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Recently, there's been a sharp rise in anime where the protagonist is overpowered. Anime protagonists typically have their own individual skills that make them exceptional. Examples of this include Naruto with Kurama inside him or Goku being resistant to bullets.
Sometimes, however, there are anime protagonists whose enhanced abilities allow them to access unprecedented levels of power that enable them to go toe-to-toe against villains capable of destroying a planet with ease.
An example of such a protagonist is Saitama from One Punch Man, who is able to destroy most monsters in one punch. Another example is Haruhi Suzumiya, a god in human form, who needs to be kept entertained or else reality is destroyed in The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. This article will cover at least 20 such anime where the protagonist is overpowered.
Disclaimer: This article is subjective and contains spoilers for all the anime mentioned. The items in this list are arranged in no particular order.
One Punch Man, Saiki K, Haruhi, and more: 20 other anime where the protagonist is overpowered
1) One Punch Man
One Punch Man absolutely belongs on a list of anime where the protagonist is overpowered. It stars Saitama as the strongest superhero that seeks out powerful opponents to challenge him. It's not an easy task, as he wipes the floor with most monsters with just one punch.
Saitama joined the Hero Association to be recognized and for fame, while maintaining his ordinary lifestyle. Like many anime where the protagonist is overpowered, One Punch Man plays its main concept for laughs as Saitama's power ultimately means he's never satisfied with the result of a fight.
2) The Disastrous Life of Saiki K
Another comedy anime where the protagonist is overpowered is The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. This anime stars Kusuo Saiki, who wants a normal life but is overpowered because his capabilities include strong telekensis, mind reading and alteration of people from a 200 meter space. He could even kill everyone on earth without his limiters.
He's joined by crazy characters in his life and at school. There are some that think they're in a fantasy world and others that hear ghosts talking to them. All of this means that, even though Saiki himself wants a normal life, the craziness surrounding him and his psychic powers prevent this from happening.
3) The Misfit of Demon King Academy
One majorly underrated anime where the protagonist is overpowered is The Misfit of Demon King Academy, starring Anos Voldigoad. Anos Voldigoad was the demon king centuries ago, and was sealed away on the condition that his descendants keep the peace between the realms of demon, human, and holy.
That obviously didn't happen as the world he was reborn to was even more discriminatory than the one he left. Voldigoad vowed to become demon king again, to end the injustice in the world.
Anos is said to be so powerful that he can destroy a universe with only his fists, and has even survived complete destruction.
4) That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime
Arguably, one of the most famous examples of an anime where the protagonist is overpowered is That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime. The protagonist is Rimuru Tempest, a former salaryman who died defending a co-worker from a mugger and was reborn as a basic slime enemy in a fantasy world.
Rimuru went on to become one of the most overpowered people in anime by learning about the techniques his opponent used, and maxing out his skills in eating common potion herbs at first. He later becomes a god, capable of shifting the reality of the entire universe.
5) Assassination Classroom
One particularly odd anime where the protagonist is overpowered is Assassination Classroom, starring Koro Sensei. The smiling octopus man was previously an assassin, but got transformed thanks to experiments on his body. Now he wants to die, or else the Earth will explode.
The class he teaches, Class 3-E, is tasked with killing their teacher before this disaster occurs. The problem is that Koro Sensei is invulnerable to any conventional means of killing, and can survive everything - from bullets to poisons to supposedly ICBM missiles. On a side note, he uses his invulnerable status to help his students excel in class.
6) Trigun/Trigun Stampede
Vash the Stampede from Trigun and Trigun:Stampede could have a thing or two to say about being in an anime where the protagonist is overpowered. The anime focuses on this half-alien, half-human's effort to dodge a massive price on his head following the destruction of a city. The problem is that Vash doesn't remember anything about the incident, and is mainly a pacifist by nature.
This may seem at odds with Vash being a gunslinger, but he always tries to use nonlethal force to solve situations. His overpowered side comes from the fact that if he really were to try, he could instantly turn any bounty hunter after him into dust, much like what his sibling Knives does. He doesn't do this because he believes in a better way.
7) Dragon Ball franchise
The Dragon Ball franchise is considered one of the best when talking about anime where the protagonist is overpowered. This is by virtue of Goku.
Goku was already powerful as a kid, so much so that the obstacles in his path included people able to destroy cities, as they were his only competition. Even in Dragon Ball Super, he and the other Z Fighters are seen battling gods, indicating how powerful he is.
Goku has always been overpowered: He wiped out the Red Ribbon Army singlehandedly as a child, was the first to go Super Saiyan, and likewise was the first to give Jiren, Frieza, and Cell a proper fight. He may struggle from time to time, but that doesn't diminish his power.
8) Overlord
There are many examples of anime where the protagonist is overpowered, and they're usually isekai. Overlord is no exception. This particular anime stars an office worker by the name of Suzuki Satoru who finds himself trapped inside a video game. Satoru then becomes the strongest wizard in the game.
The twist here is that the protagonist is familiar with the game already and dons the name of Momonga and later Ainz Ooal Gown. He's memorized over 700 spells, featuring high-level undead powers, dark powers, and even an ultimate called The Goal of All Life is Death, which bypasses any immunity and resistance to kill a target.
9) Mob Psycho 100
Another anime where the protagonist is overpowered is Mob Psycho 100. Mob’s story is one of an overpowered kid trying to be normal, much like Kusuo Saiki. Unlike Kusuo, Mob has more than a few powerful foes and spirits to fight. Like Saitama, however, it tends to be over quickly.
Mob has shown the ability to outclass any other esper in his series, with telekinesis so potent he can lift entire buildings or reconstruct and disassemble matter on a molecular level. Whenever he goes 100% on his emotions, his powers explode and go haywire and increase to a hundredfold.
10) The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
It would be unforgivable to have a list of anime where the protagonist is overpowered and not include this. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya features the titular Haruhi, who ranks up there with characters that can destroy the universe effortlessly.
Haruhi is literally a god in human form, and whenever she's bored, something supernatural is brought into existence. This includes everything - from giant monsters to time travel, and all the other shenanigans besides.
11) Medaka Box
Medaka Box is an anime where the protagonist is overpowered and Medaka Kurokami knows it. Medaka is the newly elected Student Council President, taking it upon herself to improve the school by fighting off malcontents. Her special ability is called The End, letting her copy almost any skill and master it.
This comes in handy during quite a lot in fights, turning Medaka into a mimic when she needs to be. She likewise has a ton of skills of her own that range from projecting herself as a giant to god modes that change her appearance and allow her to access 100% of her powers which could destroy the planet if truly unleashed.
12) Sword Art Online
Everyone's favorite overpowered gamer, Kirito Kirigaya, would like to remind fans that he exists in an anime where the protagonist is overpowered. The basic plot of Sword Art Online is that the MMO the players are playing are suddenly locked up, so that if they die in the game, they're dead in real life.
Kirito himself is rather blunt about his own skills. He's maxed out pretty much all the skills he can aside from Fishing, and has plenty of achievements to his name, including saving survivors who were trapped, reaching the Top of the World Tree and even owning a virtual version of Excalibur.
13) Noragami
Noragami is about a god named Yato, walking among humanity. A minor god for sure, the self proclaimed "Delivery God" teams up with a middle school girl named Hiyori Iki. After saving each other from being run over, the two were forced to team up for a common goal: get Yato millions of devoted followers.
If that description doesn't convince readers that this is an anime where the protagonist is overpowered, perhaps a sampling of Yato's abilities will. He's immortal, able to teleport via a phone call, and able to summon an army's worth of arrows and an armory's worth of explosions with ease.
14) The Saga of Tanya the Evil
The Saga of Tanya the Evil is about a seemingly innocent girl fighting on the front lines of a bloody alternate version of World War One. Tanya is anything but innocent, however, as she's in charge of the Kaiser's magical unit and is overpowered to the point where she has a magically enhanced rifle that can shoot through most anything and several magical powers that dwarf other mages.
Tanya is incredibly evil and cruel, but so is everyone else in the war. Both sides involved in the war likewise lack morality, as flamethrowers, tanks on civilians, and other war crimes are generally allowed. Trying to end the war isn't easy either, as nobody listens to Tanya when she tries to convince them to think about the long-term consequences before it's too late.
15) Fist of the North Star
When the main character's catchphrase is "you are already dead," one can understand why Fist of the North Star is considered an anime where the protagonist is overpowered. The phrase spawns from Kenshiro's martial art, which can kill anyone by making their vital points explode.
The world is torn apart by nuclear war in Fist of the North Star's Mad Max-inspired world, and Kenshiro is a protagonist trying to save people from bloodthirsty mutants and opportunistic sadists. He still proceeds to learn other martial arts despite being good at the one already, only because he knows it's not an invincible art. Martial arts are only as good as the practitioners after all.
16) Death Note
Lest any reader think this is a joke entry for anime where the protagonist is overpowered, consider this: anyone who possesses the Death Note commands death itself via shinigami. They can cause people to die in any manner they so choose if they manage to write it down, or else their victims die of a heart attack.
That's not the only reason Death Note is an anime where the protagonist is overpowered. Light Yagami is, somehow, able to outwit and outmaneuver FBI agents, interpol, and an entire task force out for him when pulling his schemes as Kira. It got so much praise that its second part was considered entirely underwhelming as people preferred if Light won.
17) Cautious Hero: The Hero Is Overpowered but Overly Cautious
The title alone should indicate that this is an anime where the protagonist is overpowered. If not, here's a summary: Seiya Ryuuguuin was summoned to the dangerous world of Gaeabrande by the goddess Ristarte. He became overpowered by grinding up quickly and overpreparing for any encounter.
Basically, Seiya is akin to a hardcore RPG player that stocks up on potions and overprepares for encounters. Seiya has plenty of potions and has learned practically every type of magic, from Dark to Ice. His ultimate move is a Meteor Strike that slew over 9,000 zombies.
Seiya was repeatedly proven right in being exceptionally prepared, as he's faced demons, dragons, and many other unholy creatures that couldn't otherwise be stopped.
18) Noblesse
Noblesse is a unique example of an anime where the protagonist is overpowered, as it stars the most powerful vampire in existence: Cadis Etrama Di Raizel. He awakens after over 800 years of rest, with Frankenstein helping him to adjust to the more modern world. The term "fish out of water" fits this anime where the protagonist is overpowered.
Raizel is a Noblesse, which is a being even more powerful than a vampire. Though Raizel is able to blow monsters apart, his enemies are forced to create super werewolves and demons to try to stop him. They usually fail, but things get harder as the anime goes on.
19) The Irregular at Magic High School
The Irregular At Magic High School is another anime where the protagonist is overpowered, though in a slightly unorthodox manenr. In this particular story, the study of magic is now a scientific field where people are divided into Blooms (full magic user) and Weeds (non magic user).
Protagonist Tatsuya Shiba didn't fit into either category, at first. His sister Miyuki, on the other hand, was a Bloom prodigy.
Eventually, Tatsuya practically ends up as a super soldier because his emotions are keyed into his magic that can and will destroy everything. Miyuki is moreso the actual mage who succeeds at almost everything, because otherwise their family will kill them both.
20) The God of High School
In comparing The God of High School to any other anime where the protagonist is overpowered, most have stated that Jin Mori reminds them of Dragon Ball's Goku. This is because the three places wherein the anime takes place are human realm, demon realm, and heavenly realm, and it all involves a Mortal Kombat-style tournament.
Jin Mori is adept at multiple martial arts, including boxing and even Renewal Taekwondo, aka the strongest art in the series. All the techniques emphasize elemental usage, due to the supernatural elements at play in this anime where the protagonist is overpowered.
Given the overdose of anime where the protagonist is an underdog, this list of the 20 anime where the protagonist is overpowered might prove to be useful for those who enjoy such shows.
In case you think we missed out on any, let us know in the comments below.
