Introduction

It’s time for another Top 5 list because I still haven’t finished DanMachi: Sword Oratoria which is what I planned to write about today (I was supposed to finish it a week ago). But, this is more exciting for me to write anyway, and hopefully you’ll enjoy it as well.

As the title says, today we’re going to be going through my Top 5 Anime Pairs. By pairs, I mean two characters who work together or have some sort of relationship with one another, romantic or otherwise. I’ve tried to pick fairly unique pairs with different types of relationships.

And no, Naruto and Sasuke aren’t on this list, sorry.

Also, I plan to do more Top 5 lists like this one in the future, so if you enjoy it, leave a like to let me know. I’ve already started planning out lists for Top 5 Anime Trios and Top 5 Anime Groups (4+).

5. Shinichi Izumi & Migi

Shinichi Izumi and Migi from the anime Parasyte -the maxim- are the first pair we’ll be taking a look at. Parasyte is one of the best horror anime I’ve seen, if not the best, and the relationship between the two main characters fits into the themes of the anime perfectly.

Originally I was conflicted about adding Shinichi and Migi to this list because they share the same body, but I decided to add them because they really are two very different characters. Their relationship is also one which evolves over the course of the series, which is something I’m a fan of as you’ll learn throughout this post.

As an alien parasite, Migi wasn’t exactly the most welcome guest when he first took over Shinichi’s right arm. Shinichi just wanted a normal high school life, as most anime protagonists thrown into crazy situations do, and Migi just wanted to survive in the most efficient way possible.

While you’d think they’d be able to work well together considering Shinichi having a normal life is probably the safest thing for Migi, this wasn’t always the case. Shinichi prioritizes his social life, while Migi prioritizes eliminating any threats to himself.

It also doesn’t help that their personalities are exact opposites. Shinichi thinks that life is a precious thing, while Migi sees life as something to fight for by any means necessary, even if that means ending other lives in the process.

While the whole series revolves around the idea of humans being reduced to prey by the apex predators that are the parasites, this idea is also exemplified through Shinichi and Migi’s relationship. If Migi really wants to do something, Shinichi has no real way of stopping him.

However, I mentioned that their relationship changes over the course of the series. While I won’t say that these two ever become “friends,” they do become allies once their goals align. Eventually, Migi’s “attack first, question later” mentality becomes the best way for Shinichi to protect those he cares about.

Once they do become allies, we also get to see how these two very different characters are able to use their individual strengths to cover each others weaknesses. An example of this is when the pair are fighting a parasite in the school and Migi focuses on defense while Shinichi focuses on offense.

Now, that’s not to say that Shinichi has more offensive capabilities than Migi, but Migi’s extreme defense is able to make up for Shinichi’s lack of defense. However, because Migi is focusing on defense, he can’t attack, which is where Shinichi comes in to fill that role.

By the end of the series, though, we actually see Shinichi and Migi swap roles compared to how they were in the beginning. Due to the transfer of DNA between the two of them, Shinichi eventually becomes the cold, detached one, while Migi begins to have some semblance of “feelings.”

Shinichi and Migi are the symbiotic relationship of the list. Migi needs Shinichi’s body for essential nutrients, and Shinichi needs Migi for protection from other parasites.

Even if the plot of Parasyte doesn’t seem like something you’d care about, I still highly recommend it if only for the complex characters.

4. Edward & Alphonse Elric

Edward and Alphonse Elric, known as Ed and Al, from Fullmetal Alchemist (and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood) are the fraternal relationship on this list. Despite their appearances, Ed, the short one, actually the older brother, and Al, the large suit of armor, is the younger.

As brothers, these two would do anything for each other, and in fact they have. But, their relationship isn’t solely based around the fact that they’re related by blood, it runs much deeper than that. What their relationship is really built on are their shared experiences.

Ed lost his right arm and left leg, and Al lost his entire body, when the two of them tried to use alchemy to resurrect their dead mother. This one event more than any other is the reason these two are so close. There’s almost nobody else in the world who had the same experience as them and lived to tell the tale.

So, what makes their relationship truly special is the combination of their blood ties and shared experiences. They each know each other inside and out (in Al’s case, literally) and know each others strengths and weaknesses much like Shinichi and Migi.

What you’ll learn from this list is that the best pairs are made up of different types of people who are able to work together effectively. But, Ed and Al are actually pretty similar. They’re both proficient in alchemy and physical combat, and since they grew up together they think alike too, so why are they on this list?

Despite being so similar, they do have their specialties which they’re able to use effectively precisely because they’re so similar that they know how each other think. Ed has an advantage when using alchemy due to not needing a transmutation circle, and Al is physically stronger, doesn’t tire, and is made of metal.

This means that when in combat, Ed is the more mobile of the two (although Al can still do some crazy acrobatics for how large he is), and Al is able to focus on defense as well as dealing out large hits to opponents who are distracted by Ed.

But, outside of combat, I’d say their relationship is actually the most standard of any on this list. They’re brothers and they act like brothers. They get into fights and each think they’re better than the other for one reason or another, but in the end they wouldn’t trade each other for anything in the world, which is precisely what the anime is about.

While Parasyte has probably been dropped out of my Top 10 Anime (I’ll be making an updated version of this list sometime in the future), Fullmetal Alchemist is still safe and sound. Not only is it an amazing series, but it’s also perfect for beginners, so I highly recommend everyone watch Ed and Al’s adventures.

3. Spike Spiegel & Jet Black

Spike Spiegel and Jet Black (great name) from Cowboy Bebop are the professional relationship on this list, although that’s not all the relationship between these two characters is. They’re also best friends, although neither one of them would ever admit it.

Spike is an ex-gang gang member, and Jet is an ex-police officer, and yet they’ve teamed up aboard their ship, the Bebop, to become bounty hunters. These two are about as opposite as you can get, but somehow they still manage to work as a team even if it’s a haphazard one.

Spike is the “muscle” of the team even though Jet has more muscle. By this, I mean that he’s mainly the one going out and physically capturing bounties thanks to his skill at both physical combat and weaponry. He’s the outlaw of the two, and so this role fits him perfectly.

Jet, on the other hand, is the owner of the Bebop and serves as both the pilot and mechanic. He tends to want to do things in the most efficient and “safe” ways, while Spike is the opposite and prefers do whatever he wants.

Now, at this point you may be wondering why I didn’t save these two to be part of my Top 5 Anime Trios along with Faye Valentine, or Top 5 Anime Groups with the rest of the Bebop crew. The reason is that those other characters don’t add enough to the duo that is Spike and Jet for me to think they really make a difference.

Spike and Jet alone are such a good pairing that they don’t really need the rest of the crew to be interesting characters.

However, my favorite part of their relationship is actually their autonomy. Unlike Shinichi and Migi who are literally inseparable, or Ed and Al who are almost always together, Spike and Jet don’t really interact with each other all that much when they’re not working.

That said, that doesn’t mean they don’t actually care about each other. As I mentioned at the beginning, these two are actually best friends, if only because they’re the only ones who understand each other. They both have end goals, and even if they’re self-destructive, they won’t stop each other from achieving them.

This is actually why their final encounter is one of my favorite parts of the anime. Spike goes to fight against his rival for the last time, and both he and Jet know that he’s not going to come back alive. Faye even tells Jet to stop Spike from going, but he refuses simply because he knows how important this is to him.

So in summary, Spike and Jet’s relationship isn’t one of the best because of how they work together, but rather how they allow each other to work independently and don’t interfere with each other. It’s a much different dynamic from how the rest of the relationships on this list work most of the time.

2. Sayaka Miki & Kyouko Sakura

Anyone who knows me and my anime preferences should have expected this next pairing from the beginning. Sayaka Miki and Kyouko Sakura from Madoka Magica are a flawless pair. Unfortunately for them, there’s an even more flawless pair in the number one spot, but we’ll get to them soon enough.

While this isn’t the extent of their relationship, Sayaka and Kyouko are the romantic relationship of the list, and I refuse to listen to anyone who tells me their relationship is anything less than that. These girls literally die for each other, and if that’s not love, I don’t know what is.

The relationship between these two starts off rocky, with their initial contact being in the form of an all out duel between rival magical girls. However, Kyouko slowly becomes part of the main group and attempts to somewhat fill the void left behind by Mami.

But, just because she joins the group doesn’t mean she and Sayaka are on good terms with each other. Both of these girls have competing ideals and can never seem to agree on anything. Kyouko believes magic should only be used for oneself, while Sayaka believes it should only be used for others.

Their character designs also reflect this dichotomy, with Kyouko’s being primarily red and Sayaka’s primarily blue (two colors often representing opposing sides). Despite their differences, though, the girls actually have a lot more in common than they each think.

Much like how Mami served as the mentor to the younger girls, Kyouko, also older, sees Sayaka as her former self. Kyouko once held the same beliefs as Sayaka, but over time she became more callous due to the things she’s seen. She wants to protect Sayaka from following in her footsteps.

Unfortunately, Sayaka doesn’t follow Kyouko’s footsteps, and instead goes too far in the other direction, eventually descending far enough into despair to the point of no return. Sayaka dies and becomes a witch just as she and Kyouko were finally starting to understand each other.

This in turn causes Kyouko to realize how much Sayaka actually meant to her, and she tries desperately to bring her back by fighting against the witch. In the end, she determines that if she can’t bring Sayaka back, the least she can do is die with her. Kyouko launches a suicide attack and takes out the witch along with herself.

That’s where Kyouko and Sayaka’s story ends for a bit, but then at the ending of the series, the two are resurrected thanks to Madoka’s wish. However, this doesn’t last long, as Sayaka dies once again, this time to save her friends from a wraith, the things that replaced witches in the new universe.

We enter the sequel movie, Rebellion, with Sayaka still dead. However, she’s sent back into the world in order to perform a specific task, and here she reunites with Kyouko once again. It’s at this time that the two are finally able to express how they feel to one another.

Kyouko tells Sayaka that it’s felt like she’s been living in a nightmare ever since Sayaka died. Sayaka responds by saying that she thought she died without any regrets, but she’s come to understand that her one regret was that she left Kyouko behind, alone.

Now, Rebellion had its issues, but if that scene wasn’t your favorite part of Madoka Magica, then you must be even more dead inside than I am. And yes, I do have both of their Nendoroids set up next to each other. I’m not some kind of monster who would separate them.

1. Koyomi Araragi & Shinobu Oshino

Did you really expect a pair from anything other than the Monogatari series to be in the number one spot? If you guessed Sayaka and Kyouko were going to be here, then that was a very good guess, but while they’re the perfect pair, there’s one more that goes beyond perfection.

There are a lot of pairs I could have chosen from this series. Koyomi and Mayoi is probably what most people who know me would expect. The fire sisters, Karen and Tsukihi is another great pair. There’s even Koyomi and Hitagi if we’re going the romantic route.

However, I can’t talk about a pair in the Monogatari series and not make it the most iconic and arguably most complex one, Koyomi and Shinobu. Their relationship is everything I’ve mentioned in the previous four on this list, and yet not like any of them at all at the same time.

They have completely different ideals regarding life, just like Shinichi and Migi, and yet are best friends. They’re family, just like Ed and Al, and yet have no familial bonds. Their relationship can end at any time, just like Spike and Jet’s, and yet they’ll never abandon each other. They plan to die together, just like Sayaka and Kyouko, and yet they’ll never forgive each other.

Koyomi and Shinobu are bound together for the rest of their lives because of their differences. Koyomi couldn’t allow Shinobu to continue killing humans as a vampire, and yet he couldn’t bring himself to let her die either. So instead, she resides in his shadow and sustains herself on his blood.

But since Shinobu lives inside Koyomi’s shadow, neither one of them really has any privacy. They’re inseparable, together 24/7, and because of that they know more about each other than anyone else possibly could.

But even though Shinobu is now essentially Koyomi’s servant, she could theoretically choose to end her life at any time by no longer taking Koyomi’s blood. This, in turn, would make Koyomi revert back into a normal human rather than a pseudo-vampire.

However, even though this is what they both originally wanted in the first place, neither one is able to give up on the other any longer. They’ve been through so much together that even though they’ll never forgive what they see as the sins of the other, they refuse to be apart.

They’ve even gone so far as to say that they’ll die with each other if that’s what it comes down to. On the other hand, they’re just as ready to live eternally with each other if that’s how things end up instead.

I don’t even know what to call their relationship other than just “partners.” They do everything together without exception, and have no intentions of ever doing anything alone.

And while I mentioned that Koyomi is the master in their relationship, it started off just the opposite. Even now that they’re relationship has stabilized, we can still see remnants of how things used to be in how Shinobu still acts as the mentor and Koyomi as the pupil.

Basically all I’m trying to say is that everyone should watch the Monogatari series. It’s seriously the best anime ever made and I even have a nifty viewing guide for it which can be found here.

Conclusion

So what’s your favorite pair of anime characters? Let me know in the comments, and while you’re down there, give this post a like if you enjoyed it. Follow me on Twitter or Tumblr, or subscribe to my blog via email, if you’d like to get notified every time a new post goes live.

Introduction

When you think of an overpowered character in anime, who comes to mind? Is it Kirito from Sword Art Online? Maybe Yoshikage Kira from JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure part 4? Well, while both of those characters are indeed strong, neither one makes the list for most overpowered.

So what exactly do I mean by overpowered anyway? It’s simple, really. An overpowered character is one whose abilities are so far ahead of anyone else in their respective universe that there’s literally no way for them to be defeated (theoretically).

While there are two characters on this list who were defeated, I’ll explain how these were simply technicalities or plot holes in their respective universes, and not true defeats.

But, since I’m comparing these characters simply to the other characters in their respective universes, that doesn’t mean these are the top five strongest anime characters of all time, just in relation to everyone else in their anime. That said, some of these characters would probably make that list as well.

Finally, I’ve ranked these five characters in order of weakest to strongest as if they were to have to fight against each other. They’re all overpowered, so which one is the most overpowered?

5. Touya Mochizuki

Touya Mochizuki from the anime In Another World With My Smartphone is number five on my list. I know what you’re thinking, “how could some bootleg Kirito make the list, but the real one couldn’t?” Well, Touya has something Kirito doesn’t, a smartphone.

Okay, I know a smartphone doesn’t necessarily make a character overpowered, but in the context of this anime it does increase his ability. Further, his smartphone is only one thing about him which makes him overpowered. If that were all he had going for him, he wouldn’t be nearly as strong as he is.

I’d also like to take this time to point out that although Touya made this list, I think this is a stupid anime and would never recommend it to anyone. It really has absolutely nothing going for it and it hurt to watch.

Anyway, back to Touya. He’s an isekai protagonist so that means he was transported from our world to a fantasy world. While this alone doesn’t necessarily make him any stronger than the rest of the characters in the series, it’s an important part which I’ll come back to in a bit.

As the protagonist, he also has access to your standard, overpowered protagonist abilities. In this case, he has an affinity for every type of magic. I believe there were seven types of magic in total, and at most people are usually able to master only three of them, but not Touya.

So, sure, being able to use more magic than anyone else makes him strong, but does it really make him that strong? Here’s where his isekai protagonist trait and smartphone come into play. Although he’s now in a fantasy world, he’s somehow able to still use his smartphone fully.

This means that he can look things up on the internet. Now, maybe you don’t think that’s too important, but if you’ve been watching the currently airing anime The Master of Ragnarok and Blesser of Einherjar, which is another terrible isekai, then you’ll know that’s completely overpowered.

He can use the internet on his phone to look up both battle strategies, as well as advanced technology which the rest of the characters in the fantasy world don’t have access to. Then, coupled with his strong affinity for magic, he can effortlessly create whatever future technology he wants, in his case, a sword which can transform into a gun.

Now, sure, a sword that can transform into a gun isn’t that overpowered, but if he wanted to he could just as easily have created a jet like an F-22 and simply used magic to teach himself how to fly it. That alone would destroy everything in this fantasy world.

But wait, there’s more! Did I mention that his smartphone is also magic? Oh, and that he has a direct line to God, whom he can call at any time for help? That’s right!

By using the GPS on his smartphone, he can select every nearby enemy and then target them all with a powerful magic blast, because, you know, that’s how GPS’ work. But, as I mentioned, if he were ever in any real trouble, which he wouldn’t be, he can always just order up a serving of divine intervention to bail him out.

So Touya was overpowered simply within the context of his anime, as are the rest of these character, but now we’re getting into the characters who are also just overpowered in general. Any of these next characters could kill Touya in the blink of an eye.

4. Ainz Ooal Gown

Ainz Ooal Gown is one persona of the protagonist from the anime Overlord. While it’s only one of Momonga’s persona’s, the other being Momon, I’m going to group them together into Ainz Ooal Gown for simplicity’s sake.

Like Touya, Ainz is another isekai protagonist, but this time he was transported into a video game-like world and retained all of the traits and abilities of his in-game character. This means that unlike Touya, he doesn’t really have any outside technology or knowledge that isn’t available to the other characters.

That said, he’s still completely overpowered. When he was simply playing the game, he was able to max out his level and all of his stats simply by playing, but in the “real” world of the game, the other characters don’t do this because it’s simply too dangerous.

Remember, if these characters die, they don’t just respawn like Ainz did when he was playing a game to power himself up. Because of this, there’s a drastic difference between Ainz and the rest of the characters in the series.

However, one could make the argument that other members of the Great Tomb of Nazarick are almost as strong as Ainz, but almost is the key word there. Also, they all obey his every command so you could also argue that they simply add to his power.

As the strongest mage in the known world, some of his abilities include buffing all of his stats to the extreme, crushing his opponents hearts without even physically touching them, or summoning a black hole on demand. Seriously, how do you protect yourself from that?

And, if his own powers alone weren’t enough to make him the strongest character in the series, he also has access to his hundreds or even thousands of maximum tier magical items which he and his guildmates farmed in the game. It’s access to items such as these that put Ainz above a similar character like Diablo from How Not to Summon a Demon Lord.

I should also mention that Ainz’s current goal is apparently world domination, and so you’d have to be completely overpowered to even think you stood a chance of accomplishing that. But, as we’ve seen so far, it’s all going pretty well for him and the only time he had to really fight was against one of his own subordinates.

3. Madara Uchiha

Madara Uchiha from Naruto: Shippūden is likely on the top overpowered character lists for many people, and for good reason, but even he isn’t the most powerful on my list. But what is it exactly that makes Madara such a formidable opponent?

Like the rest of the Uchiha clan, Madara has access to the dōjutsu known as the Sharingan. This is the primary source of his power, but if his entire clan also has this power, then is he really all that special? Yes.

Through a long life of training and careful planning, Madara has taken his Sharingan to the furthest possible reaches and awakened the Rinnegan. Before even getting into how powerful the Rinnegan makes him, let’s first take a look at some of the more minor feats Madara accomplished with only his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.

After being “defeated” by the first Hokage, Hashirama Senju, Madara was able to revive himself. Then, much later and after he had died of old age, he was able to break free from a reanimation jutsu which brought him back as a servant. This essentially revived him completely yet again.

But, when he regains his Rinnegan after being revived, he becomes even more absurdly powerful and takes control of the Ten Tails. By doing this, he also awakens the Rinne Sharingan in addition to still having his Rinnegan.

I’ll take a quick break here to mention that if all of these words like Sharingan, Rinnegan, and Rinne Sharingan are confusing to you, check out my breakdown of the different dōjutsu in the Naruto series. The types I’m referring to here can be found in part one.

And now, back to Madara. Remember how I said the first Hokage “defeated” him? Well, that was all part of Madara’s plan so he could acquire some of the first Hokage’s DNA in order to awaken his Rinnegan, so this wasn’t a real defeat.

It’s also important to remember that nobody could defeat him once he became the Ten Tails jinchuriki. The first Hokage was no longer strong enough, the combination of Naruto and Sasuke weren’t strong enough, and even Might Guy using the Eighth Inner Gate wasn’t strong enough.

These four were considered to be some of the strongest shinobi to ever live (Might Guy specifically when using the Eight Gate of Death), and yet none of them could defeat Madara. The closest was Might Guy, but even he couldn’t land a single direct hit.

So how did Madara end up being defeated? He was simply stabbed in the back. That’s it.

Black Zetsu killed Madara by stabbing him through the back with ease, so doesn’t that mean Madara wasn’t actually overpowered? Not quite. Madara was working under the assumption that he created Black Zetsu and so it was impossible for him to be betrayed by him, but this clearly wasn’t the case.

If Madara had known at any time that Black Zetsu wasn’t actually his own creation, he could have easily annihilated him like he does with everything else. Thus, Madara’s defeat is a technicality and doesn’t really take away from how overpowered he is.

Remember, this is the guy who created two moons just to smash into the Earth and kill everyone. Madara can literally do whatever he wants and would have if not for Black Zetsu. But I know there will still be those who argue that tricking Madara is part of what makes Black Zetsu strong.

Consider the following: Madara was too powerful and so there was no possible way for our heroes, Naruto and Sasuke, to defeat him. This is a problem for the series because from the start we’ve known that Naruto is going to save the world and become Hokage, so how can this work?

Simple. The author decided to use a Deus ex Machina because there was no other way to write himself out of the hole that is Madara. For those who aren’t aware, a Deus ex Machina is a plot device used to resolve impossible situations by essentially invoking the Hand of God.

2. Saitama

While Madara’s defeat was a technicality, Saitama’s power from One Punch Man is itself a technicality. By this I mean that instead of having multiple abilities which make him overpowered, simply being overpowered is his ability.

Because Saitama’s power is so simple, I won’t really be spending much time talking about him here. I think you’ll be able to understand why he’s so high on this list with the brief description I do give.

As the title of the anime implies, Saitama can kill any opponent with just one punch. While that alone wouldn’t necessarily make him overpowered, he also appears to take absolutely no damage from the attacks of his opponents. He also has super speed.

This means that he can defeat any opponent in one hit, can’t be damaged by any opponent, and if an opponent decides fleeing is the best option, he can still catch up with them. All of this would probably make you think that Saitama should be the number one most overpowered anime character, but you’d be wrong.

1. Eneru

So how do you make a character who can defeat someone who has divine intervention on call, the most powerful mage in the world, someone who can only be defeated by divine intervention, and someone who can kill anyone in a single punch? Easy, you make Eneru from One Piece.

I’ve already gone over Eneru in detail in my review of the Sky Island arc of One Piece, so this time around I’ll make the description of his powers quick and instead focus on his match-ups against other characters. Eneru has two main abilities: devil fruit power and mantra.

First, his devil fruit power gives him not only control over lightning, but actually makes him lightning. This means that he really doesn’t have a physical form, can travel at light speed, and can electrocute, burn, explode, or vaporize just about anything he wants to.

His second ability, mantra, allows him to read the movements of his opponents. It’s kind of like how the base level Sharingan works in Naruto, except he doesn’t need to be able to see his opponent and it has a range the size of an entire country, working on everyone at once.

With powers like that, it should come as little surprise that Eneru is the most overpowered anime character. Now, his match-up against Luffy is the only one in which he has a disadvantage in theory because rubber beats lightning, but by using the heat properties of lightning, he can still defeat Luffy.

Because of this, Eneru’s defeat was actually a Deus ex Machina much like Madara’s. He was “defeated” by being hit by a giant gold ball, but he could have just turned into lightning and traveled through it, heating it up to injure Luffy at the same time. However, then One Piece would have ended and what’s the fun in that?

So how about his match-ups against the other characters on this list? Well, for Touya all he would really need to do is give him a good shock and he’d die even if he has a magical smartphone. The rest, however, may give him a bit more trouble.

While I can’t be certain that Eneru could actually defeat Ainz, Madara, or Saitama, the same could be said for the other way around. They have no way to defeat Eneru either. Saitama can’t hit him and therefor can’t kill him and Madara is probably about equal with him other than having a physical body.

However, Ainz may have a chance if he can summon a black hole because even light can’t escape from that. That being said, I think Eneru’s mantra could still help him avoid it, and he would also probably be able to take out Ainz in return.

Conclusion

So, in summary, Touya can play god, but can’t stand up to a true supreme being like Ainz. However, Ainz is no match for a god on Earth such as Madara. But, Madara can still be killed in one punch by Saitama and can’t damage him in return. And finally, Eneru takes Madara’s strategy to the next level by literally being a god who Saitama can’t even touch.

Can you think of any overpowered anime characters who should have made this list? Is there anyone stronger than Eneru? Let me know in the comments, and click the like button down there as well if you enjoyed today’s content.

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