If we ask you about the series that introduced you to the wondrous world of anime, then chances are that the following names might escape your lips — Naruto, Bleach, One Piece, and Dragon Ball Z. There are more names, of course, but the bevy of powerful characters that these series have featured, providing us with a power fantasy unlike anything that we'd ever seꦗen before, can't be understate🐟d.

Our childhood has been graced with over-the-top fights where characters constantly reach new levels of power to combat and successfully overthrow an incredibly powerful threat that seems absolutely impossible to overcome. It's these power fantasies that𒈔 have shaped the power trope everyone associates with anime.

Updated on October 17, 2024, by Jon Eakin: Power scaling debates are a staple of the anime fandom, endless hours spent discussing just who is the strongest. It's never a settled matter, as anime continues to release and treat us all with new characters to obsess over.

With that in mind, we've updated this list with a few characters who have shown t🐓heir true strength in recent years, and updated all of the existing entries for good measure.

33 Shigeo Kageyama ▨

Esper Extraordinaire

Mob Psycho🎀 100 is one of the best anime around, and fans can't wait to see Shigeo and the gang back again for another season. Mob is a pretty calm individual who wants to succeed on his merit, but his dormant power absolutely explodes after his emotions go berserk.

He's a pretty powerful esper who can lay waste to anyone in his path when he reaches his full potential. However, he never tries to rely on these🅺 powers all the time, making him a pretty interesting protagonist.

32 🔥 Aize✨n Sosuke

Bankai Boss

Once a major part of Gotei 13, Aizenܫ perhaps has the most memorable heel turns of all time in anime history. He definitely earns a spot on this list with his impressive Bankai that not many can overcome. His role as the antagonist of Bleach was incredibly engrossing.

There are many reasons that people point at wh🌱ile talking about the downfall of Bleacꦿh, and perhaps the most telling one has to be the fact that Aizen was disposed of as the primary antagonist of Bleach, which reduced the interest fans had in the series as a whole.

31 𒅌 Nats👍u Dragneel

All Heart

Most people have mixed opinions about Fairy Tail, but the general consensus is that it was a fairly engrossing — albeit somewhat generic — anime series. However, there's one thing that fans 𝓡can unanimously agree upon — Natsu Dragneel was pretty freaking strong.

His growth throughout the series has been nothing short of commendable, even though most of these power-ups have been powered through raw emotion rather than sheer training far too many 🌸times for the liking of fans.

30 𒐪 🎉 Monkey D. Luffy

I Hear The Drums Of Liberation

The lovable protagonist of One Piece also has a firm spot on the list due to how his strength has progressed over time in the series. Eiichiro Oda can definitely write strong characters, and Luffy is certa𒀰inly one of them — from both an emotional a𒉰nd physical perspective.

The fact of the matter is that Luffy can definitely give any person on this list a run for their money due to his incredibly durable physical nature. Of course, we can't talk about Luffy's powers and not mention his Gears, which have furt🍒her improved h🅷is physical abilities.

29 Jotaro Kujo 🔯

Ora Ora Ora

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is full to the brim with creative powers that can be used for a whole host ofꦜ functions. These appear in the form of Stands, with Stardust Crusaders being the first part to utilize these new projections of a person's being.

Jotaro, the 🧔protagonist of this part, has a pretty powerful stand that becomes even more impressive after he gets the power to control time. A Stand that can punch people into oblivion and stop time for a while is understandably quite powerful, and there's a reason why he wasn't given too much time to flex these powers in later parts.

28 ꧂ Satoru Gojo

The Six Eyes

Jujutsu Kaisen is one of the most popular anime around, and it's easy to see why this is the case. The anime is full to the brim with iconic moments, and the movie has cemented the popu💛larity of this series all over the world.

🌜One of the best characters that people love in Jujutsu Kaisen is 🍃Satoru Gojo. This jujutsu sorcerer is extremely powerful, with no one really able to stand toe-to-toe with him. There's a reason why the antagonists feel the need to seal him away before proceeding with their plans.

27 🃏 G﷽iorno Giovanna

Takes The Gold

There was a time when Giorno's Stand wasn't the most powerful thing a🦋round. Sure, Golden Wind could create life and had its unique powers, but the raw strength of this Stand wasn't really great. The punch rushes felt impactful, but there's a reason why Giorno had to make so many attacks to end most fights.

All of this ended when Golden Wind Requiem was born. This Stand is one of the most powerful in the entire series, being able to rewrite reality and manipulate life on a completely dif🔴ferent level.

26 Kars

The Ultimate Being

A villain so powerful that he couldn't be defeated by normal means, Kars was the ant൩agonist of the Battle Tendency arc in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure and certainly gave Joseph Joestaඣr a run for his money.

A legendary vampire with incredible abilities, these powers are further improved upon onceﷺ he activates the Red🙈 Stone Of Aja, which makes him an omnipotent being. It's only through a lot of clever thinking that Joseph is able to take care of this immense threat.

25 ꧙ Dio Bra💎ndo

The First And Best

Of course, we simply can't talk about powerful antagonists in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure and not mention the one p♒erson who technically cursed the fami﷽ly tree of the Joestars, Dio. He's such a key part of the series that he's the antagonist for multiple generations.

Initially starting out as a vile human being who was out to take over the Joestar household, things quickly escalated when Dio became a vampire after activating the ꦿStone Mask. People who thought that this threat was taken care of in the first part of JoJo were understandably perplexed when he made a return in Stardust Crusaders — this time with more 𒀰powers as well!

24 𝄹 Edward Newgate A.K.A. Whitebeard 🌼

Strongest Man In The World

Is it a🐬ny surprise that Whitebeard is a contender for the title of strongest? He actually holds that title in One Piece, and was a legendary pirate who reignited the flames o♍f piracy around the world that Gol D. Roger started.

The Battle of Maniford is one of the most epic moments in One Piece, and it's easy to say that Whitebeard is one of the major reasons why this arc was so special. His ability to cause quakes in anything, including the air, makes himౠ a global threat.