The most broken powers in isekai anime are a testament to the evolution of the genre and its success in fantasy. The concept of “isekai”, which translates to “another world” in Japanese, capitalizes on capturing satisfying moments, from portraying a massively overpowered protagonist, or fulfilling quests for redemption and revenge.
What makes isekai so interesting is that there are an infinite number of paths that can be taken to reach the pinnacle of power and satisfaction. Quite often, this leads to bizarre ideas, such as reincarnating as a sword in Reincarnated as a Sword or gaining vast pharmaceutical knowledge after being transported to a fantasy world in Drugstore in Another World: The Slow Life of a Cheat Pharmacist. Evidently, such imaginative ideas are a consequence of wanting to stand out among other similar series, while striving to introduce the most interesting powers that break established worldviews.
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10 The Advantage of Being Born on Earth
Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy
Misumi Makoto from Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy is a descendant of the race called Hyumans (pronounced the same as humans) from the Goddess’ World, but he was raised on Earth, giving him unprecedented powers when transported back to the Goddess’ World. The most broken ability is his physical abilities, as the seemingly normal conditions on Earth are considered extremely harsh in the Goddess’ World. Having grown up on Earth, when Makoto is transported to the Goddess’ World, he is already overpowered. He also boasts the mana talents of the Hyuman race, and has God-given as well as self-attained abilities such as poison immunity, curse immunity, creation, and more.
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9 A Defense So Invisible It’s Also the Strongest Offense
BOFURI: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, so I’ll Max Out My Defense
In the underrated BOFURI: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt so I’’l Max Out My Defense Honjou Kaede, a young girl with no gaming experience is dragged into the popular VRMMO, NewWorld Online, by her friend Risa. Playing under the alias Maple, Kaede’s curiosity and lack of game knowledge leads her down a peculiar, but unstoppable path. She puts all of her stats towards defense in fear of getting hurt, and her survivability allows her to defeat dungeon bosses in creative ways, such as eating. Even though she lacks attacking abilities early on in the series, Maple’s recoil damage alone is capable of defeating most opponents, allowing her to grow even stronger.
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8 A Smartphone Bestowed by God
In Another World With My Smartphone
Protagonist Mochizuki Touya is a product of a divine mistake, as God accidentally smites him with an errant bolt of lighting, but makes it up by reincarnating him with various abilities – and more importantly – his smartphone. Touya’s existence is one big favor from God, attesting to the broken nature of his abilities. Not only is his body and soul constructed of materials from the world of God, the smartphone he requested to bring with him is granted significant upgrades. Through the maps’ app, he is able to see all of his enemies from a God’s-eye-view, and is even able to cast magic remotely.
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7 Reborn with 34 Years of Talent and Memories
Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation
The story of Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation follows a 34-year-old social outcast and shut-in who dies and reincarnates in a world of magic as Rudeus Greyrat. Because his memories and soul are intact, Rudeus is granted two glaring advantages. Firstly, in this new world, magical power is derivative of the soul. In the case of Rudeus, at birth, he is endowed with a soul 34 times the magnitude of the average soul. This reflects directly on his magical prowess and ability to improve. Secondly, Rudeus’ retained memories carry with it the intellect of an adult, allowing him to more easily learn powerful magic spells and solve complex problems.
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6 The Devil is Still Strong When Working in Fast Food
The Devil is a Part-Timer!
The protagonist of The Devil is a Part-Timer! is quite literally Satan, falling into the mortal realm after being defeated by the Hero Emilia, assuming the identity of a human named Maou Sadao. The series is a heart-felt comedy of transforming binary hero/villain roles, while accentuating the difficulties of daily life, in this case, the life of a struggling fast-food worker. However, the power that Satan possesses is undeniable, even while living in the mortal realm. The twist here is that he seems to have significant moral standing, opting not to abuse his powers, which include spell manipulation, telekinesis, teleportation, magical sword conjuring, and more.
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5 Hunger Knows No Bounds: Devour!
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime
At the time of its release, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime became a classic hit through its seemingly weak, but overpowered mode of rebirth. Mikami Satoru, a typical salaryman, is killed in a freak accident, and is reborn in a fantasy world with a mysterious system and an ability to devour anything. The caveat is that he’s become a squishy, blue slime. However, he embraces this new life, attaining ability after ability from the items and creatures he swallows, and renaming himself Rimuru. The broken nature of Devour is immediately displayed when Rimuru temporarily devours his new friend, the Storm Dragon Veldora, who’d been sealed for 300 years.
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4 Starting as an Invincible Wizard in a World of NPCs
Overlord
In Overlord, the popular VRMMO Yggdrasil is shutting down its servers, and the powerful skeleton mage and dark master Momonga decides to stay logged in during the last moments of the game’s existence. To his surprise, the game isn’t terminated, but the NPCs come to life. Momonga is offered no options to log out, but soon discovers that the world is as weak as he remembered in the early stages of the game, but he has retained all of his spells and abilities as a max-level player. Renaming himself Ainz Ooal Gown, the name of his former guild, he sets out to conquer the world.
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3 Demon King Reborn After 2000 Years
The Misfit of Demon King Academy
The anime The Misfit of Demon King Academy follows protagonist Anos Voldigoad, a Demon King whose soul is reborn as a human 2000 years after his death. The moniker of Demon King alone is enough to justify unparalleled strength, but Anos takes it to another level. Anos’ case is similar to Rudeus in Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation, except instead of being a 34-year-old NEET, the object of reincarnation is the established and powerful existence who single-handedly ended the tides of war. Some of Anos’ abilities include the Source of Destruction, which bestows an unprecedented amount of magic power, ancient spells and theories, space-time manipulation, and more.
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2 Cautiousness is the Strongest Underestimated Ability
Cautious Hero: The Hero is Overpowered but Overly Cautious
The story of Cautious Hero: The Hero is Overpowered but Overly Cautious is not only a fun isekai series, but it challenges the notion of the brave and headlong protagonist. The main character, Ryuuguuin Seiya, does not coincide with the typical hero mold. He is cautious to a fault at times, but it results in his greatest, irreplaceable strength. Knowing which battles to take and which to avoid, Seiya forces himself to train to an unreasonable level before each bout. This method leaves the least possible room for error when trying to be a hero in the world of Cautious Hero, whereas the typical hero would have long perished.
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1 Motherly Love is the Most Overpowered Ability
Do You Love Your Mom and Her Two-Hit Multi-Target Attacks?
This unique and never-before seen isekai follows the mother-son pair of Masato and Mamako, as they beta test an MMORPG designed to improve familial relationships. What comes as a surprise is the overwhelming strength that comes with playing as a mother, as Mamako has broken abilities that border omnipotence. Mother’s Sharing can protect all party members from negative statuses, Mother’s Words can gather the power of all mothers’ feelings, and Mother’s Headpat can calm down anything or anyone, to name a few. Furthermore, Mamako is bestowed with two powerful holy swords. As all her powers are rooted in motherly love, all of Mamako’s abilities culminate into one ultimate advantage.
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