Games and anime seem to go hand-in-hand. Plenty of anime characters from all walks of life enjoy playing video games, whether at home, arcades, or even computer cafes. Many of them prove to be pretty good: while some are the stereotypical lonely outcasts who don't have many social or practical skills outside the gaming world, others are so great at everything in their personal and professional lives that games are just another world to conquer.
There are a few characters who cut out the middle man by somehow finding themselves trapped within a game and deciding to take the virtual world by storm. There is so much variety that there are also gamers who aren't necessarily into video games.
10 One-Punch Man: King's Gaming Skills Are All He Has
The Rank 6 hero known as King is believed to be one of the strongest heroes in the One-Punch Man universe. But the truth is that when it comes to being a hero, he is more or less a complete fraud who just finds himself in the right place at the right time.
However, King does have one skill: he's really good at video games. Proving to be the best player of the Blizzard Group, he's even beaten Saitama as well as Suiryu's martial art skills thanks to his talents in the virtual world.
9 Yu Yu Hakusho: Amanuma Tsukihito Loves Games So Much That He Almost Destroys Humanity
Amanuma Tsukihito, also known as "Gamemaster," is part of the Sensui Seven and has the power over "territory," with which he can bring video games to life. Unfortunately, he has felt like an outcast all his life, explaining why he schemes to wipe out all of humanity. One caveat to Amanuma's powers is that the video game rules still apply even when brought to reality.
This becomes especially problematic for him, because it means he would die if he loses. Koenma is willing and able to revive Amanuma when this does happen, although this turns out to be part of the enemy's plan. Regardless, with him being given a second chance at life, his classmates notice his video game skills and Amanuma finally makes friends.
8 Sailor Moon: Ami Mizuno Wins Games On Her First Try
Video games are so important in the Sailor Moon universe that the Sailor Scouts have a secret base under the local arcade, the Game Center Crown, in the original manga. The games are sometimes used for training purposes, as well as for dispensing transformation devices.
While Usagi is known for her love of video games, Ami Mizuno, or Sailor Mercury, seems to be the one with the most talent. She obtains the top score on a game she's never played before, possibly just from watching Usagi and goes on to win a video game competition in Sailor Stars. It likely has something to do with Mizuno being the most tech-savvy of the girls.
7 Angelic Layer: Misaki Suzuhara Wanted To Prove That Gaming Is For Everyone
Inspired by the white angel Athena, Misaki Suzuhara decides to enter the Angelic Layer games. Being rather short and unathletic, to the point of appearing much younger than she really is, she also hopes that she can prove gaming can be for people of any size. After creating her angel, Hikaru, Misaki quickly proves herself adept at the games, able to come up with strategies on the spot.
Of course, her talent might be in her blood since Misaki turns out to have a surprising connection to the game's undefeated champion, who is none other than Athena's player: Misaki's long-lost mother, Shuko Suzuhara. In fact, the angels were developed as a prototype to help Shuko walk again in the anime.
6 Gamers: Karen Tendou Is A Video Game Club President
Karen Tendou is the president of her school's video gaming club, having been the one who restarted it. The series starts with her inviting a gamer, Keita Amano, who turns her down, consequently sparking a series of shenanigans.
Karen is passionate about games, but her interest in sadistically cruel ones result in her being mistaken for a masochist. She also tends to be pretty competitive (and not just when it comes to games.). Interestingly, Karen Tendou is probably a pun on Nintendo.
5 Himouto! Umaru-Chan: Umaru Doma Proves She Really Can Have It All
On the surface, Umaru Doma is kind, modest, athletic, and the perfect student. In her private life, she is not just a gamer, but one of the top ranked in the whole of Japan. Even local arcades grow to fear Umaru's ability to win endless amounts of prizes, as it could potentially bankrupt them.
Umaru somehow manages to have the best of both worlds almost effortlessly. It gets to the point that she seems to physically transform between her indoor and outdoor personas, with the former being rather short and hamster-like. Umaru's issue is that she's actually incredibly lazy when it comes to anything other than keeping up appearances and indulging herself in gaming.
4 Overlord: Satoru Was A Gamer Who Turned Into His Own Avatar, Ainz
In Overlord, a popular game is about to be shut down. One of its players, Satoru, decides to stay logged in even after the end, despite his fellow players leaving him alone. He soon finds himself sent into the game world in the form of his powerful avatar and alter-ego, Ainz.
Now part of the game, other characters find it impossible to challenge Satoru, which says a lot considering he tries to downplay his power and actually doesn't have much when it comes to pure combat ability.
3 Sword Art Online: Fans Still Debate Whether Kirito Or Yuuki Is Stronger
Kirito is a MMORPG prodigy, using gaming as a form of escapism. However, he quickly enhances his skills after being trapped in Sword Art Online. No matter what game he tries, Kirito becomes a top player almost instantly.
Yuuki's proven to be strong enough to beat him, not to mention able to master near-impossible skills in the virtual world. Spending two years straight in the virtual world probably helps hone Yuuki's skills in this regard.
2 The World God Only Knows: Keima Katsuragi Is The God Of Conquest
Keima Katsuragi spends all of his free time gaming. In fact, he even manages to get away with playing video games in school because he somehow is able to pay attention and ace every test. Whether it's dating games or role-playing games, Keima finds a way of mastering them.
He also manages to run a gaming blog called the "God of Conquest." Keima's skills end up catching the notice of supernatural entities when he gets an email from Hell asking for his help to capture the runaway spirits who hide within the hearts of troubled young women.
1 Yu-Gi-Oh!: Yugi Muto, Or At Least Yami Yugi, Is The King Of Games
Yu-Gi-Oh! literally translates to "King of Games," so it's not surprising that its protagonist, Yugi Muto is the ultimate gamer — even if he attributes most of his luck to his alter-ego (and the ghost possessing him), a Pharaoh known as Yami Yugi.
While the second anime has Yugi's main interest be the Duel Monsters card game, the manga and the Toei anime portray him as a lover of all games and puzzles. In fact, according to the manga, Yugi is actually a pretty poor student, mostly due to spending all his free time on games.