Anime Characters That Fought A God And Won

Action has become one of the most common themes in anime today. Fans cannot get enough of the fast-paced, visually stunning, and well-choreographed fight scenes where two characters go head-to-head in brutal battles. In such anime, you will often come across overpowered characters who bring a touch of adrenaline whenever they’re on-screen, as they make the action even more epic.

And what’s more epic than taking down an entity with God-like powers? There have been moments in anime when these characters have taken down seemingly unstoppable forces in ways no one expected. Consider Kaguya Otsutsuki, a goddess whose terror threatened the entire Ninja world until she was defeated by Team 7. This list is packed with characters who have faced such gods.

As you might expect, Spoiler Warning for the anime listed below.

10

Atem – Yu-Gi-Oh

Atem Seals Zorc’s Soul In The Final Dual

Yu-Gi-Oh is set in a world where conflicts are resolved more by card games rather than by physical fights. The series follows Yugi Muto, a high school student who, after solving a mysterious puzzle, becomes possessed by the spirit of Yami, AKA Atem, stuck in this ancient world.

However, there are other spirits, some of them incredibly evil, who want to destroy the world, such as Zorc Necrophades. Introduced as the main antagonist of the final arc, Zorc is finally defeated by Atem in an epic dual when Atem seals Zorc’s soul inside the Millennium Puzzle.

9

Saitama – One Punch Man

Defeated The One Blessed By The God

One Punch Man is a ridiculous anime about a hero named Saitama, who is so powerful that he can defeat any monster with a single punch. The catch is that he’s bored, as he can’t find anyone strong enough to rival him.

As the series goes on, Saitama keeps defeating villain after villain until one is left: Garou, a Hero Hunter who wants to become a villain from the myths and is influenced by God. He even proves himself a worthy villain, as he was just a nuisance to everyone. Still, in the end, he’s defeated by Saitama’s iconic punch.

8

Light Yagami – Death Note

Kira Makes A Shinigami Helpless

Death Note is a masterpiece due to its psychological plot, tense detective-criminal cat-and-mouse chase, and Light as the perfect villain at its heart. At the start, Light Yagami is a young guy who thinks he can eliminate the world of crime when he discovers the Death Note, which lets him kill anyone by writing their name in it.

However, he adopts an alter ego known as Kira and starts doing evil things, including putting innocent people to death, just to save himself. In doing so, Light manipulates the death god, Rem, into protecting Misa by killing L, fully aware that Rem will have to sacrifice herself.

Edward Elric Punched A God-Like Being

Fullmetal Alchemist introduces Edward Elric from the start as the series’ protagonist. He’s a 15-year-old boy who becomes a state Alchemist at an early age. However, a horrible accident later haunts him throughout his journey.

As Edward grew up, he blamed his father, Van Hohenheim, for his mother’s death. While Hohenheim was away serving his master, Father, who promised him immortality, he left his family behind. In return, Father took Hohenheim’s identity and created the Homunculi. It was destined for them to have a final battle, during which Edward was powerful enough to punch this god-like being to save mankind from his terror.

6

Kojiro – Record Of Ragnarok

Greatest Loser Defeats The God Of The Seas

Illustrated by Azychika, The Record of Ragnarök is an anime that perfectly blends ancient mythology and fast-paced Japanese animation, by having its plot revolve around a tournament where deities give humans one last chance to prove themselves.

Inspired by Edo Japanese swordsman Kojiro Sasaki, the human champion enters the third round of the tournament, facing none other than Poseidon, the god of the sea. Although Kojiro had a reputation as the biggest loser, in this fight, he surprises everyone by slashing across Poseidon’s abdomen and securing humanity their first win over the gods.

5

Joseph Joester – JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure

JoJo Accidentally Beats The Pillar Men

Kars is among the last surviving members of an ancient, god-like race called the Pillar Men. With the power he holds, he has a desire to control the world. Kars is an immortal being who has existed for thousands of years, making the idea of killing him seem practically impossible.

Yet, against all odds, one man, Joseph Joestar, managed to defeat him. It was when Kars reached his ultimate form that he went after Joseph, even cutting off his arm. In the heat of his anger, Joseph accidentally uses the Red Stone of Aja, sending Lars hurtling into outer space, where he gets stuck forever.

4

Simon And Nia – Gurren Lagann

Destroys The Metaphysical Being

The main antagonist of Gurren Lagann, the Anti-Spiral, is like a god who’s the result of all of humanity’s collective consciousness, representing everything that mankind has become.

The Anti-Spiral was so powerful that it could break the laws of physics, travel between dimensions, and exist as an abstract, almost otherworldly being. The series establishes Anti-Spiral as a final boss, but in the end, Simon and Nia take him down with the Lagann Impact, which not only destroys his power but also wipes out the universe he created.

3

Aizen And Ichigo – Bleach

Aizen Helps Ichigo To Defeat The Quincy King

A thousand years before the events of Bleach, Yhwach, the Quincy leader, rose up against the Soul Society. After a bloody war, he was defeated by Gotei 13 and sealed away, bringing about peace that lasted for centuries.

Over time, Yhwach began to regain his consciousness. He then used Auswahlen to recover some of his lost power and slowly started to rebuild his influence, challenging the Soul system once again. During the finale of Bleach, Aizen used his Kyoka Suigetsu illusion to deceive Yhwach, giving Ichigo a chance to rip his body in half, ultimately defeating him.

2

Beerus, Goku, Future Trunks, And Zeno – Dragon Ball Series

Zamasu Is Defeated In Every Universe

The Dragon Ball series is filled with ridiculously strong characters, many of whom could easily be considered gods. Zamasu is one of them, a character infamous for causing chaos across entire universes and timelines.

First appearing as the Kai of Universe 10, Zamasu is an evil character who is erased by Beerus and later Goku. An alternate Zamasu then fuses with his future self, Black Goku, becoming Fused Zamasu, who is cut in half by Future Trunks. This leads to the birth of his even more powerful form, Infinite Zamasu, who is finally erased by Zeno, putting an end to his threat once and for all.

1

Team 7 – Naruto Shippuden

The Goddess Of Chakra Is Finally Sealed Off

Kaguya Otsutsuki, the evil goddess of the Narutoverse, was tremendously powerful as she could travel between dimensions, create shockwaves with just her eyes, and was strong enough to wipe out entire nations and their memories on her own.

After consuming the Fruit of the God Tree, Kaguya becomes invincible. Even at their peak, Hagoromo and Hamura could do little more than seal her away. Before being sealed away, Kaguya created Black Zetsu, a manifestation of her will, which would later go on to revive her. This time, Team 7 took on the goddess and, with their combined chakra, Naruto and Sasuke sealed Kaguya once more.