In Japanese anime, the characters may find various ways to improve or even reinvent themselves as fighters, working professionals, and human beings. If someone transforms themselves for the better and has something to show for it, then they have experienced a glow-up, which can change the entire story.
Some of the most famous and exciting anime glow-ups involve a male character who gained new powers, abilities, or weapons, and they might urgently need that glow-up to defeat the villains and save the day. Some glow-ups are the result of months or years of training, while other, more shocking glow-ups are sudden transformations that make for a pretty wild plot twist.
Update on May 30th, 2023 by Louis Kemner: plenty of male action heroes underwent magnificent glow-ups to become stronger, wiser, and kinder people, but glow-ups also include personal changes such as a new outlook on life, an attitude adjustment, or even a cosmetic makeover. We’ve updated this list with more anime boys who reinvented themselves not just as fighters, but as relatable human beings who personally evolved in incredible ways.
15 Izumi Miyamura (Horimiya)
Horimiya is a delightful slice-of-life high school anime series whose two main characters, Izumi Miyamura and Kyoko Hori, both have a hidden side. When they got together, Kyoko was happier in her everyday life, but it was Izumi who really felt his life change for the better.
Izumi became more confident in himself, got a haircut, and stopped projecting such a gloomy aura at school, which boosted his confidence and popularity. He stayed true to himself deep down, but his outermost layers changed in all the right ways, earning him a fine glow-up.
14 Wakana Gojo (My Dress-Up Darling)
My Dress-Up Darling stars the lovable dandere boy Wakana Gojo, who was embarrassed about his passion for hina dolls and had no friends. Then he met the lively deredere Marin Kitagawa, who gladly recruited him to help her make some excellent cosplay.
Wakana glowed up as a more confident and motivated tailor who had someone, not just something, to care about. He was still a soft-spoken fellow, but My Dress-Up Darling fans were also proud of him for working so hard for Marin and the Inui sisters, and he was so happy to help them all.
13 Guts (Berserk)
Berserk’s gritty antihero Guts the mercenary used a variety of broadswords early in his career, but after the dreadful Eclipse in the Golden Age story arc, Guts had no sword to call his own. Then, while he and Casca were still recovering, an Apostle attacked them, and Guts needed a weapon.
Guts seized the huge, impractical dragon slayer sword and used it to score an easy victory, and then he donned a black cape. All that empowered Guts and inspired him to become the “black swordsman” found in later story arcs, complete with a prosthetic left arm.
12 Ken Kaneki (Tokyo Ghoul)
Tokyo Ghoul‘s dandere protagonist Ken Kaneki became a one-eyed ghoul almost right away, but for a time, he was in denial of his ghoul side and hesitated to fight. Then, after Yamori kidnapped and tortured him, Ken felt reborn as a true ghoul, ready to fight with all his power.
Ken burst free and fought Yamori ferociously, and he even cannibalized Yamori to gain a powerful kakuja kagune. From that point on, Ken was a confident and driven ghoul who fought many more battles against ghouls and humans alike while seeking the truth about Dr. Kano.
11 Usopp (One Piece)
In the pre-timeskip era of One Piece, Usopp was all bark and little bite, being a support fighter at best with his clever slingshot ammo. Usopp sometimes felt bad about being so weak compared to Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji, but the two-year time skip changed all that.
All the Straw Hats came back cooler and stronger than ever, but the change was the most drastic for Usopp. He was far stronger and more confident, and he used plant-based ammunition from his time on the Boin Archipelago to become more effective in battle than ever before.
10 Iruma Suzuki (Welcome To Demon School, Iruma-Kun!)
Iruma Suzuki is a helpful and kind boy who is a total underdog at the Babyls school in Welcome to Demon School, Iruma-Kun!. Being human at that school is a major disadvantage, but over time, Iruma got used to it and found ways to catch up with his supernatural classmates.
Iruma glowed up when he used the Ring of Gluttony to defeat a massive chimera monster at Walter Park, earning him serious fame and adoration. Then he glowed up again when he learned archery with Bachiko and became one of the Netherworld’s few successful archers.
9 Kyo Sohma (Fruits Basket)
Fruits Basket changed many of its characters for the better, including most of the Sohmas and Tohru’s friends, like Arisa Uotani. The most impressive change, however, was Kyo Sohma. Kyo turned his life around through sheer willpower in the span of about one year,
With Tohru to support and inspire him, Kyo went from a selfish, defeatist loner to a hotheaded but kind boy who was ready to face his inner demons and stand up to bullies like Akito Sohma and even his verbally abusive father. Kyo learned to fight for Tohru rather than himself, and that made all the difference.
8 Yuji Itadori (Jujutsu Kaisen)
Jujutsu Kaisen protagonist Yuji Itadori was written to be the next Ichigo Kurosaki, an athletic high school boy with immense courage and a good heart, even if he’s a total punk sometimes. Yuji fought a deadly curse at his school one night, then swallowed one of Ryomen Sukuna’s fingers to gain curse powers.
Yuji easily adapted to his new life as a jujutsu sorcerer, despite the constant danger and weirdness of this lifestyle. He took all these hardships in stride and soon established himself as a powerful and helpful curse sorcerer, even fighting alongside former enemies like Aoi Todo to save the day.
7 Izuku Midoriya (My Hero Academia)
My Hero Academia protagonist Izuku Midoriya powered up several times, such as when he trained with Gran Torino and unlocked Blackwhip. His single most drastic and meaningful glow-up, meanwhile, was when he trained with All Might for an entire year before obtaining One For All.
Even without any Quirks, Izuku underwent serious physical training and conditioning, mainly by cleaning the local beach, and he gained the muscular body needed to wield One For All. This Quirk-free glow-up made Izuku stronger, faster, more confident, and more empowered than ever.
6 Zenitsu Agatsuma (Demon Slayer)
Zenitsu Agatsuma was introduced in Demon Slayer as a loud and cowardly demon slayer, but soon enough, fans realized what he can really do. In every anime fan’s eyes, Zenitsu got a massive glow-up in Kyogai’s house, where Zenitsu passed out from fear and finally started using thunder breathing.
Zenitsu went from zero to hero in an instant, and his demon opponent didn’t see it coming. With a single thunderclap, Zenitsu shot forth with incredible speed and unleashed the power of lightning. This glow-up gave Demon Slayer fans hope that in the right circumstances, Zenitsu can and will be a formidable shonen fighter.
5 Giorno Giovanna (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure)
Giorno Giovanna’s glow-up came at the last possible second in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. He and his Stand user friends were getting desperate while fighting Diavolo over the Stand Arrow, but then Giorno’s Stand, Gold Experience, became the mighty Gold Experience Requiem.
With that immense power, Giorno trapped Diavolo in an infinite loop of deaths, defeating him for good. After that, Giorno’s glow-up continued, where an epilogue scene showed him as a well-dressed mob boss who finally made something himself instead of chasing some unspecified dream.
4 Eren Yeager (Attack On Titan)
The antihero Eren Yeager felt like an ordinary shonen lead at first, being a passionate and brave boy who wanted to save the world from monsters. Then he seemingly died when a Pure Titan ate him during a fierce battle — but then Eren returned as a Titan himself.
Attack on Titan‘s plot totally changed with Eren’s grim glow-up, and no one could understand how Eren, of all people, could transform into a combat-ready Titan. Later on, Eren would become radicalized and power up again with both the War Hammer and Founding Titans.
3 Denji (Chainsaw Man)
In the very first episode of Chainsaw Man, the unfortunate protagonist Denji was lured into a trap, then got torn to shreds as the Zombie Devil attacked him. Denji was saved when his devil dog friend Pochita fused with him, creating a human-devil hybrid called Chainsaw Man.
Denji went from zero to antihero in a single moment, a powerful and terrifying being with three combat-worthy chainsaws on his body. He also got a new job working under Makima, which generally improved his life, and he even regained his lost eye and escaped his massive debt.
2 Naruto Uzumaki (Naruto)
The time skip between Naruto and Naruto Shippuden generously gave many characters some much-needed glow-ups, including those for the dandere Hinata Hyuga and the medical specialist Sakura Haruno. Naruto Uzumaki‘s own glow-up, meanwhile, was the best of all.
When Naruto returned, he was smarter, stronger, taller, and cooler than ever before thanks to his training with Jiraiya. He went from an annoying prankster kid to a noble but cheerful young man ready to fight in all-new battles in a new era.
1 Saitama (One-Punch Man)
In a flashback scene in One-Punch Man, seinen anime fans saw a dejected 20-something man with nothing but a suit and a briefcase, struggling to find work. Then he saw a lobster monster attacking a child, and Saitama pushed himself to the limit to slay that creature and save a life.
Saitama then vowed to become a homegrown hero, and he underwent one of anime’s most famous and strenuous training regimens of all time. When Saitama finished, he had lost all his hair but gained a body that no villain or monster could ever defeat, a body that can win any fight with one punch.
