Anime powers are as diverse and exciting as a platter full of sushi and sashimi – they’re basically the spice that keeps different shows fresh and fun.
You’ve got your magic systems overflowing with mana or sorcery, you’ve got powers based on science fiction and biology, and you’ve even got techniques fuelled by some good, old-fashioned chakra, ki or cursed energy – no matter where an anime draws its powers and abilities from, it always makes for an interesting part of the series.
Heroes, villains, and comedic side characters all own various kinds of powers. These powers often complement their skills, attitudes and personal preferences, and often grow stronger as a character makes some kind of progress during a story arc or big event.
Do you have what it takes to wield one of anime’s most formidable and awesome powers? Which anime power do you have? Take the test and find out for yourself!
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Over the decades, anime has produced some memorable powers and abilities, filling the public’s imagination with spectacles such as concentrated Kamehameha waves and crackling Chidori orbs. These powers usually propel the action and tension in a fight scene, whether it’s a gut-wrenching clash between fighters or a more cerebral battle between minds.
Far from being your typical superpowers, anime has certainly made a name for itself in conjuring some very wacky abilities – things like a spell to steal underwear like Kazuma from Konosuba, or a mutation that lets you rip off sticky spheres from your head like BNHA’s Mineta both come to mind.
All anime abilities have to come from somewhere. Lelouch got his Geass from a weird lady in the sewers, Itadori ate a grody-looking finger to strike a pact with Sukuna, and Tanya was simply resurrected into a world of magic.
The merit of an anime’s worldbuilding and universe can be measured through how it depicts its powers and abilities in all sorts of creative, refreshing, and interesting ways. The Saiyans’ powers in Dragon Ball, for instance, basically boil down to getting stronger through screaming, and yet the show has developed countless ways to transcend their abilities beyond that. Inventiveness and a mindset of growth are both important to harnessing any anime power.
“Power systems” refer to the in-universe mechanics that explain how and why anime powers like mind reading, energy beams, and transformations work. Shounen anime – being the action-driven genre catering to young males – often makes use of power systems to measure how characters use and develop their skills.
Among the most well-known shounen power systems include the one from Naruto, which relies on spiritual energy called Chakra, and the fabulous Stands from Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure that are fuelled by their users’ life energy. Other notable power systems include the mutational abilities of Quirks from Boku no Hero Academia, the transaction-based dynamics of Alchemy from FMA, and Cursed Energy from Jujutsu Kaisen.