Every anime has that one character who happens to be even better than the protagonist of the show. These kind of characters are hard to ignore because they are not only charismatic and strong, but they just own the screen whenever they are in the scene!
Take any of your favorite anime for example and you’ll immediately think of a character that makes the entire show much better to watch. These characters are what we call as badass anime characters!
They might not be main protagonist of the show, they might not even be the strongest, but they are charismatic, highly skilled in what they do and generally more powerful than most.
In this list, I present you some characters from world of anime who are the very definition of “badass,” and I am sure that you all will absolutely agree with my picks. So, let’s not waste any time and have a look at all the characters featured below!
Most Badass Anime Characters in 2022
33. Ban (Seven Deadly Sins)
Ban, also known as the “Fox’s Sin of Greed,” is a member of the group, The Seven Deadly Sins, charged with protecting the Kingdom of Liones from villains that threaten their existence. Ban, a key member of this group, is a human who gained immortality by drinking from the fountain of youth which automatically makes him ‘unkillable.’
His fighting prowess is top-tier, and he possesses a unique ability, “snatch,” that allows him to steal the physical abilities of his opponents. Ban is one badass character in a show that boasts several badass characters and definitely one you shouldn’t make an enemy!
32. Ghislaine Dedoldia (Mushoku Tensei)
An anime character you can definitely call badass is Ghislaine from Mushoku Tensei! Ghislaine Dedoldia is the daughter of Gustav, the former Dorudia village chief. She is the mentor of Eris and Rudeus Greyrat in the way of the sword.
Ghislaine’s skills as a swordsman are second to none. Her skills are so good to the extent that even Rudeus’s father, who is an expert at swordsmanship, acknowledged her skill as being greater than his. Her true skill was shown when she saved Eris and Rudeus from two kidnappers and took care of them with just one slash from her sword.
31. Hyakkimaru (Dororo)
Hyakkimaru, a child of pain and suffering, is a ronin that is searching for his body parts. His father made a pact with demons to grant him good fortune in exchange of his unborn son, Hyakkimaru’s body parts.
Hyakkimaru travels with a young miscreant, Dororo, and they both embark on a quest for finding and reclaiming his body parts. Even though he doesn’t have his eyes, he possesses a unique skill that lets him see the souls and figure out who’s good or bad based on the color of their souls; plus, he is really skilled at sword fighting as well. Whenever he kills a demon that took one of his body parts, it returns to him and we see him slowly and gradually gaining back all his body parts one by one!
30. Shinya Kogami (Psycho-Pass)
The anime Psycho-Pass is set in a world where machines can identify or deduce if you are a threat to society. Shinya Kogami is an enforcer within the Suppressing Action Department of the Foreign Affairs Operations Department.
These enforcers are ex-criminals that have been chosen to assist the police in catching criminals. Kogami is a skilled enforcer who has helped his team in cracking a lot of tough cases. He was the first detective to find and prove the existence of a criminal mastermind, Makishima Shougo, the main antagonist of the series.
29. Mugen (Samurai Champloo)
The anime Samurai Champloo is set in the Edo period in Japanese history. Mugen, the main protagonist, is a ruffian who teams up with Fuu Kasumi and Jin in search of a samurai. As they journey through villages, cities, and towns, conflict erupts at different points, which are mostly handled by Mugen and Jin.
Despite his rough-looking nature, Mugen is one of the most badass anime characters as he is a skillful fighter who can take on a group of samurai with ease and have fun while doing it. On several instances in the show, he displays his insane reflexes and unending stamina to gain an upper hand in most battles he fights.
28. Baki Hanma (Grappler Baki)
Baki Hanma is the main protagonist of the anime, Grappler Baki. He has trained himself in martial arts from a young age, making himself stronger than the average wrestler. One notable thing about the character is that, unlike most anime protagonists, he has never lost a battle in a tournament which is literally badass.
His strength kept on growing throughout the entire series, making it difficult for his strength to be ranked. Nevertheless, he is definitely among the strongest characters in the entire show.
27. Gildarts Clive (Fairy Tail)
Gildarts Clive is an S-class mage in the anime Fairy Tail, and one of the strongest characters in the series. For a short time, he was even appointed as the Fifth Guild Master of the Fairy Tail guild, which is a testament to his strength as a mage.
Gildarts has an awesome ability, Crush, which allows him to disintegrate anything he comes in contact with; and yes, it’s anything. This would have been a good ability but what made it great is the nullification effect it has on magic or any ability. Apart from his magical abilities, he is highly skilled in physical combat, making him a well-rounded fighter with immense strength and stamina.
26. Shiki Ryougi (Kara no Kyoukai)
Shiki Ryougi is the main protagonist of the anime, Kara no Kyoukai. She possesses a very special eye, “Mystic Eyes of Death Perception,” which grants her the ability to perceive the inherent mortality of living and non-living things in the form of lines.
Despite her ocular prowess, Shiki has heightened physical abilities, which gives her strength and speed simultaneously. Her fighting skills are proficient and calculated, with few openings making her the worst character to go against because she has both brains and brawns.
25. Roy Mustang (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)
Roy Mustang is one of the most popular characters from the anime Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. Through the use of Alchemy, he can manipulate the presence of oxygen in the atmosphere. In addition to the manipulation of oxygen, he can create sparks that erupt into flames when they come in contact with the concentrated oxygen.
He uses this skill with amazing control and is able to go against some of the strongest characters in the show. His battle skills are pretty evident when he takes on several Homunculi, some of the strongest creatures ever created, and not only defeats them but makes them beg for mercy!
24. Yami Sukehiro (Black Clover)
Yami Sukehiro is the captain of the Black Bulls squad in the anime Black Clover. His motto “surpass your limits” is one that he frequently teaches to his guild members, especially Asta. He is a character that can literally be described as “badass” when it comes to battles or just his day-to-day life.
With his mastery of Ki and mana zone, he can predict the actions of his opponents. Also, another commendable skill that Yami possesses is his expert swordsmanship which can be seen in some of his abilities like “Dimension Slash.” It won’t be wrong to rank him as one of the best swordsman in the anime either!
23. Karma Akabane (Assassination Classroom)
Karma Akabane is a character in the anime Assassination Classroom and a student in Class 3-E of Kunugigaoka Junior High School, which has Koro-sensei as their teacher. He was expelled from the main school branch due to his excessive violent actions. He is a character that naturally oozes charisma, and this was portrayed well when he was asked to lead his classmates in an assassination attempt.
In terms of strength and intelligence, Karma surpasses most of his classmates, excluding a select few. Apart from all these traits, what makes Karma truly fearful and badass is the skill he has as an assassin and the potential that he shows throughout the show.
22. Afro Samurai (Afro Samurai)
The Afro Samurai is an extremely skilled swordsman that watched his father being killed in front of him. The traumatic experience he witnessed shaped him into a cold-blooded adult that can kill without blinking an eye. His main goal is to avenge his father’s death by killing Justice, who has the title of “Number One.”
The Afro Samurai rose up to the Number Two rank, which is the second strongest swordsman in the anime just to challenge Number One and kill him. Throughout the show, we see that he is exceptionally talented at using the sword as he can slice his enemies in half, take on entire gangs and dodge a bullet effortlessly without even getting scratched, and that is enough to make him one of the most badass anime characters ever!
21. Hisoka Morow (Hunter x Hunter)
Hisoka Morow, one of the main antagonists in the anime Hunter x Hunter, is not only a powerful hunter but also a member of the Phantom Troupe, a feared group of ruthless villains. However, he is not just any member of this group. In terms of ranking, he is number 4 out of the 13 members, which is evident proof of how strong he is.
Hisoka, due to his strong nature, is always on the lookout for strong characters like him and even those who have great potential to be extremely strong in the future, so that he can fight them. His battle prowess is exceptional, and it rarely leaves openings.
20. Roronoa Zoro (One Piece)
Roronoa Zoro is one of the main protagonists in the anime One Piece and one of the first members of the Straw Hat pirates. He is dedicated to becoming the strongest swordsman alive, and he trains every day by pushing his body beyond its limits in order to achieve that goal.
In battle, Zoro uses three swords which is actually pretty rare among swordsmen. However, what is noteworthy about him are his exceptional skills as he is shown to cut through substances harder than even metal. In the Dressrosa arc, he cut down one of Doflamingo’s subordinates, who had the form of a mountain, without so much as breaking a sweat.
19. Ken Kaneki (Tokyo Ghoul)
Ken Kaneki is the main protagonist of Tokyo Ghoul, who was originally a normal human boy till he was turned into a ghoul through a traumatic experience. Initially timid, he is forced to embrace this new life of his and through constant battles, he earns the title of the “Black Reaper” and becomes one of the show’s strongest characters.
Apart from his ghoul powers which increase his strength, he was also trained by Arima Kishou, one of the most talented CCG agents. Kaneki also possesses multiple Kagune, which makes him exceptionally strong for a ghoul and grants him fast regenerative abilities. So, in short, he is not one to be messed with.
18. Garou (One Punch Man)
Garou is one of the antagonists in the anime, One Punch Man, and is considered a threat not only by the Hero’s Association but also by the Monster Association despite being only human. He was the former student of Bang, an S-class hero, but was expelled because of his violent nature.
Garou’s strength and speed are immense, and he is able to defeat most A-class heroes with little effort. He even defeated an A-class hero with just a single attack which shows how powerful he is. Plus, he grows stronger and stronger the more he fights which is why he is always on the lookout for strong opponents, particularly S-Class heroes, in order to take them down.
17. Gilgamesh (Fate/Zero)
Gilgamesh is the Archer-class servant in the Fourth Holy Grail War. He made a master-servant pact with Tokiomi Tohsaka, who he later betrays. He is a half-god, half-human king of Uruk, and so he is the kind of character who naturally oozes charisma and pride befitting for a king.
He can be considered an overpowered character due to his exceptional abilities which involves him possessing the original noble phantasms of all the ‘servant’ characters in the anime. Due to his insane abilities, he earned the name ‘servant killer,’ which is feared by most characters in the show.
16. Thorfinn (Vinland Saga)
Thorfinn is the main protagonist of the anime Vinland Saga. After witnessing his father’s death at a young age, he swears to one day avenge his father by killing his murderer Askeladd. He grew up on the battlefield all in a bid to train himself to get stronger in order to fulfill his wish.
As a teenager, his fighting skill was really good and it didn’t take long for him to become extremely good at wielding dual short swords. In the anime, he challenged Thorkell the Tall, a great warrior, and even managed to wound him.
15. Revy (Black Lagoon)
Revy, also known as Two Hands, is the main protagonist of the anime Black Lagoon and one of the most badass anime characters of all time! She is a cold, merciless killer that will kill anybody at the slightest provocation, and is driven by violence and blood lust. It is safe to say that Revy is one of the deadliest fighters in the anime.
She works as a gunfighter at the Lagoon company and uses two modified Beretta 92F’s. She can effectively use her guns to decapitate her opponents in a fight. She is also shown to be able to dodge bullets effortlessly, which shows that she is not one to be trifled with.
14. Spike Spiegel (Cowboy Bebop)
Spike Spiegel is the main protagonist of the classic anime, Cowboy Bebop, who used to be a member of the Red Dragon Crime Syndicate but he left by faking his own death. Later on, he became a bounty hunter and the captain of Bebop.
He is a genius fighter who showed his skills throughout the anime and his perception ability is top tier, and his eyesight is acutely sharp. However, his main strong point is his skills as a gunfighter. Spike handles a Jericho 941, or Ruger P85, which he uses expertly in fights to take down his enemies and completes his missions.
13. Kiyotaka Ayanokouji (Classroom of the Elite)
Kiyotaka Ayanakouji is the main protagonist of the anime, Classroom of the Elite, and the show starts with him enrolling as a student in Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School. On the surface, Ayanokouji appears like a lazy, average high school student, but in reality, he is an intelligent sociopath with little or no emotions towards other people.
What makes Kiyotaka one of the badass anime characters is his exceptional intelligence which surpasses that of his classmates. Due to his ingenuity and smart thinking, he led his classmates into winning a tournament against other classes with ease.
12. Alucard (Hellsing Ultimate)
Alucard, a powerful vampire, is the main protagonist in the Hellsing Ultimate anime series. He is the most powerful character in the anime and he works for Hellsing Organization to track down supernatural occurrences usually involving vampires like him.
However, Alucard is not another average vampire, in fact he is one of the strongest vampires in the series and his skills when fighting are top-notch. He is an immortal with fast regeneration ability, superhuman speed, strength, and even teleportation ability which is quite rare even among vampires.
11. Guts (Berserk)
Guts is the main protagonist of the anime, Berserk, which is a dark and thrilling show. Guts, a former mercenary, is constantly traveling the world while protecting people with who he shares an affinity. He is a bleak man and his bleakness is a result of him being constantly exposed to suffering.
He has a large stature, and he wields a huge broadsword with great skill and precision. Through years of being constantly exposed to war and battle, Guts has honed his skills to the very extreme and became a veteran fighter and an exceptional swordsman.
10. Shiba Tatsuya (The Irregular At Magic High School)
Shiba Tatsuya is the main protagonist of the anime, The Irregular At Magic High School. The show starts with him enrolling into First High School (Magic Academy) along with his sister, Shiba Miyuki. Though his practical test scores showed him to be magically inept, he is a veteran fighter who is extremely skilled at assassinations and close combat.
When it comes to just physical combat, Shiba’s skill is next none; but he also possesses insane technical knowledge and several unique magical abilities that make him really powerful. However, what makes him really fearful is his ability to counter most magical attacks due to his innate understanding of magical concepts.
9. Katsuki Bakugo (My Hero Academia)
Katsuki Bakugo, alternatively known as ‘Kaachan’ or ‘Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight,’ is a member of Class 1-A at U.A. High School in the anime, My Hero Academia. He is a character with a violent nature, and despite this, he is one of the strongest and most skilled members of Class 1-A.
He aims to be a hero like All Might and constantly works hard in order to achieve that goal. He maybe a loudmouth and a delinquent at times, but he possesses exceptional fighting style, powerful abilities and he is really intelligent as well, and all these were proven to be true when he placed first in both the U.A. entrance exam as well as the Sports Festival. His quirk allows him to use his sweat to create explosions, and he uses this ability quite uniquely to overwhelm his opponents in both short-range and long-range fights.
8. Vegeta (Dragon Ball Z)
Vegeta is one of the main characters in the Dragon Ball series, and one of the most popular anime characters of all time. He was introduced as an antagonist who was once a merciless killer, and a character that is full of pride and ego because he used to be the Prince of Saiyans.
He is not just one of the most badass anime characters, but also one of the most powerful characters in the show. One of the things that makes Vegeta a badass character is the fact that he is self-taught in terms of how he uses his abilities and he is not one to shy away from working hard in order to become stronger and stronger and even stronger!
7. Killua Zoldyck (Hunter x Hunter)
Killua Zoldyck is the heir of the Zoldycks, a family of professionally trained assassins. He is the closest friend of Gon Freecs, and they both embark on different adventures in the anime Hunter x Hunter. He is a legitimate hunter, and has been trained since birth to be an assassin. Even his family recognizes him as the most talented assassin in the history of the Zoldycks.
Killua’s immense speed was seen when he ripped out the heart of a participant in the hunter exam, which was nothing short of breathtaking. His strength is also exceptional, which makes him a skilled hunter and a talented assassin. And what makes him one of the most badass characters in anime is that he is still just a child who possesses insane potential!
6. Itachi Uchiha (Naruto Shippuden)
Itachi Uchiha is a genius who was an extremely skilled shinobi right from his childhood. He awakened his Sharingan at age 8 and his Mangekyou Sharingan at the mere age of 12, which is quite rare. Itachi massacred his entire clan of powerful shinobis at the age of 13, which is proof of just how powerful he was even as a kid.
In Naruto series, he is among the most skilled Genjutsu users and one of the strongest Naruto characters, and the many foes he has fought can testify of his strength because none of them were able to keep up with him and his insane techniques.
5. Kenpachi Zaraki (Bleach)
Kenpachi Zaraki is the captain of the 11th division in the Gotei 13 in the Bleach anime series. From his younger days, he was exposed to a lawless society that forced him to learn how to fight with a sword. He constantly honed his skills till he became the captain of the 11th division. His skills might be unrefined, but his immense power more than makes up for it.
He is battle-hungry and loves nothing more than to fight strong opponents with his life on the line. And the biggest proof of how strong and badass he is is the fact that he became a Captain even without achieving Bankai, and having a Bankai is a prerequisite if you want to become a Captain!
4. Jotaro Kujo (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders)
Jotaro Kujo is the main protagonist of Part 3 of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure anime series, Stardust Crusaders. He is the grandson of Joseph Joestar, who he accompanies on a journey to find Dio Brando and ultimately save his mother.
He is a character with charisma, style, and poise but he is also extremely dangerous because of his ability to remain calm and collected even in the most stressful situations. His Stand, which is a manifestation of his abilities, is among the fastest and strongest in the series. On countless occasions, Jotaro has shown his battle prowess and intelligence while defeating villains in a bid to save his mum.
3. Levi Ackerman (Attack on Titan)
Levi Ackerman, who is alternatively referred to as Captain Levi, is the squad captain of the Special Operations Squad, a specialist squad within the Survey Corps. Despite his short stature, which can be deceptive, Levi possesses great skill and charisma.
He has the highest number of kills when it comes to slaying Titans. He is sometimes referred to as “humanity’s greatest soldier” because of his proficiency in battle. Levi embodies what a loyal soldier should be and is not one that can be messed around with.
2. Madara Uchiha (Naruto Shippuden)
Madara Uchiha is one of the main antagonists in the anime Naruto Shippuuden. He is arguably one of the strongest members of the Uchiha clan and although his power level varied at different points in the show, he is still an exceptionally skilled fighter whose skills rivaled that of Hashirama’s.
In the anime, he took on thousands of ninjas effortlessly and annihilated them, and he even completely decimated the Five Kages without breaking a sweat. He is not just powerful, he is also extremely intelligent and a master strategist, and his brains combined with his brawns made him a planetary threat in the show.
1. Satoru Gojo (Jujutsu Kaisen)
Satoru Gojo, in the recently released anime, Jujutsu Kaisen, is a teacher at Kyoto Prefectural Jujutsu High school for sorcerers and the very definition of badassery. Despite his playful and carefree attitude, he is among the strongest characters in the show.
He decides to be Itadori’s mentor because Itadori is a vessel for Sukuna, a dangerous cursed spirit. So Gojo is in charge of not only monitoring Itadori/Sukuna to prevent any rampage, but also to make sure that Itadori keeps getting stronger and become one powerful sorcerer in the future.
Satoru’s abilities cannot be overemphasized because a mere mention of his name strikes fear into the hearts of villains. Even the villains make plans to seal him and not kill him because even they acknowledge that killing him is virtually impossible.
Who Are Your Favorite Badass Anime Characters?
Here we are, at the end of the article! I certainly hope that you agreed with all the characters that I mentioned above and if that’s the case, do share the article with your friends.
But if you don’t agree with my picks, use the comments section below to let me know which badass characters are your favorite so that I can check them out and maybe add them to the list in the future updates!