Updated May 12, 2024 by testing
Martial Arts stories are probably one of the oldest themes when it comes to different kinds of literature especially on manga and manhwa and even now they are still widely popular among anime fans! Shows like Naruto, Dragonball, or even Fist of the North Star are one of the shows that have martial arts! As for that, we’re gonna talk about the martial arts genre with overpowered MCs that you would surely love to read!
Others you may like: 15+ Anime Where MC gets Rejected by a Girl
OP MCs IN MARTIAL ARTS MANGA/MANHWA!!
25. Fist of the Blue Sky
| Title | Fist of the Blue Sky |
| Genre | Action |
| Type | Manga |
| Volumes | 22 |
| Authors | Buronson |
| Published | 2001 |
Before the famous Kenshiro from the Fist of the North Star takes the spotlight, a previous Kenshiro already existed before his time and his name was Kasumi Kenshirou. In the city of Shanghai, a young child named Erika was stuck in the middle of a war between rivaling mafias.
Erika ended up getting orphaned by Liu Fei Yan who is a martial artist and everytime Erika gets adopted, her new parents always get killed. Liu Fei Yan then decided to hand her off to Charles de Guise but before that happens, they encountered a man named Kasumi Kenshirou, who is a powerful martial artist and the inheritor of Hokuto Shinken.
24. Return of the Mad Demon
| Title | Return of the Mad Demon |
| Genre | Action |
| Type | Manhwa |
| Volumes | 1 |
| Authors | Yu, Jinsung |
| Published | 2021 |
Jaha Lee is known as the Mad Demon who aspires to be the Martial Arts God and he made a grave decision when he stole the Jade of Heaven of the Demonic Cult. As he gets chased by the dreaded Cult, he accidentally falls off a cliff and ends up falling several feet from the ground. In surprise to him, he finds himself alive after the fall and other than that, he even went back in time! Now that Jaha knows what will happen in the future, he strengthens himself in the field of Martial Arts to prepare for his fight against the Demonic Cult!
23. Girls of the Wild’s
| Title | Girls of the Wild’s |
| Genre | Action |
| Type | Manhwa |
| Volumes | 1 |
| Authors | Hun |
| Published | 2011 |
Wild’s Private High is an all-girls academy that consists of females who are experts in the field of martial arts. In order to strengthen their skills more, the academy hosts an event called the Wild’s League where students are put in a fighting competition and whoever takes the top spot will be crowned as the Queen.
As the school changes from an all-girls to a co-ed institution, they now allow male students to enroll in the academy and this is where the MC, Song Gae Ju, takes his spot. Even though he started off as a weakling, after Gae Ju encountered overpowered female students such as Choi Dal Dal, Lee Moon Yung, and the Queen herself, he instantly realized that he must get stronger if he wants to enter the world of martial arts!
22. Heavenly Demon Reborn!
| Title | Heavenly Demon Reborn! |
| Genre | Action, Fantasy |
| Type | Manhwa |
| Volumes | 1 |
| Authors | Ilhwang |
| Published | 2018 |
Unseong lives in a world where martial arts is the biggest trend. As he watches his master gets tortured after getting falsely accused of using demonic arts, he felt powerless to do anything. But even so, he still decided to fight them and still ended up getting killed, unfortunately. However, life gave him a second chance and now he gets reincarnated as a young warrior who practices demonic arts! Unseong now has a goal of seeking for his master’s death and he is more determined than ever to learn demonic arts and use the power to its full capacity!
21. Shinobi Life
| Title | Shinobi Life |
| Genre | Action, Comedy, Drama |
| Type | Manga |
| Volumes | 13 |
| Authors | Konami, Shouko |
| Published | 2006 |
Beni is a rebellious teenager who doesn’t care about what happens to herself as long as he gets to humiliate her father because of his arrogant attitude. Soon after, there came a time when a guy fell from the sky named Kagetora who is a powerful ninja of the Inuishuu Clan and swore fealty to Beni as her personal bodyguard. It seems that Kagetora has mistaken her for the Princess Beni in their world and he doesn’t seem to have any clue about it! Follow their story that is full of martial arts and a sprinkle of romance in Shinobi Life!
20. Kengan Omega
| Title | Kengan Omega |
| Genre | Action |
| Type | Manga |
| Volumes | 15 |
| Authors | Sandrovich, Yabako |
| Published | 2019 |
Kengan Omega is a prequel to the original series, Kengan Ashura, and this time it tells the story of Narushima Kouga. He is a man who wants to participate in Kengan matches all because of Tokito Ouma, a guy who he wants to have a rematch with after losing a match against him three years ago.
One day, he meets a guy who looks similar to Kouga and is named Gaou Ryuuki. Upon their encounter, Ryuuki introduced him to Yamashita Kazuo who becomes Kouga’s manager so that he can participate in Kengan matches!
Others you may like: 10+ ANIME Where MC is Master!
19. Veritas
| Title | Veritas |
| Genre | Action, Comedy, Drama |
| Type | Manhwa |
| Volumes | 10 |
| Authors | Joon-shik Yoon, Star Berry |
| Published | 2005 |
Ma Gangryong is an 18-year-old high schooler who dreams of becoming the strongest person who ever lived. To achieve this, he meets a man named Yoochun who becomes Gangryong’s master and teaches him a style of martial arts called the Enlightenment Of Thunder and Lightning.
However, Yoochun met his untimely death after a year and random people came up to Gangryong’s house to tell the bad news. Since Gangryong was the only student of Yoochun, he was invited to a school full of students with supernatural powers! It looks like Gangryong’s training was not in vain and now he sees an opportunity where he can become more powerful than ever!
18. Negima! Magister Negi Magi
| Title | Negima! Magister Negi Magi |
| Genre | Action, Comedy, Romance |
| Type | Manga |
| Volumes | 38 |
| Authors | Akamatsu, Ken |
| Published | 2003 |
Negi Springfield is a young kid who just graduated from a school in Wales called the Merdiana Magic Academy. Despite being at a young age, Negi is a wizard with big dreams that includes searching for the Thousand Master and becoming a Magister Magi, a mage who helps people as part of their everyday lives. However, to prove his determination in becoming a Magister Magi, Negi was assigned to become an English teacher in Japan!
Things went suddenly downhill for Negi’s case as he accidentally gave away his identity to a student named Asuna Kagurazaka! More problems arise as more supernatural threats begin to emerge while protecting Mahora Academy’s students and hiding his real identity!
17. The Legend and the Hero
| Title | The Legend and the Hero |
| Genre | Action, Adventure, Fantasy |
| Type | Manhwa |
| Volumes | 1 |
| Authors | Zheng Jian He, Cheng Kin Wo, Tang Chi Fai |
| Published | 2010 |
The Legend and the Hero tells the story of the rebellious Zi Zhou as he refused to kneel before the gods of the realm. He told the messenger that he will no longer follow the rules of the gods because of their tyranny. As expected from the gods, they considered his answer as a threat and ordered the nation of Wu Jifa to destroy Zi Zhou’s nation of Shang.
The two nations engage in a bloody battle and as Zhou slashes away most of the enemies, a god appears before Zhou to settle a deal with him.
16. Angel Densetsu
| Title | Angel Densetsu |
| Genre | Action, Comedy, Romance |
| Type | Manga |
| Volumes | 15 |
| Authors | Yagi, Norihiro |
| Published | 1992 |
Seiichirou Kitano is a delinquent high-schooler feared by many of his schoolmates. With his by his scary aura, even the toughest students in their school are no match for him and he even managed to beat up their strongest thug!
Well, that’s what everyone sees on the outside but in reality, Kitano is actually a goodhearted guy. It’s just that he always ends up in fights that overshadow his good intentions to help people! More misunderstandings await for Kitano’s life as he becomes the new so-called guardian of his school!
15. Ranma ½
| Title | Ranma ½ |
| Genre | Action, Comedy, Romance, Ecchi |
| Type | Manga |
| Volumes | 38 |
| Authors | Takahashi, Rumiko |
| Published | 1987 |
Ranma ½ is one of the most popular old-school anime you’ll ever find! The anime focuses on Ranma’s story as one of the best martial artists you’ll ever know. One day, when Ranma and his dad went to a hot spring in China, they suddenly got cursed for some reason and now Ranma turns into a girl everytime he gets hit with cold water! Meanwhile, his father turns into a panda of the same cause!
More problems arise as Ranma learns that he’s actually engaged to Tendou Akane in order to preserve their dojo’s future! In Ranma ½, you’ll get to laugh all you want since this is a show mixed with martial arts and of course, comedy!
Others you may like: 25+ Anime Games With Character Customization (CREATE)!
14. Legend of the Northern Blade
| Title | Legend of the Northern Blade |
| Genre | Action, Adventure, Fantasy |
| Type | Manhwa |
| Volumes | 1 |
| Authors | Woogack |
| Published | 2019 |
Valiant soldiers of the Northern Heavenly Sect have spent several years battling to protect the world from the evil Silent Night. However, in order to safeguard the leader’s son, Moowon, the leader was forced to end their days as warriors of the Sect and killed himself after being charged with plotting with the enemy.
Moowon now has a dull way of living while under constant observation and then everything changed for Moowon when the Silent Night made an attack in his area giving him a chance to escape in the faraway lands. Now that Moowon is free, he trains rigorously in order to seek revenge on the people who falsely accused his father!
13. Kengan Ashura
| Title | Kengan Ashura |
| Genre | Action |
| Type | Manga |
| Volumes | 27 |
| Authors | Sandrovich, Yabako |
| Published | 2012 |
The Kengan Association is an organization where they hold brutal tournaments under the eyes of the public. It is a sport where fighters risk their own lives for money and entertainment and death is sometimes inevitable in a Kengan match.
One of these fighters is Tokita Ouma who is also known as the Ashura among people in the Kengan Association. He is definitely one of the strongest fighters and martial artists you’ll definitely encounter in the underground of Japan. Tokita Ouma lives in a do or die situation as he participates in deadly Kengan matches.
12. Nano Machine
| Title | Nano Machine |
| Genre | Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi |
| Type | Manhwa |
| Volumes | 1 |
| Authors | Hanjung Wolya |
| Published | 2020 |
What happens if you combine both Nanotechnology and Martial Arts? Now that’s an interesting concept for a series. Nano Machines basically give you that idea where nanomachines allow you to have incredible martial arts capabilities! That’s what happened for Yeo-un’s case as he gets injected by a nanomachine injection in order to duel against step-siblings who are known to be far stronger than him!
11. Return of the Blossoming Blade
| Title | Return of the Blossoming Blade |
| Genre | Action, Adventure, Fantasy |
| Type | Manhwa |
| Volumes | 1 |
| Authors | Biga |
| Published | 2021 |
After a couple of centuries, Cheongmyeong finally reawakens into the modern world of humans. The last thing he remembers was fighting against a Demonic Army led by Cheonma. As he defeats Cheonma, he manages to save the future of Ancient China but at the cost of his own life. Now that he has awakened once again, Cheongmyeong has a new goal in mind and that is to restore the reputation of Mount Hua!
Others you may like: Naruto Characters Height, Weight, Birthday & Age!
10. Vagabond
| Title | Vagabond |
| Genre | Action, Adventure, Award Winning |
| Type | Manga |
| Volumes | 37 |
| Authors | Yoshikawa, Eiji |
| Published | 1998 |
Vagabond is a Japanese manga that tells the story of Miyamoto Musashi in a rather unique way. Before he took the identity as Musashi, he was first known as Shinmen Takezo of the Musashi Province. He was part of a historical war between the Toyotomi Clan and Tokugawa Clan taking the side of the former.
After their defeat in the battle of Sekigahara, Musashi eventually becomes a wandering swordsman who took on the name of Miyamoto Musashi to hide his true identity due to being falsely accused of murdering his friend. In his journeys, his goal is not simply to hide but rather to improve himself both in swordsmanship and in the science of martial arts.
In Japanese history, Miyamoto Musashi is famed as one of the best swordsmen who ever lived during the Edo period because of his two-sword style called the Niten Ichi-ryu which translates to Two Heavens as One.
9. Rurouni Kenshin
| Title | Rurouni Kenshin |
| Genre | Action, Drama |
| Type | Manga |
| Volumes | 28 |
| Authors | Watsuki, Nobuhiro |
| Published | 1994 |
The bloody wars in Japan are now over and a lot of samurais have become wanderers during the peaceful times of Japan. One of which is Himuro Kenshin, a famous assassin known for his feats during the Bakumatsu Era as the killer, Hitokiri Battousai. But despite several years having passed, a lot of people still remember the legendary killer of the past.
As Kenshin thrives for a peaceful life, he encounters a girl named Kamiya Kaoru, a girl who trains at a kendo dojo. Kenshin sees Kaoru in a predicament as an impostor who claims himself as Battousai continues to threaten the girl. Kenshin helped the poor girl and invited him to her dojo and now he adjusts to a new life of peace while an unknown threat awaits before him.
8. Hanma Baki
| Title | Hanma Baki |
| Genre | Action, Adventure |
| Type | Manga |
| Volumes | 37 |
| Authors | Itagaki, Keisuke |
| Published | 2005 |
Hanma Baki has trained himself for over 18 years in order to defeat his father, Yuujiro, for their final match and now he challenged him for a battle that will decide the “World’s Strongest”. Before their match, Baki wasted no time and trained himself even more and this time he’s going to face any enemies who are deemed to have the same strength as Yuujiro.
One of his first rivals is Biscuit Olivia and a man who lived from the prehistoric era, Pickle. More obstacles begin to merge before him to prove to himself that he’s got everything it takes to become the World’s Strongest and gain the respect of his father.
7. Fist of the North Star
| Title | Fist of the North Star |
| Genre | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi |
| Type | Manga |
| Volumes | 27 |
| Authors | Buronson |
| Published | 1983 |
Kenshirou is a wanderer in a dystopian world after he almost died at the hands of his rival, Shin. Now that Kenshirou’s lover was abducted by his rival, he goes on a quest of defeating monsters and other martial artists that stand in his way. Unknown to him, as he defeats more of his adversaries, Kenshirou slowly earns the reputation of a hero among the people.
Because of this, stronger opponents take notice of Kenshirou’s potential and will now come for him, giving Kenshirou a harder obstacle to conquer before he gets to save Yuria.
6. The God of High School
| Title | The God of High School |
| Genre | Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Supernatural |
| Type | Manhwa |
| Volumes | 2 |
| Authors | Park, Yong-Je |
| Published | 2011 |
In order to see the strongest martial artists among high-school students, a special event is held called the God of High School! It is a competition that determines the best of the best in different forms of combat and one of the participants is the main protagonist, Jin Mo-Ri!
Jin Mo-Ri is an expert in taekwondo and meets fellow allies as strong as him like Han Dae-Wi, a karate expert, and Yu Mi-Ra who is a swordsman! Watch Mo-Ri as he climbs up the ranks of becoming the strongest as he unlocks his godly potential in God of High School!
5. Yu Yu Hakusho
| Title | Yu Yu Hakusho |
| Genre | Action, Award Winning, Comedy, Drama, Supernatural |
| Type | Manga |
| Volumes | 19 |
| Authors | Togashi, Yoshihiro |
| Published | 1990 |
Yusuke Urameshi is a teenage delinquent who meets his death at an early age by trying to save a boy from a car crash. The higher-ups in the spirit realm even considered it as something unexpected since it is not in Yusuke’s character to save another life.
Surprised by this incident, they were not prepared for Yusuke’s soul to pass on and so they decided to give him a series of challenges in order for him to be resurrected. This challenge is by turning him into a Spirit Detective who defeats evil spirits. Will Yusuke be able to conquer this and get another chance to live?
4. Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
| Title | Boruto: Naruto Next Generations |
| Genre | Action, Adventure, Fantasy |
| Type | Manga |
| Volumes | 18 |
| Authors | Kodachi, Ukyou |
| Published | 2016 |
Boruto: Naruto Next Generations is the sequel to Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto series. It tells the story of Naruto’s son Boruto along with his fellow ninjas in the Village Hidden in the Leaf! As famous characters from the original series return such as Naruto and Hinata, more enemies will also appear for more thrilling ninja adventures in the new Boruto series!
3. The Breaker
| Title | The Breaker |
| Genre | Action, Comedy, Drama |
| Type | Manhwa |
| Volumes | 10 |
| Authors | Jeon, Geuk-jin |
| Published | 2007 |
Shi-Woon is a student who attends Nine Dragons High School and always gets beaten up by bullies such as Ho Chang and his group. A strange man named Han Chun Woo witnesses one of these events and calls Shi-Woon a coward for not fighting back. Later on, Chun Woo was revealed as the new English teacher in their class!
Determined to get stronger, Shi-Woon enrolls in a school that teaches martial arts and on his way to the academy, he sees Chun Woo cornered by a gang in a random alley. Shi-Woon recorded the whole thing and witnessed Chun Woo beat all of them easily. He used the recording to blackmail Chun Woo in exchange for teaching him martial arts. Chun Woo agrees as he drags Shi-Woon to Murim, a world full of martial arts!
2. Naruto
| Title | Naruto |
| Genre | Action, Adventure, Fantasy |
| Type | Manga |
| Volumes | 72 |
| Authors | Kishimoto, Masashi |
| Published | 1999 |
Naruto is the most popular anime out there when it comes to ninjas! Shinobis in this world can control different elements by using ninjutsu and there are also other ninjas who focus more on physical combat known as Taijutsu.
One of these ninjas is Uzumaki Naruto, a child cursed with the Nine-Tailed Fox sealed inside him. Everyone in the village avoids him because of his potential threat as a Jinchuriki but one of the people who helped Naruto as a person is none other than Iruka, his homeroom teacher. Naruto’s dream of becoming a Hokage has led to him to improve in his ninja abilities and eventually, bigger problems will arise that will make him the center of everything.
1. Dragon Ball
| Title | Dragon Ball |
| Genre | Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy |
| Type | Manga |
| Volumes | 42 |
| Authors | Toriyama, Akira |
| Published | 1984 |
Dragon Ball takes the top spot among the Martial Arts manga we have here. Other than that, its main character Goku is also considered as one of the strongest in all of anime! His power is almost limitless, and he becomes even more stronger as more series get released!
The original Dragon Ball series started off with a young Goku who wants to become the best martial artist in the world! To do this, he was trained by his master named Muten-Roshi so that he can be strong enough to qualify in the World Martial Arts Tournament!
CONCLUSION
That’s it for this blog of the best manga with overpowered MCs. When it comes to overpowered, not all of these guys started off as overpowered already since that would be a boring plot.Most of their stories started off as weak and as you progress through the series, their potential is slowly realized until they become the best there ever will be and if the plot demands it, they may even become more overpowered than before! If you want more blogs like these, then check out the other ones we have!
Want some more? Check this out: 33+ BEST Magic Anime Of All Time!
