Powerscaling is a popular pastime in the anime community, and one of the most common character debates is Saitama from One-Punch Man. As the title suggests, this character is known for defeating every enemy with a single punch, launching the debate about who he can and can’t defeat. But he needs more of a challenge than his universe provides, and a plethora of powerful anime characters in other series could fulfill that role.
This list will include ten anime characters who can rival or even surpass Saitama in a fight, based on their known feats, hypothetical feats, powers, abilities, hax, and fan opinion. This list will feature a range of characters: some can put up a good fight and lose, some will barely win, and others will absolutely stomp Saitama, but everyone on this list has notable strength that is at least on par with his.
10
Sung Jin-woo
‘Solo Leveling’ (2024)
Solo Leveling is the most popular anime at the moment, having won Anime of the Year for 2024. Its protagonist is Sung Jin-woo, formerly the weakest hunter, who has now become one of South Korea’s strongest fighters after gaining the ability to level up. The story follows him as he becomes stronger and finds the cure for his mother by defeating enough enemies to unlock it.
While there are anime shows better than Solo Leveling, it is popular for a reason, which is its riveting fights and splendid animation. Jin-woo may not be at the level of Saitama, but he and his summons can put up a good fight through sheer numbers. He can draw the fight out and use it as a way to level up, putting up a good battle even though he most likely wouldn’t win.
9
Natsu Dragneel
‘Fairy Tail’ (2009)
Fairy Tail is a polarizing anime, renowned for its emotional moments, engaging characters, fan service, and the power of friendship. Fairy Tail has many great arcs, and Natsu Dragneel is at the forefront of them all, leading his team into chaos and not caring about the damage he deals. He is a fire mage and a dragon slayer, giving him an extra boost to burn anything to a crisp.
Anything is possible with the power of friendship, and with it, Natsu may be able to take down Saitama. However, considering his feats, Natsu doesn’t scale as high as Saitama does, meaning the former is unlikely to win a fight anytime soon. Even so, Natsu is a powerful mage with explosive spells and an indomitable spirit, which would make for a far more even fight than many would imagine. In other words, Saitama would need to get serious.
8
Haruhi Suzumiya
‘The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya’ (2006)
While this list mainly consists of battle shonen protagonists, some fights don’t need to be a battle of strength, but rather a battle of overwhelming abilities. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya follows the titular protagonist and her group as they research strange phenomena in Japan.
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is notorious for its final arc, which ruined the anime and its overpowered protagonist, who is omnipotent. Saitama doesn’t have any hope in this matchup, as Haruhi can control time, space, and pretty much everything with her godlike powers. While it may be a boring fight, she is undeniably more powerful than Saitama.
7
Shigeo Kageyama
‘Mob Psycho 100’ (2016)
This would be a fascinating matchup, not because of skills or abilities, but because they are made by the same person. Mob Psycho 100 follows Shigeo Kageyama, the world’s strongest psychic, who yearns for an everyday life. However, his pent-up emotions often result in him going out of control, causing harm to himself, his friends, and his enemies.
Since they are written by the same author, both are the strongest in their respective settings, but a battle would prove to be much different. While Mob versus Tatsumaki would be more interesting, he could also show his skills against the titular hero. Their overpowered abilities would clash in an epic battle, but Saitama would ultimately emerge victorious because he scales above planetary, while Mob is around country-level.
6
Rimuru Tempest
‘That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime’ (2018)
Isekai is the most popular anime genre at the moment, and while it focuses on escapist fantasy, many shows also feature a power fantasy. That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime follows Rimuru Tempest, a person who becomes a slime in a fantasy world with the ability to absorb anything.
While the anime powerscaling got out of hand, giving Rimuru everything he needs to win with little effort, Saitama may be the one to humble him. His power to absorb and get stronger far outranks anything Saitama can do. Still, even with his speed, strength, durability, and healing, Rimuru can match Saitama, giving him the edge in every fight they would have.
5
Sinbad
‘Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic’ (2012)
Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic is an underrated fantasy anime based on Arabian Nights, following Aladdin and Alibaba on their quest to make the latter a king. However, Sinbad is the strongest character in the series, serving as another king candidate who wields countless dungeon weapons after defeating the tricky ruins.
Even though the anime was canceled, Sinbad gets even more potent in the manga, showcasing his multiple overpowered weapons that would defeat Saitama in seconds. Sinbad doesn’t win through strength, but rather hax abilities, specifically narrative manipulation, which enables him to dictate the plot’s events and manipulate characters’ actions. Ultimately, Sinba will win any fight he enters, making him one of the strongest anime characters.
4
Simon
‘Gurren Lagann’ (2007)
The mecha genre is a staple of anime history, and while there are plenty of remarkable shows from it, Gurren Lagann is one of the best, and by far the most entertaining. Simon is the protagonist who finds an ancient mech, using it to escape his underground city and make a name for himself on the surface. This change takes him to wild heights and unimaginable places, becoming the strongest person in the universe.
Gurren Lagann is an action anime masterpiece featuring hype-inducing fights where characters hurl galaxies at each other, which should clue fans in on who is winning this fight. Simon develops at a faster rate than any anime character, so while Saitama may be winning at first, Simon will quickly become stronger to the point where Saitama is only a bug compared to his universal mech.
3
Usagi Tsukino
‘Sailor Moon’ (1992)
Action anime isn’t reserved for men, and Sailor Moon proved that by introducing one of the most powerful anime characters, Usagi Tsukino. After meeting a talking cat, Usagi becomes the titular guardian of Earth, who uses her power to stop villains and their dastardly plans. The only thing is that this life is a lot harder than she thought.
As one of the best manga series of all time, Sailor Moon had to reinvent the wheel through strong female characters. Usagi is arguably the most iconic and complex of her peers, a bona fide crybaby who still rises to the challenge and fights to the end when the situation calls for it. She is a multiversal level character who can swiftly move between galaxies and even resurrect herself, making any effort by Saitama completely pointless. Ultimately, Sailor Moon is far too powerful in terms of strength, feats, and hax for Saitama to hold a candle to.
2
Son Goku
‘Dragon Ball’ (1986)
Everyone expected this matchup on this list because it is the most popular in the powerscaling community, but that is for a good reason, as they are evenly matched. Son Goku is the protagonist in the Dragon Ball franchise and the most recognizable character in anime, an outright icon of the small screen with a legacy that surpasses all others.
This debate is as old as time, as power-scalers have been pitting Goku and Saitama against each other since 2015. This iconic matchup never seems to go away, as each character keeps leveling up, showing their new feats. Dragon Ball is an important anime, and much of its overwhelming popularity comes from Goku’s near-godlike status. Indeed, Goku scales higher than Saitama and has proven to have more abilities and known feats, such as his punches sending shock waves through the universe.
1
Ichigo Kurosaki
‘Bleach’ (2004)
After decades of waiting, Bleach finally got its respect, becoming one of the most popular modern anime. With the series adapting the final arc, fans can finally see each character at their strongest, including the protagonist, Ichigo Kurosaki. Despite the series unfairly giving him every power-up, including soul reaper, quincy, and hollow, he has used those to be one of Bleach’s strongest characters.
Ichigo is nowhere near the strongest character on this list, but he ranks at the top because he would give Saitama the best fight, meaning those two are the closest in strength compared to everyone on this list. Saitama is likely the winner, but since fans haven’t seen his full scale, Ichigo has a better shot than most may imagine. Regardless, Bleach is one of the best anime series, and Ichigo has proven to be at least planetary and maybe even galaxy-level strong.