Many strong anime characters earned their strength over time. However, there are also just as many that did very little to earn their strength. Some were simply lucky to be born with powers, whether it be due to the will of others or because the characters were just that lucky. Others simply had their powers just because they were the chosen ones or given specific tools or items they needed to transform into powerful warriors.
No matter how much fans adore these characters for their strengths, it is important to remember that none of these characters earned their powers on their own.
10 Azusa Was Reborn As An Immortal Witch (I've Been Killing Slimes For 300 Years And Maxed Out My Level)
Azusa died from overworking and was reborn in another world as an immortal witch. Not only did this give Azusa the time to max out her powers, but she also became one of the strongest characters in the main cast. Azusa became so powerful that she could create new spells, defeat the Demon King, and even take down a dragon in I've Been Killing Slimes' first couple of episodes. Azusa was extremely lucky to wake up with immortality in the new world, or else she would not be as powerful as she was by the current events of the series.
9 Luffy Just Ate A Devil Fruit To Get His Powers (One Piece)
Luffy earned his powers in One Piece purely by eating the Gomu Gomu No Mi Devil Fruit by accident. Even more amusing was that this simply occurred by accident, as Luffy had no idea that the fruit he ate was a Devil Fruit until his mentor, Shanks, told him. This fruit made Luffy permanently unable to swim, but it gave him the powers of elasticity in his limbs. This made him virtually immune to being stabbed or shot to death since all parts of his body were extremely stretchy and durable.
8 Shin Was Reborn As An Extremely Smart And Powerful Wizard In Merlin's Care (Kenja No Mago)
Shin became an incredibly overpowered isekai protagonist after being reborn with magic and also being in the care of Merlin and other high-class magical tutors. This resulted in Shin being great at magic.
He was so good with his magic that he also passed the entrance exam with flying colors and had the opportunity to give a speech on behalf of the new students during the welcoming ceremonies. However, this also drew the jealousy and ire of students, including Kurt, who despised Shin for being so talented.
7 Reiji Was Immediately Transported To A New World (Drugstore In Another World)
Unlike other isekai protagonists who often died before ending up in new worlds, Reiji wished that he was in a better life and was instantly transported there by an unknown force. Not only that, but he also gained skills perfectly befitting of a pharmacist. Even though he might not be strong in the typical isekai sense of being a warrior, his great pharmacy skills helped him run a perfectly functioning and successful pharmacy that helped many people, including demons and elves.
6 Mewtwo Was Strong Thanks To The Scientists Who Developed It (Pokémon)
Mewtwo's existence and strength are entirely thanks to Giovanni making a team of scientists create the ultimate Pokémon for his use. However, this backfired for Giovanni after Mewtwo realized that Giovanni was only training it to use it for his own gain. Mewtwo escaped Giovanni and went to New Island, where he started planning to destroy the world and all the humans in them. However, it is ironic, as if humans never made Mewtwo, Mewtwo would not have had the power to destroy humans in the first place.
5 Aoba Was Experimented On As A Baby (DRAMAtical Murder)
Aoba Seragaki can use his Scrap abilities to either help people or break them mentally and emotionally. He gained his powers thanks to genetic engineering from Tatsuo Toue's labs. Aoba initially stopped breathing after scientists cut the hair bonding him to his twin brother, Sei, but while Tae was on the way to dispose of Aoba's corpse, Aoba started breathing again.
Not only did this result in Tae dropping Aoba off at a church where he was later adopted, but Aoba stayed alive throughout the series and eventually learned how to use his powers.
4 Akira Shiroyanagi Earned His Powers From Mion After Being Killed By Her (Battle Game In 5 Seconds)
After Akira Shiroyanagi used his smarts to outrun and defeat a huge monster trying to kill him, Mion appeared and instantly killed Akira. She brought him back to her realm, where she resurrected him and gifted him, along with many other people she brought to her realm, a unique ability. This ability was the power to use anyone else's abilities, as long as he could persuade his opponents to believe that he had those specific abilities. Not only did this result in Akira being incredibly overpowered, but his additional smarts made him too powerful for some viewers to enjoy watching him.
3 Destiny Got Her Powers After Awakening Inside The Dead Cosette (Takt Op.Destiny)
Cosette became the Musicart Destiny in Takt Op.Destiny. Cosette initially died during a D2 attack at the Symphonica party, but Destiny awakened inside Cosette and permanently took over her body. Not only did Destiny instantly figure out how to use her musical powers, but she also defeated most if not all of the D2s present by herself.
Even though this resulted in Takt and Anna struggling to understand that Destiny was different from Cosette, it did lead to Destiny being extremely powerful from the series' start and becoming more powerful as she worked with Takt and Anna.
2 Usagi Initially Got Her Powers Because Luna Gave A Brooch To Her (Sailor Moon)
At Sailor Moon's beginning, Usagi gained her powers after Luna gave her a brooch to use for transformations. Even though she initially used it reluctantly, she eventually grew into a fine magical girl and awesome warrior in her own right. She also gained access to other items that gave her more powerful transformations, making her one of the most powerful female heroes in all of anime.
The same went for the rest of the Sailor Scouts. If Sailor Moon and the other Scouts never got the items needed for their transformation into magical girls, they would be helpless against all the enemies they faced together.
1 Natsuumi Manatsu And Her Friends Got Their Powers Because They Could Open The Tropical Pact (Tropical-Rouge! Pretty Cure)
Natsuumi initially failed to open the Tropical Pact in Tropical-Rouge! Pretty Cure's premiere episode. However, she succeeded by the end of the episode and became Cure Summer, defeating the episode's evil Yaraneeda that terrorized everyone else. The same thing happened with the rest of Natsuumi's teammates and friends during the following episodes until the fourth one, with each of them succeeding in opening the Tropical Pact.