Top 10 Most Powerful Anime Demon Lords

“Demon Lord, Retry!” (2019)

A chain-smoking, mafioso lookalike with a fondness for lolita-types and a mullet so long it might as well measure his power-level. Yep, sounds like a king of hell to me. After finding himself inhabiting the body of his gaming avatar, the once shy Akira now roams the land taking down knights and monsters alike, dropping them quicker than he can finish a cigarette. With his impressive stats, there’s no real challenge that can hope to stand up to Kunai’s trench coat of death, leaving him free to continue to…I dunno, commit fantasy tax-evasion?

“High School DxD” (2012-18)

There are a lot of hot roaming around the underworld, but only one holds the title of Crimson Satan. Pretty much everything Issei wishes he could be, Rias’ older brother is a devil of unmatched capabilities, mainly due to his mastery over the Power of Destruction. Not only can he shape it into weaponry at will, but its intensity is so potent that even higher beings like Creuserey Asmodeus were easily decimated. Other than that, dude is pretty chill, perfectly content to watch Issei try and climb the ladder and make moves on his sister.

“Blood Lad” (2013)

Vampire, demon, its all the same to Staz, who despite having the majority of his power sealed away when he was young, still knows how to rampage in style. Aside from your standard superior strength and speed, Staz’s real talent comes in draining the energy from his foes to replenish his own, which can then be manipulated in all manner of creative, crushing ways. Forging a magical handprint that can smash other demons to pieces, an imitation Kamehameha, if he had gotten another season Staz would be right up there with the strongest of bloodsuckers!

“The Devil Is a Part-Timer!” (2013)

The Lord of the Fries may excel with customer service and stand as McRonald’s greatest Assistant Shift Manager to date, but that doesn’t mean he can’t slug it out in a hell-fest-fist-fight! After getting himself ejected from Ente Isla and starting up again in the human world, Sadou finds peace in his new mundane life…at least until troublemakers from both sides of the ethereal pond show up to cause trouble. Hey, if you want to ruin his day and make him late for his shift, that’s on you. Just be prepared to be blasted to pieces by any one of his numerous demonic magics.

“How Not to Summon a Demon Lord” (2018-)

Out of all the video game anime avatars that have the moniker of demon, none pack more of a punch than Diablo. Why? Because the man is top tier in everything! A variety of spells that can wipe out every boss that tries to start shit with him. Weapons, items and other adornments that automatically deflect and disable any enemy spell. Even his starting harem is adorably awesome, at least as far as Shera is concerned. Combine that with a somewhat dorky yet endearing persona as he desperately tries to stay in character, and you have a Demon Lord truly worthy of worship.

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

You could do worse than having someone like Milim for a self-titled bestie. Sure, she’s a hyper-ball of energy that can be a little too clingy and obnoxious for her own good, but on the other hand she’s the demon equivalent of a nuke that can wipe out monsters that even Rimuru struggled against! While we have yet to see what she looks like when she really puts her all into a fight, it’s clear that beneath her carefree attitude there’s a true monster waiting to get out, one that not even all of the Jura Tempest Federation could hope to stop!

“Demon King Daimao” (2010)

Paving the way for many of the overpowered harem lords that would follow in his wake, Akuto didn’t so much strive to become a demon king as he sort of…fell into it. After his hellish potential is revealed to everyone at his local magic academy, he not only becomes the target of unseen forces, but just about everyone in a skirt, for better or worse. Not like he can’t defend himself, on account that his manipulation of mana allows him to twist bodies with just a thought. Throw in instant regeneration and a pet dragon, and Akuto’s got it made!

“Dragon Ball Z” (1989-96)

While his threat level paled in comparison to that of Majin Buu, this ruler of the Demon Realm still made for a decent threat. Serving as Babidi’s right hand man, Dabura has all the tricks you could expect from a fighter who looks like he wandered out of Tartarus, including a sword forged out of darkness. By himself, he could have easily served as a standout villain if he had appeared earlier in the series…as opposed to getting turned into a cookie, eaten by Buu, shipped off to heaven, and turned into a flower-loving ray of sunshine.

“Yu Yu Hakusho” (1992-94)

Yusuke’s demon daddy is not one to be trifled with. Even after spending years refusing to eat humans, this Mazoku might just be the strongest being out there, evident from the way he smashed apart the seemingly invincible Shinobu Sensui by possessing his ancestral son’s body and going to town! His strength and savagery by themselves were enough to crush the last of the Sensui Seven with ease, and that was all through a third party while on a deadly diet. Back in his prime, it’s likely he could have laid waste to all the realms, and look damn cool while doing it.

“The Misfit of Demon King Academy” (2020)

There’s no contest. This man cannot be bested. After reincarnating himself thousands of years into the future, Anos discovers the world has become stagnant and forgotten who its true ruler is, so he decides to remind them, one absurd display of power after another. He can kill a person with his heartbeat, resurrect them on loop with a snap of his fingers, spin an entire castle on his finger, slay the literal manifestation of time itself, and perhaps most damning of all, say without a shred of irony that death isn’t enough to kill him. Anos is the ultimate demon chad.