Top 20 Strongest Anime Characters of Each Year (2001-2020)

Top 20 Strongest Anime Characters of Each Year

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Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we are counting down our picks for the Top 20 Strongest Anime Characters of Each Year. For this list, we’re going to be looking over the most powerful heroes and villains to emerge from a decade’s worth of anime, from 2001 all the way to 2020! Think we skipped out on a worthy OP champion? Let us know in the comments!

“Baki the Grappler” (2001) He’s known as the Strongest Creature for a reason. With a love of fighting and indulging in whatever personal pleasures he happens to desire at the time, Baki’s father isn’t so much a combatant as he is an unstoppable force capable of breaking anything. Even earthquakes. Say what you will about his capabilities as a father, but no one is better when it comes to arriving on a scene and leaving countless bodies broken in his wake.

2002: Hao

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“Shaman King” (2001-02) Seeking to stand at the top of the food chain as the greatest Shaman of all, there’s nothing Hao won’t burn in order to reach his goal. Aside from reincarnating himself twice over to ensure his continued participation in the Shaman Tournament, Hao’s true strength stems from the Spirit of Fire that serves as his guardian ghost; a hulking spirit that can torch through pretty much everything, and switch elemental types should he so choose. The man wants his crown and will happily crawl out of hell as many times as it takes in order to get it.

2003: Kira Yamato

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“Mobile Suit Gundam SEED” (2002-03) There may be far more charismatic pilots out there in the Gundam-verse, but when it comes to bringing the thunder, there’s no topping Kira Jesus Yamato. And no, we’re not talking about his ability to instantly steal someone’s girl, though that might as well be a Newtype ability by this point. Able to rapidly adapt and process information, even in the heat of battle, Kira’s capabilities as a pilot continued to surpass those around him, making him a one-man army long before he had something as devastating as the Strike Freedom Gundam in his possession.

“Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters” (2000-04) While only appearing for a brief moment, you have to give this holy being credit. After all, it’s the combination of all three Egyptian Gods fused into a single entity, and if you know how strong Obelisk, Slifer and Ra are, that’s saying a lot. It also casually wiped out Zorc like he was nothing; a monster with such strength that it was able to take down Exodia with nothing more than its dragon genitalia. And all Holactie had to do was show up and start blasting!

“Tenchi Muyo Ryo-Ohki” (1993-) Don’t you just hate it when you’re trying to build your harem, but things keep going sideways because you’ve got a god living inside you? Essentially Tenchi’s future, divine form, this ascended state is so beyond the pale that its mere existence can cause the end of all things, as seen when Tenchi nearly went god mode early that predicted. I think it’s a safe bet to say that the day he does get released, the whole universe will become Tenchi’s harem!

“Noein: To Your Other Self” (2005-06) While we were very much tempted to put Haruhi Suzumiya here, the truth is, Haruka is just a tad more powerful. If only for the fact that, as the Ultimate Observer, she has a shred more control over her dimension shattering abilities. The laws of time and space are so hellbent on serving and protecting her, that by merely wishing for a person to disappear, Haruka’s will ensures that every parallel universe will twist itself apart to enact her wishes. Not the kind of omnipotence you want to give a high schooler with anxiety issues.

2007: Anti-Spiral

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“Gurren Lagann” (2007) While it was eventually beaten back by Simon and the rest, that was only due to the collective Spiral Power of mankind merging together into a singular giant robot. The Anti-Spiral, by itself, nearly caused universal genocide in its pursuit to prevent the arrival of the Spiral Nemesis. Just by willing it, this god-like being can shift dimensions, create multiple big bangs, and turn itself into a beast the size of whole galaxies just to throw down. Team Dai-Gurren are really lucky they only had to deal with one!

“A Certain Magical Index” (2008-19) There are a lot of espers in Academy City, most of which are C-Tier at best and not worthy of our attention. And then there’s Accelerator. One of only a few handful of Level 5 espers around, in his debut this psychic bad boy truly didn’t give a damn about anyone or anything, on account that he could bend it to his will. With his vectors able to cripple everyone in sight and even make gravity his punching bag, Accelerator was borderline unstoppable, to the point where the only way to stop him was to enlist a guy with a cheat code as a power-up!

“Umineko When They Cry” (2009) There really is no point in trying to stand up to the Golden Witch, on account that she can make both your life and death a living hell if she so chooses. Whimsical and sadistic in equal measure, messing around with human minds and the rules of reality is poultry to someone like Beatrice. She’s capable of ensnaring anyone in illusions, summon demons, control life and death as she sees fit, and when she really wants to bring out the big guns, she’s always got those shoulder towers. Can’t call yourself a witch if you aren’t flashy.

2010: Father

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“Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood” (2009-10) Guess when you swallow God, it affords you quite a few perks. Going from a dwarf in the flask all the way to the singularly most powerful being in creation, the Father of the Homunculus, at least for a moment, commanded the rules of alchemy to his liking. Conjuring a sun, disabling a persons’ ability to use alchemy, summoning the bodies of a dead, Father’s final incarnation sure came with a neat back of tricks. Too bad for him he was only able to hold onto all that power for a fleeting amount of time.

“Puella Magi Madoka Magica” (2011) No magical girl will ever reach the heights that this little cherub did. Afforded one wish by the conniving Kyubey in exchange for becoming a power source destined to die, Madoka exploits the ultimate loophole; by wishing for the end of all witches before they appear. This act not only spares her fellow magical girls of their cruel fates, but causes the universe to rewrite itself, on account of Madoka’s newfound god-like power. When you force reality to a hard reset and continually alter history as it's being written, you’ve officially become the apex.

“Medaka Box” (2012) The last thing you want is to give the power to undo creation to someone a little on the…loopy side. In spite of his chipper disposition, Kumagawa is an empty individual who sees such things as life, death and bloody murder as things to be played with. Which he is fully capable of doing on account of All Fiction; a Minus that allows him to undo any aspect of reality and banish it forever. Taking on an Abnormal who gets all his power from his artistry? Just uncreate every colour until all that’s left is black and white. It’s just that simple for Kumagawa.

“Problem Children are Coming from Another World, aren't they?” (2013) Any guy can find themselves stranded in a fantasy world with monsters at every turn, but it takes someone truly special to be able to flatten them all with some home-grown psychic powers. Thrown into the Gift Games, Izayoi stands as the ace in the hole for the group, mainly due to how he’s able to punch out gods and demons of every shape and size. He may be a little basic, but the results speak for themselves! You certainly want someone like him in your corner when that sea serpent comes a-calling.

“Hunter x Hunter” (2011-14) While his journey from nameless monster to an empathetic being capable of love is truly the most powerful aspect of Meruem’s character, there’s no escaping the fact he’s also the King of Chimera Ants. And that means he’s really good when it comes to slaying Hunters. Borderline indestructible with a genius level intellect, Meruem needs nothing more than his hands to brutally finish off his opponents. Even when taking the full weight of Netero’s Nen-fulled, giant, multiarmed construction, the king is able to brush it all off and get right down to chopping off limbs.

2015: Saitama

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“One Punch Man” (2015-19) Whether you’re a supervillain, alien, robot, cosmic juggernaut, prehistoric super-centipede or literally anything else, all it takes is a single swing from this man to end things. Blessed, or cursed if you ask him, with unparalleled strength, there’s no one out there capable of withstanding what Saitama can dish out. With a casual tap, he can leave someone buried in the ground, and when he gets serious, he can part the ozone layer due to the magnitude of his punch. You almost have to feel sorry for the Monster Association by this point.

“Dragon Ball Super” (2015-18) Just when you thought the multiverse had run out of supreme beings, along comes this little jellybean. As the Omni King, the child-like Zeno stands as the deadliest creature to ever exist. Why? Because with a tap of its finger, it can erase an entire universe from existence. That level of power goes well beyond your average Super Saiyan. It’s hard to tell if its innocent nature is a façade for omnipotent intellect, or it truly is the most dangerous kid to ever exist, one who even makes the Gods of Destruction quake in fear.

“Re:Creators” (2017) This is what happens when a fan-character is given sentience and allowed to go on a warpath. Originally nothing more than a pseudo-vocaloid, Altair’s desire for revenge following her creator’s death led her to declare war on the real world. Armed with the Holopscion, Altair isn’t only capable of summoning an unlimited barrage of swords as well as undo the abilities of her fellow creations, but when push comes to shove, can create an entire universe of her own making. Be kind to your characters!

2018: Goku

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“Dragon Ball Super” (2015-18) We hate to cheat by having a second character from Super make the cut…but then we remembered just how obscenely powerful Ultra Instinct is! After finally mastering this radiant form, Goku attained strength far beyond that of a mere Super Saiyan God, proven when he was able to wipe out the equally imposing Jiren like he were Yamcha. While we have yet to see this power revisited, it’s clear that while rocking that silver hair, Goku would be able to even bring a God of Destruction to their knees.

“JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind” (2018-19) Not to knock any of the other JoJo’s, they’re all fabulously epic in their own way, but only one rose above the rest in terms of outrageous OP-ness. Combining his Stand with that of the arrow, Giorno went from gang-star to god thanks to the reality altering prowess of Gold Experience Requiem. Not even his vampiric father would be able to hold a candle to something that can deny a person the truth, even in death. Basically, Giorno is now a living UNO reverse card who can undo whatever is thrown at him, all before returning the favour with a million muda’s!

“The Misfit of Demon King Academy” (2020) There are plenty of demon overlords out there, but none have the sass, the swagger, and the style to match against our boy Anos. Reincarnating himself several thousand years in the future, just because he can, Anos swiftly proved himself to be leagues above the rest. He can kill someone with his heartbeat, steps all over the rules of spacetime, spins entire buildings like basketballs for fun, and lest we forget, he once uttered these now immortal words. There truly is nothing this guy can’t do.