Mentors are a key part of many anime series, particularly in shonen. The best mentors guide their apprentices through some of their most pivotal coming-of-age moments. They guide the protagonists through tough times, show them the ropes, and help them become stronger through rigorous training. The best anime teachers improve their student’s abilities while fostering their mental fortitude.
Many anime mentors, of course, are among the strongest characters in their respective series. In that case, there’s nobody else better for the protagonists to learn from than the best of the best. Some anime mentors, however, are stronger than the rest.
10 Silvers Rayleigh Used To Be The Pirate King’s Right-Hand Man (One Piece)
Silvers Rayleigh from One Piece is one of the series’ strongest characters. In fact, he used to be the Pirate King’s right-hand man, thanks to his impressive abilities. Some would even say he’s stronger than the Eleven Supernovas combined.
Silvers is also a Haki expert who, despite no longer being a spring chicken, still has what it takes to defeat some of One Piece‘s most formidable foes. He became Luffy’s Haki master and showed him how to master the power system like him. Eventually, Luffy may even surpass Silvers. If so, it’d be a testament to Silvers’ teaching ability.
9 Kisuke Urahara Mastered Bankai In Three Days (Bleach)
Kisuke Urahara has mastered many things throughout his life, including shunpo, kido, hakuda, martial arts, and the art of the blade. Even more impressive, however, is that Kisuke mastered Bankai in just three days. That’s a feat that takes most other Bleach characters ages to achieve.
Kisuke quickly became one of Bleach‘s most impactful characters because of his sheer strength alone. He did an excellent job leading the main gang. Kisuke also became a fan-favorite thanks to his laidback personality and sarcastic sense of humor.
8 Lisa Lisa Showed Joseph & Caesar How To Master Hamon (Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Battle Tendency)
Lisa Lisa from Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure mastered Hamon, and she imparted her wisdom to Joseph and Caesar before their final showdown against the Pillar Men. She subjected them to brutal training regimens, but it clearly paid off in the end.
Lisa Lisa made a memorable entrance when she approached the duo by walking on water, then using Hamon to turn the liquid into a high bar to spin around on. Not only is Lisa Lisa a Hamon expert, but she’s also quite an impressive acrobat.
7 Biscuit Krueger’s Nen Abilities Are Unmatched (Hunter X Hunter)
Hunter X Hunter’s Biscuit Krueger is a force to be reckoned with. She’s a professional Double-Star Hunter who has mastered the art of using Nen. She imparted her knowledge to Gon and Killua before the Greed Island arc. She’s been one of Hunter X Hunter’s most important characters ever since.
Biscuit is a Transmutation-type, meaning she can use her Nen in many different ways. She can heal people and even force them to relax. However, her most famous ability is her Body Transformation. She can transform her small frame into one menacing enough that she could go head-to-head with some of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure’s most muscular characters.
6 Izumi Curtis Is One Of Anime’s Most Badass Teachers (Fullmetal Alchemist)
Izumi Curtis from Fullmetal Alchemist pushes her students to their limits to make them stronger. She’s a talented, self-taught alchemist who believes in taking a hands-on approach to everything.
Izumi’s alchemy is focused on using her surroundings to her advantage. She can create walls from nothing and even control the direction of overflowing water. Izumi uses the ground and stone to restrain and attack her opponents and prefers using metal weapons, especially spears. Her Internal Direct Gate Control allows her to manipulate energy just by touching her palms together.
5 Kakashi Is The Copycat Ninja & Team 7’s Fearless Leader (Naruto)
Kakashi Hatake from Naruto is one of Konoha’s most famous shinobi. People call him the “Copycat Ninja” because of his Sharingan, which allows him to copy virtually every jutsu technique he sees. He can also predict his opponent’s next move and even see through decoy attacks. With immeasurable amounts of chakra, superhuman agility, and impressive acrobatics, it’s no question why so many enemies struggled to take Kakashi down.
Kakashi may have been hard on Team 7, but his training methods paid off. He trained Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura with a “tough love” mentality while showing them the importance of teamwork. Team 7 trained under one of the best ninjas of their time.
4 Koro-Sensei Literally Destroyed Half Of The Moon (Assassination Classroom)
Shonen anime is notorious for its roster of wickedly overpowered characters, but few compare to Assassination Classroom‘s beloved yellow octopus, Koro-Sensei. Thanks to unethical human experimentation, Koro-sensei became the smiling creature that fans and class 3-E grew to love.
Koro-Sensei is immune to poison, can manipulate his body’s fluidity, and compress himself into a sphere called his “absolute defense.” It’s plain to see why class 3-E struggled to assassinate him before the end of the year. After all, Koro-sensei literally ate half of the moon when he went berserk before coming back to Earth. His body is so powerful that it could destroy the planet if something went wrong.
3 All Might’s Punches Used To Cause Atmospheric Shifts (My Hero Academia)
Before he was forced to retire, My Hero Academia‘s All Might could punch an enemy hard enough that it would cause an atmospheric and barometric pressure shift. One time, he knocked a villain around so hard that the clouds split, and it started raining on a sunny day.
All Might’s absolute strength made society feel safe and protected against the villains for ages. After choosing Izuku to inherit One for All, All Might’s strength faded even quicker than before. He showed Izuku how to gradually amp up his OFA usage so he wouldn’t hurt himself. When Izuku started developing brand-new quirks, All Might did his best to walk him through everything, even if he didn’t have all the answers.
2 Jiraiya Is A Fun-Loving Hokage-Level Shinobi (Naruto)
After his debut in season two, Jiraiya quickly became a fan favorite Naruto character. He doesn’t take life too seriously and prefers to enjoy life’s finer things. When Jiraiya took Naruto under his wing, he took a very hands-off approach, even though it annoyed the latter.
Jiraiya is one of Naruto‘s coolest and most well-written characters. He’s one of the legendary Sannin and is one of Konoha’s most revered shinobi. Jiraiya has enough chakra to summon Camabunta, Mount Myoboku’s chief toad. Though he’s a master of most types of jutsu, Jiraiya’s true strength lies in his intellect. Though he acts like a goofy, carefree guy, he’s constantly gathering information and observing his surroundings.
1 Satoru Gojo’s Birth Altered The Universe’s Balance (Jujutsu Kaisen)
Jujutsu Kaisen’s Satoru Gojo is a wunderkind in the world of jujutsu sorcery. He was born with both the Six Eyes and Limitless techniques, making him the first in 400 years to possess both. It’s said that Gojo’s birth altered the universe’s balance for the first time in centuries. Cursed spirits and curse users were forced into hiding because someone was out there, ready to defeat them at any moment.
Gojo’s cursed techniques are some of the flashiest and most electrifying in Jujutsu Kaisen. Just to name one, his Domain Expansion: Unlimited Void traps his enemies in a metaphysical atmosphere where they’re simultaneously inundated with everything and nothing. Most would have expected Gojo to subject Yuji to brutal cursed energy training, but fans loved that he likened honing one’s flow to cursed energy to mindfulness while doing other tasks, like watching movies.
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