Throughout a series, even the weakest characters can grow to be the strongest. In anime, this sometimes means that the initially frail characters become so strong that they end up overpowered. Some use magic to enhance their skills, while others work tirelessly to achieve their unimaginable strength.
Princess Yona is a typical, selfish royal at the beginning of Yona of the Dawn. She whines constantly and doesn’t know how to do anything for herself.
However, upon seeing how her uselessness affects the people she loves in crises, Yona resolves to become self-sufficient. She practices shooting arrows so much that she begins to form callouses. The practice eventually pays off, as audiences see when she snipes an enemy floating on a dinghy in the dark. Yona is now so resourceful that no task seems to be out of her reach.
Simon always plays second-fiddle to Kamina in the early episodes of Gurren Lagann. Kamina makes all the decisions and is always the one pumping Simon up when he’s down. However, when Kamina dies, the young Simon has to take charge.
When Simon comes back after his period of mourning, he is just as good — if not better — than Kamina was. He deftly handles Lagann through many battles with the Anti-Spiral, and his fighting spirit helps his mech transform into even bigger and better versions depending on the situation. These mechs are so large that they dwarf galaxies. Kamina may be remembered as the ultimate fighter, but Simon’s fighting spirit took them out of this world.
Usagi Tsukino is just an ordinary middle school student when she first accesses her powers as Sailor Moon. Usagi is clumsy and timid as a newly minted Sailor Scout and is usually the last to join battles.
However, as the series continues (and as the movies show) Usagi later becomes a selfless, capable heroine. Not only are her ultimate moves more powerful but their strength increases as well. Usagi grows a lot throughout Sailor Moon and proves that she is the rightful ruler of the Moon Kingdom.
Nagisa Shiota is a small student from Kunugigaoka Junior High. He’s constantly teased for the way he looks, and he usually tries to stick to the shadows, but that all changes once he begins learning how to become an assassin.
Once he starts his deadly training, Nagisa takes to it like a fish to water. He uses his stature and demeanor to his advantage – throwing his targets off guard. Assassination appears to be second nature to Nagisa, even if he has no intention of truly using his skills.
Zenitsu Agatsuma never wanted to be a Demon Slayer. Sadly for him, his caretaker, Jigoro Kuwajima thought otherwise, and Zenitsu is now terrified of his new job. Despite how timid and girl-crazy he is, Zenitsu becomes quite overpowered when he goes to sleep.
In contrast to all his hang-ups, Zenitsu is nearly unstoppable when he unconsciously uses his Thunder Breathing. His Kuwajiima saw potential in him and honed Zenitsu’s gifts into the unbelievably fast and powerful Demon Slayer he is today. Many would argue that Zenitsu’s Breathing Technique makes him so overpowered that it’s silly to think that he is still only a beginner in the first season.
Shinichi Izumi is a regular high school student until an alien parasite takes residence in his hand. Shinichi and the newly dubbed, Migi, have a rough time learning how to coexist. Thankfully, their bond becomes so strong that they can defeat even the most powerful and dangerous parasite hosts.
Shinichi and Migi practically become one to take down parasite after parasite. They are even capable of taking out multiple enemies at once. Shinichi and Migi become incredibly overpowered once they work as a team.
Naruto Uzumaki has been despised since his birth. Since the people of Hidden Leaf Village knew he possessed the Nine-Tailed Fox, they shunned him and left him to his own devices as he grew up. Naruto does his best to survive despite his village and even joins the ninja academy, but he is one of the weakest students there.
Thankfully, through a lot of training, hard work, and field experience, Naruto surpasses everyone’s expectations. He even uses the Nine-Tailed Fox to his advantage in certain fights. It is hard for Naruto not to be considered overpowered when he has a demon on his side.
Izuku Midoriya is one of the few people who is born without any superpowers in My Hero Academia. Despite this major setback, he resolves to become a hero, and studies as hard as he can to get into his dream school.
Midoriya is later gifted a superpower by the Pro Hero, All Might, and Midoriya trains incessantly to catch up with his peers. Midoriya eventually becomes so strong that his body defies the laws of physics. He is so overpowered that not even explosions and devastating wounds can stop him. Midoriya claims to be the greatest hero of all time at the beginning of the show, but his unstoppable Quirk has exceeded anything he could have ever dreamed of.
Armin Arlert was always picked on as a boy. Although he never backed down from a fight, it was usually his friends Mikasa Ackerman and Eren Yeager who fended the bullies off. This arrangement continues into their teen years, as Armin is the least talented fighter of the three.
However, when the Colossal Titan, Bertholdt Hoover, is finally taken down, Armin is chosen as Bertholdt’s successor. With his new Titan powers, Armin easily takes out entire naval fleets and can burn hundreds with his steam. Armin may have been a punching bag when he was younger, but he is a force to be reckoned with now.
Kazuto “Kirito” Kirigaya is just a beta tester when the VR game he’s playing traps him inside. Like everyone else, Kirito hasn’t gained enough experience points to try to move toward the end of the game. Therefore, he immediately sets to work to level himself up.
After some time passes, Kirito becomes even more overpowered than most people can believe. He is the only one who can dual-wield swords, and he manages to survive and defeat enemies that would have killed anyone else. Kirito’s strength is so great that fans aren’t even worried about whether he’ll make it out or not.
