Top 10 Strongest Anime/Manga Characters

Some anime characters are strong, and then there are those who are so absurdly overpowered that they break the rules of their own worlds. These are the fighters, warriors, and reality-warping beings who can level cities, rewrite existence itself, or take down enemies with a single punch. But who among them truly stands at the top? That's where you come in.

This list is packed with the most ridiculously strong characters anime and manga have ever introduced. Some are classic martial artists who keep pushing past their limits, while others have abilities so broken that it almost feels unfair to compare them. There are those who fight with pure strength, some who bend time and space, and a few who don't even need to throw a punch to dominate their opponents. But which of them is the strongest of all? That's up to you.

The Top Ten

Goku (Dragon Ball Z)

Son Goku (Saiyan name Kakarrot) is the main protagonist of the Dragon Ball franchise created by Akira Toriyama in 1984. He possesses many powerful abilities, including super strength, ki control, flight, teleportation, super speed, enhanced reflexes, and Super Saiyan transformations that increase his... read more

He may struggle with the big foes that keep on popping up, and he may seem pitiful compared to them, but he'll always step up and train himself. He doesn't give up. DBZ probably has the most formidable enemies because each one makes a long impact, such as Frieza, Cell, and Majin Buu. They never last for a short while, and it's even more exciting when it takes a lot to defeat them.
Goku can do so much without breaking a sweat. I mean, he can destroy the moon with a simple Ki blast, like Piccolo did in the early episodes of DBZ. Even if somebody does surpass him at some point, he'll beat them no matter how long it takes because his power is limitless.
Saitama (One Punch Man)

Saitama is the main protagonist of the webcomic and anime series One Punch Man. Known for his ability to defeat any opponent with a single punch, he struggles with boredom due to his overwhelming strength. He is registered with the Hero Association as a C-Class hero and is responsible for protecting... read more

I'm a fan of almost every anime on this list, and One Punch Man (the show) isn't even in my top 10. So, just to be clear, this isn't biased.
Saitama (One Punch Man) fought a guy who could destroy planets with a blink of an eye, and he defeated him with just two punches without getting a single scratch. If that isn't enough proof, Saitama also stood in a black hole and lifted his arm with ease. Someone once calculated that, in doing so, he lifted around 80,000,000 metric tons, whereas Goku has been estimated to only lift around 7,500 tons.
Saitama can also move at least the speed of light, while Goku is only about half as fast. I know you guys grew up with Goku. I did too. But you have to face the facts. Even with Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan, Goku stands no chance.
Maybe if he reaches Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan 5000, he will have a shot. But right now, no way. And keep in mind, Saitama has never even tried. What I just listed is only a fraction of his power, while for Goku, that is his max.
Vegeta (Dragon Ball Z)

Vegeta is a fictional character from the anime series Dragon Ball Z, created by Akira Toriyama. He is the prince of the fallen Saiyan race and initially appears as an antagonist before becoming one of the series' main protagonists. Vegeta is known for his rivalry with Goku and his relentless drive to... read more

Vegeta is the prince of all Saiyans, and yet he's ranked number seven? He can destroy an entire galaxy and is the only one who even has a chance of equaling or surpassing Goku. He should be number two.
Just imagine. He could have destroyed Earth when he was fighting Goku in the Saiyan Saga, and his power level wasn't even 18,000. In the Frieza Saga, his power increased every time he was healed, and by the time he was killed by Frieza, his power level was over 1,000,000.
Now think about how strong he was in the Buu Saga. And yet, he's in seventh place? He should be number two.

Vegeta should be second because even if he is weaker than Goku, he shot up right to Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan without becoming Super Saiyan 3 or Super Saiyan God. He didn't even need Gohan, Trunks, Goten, and Goku to join hands and go through the procedure of becoming SSJG. He doesn't depend on others and focuses on achieving new stages of Super Saiyan by himself. That's what makes him so powerful.
Whis (Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods)

Whis is a fictional character in the anime and manga series Dragon Ball Super. He was created by Akira Toriyama and first appeared during the Battle of Gods saga. Whis serves as the attendant and martial arts teacher of Beerus, the God of Destruction, and is known for his calm demeanor and immense power... read more

He trains gods. He should be the strongest since he trains Goku and Vegeta.

Nothing to say. His power proves that he is the number one.

He can beat even Beerus easily, and Beerus defeated SSGSS Goku.
Beerus (Dragon Ball Super)
Vados (Dragon Ball Super)

Vados is a fictional character from the anime and manga series Dragon Ball Super, created by Akira Toriyama. She is an Angel and the attendant and martial arts teacher of Champa, the God of Destruction of Universe 6. Vados is the elder sister of Whis, who serves a similar role in Universe 7.

This list is silly. Vados would obviously one-shot Goku and is stronger than Whis. The likes of Saitama, Naruto, Luffy, and so on would literally die from the shockwaves of her one-shotting Goku.

She should be in the top 3. She can single-handedly beat both Goku and Vegeta at the same time.
Ichigo Kurosaki (Bleach)

Well, I think Ichigo should be above Naruto and Saitama. From the manga presently, Ichigo should be able to defeat anybody (except Goku). His reiatsu (spirit energy) is stronger than when he fought Aizen, and even Aizen was not able to feel it then because he was below his level, and Aizen had transcendent reiatsu.
Ichigo has feats like destroying a barrier able to bend space and time with the wave of a hand. Like, who does that? Someone like that can't be sealed, can he? No, I don't think so. I don't see how even Saitama will be able to deal with that because he is all physical and no mystical. He won't even be able to get close to Ichigo to give one punch because, let's face it, guys, he'll vaporize (remember, no iota of reiatsu).
Naruto would be able to handle this a little because of biju mode, but he'll still get whooped. Believe it. Fool ya fool.
Naruto Uzumaki (Naruto)

Naruto Uzumaki is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the anime and manga series Naruto, created by Masashi Kishimoto. He first appeared in 1999 in Weekly Shōnen Jump and has since become one of the most iconic characters in anime and manga. Naruto's journey from a mischievous outcast to... read more

In the latest Naruto manga, he can teleport and is faster than the speed of light, given by him being compared to the Yellow Flash (his father). He has surpassed his father in speed. He could easily dominate anyone if he were to use all the way up to Ashura mode, and maybe even without, depending on who he is versing. He is even likely to destroy Goku in a battle since Goku can only teleport where he sees, but if Naruto were to mark him, then he can teleport right beside Goku without Goku actually being able to dodge it. He could also teleport his ninjutsu attacks directly to him, with Goku having zero chance of ever dodging it.
Giorno Giovanna (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)

Everyone on this list: Uses power.
Giorno Giovanna: Nope, resets willpower and actions to 0.
Giorno at full power is one of the most broken characters in all fiction. His power is basically just to win whatever fight he gets into. His ultimate power, nullifying cause and effect - one of the basic fundamentals of existence and reality - makes it so nothing can even virtually harm him. On top of that, his power exists outside time and reality, so it activates instantly.
I'd say 99.9% of fictional characters use cause and effect. Everyone in this list when they use their power is a "cause," but Giorno's power is to eliminate the cause instantly, which means cause and effect can never happen, therefore they cannot do anything. Absolutely broken character.
Broly (Dragon Ball Z)

Broly is a major character in the Dragon Ball franchise, originally appearing as the main antagonist in the Broly film trilogy and later in Dragon Ball Super: Broly. He is portrayed as a Legendary Super Saiyan, a rare transformation that appears once every thousand years. His father is Paragus, who plays... read more

The Newcomers

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Sanji (One Piece)

Vinsmoke Sanji, commonly known by the nickname "Black Leg" Sanji, is a fictional character in the One Piece franchise created by Eiichiro Oda. He is the cook of the Straw Hat Pirates and previously served as the sous chef at the floating restaurant Baratie.... read more

The only Strawhat who fights without a Devil Fruit or weapon, yet he is still badass. Hell, his first role on the crew is not even as a fighter, but as a chef. So the fact that he is so strong is even more impressive.
He can fly, he is also extremely fast, and he is pretty smart. Overall, I think he is the most multitalented Strawhat.
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Lisanna Strauss (Fairy Tail)

The Contenders

Monkey D. Luffy (One Piece)

Monkey D. "Straw Hat" Luffy is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the One Piece manga and anime franchise. He was created by Eiichiro Oda. Luffy is the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates and seeks to find the legendary treasure known as One Piece to become the Pirate King.

Oh, why is he not the number one? He should be the number one, right? Oh well, I feel sorry for Naruto fans who voted for him. At first, I was about to vote for him but I remembered the ending and the movie of it. So Luffy is the strongest anime character for me. Sorry, Naruto fans, I hate jackass Naruto.

Luffy never backs out of a fight. Each time he wins, he gets stronger and stronger. He's up to Gear 4. Goku can beat that, but he will get some damage from Luffy because Luffy is powerful.

Luffy is definitely not the most powerful, but he has powers that are very good. I mean, the Gear powers and the Jet powers. If Luffy were to unleash something like "Gear 4", then it's bye-bye, Naruto.
The only thing is water. Any fancy water technique will not work on him because he needs to be fully submerged in salt water. Luffy is good.
Gohan (Dragon Ball)

Son Gohan is a fictional character in the Dragon Ball manga series created by Akira Toriyama. He was introduced as the first son of Goku and Chi-Chi in chapter 196, titled Kakarrot, which was first published on October 8, 1988, in Weekly Shōnen Jump.... read more

Gohan is insanely powerful as shown in his epic fight with Cell. And he was a kid at that time, and you know your breath was whisked away when you watched him. Sure, he gave up on training when peace was restored and powered down when the Majin Buu saga began. When Kibit requested him to show him Super Saiyan, Vegeta commented that he was much stronger during the Cell fight and he hadn't been training.
Gohan must be at least 3rd or 4th because he IS Goku's son. Whenever he's angered, the enemies are in big trouble. Conclusion: Piss him off, you're already dead.

How come Natsu is higher than Gohan? Hell, even Yamcha could destroy multiple moons at least, which is far more than anything Zeref or Acnologia could handle. Furthermore, Gohan was the strongest unfused character by the end of DBZ. Stop voting for the protagonists. This is a list for the most powerful!
Future Trunks (Dragon Ball Z)

Future Trunks is a recurring character in the Dragon Ball universe. He makes his debut appearance during the Android Saga to assist Goku in defeating Cell. He's also the son of Vegeta and Bulma. He's a powerful warrior with unique abilities and is proficient in using his sword to defend himself.... read more
Trunks (Dragon Ball Z)

Trunks is a fictional character in the Dragon Ball Z anime and manga series, created by Akira Toriyama. He is the son of Vegeta and Bulma and is known for traveling back in time to warn the Z Fighters of future dangers. Trunks is one of the series' most prominent characters and appears in several major... read more
Sosuke Aizen (Bleach)

Aw come on guys! Aizen was evil, so what? He had almost killed Ichigo had he not been stopped by Urahara. At least pay some respect to this guy.

He also fought all the Captains with no trouble and majorly wounded most of them.
Edward Newgate (One Piece)

He can destroy the planet with a single punch while in his 70s. Most of the higher people on this list can't hold a candle to him. He's a one-man military organisation.

Known as the strongest character in One Piece. He can create seaquakes and earthquakes just by punching the air. He challenged the entire Marineford in an all-out war.

He's so strong, he was able to tear a whole city down with just his bare hands.
Madara Uchiha (Naruto)

Madara Uchiha is a fictional character in the Naruto manga and anime series created by Masashi Kishimoto. He first appears in "Part II" of the manga and the Naruto: Shippuden anime adaptation as one of the main antagonists.... read more

How is he only 15 on this list? Are you forgetting when he dropped a meteorite from the sky and defeated the 5 Kages? Not even Naruto and Sasuke teamed up together could defeat him. Kishimoto couldn't even kill him off so he created Kaguya for that, rofl. Everyone on here is biased towards their favorite, but Madara is the strongest.

Since he was brought back from the dead, he has an immortal body. He also has the Rinnegan and Wood Style. Also, he took on a load of the Shinobi Alliance by himself.

Bro, he should be so much higher. A Susanoo that can cut through mountains by unsheathing its sword, and he can literally make it rain meteors. Naruto and Sasuke are both strong, but they have nothing on this Uchiha badass.
Pegasus Seiya (Saint Seiya)

Seiya has the ability to adapt to any opponent. He evolves constantly mid-battle. He has faced silver and gold saints, god warriors, specters, and gods and won every single time. But the biggest reason is that he doesn't die. The guy is worse than a zombie.
Medaka Kurokami (Medaka Box)
Alucard (Hellsing Ultimate)

Alucard is a fictional character who serves as both the protagonist and antihero of the Hellsing manga and anime series created by Kouta Hirano. He is a powerful vampire employed by the Hellsing Organization to combat supernatural threats. Alucard is known for his immortality, his shape-shifting abilities... read more

At the end of the anime of Hellsing Ultimate, you can see/hear he is omnipotent. That means he can't die to anyone ever as long as he knows he is alive. He can't be erased either. A fight between him and someone else who is omnipotent would be an infinite fight that would last forever. Even someone like Zen-oh wouldn't be able to erase Alucard from existence since Alucard has reached the "level" of a God itself.

Alucard cannot die. All he needs to do is believe he is alive, and he will be alive. He has the power to be omniscient. He is everywhere and nowhere, all at the same time.
L (Death Note)

L Lawliet, known exclusively by the mononym L, is a fictional character in the manga series Death Note. He was created by writer Tsugumi Ohba and illustrator Takeshi Obata. L is a highly intelligent and eccentric detective who takes on the challenge of capturing the mysterious killer known as Kira.

L for life. Somebody give this guy a Death Note.
Kaguya Otsutsuki (Naruto)

She can defeat Naruto, true. But defeating Goku? Dream on, Kaguya! Defeat Krillin first and see if you can do that.

How is this so low? Kaguya is much stronger than Madara and Sasuke.

I think she is the strongest character of all time.
Natsu Dragneel (Fairy Tail)

Natsu Dragneel is a Mage of the Fairy Tail Guild. He is known for his carefree and reckless nature, and while he frequently gets into brawls with other guild members, he is deeply loyal and protective of his friends.
Natsu is always ready to fight for those he cares about, no matter how hopeless... read more

Must I remind people in the comments that being handsome isn't really a strength, but Natsu is super strong? Like Erza said, Natsu responds to stronger opponents by becoming stronger himself. If he were pitted against any of the Forbidden Four (the strong ones no one rates above each other or whatever), I think it'd all come to a draw.
All of the characters in anime strive towards strength for their family, but in all honesty, Natsu has demonstrated his means of getting power to do just that. He's come to near death several times, like any other character, but still pushed himself further. I haven't watched Dragon Ball, but based on Naruto, Luffy, and Ichigo, I'd say Natsu would try the hardest, and to me, that's strength.
Byakuya Kuchiki (Bleach)

Byakuya Kuchiki is a fictional character in the anime and manga series Bleach, created by Tite Kubo. He is the captain of the 6th Division in the Gotei 13 and the head of the noble Kuchiki clan. Known for his calm demeanor and strong sense of duty, Byakuya is a key figure in the story, especially during... read more
Sasuke Uchiha (Naruto)

Sasuke Uchiha is a fictional character from the manga and anime series Naruto, created by Masashi Kishimoto. He is a member of the Uchiha clan and one of the main characters in the series. Sasuke is portrayed as Naruto Uzumaki's rival and follows a complex path throughout the storyline.

It's very hard to fight him. You cannot directly look into his eyes, and there are the legendary black flames of Amaterasu. Don't forget the power of the Rinnegan and his ultimate offense and defense form, Susanoo.

Sasuke is a boss with his Rinnegan. He can also control the tailed beasts and use them as his own. Maybe he can even do what Madara tried to do with Project Tsuki no Me.

Sasuke is really strong. I personally think he's on the same level as Naruto, but other than that, he is strong.