Summary
- Overwhelming power leads to isolation, loss of purpose, and lack of challenge, as seen in characters like Saitama and Ainz.
- Excessive power can make one unaware, isolate them, or drive them to extreme measures, seen in Light Yagami and Yujiro Hanma.
- Unchecked power can result in arrogance, fear, and the suppression of emotions, portrayed by characters like Gojo Satoru and Wang Ling.
In anime, power is often the key to survival, but when too much power is given, it almost always does not end well. While some protagonists search for powers or, in some cases, are born with overwhelming powers, they are unaware of how it can be a double-edged sword. Too much power can lead to isolation, lack of challenge, loss of human emotions, and other unintended consequences.
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Some protagonists become so powerful that they lose the thrill of battle, while others struggle with the burden of their abilities, making them targets or forcing them into roles they never wanted. From warriors who dominate every fight with ease to those whose strength turns them into feared outcasts, these characters prove that overwhelming power is not always a blessing.
9 Saitama
One-Punch Man
One-Punch Man
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- October 5, 2015
- Studio
- Madhouse, J.C.Staff
- Number of Episodes
- 36
- Streaming Service(s)
- Hulu
- Creator(s)
- Yusuke Murata
- Based On
- Manga
- MyAnimeList Score
- 8.49 (Season 1)
One punch is all it takes for Saitama to defeat any enemy in One-Punch Man. This sounds nice and reduces battle time to a few seconds, but having defeated so many enemies as quickly as the fight started, Saitama does not enjoy fighting as the excitement, fear, and anticipation are all gone.
Being the strongest makes every fight too easy for Saitama, and he finds himself bored and feeling purposeless. His unmatched power leads to a life where he rarely finds a challenge worthy of his skills, and because of that, he has no personal development as he cannot test or improve his skills when, with one punch, the fight is over.
8 Anos Voldigoad
The Misfit Of Demon King Academy
The Misfit of Demon King Academy
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- July 4, 2020
- Studio
- Silver Link
- Creator
- Shu
- Number of Episodes
- 25
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll
- Based On
- Novel & Light Novel
Demon Lords or Kings are usually instruments of destruction and chaos. Anos was such and even had the title, Demon King of Tyranny, in The Misfit of Demon King Academy. However, Anos is different from how people in his world perceive him. Despite being so powerful, he prefers peace and gives his life to stop his world from going to war.
Reincarnating in a world where his past means nothing and his powers are still in check, Anos is classified as a misfit, and this sends him into the dark cave of loneliness. Anos finds himself disconnected from having normal experiences, like having friends, because of his overwhelming and destructive powers.
7 Wang Ling
The Daily Life Of The Immortal King
The Daily Life of the Immortal King
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- January 18, 2020
- Network
- bilibili
- Seasons
- 5
- Creator(s)
- Xuan Ku
Wang lives in constant wariness and fear of his powers growing beyond his control in The Daily Life of the Immortal King. To prevent this, he asks his dad to make new Fulu seals each time the previous one can no longer contain his immense power. His powers going berserk can destroy the whole world. This seal comes with its toll on Wang, as it also suppresses his feelings and emotions, making him appear nonchalant and indifferent.
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It is safe to conclude that Wang is a prisoner in his own body; keeping his powers in check comes at the expense of limiting himself, maintaining a low profile, and depriving himself of a sense of normalcy.
6 Light Yagami
Death Note
Death Note
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- October 4, 2006
It is safe to conclude that unchecked powers have the potential to derail one's life, and Light Yagami is a perfect example of this in Death Note. Light’s life takes a dark turn when he comes across the titular Death Note, a notebook that grants him the power to kill by simply writing a person's name. At first, he uses the note to kill criminals and corrupt politicians, slowly getting rid of crime, but it is not long before his sense of justice becomes corrupt.
Despite not being physically strong, Light began to feel like a god who could take on and defeat anybody with this book, overconfident and out of control. This overconfidence and lack of control would eventually cause him to isolate himself from his allies and eventually lead to his own downfall.
5 Meruem
Hunter X Hunter
Hunter x Hunter
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2011 - 2014
WHERE TO WATCH
- Studio
- Madhouse
- Creator
- Yoshihiro Togashi
- Number of Episodes
- 148
- Streaming Service(s)
- Netflix, Crunchyroll, Hulu
- Seasons
- 4
- Based On
- Manga
- MyAnimeList Score
- 9.03
Meruem’s strength made him see humans as inferior, often treating them as food. Right from birth, Meruem has been a straight-up powerhouse, ripping through his mother’s abdomen to give birth to himself. He is feared by both humans and his type, Chimera ants, as no one is completely safe from him.
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With Meruem’s story in Hunter x Hunter, fans see how having immense power could potentially destroy a person, but change, despite being difficult, is not impossible. Meruem starts as a ruthless king, but he encounters Komugi, and it completely changes him, as it forces him to confront questions about humanity and what it means to be alive.
4 Gojo Satoru
Jujutsu Kaisen
Jujutsu Kaisen
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- October 3, 2020
- Writers
- Hiroshi Seko
- Creator
- Gege Akutami
- Number of Episodes
- 47
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll, Netflix, Hulu
- Seasons
- 1
- Studio
- MAPPA
- Based On
- Manga
- MyAnimeList Score
- 8.57 (Season 1)
Gojo is powerful, and he knows it so well that he deems himself invincible and the strongest in Jujutsu Kaisen. His unmatched abilities, Limitless and Six Eyes, set him apart from other sorcerers, and this makes him a tad bit arrogant. His overwhelming strength causes the Jujutsu Society to fear him while enemies plot to remove him.
Despite his dominance, Gojo is ultimately sealed during the Shibuya Incident, proving that even the strongest can fall to strategic manipulation. His final battle against Sukuna highlights his overconfidence, and despite his overwhelming power, he is ultimately defeated. Some say he let his powers get to his head, causing him to be prideful, arrogant, and cold. Despite all his powers, it shows that being the strongest does not always guarantee survival or victory.
3 Ainz Ooal Gown
Overlord
Overlord
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2015 - 2022
- Studio
- Madhouse
- Creator
- Kugane Maruyama
- Number of Episodes
- 52
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll, Netflix
- Seasons
- 4
- Based On
- Light Novel
- MyAnimeList Score
- 7.91 (Season 1)
Ainz was once a human from Japan, but with his newfound powers, his humanity is a thing of the past as he is known to carry out ruthless and vicious actions against humans in the world of Overlord. His powers make him a godlike figure, earning him names like Supreme One, Sorcerer King, King of Darkness, and so on.
Having powers can be good, but excess can be incredibly dangerous, and for Ainz, it stripped him of his humanity and human feelings. Whether he likes it or not, he is a feared and untouchable Overlord with abilities that can wipe away thousands and destroy nations, and he continues to live up to his status.
2 Kenpachi Zaraki
Bleach
Bleach
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2004 - 2012-00-00
- Studio
- Pierrot
- Creator
- Tite Kubo
- Number of Episodes
- 366
- Based On
- Manga
- Streaming Service(s)
- Hulu
- MyAnimeList Score
- 7.96
Zaraki enjoys fighting in Bleach. He loves the thrill, plus his raw powers and abilities make him nearly unstoppable. However, he is aware that only a few people can match him in strength, meaning that his fights are over within a short period of time, much to his dissatisfaction. Because of this, he tries to stretch out a fight by fighting with one hand, making it longer and restricting himself.
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Despite enjoying fighting and being powerful, Zaraki makes no attempt to get stronger, and he never learned the true name of his Zanpakutō, unconsciously limiting his power. Despite this limitation, Zaraki is so strong that individuals avoid fighting with him, unavoidably pushing him into isolation.
1 Yujiro Hanma
Baki
Baki
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2018 - 2020-00-00
WHERE TO WATCH
- Streaming Service(s)
- Netflix
- Creator(s)
- Keisuke Itagaki
- Seasons
- 2
Yujiro is so strong that no one can control him, not even the United States of America, as they are equally terrified of him and have no way to control or keep him in check. Yujiro is sometimes considered the strongest man in the Baki series, and he is known to enjoy fighting and killing for pleasure, has a distaste for the weak, and wants to get stronger.
However, Yujiro’s powers are too much for his own good, as they have turned him into a merciless and feared fighter. It has caused him to be ruthless, vicious, and violent, killing people in inhumane ways without feeling care or remorse. The only thing Yujiro looks forward to or greatly anticipates is his son, Baki, getting strong like him so that he can feel challenged in a fight.
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