Summary
Everyone loves a good power fantasy, where they make the viewer wish they too were strong enough to blitz through a swathe of foes. However, when it’s done badly, it makes them realize that they’re probably better off just nudging and budging through the rush hour crowds and watching something else.
Nonetheless, even the established classics have at least one scene where the lead is strong enough to take on thousands of people alone. In some cases, it was the whole appeal of the show, where there were always hundreds more grunts in the next episode to pummel. These are some of the best anime about one-person armies.
Isekai shows have been rich ground for power fantasies in the past fifteen years or so. It’s gotten to the point where they now play up their weaknesses, which often end up becoming another strength over time.That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slimeis perhaps the most famous example, as after Satoru the Salaryman became Rimuru the Slime, what could they do in a world full of bigger, badder monsters?
Well, Rimuru’s main ability as a Slime is to devour things to gain their appearance and abilities. By the time they’ve set up their own nation, they’ve become strong enough to take out a 20,000-strong force on their own withbeam spells, soul-ripping skills, and more. That’s putting aside his Kijin, who can take out tens of thousands each, and his rival Hinata, who can match the Slime’s strength.
Baki the Grappleris more famous for its strange one-on-one encounters, but it is perhaps one of the few anime shows to take the term “one-person army” literally. Both the titular character and his deadly father, Yujiro, are considered so dangerous that nations treat them like world superpowers, with the US regularly negotiating peace with Yujiro to stay on his good side.
This stems from Yujiro’s youth, where he fought in the Vietnam War against the Americans just to develop his skills. He took out the Green Berets, Navy SEALs, and the Delta Force all by himself. Only the fighter, Biscuit Oliva, makes him flee, but only because Yujiro wanted to fight him properly later. After that, the US formed their first peace pact with Yujiro to avoid another encounter.
If this list was primarily about one-person manga,Berserkwould be at the top of the tree. But its anime history is spottier by comparison, where its different series and movies together only offer a taste of how complex, heavy, and grim the series can get. Though they still show why Guts became known as the “Hundred Man Slayer.”
It only amped up more when he joined the Band of the Hawk when, in trying to free Griffith from his torture, he went (ahem) berserk and slaughtered any and every Midland Guard between himself and the way out. Considering whatGriffith did afterward, Guts might’ve wished he had left him chained up instead.
Nearly every mecha anime could count for inclusion on this list, as each new machine makes its debut by making an example of the basic grunts, spaceships, etc., around them.Mobile Suit Gundam’s different series alone have multiple examples, like Mister Bushido’s literal license to kill inMSG 00, and the five pilots inGundam Wing.
The originalMSGhad its tour-de-force characters too. Char Aznable took out five battleships in a single battle by himself, while Amuro Ray took out twelve other mobile suits, two warships, and a cruiser within a few minutes. Conservative estimates put Ray’s kill count at 142, but it could be more as the ships and mobile armors he destroyed could hold way more Zeon soldiers in them.
Dragon Ballis more famous for Goku blasting Kamehamehas at one foe or another in deserted backdrops. Sometimes the other Z Warriors will turn up to commentate and/or fight smaller grunts like Saibamen and Cell Jrs. But nearly all its key players have been one-person armies, with some going way beyond that. Goku is the most famous example, as he took out the Red Ribbon Army all by himself as a kid.
The others tend to be villains. Androids 19 and 20 destroyed a city by themselves. 17 and 18 took over the world in one timeline. Vegeta destroyed whole planets by himself before he became a good guy, and Frieza blew up Planet Vegeta in his base form with one projectile attack. This is just the tip of the iceberg, as fans could produce a roll call ofcharacters capable of destroying star systems, let alone armies.
Narutohas had straight-up ninja wars, so it was bound to feature a few shinobi who could destroy armies on their own. However, that’s a bit of an understatement. After training with Orochimaru, Sasuke became capable of taking out 100 ninja on his own. His cousin, Obito, defeated the whole First Division without breaking a sweat.
Pain took over Hidden Leaf Village by himself, and Hidan and Kakuzu each beat a whole temple’s worth of shinobi each. But few of these shinobi armies individually had the strength of Naruto himself. He’s strong enough by himself to take down all the Tailed Beasts by himself at once. Even if he couldn’t turn himself into aliteral one-person armyvia his Clone Jutsu, he’s a force to be reckoned with all by his lonesome.
If fans don’t care aboutDragon Ball’s monkey man, they may prefer the monkey man inOne Piece. Luffy himself may have put elastic powers back en vogue just by himself, as his creative use of his powers, alongside his Gear forms, made him a powerhouse. It’s gotten to the point where a 10,000-strong army doesn’t faze him.
However,the other Straw Hatsaren’t to be sniffed at either, as many of them have pulled out victories over multiple opponents. Zoro took out 100 people by himself on Whiskey Peak, Nico Robin can produce a fist for each foe on a whim, and Sanji beat up a whole train full of marines and agents by himself. Name a key character in the series, and chances are they’ve had a one-person army moment.
No list of one-person armies would be complete without mentioningFist of the North Star. It essentially became the ur-example of the trope as, while it’s not the first anime to do it, it’s one of the most iconic series to show it in action. At first, Kenshiro’s Hokuto Shinken is enough to turn gangs of 5-10 roving bandits into piles of gore. But it doesn’t take long for him to start wiping out literal armies, and even a tank by himself.
His friends/rivals are equally tough, as Rei helped him wipe out the Fang Clan. Toki, while dying of radiation sickness, destroyed multiple grunts with one move. While Raoh, powerful enough to destroy cities on his own, often prefers to execute men who disappointed him by trampling on them with his gigantic horse instead.
