When it comes to ancient folklore, dragons are considered some of the most powerful, sacred, and terrifying creatures imaginable. Thus, it is only natural that there would be plenty of anime that demonstrate just how powerful these mythical creatures can be.
From destroying whole armies to fighting on par with the gods themselves, there are no limits to what these dragons can do. Whether it is because of their strength, magical ability, or a mix of both; all dragons, both good and evil, are worthy of the fear and respect their reputation incites in all races.
Here is a list featuring 10 of the most powerful dragons in anime. Fair warning, there are some minor spoilers.
10 Shooting Star – Record of Lodoss War
Normally, the word "shooting star" is meant to fill someone with a sense of awe and wonder. In Record of Lodoss War, Shooting Star is a name that strikes fear into the hearts of man. One of five legendary dragons, Shooting Star is basically the anime equivalent to the dragon Smaug from The Hobbit.
He is a gigantic fire breathing dragon that destroys whole villages with ease. Shooting Star is so powerful, he was tasked with guarding an ancient relic known as the Scepter of Domination. For a weapon with such destructive potential, it only makes sense that an equally destructive being should guard it.
9 Ryūkotsusei – Inuyasha
Ryūkotsusei is one of the strongest demons in Inuyasha. Even Inuyasha’s father, a powerful dog demon, couldn’t defeat him and was forced to seal him away. Due to his sheer size, he can easily crush mountains just by moving and can fire highly destructive blasts of demonic energy.
Ryūkotsusei's hide is also nearly indestructible and extremely resilient. Not only does he withstand a direct hit from Inuyasha’s Wind Scar, but he also survives getting stabbed in the heart by his Tessaiga. In the end, Inuyasha was only able to defeat him by using his own overwhelming power against him.
8 Kaido – One Piece
In the One Piece universe, Kaido’s name strikes fear into the hearts of people throughout the New World. As one of the Yonko, Kaido’s strength is unrivaled. He’s so fearsome that he’s been dubbed the "World's Strongest Creature" and is considered impossible to kill. He also possesses a devil fruit power that lets him transform into a large Eastern dragon.
In this form, Kaido can fly and shoot fire blasts that can destroy a mountain. Thanks to his overwhelming power, Kaido successfully took control of the country of Wano, which was protected by its own fair share of powerful warriors. He even defeats protagonist Monkey D. Luffy with a single blow.
7 Hyōrinmaru – Bleach
Hyōrinmaru is the Zanpakutō spirit of Tōshirō Hitsugaya, the Captain of the Soul Society's 10th Division. In his true form, he appears as a large serpentine dragon made of ice, but also has a human form as well.
As the strongest ice-type Zanpakutō, Hyōrinmaru can manipulate the moisture in the air to create ice. His attacks include making Chinese dragons of ice to attacks his opponents, firing waves of ice, as well as instantly flash freezing them. When he gets serious, he can even change the weather, causing intense ice storms.
While using Bankai, his power increases to the point where he can even temporarily freeze the flames of Ryūjin Jakka, the strongest fire-type Zanpakutō.
6 Mega Rayquaza – Pokémon
As the leader of the weather trio, Rayquaza was already a powerful Pokémon. Since obtaining a mega evolution, it has become even stronger. Game wise, Mega Rayquaza has the highest base stats of any Pokémon, rivaled only by Mega Mewtwo. It is so powerful, Mega Rayquaza was banned from the Uber Tier of online Pokémon matches, earning its own category called “Anything Goes”.
Lore wise, Rayquaza is a powerful dragon that's been flying over the planet's ozone layer for millions of years. As Mega Rayquaza, it is strong enough to destroy a giant meteor hurtling towards the Earth and still have enough energy to take on and defeat the legendary Pokémon Deoxys.
5 Crimson Dragon – Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s
There is no shortage of dragons in the world of Yu-Gi-Oh!. In terms of the anime, one of the most powerful is the Crimson Dragon. It’s an ancient cosmic deity that is older and more powerful than the three Egyptian gods. It doesn’t have a physical form and instead appears in the form of an Aztec dragon made of divine flames.
For over 10,000 years, it has watched over mankind and has intervened to protect them from powerful malevolent forces. It possesses the power to control fire, influence events surrounding certain people, travel to alternate timelines and enter other realities.
4 Acnologia – Fairy Tail
Bearing the title of "Black Dragon of the Apocalypse," it's no exaggeration to say the Acnologia can destroy the entire world. Originally a human who learned Dragon Slayer Magic, he eventually turned into a dragon after overusing it. He then declared himself as the Dragon King after slaughtering the dragons to near extinction.
Unlike other Dragon Slayers, Aconologia is not limited to a single element and can devour all forms of magic. At the height of his power, Acnologia can unleash thousands of stars made of magic to cause widespread devastation. He even survived being imprisoned in another dimension between space-time, where nothing should have been able to exist, and escaped by devouring its power source.
3 Bahamut – Shingeki no Bahamut: Genesis
Bahamut is a legendary dragon who literally shook the foundations of both heaven and hell. His only purpose in life is to destroy everything and everyone around him. Bahamut's rampages got so out of control; demons, gods, and humans joined forces to try and slay him. Sadly, Bahamut proved impossible to defeat.
In the end, their only option was to seal the dragon away. As a beast of titanic proportions, Bahamut possesses immense raw power, can fire multiple blasts of energy, and even use his wings to defend himself from attacks by divine beings. Even if he is somehow destroyed, he always finds a way to return and continue satisfying his hunger for destruction.
2 Great Red – High School DxD
In High School DxD, Great Red is one of the three most powerful beings in existence. As a Dragon God Emperor, he possesses overwhelming power and can cause destruction on an apocalyptic level.
Great Red possesses a ton of abilities, including the power to alter a person’s size and even create new bodies for people (Issei Hyoudou) using his flesh. In doing so, he also gives them access to portions of his power.
Great Red is also the physical embodiment of dreams. As a result, he has complete dominion over the world of dreams and draws his power from them. He can also affect the real world through daydreams and turn dreams into reality.
1 Super Shenron – Dragon Ball Super
Out of all the other dragons in anime, none are more powerful than Super Shenron. Like the other Eternal Dragons, he is summoned by gathering his seven Dragon Balls. The only downside is that they are the size of planets and a wish must be made using the Divine Language.
He is one of the largest creatures in anime spanning the length of several galaxies. According to Grand Zeno, Super Shenron can do anything and grant any wish. He easily resurrects all the universes erased during the Tournament of Power, along with their inhabitants. Likewise, Super Shenron can also destroy all the universes, the Gods of Destruction, and even himself.