While there is a wide range of isekai anime available to anime fans, the genre has become infamous for having overpowered protagonists. This trend has always been a major part of isekai anime, but thanks to Sword Art Online and its protagonist, Kirito, the phenomenon is more common than ever.
Whether they were reincarnated into another world and gained a superpower no one can defeat or raised to be the strongest in their clan from the moment of birth, there is an abundance of compelling isekai protagonists that have saturated the genre as a whole. Out of this group, there is a handful whose power clearly stands above the rest.
Update on June 13th, 2023 by Louis Kemner: We have updated this list once again to add more isekai powerhouse characters any anime fan will know and love. We have also included a variety of isekai anime characters who are not protagonists, but supporting heroes to prove that it’s not always the protagonist who’s OP.
25 Shiroe (Log Horizon)
Although Sword Art Online popularized the character-becomes-stuck-in-video-game trope, the series is far from the first to explore this concept. Log Horizon, first released in 2013, explores a similar concept, thrusting 30,000 Japanese gamers—including its protagonist, Shiroe—into a video game known as Elder Tale.
Shiroe is an eight-year veteran of Elder Tale, instantly making him one of the strongest entities in the entire game. While his involvement with the show’s titular guild, Log Horizon, helps him meet many quality characters, he would have had no problem defeating the game’s toughest opponents by himself.
24 Taichi (Isekai Cheat Magician)
At the beginning of Isekai Cheat Magician, Taichi Nishimura and Rin Azuma are two regular high school students. However, after being transported to the magical world known as “Altianutz” on their way to school, Taichi’s latent magical abilities become apparent.
Taichi’s power level is so high compared to his peers that he is labeled a “cheat magician”—a sorcerer whose magical intuition is so great that they needn’t even speak incantations to use it. While Rin also benefits from similar gifts, no character can hold a flame to Isekai Cheat Magician’s overpowered protagonist.
23 Lugh Tuatha Dé (The World’s Finest Assassin Gets Reincarnated In Another World As An Aristocrat)
Lugh Tuatha Dé is a fun example of a character who begins their series as one of the strongest individuals in the entire world. In The World’s Finest Assassin, his skills as an assassin are unparalleled, and if it were not for the betrayal of his employer, he would have ended his days as an accomplished legend.
However, thanks to the actions of an unnamed Goddess, Lugh is reborn in a brand-new world with a second lease on life. As an assassin, Lugh functioned as a tool used by his organization to eliminate whichever targets they deemed necessary. Using his skills as an assassin, gifts from the Goddess, and newfound ambition, he effortlessly progresses through the new world he inhabits.
22 Seiichi Hiiragi (The Fruit Of Evolution)
As with many isekai protagonists, Seiichi Hiiragi begins The Fruit of Evolution as a bit of an outsider. The character struggles with self-confidence issues because of his classmates’ incessant bullying, so when he is transported to another world by a mysterious god, he leaps at the opportunity to reinvent his image.
After this deity offers Seiichi the opportunity to eat ten fruit that will grant him a wide range of abilities and benefits, the protagonist quickly masters the sorcery used in his new environment. This easily makes him the most talented individual in the entire show, completely reinventing what is possible for his character.
21 Megumin (Konosuba)
Protagonist Kazuma Sato only has one asset: his incredible Luck stat. With that stat, he can only barely survive in Konosuba’s lively isekai world, so he needs support characters like Megumin to actually deal some damage during a quest.
Megumin can only cast one spell per day and has minimal physical strength, but in her eyes, it’s worth it. Megumin’s explosion spell is famously powerful, and in the Konosuba movie, she combined her power with Yunyun’s to create an explosion visible from space.
20 Sora & Shiro (No Game No Life)
Sora and Shiro share a heartbreaking backstory and are never seen without the other in No Game No Life. While both are impeccably smart, they are both at their strongest when they’re with the other. Their teamwork makes them one of the strongest pairs in the world.
As a result, enemies refer to Sora and Shiro as “Blank,” the undefeated duo. Even after being transported into another world where they must fight against Gods, they never relent and beat them just as easily as if they were humans, making them among the most overpowered characters in anime history.
19 Hajime Nagumo (Arifureta: From Commonplace To World’s Strongest)
Just like Naofumi from The Rising of the Shield Hero, Hajime was not taken seriously when Arifureta began. He was called an incompetent fool who could not do anything, but after being made fun of for his weakness, Hajime became an anti-hero who obtained great strength.
The one difference between most isekai heroes and Hajime is his cruel nature, as he uses his powers of mutation and strength to fight his enemies. He can even damage a person’s organs without trying, which is quite a feat.
18 Naofumi Iwatani (The Rising Of The Shield Hero)
The Rising of the Shield Hero spawned a lot of controversy due to its handling of the main character, Naofumi Iwatani. Still, he is one of the best isekai protagonists in recent years. After this controversy dwindled down once the show wrapped up, it turned into amazement regarding the series’ ability to subvert the expectations of its viewers.
Despite being the Shield Hero, which is considered the weakest out of the four Cardinal Heroes, Naofumi has almost perfect defense and can even be offensive with some of his shields. Add in a demonic shield that overtakes his mind, and he possesses quite a mix of strengths.
17 Senku Ishigami (Dr. Stone)
Strength does not have to come from brute force in order to be considered overpowered; one can pursue multiple paths. Dr. Stone’s Senku achieves his strength through intelligence, becoming an overpowered brainiac. After awakening to a “stone world,” Senku begins to restore civilization and make it his own.
When Senku was fossilized as a stone, he counted how many days went by in his head, so he would not forget what year it was. It is almost a miracle he is still sane, although fans would say he is pretty brave for trying to restore civilization back to how it used to be before everything went downhill.
16 Rem (Re:Zero)
Re:Zero is a deceptively dark and brutal isekai anime starring the NEET protagonist Subaru Natsuki. Aside from the witch’s curse that lets him return to life at certain checkpoints, Subaru has no real combat strength or magic, so his blue-haired maid friend Rem is his best bet at survival.
Rem is a hugely popular anime waifu who balances her cute, innocent looks with her savage combat prowess. As an ogre, she has immense strength, and her signature weapon is a spiked metal ball attached to a long chain, making it a potent medium-range weapon.
15 Haruto Amou (Seven Senses of the Re’Union)
Seven Senses of the Re’Union is mostly known for its horrible plot and story, not for its overpowered protagonist, Haruto Amou. However, that does not change the fact that he is as strong as they come. Haruto is one of the most powerful characters in Union, the first VRMMORPG in his world’s timeline.
Amou’s similarities to the protagonists of Sword Art Online and Log Horizon are hard to ignore. Haruto has sharp abilities and smarts, as well as the ability to manipulate auras. Despite rarely using weapons, he still somehow wins various fights.
14 Azazel Ameri (Welcome To Demon School, Iruma-Kun!)
Azazel Ameri is the student council president in Welcome to Demon School, Iruma-Kun!, and she soon became Iruma Suzuki’s best friend. She is a dignified and powerful demon girl who is widely respected, but she also has a soft side, such as a secret love of shojo manga.
In battle, Azazel Ameri can use her formidable bloodline trait, Romanticide, to multiply her power and become a melee powerhouse. Her strength is derived from her self-confidence, so if Ameri loses faith in her abilities in battle, she may become weaker—a drawback she is perfectly aware of.
13 Leon Bartfort (Trapped In A Dating Sim)
Leon Bartfort is the witty, roguish antihero of Trapped in a Dating Sim, a wacky isekai anime taking place in an otome game world where giant robots are common. Leon is strong not because of magic or swords, but because he can pilot an incredibly powerful mech with advanced technology.
Leon defeated his rivals with ease in Trapped in a Dating Sim, and he only needed his robot’s shovel and fists to do it. This is how he trounced Prince Julius and his cronies in the combat arena, though these glorious victories actually made Leon even less popular, not more.
12 Seiya Ryuguin (Cautious Hero: The Hero Is Overpowered But Overly Cautious)
Seiya Ryuguin is one of the newest overpowered protagonists in mainstream isekai anime. It is even stated in Cautious Hero’s title that Seiya is overpowered, so fans weren’t shocked by his abilities. However, his temperament provides the perfect foil to his awe-inspiring abilities.
Although Seiya is overpowered, he refuses to fight an enemy he is not sure that he can defeat. He also has a worrisome personality, thinking everyone he meets has a deadly illness. While Seiya can beat anyone because of his natural strength, his cautiousness limits his ability to act.
11 Mamako Oosuki (Do You Love Your Mom And Her Two-Hit Multi-Target Attacks?)
If most individuals were transported to a virtual world, they would likely enjoy doing so without being regularly bested by their fellow players—especially if one of these players were their own mother. Do You Love Your Mom and Her Two-Hit Multi-Target Attacks? plays with this idea, making one of its main characters the protagonist’s massively overpowered mother.
Mamako and her son are beta-testers in a video game made to strengthen the bond between parent and child. Against all odds, she ends up with the two most powerful swords in the game.
10 Takuma Sakamoto (How Not To Summon A Demon Lord)
Diablo, whose real name is Takuma Sakamoto, was summoned to his favorite MMORPG’s world, Cross Reverie, as his in-game character during the events of How Not to Summon a Demon Lord. It turns out that Diablo is known as the true Demon King and has the overwhelming power to defeat anyone in the game, no matter their status.
Even if they have better equipment or are at a higher level than him, Takuma can always beat them. He also admits to holding back when he does defeat his enemies.
9 Demon King Claude (I’m The Villainess, So I’m Taming The Final Boss)
I’m the Villainess, So I’m Taming the Final Boss is a shojo-style seinen anime starring the villainess-turned-heroine Aileen Lauren d’Autriche. This is not an OP MC anime, though, since Aileen’s best weapons are her sharp wits and her ample meta-knowledge rather than combat strength. So she needs her kuudere lover, Claude, to protect her from physical harm.
Demon King Claude doesn’t like fighting, and he’d rather be understood and loved than feared. Still, he is immensely powerful as the half-human lord of all demons, and his mood alone can change the weather. If he morphs into his true demon form, he could destroy the entire world.
8 Sadao Maou (The Devil Is A Part-Timer!)
Sadao Maou is one of the most powerful characters in anime history. The protagonist of The Devil Is a Part-Timer! lived as Satan before being forced to flee from his world following his near-defeat at the hands of the Hero Emilia.
While Sadao may look harmless, fans would be wise to remember that he is literally Satan. Though he lost almost all of his powers upon entering Earth, he had extraordinary powers ranging from mind control, teleportation, regeneration, and even the ability to harm others by simply staring at them.
7 Shin Wolford (Wise Man’s Grandchild)
Wise Man’s Grandchild’s Shin Wolford is another isekai protagonist who is new to the anime world. After Shin died from an unknown cause that wasn’t Truck-kun, he was reincarnated as Merlin Wolford’s grandson. Merlin is the most powerful magician in the entire universe.
Shin is extremely powerful and can use his knowledge of his past life to make himself stronger. The one thing holding him back is that he does not understand how powerful he is, so he ends up overdoing it most of the time.
6 Kazuto Kirigaya AKA Kirito (Sword Art Online)
Almost any anime fan that was around when Sword Art Online came out is familiar with the show’s protagonist, Kirito. While the fourteen-year-old’s real name is Kazuto Kirigaya, everyone in the franchise calls him by his in-game name after he is trapped in the game for a long amount of time.
Granted, Kirito was a beta-tester and a solo player, so the reasoning behind his overpowered nature makes plenty of sense. However, that doesn’t take away from the skill that he demonstrates on a consistent basis throughout the events of the series. It’s clear why Sword Art Online is one of the best isekai anime with an OP MC.
