Superman may be immune to just about everything (like most diseases, physical trauma, and even radiation), but there are still some things that even he isn’t entirely safe from. Magic, physical attacks with immense power, psychological warfare, and, of course, kryptonite (unearthly radiation) are some of the things that Superman is, at minimum, at least somewhat allergic to as a nearly all-powerful alien being. So, sort of akin to the whole power scaling debate of who could beat characters like Goku (who, as a powerful alien humanoid hoping to save Earth, is oddly basically the anime version of Superman), what characters could hypothetically beat Superman?
Now, this list includes anime characters who could beat Superman, not necessarily who would beat Superman. Considering most, if not all, of these characters tend to have a pretty good moral compass like Superman himself, they’d probably be more likely to become friends rather than fight each other. That said, through sheer power alone, these characters could hypothetically have certain abilities that would allow them to overcome Superman’s immense power if they were to ever fight him.
5) freezing from Freeze: beyond journey’s end
Although she seems like just a cool, cute elf girl, it becomes clear that Frieren is actually a legendary mage with immense power. Said to have killed the most demons in history, she even earned the title “Frieren the Slayer.” With Frieren’s extensive mana and collection of spells, along with plenty of defensive magic, she’d be bound to either already have a spell that could defeat Superman or figure one out to summon an encasement of kryptonite, create a duplicate who could match his power, or psychologically manipulate Superman into defeating himself.
4) Kusuo Saiki from The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.
Possession, apportion, mind control, petrification, child-ification, materialization — Kusuo Saiki has quite the range of powers and psychic abilities, sort of akin to Superman, if Superman’s powers were just a tad… askew. But unlike Superman, endeavoring to use his powers to save the Earth, Kusuo just wants to live a normal, peaceful life, which always seems to be just out of his reach. So, if it came down to it, maybe Kusuo’s powers would be able to best Superman’s, if even just to get it over with so he could go on with his day.
3) Saitama from One-Punch Man
Many kids dream of becoming a superhero when they grow up. After training so rigorously for three years straight to the point of losing his hair, Saitama managed to achieve that dream. Now that he’s so strong and can defeat anything with a single punch, challenges have become not so challenging; in fact, they’ve become so easy to conquer that his once-beloved hobby has become a source of boredom. Saitama doesn’t lose his hair over even the most imposing villains, but perhaps a fight with Superman would spice things up.
2) Madoka Kaname from Magi Madoka magic
Madoka may be a magical girl, but with the series’ subversion of the genre and its darker themes challenging conventions, it isn’t for the faint of heart. Facing monsters in visceral battle and learning the harsh reality of Kyuubey’s motives, Madoka must learn the true power her single wish can hold. And, though Madoka probably isn’t too keen on trusting strange aliens, there’s no way she would ever waste such a wish defeating the good-hearted Superman when he also wants to protect the world and its inhabitants. But could such power in a wish defeat Superman? Yes.
1) Arceus from Pokémon: Arceus and the Jewel of Life
A Pokémon that created not just the Pokémon of myth (the space Pokémon Palkia, the time Pokémon Dialga, and the antimatter Pokémon Giratina), but the entire Pokémon universe itself. Known as the “Original One,” Arceus was even worshiped in ancient times. Basically, a Pokémon that’s a god. Superman may be an unearthly being himself, but, c’mon, there is no way even he could go up against such a being.
What anime character do you think could beat Superman? Let us know in the comments!
