Anime is home to thousands of characters with unbelievable powers, many of which defy the laws of physics and logic. Shonen, isekai, and fantasy anime are famous for typically young male protagonists who are so immensely strong that calling them overpowered is more than justified.
However, many of these characters' powers seldom match their personalities. Some characters could pack a deadly punch, but their personality is excessively cute and wholesome. Their powers contrast their personalities, and it's always entertaining to watch someone who acts a particular way in one scene, only to do a total one-hundred eighty-degree change in the next one.
Updated on June 27th, 2022 by Sarah Martin: Since this list was published in 2021, we've spruced it up with a few other anime characters whose powers don't match their personalities. Whether it's superpowers or impressive physical feats, their abilities starkly contrast these characters' personalities. Some have deadly powers despite being gentle souls who wouldn't hurt a fly, while others seem innocent but could kill someone with a single punch.
13 Emilia Seems Like The Girl Next Door, But She Defeated Satan (The Devil Is A Part-Timer)
Emilia from The Devil Is A Part-Timer seems like the average call center employee and embodies the "girl next door" archetype perfectly. However, most people wouldn't know that she's a half-angel who defeated Satan, earning her the title of the Hero Emilia on Enta Isla.
Emilia led a human army to defeat Satan's army, but he was only defeated by her sword called Better Half. She didn't just defeat Satan, either. She took out his entire army and made thousands of his troops back off.
12 Tomoyo Is A Typical Otaku, But She Has Time-Manipulation Abilities (When Supernatural Battles Become Commonplace)
Tomoyo from When Supernatural Battles Become Commonplace seems like a typical teenage girl. She's also a total otaku. However, she has a surprising supernatural ability that most people wouldn't have seen coming.
Time manipulation is dangerous and should be used delicately, if at all. Her ability is called Closed Clock, and she only uses it when the situation is dire enough that it's totally necessary, like when she or a friend is in immediate danger. The series is full of wacky abilities, but most pale compared to Tomoyo's.
11 Yor Is A City Hall Employee & Loving Mother By Day, But A Deadly Assassin By Night (Spy X Family)
Yor from Spy X Family joined the makeshift Forger family in an effort to protect herself from being a suspect. Even though she works for City Hall, people suspected her of being a spy since she's not married. She's a wonderful mother to Anya and comes off as timid most of the time, but this is a good example of why judging someone by their looks is a bad idea.
Yor is a badass assassin by the name of "Thorn Princess" and can take down any opponent who comes near her. As she's demonstrated a few times in the series, she also knows a thing or two about martial arts.
10 Saitama Is Seems Nonchalant, But He's The Strongest Being On The Planet (One-Punch Man)
Saitama is the beloved protagonist of One-Punch Man, and his entire character is somewhat ironic. He can defeat anybody with a single punch, but he doesn't take any threat with a grain of seriousness. Instead, he faces everything with a charming nonchalance that makes him instantly endearing.
When facing a threat, he's more worried about missing out on a big weekend sale at his local supermarket. Many people would expect such an overpowered character to be a typical gung-ho shonen protagonist, but Saitama is the opposite.
9 Yato Is A Goofball Who Used To Slaughter Countless Souls Without A Second Thought (Noragami)
Yato from Noragami is a total goofball even though he's a God- albeit, an irrelevant one. He seldom takes himself or his career seriously and none of the other Gods find his behavior even remotely respectable. His nonchalant attitude, however, hides a very tragic backstory.
He was the infamous God of Calamity in the past. He'd indiscriminately slaughter whoever was in his path, Gods and Shinki included. He had no remorse, either. Now, he's atoning for his past actions by helping people in need.
8 Hajime Kiryu Is A Fool Who Possesses A Terrifying Power (Inou Battle)
Despite being a teenager, Hajime from Inou Battle shows strong traces of his middle-school personality when he had grandiose daydreams of standing out from the crowd in a superhuman way. He talks about himself as if he’s some great warrior, often using exaggerations, which forces people to never take him seriously.
His ability is Pinpoint Abyss, which lets him create a wormhole that sucks people in and leaves them back a few days in time. He also erases their memories, which helps him avoid any and every confrontation in his life.
7 Izuku Midoriya Is A Crybaby Who Strives To Become The World’s Strongest Superhero
In the first few seasons of My Hero Academia, Izuki just seems like a weakling who doesn’t know when to give up. He’s an overemotional boy who often responds to dramatic situations by crying a river of tears.
Thanks to All Might, he received the world’s strongest superpower, the One For All. Most of his time is spent training and strategizing in order to become more powerful on both a physical and emotional level so that he has a chance to shine in All Might's gigantic shadow.
6 Lily Angel Is A By-The-Book Angel Who Proves To Be A Deadly Foe On The Battleground (All Saints Street)
Lily from All Saints Street just seems like a typical angel and a sweetheart who does everything by the book. She’s incredibly friendly and instantly befriends the demon Niel. On the battlefield, however, she shows a completely different side to herself.
Even the monster that resides within Niel commented that he had never seen such a strong angel in his life. In fact, among all angels, werewolves, and vampires, she was the only person who was able to land several attacks on possessed Niel.
5 Amira Is A Childish Young Girl Who Possesses The God Key (Shingeki No Bahamut)
Amira from Shingeki no Bahamut was only born five years before the beginning of the series, meaning that she had to mature far quicker than the rest of her peers. She still displayed childish traits, such as eating as much food as possible out of sheer excitement.
When push came to shove, however, her true powers terrified everybody. Even Favaro, her partner, was deeply afraid of her powers. Amira has the power of the God Key, meaning that she can annihilate the strongest demons in mere seconds without even batting an eyelid.
4 Xianming Lin Is A Tsundere Who Also Happens To Be A Merciless Assassin (Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens)
Thanks to his stunning looks, Lin from Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens is a pretty vain guy who spends a lot of time on his makeup and wardrobe. While other arrogant characters are charismatic social butterflies, Lin is a classic tsundere who keeps everyone at arm's length to hide his true feelings.
Lin is also a trained assassin with a high kill count. He mercilessly slaughtered people for his ex-employer and never cared about the lives of the people he killed or their families. He was a classic hitman who would take on any job as long as he got paid.
3 Nezuko Is A Terrifyingly Strong Demon With The Innocent Mind Of A Child
Nezuko isn't like the rest of Demon Slayer's terrifying villains. Unlike most of the series' demons, Nezuko isn't a vicious, coldhearted killer who hates humans. She loves humans and does everything she can to protect them from other demons. Plus, she never even drinks blood.
Her powers, on the other hand, are increasingly terrifying and have even stunned members of Muzan's Twelve Kizuki. Most of the demons look older than they are, and many of their minds grew perverse and twisted as adult criminals. However, Nezuko still has a childlike mentality that sets her apart.
2 Rem Is A Literal Demon Who Hides Beneath A Sweet Smile & Personality (Re:Zero)
On the surface, Rem from Re:Zero is a hardworking and observant maid who does as she is told no matter her persona feelings on the topic at hand. However, she's actually hiding terrifying demonic powers on the inside.
This is displayed when Rem reveals her hatred for Subaru when they are alone. She attacks and kills him mercilessly when she suspects him of being a spy who is out to harm Emilia. Regardless of her dark side, she's still one of the most popular anime characters in history.
1 Lian Xie Is A Genuinely Nice prince Who Also Happens To Be A Martial God (Heaven Official's Blessing
Despite hailing from arrogant royalty, Xie from Heaven Official's Blessing was kind, gentle, and had a princelike nobility. He always put the welfare of his people first and never cared much for criticism if it meant his people were happy with his decisions.
This is in sharp contrast to his near-obsession with sword fighting, as well as the fact that he is a Martial God. He also has a high pain tolerance, which means no amount of torture would have any effect on him, physically or psychologically.