Top 10 Most Powerful Fictional Characters
Ever wondered who'd win in a fight between Superman and Goku? Or maybe you've pondered the true extent of Shaggy's power?What makes a character truly powerful? Is it raw strength, reality-warping abilities, or an unwavering will? Maybe it's a combination of all these traits, creating a character that leaves a lasting impact.
This list is the culmination of votes from fans like you, weighing in on who they believe deserves the title of most powerful. It's a mix of beloved heroes, terrifying villains, and some characters that might surprise you. From gods to reality benders, super-powered aliens to unassuming cartoon characters, this list spans the vast spectrum of fiction.
The One Above All is the supreme being and the creator of the Marvel Multiverse. This character is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent, embodying the ultimate power and authority in the Marvel Universe. The One Above All is all-powerful. He is the god of the Marvel universe and is above everyone in it. He is apparently omnipotent, which means all-powerful, omnipresent, meaning he can exist anywhere, and omniscient, meaning all-knowing. He is the most powerful character in Marvel and could destroy the entire Marvel universe if he wanted to.
His power is limitless, and he has no weaknesses. He cannot die by anything or anyone. Before you say he was absorbed by Thanos in Infinity Conflict, that was nonsense and non-canon. One of the creators confirmed that Thanos absorbed an avatar of the One Above All, not the actual being. He absorbed a celestial version of the One Above All.
I wouldn't directly say he's the most powerful fictional character ever, but he definitely deserves to be at the top alongside SCP-3812 and The Presence.
Goku is a Saiyan warrior known for his incredible strength, martial arts skills, and ability to achieve increasingly powerful transformations. He is the main protagonist of the Dragon Ball series and continually strives to protect Earth and its inhabitants. Goku's powers are unlimited. All others are nothing in front of the Dragon Ball character. Who is Zeno? He can erase all universes in just a second. As Goku can go beyond his powers, it is possible that Goku can surpass Zeno.
Some people say that Goku's power level increases without training. Actually, no. The anime mostly shows the training, which is a waste of time. If there is something very interesting in the training part, it is always shown. The day is very close when Goku will be the most powerful character in anime history, both in the present and obviously in comparison to others.
There is no comparison between Marvel characters and Dragon Ball characters.
Superman, also known as Kal-El or Clark Kent, is an alien from the planet Krypton with superhuman abilities, including flight, super strength, and invulnerability. He serves as one of Earth's greatest heroes, dedicated to justice and protection. Ok, I am well aware that several of these guys would destroy normal Superman, but there are variants that would belong here: Superboy-Prime, Cosmic Armour Superman, and Superman-Prime One Million.
Plain old regular Superman is already formidable. He can move planets, defeat universal-level threats, carry 20 quintillion tons, and hold black holes in his hands. Sure, he can do that, but that doesn't cut it for me.
However, when we consider the more powerful versions of Superman, things get interesting. Certain versions of Superman definitely deserve to be on this list. I'm not listing them all, but if one is interested, they should do their research.
The Presence is the omnipotent entity in the DC Universe, representing the ultimate source of power and creation. This character oversees and influences all aspects of existence within the DC Multiverse. Goku and Superman higher than The Presence? Bull. The Presence is God. How can Superman be higher than the entity that created him?
The Presence is (yet again) a literal god. Why are these gods rated so low? Idiotic fans really put Superman higher than the god who created him.
The Presence is easily stronger than Superman and Goku. The Presence is on the level of Zeno from DBS, so of course, he's stronger than Goku. My god, just put the overpowered beings in the right spots. Easily number 4 or 5.
He is completely omnipotent. He created the DC multiverse. He can change and warp reality without so much as a thought, which means characters like Superman, Saitama, Goku, or anybody else are powerless against him. Even with all their power combined, they're not infinite in every way imaginable like he is. Therefore, he'd just wish them out of existence and "poof," they're gone.
Kirby is a small, pink, and round character with the ability to inhale enemies and gain their powers. He hails from the planet Popstar and frequently saves his world from various threats. How is he in 7th? This little puffball has killed omnipotent entities and entities that transcend fiction. He is easily the most powerful thing to ever exist based on kills alone. Factor in the Copy Essence Deluxe, and Kirby suddenly becomes literally unbeatable.
He can take the abilities of his opponent without the need to inhale them and then improve their abilities. If there ever is a character who could beat Kirby in a fair fight, Kirby wins automatically by becoming a better version of them. It doesn't matter how powerful a character is, Kirby is that character plus infinity. In other words, Kirby solos fiction because he's a stronger version of fiction.
Galactus is a colossal cosmic being known as the Devourer of Worlds, consuming planets to sustain his life force. He is one of the most powerful entities in the Marvel Universe, often posing a significant threat to entire civilizations. Galactus could beat Superman. He can absorb matter and energy, so he could do that to his enemies. He could get too big to fight.
Worlds are certainly fun to destroy, but to eat?
The Living Tribunal is a cosmic entity tasked with maintaining balance in the Marvel Multiverse. It has nearly unlimited power and authority, often intervening in matters of cosmic significance. I cannot believe that Superman, Goku, Kirby, and Galactus are ranked higher than the Living Tribunal. He is the Cosmic Judge of all realities. He could obliterate all the listed characters' realities with a simple command. In Marvel, this guy is second only to his master, The One Above All.
Son Goku? Superman? Kirby? Galactus? How are any of them more powerful than the guy who could just wipe away their entire multiverses with a simple command? (Characters listed included.) You think Thanos is powerful with those fancy Infinity Gems? The Tribunal effortlessly shut them down at one point.
Saitama, also known as One Punch Man, possesses overwhelming strength, able to defeat any opponent with a single punch. He is often bored by the lack of challenging foes in his pursuit of heroism. The entire point of Saitama is that he is infinitely powerful. So much so that he actually begins to despise it: no villain poses a challenge for him, almost no monster survives more than a single punch from him. Even the most godly foe merely bores him. In his final fight of season one, no matter how obscenely powerful his alien opponent is, it's clear that Saitama is never in any actual danger and that he never loses control of the situation.
In fiction, there is no superhero more powerful than he is, and that's his weakness. I'm sure every character on this list would rather be in the number one spot than Saitama.
Bill Cipher is a powerful and malevolent interdimensional demon in the form of a one-eyed yellow triangle. He serves as the main antagonist of Gravity Falls, seeking to cause chaos and gain ultimate power. Logic, people. Bill can disintegrate a 900-million-ton baby using just 1/10 of his power. If I'm correct, unless you are a 4th or 5th-dimensional reality warper, you cannot harm Bill Cipher in any way.
He is one of the ONLY characters in fiction who can permanently kill Deadpool. This is because, when Bill blasts an opponent, they disintegrate into dust. Doing that to Deadpool would kill him because there would be no cells left to regenerate from.
If I'm right about this, Bill could solo the Undertale universe, the DC universe, the Marvel universe, the DBZ universe, and almost every other universe. So, logic, people - seriously. Bill Cipher's power comes down to mathematics. Man, society disappoints me.
Shaggy Rogers is a member of Mystery Inc., known for his close companionship with the Great Dane, Scooby-Doo. Despite his cowardly nature, Shaggy often finds himself in the midst of mystery-solving adventures. To say that the ultimate force that is Shaggy Rogers is the most powerful being in the entirety of existence would be an understatement. Many people might argue that Thanos is more powerful, but while Thanos could only destroy half of all living things in the universe with the Infinity Stones, Shaggy could snap his fingers and destroy every conceivable universe and timeline and still not be at his maximum power.
I would go so far as to say that he not only created the world we are standing on but likely even created each universe. Before there was existence, there was Shaggy Rogers.
The Newcomers
Teresa is a formidable warrior from the manga and anime series "Claymore," known for her unparalleled Yoki (demonic energy) sensing abilities and immense power, making her the strongest Claymore of her era. Unlike other warriors, Teresa possesses a calm and compassionate demeanor, preferring to avoid... read more
Baron Karl Amadeus Mordo is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is depicted commonly as an adversary of Doctor Strange.
Thanos is a powerful villain in the Marvel Universe, known for his quest to collect the Infinity Stones and his ambition to bring balance to the universe by wiping out half of all life. His actions pose a significant threat to superheroes and the cosmos. This assessment seems misguided. Considering plain-old Thanos, MCOC Thanos, or MCU Thanos, he falls short when compared to characters like Saitama. However, if we refer to HOTU Thanos, he would rank at number five, not counting actual deities.
Regarding Regulator Thanos, he would be placed at number six, inclusive of literal gods such as The Presence, TOAA, Kami Tenchi, Zeno, and Azathoth. I might have overlooked some, but this would at most adjust Regulator Thanos's ranking by one position or not at all, as he is on par with gods, having been the one to reveal TOAA initially. Regulator Thanos is unstoppable. Regular Thanos, in contrast, is comparable to entities like Galactus or Darkseid. In the MCU, he is on par with Batman, whereas MCOC portrays him rather trivially.
The Beyonder is an immensely powerful being from beyond the Marvel Multiverse, capable of manipulating reality at will. This character often plays a pivotal role in major Marvel storylines, including the Secret Wars. The Beyonder was extremely powerful and nearly had unlimited power. He was so overpowered in Secret Wars.
The dude could create portals and travel into other universes and dimensions. In Secret Wars 2, he said, "Cows don't have wings because I don't want them to," which basically means everything is exactly how he wants it to be. If he wanted cows to have wings, they would have wings. If he wanted the world to end, it would end. If he wanted to take over the world, he could do so effortlessly.
The Beyonder could accomplish things with a single thought, such as destroying galaxies in space, all while just standing there with his arms crossed. He had almost every hero in Secret Wars under his control.
He could manipulate matter and even control nonliving objects like the ocean, rocks, the ground, animals, etc.
So I don't know how Goku, Superman, Kirby, the Living Tribunal, or Galactus are ranked above him when he is clearly far more powerful than all of them combined. He even swatted Galactus like a fly in the comic, and it was said Galactus was like an ant compared to him. He should definitely be higher on the list.
Batman, also known as Bruce Wayne, is a vigilante hero in Gotham City, relying on his intellect, detective skills, and physical prowess. He is one of DC Comics' most iconic characters, dedicated to fighting crime and corruption. Batman has the potential to defeat anyone weaker than a supreme being (God) with preparation and planning. A variant called the Darkest Knight had the power of the super-god Dr. Manhattan. He killed the original creator of the DC multiverse (Perpetua) rather easily. Perpetua is hundreds of times stronger than her son, the Anti-Monitor, who is a multiversal threat. Face it, guys. That version of Batman is strong.
Anyone think Batman shouldn't be here? Reconsider. Do some research on his variants. Here are some god-like variants (from least to most powerful): White Lantern Batman, Hellbat suit Batman, Mobius Chair Batman, and finally the most powerful of them all: The Batman Who Laughs. An evil Batman who, at some point, had power on a multiversal scale, even managing to kill several versions of every superhero on Earth without those god-like powers. (Yes, even the Spectre.)
Kami Tenchi is an omnipotent and transcendent being from the Tenchi Muyo! series, embodying the ultimate power and the source of all existence. This character's true nature and abilities surpass the comprehension of other entities in the series. He is the omnipotent being of the whole setting.
He's a literal god. He should be higher on the list.
He's an omnipotent god. He can just think of something, and it will happen.
Vegeta is a Saiyan prince and a prominent character in the Dragon Ball series, known for his fierce pride, strength, and rivalry with Goku. Over time, he evolves from a villain to a hero, fighting to protect Earth. Not the strongest compared to TOAA, Zeno, etc., but being nearly at the same level as Goku, he definitely deserves to be ranked high. Especially with his new Ultra Ego transformation in the manga, which is his equivalent form to Ultra Instinct.
If there were a list of the Strongest Characters in all of Fiction, whether Goku was in first place or 100th, no matter what, Vegeta still deserves to be directly behind him. No Superman or Saitama behind Goku, specifically Vegeta. This is because if Goku can beat Superman (which I don't think he can), then Vegeta can too.
Godzilla is a gigantic, prehistoric sea monster awakened and empowered by nuclear radiation. This character has become an iconic figure in film, known for its immense strength and destructive capabilities. In theory, Godzilla Earth's considerable size would give him a significant advantage. It is suggested that Godzilla Earth will continue to grow indefinitely. I believe that, due to his size, Godzilla Earth may have an advantage over other characters if he can simply crush them underfoot.
However, I am not familiar with the strength of other characters ranked higher on this list.
Which incarnation?
If it's Godzilla Earth, then he should definitely rank above Saitama. Saitama may have easily defeated beings with godlike powers, but Godzilla Earth overcame Void Ghidorah, an almighty Lovecraftian entity that consumes universes and reality as sustenance. Considering that Void Ghidorah does not even originate from our plane of reality and barely exists, I doubt Saitama could impact either of these adversaries.
The Silver Surfer, originally named Norrin Radd, is a cosmic hero who wields the Power Cosmic, granting him superhuman abilities and control over matter and energy. He serves as a herald for Galactus, seeking out planets for his master to consume. The Silver Surfer is one of the most powerful beings in the universe and the most powerful of the Heralds of Galactus. Imbued with the Power Cosmic by Galactus himself, he possesses near limitless energy absorption and manipulation abilities that manifest in various ways.
Zenō, also known as the Omni-King, is the supreme ruler of all universes in the Dragon Ball series. Despite his childlike appearance, he possesses the power to destroy entire universes effortlessly. It is specifically stated by a god that Zen-chan can never be defeated. It does not matter at all who has what feats, as, first, Zeno has effortlessly surpassed feats of complete omnipotents (One Above All, Beyonder, Living Tribunal, The Source, Kami Tenchi) and has never even been challenged.
Second, he has greater potential to be a great fighter with his infinite strength, even without training. Moreover, it is stated that it is not possible to defeat him. Also, Zalama, a dragon god the size of a universe, is not as strong as him. Let me explain. Zamasu wished on the Super Dragon Balls to be immortal, and that immortality granted by Zalama was overridden by Zeno.
Azathoth is a cosmic entity from H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos, often described as the blind and idiot god at the center of the universe. Its existence embodies chaos and insanity, influencing the mythos' dark and mysterious nature. In my opinion, Azathoth can easily go toe to toe with characters such as One Above All and Kami Tenchi. All of existence is stated to be a part of its dream, and it will vanish when Azathoth awakens. Its mind has been able to create countless reality-warping and beyond-dimensional entities with knowledge and power beyond human imagination. Azathoth is omnipresent, omnipotent, and probably omniscient. I know that people can argue about the omniscience statement, but there are two facts to consider:
1. Azathoth has created a being like Yog-Sothoth, who is truly omniscient.
2. The entire "Blind Idiot God" label could be more connected to the fact that Azathoth isn't aware of its own creation than to it being simply unintelligent.
Furthermore, it is impossible to hurt or kill Azathoth in any way because concepts such as life, death, and destruction are just parts of its dream, which means Azathoth is beyond all of them. You should also remember that it can do so much by simply dreaming. What would Azathoth be truly capable of when it is fully conscious and awake? The thought gives me creeps.
The Doctor is a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey, capable of regenerating into new forms and traveling through time and space in the TARDIS. This character is known for their intelligence, compassion, and adventurous spirit. When people select who is the most powerful person in fiction, they look solely at brawn. Sure, the Doctor hardly compares here to the likes of Superman, Goku, and Saitama. But what he does have is a far superior intellect.
His seventh incarnation played seven steps ahead of the game, defeating his enemies before their plots had really taken form. His eleventh incarnation personally halted the last great Time War. He has destroyed galaxy-spanning empires, and it got to the point that when the Doctor was imprisoned in the Pandorica, the universe practically ended.
Sure, he's not the strongest, but he's certainly among the smartest, which makes him easily one of the most powerful.
Ben 10, or Ben Tennyson, is a young hero who can transform into various alien forms using the Omnitrix device. His adventures revolve around combating evil forces and protecting the universe. He's literally overpowered, like the definition of overpowered. He has four different aliens he can choose from for any occasion. Even if he turns into Grey Matter when he wants brawn, he literally still kicks ass.
Ben 10 possesses Alien X, which is an omnipotent being, as stated multiple times throughout the show and confirmed by its writers. That's what makes Ben 10 the most powerful fictional character.
He can become omnipotent and can rewrite the timeline of the multiverse.
Albus Dumbledore is the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, renowned for his wisdom and powerful magical abilities. He plays a crucial role in the fight against Voldemort, serving as a mentor to Harry Potter.
Doomsday is a monstrous being with immense strength and regenerative abilities, known for his role in killing Superman. He is nearly indestructible, continually evolving to overcome any force that defeats him. Doomsday is undoubtedly one of the most underrated characters. Often overlooked, he stands as one of the most powerful beings in the DC universe, comparable to or possibly superior to Superman (regardless of the version). He killed Superman and possesses a form of immortality. If he is killed, he revives and becomes resistant to whatever killed him. Therefore, unless you are an all-powerful god, a 6th-dimensional imp, possess 12th-level intellect, or are Kirby, you have no chance of defeating Doomsday permanently.
Thor is the Asgardian God of Thunder, wielding the enchanted hammer Mjolnir and possessing immense strength and control over lightning. He is a prominent superhero in the Marvel Universe, often protecting Earth and the Nine Realms from various threats. Thor is incredibly powerful, and he was the reason the Avengers weren't completely destroyed in Wakanda. He got close to defeating Thanos, but at that point, Thanos was already way too powerful. Moreover, to wield Stormbreaker, one has to be extremely powerful. Any normal person attempting to wield it would disintegrate.
Thor also escaped from Surtur and defeated him in combat.
In Infinity War, it is shown that Thor could single-handedly destroy Thanos, even when Thanos had all the Infinity Stones.
He's literally a god. There's no way he's below Batman.
Rick Sanchez is a brilliant but morally ambiguous scientist capable of interdimensional travel and extraordinary inventions. His adventures often involve complex scientific concepts and dark humor, highlighting his complex character. Besides the fact that there are infinite Ricks in the multiverse with a combined infinite intelligence, Rick is still incredibly powerful. His main pros are his adaptability and preparation. Pickle Rick demonstrates that even with the most limited set of interactions with the world (he is literally a pickle with a face and no appendages), Rick can still become powerful enough to destroy a Russian crime unit, a highly skilled assassin, and several armed guards - as a pickle.
He is the most intelligent creature in any possible universe and has the technology to prove it. He used the Citadel to destroy a planet-scale federation prison with barely any effort. He killed Worldender while blackout drunk. His only weakness seems to be not having Mortys around - but there are infinite Mortys.
Anyways, I don't see a reasonable scenario where anything on the top 10 list could really kill him. At the very least, Rick could destroy his universe and just move to a new one if something bad came at him.