Top 10 Strongest Heroes from Mythology

Heroes from all mythologies are welcome, not just those from Greek mythology. This is a combination of physical strength, defense, magic, and intelligence. These characters must be mythological, or at least found in mythology, not in history.
The Top Ten
1 Heracles (Hercules) (Greco-Roman)

Hercules did everything in ancient Greek myths. He accomplished so many feats that people started to lose track of what he did or didn't fight. A good rule of thumb: if Hercules ever came into direct contact with it, it's in Greek mythology. He was so great that the goddess who had been trying to kill him his entire life let her husband Zeus bring him back as a god. She recognized that she had been defeated. The only reason he died was that acid was literally burning away his flesh until, get this, he burned himself alive. He chose this to go honorably instead of surviving, which he could have, and then living to a ripe old age to kill more.

He beat multiple gods in hand-to-hand combat, held up the weight of the sky with his bare hands, helped the gods kill the giants who were specifically made to be unkillable, wore a cloak that made him invulnerable, and never lost a battle. He seriously needs to be nerfed.

2 Karna (Hindu)

He is the greatest warrior of all time. Undoubtedly the undisputed and undefeated champion in all times, Karna was killed by Arjuna when he was unarmed. Karna's chariot wheel got stuck in mud. He took off his bow and arrow and got down to help the chariot wheel come off. Arjuna targeted Karna to kill him. Karna shouted about Kshatriya Dharma and the Hindu Warrior Code of Honour, which prohibits killing an unarmed warrior or prisoner of war.

God Krishna told Arjuna about reality and the truth about using cleverness in war. He explained that as he is a divine god, all bad warriors are already killed by him. Therefore, he instructed Arjuna to kill Karna without any fear. So, Arjuna killed Karna. Otherwise, Arjuna would have easily been defeated by Karna if Lord Krishna had not stepped in. Karna was the mightiest. He could take down Bheem also easily. The gods, Devas, all had come down to see the mighty universal fight between Arjuna and Karna as well.

3 Achilles (Greco-Roman-Trojan)

This page doesn't show every demigod in Greek mythology (the only mythology I'm familiar with), but out of these, I think Achilles is the strongest. When he was dipped in the River Styx, his entire body, except for his heel, became perfect and invulnerable. Thus, his weakness became his heel, which not many other people knew about. Not only this, but he is also the most famous Greek gladiator and is known to be the "Hero of the Trojan War." If every Greek demigod were on this page, then this would be the list in my opinion:

1. Daedalus
2. Achilles
3. Archimedes
4. Perseus
5. Heracles/Hercules

The greatest warrior of all mythology, Achilles outclasses Karna, Siegfried/Sigurd, Diomedes, and so on. Absolutely unrivaled in terms of speed, athleticism, battle prowess, strength, and stamina, his rage was said to defy fate. Even Zeus himself feared the rage of Achilles. He was only killed through divine intervention, as nobody could even challenge him. Notably, he wasn't in battle when he was killed. He was praying at an altar, as it was impossible to kill him in combat.

Even his mere presence struck fear into the greatest of the Trojans, Hector, and forced gods such as Poseidon and Apollo to directly intervene to prevent the fall of Troy before its time. It was even said that Diomedes, the second greatest of the Achaeans, despite having divine power from Athena to challenge and beat the immortal gods (like Aphrodite and Ares himself), couldn't match up to Achilles and didn't have the same presence and force Achilles did.

There's so much to list about Achilles that it's not even debatable, really, to know that he was the greatest warrior in all of mythology. Even Alexander the Great looked up to Achilles and wanted to mirror him in everything he did. When Achilles refused to fight, defeat was inevitable, but when he took part, victory was inevitable, no questions asked.

4 Thor (Norse)

Thor is easily among the top contenders for this list.

I think Mjolnir is the most powerful weapon ever made in the history of mythology...

5 Beawulf (Norse)

He killed nine giant sea serpents while in a five-day swimming match against the mighty Brecca. He killed a dragon with his bare hands and, in order to do so, he had to cut off his arm without showing the slightest sign of pain. Not only does he have unprecedented strength, but he is also a master tactician and uses his vast knowledge to defeat his opponents, finding their weakness and seizing the advantage. He killed the giant demon Grendel completely naked and without weapons. Beowulf is truly the greatest legend of all.

Beowulf killed a dragon with only 12 bee swarms and a queen bee. He effortlessly ripped off an arm from a monster that had killed hundreds of highly trained warriors. He also killed the monster's mother, who was even scarier than her son. To top it off, he was a wise king who brought peace to his people for decades.

Defeated Grendel and his mother, who crushed the 24 members of the House of Odin. His physical strength is equivalent to that of gods like Freyr, Frigga, or maybe even Odin or Thor.

6 Loki (Norse)

This guy is my favorite. The reason Thor has his hammer is because of Loki when they did the competition with the smiths. He is also the reason Odin has Sleipnir, which took Loki going through pregnancy (which, to be fair, was not the end goal).

Loki was not necessarily evil. He was just a trickster. Known as the god who played both sides of Ragnarok, he was the murderer of his best friend Balder, the son of Laffy, the king of the ice giants, and the father/mother of many monsters. Some of his children include Fenrir, the Midgard serpent, and Odin's horse. He loved his family but was known to rebel for attention and recognition.

A badass god, evil and cunning, but makes life interesting for the gods of Norse.

7 King Arthur (British)

The legendary concept of an ideal king carried by a mere human being, with divine power on their guard, represented especially by the legendary sword Excalibur.

Chosen by a weapon, he became a weapon in his own right, fighting his enemies and serving his nation as a knight of the round.

He forged England into one nation from hundreds of fighting landowners, setting it onto its future course.

8 Siegfried (Norse-German)

He defeated a dragon and bathed in its blood, causing him to become invincible. Not to mention, with his sword, which is called Gram, he can easily take on Karna.

Incapable of feeling fear, Siegfried has a helm that he can use to shapeshift, possesses a ring more powerful than the one from LotR, wields a sword akin to Excalibur, and almost effortlessly defeated Wotan (Odin).

Siegfried got his abilities from cutting his way out of the stomach of a dragon and bathing in its blood, often called Siegfried of the Undead.

9 Sun Wukong (Chinese)

A monkey who became immortal through Taoist practices. When he was fated to die, he fought back, defeated Hell's messengers, and wiped his name and his kind's names off of Hell's registry. Afterwards, he rebelled against Heaven and defeated all of Heaven's best generals. He was eventually trapped under a mountain by the Buddha, where he remained imprisoned for 500 years. He was eventually released and, to atone for his past sins, escorted a monk on a pilgrimage to India to receive the holy scriptures from the Buddha. On this pilgrimage, he fought and defeated a great many demons and monsters.

Let's start with his weapon: a staff weighing 17,550 lbs (7,960 kg) that he easily wields. It can shrink, expand, and be duplicated on his command. It was initially used to measure the depth of the sea. The Monkey King himself was immensely strong and fast, could shapeshift into any animal (although he keeps his tail), knew how to cast various spells, and could turn each of his individual hairs into duplicates with the same abilities. His feats include moving the Earth, defeating armies of gods, and literally scaring death. He was the strongest goddamn monkey to ever live and should probably be at the top of this list.

10 Krishna (Hindu)

He was a great combination of brain, divine powers, physical strength, and warrior skills. He killed numerous demons in his childhood, lifted Govardhan Parvat (mountain) with his baby finger, and defeated Indra (King of Gods). These are some examples of his strength. He won the great battle of Mahabharata without killing a single person, showcasing his strategic mind. He demonstrated his divine power by showing the entire universe in his mouth to his mother. And lastly, his teachings to Arjuna during the battle of Mahabharata formed the book Geeta, the holiest and a great source of knowledge. This was his wisdom.

Krishna is Omnipotence, Omniscience, and Omnipresence. Krishna is God incarnate in human form. When Krishna's mother was pregnant with Krishna, people could not even see her because of the brilliance that was emanating from her. He could move celestial bodies at will. An example of this is Krishna's willful occurrence of a solar eclipse to save Arjuna. These are the characteristics of the ultimate God.

If you read about Krishna, you will come to know his greatness, and ISKCON is doing a wonderful job of it. In his Vaman avatar, his one foot covered the entire heavens. He created a star system to kill a demon named Hiranyakashipu in his Narasimha Avatar. In the same avatar, he comes out of a stone pillar by the devotion of Prahalad.

The Contenders
11 Poseidon (God of The Sea) (Greco-Roman)

God of the sea and the water element.

12 Rama (Hindu)

God Ram was a true warrior who fought against Ravana, the king of Lanka, now known as Sri Lanka. Ravana had a castle of gold, but the monkey god Hanuman burned it. This war was very significant, but in the end, it was won by God Ram, symbolizing the triumph of good over evil.

He was the slayer of Ravana - the most powerful demon in Hindu mythology. He killed fierce warriors like Khar/Dushana, Tarka, Bali, etc. He is the lord of Hanuman who burnt mighty Lanka to ashes, husband of Maa Sita (goddess of wealth), and elder brother of Lakshman (avatar of Sheshanaga). His power can be described by the following verse of Ramayan: "Enter the city with the Lord of Ayodhya enshrined in your heart and accomplish all your business. Poison is transformed into nectar, foes turn into friends, the ocean contracts itself to the size of a cow's footprint, fire becomes cool, and Mount Meru, O Garuda, appears like a grain of sand to him on whom Sri Rama has cast his benign look."

13 Gilgamesh (Mesopotamian)

He possesses the Chains of Heaven (Enkidu), which can hold down a god, a GOD, and anyone of divine caliber. Also known as the Bull of Heaven, it was stated in the Epic of Gilgamesh to have a weight of infinity, greater than the weight of the known universe, which is 10^53kg. He also possesses the weapon called the "Destroyer of All Truth (Things)" in the Hyper-verse, larger than the Multiverse and Universe! It was forged in the blood of the ancient Primordial God, Ea, who was the first recorded god to appear in all of human history. This weapon is said to have first appeared in archaeological records around 5000 BC because older is more powerful. The weapon has the ability to wipe out anything in creation, devouring all reality with its immeasurable and omnipotent power.

Near the end of the great Epic, it was also stated that in his failure to attain the flower of immortality, he possessed all of mankind's conceptualized riches, including food, clothing, armory, including weaponry, and even the divine weapons of other gods from different pantheons. For the ancient Mesopotamians were the first to create and worship their gods. All of these riches were considered secondary, as he was unstoppable. The Fate franchise did their research well.

14 Diomedes (Greek)

Diomedes, the most complete hero of the Trojan War and the youngest king, was smarter than Odysseus and as brawny as Ajax. Even the great Hector did not want to be found against him in battle. According to Homer, he was the "Aristos" hero. Only he and Hercules (Diomedes' uncle) faced gods in battle and defeated them. He was the man whom the goddess Athena chose to side with when he became immortal. Some say he was the patriarch of the Celtic nation.

Diomedes stabbed Aphrodite with a spear, defeated Hector, chased away Apollo, almost killed Aeneas, and nearly killed Ares in battle. Yes, Diomedes beat the god of war at his own game. And to top it off, he received absolutely no repercussions for his actions.

15 Perseus (Greco-Roman)

Perseus is one of my favorites. He chopped off Medusa's head, killed a sea monster, and killed people who were going crazy due to intoxication. I like how he unknowingly killed his foolish grandfather. That guy is totally crazy. He even rested well after he literally threw his daughter into the ocean.

One of the only successful heroes, come on people! Okay, maybe he couldn't beat Hercules, but he could crush the heel boy with one hand tied behind his back!

Perseus can totally kick Heracles' ass. Perseus can turn invisible and run fast. Better yet, Perseus can turn Heracles to stone.

16 Cú Chulainn (Irish)

Tied himself to a rock with his own intestines so he could die standing, and fool the enemy army of Connacht. His power was so feared that, even eviscerated and dying, his very presence was enough to prevent his opposition from making a move. Only when a crow landed on his shoulder after his passing did any man dare approach. This man promptly lost his hand in the attempt of taking Cú Chulainn's sword from his corpse.

With the wit and cunning of Odysseus, Herculean strength, Achilles-level wrath and agility, Karna-level loyalty, a spear that kills invulnerable heroes, a Riastrad that makes the Hulk look cute, and a sword of light on a level with Excalibur? I rest my case.

The son of the god Lug, Cú Chulainn held off an entire army by defeating a myriad of its troops in one-on-one combat in succession. Frustrated, they attacked anyway, but Cú Chulainn, whose battle-rage was legendary, killed hundreds of his assailants, erecting a wall of corpses.

17 Christ (Christian)

The Son of God, who was born as a human to save mankind from sin. He spent his life teaching and performing wonders such as healing the ill and disabled. He finally sacrificed himself and was crucified so that humans could be saved from sin. He died but was reborn and returned to Heaven. This great heroic deed was said to restore the balance so that humans were no longer automatically doomed. Humans could then follow the example set by him - or at least believe in him - and reach heaven.

When He was a 1-year-old, He outsmarted the wisest of men. Through His death, He saved all of humanity and gave life. His weapon is a giant cross. During the crucifixion, He only used 1% of His power. He is limitless. He is the Lord. It is known that He fought Beowulf, Achilles, Karna, and Hercules at the same time by Himself, blindfolded, using only His pinky finger.

He is omnipotent, which means he could kill all the others at will.

18 Muhammad (Islam) Muhammad ibn Abdullah (570 AD - 632 AD) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of the world religion of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet, divinely inspired to preach and confirm the monotheistic teachings of Adam, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and other prophets. He is believed to be the Seal of the Prophets within Islam. Muhammad united Arabia into a single... read more

Muhammad, peace be upon him, was and is the most powerful but most kind personality in the whole world. He worked hard for the betterment of mankind and spread love.

He just wanted peace in mankind and, after all, was not like other gods or prophets who always caught up in fighting others. And he always respected religions.

The calmest, most passionate, caring, and a worthy hero that God could ever give to planet Earth.

19 Arjuna (Hindu)

For all the people who think Karna would've easily slain Arjuna, know your facts. Bhishma himself said that he wasn't 1/12th of the Pandavas. True, pound for pound, in terms of skills, Karna might've been a bit better, but you should know that his dharma would never allow him to achieve victory.

Arjuna is the most powerful warrior, and he has the power to consume the whole world in a single arrow. Hence, he is the powerful epic hero.

Arjuna was the best archer in the whole universe. He was the greatest student of Drona, and was so sharp that he could easily hit a bird's eye!

20 Fionn Mac Cumhaill (Irish)
21 Theseus (Greco-Roman)

I've always enjoyed Theseus due to his intelligence and open-mindedness. He was the only Greek hero who actually stuck around for his friends. When Heracles was driven to madness by Hera, everyone but Theseus abandoned Heracles. However, Theseus stopped Heracles from going through with it, even breaking an Ancient Greek stigma by making himself dirty through contact with Heracles.

Heracles lived with Theseus for a long period of time, months or years I'm not quite sure, before going off to complete his famous 12 Labors. To add onto this, Theseus was a total badass, able to fight his way through miles of bandits and capable of holding Heracles' famous strength in check. He's also one of the only mortals to escape Hades. Put this together with his Odysseus-level smarts, and you get one of the best heroes in mythology.

A well-rounded hero, strong like Hercules, smart like Odysseus, and loyal to a fault. He is considered the father of democracy. He ceded power as a king to the people and went off to destroy dangerous monsters. In the end, they betrayed him for it.

22 Odysseus (Greco-Roman-Trojan)

He was not a demigod and yet defied gods and monsters, winning through cunning what he could not win through strength alone. He ended the siege of Troy, a feat that not even the mighty Achilles accomplished. He went to the underworld and returned with life, killed the son of Poseidon, and avoided the god's revenge. He suffered for 10 years to return to his home, denying immortality and the love of goddesses to return to his family.

Hey, Odysseus was the man who ended the Trojan War with his Trojan Horse plot. He legitimately defied the gods, sailed the Sea of Monsters, survived a land of sleep, got past an island of cannibals, and plotted his way out of Polyphemus's island (that scene was hilarious). He also survived the Sirens without stuffed ears, overcame Scylla and Charybdis, got past the sorceress named Circe, endured all the wrath of Poseidon, and murdered all the suitors invading his home. He is the cleverest hero, the highlight of the much-loved poem, the Odyssey, and a brilliant strategist. In the fight over the armor of Achilles, the two who helped carry back Achilles's body held a poll on who was most beneficial to their cause, and Odysseus won (thus bringing about the suicide of Ajax).

He is a favorite of Athena, one of the most prominent heroes in the Trojan War, yet he isn't in the top 10?

Wow, people, get a brain. I'm sure Athena would agree. He wasn't even a demigod. He got through all his hardships on skill, and skill alone! Don't pester me about luck because he had awful luck.

23 Atalanta (Greco-Roman)

Atalanta is an excellent huntress and the fastest runner in ancient Greek mythology. She defeated Peleus (Achilles' father) in wrestling and was the only female Argonaut. A very beautiful and independent woman.

Atalanta was overpowered as hell. The only reason people don't know her was because the ancient Greeks and Romans were very misogynistic and found the notion that a woman can be so strong to be ridiculous.

Her skills are said to surpass Artemis, the Greek goddess of the hunt, and one of the most powerful.

24 Drona (Hindu and Greek)

He is the son of two common people in India, received a boon, and traveled throughout the world. He defeated a demon with his weapons and overcame 125 Greek bandits who tried to steal his golden weapons. He was an honored guest in the Greek court of Heliodorus. After returning, he taught the Kauravas and Pandavas in India. He shaped their weapon skills and made them even more powerful than himself. Duty forced him to fight on the Kaurava side in the war.

Even in the war, he was like a blazing fire. No arrow could touch him, no sword could wound him. Even Bhima lost to him. He survived until the last day of the war when he was told that Ashwatthama had died. Ashwatthama was the name of Drona's son. Drona inquired of Yudhishthira, who never lies. He said yes because an elephant of that name had died. Then Drona became very sad and was killed by Bhima.

He is known to have received moksha (salvation) and lives in heaven.

25 Diarmuid Ua Duibhne (Irish)

Is killing 3,400 soldiers single-handedly enough to get you on the list? Armed with two swords and two spears, one of which can cause wounds that never heal, his legend is one of love, violence, chivalry, and tragedy.

Plus, those 3,400 warriors were from the otherworld, so possibly gods?

Gasps. The dual-wielding Lancer-class Servant of chivalry!

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