Isekai anime are a dime a dozen in the current anime landscape. If not one, several shows a season feature a protagonist thrown into a new and strange world. More often than not, they are equipped with amazing god-given powers or special abilities to help them along their journey to defeat the Demon King, stop the world's destruction, or contend with whatever else comes their way.
Though, not all powers are created equal. Some are strong enough to destroy armies, overcome invincible creatures, and upheave the world several times over, while others offer nothing more than meager abilities (or the lack thereof). With that in mind, let us take a look at some of the strongest and weakest of the bunch!
10 Best: Overlord - Power of Max Leveled MMO Character
On the eve of his favorite MMO shutting down, the main character of Overlord finds himself suddenly transported into the game world. Not as himself, but as his fully leveled undead sorcerer with every single one of his abilities in tack. Since then, hardly anything has been a problem.
Among his vast litany of powers, Momonga is immune to most status and elemental effects, has a loyal army of strong followers and the ability to create more minions, and a magic spell which can instantly kill 70,000 people and then use their deaths as a catalyst to summon high tier monsters. He is downright intimidating already, but that is only scratching the surface of Momonga's power.
9 Worst: Grimgar Of Fantasy And Ash - Power Of A Level One Character
Not everyone is as lucky as Momonga. The characters in Grimgar had to start at the bottom and scratch their way to the top. Soon developing the physical and mental scars to prove it.
Anything and everything is a threat that could potentially end their lives. Even simple goblins can overwhelm a newbie adventurer and kill them, worst yet, some use lethal poison that most rookie adventurers aren't prepared for. Of course, they have some power but without proper teamwork and planning, it is not enough to survive in the cruel world of Grimgar.
8 Best: That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime - Predator/Gluttony
Everything seemed to start pretty bad for Rimuru when he wakes up as a slime in a new and strange world. Then things get better when he learns that he has an ability called Predator that later turns into Gluttony.
Predator is a unique skill that lets Rimuru absorb everything and everyone. Even better, if he manages to properly analysis the target, he can copy their appearance and their abilities! Gluttony only makes it better by adding an extra effect that lets him acquire abilities from his subordinates and bestow them as well. Which means he has unlimited potential power!
7 Worst: KonoSuba - Aqua
Aqua can be considered powerful but anyone who knows her realizes that she is often more trouble than she is worth. Having a goddess' aid during an adventure may seem like a dream come true, but only if she doesn't become a nightmare for her party in the process.
Aqua may have great stats, powerful holy magic, and is skilled in the arts but that doesn't offset all of her flaws. While she can cast high tier holy magic, she often uses it on opponents immune to it. Add in her tendency to get herself and others into debt, and you have one useless goddess.
6 Best: Gate: Thus The JSDF Fought There - Modern War Tactics, Technology, And Weaponry
It may not have a season three quite yet, but Gate proves that the modern military can make short work of most fantastical and magical threats. At least, that is what happens in Gate: Thus the JSDF Fought There when a fantasy world decides to invade modern-day.
Try as they might, when the JSDF goes beyond the portal and into their world, the fantasy world just can't seem to handle them. No matter how strong the spell, it is useless unless it is faster than a bullet. Tight formations may work on medieval weaponry but grenades easily blow them apart. Even dragons can't do much when they are at the wrong end of a rocket launcher.
5 Worst: Re:Zero - Return By Death
Like with Aqua, the power granted by Return by Death can be considered a very powerful ability, but the deficits far outweigh the benefits. Being able to come back to a set point in time anytime someone dies may make them virtually unkillable, but it does nothing to prevent them from horribly dying again...and again...and again. Without the necessary skills and strength needed to back it up, it can result in an eternal loop of death and despair.
That isn't even the only drawback. First off, if Subaru tries to tell someone about his power, it will hurt him to the point of death to silence him. Furthermore, it'll kill whoever he told. Secondly, the scent of the witch becomes more potent every time it's used, attracting demonic beast to him. Lastly...DYING SUCKS! The physical and mental anguish from the vicious circle of death Subura is subject to is enough to break a person.
4 Best: In A Different World With A Smartphone - Having God Owe Him A Favor
After an accidental death at the hands of God, he decides to do Touya a solid by granting him an assortment of powers. What then follows is the charmed life of a man who literally has God on speed dial.
Among the assortment of awesome powers God grants him, Touya has an affinity towards every magic including the rare Null magic, boosted physical stats, and access to divine powers because his body was remade using materials from God's realm. Then there is his smartphone. It has the convenience of internet access, navigational maps, and he is able to cast spells through it. Using all three he is able to cast magic through the map app.
3 Worst: I Reincarnated As An Otome Game Villainess With Only Destruction Flags - Incomplete Knowledge Of The Game She Is In
It may be cheating since it just got greenlit for an anime, but what's an Isekai power list without a bit of cheating in it.
Unlike other protagonists whose complete gaming knowledge makes them overpowered, Princess Katarina didn't finish every route in the game she was transported into. After a hard hit to the head jogs her memory, she still found herself lacking critical information and plot points to overturn her untimely exile or demise as the villainess of the game. Thankfully, her airheaded charisma makes up for what her incomplete knowledge lacks.
2 Best: Problem Children Are Coming From Another World - Izayoi's Gift
Izayoi is part of a trio of teenagers with psychic powers called Gifts sent to another world to help a no-name community compete in the Gift Games. Among the three powers, Izayoi got the best of the bunch.
Izayoi's gift has no name but it grants a range of abilities that allow him to even best the gods in this new world. A small sampling of his powers includes super-strength that allows large objects to be thrown with ease, enhanced speed capable of destroying nearby buildings if he goes all out, and the ability to negate and destroy gifts and other supernatural powers for good measure. With these three in mind, every other power his Gift grants him seems like overkill.
1 Worst: El-Hazard: The Magnificent World - Seeing Through the Phantom Tribe's Illusion
The power may not be useless in the OVA but it is far too specific to be considered powerful. Unlike the other characters transported to El-Hazard, Nanami Jinnai's power only works in a certain way and against a certain group of people. So much so, that they had to get rid of the power in the TV continuity because the Phantom Tribe didn't exist in that adaptation. Instead, her power is an exact copy of her brother's ability that lets them speak to and control the Bugrom.
When it comes to the Isekai power roulette, sometimes you win and other times you lose. In this case, Nanami just wasn't as lucky as her friends in the OVA version of El-Hazard.