These Anime Children Are More Powerful Than Most Adults In Their Universes (2024)

Childhood is a special time of life. It's supposed to be a time when a larval form human slowly grows into a functioning adult. This is also a very vulnerable time when it comes down to it. Children are often dependent on their caretakers for a long time as their motor skills and ability to accumulate the money needed to survive is incredibly limited. It's hard to be independent when you aren't allowed to use the kitchen by yourself. For all its limitations, childhood is meant to be a happy time filled with learning and adventures as the world gets a little bit smaller with every passing year.

Anime has no such desire to coddle its young people. Shōnen anime specifically loves to make its protagonists both extremely young and extremely mentally durable, for the most part. Children in anime often get thrown into so many different scenarios that would be more than enough to make sure that every therapist in Japan could retire early. It's lucky, then, that so many of these kids happen to have both god-given or godforsaken abilities to help them make it through the insanity of growing up in a world where everything is trying to kill them. There are quite a few who are incredible powerhouses and can easily hold their own in their respective worlds.

10 Nezuko Is The High Kick Champion

As Demon Slayer's Central Plot Piece, Nezuko Needs To Hold Her Own

While the majority of the cast of Kimetsu No Yaiba: Demon Slayer is made up of young teenagers, Nezuko stands well above the majority of them in terms of raw power. Granted, being a demon does help with that a lot and her ability to bash in skulls with her legs is incredible. But those aren't the only things she has going for her. She has a few specialized abilities that no other demons thus far have been shown to possess, or even rival.

Her Blood Demon Art, a special ability unique to individual demons, allows her to use her blood and flames in order to hurt demons and help her comrades. She is able to banish poison from Usui using it and, when fully in her demon form, she can even control the viscosity of her blood to keep her limbs together. Combine that with the fact that she's a demon that can walk in the sun, and it's clear that Nezuko more than pulls her own weight.

Demon Slayer

TV-MA

Anime

Action

Adventure

When Tanjiro Kamado returns home to find his family was attacked and killed by demons, he discovers his younger sister Nezuko was the only survivor. As Nezuko slowly becomes a demon, Tanjiro sets out to find a cure for her and become a demon slayer so he can avenge his family.

Release Date

April 6, 2019

Cast

Natsuki Hanae , Zach Aguilar , Abby Trott , Yosh*tsugu Matsuoka

Main Genre

Anime

Seasons

4

Studio

ufotable

Creator

Koyoharu Gotouge

Streaming Service(s)

Crunchyroll , Hulu , Amazon Prime Video , Netflix

9 Sasami Merged With A Literal Goddess

Some Franchises Have Characters That Are More Powerful Than Expected

Tenchi Muyo is the granddaddy harem anime series, and was probably the first harem anime that a lot of Westerners saw. It's not exactly the first thing that people would think of when it comes to powerful characters, even though the franchise does get weird in places. Sasami is only eight years old, despite spending time in cryonic sleep, so her powers are even more terrifying as a result.

Sasami nearly died when Ryoko attacked their ship but she merged with the Royal Tree, containing Tsunami. Tsunami literally helped to create the very foundation of the universe and, while they are considered separate entities, the two of them will completely merge as she ages and Sasami has used her powers before in dire moments. Hard to ground someone who created the universe.

Tenchi Muyo

TV-PG

Animation

Adventure

Comedy

Science Fiction

Original title: Tenchi Muyô!
Every man needs a good woman. Tenchi Masaki has six.

Main Genre

Anime

Seasons

1

Creator

Masaki Kajishima

Production Company

AIC Animate Film, Geneon Entertainment, Oniro, Pioneer LDC

Number of Episodes

19

Main Cast

Fernanda Baronne, Flavia Fontenelle, Matt K. Miller, Mona Marshall, Sherry Lynn, K.T. Vogt, Rebecca Forstadt

8 Alluka Is Possessed By Something Truly Powerful And Terrifying

Hunter x Hunter Is Basically Codename: Kids Next Door With A Twisted Coat Of Paint... Kinda

On the surface, Alluka is a perfectly normal little girl who was born into an incredibly abnormal family. As the youngest member of the Zoldyck family in Hunter x Hunter, Alluka seems pretty low-key compared to the assassins in her familial unit. That is, until you remember that she is sealed behind multiple vault doors and locked beneath the house. Alluka isn't alone and shares her body with a Dark Continent Beast named Nanika. To the point at which she is revealed in the anime, the Dark Continent is still entirely shrouded in mystery, making her all the more terrifying.

Anyone who fulfills Alluka's three requests will have a wish granted by Nanika. Nanika has no real limits on what they can do — able to alter reality and help repair Gon's mangled body. The other side of these immense abilities is that if someone declines or fails to complete four of Alluka's requests, at least two people will die horribly. Only Killua can make commands of Nanika without repercussions, but Alluka's abilities will only grow as she does.

Hunter x Hunter (2016)

TV-14

Animation

Action

Adventure

Gon Freecss aspires to become a Hunter, an exceptional being capable of greatness. With his friends and his potential, he seeks out his father, who left him when he was younger.

Release Date

April 17, 2016

Creator(s)

Yoshihiro Togashi

Cast

Issei Futamata , Megumi Han , Cristina Valenzuela , Mariya Ise , Michael McConnohie

Main Genre

Animation

Seasons

1

Creator

Yoshihiro Togashi

Streaming Service(s)

Netflix , Hulu , Crunchyroll , Tubi , Peaco*ck

7 Giorno Giovanna's Abilities Are Truly Terrifying

People Shouldn't Forget That Tall Teenagers Are Still Children

Jojo's Bizarre Adventure's Giorno Giovanna has the dubious honor of being one of the youngest Jojos to take center stage (at a whopping 15 years old). While that basically makes him middle-aged in anime years, he is still just barely a high school student, and he has the power of life and death in his hands. Gold Experience, his stand, is not just great at punching stuff either. This stand creates nearly endless amounts of life energy and this can be used in a myriad of different ways. Having command over such a concept at such a young age puts Giorno in a league of his own.

Gold Experience can display feats like turning inanimate objects into plants and animals, replacing blood and organs, and greatly accelerating the thought process of living things, making them experience the world in slow motion. Gold Experience can also create temporary revenants, like with Bruno. Giorno was basically given the power over entropy to a certain degree and can create energy (which should be theoretically impossible). Giorno is one of the most fearsome Jojos as a result. A few of the kids on this list rival adults — with some far surpassing them — and he is one of them.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure

TV-14

Animation

Action

Adcenture

The story of the Joestar family, who are possessed with intense psychic strength, and the adventures each member encounters throughout their lives.

Release Date

October 4, 2012

Cast

David Vincent , Matthew Mercer , Daisuke Ono , Unshô Ishizuka , Tôru Ohkawa

Main Genre

Animation

Seasons

5

Creator

Hirohiko Araki

6 Q Is One Of The Scariest Characters In Bungou Stray Dogs

Sometimes It's Better To Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

It takes a lot to unnerve a character like Osamu Dazai in Bungou Stray Dogs, but Q is a character who manages to make that happen. Q's ability is known as "Dogra Magra" and is, at its core, a mind control ability. The ability is activated when the target hurts Q and Q has rigged up many ways to make that happen. Having the wherewithal to intentionally harm yourself as a means to gain more strength and/or activate your abilities is scary enough, so the power it is paired with becomes endlessly frightening.

Once it activates, Q mutilates their doll and the receiver begins to hallucinate heavily, sending them into a mindless rampage. This rampage either ends up in a lot of deaths or the receiver has to be put down, as only Dazai's nullifying ability can purge the ability from another person. Dazai had them confined when he was still a part of the Port Mafia and Q has not forgotten that slight. Being on the bad side of a character with a mental state such as this is enough to scare even the most stalwart adults in anime.

Bungou Stray Dogs

TV-14

Action

Comedy

Follows Atsushi Nakajima as he joins the Armed Detective Agency in battling the Port Mafia and other superhuman threats to public safety.

Release Date

November 8, 2018

Cast

Mamoru Miyano , Yûto Uemura , Kaiji Tang

Main Genre

Animation

Seasons

6 Seasons

Creator

Kafka Asagiri

Production Company

Studio BONES

5 Eri Is Basically The Dragon Balls

Control Over Time to Any Extent Can Be Terrifying

Everyone knows that the existence of the Dragon Balls basically kills all the tension in most Dragon Ball plot lines after the Namek Saga. Eri, in essence, fills some of that energy in My Hero Academia. Eri's qurik allows her to basically rewind the people that she touches to previous states. This ability is nearly limitless as a construct, and can shift the universe of My Hero Academia in any future.

An example of her power in use comes when Eri holds onto Deku during the fight with Overhaul, constantly rewinding him in order to keep him alive as he uses One-For-All with no limits. Her ability is so powerful that the Yakuza were using it in an attempt to erase quirks entirely and it worked. While Eri is limited in what she can do for now, her quirk will only grow scarier as she trains using it. Eri can simply blink someone out of existence and that is truly terrifying. It is yet to be seen what the extent of her powers is, or if there is even an extent to them to begin with.

My Hero Academia (2016)

TV-14

Action

Adventure

Izuku has dreamt of being a hero all his life—a lofty goal for anyone, but especially challenging for a kid with no superpowers. That’s right, in a world where eighty percent of the population has some kind of super-powered “quirk,” Izuku was unlucky enough to be born completely normal. But that’s not enough to stop him from enrolling in one of the world’s most prestigious hero academies.

Release Date

May 5, 2018

Cast

Daiki Yamash*ta , Justin Briner , Nobuhiko Okamoto , Ayane Sakura

Main Genre

Anime

Seasons

6

Production Company

Bones

Number of Episodes

145

4 Naruto Had Near Limitless Energy

The Nine Tails (and His Own Chakra) Made Naruto One Of The Strongest Kids In Existence

Naruto wasn't always the ninja president — a walking nuclear bomb in human flesh and a mediocre father. He used to just be a kid who liked vandalism, ramen, and telling the audience to believe it. What made Naruto so powerful wasn't just the Nine-Tailed Fox, but the seemingly limitless pool of chakra that he had access to. The Tailed Beasts not only add to their hosts' power, they amplify and multiply it dramatically. With a starting base as strong as Naruto's, he was made to be nearly unstoppable.

Once he learned the Shadow Clone Jutsu, he was able to make hundreds of them with only a small amount of effort. The Uzumaki Clan was renowned for their deep pools of chakra and long lifespans as a result, and Naruto himself was more than able to tap into that. Throughout the entirety of both series (Naruto and Naruto Shippuden), Naruto's chakra reserves changed the tide of each and every fight he was in, proving he is not a kid to be taken lightly.

Naruto

TV-PG

Action

Adventure

Naruto Uzumaki, a mischievous adolescent ninja, struggles as he searches for recognition and dreams of becoming the Hokage, the village's leader and strongest ninja.

Release Date

September 10, 2002

Cast

Junko Takeuchi , Maile Flanagan , Kate Higgins

Main Genre

Anime

Seasons

1

Creator

Masashi Kishimoto

Production Company

Pierrot, Staralis Film Company

Number of Episodes

220

3 Yusuke Was Already Strong Before The Spirit Gun

In Terms Of Pure Human Abilities, Yusuke Is As Tough A Kid As They Come

At age 14, Yusuke Urameshi was struck by a car and killed, ending up as the spirit detective in Yu Yu Hakusho. But even before then, Yusuke was more than strong compared to other boys his age. He was able to take down multiple, much larger guys in a fight. After becoming the spirit detective, his abilities grow in terms of durability and access to different powers.

Yusuke, even before unlocking his demon form, is able to go toe to toe with most demons that are thrown at him and is able to defeat Younger Toguro in the Dark Tournament, a feat that is incredibly impressive. Yusuke does have a bit of an edge due to his lineage, but he is still an incredibly strong young man who started out mostly normal.

Yu Yu Hakusho

TV-PG

Anime

Action

Adventure

After a teenage delinquent is killed while saving a child's life from an approaching car, the rulers of the underworld send him back to become an "Underworld Detective" investigating demons apparitions in the human world.

Release Date

October 10, 1992

Cast

Nozomu Sasaki , Justin Cook , Tomomichi Nishimura , Sanae Miyuki , Shigeru Chiba , Christopher Sabat

Main Genre

Anime

Seasons

1

Studio

Pierrot

Creator

Yoshihiro Togashi

Number of Episodes

112

2 Goten Was A Super Saiyan At Age Seven

Like Father, Like Incredibly Overpowered Sons

Goten comes from a long line of impressively strong people. Goku and Gohan were both incredibly powerful as children, but Goten is the one who achieved a lot more at a much younger age. The Super Saiyan transformation was considered by Vegeta and others to be a legend, something to aspire to, and Goku was only able to access it after losing Krillin on Namek.

Gohan wouldn't achieve the form until his early teens. Goten, on the other hand, was the youngest to ever achieve the form at the ripe old age of seven years old. To put that into context, at that age, Goten was more powerful than Frieza was on Namek. That is incredibly humbling to put into perspective when you think about it.

Dragon Ball Z (1989)

TV-PG

Anime

Action

Adventure

With the help of the powerful Dragonballs, a team of fighters led by the saiyan warrior Goku defend the planet earth from extraterrestrial enemies.

Release Date

September 30, 1996

Cast

Sean Schemmel , Brian Drummond , Christopher Sabat , Scott McNeil

Main Genre

Anime

Seasons

9

Studio

Toei Animation

Creator

Akira Toriyama

Number of Episodes

291

1 Mob Used To Be A Bomb Waiting To Go Off

Mob Is Undoubtedly A Beast Of A Child When It Comes To Power

Being a teenager is hard. That is just reality. Adulthood gives us the cold comfort of putting our teenage years with all their big feelings and bigger freak freakouts behind us. Being a teenager with psychic abilities that are directly impacted by emotions is exponentially harder.

Mob of Mob Psycho 100 has all these problems as he just wants to be normal. But, as it often does in anime, life gets in the way for him a lot. When fully unleashed, Mob's powers are completely oppressive with almost no one who can stand up to him. In fact, usually it is Reigen who calms him down despite having no real powers of his own. Mob is, in reality, often a walking timebomb as too much of one emotion overloads him, and he can be a devastating force to deal with. Good thing he is such a gentle guy.

Mob Psycho 100

TV-14

Action

A psychic middle school boy tries to live a normal life and keep his growing powers under control, even though he constantly gets into trouble.

Release Date

July 12, 2016

Creator(s)

ONE

Cast

Kyle McCarley , Jason Liebrecht , Chris Niosi , Michael Sorich , Max Mittelman , Erik Scott , Kimerer , Casey Mongillo , Cherami Leigh

Main Genre

Action

Seasons

3

Studio

Bones

Creator

One

Writers

Hiroshi Seko

Number of Episodes

37 + 2 OVAs

Streaming Service(s)

Crunchyroll

Franchise(s)

Mob Psycho 100

Directors

Yuzuru Tachikawa , Takahiro Hasui