In the world of Marvel Comics, the Hulk is the strongest there is. At least, that's what he likes to tell himself. It is pretty difficult t0 argue otherwise with a giant green rage monster who converts his anger management issues into muscle mass (but as most versions of the Hulk aren't much more communicative than saying things like "Hulk smash," argument might not be the way to get a point across).
Anime is a medium where conflicts are often settled with ki blasts, power attacks, and sword fights. With that in mind, it seems like anime characters are the perfect match for the Hulk. Here are five anime characters who could beat him knee five who can't:
10 Beat Him: Light (Death Note)
The protagonist of the series Death Note is Light, a boy who finds a magical book that lets him kill anyone just by writing their name in it. He can even control the circumstances of their death up to a point, such as picking the time of demise, the nature of their death (if possible), and their final actions.
In a straight fight, the Hulk could smash Light flatter than the pages of his book, but if Light wrote the Hulk's name down, he'd die. Of course, the Hulk has the power to come back from the dead, so whether the book could keep him dead is another story entirely.
9 Can't: Asuka (Evangelion)
Asuka is one of the three main children to pilot an EVA unit in the Evangelion series. These giant mechs are designed to kill angels--literal god-spawned angels--and she is the best pilot of the main cast. While Asuka's temper and pride get in the way sometimes, she's still one of the most impressive people on the planet when it comes to the sheer number of skills she has, of which angel-slaying is just one.
Unfortunately for her, the Hulk has fought against gods, so someone in the angel-killing business would not likely give him much of a challenge.
8 Beat Him: Son-Goku (Dragon Ball Z)
As Son-Goku is pretty much the epitome of the toughest anime character around, it should not suppose any anime fans that he can beat the Hulk. Among the many bona fides on Goku's combat resumé is achieving the status of Super Saiyan God.
As has been stated before, Hulk smashes. Even if one pretends he is as physically strong as Goku (he's not!), then he still fights like a baby throwing a tantrum, while Goku is one of the best martial artists in the multiverse. Goku could just casually Kaio-ken the Hulk into space and it'd be over in the time it took Goku to finish dramatically screaming.
7 Can't: Yamcha (Dragon Ball Z)
Another member of the Z Fighters, Yamcha is just a human, but a human so strong in his ki abilities and physical prowess that he can go head to head with some of the toughest threats to ever attack the Earth. He is not as tough as a number of his companions, though, making him an interesting contrast compared to someone like Goku.
Honestly, Yamcha is tough, but a fight between him and mean green Avenger would be a lot like a squirrel going up against a tank: almost every scenario ends with Yamcha flattened in the road.
6 Beat Him: Saitama (One-Punch Man)
The protagonist of One-Punch Man is a fun example to throw into this hypothetical thought experiment because One-Punch Man is a series that draws directly from superhero stories more than anything else (not that there aren't plenty of other references). If the name didn't make it obvious, Saitama can defeat any opponent with just a single punch.
A fight between Saitama and the Hulk could honestly go either way. It would be a fight where the first blow struck would also be the final blow. However, Saitama's speed might put the battle in his favor.
5 Can't: Yusuke (Yu Yu Hakusho)
Yusuke is the protagonist of Yu Yu Hakusho. He is a Spirit World Detective who is gifted in both physical combat and in using spirit energy attacks, such as his signature move, the Spirit Gun. Interestingly, Yusuke died and then came back, so he might actually be able to avoid being completely pulverized.
This fight would be interesting because there is no way of knowing how the Hulk would respond to spirit energy attacks like the Finger Gun. However, as Hulk has survived magic attacks, it seems unlikely that spirit energy would be more than an irritant before he showed Yusuke what gamma energy can do.
4 Beat Him: Guts (Berserk)
This is certainly a controversial pick. Guts is just a human being, albeit the strongest human in his reality and one who has regularly fought and slain demons. In fact, he slew one demon known as the Count whose power was to get stronger every time he was hut--not unlike Hulk's power to turn rage into muscle mass. In a fair fight, Guts would almost certainly lose, but why fight fair when one can fight smart? Also, as he's survived a fight against a hundred demons, he might have what it takes to kill Hulk.
Ultimately, it comes down to if Guts can brain the Hulk with his Dragonslayer sword. As Hawkeye managed to kill Hulk, it makes sense that Guts would also be able to.
3 Can't: Spike (Cowboy Bebop)
Another unpowered hero, Spike is a bounty hunter who travels through space, relying on his charm, acrobatic fighting abilities, and cunning to bring his quarries to justice. He is an excellent martial artist and marksman, as well as a fairy decent pilot. Emotionally, he is more or less the opposite of the Hulk, having a cool easy-going demeanor and indirect approach to situations.
Because of his cunning, physical prowess, and roundabout approach to situations, Spike is one of the only unpowered humans who could almost certainly survive an encounter with the Hulk. However, the idea that his usual Jeet Kun Do high kicks would bring down the Hulk is patently ridiculous.
2 Beat Him: Mewtwo (Pokémon)
In the original Pokémon series, Mew was portrayed as the most powerful known Pokémon in the world (though of course, others would later be revealed). Mewtwo was a genetically modified variant of Mew made by scientists, an evil psychic clone-obsessed monster who refused to be put in anyone's pocket. He has demonstrated megalomaniacal tendencies and while not godlike in strength, he is the pinnacle of both nature and science.
Hulk has shown inconsistent weaknesses to psychic attacks over the years. It's not like he can punch alpha waves, after all. While a fight between these two would be interesting, ultimately it seems like Mewtwo's psychic abilities would give him the winning edge.
1 Can't: Inuyasha (Inuyasha)
Inuyasha is a half-demon and one of the main characters of the anime that bears his name. He is possessed of incredible physical strength and fighting abilities, wielding his massive sword the Tetsusaiga in battle against all manner of enemies. He has taken down enemies many times larger than him.
If the two were to cross paths, Inuyasha would no doubt charge the Hulk with Teteusaiga, screaming melodramatically, and the massive sword would not even make a dent in Hulk's skin. The truth is that Hulk's fingernails are probably dangerous than Inuyasha's steel.