Top 20 Anime Characters Who Got RIPPED

Script written by Alex Crilly-Mckean

Top 20 Anime Characters Who Got RIPPED

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we are counting down our picks for the Top 20 Anime Characters Who Got Ripped.

For this list, we’ll be looking at the guys and gals in the anime scene who took to the gym hard, going from wimpy to absolute units!

Which magnificent set of animated muscles speak to you? Let us know in the comments!

#20: Hajime Nagumo

“Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest” (2019)

Look, if you get yeeted into an abyss filled with monsters, your only choices are to man up or become something’s lunch. In spite of his meekness, the recent sting of betrayal forced Hajime to go through one hell of an edgelord shift. Not only did he fashion himself a variety of weapons and replacement ligaments made of magical metal, but by the time he actually crawled out of the CGI hellhole, he was looking pretty toned! Maybe he forwent all future smiles in exchange for a leaner figure.

#19: Van Flyheight

“Zoids: Chaotic Century” (1999-2000)

All throughout Chaotic Century, Van was your typical spirited youth who somehow found himself taking control of a giant robot, before being thrust to the forefront of a war. Basically, the Amuro treatment. While he and his mechanical liger tore through Death Saurer without having to really buff up, by the time Guardian Force came around, Van had gone through quite the growth spurt. Not only did he double in height over the space of two years, but made some time outside the cockpit to work on his core. Something he’s obviously very proud of given how his uniform practically screams “look at dez abs”.

#18: Izumida Touichirou

“Yowamushi Pedal” (2013-18)

While bicycle racing isn’t something you can excel at with an unfit body, the ace of Hakone Academy’s elite cycling club took things to the next level. Going out of his way to craft the so-called perfect body for the Inter-High tournament, Izumida went all in on his weight training. While it sacrificed performance, in exchange it gifted him with his now iconic set of abs, something he’s so thrilled about that he started giving them names. Hey, if you’ve got it, might as well flaunt it.

#17: Romeo Conbolt

“Fairy Tail” (2009-19)

Starting off as Natsu’s one and only fan, Romeo was about as irrelevant a side character as you could get. After all, he was the son of a decent but equally forgettable character in the form of Macao, so it's not like we expected much from him. As it happens, the seven years Natsu and the gang were sealed away really did a number on Romeo. Not only did he replicate the Salamander’s spirit, but also his training too! By the time the OG cast make their grand return, Romeo’s got a six pack and everything!

#16: Luffy

“One Piece” (1999-)

We won’t pretend that the Straw Hat Captain wasn’t shredded. He may have started his adventure on the assuming side, but come the two-year time skip, it was clear the man had been putting in the effort. We thought that would be the end of his buffness, but it turns out Wano has a way of bringing about a pirate’s inner savage. His time imprisoned not only taught Luffy how to use a new form of Haki, but bulked him up so much that if this keeps on Zoro is going to have some competition!

#15: Jack Hanma

“Baki” franchise (2001-)

When he was on experimental drugs, the son of the Ogre was a hulking mass of muscles that nearly wiped the floor with his younger brother, but was nonetheless defeated and left as a shell of a man. So, what did he do? Went under the knife until he ended up as the largest fighter of them all. Jack is staggering in his height and strength, packing enough of a punch to easily put down a death row convict and the offspring of Muhammed Ali. He even eats the bones in T-bone steaks!

#14: Akira Fudo

“Devilman Crybaby” (2018)

Deep down, this unfortunate soul will always be softie, unafraid to cry waterfalls and constantly striving to do the right thing. It’s just that after merging with the demon Amon, Akira’s chad switch was permanently flipped. With his transformation into a hybrid, Akira’s human body got a major upgrade, muscular enough to not only rip apart any demon he came across but also invented one of the craziest runs we’ve ever seen. It’s just a shame that it also turned him into a hormonal disaster too.

#13: Noi

“Dorohedoro” (2020)

She makes a living as an enforcer that can split apart skulls with her bare hands, and yet she’s still simp worthy. During her younger years, Noi was your conventional, stick-thin sorcerer who had aspirations of being transformed into a demon. At least until she became buddies with Shin, deciding she’d be much happier ripping apart people by his side. From there, it was goodbye devil princess hello goliath of our dreams. Muscular yet ravishing in every conceivable way, if her looks don’t slay you, then her fists will.

#12: Kenichi Shirahama

“Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple” (2006-07)

It was sort of impossible for Kenichi to not become a beast. He may have started off as a weakling and hounded by bullies, but after meeting his future wifey, he became the student of six martial arts masters. Their intense training combined with the clashes with the sinister fighters of the Yomi organisation were either going to break him or turn him into a fighting machine on an unparalleled level. Able to switch between styles at will, Keichi’s crash course in numerous disciplines left him with an in-depth knowledge of how to tear a person apart – with a body to match!

#11: Asta

“Black Clover” (2017-21)

Born without magic in a world where magic is everything? No sweat. Just train your ass off until you’re the buffest member of the Black Bulls and can wipe out most mages with just one swing. Forced to cater to his inability to channel magic, Asta’s fitness regime has ensured that despite being on the short side, he’s got muscles to spare, ones capable of wielding such gargantuan weapons such as the Demon Slayer Sword. And as if he wasn’t buff enough, Asta then went the extra mile during his six month training at the heart kingdom. Seriously, how much buffer can Asta get at this point?

#10: Ippo Makunouchi

“Hajime no Ippo” Franchise (2000-14)

Bullied all his life and lacking any form self-confidence, Ippo longed to know what it would feel like to be strong. As chance would have it, he ended up finding the answer after becoming embroiled in the art of boxing. Not only did he take to the sport like a moth to flame, but thanks to his innocent passion, ended up becoming the Japanese Featherweight Champion. As you can imagine, you can’t reach that status without getting into shape, and thanks to some intense training camps, Ippo soon found himself with the body of a tank. You do not want to be on the receiving end of one of his signature jabs…

#9: Rigurd

“That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime” (2018-)

When we first encountered this elderly goblin, he was practically knocking on death’s door. The dude had seen one too many winters if you get what I mean. At least until he struck up a friendship with an all-powerful slime who decided to give the geezer a name – which in this world, constitutes an automatic evolution. And just like that, Rigurd went from grandpa to DADDY! Not sure why he’s the one who ended up getting all the muscles compared to the sprightlier males among his tripe, but who cares! The old coots got his flare back. Watch out ladies.

#8: Masamune Makabe

“Masamune-kun’s Revenge” (2017)

The younger years of your life can be a gauntlet of awkwardness and cruelty, leaving many hearts broken along the way. Masamune is one such victim, who after getting cruelly rejected by the girl of his dreams and labelled as Piggy, decided to dedicate his life to getting his revenge. How so? By going from chubby to hubby with the sole intention of winning the heart of the girl who ruined his life…and then breaking her heart in an equally brutal fashion. Sure, it’s not the healthiest reason for someone to go on a diet, but you can’t argue with the results.

#7: Usopp

“One Piece” (1999-)

Despite having a scrawny figure, a habit for telling tall tales and the occasional bout of cowardice, deep down we all knew this member of the Straw Hats had the heart of a lion. He just needed a little…encouragement to bring out. In Oda’s world, that apparently translates to two years training on an island filled with killer plants and bugs. It might sound unorthodox, but the proof is in the pudding. Just look at how jacked this guy got! Good on you Sogeking!

#6: Saitama

“One-Punch Man” (2015-19)

Sure, once upon a time he looked like an average dork with a head full of hair, but as we all know, even a minor love tap from his fist spells doom for anyone caught on the end of it. A shame too, since if any of them actually managed to tear through his superhero get-up, they’d actually see that Saitama is shredded. We’re not sure if it’s down to those one hundred sit ups that he likes to brag about, but we’re pretty sure all those other idiots in the Hero Association would stop giving him grief if they took a gander at what he was packing.

#5: Goku

“Dragon Ball” (1986-89)

Way before he was rocking blue hair and taking on other universes in tournaments, Goku was nothing more than a chubby kid with a tail who likes to fly on a magic cloud. Sure, he knocked down a few demon kings and occasionally transformed into a giant killer ape, but for the most part, he was an adorable chubster. And then puberty hit. Hard. By the time it came for his battle against Piccolo, Goku was practically the spitting image of the Saiyan we’ve all come to know and love. Guess when you live and breathe training, it starts to show after a while.

#4: Izuku Midoriya

“My Hero Academia” (2016-)

We’ve all been there – the nerdy beanpole that dreams of one day becoming the greatest hero in the world, saving lives with a smile and carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. While Deku over here is certainly on his way to making that dream a reality, turns out it requires way more exercise than you’d expect. In order to fully realise the power of One for All, Midoriya had to push his body to its limit so it wouldn’t explode when busting out all those Smashes. With a strict regiment provided by All Might, it wasn’t long before the uber nerd had a body that anyone would want a piece of. Ain’t that right Uraraka?

#3: Mikasa Ackerman

“Attack on Titan” (2013-)

You really don’t know how lucky you are, do you Eren? While she may have started out as the meekest girl around, tragedy and time turned Mikasa into both a beautiful young woman and one of the deadliest Titan killers ever to walk the earth. As you can imagine, that takes work. Since her sole goal in life is to protect Eren and butcher any who would threaten him, Mikasa had a lot of time on her hands dedicated to turning her body into a tool of destruction. Given the amount of muscles she’s got tucked away under that Survey Corp uniform, we’d say she’s well on track.

#2: Brock

“Pokémon” (1997-)

We’re not joking here. Brock. THE Brock. Lord of Drying Pans, Jelly-filled Doughnuts and Rejections. Turned out that while Ash was off draining the souls of other Pokemon Trainers to eternally remain ten years old, the rock master was hitting the weights. Don’t believe us? Just check out his cameo in Sun and Moon. Jeez, if the Nurse Joys and Officer Jenny’s of the world knew that he had that many boulder badges under his shirt they might have actually agreed to go to dinner with him. Hang in there Brock, maybe one day you’ll get your Onyx polished.

#1: Jonathan Joestar

“JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Phantom Blood” (2012)

What kind of crazed Victorian diet was this guy on and where can I get some?! Seriously, in the space of seven years, the original JoJo went from your average whippersnapper to the bulkiest rugby player ever seen. Is that even biologically possible? The dude didn’t even reach twenty before he had shoulders wider than Windsor and a neckline sharp enough to cleave through diamonds. No other Joestar descendent has come close to measuring up to Jonathan’s immeasurable bulk and likely ever will. Seriously, the longer you look the bigger he seems to get!