Anime is a unique form of storytelling that blends so many elements of beloved genres and artistic expression. From flight to invisibility, control of the elements to the power to raise the dead, anime features some astonishing powers. And yet, anime powers are usually so well grounded in logic, reason, and reality that we forget they’re a kind of magic. Here’s a rundown of the best anime powers we’ve seen (so far) and how they work.
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1. Ope Ope no Mi From One Piece
One intriguing anime power that certainly falls outside the realms of traditional magic is the Ope Ope no Mi, a fruit appearing in One Piece that’s a little like a Paramecia. Eating the fruit grants a person the ability to conjure ‘the room’, a spatial area inside which the user is in complete control, able to bend reality to their whims.
Ope Ope no Mi is drawn from the word ‘operation’, with the spatial area of ‘the room’ acting as a kind of operating theatre. This theme is further seen in the nickname given Trafalgar Law, who is so adept at wielding this power he’s dubbed the Surgeon of Death.
As anime powers go, this one is quite overblown, allowing whoever wields it to control objects through telekinesis. This can be done to the extent that teleportation becomes possible as the user can switch places with objects of their choosing. It’s such an extreme power that it enables the wielder to do practically anything, including tearing people to pieces and reassembling their dismembered parts in strange ways, all without killing them.
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2. Dragon Slayer Magic From Fairy Tail
There are quite a few anime powers on display in Fairy Tail, but arguably the most powerful is the magic of the Dragon Slayers. This is a confusing one as it’s supposed to be a form of Lost Magic, yet it seems a lot of the characters are skilled in it.
All you need to learn Dragon Slayer magic is a dragon willing to teach you. Failing that there are artificial ways to acquire the skill, such as lacrima implants. The fact that dragon slaying is taught by dragons in order to defeat other dragons is a special kind of irony. It picks upon one of the themes of the show, with is that even creatures as mystical and powerful as dragons are still subject to the same weaknesses and mistakes as humans. To err may be human but it is also somehow divine, for even the most magical creatures struggle with their ‘human’ emotions.
Perhaps the two most notorious Dragon Slayer characters in Fairy Tail are Natsu Dragneel and Gajeel Redfox, both of whom have the power to consume elements to replenish their power and manifest immunity to their elements.
3. Mangekyo Sharingan From Naruto
Naruto features two versions of this power, the Sharingan and the Mangekyo Sharingan. Sharingan is a mystical, ocular ability belonging to the Uchiha Clan. Mangekyo Sharingan (as the name suggests) is a higher-level version of the same ability. The latter grants different powers depending o the unique nature of the user.
While the higher-level stuff is super impressive, regular Sharingan is still a cool power in its own right, boosting the combat skills and perception of the wielder, giving them the ability to become better fighters and take on the techniques of opponents during battle.
Gaining the Mangekyo Sharingan is a bittersweet experience, as it only occurs when a user of Sharingan witnesses the death of a loved one and suffers extreme trauma as a result. The special abilities it brings are great, but not without a price, as prolonged usage will ultimately cost a person their sight.
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4. Titan Shifters From Attack on Titan
While the majority of the titans in Attack on Titan are rather dumb and unable to shift to human form, there are a handful of seemingly evolved Titans who have gained shapeshifting abilities. Known as Titan Shifters, they’re able to transform between their natural titan form and human form, allowing them to masquerade as one of the humans.
Titan Shifter forms are unique in appearance and quite different from regular titans. It’s not only in appearance they differ from other titans, as Titan Shifters demonstrate a level of intelligence – even in titan form – that’s markedly different from other titans. Bizarrely, Titan Shifting is an ability only gained when a regular titan consumes a Titan Shifter.
5. Hardening Quirk From My Hero Academia
One of the coolest anime powers in My Hero Academia (and arguably any anime) is displayed by Eijiro Kirishima. This is surprising as he isn’t the central character of the series, yet the Hardening Quirk ability is awesome. It allows him to spontaneously harden (and thus, protect) any part of his body.
This can be done at will and is extremely handy when it comes to protecting himself from harm. It can also allow him to use his own body parts as tools and even weapons – his arm, for example, can act as a spear.
Eijiro is able to enhance this ability further as the series progresses and uses a new skill. Red Riot: Unbreakable is a way of achieving maximum hardening strength for a specific period of time.
6. Cursed Energy From Jujutsu Kaisen
The anime series Jujutsu Kaisen features one main source of power in the form of Cursed Energy. This ability is created from all the negative experiences and emotions that humans experience.
Everyone, in theory, possesses Cursed Energy, for every human has bad experiences and negative emotions throughout the course of a lifetime. You can, however, learn to harness and control your cursed energy by attending an educational institution – such as Tokyo Jujutsu High – that teaches the practice.
By learning to use your cursed energy you can accomplish all kinds of things with it. Cursed energy has multiple purposes, from summoning mystical creatures to defending yourself from attack by conjuring a protective shield around your body.
7. Blade Steel/Perfect Vision From Chivalry of a Failed Knight
One series with a veritable smorgasbord of anime powers on display is Chivalry of a Failed Knight. Many of the characters in this anime series display powers of varying strengths, usefulness, and cool-factor. However, and perhaps inevitably, It’s the show’s protagonist, Ikki Kurogane, who holds the most unique and (frankly) awesome power on the show.
Originally known as Blade Steel, Ikki’s ability is later developed and upgraded to become Perfect Vision. It allows him to adapt to any battle he finds himself in. The ability essentially allows him to analyze the abilities and fighting styles of an opponent, mimic, and match them. This is incredibly handy, as it makes Ikki extremely difficult to defeat, for his opponents inevitably end up battling themselves. A combination of his power and sword consequently allows Ikki to overcome any enemy.
Looking for more insight into anime? Check out our beginner’s guide to Japanese anime words.
