It’s not every day that you see a super-powered individual capable of ripping the town open, roam around in a commoner’s guise. This holds true even for the beautifully rendered worlds of Anime. Since it is basic human nature to express disbelief, it is fairly easy to dismiss a scrawny kid talking a big game. Animes usually have their splendid and ridiculously lived in unbelievable worlds. But this should not be the judge of the Anime’s general suspension of a character as weak, based on the way they look.
Most post-modern Anime titles have their fair share of underestimated Main characters. Ranging from the way they look, how they are built, to concluding their powers judging by a past battle, this can happen in so many ways. Usually, given enough time, every Anime turns this around. The Main Character may go through rigorous character development or glow ups that they end up being the hero they are supposed to be. So, here is a list of 6 over-the-top powerful Anime Main Characters who were underestimated by the world they live in.
Kamijou Toma
Academy City is a beautiful city-state drawing considerable inspiration from the eye candy that is the Tokyo Cityscape. Sprawling with students from all over the world, the city is the perfect destination for everyone living in the ‘A certain magical/scientific’ world. The only restriction? You have got to have esper powers.People of the said universe is capable of emitting super powers. These are called esper powers. This may range from simple telekinesis to much more complicated powers like space warping and matter manipulation.
Espers of the said world are usually graded by their ability levels and goes from a basically powerless Level 0 to a massively destructive Level 5. Though superhuman individuals with Level 5 abilities exist in Academy city, Kamijou Toma is your everyday Level 0. Now, A certain series isn’t really an Anime title that displays hard work and perseverance or Mind over Matter. Toma is simply underestimated for him being a Level 0 and that will exactly be the downfall of his opponents.
Blessed with the broken ability that is ‘Imagine Breaker’, this teen is capable of negating any esper or magical power upon contact with his right arm. This put him in a lot of tight spots. But Kamijou Toma is so easily overlooked and underestimated that he had actually beat multiple Level 5s on multiple occasions. If you have not already, be sure to give ‘A certain Magical Index’ a watch.
Saitama
Saitama is the epitome of underestimated main characters. Having gained planetary level powers by just doing situps and push-ups, this bald-headed superhuman is a hero just for fun. The One Punch Man universe has quite the array of superpowered beings. From the ever-upgrading Genos to the subtle hero WatchDogMan, Saitama is sure in a league of his own.
Saitama is so powerful he can finish off any enemy in just one single hit. Hence the name, One Punch Man. Despite being the most powerful hero in the series so far, the world is yet to know the actual raw power this hero has. This is partially due to the fact that Saitama fluked his hero test which ended up with him being a B-class hero. To add up on that fact, the hero King, who is apparently just a fake that salvages Saitama’s spoils, steals so much credit that everyone believes King is the most powerful hero.
Saitama has been getting some attention in the series. It is still unclear if the hero will work his way up to be the most recognized hero in the OPM universe.
Kuroko
Basketball is a game of pure skill, extreme athleticism and total hard work. One look at Kuroko and you’ll come to the same conclusion that everyone else draws from him; too weak. And that is exactly what Kuroko wants you to think. Being the phantom sixth member of the team that produced the best five basketballers in the anime, Kuroko’s playstyle blends perfectly well with his physique.
Kuroko is the main protagonist of the sports anime Kuroko no Basket. It is due to his weak appearance that he can hide in plain sight. He would seem so worn-out and harmless that everyone simply ignores him or doesn’t detect his presence at all. This allows Kuroko to do quick steals and passes that changes the entire game without the opponents knowing what’s going on for the most part.
Mob Psycho
Kageyama is a force to reckon with. Clearly, not aesthetically. His weak appearance, as well as his slow and laid back personality, makes him seem totally harmless. Psychics rule the world of Mob Psycho. Most with their own special abilities and skillsets. To an ordinary person, Kageyama would seem like a normal teenager doing normal everyday tasks.
Apparently, there is a very big power lying dormant inside Kageyama that allows him to manifest extreme Psychic powers. Everyone who disregards Kageyama as a weak brat would get themselves in serious trouble once Mob (Kageyama) flips. He is an all-powerful entity capable of wiping out everything and everyone in his way.
Mob Psycho Season 3 is expected to drop in 2021.
Goku/Vegeta or every fighter in the DBU
The Dragon Ball Universe is weird. It has quite the amount of cosmic entities hell-bent on destroying the Saiyans; the shows central race. Imagine being an extremely strong individual capable of destroying planets and be overlooked by puny humans. Apparently, no one is as strong as Mr.Satan. Mr.Satan, simply put, is a free-loader feeding off of Saiyan glory.
Every character in the Dragon Ball Universe is quite strong when compared to Mr.Satan. Having trained all their lives, they all pack quite the punch. Even Mr.Satan’s own daughter Videl is much strongest than the alleged world’s strongest man. All in all, DBU paints a brilliant picture of how masses can be brainwashed into believing something absurdly ridiculous.
Hinata Shoyo
A 172 cm tall middle blocker is probably one of the strangest as well as rarest of all volleyball trivia. For starters, the middle blocker is supposed to be tall as they are required to shut the opponent out and keep the ball in play as well as jump high and spike the ball across the net. Now, for someone as short as 172 cm, this will seem quite impossible. But that is where Hinata Shoyo from Haikyuu!! sweeps his opponents off-balance.
Hinata Shoyo goes quite very far in terms of stamina and speed. Devoid of any good technique or game sense, this speed and stamina would seem pretty useless in volleyball. But, the key point is, Hinata can jump, really high. And that makes a world of difference. Couple that with the pitch-perfect sets pulled off by the Karasuno setter Kageyama, and that is one deadly duo at play.
Haikyuu!! To the Top Part 2 is set to be released sometime in August.
Some special mentions that would best be included are Naruto for his cockiness, Asta from Black clover for being the best naruto rip-off ever, Slime from That time I was reincarnated as a slime, etc. Now, that seems to stress a point pretty well. Never judge a book by its cover. Especially if it’s a Manga. You’d be missing out on the world.