Ah, don’t you just love when an anime establishes some really cool rules about how its world works? I’d be willing to suggest part of what makes an anime good is a set of solid, consistent laws surrounding its power system that are applied equally to all characters, both heroes and villains.
If an anime has interesting, but fair abilities that are held to the same standard across the gamut of its cast, it can flip the audience’s understanding of what’ll happen at any given moment. Let’s take a look at some of anime’s best and coolest power systems, and lightly explain each.
Top 10 coolest power systems in anime
10. Bleach
I’d like to start us off with a brief discussion of Bleach’s power system. In what I’ve seen of the series, the system known as Reiryoku does a great job of quickly establishing a power hierarchy. As early as the Substitute and Soul Society Arcs, we’re shown examples of nearly every spiritual level from ordinary spirits to members of the Gotei 13. As the series goes on, it seems they continue to introduce more and more spiritually powerful characters, while also allowing our heroes to reach new heights.
9. Clannad
I can already tell some readers want to ask if this is a joke, and it most certainly isn’t. In Clannad, while the story is very much a supernatural slice-of-life, the rules by which its true ending is possible involve a concept known as Light Orbs. That is to say, it’s heavily implied Tomoya must first help his friends resolve their ongoing burdens, earning a set number of Light Orbs for each. If they fail to collect enough Light Orbs to pull off an actual miracle, the events of the anime episode “White Darkness” play out. If they can, however, then the events of the final episode, “Small Palms” happen. There’s a lot more to it, and it can be somewhat complicated, but this is one of the only slice-of-life titles with these kinds of rules, and I love it.
8. Mirai Nikki / The Future Diary
In Mirai Nikki, the cast is granted the ability to read the future using their cell phones (or an approximate equivalent). To find out who will become the next god of time and space, they must become the last person standing in a fight to the death. I think this whole concept is insane, but at the same time, I have a soft spot in my heart for Mirai Nikki and its absolute craziness.
7. Sailor Moon
It might go without saying, but in Sailor Moon, the Sailor Scouts channel their abilities from the planets, and their respective quirks. But, it’d seem their abilities can be rooted in wordplay as well. For example, Sailor Mercury employs ice and water-based abilities, despite Mercury not being an icy planet. But, because the Japanese pronunciation of Mercury (Suisei, 水星) has the kanji for water, she has abilities that correspond with that. The same can be said of Sailor Mars, who has fire abilities because the kanji for fire can be found in the Japanese pronunciation of Mars (Kasei, 火星). It’s one of the only systems I have come across that is based just as much in wordplay as it is based in the characters themselves.
6. Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
I challenge anyone reading to watch the final battle between Simon the Digger and the Anti-Spiral and tell me the power system in Gurren Lagann isn’t epic. From the series’ opener to the finale, the cast in this series continues to do the unthinkable and win the unwinnable, using nothing but their guts, their determination, and their giant freakin’ robots.
5. Fullmetal Alchemist
I really like how Hiromu Arakawa is able to establish the different applications, both practical and not, of alchemy in the world of Fullmetal Alchemist. I mean, in addition to the main character’s ability to use his alchemy to break things down and recreate them in a different form, there are alchemists who can snap fire from their fingertips, biological alchemists like Shou Tucker or Tim Marcoh, and alchemists who can manipulate ice to their whims.
4. Hunter x Hunter
Hunter x Hunter’s power system, known as Nen, is one of the most interesting and fair power systems in anime. Nen is rooted in Aura, which everyone in the anime’s world has. It’s not exclusive to anyone, but thanks to the fact that Nen can be used in a variety of harmful ways, only those who undergo the proper training can learn about it, including those who undertake the Hunter Exam.
3. My Hero Academia
My Hero Academia has one of the most silly, but fascinating systems out there. I say silly because by the time the series begins, there are characters who are born with the qualities of frogs, characters with heads the shape of a squeeze bottle, and many, many more wacky concepts. But, on the flip side, I say fascinating because there are characters like Bakugo, who can use his sweat droplets as explosive material, or Ochako, who can nullify the laws of gravity itself. What’s more, at the time of the series’ beginning, this system is applied to most of humanity, meaning mostly everyone has abilities like this.
2. Jujutsu Kaisen
Jujutsu Kaisen has a similar power system to Bleach, but I think the former uses it in a more memorable manner than the latter. Cursed Energy, like Reiryoku, is used to establish a sort of hierarchy, which in this case includes the ranking system by which Sorcerers are graded. In its most basic form, Cursed Energy can be used to simply observe the existence of curses, but there are many other uses in combat. It also has a lot in common with Fullmetal Alchemist’s system, especially when it comes to Binding Vows and Heavenly Restrictions which require a sacrifice to obtain greater power.
1. One Piece
And, coming out on top is the power system found in One Piece. In the world of One Piece, there are an unheard of number of devil fruits, all of which possess an almost unfair amount of power. Just a handful of examples include being able to live forever (the Yomi Yomi no Mi), being able to be turned to wax and use said wax against your enemies (the Doru Doru no Mi), and the ability to create and manipulate strings (the Ito Ito no Mi), which can help if you’re an egomaniacal despot bent on controlling people. To add, each devil fruit can be categorized into three types: Logia, which allows users to transform their body to a natural element; Zoan, which allows users to transform into an animal; and Paramecia, which allows users to transform their bodies in other ways than into animals and natural elements.
And that’s just the start — some of the most frightening and evil creatures in the One Piece world have access to this system, but also, some of the most heroic characters do, as well.
