The overpowered hero is an archetype that has been seen in fiction plenty of times before, be it in anime, live-action film or any other form of visual media. Two such examples of this type of character would be My Hero Academia’s All Might and One-Punch Man’s Saitama. Normally, this archetype can lead to very unbalanced events and dull stories, but this is not the case with these two characters. The question is: why?

All Might is essentially My Hero Academia’s play on Superman. He is confident, heroic, supportive and inspired. He is even drawn differently than the other characters in the anime when he is in his muscle form, shaded the way an American comic book character would be. Most importantly, however, like Superman, he is overpowered. Whenever he is on screen and fighting, he always defeats the bad guys and manages to protect the UA students.

RELATED: One-Punch Man: Saitama Can't Remember his Time Travel Feat - But Which Characters Do?

all-might-saves-bakugo-from-sludge-1

The main reason his overpowered nature does not negatively impact the narrative is because of what he represents. All Might is Midoriya’s mentor -- the one passing his power on and training him in how to use it. At the beginning of the anime, All Might is still able to use his muscle form, and viewers are allowed a glimpse into what a wielder of the mighty One for All is capable of. It gives audiences some insight into how powerful Midoriya will one day become, and it also gives the protagonist something to aspire to.

This makes it all the more tragic when All Might eventually loses his power. The power gap between him and literally every other character in the anime was so vast that, when viewers do finally see him lose his power, it does two things. First, it makes his retirement impactful emotionally, as audiences have been allowed to know and like him as a character. Secondly, and most importantly, it sets a dangerous precedent in the anime that the world is markedly more dangerous without the most powerful person in existence around. Without All Might having been overpowered in the first place, this feeling could not have been achieved as effectively. By building him up, his fall is more impactful.

RELATED: My Hero Academia's Deku has a Mask - So Why Doesn't he Ever Wear it?

Ripped Saitama in One-Punch Man.

Then there is Saitama, a completely different character with a completely different narrative purpose. One-Punch Man is a satire of superhero media. Everything about his world is exaggerated and ridiculous. As a character, he is motivated by the desire to save people and have a good time while doing it. His main objective is the fun of being a superhero. This objective is repeatedly thwarted, however, by his immense power. Because he is capable of defeating anyone in a single punch, all of his fights lack tension and stakes.

In any other anime, Saitama would not function as a character. Nothing he would be involved in would garner any kind of viewer engagement, as whether he would be okay would never be in doubt. What makes Saitama work in the context of his own anime is that the lack of a worthy challenge is itself the challenge. The anime becomes less of a superhero action-adventure and more of a satirical exploration of nihilism brought on by seemingly cosmic levels of disinterest. This is an incredibly unique idea and take on the overpowered character archetype.

Just a brief look at these absolute titans of raw anime power says all it needs to about how they have used a problematic trope to their advantage. Whether as a doomed mentor or a jaded hero, each take on the overpowered character displayed in All Might and Saitama is truly worth remembering and enjoying.