There are a lot of anime and manga out there with powerful characters, but none are quite as overpowered as these MCs. Anime that has an OP MC has become somewhat of a trend as of late with various genres from fantasy to isekai to shonen to seinen using this formula. It’s also a theme that continues to gain in popularity as new anime airs and new manga are released each year.
While some would tell you that manga and anime with an overpowered main character are boring or suffer from plot issues, there are many series out there, including those mentioned on this list, that prove otherwise. With some even reaching god-tier level, including my favorite manga of all time Berserk.
So how did I come up with and rank this list of anime with OP MC? I’m going to go about this based on how powerful the individual is within their own universe because what is powerful in one anime or manga universe may not be powerful in another. That being said, I’m not comparing these characters head to head but rather in comparison to the power of those they share a universe with and how overpowered they are in their own domain. Weaknesses, however, are taken into account when ranking these characters. Also, wits as well as brawn are considered on this list.
I also want to note that the manga and anime characters on this list are the main characters of the series they are in. Characters like Gojo from Jujutsu Kaisen for instance would definitely have made this list if I weren’t only including characters that serve as the leading role.
With that all said, here are the 17 best manga and anime with OP MC! This post will be continuously updated as new manga and anime are released.
17 Manga and Anime with OP MC
Daisuke Kambe from The Millionaire Detective Balance: UNLIMITED
If you are looking for a show where the main character isn’t necessarily overpowered because of their strength, but because of the sheer amount of money and resources they have, look no further than The Millionaire Detective Balance: UNLIMITED. Its main character and wealthy detective Daisuke Kambe is similar to characters like Bruce Wayne or James Bond.
As suggested in the title “Balance Unlimited”, Daisuke is the kind of guy that has so much money he can buy anything and everything he wants. To give you an idea as to how carefree he is with his money, there’s a scene where he is sitting in traffic, gets fed up with waiting, and decides to barrel his way through the other cars to make his way through the line. He has Suzue, who assists him on his missions and pays for the damage he caused by transferring money to their bank accounts, which he obtains through an AI program.
He also has an AI butler called HEUSC, which he communicates with through his earrings and sunglasses and helps him on his missions along with Suzue. In addition, his unlimited funds give him access to connections and technology, including a suit called the Active Support Veil that enhances one’s physical strength and amphibious modifications to his car, that others would not be able to obtain.
Without his money, Daisuke is just a normal, everyday guy, but with it, he is highly overpowered in comparison to everyone else in his universe.
Read more about why I think The Millionaire Detective Balance: UNLIMITED is worth watching!
Light Yagami from Death Note
Light Yagami from Death Note is a character that is commonly noted to be one of the most OP MC’s in anime and manga for two main reasons, (1) he has a high intellect, so he’s an incredible problem-solver and strategist and (2) he has the Death Note. Light is a character that has far more wit than brawn, but because of the ever-powerful Death Note, he is in a league of his own.
Without the Death Note, Light is just an egotistical genius, but with it, he has the power to kill on demand with the simple image of a person’s face and their name. His only downfall is that he’d be severely less powerful without the Death Note or a writing utensil for that matter. Not to mention the fact that he can’t harm you unless he knows your face and your name.
Light is vindictive and has a huge ego as well, so he’s not as level-headed as some of the other manga and anime characters featured on this list. However, he and another immensely clever character, Lelouch Lamperouge from Code Geass, are quite similar in this regard. In his world though, he reigns terror upon the people with his twisted sense of justice and there’s no denying just how overpowered he is with the Death Note in his possession.
Death Note has a manga and anime. The manga by Takeshi Obata and Tsugumi Ohba has individual volumes, Death Note Black Editions, and a complete manga box set that you can pick up and the anime, which was released in 2006, is streaming now on select platforms.
Gabimaru from Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku
Gabimaru aka Gabimaru the Hollow is the main character and an elite shinobi assassin in Yuji Kaku’s Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku. Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku is getting an anime, but I recommend checking out the manga if you have yet to do so. It’s full of mystery, horror, and incredible battles, and Gabimaru is a strong MC. In the series, Gabimaru is betrayed by his clan and is about to be executed, but there’s one hiccup in that plan, he is somewhat immortal, and no matter what they try or how they attempt to execute him, nothing works.
As expected for an assassin, Gabimaru is calm, cool, and collected and he can take on a number of enemies, even when they severely outnumber him, at once due to his immense physical strength and strong Taijutsu and Ninjutsu abilities. He can also do things that other humans cannot, including stopping his own heart and dislocating his joints along with the ones in his neck, so he is anything but ordinary.
On top of all that, he can use something called Tao, which allows him to sense others’ presence and get a sense of his surroundings. He can move through areas undetected, but when met with opposition, is able to navigate situations with ease with his hand-to-hand combat skills.
Gabimaru becomes much more overpowered over the course of the manga chapters, but I can’t spoil anything. Trust me though, Gabimaru, with the abilities he gains throughout the series, is one of the most overpowered characters as well as shinobis in all of anime and manga.
Fate Graphite from Berserk of Gluttony
Berserk of Gluttony is a dark fantasy that’s released in both light novel and manga formats by Seven Seas. It’s a more recent release and it has become a favorite of mine as of late. While it doesn’t necessarily reinvent anything in the genre, it’s a highly enjoyable read, the world is intriguing, and the main character, Fate Graphite, has a unique skill called Gluttony. He doesn’t appear to be strong when you first meet him, but as he learns to use and control his skill, he is one of the most OP manga characters.
Fate is mostly OP because of has the Mortal Sin Gluttony, which allows him to essentially devour the stats and skill of others by consuming their soul. While it’s a strong power though, it isn’t without its drawbacks. Gluttony makes Fate eternally hungry, so he has an insatiable appetite. Because of this, he constantly has to feed Gluttony souls or else he will face consequences.
Over the course of the series, Fate obtains more skills, acquires a sentient sword called Greed, and more that add even more to his power. But since this is a newer series and I don’t want to spoil anything, I will leave it at that. If you are looking for a more recently released manga with an OP mc, I highly recommend Berserk of Gluttony especially if you are a fan of manga like Solo Leveling or The Eminence in Shadow!
Shigeo Kageyama aka Mob from Mob Psycho
Mob Psycho 100 is another anime with OP MC that was adapted from ONE’s manga of the same name. Shigeo Kageyama aka Mob, the main character in the series, is totally unassuming, but don’t let his appearance fool you, because he is extremely overpowered. Physically he isn’t very strong, but what he lacks in terms of brawn, he makes up for with his psychic abilities.
Part of Mob’s strength is that people underestimate him, and when they finally realize how powerful he is it’s much too late. But most of his strength comes from his psychic abilities, which include telekinesis, the ability to absorb energy from other espers or energize them with it, the ability to manipulate plants, and more. He also has a strong sense of perception and his soul can leave his body at will.
His abilities definitely make him strong, but what makes him such an OP anime character is the fact that he explodes when his emotions reach 100%. In the series, this is shown with a percentage bar marked “Shigeo’s Progress Towards Explosion” and when that bar reaches 100% all hell breaks loose.
Out of all the characters on this list, Mob’s transformation when he is at 100% is the most dramatic. That being said, since his power runs on emotion he can easily lose control, which makes him that much more scary to go up against but can be seen as a weakness as well.
Tatsumi Oga from Beelzebub
Tatsumi Oga from Beelzebub, one of the most comedic anime with OP MC, was once an average delinquent, but everything changed the day the baby Demon Lord, Beelzebub IV, chose him to be his adoptive parent on Earth. With baby Beelzebub, Oga is now an overpowered, unstoppable force.
Because he is enhanced with demonic energy from Beelzebub, Oga has immense physical strength and speed, and incredible hand-to-hand combat skills (He fights similarly to characters in Street Fighter and later trains in martial arts). In addition to being a strong fighter, he has a number of weapons at his disposal and can cast spells.
He is highly durable as well and is able to take a great deal of damage in battle. For these reasons and more, Beelzebub and Oga are a dynamic duo that is nearly impossible to beat.
Beelzebub is one of my favorite manga, because it’s hilarious, action-packed, and it has an over-the-top premise that I love. An anime released in 2011 that’s enjoyable to watch, but it is worth noting that the manga is better than its adaptation.
Kenshiro from Fist of the North Star
When it comes to making a list of anime with OP MC, you have to have Buronson and Tetsuo Hara’s Fist of the North Star on the list. By the way, if you want to check out the Fist of the North Star manga it is releasing in a new hardcover format thanks to Viz! An anime of the series was released in 1984 as well.
Kenshiro has a power called Hokuto Shinken that allows him to find your weak points. What happens when he hits them? You die quickly as foreshadowed by his famous catchphrase, “You are already dead”. And when he does so, it’s pretty gruesome with exploding heads and body parts galore. While his power can be highly destructive to those he fights, it also gives him the power to heal.
On top of that, Kenshiro fights with a similar style to Bruce Lee and is a formidable martial artist. He even has the ability to throw 50 punches in three seconds when he performs the Hundred Crack Fist. With a strong sense of justice and seemingly unstoppable power, Kenshiro is definitely one of the most OP MCs in anime and manga.
Ageha Yoshina from Psyren
Ageha Yoshina from Psyren is one of my favorite protagonists in all of manga and he is one of the most OP MCs as well. Much like another character on this list, Mob from Mob Psycho 100, Ageha’s power is influenced and fueled by his emotions.
In Psyren, power is derived from something called PSI, which allows the user to access the full potential of their brain and gain capabilities that the average human can’t, such as burst (the ability to manipulate energy through pyrokinesis, telekinesis, etc), trance (mind manipulation, mind messaging, etc), and rise (enhances existing capabilities). Ageha’s power is called Melchsee’s Door, and with it, he’s an overwhelmingly powerful MC. Basically, it allows him to create Burst energy, which forms into a large ball and absorbs all of the PSI in that area. His power only becomes stronger over the course of the series as he learns how to control it and use it to its full potential.
Psyren is one I highly recommend if you are a fan of another favorite manga of mine, Gantz. While Gantz is a seinen and Psyren is a shonen, both have a similar premise where the main characters are transported into a strange world inhabited by monsters. In Psyren, these monsters are called the “Taboo.” The manga is definitely worth checking out. Not only is it one of my favorite shonen to ever release, but it’s also one of the most criminally underrated as well.
Lucy from Elfen Lied
Lucy from Elfen Lied, which is a dark fantasy, sci-fi story, has vectors (invisible and intangible arms) that she uses to slash through her enemies and more. On top of that, she can heal extremely fast and she has immense speed and strength as seen when she cuts through steel, throws rocks as big as boulders, avoids multiple and constant gunfire, and destroys an entire island. In the very first episode, we even see her survive a sniper shot to the head so it is quite impossible to take her down.
Lucy isn’t without weakness though. Not only are there aspects of her personality, which I will not spoil, that can put her in harm’s way, but she has a limit to how much she can use her abilities as well. When she has full control and access to her abilities though, she is absolutely ruthless and unstoppable. Endurance-wise, Lucy may not be as strong as some of the others on this list, but when it comes to sheer power and capability, she is not one to trifle with.
If you want to check out Elfen Lied, you can do so through the anime or manga. Dark Horse released four omnibuses that fully collect Elfen Lied‘s manga and the anime is streaming now on select sites. This one isn’t for the faint of heart, but if you love bloody and gory manga or anime that feature a lot of over-the-top violence but also psychological and sci-fi themes, Elfen Lied is one you definitely want to check out!
Guts from Berserk
Guts aka The Black Swordsman from Berserk consistently takes on foes that are considerably more powerful than him and manages to navigate those situations in a way where he leaves the battlefield not necessarily unscathed, but alive and victorious. His ability to never give up and continue on despite the fact that he is constantly struggling also makes him incredibly strong. Guts is my favorite MC in all of manga, so I have to tell myself to remain objective with him more so than any other character on this list.
Because of this as well, Guts has a strong will that is unbreakable even though he is visited nightly by creatures that lurk in the dark and crave his flesh and blood. In a world of otherworldly beings and fearsome enemies that have inhuman capabilities, Guts, who’s just a human with overwhelming strength, manages to keep up with them.
Not only that but there have been a number of occasions where Guts takes on hundreds of individuals by himself and manages to defeat them all. Whether he’s taking on adversaries that are human or otherwise, including the overwhelmingly powerful God Hand, Guts is one of the most OP MCs in all of anime and manga, both before and after he gets the Berserker Armor. With the Berserker Armor though, Guts is even more unstoppable.
This is a man who has been marked with the Brand of Sacrifice and has next to everything taken from him, but despite that, he always looks adversity straight in the face and smiles at it with that deranged smile as if he’s egging it on to do its best.
If you are looking for a fantasy manga or anime with an OP MC or more notably a manga or anime with a badass MC, I highly recommend watching or reading Berserk. Although, I will say that the anime is nowhere near the masterpiece level as the legendary Kentaro Miura’s manga. The best way to experience Berserk is through the manga and if you are looking for the best way to read it, definitely check out the Berserk Deluxe Editions!
Berserk also has multiple anime releases. If I were to recommend one, it would be the anime that was released in the 90s that covers Berserk‘s first arc, the Golden Age Arc. The three movies cover the Golden Age Arc also, so if you are looking for a more modern viewing experience, those are available to watch as well.
The only thing I’ll say is that the films condensed things in a way that made the series and its events feel less impactful than the manga, but I still found them to be enjoyable. The 2016 anime, however, completely missed the mark for me. The manga is definitely the best way to go as mentioned above, but I’m hopeful that Berserk will get the adaptation it deserves in the future!
Right now, the Berserk anime from 1997 isn’t streaming anywhere, but there is a Blu-ray release you can pick up. The 2016 anime and the movies, however, are streaming on select platforms.
Alucard from Hellsing
Hellsing by Kohta Hirano is one of my top vampire manga as well as one of my favorite action-horror series. It also has an OVA titled Hellsing Ultimate that was released in 2006. It is an incredible watch. Hellsing‘s world is full of monsters, but none are quite as fearsome as the vampire Alucard, the Hellsing Organization’s most powerful weapon. Alucard is a likable character, but he has a sadistic side to him; One that we allow and accept because those he kills in this manga and anime are the absolute lowest of the low.
In terms of abilities, he has superhuman strength, speed, agility, the ability to regenerate, inhuman perception, and heightened senses, like sight, and he is made up of an unknown, otherworldly substance that allows him to take on other forms in the midst of battle.
As if that wasn’t enough, Alucard is immortal–at least in the physical sense–and has survived a number of life-threatening situations, even going as far as surviving a beheading. This is something that not many characters on this list, if any, can say they managed to survive, and is reason enough why he’s one of the most overpowered MCs in anime and manga. The only weakness Alucard has is his arrogance, which prevents him from accurately assessing the threat(s) that may be standing before him.
Looking to get into the manga? Check out our review of the Hellsing Deluxe Editions.
Kusuo Saiki from The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.
The Disastrous Life of Saiki K is an anime where the main character is OP but hides it and this makes it a unique title on this list. I personally love series where the main character is really powerful, but just wants to live a normal, everyday life where no one bothers them and this is exactly how main character Kusuo Saiki feels. But things can’t ever be that easy, can they? And so comedy ensues…
Out of every character on this list, Saiki has the most powers known. While they are all psychic powers, the vast array of things he can do with them is unbelievable. Some of the most notable include: Super strength, teleportation, telekinesis, telepathy, mind control, the ability to duplicate himself, astral projection, which also allows him to possess individuals, flight and levitation, invisibility, the ability to control a number of different elements and mediums, such as ice, water, fire, electricity, and more.
Oh, and he can travel and leap through time. Saiki is a character that was written to be so OP that it’s hilarious and what does he use these powers for you ask? Not to take out the most powerful villain, but to do mundane, everyday things like cancel a song on a karaoke machine. Also, any time a character has to wear limiters to decrease their power, you know they’re not just super, but overwhelmingly, strong.
Rimuru Tempest from That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime
If you are looking for an isekai anime with OP MC, look no further than Rimuru Tempest from That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime. In the series, our main character is reincarnated into a magical world as a slime. While this seems like it would put him at a disadvantage, being a slime proves to be far more advantageous than one could ever imagine when he is named by the powerful dragon Veldora early on.
Rimuru has an ability called Mimicry, which allows the user to reproduce not only the form of the target that’s absorbed but its skills as well. His powers are only made stronger when he is named, which also incidentally makes him an equal to Veldora. Later on, for reasons I can’t spoil, Rimuru becomes extremely overpowered and rises to become one of the strongest manga and anime characters on this list.
Saitama from One-Punch Man
When discussing overpowered anime characters, no list is complete without Saitama from One-Punch Man. He is without a shadow of a doubt one of the most OP main characters in anime and manga. As we’ve seen with Mob from Mob Psycho 100, who’s also featured on this list, ONE has a thing for anime characters that are OP even though they don’t quite look it. But this is what makes them so exciting and intriguing.
As the name would imply, Saitama is a man who can literally take out his enemies with one punch. Saitama lives by the formula, of 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and 10km running, and he works out so much that he literally loses his hair.
When it comes to Saitama and Goku, the two are constantly seen at the top of these lists, and for good reason. I don’t want to pit the two against each other, because they exist in very different worlds with different circumstances and conditions, but I want to explain why I ranked Goku in particular higher.
Goku is constantly growing and is always coming across foes that force him to surpass his limits while Saitama has yet to really test and push his strength or better yet find an adversary that can help him do so. That being said, Saitama still has a lot of raw and sheer power that allows him to top this list.
Plus, this is kind of the whole point of One-Punch Man. He’s just so overpowered that no villain, no matter how strong, can give him a satisfying fight. How do you know you are overpowered? Every fight you get in bores you.
With that all said, while Saitama is clearly one of the most OP MCs, there are a couple characters that edge him out of being the most OP anime MC of them all. The point of characters like Saitama as well as Saiki K, who I’ll talk about next, is to be so OP that it’s comical, so they were designed in a way that makes them sure-shots to be at the top of this list.
Sung Jinwoo from Solo Leveling
Jinwoo from one of the best manhwa I’ve ever read, Solo Leveling, is one of the most formidable and overpowered MCs. Even though he’s a weak Hunter in the beginning, Jinwoo is offered a chance by the System to grow stronger and he takes it. What makes him so overpowered though? The fact that he can infinitely level up thanks to this opportunity. This means that Jinwoo is unrestrained and can become as strong as his heart desires and he really takes full advantage of this over the course of the series.
The fact that he is unrestrained alone makes him overpowered, but the abilities and the items he obtains over the course of the story also add to his immeasurable strength. He also has this constant hunger to grow and become better, which is something we commonly see with MCs in anime and manga, but he takes it to a whole other level.
Since this is a newer title, I don’t want to spoil anything but just know that he is by far one of the most badass MCs in all of manga and manhwa. Volumes of the Solo Leveling manga/manhwa are currently being published by Yen Press.
Anos Voldigoad from The Misfit of Demon King Academy
The Misfit of Demon King Academy is an anime with OP transfer student, who just so happens to be the reincarnated Demon King of Tyranny Anos Voldigoad. The people of this world have long awaited his return–2,000 years to be exact, but there’s a catch, hardly anyone believes him, and for the first time, he has to prove himself to his people. This is a character that has struck fear into his enemies with a simple gaze thanks to his earth-shattering power and overwhelming presence.
He showcases his immense power time and time again, even going as far in the first episode as to kill a guy, and reincarnate him, and not just once, but repeatedly, during his Entrance Exam. Anos may be ruthless at times, which earned him his title, but he is actually quite caring and kind as well.
Anos has strong magical abilities but immense physical strength and a high intellect as well that make him a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield. His abilities mainly center around destruction. For instance, he has the Magic Eye(s) of Chaotic Destruction, which can destroy anything and everything, even the indestructible. He has magic at his disposal, but he also has an arsenal of weapons he can use as well that’s made up mostly of magical swords. When these are paired with his prowess and strength as a fighter and a spell caster, he becomes even more invincible in battle.
If you still have questions as to whether or not Anos Voldigoad is one of the strongest MCs on this list, I point you to this quote of his, “Did you think that killing me would be enough to make me die?”.
Goku from the Dragon Ball Universe
Goku from the Dragon Ball universe is the kind of guy who will walk up to someone who is way more powerful than him and challenge them, and while this usually would end in disaster, he always manages to level up and rise to the occasion.
Goku will risk not just his life, but an entire universe, just so he can fight strong foes. He also has friends and family that add to his strength, but they can also be his weakness as well when they become a target of those he challenges. Ironically, he is a threat to his world, but he’s also a protector of it as well, even if it’s at times by his own design in his endeavor to fight the most powerful in the universe.
Goku has this ability to reach new heights when it comes to his power which is unparalleled to all of the other manga and anime characters on this list. We saw him go Kaio-Ken, Super Saiyan, Super Saiyan 2, Super Saiyan 3, Super Saiyan God, Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan God, Super Saiyan Blue Kaio-Ken, and most recently in Dragon Ball Super‘s anime, Autonomous Ultra Instinct. And this isn’t even including what happened in the recent chapters of the manga. Just when you think Goku can’t get any stronger, he proves you wrong.
As a whole, the Dragon Ball universe is full of overpowered anime characters, but Goku is one of the most powerful. Anytime you make a list talking about the most overpowered MC in anime, Goku is sure to not only make but top the list. Goku is constantly forced to become stronger, which gives him a slight edge, and makes him the most OP MC in anime and manga!
We will continue to update this post as new anime and manga with overpowered main characters are revealed, so be sure to check back for updates! Also, see all of the anime that have been confirmed for 2022 release so far.
