10 most powerful beings in shonen anime history
Shonen anime has a history of powerful beings. From dragons to other manner of legendary creatures, these beings hold supreme power over the cosmos in their respective series, if not the entirety of shonen anime history. Their powers range from the universe shaking to reality warping.
These are the 10 most powerful beings in Shonen anime history, one per series.
Disclaimer: This article reflects the opinions of the author and includes spoilers for all anime series included.
10 of shonen anime's most supreme beings
1) Grand Zeno - Dragon Ball Super
Starting this list off easy is the Grand Zeno from the shonen anime Dragon Ball Super. Introduced in the Zeno Expo arc, this diminutive looking creature is powerful enough to throw galaxies and planets around like marbles. Zeno has more than proven his feats, erasing Future Truns' entire reality when it was overtaken by Infinite Zamasu, and being able to erase entire universes with a finger wave.
Don't underestimate his child stature or intelligence; he's been known to delete people for less than insulting him. Fortunately, Goku instituted the Tournament of Power because Zeno was planning on wiping all of the universes out! At least by making it a tournament, they all had a chance. It's certainly one of the smartest moves in shonen anime history, befriending a god.
2) Haruhi Suzumiya - The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
If Zeno's appearance took viewers off guard, Haruhi is bound to stun them. From The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Haruhi looks like a normal high school girl, albeit a very eccentric one. So, how does she rank up there with godlike beings like Zeno?
She's a god-like being herself, able to create and manipulate reality in what's called Closed Space when her emotions become unstable. She created a time loop, multiple organisms, can change the weather, tilt the orbit of the Earth, and basically manifest anything according to her desires. She also subconsciously creates celestials that can destroy the world, and the only thing maintaining the structure of reality is Haruhi's mentality focusing on creation rather than destruction.
3) Arceus - Pokemon
The long-lasting Pokemon franchise has its fair share of gods and godlike beings, from Ho-Oh to Giratina, from Entei to Darkrai. The one above all of them, however, is Arceus, who controls the main Pokemon universe and the ability to jump through dimensions and time itself. It can also stop movements through space time and in space/time. But it's not quite malevolent, as it created the entire Pokemon world as well as gods like Dialga, Palkina, and Giritina.
It can calm Dialga and Palkia down, make things shift in and out of reality, overturn the laws of nature, and has protected the planet from meteors and various other cataclysms. It doesn't suffer fools, nearly destroying the world after it believed the people of the town of Michina betrayed it.
It also speaks to humans, and the physical form is only one piece of its true being.
4) The Truth - Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood
From the shonen anime Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, The Truth goes by many names - God, The World, The Universe, etc. However, it is itself the world and the natural order of things. It appears before alchemists who attempt human transmutation to forcibly take their most valued attribute or something of equal value. It is cunning and merciless but fair and wise, as one must be when dealing with alchemy's laws.
It only takes what it believes to be fair and wants to show humans an important lesson: alchemy isn't everything, and it can be devastating and crippling to those who aren't good enough.
Edward Elric learns this well enough, and Truth is pleased to admit defeat when Ed gives up his alchemy for good to rescue his brother.
5) Tenchi Masaki - Tenchi Muyo
From the shonen anime Tenchi Muyo, Techni is technically the most powerful being in his universe in terms of sheer raw power, but he was brought down to normal without any memory of it. Still, he has the ability to escape black holes and summon Light Hawk Wings, giant energy shields that normally take a whole ship to conjure. He also summons energy blades.
He's also traveled through timespace with his powers, the full extent of which is limitless. His full god form was unleashed only once and immediately had to be revered, or it posed the risk of universal destruction.
6) Ryuk - Death Note
From the psychological shonen anime Death Note, Ryuk is a Shinigami that can kill anyone by writing their name in the Death Note notebook. Ryuk gave the Death Note to Light Yagami because he was bored, plain and simple.
Ryuk moves through people like the Grim Reaper, either causing something like cardiac arrest or far more devious punishments. In the end, however, he reliquishes the power and kills Light on the spot at his lowest point.
7) Kaguya Ōtsutsuki - Naruto
Controversial as Kaguya's inclusion late in the shonen anime Naruto was, she still made a lasting impact. She was sealed up long ago in The God Tree, having eaten the Chakra Fruit and gone mad with power as a result. In fact, she was able to level entire forests, create pocket dimensions, and set land ablaze with merely a touch.
For Naruto fans, this is where the true test of Team 7s godly abilities came in. The fight required quite a lot in terms of Chakra, giant Susanoo summons, and all the energy they could muster just to seal her back up permanently. She is the mother of all Chakra users and eye power users, and wasn't even the only one of her kind.
8) The Winged Dragon of Ra - Yu-Gi-Oh!
The most powerful of the Egyptian God Cards, The Winged Dragon of Ra was showcased in the shonen anime Yu-Gi-Oh's Battle City Tournament. Aside from Exodia the Forbidden One, this card reigns supreme over the others. It has provided some amazing anime moments, so let's dive into what makes it so special.
Players can pay all but 100 life points and add them to the card's attack and defense, maxing out to at least 8,000 damage. It can also wipe all monsters on the field for 1,000 life points per monster.
Beyond that, in the anime itself, it was only capable of being summoned by Yami in the distant past. When they did eventually summon it, it required deciphering the Hieratic text to fully summon it. This resulted in an epic duel between Yami Yugi and Yami Marik, which almost destroyed the airship they were on and the city below.
9) Sōsuke Aizen - Bleach
This conniving, scheming, two-faced Soul Reaper in the shonen anime Bleach is nothing if not trying to become a supreme being. Aizen certainly has the schemes for it. His hypnosis powers cannot be broken out of, even by fellow Shingami. His keen intellect means he's always a step or several ahead of his enemies. He has avoided and cheated death more than a few times.
His supreme status can count for his combat abilities: he's so fast he can't be seen attacking even by Shinigami eyes, his dark powers are so great he stops several people, including more than a few captains, and he's effectively immortal.
10) The AntiSpiral - Gurren Lagann
The true enemy in the hotblooded shonen anime Gurren Lagann, the AntiSpiral is the physical manifestation of the Anti-Spiral consciousness. Their technology allows them to move planets with ease, affects the laws of physics and quantum mechanics, and is basically the true villain of the entire show.
The Antispiral had a deep malcontent for anyone that didn't see things like it did, using galaxies and planets to throw at team Dai-Gurren. It considers them an impossibility, a speck, something to be eradicated with all of its cosmic power.
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