the Dragons. The First Omni-King. The guy she tells you not to worry about. Goku holds all the monikers to make up for one of the most ridiculously overpowered MCs in all of the anime despite his usually foolish shenanigans.

Goku is a part of the Saiyan race which already makes him pretty powerful from your regular earthling. However, his dedicated training rituals are what crafted the individual that could single-handedly save the planet on countless occasions.

From devouring countless plates of food every meal to casually walking around with clothes that weigh the mass of a Giant Panda, Goku’s training regime is no joke.

 

3. Berserk (Guts) 

OP MC	Character’s Writing	Plot	Total
8/10	10/10	9/10	27/30

The physical embodiment of brawn and one of the coldest MCs to grace the medium has a fittingly cold name. Guts is a mercenary with expansive levels of strength and physicality. He tears his way through the harrowing medieval landscape by swinging around his titanic claymore which is heavier than the muscular MC himself.

The might of the sword coupled with his inhuman speed in using it, allowed Guts to defeat over 1000 ancient monsters, making him one of the strongest humans to exist in anime.

 

2. Attack on Titan (Eren Yeager)

OP MC	Character’s Writing	Plot	Total
9/10	10/10	10/10	29/30

Eren starts off his life in the Training Corps as this frail kid getting his butt thrown around the ground by Annie Leonhart. Getting his legs gnawed off in his first Titan encounter, Yeager is swallowed whole within the first five episodes of the series. But do not worry, for the plot armor in this show is so strong that it may even be able to square up against the 60-meter Colossal Titan.

Eren later turns out to be the wielder of the Attack Titan, Humanity’s last hope, and an insanely strong being with extensive regenerative abilities. As the series progresses, Yeager evolves into an entity so colossal and intimidating that it could go one-on-one with a god.

Eren’s strength comes from his undying hatred against the Titans that took everything from him. His home, his mother, his comrades, his wish of a normal life. Eren Yeager will bring forth chaos against the Titans and more secrets will be revealed, adding fuel to the flame.

 

1. One Punch Man (Saitama)

OP MC	Character’s Writing	Plot	Total
10/10	10/10	10/10	30/30

The dictionary definition of OP and the man that can decimate literal gods with the flick of his wrist seemingly looks quite normal (and also quite bald). Saitama does not possess the flashy hairdo that Naruto has nor the naturally sinister glare of Light Yagami, he just looks like the guy across the street cosplaying your favorite dated superhero.

But imagine being so mighty that eliminating some of humanity’s greatest threats just takes a matter of seconds, making it as boring for him as taking out the trash is for some of us. Saitama’s rock-hard resolve coupled with his iconic workout regime turned him into one of, if not the, strongest human alive; strong enough to place himself right at the top of this list.

 

WHAT ARE OVERPOWERED MCs?

With Saitama claiming his spot as the strongest (as well as the baldest) of them all, we’ve managed to look at some of the most OP characters in anime who may not look as OP at first glance. There’s something so satisfying about an often underestimated character turning out to be the one with the most intimidating abilities.

Characters often discounted Son Goku due to his seemingly goofy and chill nature. Sure he eats like a bear while training day in and day out, but there’s nothing remarkable about him during the start of the series. And this miscalculation is more or less the worst decision someone can make in their career, as well as their life. You probably won’t ever know the costs of underestimating a god because you wouldn’t even be alive to realize it!

Another prime example is the case of Gon Freecs. In comparison to the eerie Hisoka, Gon seems like the kid down the street. A lot of participants in the Hunter Exam don’t think much of him as he looks just like any other child. What they don’t know is that Freecs is actually one of the most prolific hunters of the status quo. This factor makes Gon an exciting prospect who sweeps his way through the Exam, making an equally entertaining storyline for the audience in the anime and the audience IRL.

Time and time again, it’s been proven that many otakus tend to prefer MCs of this sort. Mob, Goku, and Deku are some of the most widely celebrated fictional characters in modern Shonen, especially amongst the younger generations. What these characters do better than others to receive this veneration is a sense of relatability.

We all feel unvalued once in a while. Whether it’s our physical shortcomings or intellectual weaknesses, we feel that our true potential isn’t recognized by the ones around us. When an anime character who is underappreciated and undervalued turns out to be this extremely cool and mighty individual, it can have a lasting effect on someone; maybe even invigorate their lost passion for something they dropped. This goes on to show how much influence anime holds over modern media, going far beyond just providing entertainment.

And for the ones who missed your favorite main character on this list, I’ve got the answer for you. I could’ve thrown in the occasional Naruto or the casual Itadori, but they don’t exactly fit the scope of being OP. Sure, they do manage to overcome their initial shortcomings and become some of the mightiest characters in that universe; but due to the existence of invincible entities such as Madara Uchiha or Gojo Satoru, your favorite Shonen protagonist may have fallen just a bit short on this list.

 

CONCLUSION

I hope you enjoyed this list and discovered a couple of unknown anime facts from it. Just like the MCs on this list, you too have an endless amount of potential in you. It just needs a little tap to get it going!

Stay safe during these times, and keep watching anime! Sayonara!