Most Shonen action anime series have a well-defined combat system to them, and in the case of the animated series Avatar: the Last Airbender, that combat system is based on bending the four classic Greek elements. While the avatar can control all four, most people bend just one, based on their nation of birth.
When it comes to earthbenders, the best of them all is Toph Beifong, a nobleman's daughter who was born blind but learned much from badgermoles. Using the arcane fundamentals of earthbending, Toph can sense other people, bend earth with great skill, and even bend impure metals. She has earned her reputation for sure, but how does this petite earthbender match up against other anime fighters? Some will be crushed under her rocks, but others can take her down. Let's review.
10 Can Defeat: Edward Elric (Fullmetal Alchemist)
This won't be an easy fight. Like Toph, Edward's power, alchemy, allows him to reshape matter around him, and that includes earth, rocks, and metal, among others. He can roughly match Toph in terms of magic fighting power.
But Toph has some key advantages, such as her capacity to sense and anticipate another person's movements, and Edward would telegraph his every movement to her. Given Edward's personality, it would also be easy for Toph to taunt him into making a reckless move.
9 Would Lose: Speed-o-Sound Sonic (One-Punch Man)
When it comes to One-Punch Man, it's a given that Saitama defeats pretty much everyone with his punches, so let's not get him involved in this. Instead, Toph is matched against the villainous ninja Speed-o-Sound Sonic.
Sonic doesn't have alchemy or earthbending, but he does have incredible speed on his side, as his name suggests. He can decapitate a whole crowd of people in mere seconds, and it takes the likes of Saitama to catch him. Toph will try to capture Sonic in an earth prison, but she's too slow to handle him. He'll slice her apart.
8 Can Defeat: Renji Abarai (Bleach)
Now it's time for a Bleach character. A number of Soul Reapers or Espada in this anime are as fast as Speed-o-Sound Sonic and would thus give Toph a hard time, but Renji is someone she can handle in a fight.
Renji is tough and clever, but his fighting style is fairly straightforward, both in Shikai and Bankai mode. Toph can evade or block the sword blows long enough to set up a trap and capture Renji up to his neck, sending a pebble straight through his head to finish it.
7 Would Lose: Rock Lee (Naruto)
While this Naruto ninja doesn't even perform genjutsu or ninjutsu, his taijutsu is off the charts. Meaning, he can perform martial arts to an incredible degree, and he devotes all of his chakra to it during a fight.
Rock Lee is too quick for Toph to handle, and even if she did capture him in stone or compressed earth, he could activate those gates and blast himself free, then attack Toph with renewed strength. Poor Toph can't handle melee combat of this caliber.
6 Can Defeat: Joseph Joestar (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)
In the second story arc of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Joseph Joestar is a creative and quick-thinking fighter who can use Hamon/Ripple to deliver devastating blows to the godly Pillar Men. He also knows when to retreat when things go south.
Can these quick wits win the day against Toph? Probably not. Joseph is a great fighter, but he'd get trapped and pummeled repeatedly by Toph's earth pillars and traps. His Hamon won't help that much, and at some point, either he'll run away or Toph will knock him out with a rock to the forehead.
5 Would Lose: Endeavor (My Hero Academia)
The most recent season of My Hero Academia put Endeavor to the forefront near the end, and for good reason. With All Might retired, Endeavor is now #1, and he had to prove this against a vicious new Nomu that ambushed him.
He can create devastating flames with both short-range and long-range attacks, and he's tough, too. In a fight, Endeavor could blast his way through any earth prison or barrier that Toph could make and he would vaporize her with those flame blasts. He's #1 for a reason.
4 Can Defeat: Aqua (KonoSuba)
The funny thing about Aqua the goddess is that she actually is hugely powerful, owing to her divine status, with max-level statistics and ultra-advanced purification and holy arts. This makes her devastating against the forces of evil — if she can keep her act together.
But she's also a total wild card and quickly loses her nerve. Toph isn't a demon or the undead, meaning Aqua's holy magic will do little to stop her. Toph could pummel Aqua into submission with ease, using boulders and earth pillars. Aqua would concede defeat and run back to Axel for a few drinks at the tavern.
3 Would Lose: Rimuru Tempest (That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime)
There are about a thousand different reasons why Toph couldn't defeat the seemingly innocent slime named Rimuru Tempest. This blue blob of jelly is packed with magical senses, abilities, and more, and he can even assume a human form for combat.
Rimuru's list of abilities is too long to name here, but suffice it to say, he can use regenerative powers, devastating fire attacks, sharp water blades, steely spider threads, and a whole lot more to overwhelm Toph in combat and crush her. Not even metalbending will get Toph out of this one.
2 Can Defeat: Inosuke (Demon Slayer)
Against the right opponent, the demon slayer known as Inosuke is a tough match, owing to his love of battle and his sheer strength when wielding those two swords. But he's poorly suited to fighting an earthbender.
Toph can block him with her earth barriers, then beat him from head to toe with flying rocks. No doubt Inosuke would get back up to keep fighting, so Toph would bend his swords out of shape to convince him to flee or surrender.
1 Would Lose: Gray Fullbuster (Fairy Tail)
Gray Fullbuster ranks among the most powerful wizards in the Fairy Tail guild, and his power continues to grow and grow. He can create nearly anything out of ice, both on offense and defense, and this is key against Toph.
His ice creations are roughly on par with Toph's, but the deciding factor is his capacity to coat the ground in ice or create ice platforms to stand on. It is clear already that Toph cannot "see" on ice, nor bend it, so Gray would enjoy a serious advantage. Then he'd claim victory.