There's hardly a fantasy anime that doesn't feature a god or two, but one thing these gods have going for them is variety. Though many anime gods find themselves living in fantasy action series, comedies and horror delve deep into folklore too. For every omnipotent, fearsome deity, there are at least as many impotent embarrassments who hail from a thousand depictions of heaven and hell.
What makes a god godly is usually power, but "power" can be defined in myriad ways. Some anime gods are physically or magically weak, while others struggle more in the personality department. Those who excel in, say, smiting, fail when it comes to intrapersonal skills or flipping burgers. And for every god fans might want on their side, there's bound to be another who's about as useful as a third shoe.
10 Akito Is A Bully & Abuser, But A Fundamentally Helpless One
Akito is undeniably a despicable character. Mentally and physically abusive to the members of the Sohma family, the core of Fruits Basket centers around the newest generations of cursed Sohmas attempting to escape Akito's control. Akito is possessed by the "God" that commands the Zodiac creatures, just as cursed as the rest of them. And more so, it would seem. Spoilers ahead.
Akito is an abuser because she has been abused. Forced to live as a boy and play out an unwanted role as a deity, Akito suffers numerous breakdowns and retaliates by harming those around her. While Akito's history doesn't excuse her actions, it certainly does explain some of them.
9 Yato May Have Been Fearsome Once, But He Barely Exists Today
Yato was certainly powerful in his heyday, and arguably he remains a fearsome opponent. But there wouldn't be much of a show if Yato wasn't perpetually down on his luck, and boy is he ever down on his luck. A god with no worshippers gradually fails to exist, and much of the second season deals with Yato's struggle to survive both as a wandering god and as a god of vengeance filled with regret.
Initial humor about Yato being desperate for work and sleeping on the steps of other gods' shrines, while amusing, hints at the darker side of Noragami's narrative heart: Yato has grown weak because he has so often been alone, and it's only with the help of Yukine and Hiyori that he begins to become real again.
8 Maou-Sama: Former King Of Demons, Current Server of Burgers
In the case of Satan — sorry, Sadao — losing his godhood was definitely a good thing. A former lord of demons, Sadao is defeated in battle and resigned to living without magic in the human world. Without his powers, he doesn't have much to offer the world, but man does he become a solid fry-cook.
While a lot of The Devil Is A Part-Timer's humor pertains to the clash of cultures Sadao and his associates face once they're stuck being schlubs like the rest of us, being weak really does make Maou a better person. It's no wonder fans were delighted when a sequel series was announced just last week.
7 Houzuki-Sama Was Successfully Impersonated By An Anxious Teenager
Though Natsume of Natsume's Book Of Friends is constantly helping yokai solve their problems, it's rarer that he has to do a god's job. But in one of the fan-favorite story arcs, that's precisely what Natsume must do.
After Houzuki-Sama, a god of the harvest is trapped by an exorcist, Natsume must impersonate the god in order to complete a sacred ritual. While Natsume is never actually a god, one has to wonder how strong Houzuki could possibly have been if someone as gentle as Natsume can take his place.
6 Nanami Didn't Ask To Be A Goddess & It Shows
Usually, a good deed isn't rewarded with deification, but when Nanami helps an old man, he grants her his land godly powers and his shrine. Nanami is friendly but not especially bright, and much of the show relates to her misusing her newfound powers and falling in love with the fox god who guards the shrine.
Kamisama Kiss is frequently compared to Fruits Basket, and on a surface level that makes sense. In reality, Kamisama Kiss is much fluffier than Furuba: more classic shojo romance and less drama. Nanami's godliness is fairly forgettable, but like the series, this god is pleasant enough.
5 King Enma Is Confused By Bureaucracy (Who Isn't?)
In Japanese folklore, King Enma is the god of hell. More or less, he's the all-powerful equivalent to Satan or Hades, the lord of the underworld. And while he does fulfill this role in Hoozuki no Reitestu, to say he struggles is perhaps an understatement.
When hell is structured like an office building, the job of CEO is bound to be bogged down with paperwork, and King Enma is too busy and gentle to scare any souls. Luckily, Enma has a very useful assistant, the series protagonist Hoozuki-Sama.
4 Aqua's Got Nothing On Waterbenders
Aqua is a lovable character in a lovable series, but as far as goddesses go, she's not the strongest. Ostensibly a water goddess meant to guide souls in the afterlife, not unlike Charon of Greek lore, Aqua doesn't use her abilities nearly as efficiently as one might think.
She's a carefree character and sometimes this means she's flippant about her abilities, too. While she is incredibly powerful in some regards, she is often afraid of her opponents and sometimes seems more preoccupied with looking accomplished than actually being accomplished.
3 The cast members of Kamigami No Asobi Are Gods of Being Shallow & Handsome
If it isn't obvious from the picture, Kamigami is based on an otome game. And like many adaptations based on otome games, the anime is a bit... lacking when it comes to characterization. But why not send a bunch of Greek, Japanese, and Norse gods to high school to be romanced by a bland shojo lead?
In Kamigami, Hades is an emo kid, Apollo is student president, Balder likes eating meat. While on paper this seems like a good time, and perhaps the game is, mostly it seems like these gods must really have nothing better to do, just like any otaku who decides to watch the show.
2 Danmachi's Gods Are More Like LARPers
DanMachi has a lot of fans, thanks in no small part to the popularity Hestia and her weird blue ribbon achieved when the series debuted. But it's often easy to forget that Hestia is meant to be a goddess, and in fact, the world of DanMachi is populated by gods and goddesses who have left heaven to... be part of an almost-isekai?
While dozens of gods from various mythologies feature in the anime, most of them resemble their namesakes only on a surface level. Hestia is kind but lazy, Loki is a tomboy, Freya is a flirt. It's all in simplistic good fun, but the names feel more like a gimmick than anything else.
1 Light Yagami Isn't A God, Just An Egomaniac Who Says He Is
A kind word of advice to anyone who needs it: the moment you call yourself a god, you're probably just a jerk. Like obnoxious coworkers who describe themselves as Alphas because they're insecure, Light's declaration that he will be the god of a new world is delusional at best and cringeworthy to boot.
They say absolute power corrupts absolutely, but there's little to suggest Light was ever a great guy. And all his supposed noble intentions always come second to his ego.