Summary
- Quick growth characters in anime evolve faster than others in their stories, becoming tremendously strong at an abnormal pace.
- Characters like Saitama, Ragna, and Jin-Woo rapidly gain immense power within their respective shows, altering their strength levels significantly.
- Unique circumstances such as extreme training, cheat systems, mentor passes, and past inheritance contribute to the swift and exceptional growth of characters like Jin-Woo, Midoriya, and Gojo.
Characters with quick growth often appear in anime. Their journey to becoming overpowered or incredibly strong is shortened to propel the story’s plot. These characters aren’t always the main characters or the heroes of the story, but they attain a massive increase in strength faster than other characters and are usually considered abnormal.
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Sometimes it’s through training, or they awaken dormant strength, or they are rewarded or given more power. One thing they all have in common is the fact that they were almost the same as other characters at some point and later evolved into mighty characters in their story.
1 Saitama
From Part-Time Worker To One Punch Man
One Punch Man
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For three years, Saitama trained every day doing 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and a 10-kilometer (6.2-mile) run till he lost all his hair and became bald. He attained his ridiculous strength in half the time, but the workout to the level-up didn’t match; he had become the powerhouse of his show, capable of taking down any opponent with just one punch.
Although he still hasn’t been recognized, Saitama has achieved way more than any other hero in the One Punch Man series. This bald hero has proven some of his capabilities, exhibiting his speed, durability, and destructiveness with his fist after being kicked from Earth to the Moon, jumping from the Moon back to Earth, and overpowering an attack that would destroy the world with one “serious punch.”
2 Ragna
Revenge That Transcends Time
Ragna Crimson
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- October 1, 2023
- Studio
- SILVER LINK.
- Creator
- Daiki Kobayashi
- Number of Episodes
- 24
- Streaming Service(s)
- HIDIVE
In a story revolving around a great evil in the form of dragons, Ragna the main character of the Ragna Crimson anime, a man who grew old and lived his whole life in regret, goes back in time to gift his younger self all the strength and experience he had so he wouldn’t end up like him. The power-up was nothing but ridiculous for his younger self, and he’s able to bend his future to a new direction with it.
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Ragna went through a transformation; in addition to his strength and experience, he also inherited his future self's memories. He becomes so strong that his body can’t fully make use of it. Growing used to his new abilities is what slows him down in his inherited quest to free the world of dragons forever.
3 Ichigo
Forbidden Love Creates An Abnormality
Bleach
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2004 - 2012-00-00
- Network
- TV Tokyo, TV Osaka, TV Aichi, TVh, TVQ, TSC, BS TV Tokyo
- Studio
- Pierrot
- Creator
- Tite Kubo
- Number of Episodes
- 366
- Streaming Service(s)
- Hulu
Ichigo is one of the most popular anime characters of our time from the popular anime Bleach. This younger character levels up differently. Aside from having powerful parents and inheriting some of their abilities, he also has a unique instinct for battle, which plays a huge role in his growth.
Ichigo rapidly evolves into one of the show’s mightiest figures, mastering powers in mere hours that would normally take others centuries to attain. He had a knack for fighting and spent the least amount of time training for decisive battles, coming out multiple times stronger after every training session.
4 Sung Jin-Woo
The System Helped Him Cheat
Solo Leveling
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2024 - 2025-00-00
- Studio
- A-1 Pictures
- Number of Episodes
- 25
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll
- Where To Watch
- Crunchyroll
The main character of the Solo Leveling series, Jin-Woo, quickly climbed up the power ranks in the show. Jin Woo began at the very bottom among hunters, but thanks to his cheat system, he skyrocketed through the ranks, quickly becoming an anomaly in the hunter world.
A few days of leveling up, his physique had changed, and he had a massive increase in all his stats. After a few weeks of leveling up, he had risen even higher in rank until he got to the highest rank of Hunter and even surpassed that. Jin-Woo became so strong that he started handling the high-level dungeon gate all by himself.
5 Izuku Midoriya
Passing On The Power Baton
My Hero Academia
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2016 - 2025-00-00
- Studio
- Bones
- Creator
- Kōhei Horikoshi
- Number of Episodes
- 159
- Streaming Service(s)
- Hulu, Crunchyroll
Izuku Midoriya from My Hero Academia experienced one of the fastest power-ups. This hero is quirkless in a society full of humans with quirks. Midoriya’s mentor, All Might, who was the strongest hero in the show, passed on his quirk to Midoriya, instantly making him capable of becoming the strongest hero as well.
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Midoriya dedicates himself to perfecting his body to unleash the full potential of his quirk. Powerful as he is with quirks, his body suffered greatly from using it until he learned how to control his output. Within the space of one year, he gained control over his powers and became one of the top heroes.
6 Gojo Satoru
Clarity After Death
Jujutsu Kaisen
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- October 3, 2020
- Studio
- MAPPA
- Creator
- Gege Akutami
- Number of Episodes
- 47
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll, Netflix, Hulu
Gojo was already born with special abilities and a unique body, but it wasn’t until after he died and was resurrected that he truly transcended into a powerhouse on his own. The confidence and pride that came with his new strength are things enjoyed by Jujutsu Kaisen fans.
Gojo had gotten to the point where he could confidently call himself the strongest, and no one could dispute that. The differences in strength and effectiveness of his cursed techniques were crystal clear. He had started handling difficult missions all on his own and could go head-to-head against any cursed spirit.
7 Ein
A Basic Skill Becomes Overpowered
- Episodes: 12
- Aired: Jan 9, 2025
- Producers: Sotsu, Kodansha, Movic, Tokyo MX, BS11, Crunchyroll, Exa International, AQUA ARIS, Bit grooove promotion, Kotowari, West Japan Marketing Communications
- Studios: Okuruto Noboru
- Genres: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Ein is the main character of the anime Even Given the Worthless “Appraiser” Class, I’m Actually the Strongest. He was abandoned by his party members in a dungeon, where he had given up all hope of surviving. His life was miraculously saved by a tree spirit and her guardian. During his time with them, he was given a new eye that allowed him to use an advanced version of what was called a useless skill. From then on, Ein’s strength multiplied rapidly as he tapped into his newly enhanced appraisal skill.
With his new power, he was able to scan opponents and even objects in so many new ways, he could predict movement, see in the dark, scan the skills of enemies he had defeated, and acquire them. When Ein was ready to leave the dungeon, he was already overpowered. He cleared the dungeon by himself with low difficulty and moved on to clear others as well.
8 Touta Konoe
Consistent Awakening
UQ Holder!
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2017 - 2017
- Main Genre
- Animation
- Seasons
- 1
Touta seemed like a character who was destined to be strong in the UQ Holder! Show. He is involved in an accident that nearly kills him, but he’s converted into a vampire and loses his memories. His vampire abilities remain dormant till he is forced to awaken them in a life-or-death situation.
Later on, it is revealed that his grandfather was incredibly powerful, and he inherited some of his abilities. Touta’s growth accelerates thanks to his natural talent for mastering new techniques under pressure, and as he is faced with more life-threatening battles, that draws out more dormant powers in him.
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