OP anime characters means overpowered characters with overwhelming strength or skills. Be it magic users or martial artists, whoever is considered the strongest, the one who will completely without a doubt destroy its opponent is overpowered. Characters like Itachi, Gojou and Levi may be or not be the most popular but they are seemingly the most powerful in their show. But since the typical plot of an action or shounen anime is supposed to end with the main character becoming the strongest, it somehow deviates from the idea of a side OP character.
These specific characters are there for the fans’ satisfactory reasons since they evoke passion among them. Because of an OP character, fights get shorter and more enthusiastic, giving fans an adrenaline rush. Seeing an OP character beat a villain to a pulp with its extraordinary skills would definitely give any viewer goosebumps.
Although the fights might also end up affecting the chain of events for the protagonist. They often influence the future OP main characters in anime, pushing them to get stronger.Â
When introducing such characters, authors make sure to add cocky or overconfident personalities. It’s obviously because they are aware of the fact that they are undoubtedly the most reliable and the strongest among others. There are many strong characters that are equally arrogant.
They radiate a cool aura which viewers feel through the screen, and if they are non-hostile to the protagonist, fans love them even more. However, several anime fandoms also admire some OP Antagonists. For example, Meruem, Madara, Aizen, their appearances in the series are always much-awaited by the anime fans.
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Are OP Anime Characters The Main Protagonist?
No, overpowered characters are not always the main plot armor or may not be related to plot all the time. They can be anyone playing the role of a friend, teacher or a guardian. But being overpowered does not mean they must be connected to the main storyline as sometimes their presence does not necessarily affect the plot at all.
Sure some viewers enjoy an op protagonist but most of the time fights get predictable as you keep going. They mostly intrigue the fans of particular anime genres, such as isekai.
Why Does the Isekai Genre Have The Most OP Protagonist?
Understanding the isekai concept is easy if you start understanding its fans. The fans of this category find fantasy the most enjoyable. The act of reincarnation, transporting to a world of all your fantasies, finally looks like a good exit from your current boring life. But since it can’t possibly be true, isekai enthusiasts prefer watching their peculiar fantasies from the genre’s broad concept on their screen.
One of those concepts include an OP protagonist having an harem of their own, which is a pretty common ecchi-isekai gem. This ideal has been popular for quite some time and has also been inherited by many highschool romance drama categories. It is almost an evergreen ideal of isekai anime along with the shounen becoming the strongest concept.
However, there is an exception, and that’s Saitama from One Punch Man. He’s an absolute beast whose capabilities are out of this world yet he appears to fans as a silly guy who wouldn’t even harm a fly. He’s the most overpowered character in the anime history because of the plot. The plot says he is without a doubt the strongest in the whole universe.
Overpowered Characters As A Genre
There are also some popular OP anime characters that amusingly are from fantasy anime belonging to non-fantasy worlds. They may have either psychic or mythical powers or just brute strength. Kusuo Saiki from The Disastrous Life of Saiki K, Kageyama Shigeo from Mob Psycho 100, Ken Kaneki from Tokyo Ghoul are some of the examples. They have entirely different personalities loved by their fans.
As the overpowered characters’ appearances are becoming common in every other anime, they’re getting really popular. This is something fans won’t even complain about since the majority of the anime fandom see overpowered characters as an additional theme in every genre. It’s almost as if OP anime characters are considered as a genre itself.
