Overpowered or “OP” becomes a dreaded term when used to describe a protagonist of any story. Why bother exploring the story of a character already at the top of their game, right? Fortunately, someanimethat featureOP main charactersstill shine thanks to ridiculous shenanigans or overwhelming threats that will make any audience root for the protagonists.
For viewers who just don’t have the time to experiment,some anime with overpowered main charactersfeature powerful first episodes that could grab anyone’s attention. Fortunately for anime fans,many greatanime with OP MCsalready exist.
Anime with powerful protagonists who have clear weaknesses or equals will not be included, and the same applies to shows that do not emphasize their leads' overpowered nature. Shows likeDragon Ball,Naruto, andRurouni Kenshinwill not be included.
Also, Chinese Donghua shows have been omitted; that said,The Daily Life of the Immortal Kingis well worth a watch for anybody craving an OP MC animated series. The show is available on Crunchyroll.
Updated on Aug 02, 2025 by Mark Sammut:Summer 2025 is fully underway by this point, and the lineup has its fair share ofOP anime MCs. Kaiju No. 8 and I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince so I Can Take My Time Perfecting My Magical Ability are back for new seasons, and their protagonists are just as overpowered as they have always been (particularly the latter’s Lloyd). In terms of new shows, here are a few Summer 2025 anime with OP MCs to check out:
Also, sections have been added for Kaiju No. 8 and Code Geass.
Failure Framehas plenty of issues. The animation is inconsistent, and that is rather kind. The story can get very repetitive, with quite a few encounters revolving around Seras (the main female partner) acting as bait so that Touka can step in and do everything. Despite aligning the protagonist with a few strong allies, they are rarely allowed to do anything substantial. The villains are very one-note, with the only exception being the goddess who serves as the final big bad. She is not complex or nuanced, but she is quite entertaining.
Still, for all its flaws,Failure Frameworks well as an edgy OP fantasyabout a bullied guy who gets overwhelming power and goes on a revenge tour against the goddess who summoned him to this world and left him to die. Touka’s skills revolve around status ailments, which notoriously have poor accuracy in this universe; however, his attacks always hit, a cheat that allows him to overwhelm every monster and quickly level up. Touka is not a conventional “good” guy, in the sense that he shows no mercy to enemies who do not deserve it.
This anime is a bit of a strange case. Frankly,My Instant Death Ability is So Overpowered, No One in This Other World Stands a Chance Against Me!is not very good, at least compared to the light novel source material. The story is unfocused, the characters are one-note, and the animation is nothing to write home about. There are plenty of better isekai anime with strong leads out there.
However,My Instant Death Abilitypushes the concept to its absolute limit, reaching the point of absurdity. In a sea ofOP anime protagonists, Yogiri stands as arguably the most broken. He is so powerful that he kills a world-level threat by accident.This show parodies isekai and fantasy tropesby unleashing a cosmic monster upon archetypes that would be considered powerful in other universes. The humor does not always land, but the concept is fun.
I love an OP MC who has the powers of a god as much as the next anime fan, but it is refreshing to watch a story about a protagonist whose abilities are born from hard work and dedication. Beryl is, simply put, a fantastic swordsman, perhaps the best in the kingdom. While he doesn’t consider himself to be all that special in the grand scheme of things, his students not only worship him, but quite a few of them have become decorated knights. They end up recruiting Beryl as a teacher for the kingdom’s elite fighters, and he instantly proves that he is well beyond anybody else.
From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsmandoes not give Beryl any major shortcuts, instead just allowing his skills with the blade to shine. By the start of the anime, he had been training for decades, and this experience shines through in his quick thinking and confidence with the sword. Just a fun all-around series.
Demon Lord 2099is a slightly different type ofOP anime, one that initially strips a character of their overwhelming might before setting them on a journey to reclaim their lost glory. About 500 years after his defeat, Demon Lord Veltol wakes up in a wildly different world than the one he remembered. While fantasy elements persist, they now exist alongside cybernetic advancements, which have bridged the power gap separating immortals from everyone else. More importantly, Veltol’s strength is directly related to his number of followers, and he is barely remembered at all.
After a few humiliating moments, Veltol focuses on rehabilitation, which comes in the form of streaming. Yes, this Demon Lord becomes OP by gaining followers online, a process that sounds stupid but is pretty fun to watch unfold. Once he does regain his mojo, Veltol gets plenty of moments to show off his power, and they are constantly exciting and satisfying.
TwoSummer 2024 animerevolved around protagonists who did not realize they were OP.I Parry Everythinghas its moments, but Noor’s utter inability to recognize his strength can get old after a while, especially since the other characters seem to purposefully avoid saying anything to make him think otherwise. In comparison,The Ossan Newbie Adventurer’s Rick gradually becomes more aware, discovering that his “false” perception is solely due to his mentors also being ridiculously overpowered. After spending some time around more “normal” adventurers, he quickly realizes he is well above average.
While nothing too amazing,The Ossan Newbie Adventureris a fun little fantasy story with solid action, a likable protagonist, and decent secondary characters. The first few episodes are also funny, although the humor loses some steam as the season moves along. Despite being mostly set after he has achieved overwhelming power, the anime still highlights Rick’s training, allowing viewers to see his transformation from a weak guild clerk to a powerhouse.
Stories with overpowered protagonists tend to lean into action, and that is the logical direction to pursue. However, this concept is surprisingly perfect for slow-life fantasies, as the main character’s OP nature removes any real stakes and just lets them enjoy their freedom.
I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Levelis one of the better “slice of life” power fantasies, as Azusa mostly spends her days goofing off with other girls that she has adopted. Occasionally, a fight with a dragon might break out, but these moments are few and far between. Generally, this anime is all about good vibes.
Full admission, I went back and forth on whether to includeKaiju No. 8, just because Kafka is not so overpowered that he has no challengers. The anime is set in a world where massive and strong monsters regularly terrorize cities, so it would not make sense for the titular kaiju to be beyond unstoppable.
That said, Kafka can feel unbeatable at times, and he is only really matched by the absolutemost powerful monsters, only one of which presented any sort of challenge during season 1. The protagonist is also constantly growing stronger as he gains more control over his transformation, so he has not reached his ceiling yet (in the anime).
Finally,Kaiju No. 8is just an entertaining action shonen anime. Who doesn’t like watching kaiju smash things and, then, be smashed themselves?
While not completely unheard of,anime with overpowered childrenare surprisingly rare, especially action-heavy ones that regularly showcase the protagonist’s incredible abilities.I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Princeis not only an exception, but it also revels in the absurdity of a young boy demolishing powerful demons and mages like they are nothing. More importantly, the show has the budget and direction to craft set pieces that enable Lloyd, the MC, to go for broke and outshine most of his reincarnated contemporaries.
Very much self-aware,I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Princeblends over-the-top battle sequences with hilarious facial reactions, typically courtesy of villains who are utterly baffled by the child protagonist’s god-like displays of magic. Born into royalty but having no responsibilities due to being 7th in line for the throne, Lloyd can just spend all his time studying magic, and he is obsessed with the practice. In the first episode, he overwhelms a powerful demon so badly that the latter is reduced to a whimpering mess. It is great.
Villainess isekai anime have become popular in recent years, and that is likely to remain the case since the subgenre took over the light novel scene in the mid-2010s. For the most part, these stories feature competent protagonists, but they usually fall just short of being overpowered.Villainess Level 99is a pretty notable exception, with Yumiella being an absolute powerhouse who basically breaks the otome game she finds herself in.
Finding herself living as a game’s hidden boss, Yumiella wants to just keep her head down to avoid a negative conclusion; however, she also decides to train very hard to ensure she can protect herself and the world if necessary. Before long, she has maxed out her stats, making her so overpowered that she terrifies the story’s supposed heroine.
Based on a well-liked light novel,Arifureta’s anime adaptation got off to a rather bad start, with season 1 garnering quite a bit of criticism for its pacing and omitted content. While not amazing, season 2 was an improvement, and that upward momentum was maintained by Fall 2024’s third cour. On paper and in execution,Arifuretais the quintessential weak-to-strong isekai. The story even begins with a protagonist who is left to die by his classmates, only to quickly show them and become one of the most powerful people in their new world (and it happens pretty quickly too).
Flawed as the show can be at times, Hajime is a pretty entertaining protagonist. He is charismatic enough to justify his ever-growing harem, all the while demonstrating constant cunning and maturity regarding political situations. While he steamrolls most enemies, Hajime makes clever use of his powers.
