Top 10 Weak Anime Characters Who Became OP

Welcome to WatchMojo and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the top 10 weak anime characters who became overpowered.

For this list, we’ll be going over the characters in anime who begin their stories as comparatively weak for their respective stories, only to become incredibly powerful. Because some of these glow-ups are plot related, there will be spoilers ahead.

If there’s an anime character who goes from ant to god that we missed out on, let us know in the comments!

“Katekyo Hitman Reborn!” (2006-10)

Tsuna is a pretty average high school student at the start of his show, albeit horribly unlucky and generally kind of a wimp. However, getting dropped into the middle of an international supernatural mafia conflict and getting tutored by the most dapper infant of all time toughens him up considerably. Well, that and the absurd number of special abilities he gets his hands on, from the various Dying Will Flames, to summons, the works! Tsuna’s journey from loser to mafia boss is as outrageous and bizarre as everyone around him, and comparing what he can do by series’ end with where he started is bound to set your head ablaze.

“Bungo Stray Dogs” (2016-)

Orphaned, malnourished, abused, and low on self-esteem, Atsushi doesn’t inspire much confidence, most of all from himself. He also finds himself tormented by a white tiger. However, it turns out the tiger is simply a projection of his true power. Over time, he learns to control this transformation, becoming a key member of the Armed Detective Agency in his own right. While he remains naïve, Atsushi makes up for it with his increasing command over his inner weretiger.

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

After being reborn into a new world, Hajime is not much stronger than he was in his last life. However, thanks to some convenient healing ambrosia, he’s able to consume monsters when he falls in a labyrinth. If you are what you eat, and Hajime eats monsters…huh - no wonder he’s so strong. Along with immense strength and durability, Hajime also crafts a ton of powerful weapons, especially guns. Oh, and magic from the dawn of time. And orbital death beams. Heck, if eating some wolves and demons would get everyone that kind of power, we’d be willing to expand our palettes…

“Ranking of Kings” (2021-)

Prince Bojji has been handed a rough deal in life. Not only is he deaf, but he’s also incredibly weak – supernaturally so, in fact. His father stole all the strength he would have had, leaving him barely able to lift a small sword. But, even with life stacked against him, Bojji still manages to become a beast. While he’s not strong, Bojji is still exceptionally fast, able to dodge nearly any attack that comes his way. And, once he’s been properly trained, he learns to perform precision strikes that can knock out any opponent. Plus, the kid is the cutest dang cinnamon roll of all time. Somebody give that boy a hug!

“Black Clover” (2017-21)

We’d be hard-pressed to call someone as jacked as Asta “weak,” but abs aren’t everything. Despite being a physical specimen, Asta has absolute zero magic powers in a world where everyone else does. This essentially puts him on the bottom of the totem pole initially, but upon acquiring a grimoire that allows him to use anti-magic, Asta soon becomes a tour de force. With his various swords, Asta can slice and dice his way through the most powerful magic. Add in his devil powers, which enhance his already peak physical abilities and give him the ability to fly, and his dream of becoming Wizard King isn’t so hard to believe.

“Attack on Titan” (2013-)

Easily one of the weakest and most timid of the recruits at the series’ beginning, Armin doesn’t have the skill or power that many of his fellow soldiers have. Even so, the guy has a way with words and he can deliver a hell of a speech. As time goes on though, Armin becomes a more strategic fighter, using tactics to achieve victories his body can’t. And then, he gains the power of the Colossal Titan, which he can use to become a walking disaster that can turn the tide of battle in an instant. Talk about leveling up.

“My Hero Academia” (2016-)

Young Midoriya was born without a quirk, in an era where basically everyone has superpowers. However, after some training by his idol All Might, Izuku gains not just muscle, but also All Might’s Quirk, One For All. While the tremendous power is initially too much for his body to handle, Izuku gradually becomes better at regulating how much he uses. This comes to a head where he learns to not only implement One for All in a variety of ways, but also tap into the Quirks of his predecessors!

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

In RPGs, slimes are the weakest. So imagine this guy’s surprise when he reincarnates in another world in such a lame form. However, thanks to receiving some absolutely broken skills and receiving his new name from a dragon, Rimuru Tempest quickly ascends from slime to demon lord. Rimuru’s greatest strengths lie in his ability to “pull a Kirby” and copy the abilities and appearance of foes he eats, alongside a fantasy-version of Siri granting him access to any answer and all information. This lets him rapidly acquire and improve new skills and spells with no limit in sight. Not bad for someone so squishy.

“One Punch Man” (2015-)

Is there such a thing as too strong? Saitama certainly thinks so. Originally just an average guy, Saitama changed after saving a boy from a monster. While we have our doubts that his fitness regiment was responsible for his impossible strength, the result is the same - he became the most powerful hero in the world. True to the show’s name, he’s able to defeat anyone and anything with a single punch. Saitama is beyond superhuman, easily eclipsing everyone he encounters. He’s just a hero for fun though. No big deal.

“Gurren Lagann” (2007)

When it comes to meteoric rises, few anime leads compare to Simon the digger. Starting off as a simple kid living underground with his charismatic bro, Kamina, the discovery of a mecha takes Simon out of the dirt and into the fire of human resistance against the Beastman threat. Even the loss of Kamina only accelerates him into the role of protagonist. Eventually he and his friends take their fight to space, with Simon piloting mechas of increasingly ridiculous size, until he’s finally battling in one the size of galaxies. When you wield power enough to literally pierce the heavens, that’s when you know you’re OP!