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Power scaling is a perennial challenge in anime, where characters often gain abilities through unexpected plot developments or random encounters. Despite these inconsistencies, some characters stand out, earning acclaim for their resilience in the toughest scenarios.
These characters have never lost a fair contest, suggesting that their adversaries either failed miserably or had to resort to trickery or outright cheating. It’s not solely about brute strength, as numerous anime figures demonstrate. Instead, it often requires a blend of power, agility, intellect, endurance, resilience, and mastery of weapons to forge such formidable anime legends.
Satoru Gojo’s existence itself shifted the power dynamics within the jujutsu realm. With the Six Eyes, he could perceive his surroundings on multiple planes, and his Limitless Cursed Technique enabled him to control the unimaginable concept of Infinity. Although Toji Fushiguro came close to defeating him, Gojo emerged from the confrontation even more formidable than before.
Satoru Gojo’s Birth Changed Jujutsu Society Forever
Satoru Gojo was destined to be so powerful that the accident of his birth reframed the dynamics of the jujutsu world. The Six Eyes allowed him to perceive his environment on multiple levels, whereas his Limitless Cursed Technique allowed him to manipulate the impossible concept of Infinity itself. Gojo was nearly brought down by Toji Fushiguro, but he survived that encounter to become even stronger than before.
The idea of Gojo losing a battle seemed preposterous enough that Jujutsu Kaisen‘s mangaka, Gege Akutami, acknowledged the mistake of making him too overpowered. The only way he could ever be brought down was bypassing his Infinity, which by definition can never be circumvented. Unless, of course, Gojo’s opponent is at least as strong as him, and has access to extremely rare external abilities that can offset Limitless.
Yamamoto Genryusai Could Only Be Defeated Through Trickery
As the strongest Shinigami in Bleach, Yamamoto Genryusai remained the Gotei 13’s Captain-Commander for over a millennium because there wasn’t a single person worth challenging him. Armed with only his Shikai, Yamamoto could incinerate entire cities and believed that even Aizen wouldn’t be able to survive Ryuujin Jakka. He was proven right; Aizen devised a stratagem aimed specifically at neutralizing Yamamoto’s Shikai.
Then came Yamamoto’s Zanka no Tachi in the Thousand-Year Blood War arc, a Bankai that generated enough heat to vaporize all of Soul Society. Fans wanted to see Yhwach engage the old man in a fiery battle, but the Quincy Emperor tricked Yamamoto and stole his Bankai. In both cases, unfair tactics were employed to strip the Captain-Commander of his powers before defeating him.
Neferpitou Was Unlucky to Have Gon as Her Enemy
The Chimera Ant arc took Hunter x Hunter to the next level of pure power. Although the Ant King Meruem would always be incomparable, his Royal Guard wasn’t too far behind. Isaac Netero, the Chairman of the Hunters’ Association and the strongest human in the world, stated that Neferpitou’s raw Nen far exceeded his own. As such, when Netero triggered an invasion of the Chimera Ant Royal Palace, he smacked Neferpitou a great distance instead of engaging her directly.
Neferpitou’s immense strength resulted in countless deaths and defeats, including talented Nen-users such as Kite, who were basically toys to play around with. In the end, it took a dangerous Nen Vow and Gon’s transformation into Adult Gon to bring Neferpitou down — anything less, and HxH‘s protagonist would have become mincemeat. Neferpitou was just too fast, strong, and durable for anyone else.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni Was the Only Human Stronger Than Muzan
The Demon King Muzan proudly leads an army of minions, sending them to perform various tasks on his behalf. Demon Slayer painted Muzan as beyond every single Hashira, arguably stronger than all the Upper and Lower Demon Moons combined. And yet, the Demon King preferred to manipulate the world from the shadows, when he could have just as easily participated on the battlefield.
This work-from-home situation and refusal to show himself were the result of Muzan’s first and only encounter with Yoriichi Tsugikuni, the creator of the Sun Breathing style. Yoriichi was effortlessly superior to the Demon King, who was shocked and terrified by an ordinary human treating him like weak prey. Tanjiro Kamado may bear the legacy of Yoriichi Tsugikuni, but giving the protagonist the same level of power would have ended Demon Slayer much faster.
Red-Haired Shanks’ past is currently being revealed in the One Piece manga, as fans grow increasingly impressed by the man they already worship. Shanks apparently took a defeat from Blackbeard in an offscreen fight, but the latter’s shady behavior and deceitful tactics were most probably the cause. Taking Shanks head-on is an endeavor only the most foolish would embark on, as evidenced by Eustass Kid and the Kid Pirates.
Kid’s bombastic display of power nearly took the lives of countless innocents, only for Shanks’ Future Vision to save his allies before Kid even launched his attack. Shanks unleashed a single strike that utterly vanquished Kid and destroyed his ship. Earlier examples also highlight Shanks’ immeasurable strength, from singlehandedly stopping the Marineford War to terrifying Admirals into submission.
King Bradley Lost to Scar Because of All the Cumulative Damage
Arguably the most efficient fighter amongst the Homunculi of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, King Bradley a.k.a. Wrath was an unstoppable force of nature. The Ultimate Eye granted him near-flawless perception, allowing him to accurately interpret movements, tension, and intent. Bradley was born a human, making him different from his Homunculi siblings, which also resulted in a unique combat sense on the battlefield.
Bradley dispatches dozens of opponents throughout FMA: Brotherhood, from the first Greed to heroic side-characters like Buccaneer and Fu. Sporting injuries that would have killed most other characters, Bradley survives long enough to fight Scar. This battle symbolizes vengeance and justice for the genocide of Ishavalans, but Bradley only loses thanks to the cumulative damage inflicted by multiple opponents.
Koro-sensei Had to Persuade Class 3-E to Kill Him
Assassination Classroom‘s Koro-sensei is an enormous, yellow-colored, balloon-shaped creature. He can fly at speeds of Mach 20, defy temporal conventions, regenerate perfectly, and is ostensibly immune to conventional weapons. The anime intentionally frames him as nigh-undefeatable, implying that a fair fight against Koro-sensei could never happen. And yet, that’s what he spends much of his time teaching his students to accomplish.
Koro-sensei had to die to save the world, but it wasn’t his admittedly well-trained students who ended his life. On the contrary, Koro was greatly weakened from a battle with Shiro and the Reaper, and he willingly invited Class 3-E to finish the job. That said, the students could not have fulfilled their final mission without their rigorous training, a testament to Koro-sensei’s overall power.
All Might Wins the Toughest Fights by the Skin of His Teeth
Revered as the Symbol of Peace in My Hero Academia, All Might’s mere presence maintained an era of harmony much like Satoru Gojo. Bearing a highly evolved version of the One For All Quirk, the #1 Pro Hero casually overwhelmed the vast majority of his enemies and defeated All For One on two separate occasions. Their first battle ended with All Might’s severe injury, whereas the second was fought after he bequeathed One For All to Deku.
Despite lacking the Quirk that made him the greatest hero of his generation, All Might managed to overcome all odds, extract the dying embers of One For All, and deliver a blow with such power and determination that All For One was instantly knocked out. While All Might was later defeated by All For One in the Final Saga, My Hero Academia fans recognized the deep unfairness of that battle.
Genkai’s Experience Alone Was Enough for Most Battles
Mentor figures like Dragon Ball‘s Master Roshi and Naruto‘s Kakashi wield enormous power, and the same can be said for Yu Yu Hakusho‘s Genkai. One of the few female mentors in shonen anime, Genkai’s combat skills far exceeded her student Yusuke’s, at least until the Dark Tournament. As a competitor herself, Genkai used a combination of raw strength, battle elegance, and philosophical wisdom to defeat her opponents.
Even after she hands the bulk of her “power” to Yusuke, Genkai faced no problems against the likes of Shishi Wakamaru and Suzuki. Decades of experience and knowledge won her both fights, and she only fell to Younger Toguro. Genkai’s final battle was the furthest thing from fair, however, as she was an elderly human whereas the still-youthful Toguro had the strength of a B-Class demon.
Saitama Is Likely Never Going to Lose a Fight in One-Punch Man
The question of fairness becomes meaningless in the face of One-Punch Man‘s Saitama, who has yet to lose a single fight. In fact, the endearingly bald protagonist barely even uses more than a fraction of his power at any given time. On the other hand, it’s completely fair for enemies to challenge Saitama without recognizing his true power — that’s just in the nature of certain anime villains (or heroes, for that matter).
Excluding the webcomic and manga for spoiler reasons, Saitama has defeated ancient beasts, overpowered insects, mutant monsters, oceanic royalty, and Boros, the so-called Dominator of the Universe. Saitama’s nonsensical strength parodies the excesses of shonen anime, but One-Punch Man‘s excellent storyline somewhat dulls the satire. Fans are looking for reasons behind Saitama’s invincibility, not that it makes any difference to his present status atop the shonen hero canon.
