Power scaling in anime has always sparked passionate debates, but here’s the thing: comparing characters across different universes isn’t as simple as measuring their punch strength. Some characters erase universes with a thought, whilst others rewrite reality itself or exist as metaphysical concepts beyond physical combat.
This ranking considers canonical feats (what actually happens in the source material), destructive scale, durability, and the increasingly important factor of reality manipulation. We’ve prioritized official statements and on-screen actions over fan theories, though admittedly, any list like this will have people reaching for the comment section. Let’s dive in.
Zeno
Here’s a fascinating paradox for you. Zeno from Dragon Ball Super sits at the top of most power rankings despite having zero combat ability whatsoever. The Omni-King can instantly erase entire universes, timelines, and even immortal beings with a simple hand gesture. During the Future Trunks Saga, he wiped out a corrupted timeline including the supposedly unkillable Fused Zamasu.
The scale is genuinely incomprehensible. Historical records within Dragon Ball Super reveal he once destroyed six universes simply because he was in a “spoiled mood.” At the Tournament of Power, eight universes vanished at his whim. Yet Beerus explicitly stated that Zeno possesses no fighting sense and couldn’t even track fast fighters like Dyspo without his GodPad tablet. Goku’s casually lifted him by the hand. It’s absolute destructive authority without any martial capability, which creates a unique position in power scaling discussions.
Saitama
One-Punch Man’s protagonist presents a unique challenge because he’s deliberately written to exceed any opponent. That’s not fan speculation, that’s the entire point of his character. Shonen Jump officially lists his strength as infinite, which should end most debates right there.
The Cosmic Garou fight remains his definitive show off. When Garou copied Saitama’s exact strength, Saitama’s exponential growth during battle became so extreme that Garou couldn’t maintain pace despite literally matching him moment by moment. A single sneeze disintegrated Jupiter’s surface whilst fighting one-handed. The collision of their Serious Punches created a void in space that appeared to destroy multiple solar systems. He even performed time travel through sheer physical force, transcending spacetime itself.
An official audiobook confirms he grows strong enough daily to one-shot his previous day’s self. Dr. Genus’ theory explains that Saitama didn’t break his limiter, he removed it entirely. The Goku versus Saitama debate will probably outlive us all, but Saitama’s narrative invulnerability is his defining trait.
Ultimate Madoka
Madoka Kaname’s final wish in Puella Magi Madoka Magica didn’t just grant her immense power. She transcended physical existence entirely, becoming the Law of Cycles, a metaphysical force that rewrites causality for all magical girls across every timeline simultaneously. She exists throughout past, present, and future, appearing to save magical girls throughout history including Cleopatra, Joan of Arc, and Queen Himiko.
Kyubey calculated her soul gem contained enough hope to birth an entire universe and sufficient despair to end one. That’s not combat strength in any conventional sense, it’s cosmic-scale alteration of universal laws. The Rebellion movie complicated her status when Devil Homura usurped a portion of her power, with Walpurgisnacht Rising scheduled for February 2026 set to resolve this confrontation.
Haruhi Suzumiya
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya presents perhaps anime’s most terrifying power concept. Haruhi may have destroyed and recreated the entire universe three years before the series began, and she doesn’t even know she did it. Three separate factions exist solely to monitor and manage her because her emotions literally reshape reality.
She’s changed Earth’s orbit when overjoyed, made animals speak, created alternate dimensions, and summoned supernatural beings into existence simply by wishing they existed. The universe’s continued stability depends entirely on keeping her happy and unaware of her capabilities. A new light novel, The Theatre of Haruhi Suzumiya, released in November 2024 after a four-year gap.
The Grand Priest
Whilst Zeno commands absolute authority, the Grand Priest holds the title of actual strongest combatant in Dragon Ball Super’s multiverse. Whis confirms his father makes even Universe 7’s angel “look like nothing.” All thirteen angels descend from him, and he maintains Perfected Ultra Instinct permanently.
His only feat involves casually stopping punches from exhausted Gods of Destruction using just his fingers, which barely hints at his true capabilities. He occupies that perfect complementary position to Zeno: maximum martial skill beneath maximum destructive authority.
Anos Voldigoad
The Misfit of Demon King Academy’s protagonist has become power scaling’s most debated character. His signature weapon, Venuzdonoa, doesn’t merely destroy targets. It destroys their reason for existing. The sword eliminates concepts, fate, miracles, logic, laws, time, space, and cause and effect itself.
Anos’ light novel developments far exceed his anime portrayal. He’s destroyed countless universes with his bare fists, held an entire universe in his pinky finger, and constantly suppresses his power to prevent accidentally destroying the world. Here’s the kicker: all feats through Volume 2 were performed with less than one-tenth his true power. Author Shu confirmed Anos’ power limit is “nonexistent.” VS Battles Wiki rates him at Multiverse level+, with some arguing his “deeper worlds” cosmology places him in hyperversal territory.
Rimuru Tempest
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime is anime’s most dramatic power progression. Beginning as literally the weakest monster type, Rimuru’s light novel conclusion catapults him to godhood as a Digital Nature Lifeform composed of information particles transcending space and time.
He becomes the fifth True Dragon, with his Ultimate Skill Void God Azathoth granting universe-creating capabilities. Most significantly, author Fuse established Rimuru as surpassing Veldanava, the original creator god of the Tensura universe. His time travel feat saw him return to his original world at the moment of his human death, placing consciousness fragments to save himself.
Japan’s 2024 fan poll of approximately 20,000 voters crowned him the number one strongest anime character, ahead of both Saitama and Zeno. That’s not Western power scalers, that’s Japanese fans voting.
Son Goku
Goku’s position is more complex than casual fans realize. His highest form, True Ultra Instinct, combines Ultra Instinct with his Saiyan fighting spirit. However, Chapter 87 established a clear hierarchy when Black Frieza one-shot both True UI Goku and Ultra Ego Vegeta simultaneously after training for ten years.
Toriyama’s 2017 statement confirmed he had no plans for Goku and Vegeta to surpass Beerus and Whis. Post-Super Hero, he stated Gohan Beast is “stronger than anyone,” suggesting potential superiority over current Goku. The Dragon Ball Super manga has been on hiatus since March 2024 following Toriyama’s death, with only a single chapter in February 2025. Goku remains the benchmark against which all shonen protagonists are measured, but he’s no longer the uncontested king even within his own series.
Kaguya Otsutsuki
Kaguya remains the Naruto franchise’s strongest canonical character. She creates and controls six separate pocket dimensions at will, wields Truth-Seeking Orbs negating all ninjutsu, and fires All-Killing Ash Bones that disintegrate targets at the molecular level. Her Expansive Truth-Seeking Ball threatened to destroy her entire dimension.
Boruto introduced Isshiki Otsutsuki, stated to outrank Kaguya within clan hierarchy. However, Kaguya defeated him by tearing him in half, a feat even peak Naruto and Sasuke couldn’t replicate. Her ability to manipulate space, time, and dimensions places her firmly in planet-to-multiverse threat territory.
Tetsuo Shima
Akira’s Tetsuo represents classic “power spiralling out of control.” His psychic evolution reaches reality-warping levels, spawning grotesque structures and threatening reality-level catastrophe. He put a massive crater in the moon, survived orbital laser strikes, and the film’s ending shows him transcending to a higher plane as a new universe expands.
His final line, “I am… Tetsuo,” implies he became the godhead of his own creation. According to in-universe explanations, both Tetsuo and Akira can create “small Big Bangs.” Whilst the scale isn’t cosmic like Zeno or Madoka, Tetsuo’s transformation remains anime’s seminal example of world-shattering psychic power.
Any ranking like this remains inherently debatable. Different universes operate under different rules, and comparing reality warpers to combat specialists is comparing apples to physics-defying oranges. But that’s precisely why these discussions remain anime fandom’s most enduring debates.
