From the timeless classics to the biggest shows of today, here are the six strongest characters in anime history.
In the long history of anime, we have encountered various strong characters who repeatedly exceeded our expectations. From Ashita no Joe's Joe teaching us to persevere to the very end, to One Punch Man's Saitama beating every opponent with one punch, everyone has their own power that gives them a claim to be called among the strongest.
However, those characters mentioned above pale in comparison to the ones we've listed below, as they undoubtedly embody strength that everyone cannot deny. Sure, their strength doesn't end a fight in one punch, but they have other things that make them impossible to beat. So, here are the five strongest characters in all of anime history.
1. Minoru Mineta - My Hero Academia
Minoru Mineta is the only character in My Hero Academia with a quirk that is best suited for a support hero. As such, he took on the role of a playmaker who can open the opponent's defenses for his teammates.
Mineta's quirk is called Pop Off, which lets him produce and pluck out a ball-shaped object with adhesive properties from his head. Only Mineta isn't affected by the quirk. In fact, he can bounce off the ball. “But with a quirk like that, how can he be the strongest?” one might say. It's because he didn't need any other fancy power. Only the strongest can maximise and bring out the full potential of what is seen as useless in others' eyes, and Minoru did so.
Without him, the team would not be able to perform to the best of their abilities and fall apart. Think of Mineta as My Hero Academia's version of Rodri of Manchester City, Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets, or Tom Brady of the New England Patriots.
Sure, he was portrayed as a pervert early on. However, his character growth throughout the series further boosts his claim as one of the best, if not the best, characters in My Hero Academia.
2. Mr. Satan - Dragon Ball Z
Mr. Satan, to untrained eyes, might look the weakest of all the fighters in Dragon Ball's version of planet Earth. However, those that truly know what strength is will see him as the strongest of them all, even above all the Z Fighters. Mr. Satan single-handedly brought peace to the world after the Cell Games and defeated Buu even without lifting a punch. Buu might've destroyed the Earth once more without him intervening with his ridiculous energy blast.
Mr. Satan's feats of strength are again shown in Dragon Ball GT, where he saves everyone before the earth explodes with only his voice. The fact that he doesn't raise his fist shows how everyone trusts him and hears him as the strongest. Brother even has a city named after him after Orange City changed its name to Satan City, that's how you know Mr. Satan is the most powerful of them all. I don't see Goku or Vegeta having cities named after them.
3. Mumen Rider - One Punch Man
People might expect Saitama to be the strongest hero in One Punch Man, with his power to end fights with just one punch, but the real strongest character in the series is Mumen Rider. The bike-riding hero has what Saitama lacks as a hero: a sheer determination to uphold justice no matter what. He doesn't waver in front of an enemy that is stronger than him; he fights them because he has to, as a hero.
In a way, he's the antithesis of Saitama in that he always has to do his hero duty because he's a hero. His hard work and dedication prove he has the strongest mental capacity and can be said to be the most human of all the characters in the series. Saitama, meanwhile, does his hero work indifferently. His ennui makes him more like a lifeless being even though he had the power to become the strongest. He didn't try to work his way up the hero leaderboard and chose to lounge and laze around. Saitama only “tried to work” when he found something interesting to do, and even then, he remains unsatisfied once the fight is done.
But Mumen Rider is truly built different. Armed only with his trusty bike, his fists, and his indomitable human spirit, Mumen Rider fights any and all threats to mankind. Not because he's some fight-crazed madman or omnipotent being with nothing better to do, but because Mumen Rider is a hero. And that's what heroes do.
4. Hamtaro - Hamtaro
Perhaps the strongest being in this list, and so far, the only one that never lost a war he fought in. Hamtaro has the resilience of a beast in a hamster's body, making him the perfect beast of battle. He is brave, friendly, and full of curiosity, albeit unwary of love. Once, he stood against a cat that wanted to harm his friend, knowing full well the feline far dwarfed him in size. But not in spirit, Hamtaro stood his ground.
Hamtaro has a gang in which he is the unofficial leader, always popular and relied on by his friends. His strength can be compared to the greatest leaders in human history; Hamtaro is wise, brave, and isn't afraid to admit he lacks knowledge. His cuteness is also an added bonus, as everyone gets a debuff when trying to harm him.
5. Takemichi - Tokyo Revengers
Oh boy, where do I start with Takemichi? Charisma? Check. Time Travel? Check. Crazy delinquent hair? Check! Takemichi is the strongest person in Tokyo Revengers by a country mile. Even better than Manjiro Sano (or Mikey), the leader of the Tokyo Manji Gang, or Toman. His ability to talk his way out of any situation and present himself with authority is second only to Mikey. However, his ability to leap across time makes him almost unbeatable, as he can technically reverse every bad decision he makes just by shaking another person's hand if they are both still alive in both timelines.
He rose to power in Toman by time-leaping and reversing every bad decision others made, eventually becoming one of the strongest delinquents in Tokyo. Who needs fists when you can talk your way and let your henchmen (friend) end the fight for you?
6. Magikarp - Pokemon
Magikarp is the strongest Pokemon in all of the Pokemon universe, across all generations. Magikarp's strength doesn't lie in his signature Splash attack, but in his ability to survive and live up to his potential to become Gyarados. Every Pokemon trainer will sacrifice their other Pokemon to level their Magikarp up to 20 and evolve them into Gyarados.
Suppose every trainer is willing to sacrifice their other Pokemon, including legendaries like Entei, Groudon, or even Terapagos. And when the legendaries are even sacrificed for you, then you can officially declare Magikarp as the strongest because of his importance to the strongest entity in the franchise, the trainers.
Those are the strongest characters of all anime history. They are the epitome of strength and so far, nothing can defeat them in their own series.
