Best Isekai Anime Protagonists Who Love To Fight

Some isekai protagonists might be reluctant heroes and despise getting into complicated situations that might lead to conflict. But on the other hand, there’s a common trope in isekai anime about protagonists who are dubbed “battle junkies” due to their tendencies to always pick a fight wherever they go.

Related

7 Best Shonen Anime With Underdog Protagonists Who Rise To Power

These shonen anime feature underdog protagonists who manage to triumph over the odds and rise to power.

For those fans who like main characters who cannot help but get into trouble, this list spotlights the best isekai anime protagonists who love to fight. From one of the most notorious evil lords in the history of isekai anime to a seemingly meek bookworm who cannot help but boast his strength whenever he can.

1

Ainz Ooal Gown (Overlord)

He Makes Use Of Force For The Sheer Pleasure Of Conflict

Of all the isekai main characters who enjoy fighting, Ainz Ooal Gown (also known as Suzuki Satoru and Momonga) is perhaps the craziest battle junkie of them all. Gifted with great intellect, a machiavellian inclination, and power to use and abuse, he is certainly a fearsome opponent who enjoys making his foes writhe in pain.

He has gone quite far from his former human self (as an MMORPG player) and delved fully into his role as an evil archnemesis of mankind. Vanquishing realms, and heroes, and even playing pretend as a third persona (the adventurer known as the Dark Hero) all to perfect his sorcery and gain even more power. If he can enjoy himself during combat, then the better, since he relishes every second of it.

2

Naofumi Iwatani (The Rising Of The Shield Hero)

He Should Be Called The Revenge Hero

Naofumi is certainly the person who fans would least expect to enjoy fighting, but he does, and he is truly gifted both as a warrior and as a tactician. In fact, he is so masterful at directing troops that the queen of an entire kingdom would trust the whole army to his disposal if he so wished to.

Related

Best Openings Of The Winter 2025 Anime Season, Ranked

The winter 2025 anime season featured some truly remarkable openings for viewers to enjoy, but these are arguably the best of the bunch.

To Naofumi, fighting is not just a means of living, it is the key to survival in a world that has shunned him from the very second he stepped foot on it. And through low and high, his combat skills are the only constant he can rely on. That and the presence of his faithful Raphtalia, who so happens to be quite a powerful swordsmaiden as well.

3

Hajime Nagumo (Arifureta: From Commonplace To World Strongest)

No Longer Human, According To Himself

Arifureta: From Commonplace To World’s Strongest

Release Date

2019 – 2023

Network

AT-X

When Hajime Nagumo was betrayed, he never thought he would make it out of the depths of the Labyrinth alive. But, contrary to his expectations (and that of his enemies and betrayers) he did it, and it was all thanks to his inherent battle instinct that led him from victory to victory. Overcoming fear, pain, and even the loss of body parts, Nagumo has reached a status of absolute dominion over his abilities.

He is capable of horrendous acts of violence, and things that could only qualify as war crimes, but he does it for a single purpose: beat the twisted gods of that isekai world, and offer him and his companions a chance to return to Japan. He is most definitely a battle junkie as well.

4

Diablo (How Not To Summon A Demon Lord)

He Cannot Break Character, So He Picks Fights All The Time

Now, this is a strange case: an MMORPG otaku who has a strange 8th-grader syndrome and needs to constantly roleplay as a tough and vicious “Demon Lord” to avoid recognizing his shyness in front of ladies. This has led him from one battle to the other, provoking every living being in the world in an attempt to look superior.

Another character who is known for committing horrendous war crimes in order to defeat his foes, but, he is also a kindhearted fellow. The problem is that he is constantly surrounded by women, and he needs to stay in character, and that leads to more and more fights – an endless cycle of causing trouble in another world.

5

Tanya Degurechaff (The Saga Of Tanya The Evil)

All The Evils In The Universe, Condensed In A Small Frame

There’s nothing else to say about Tanya, but that she (he) is evil incarnated, period. From the second Tanya opens her eyes to a new world, and sees all the possibilities of committing mass murder, manipulating the masses, and basically becoming a megalomaniacal leader, she will do it with a big smile on her face.

Related

9 Dark Fantasy Anime That Rival Berserk In Grit And Gore

These are some of the darkest fantasy anime that are on the same level as Berserk regarding grit and gore.

A true psychopath that lives for the sheer pleasure of inflicting pain upon others, and to unleash wave after wave of conflict upon the world. Tanya doesn’t only enjoy the war, she lives to bring war wherever she goes.

6

Rudeus Greyrat (Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation)

Always Striving To Be The Best, Hones His Skills Through Battle

Rudeus is a complex main character and quite a divisive one at that. He started to study magic out of sheer curiosity, but as he honed his skills, and figured out he was good for it, he has never stopped testing himself against stronger opponents. Even when arriving at the Magic College to further enhance his knowledge of the magical arts, he has established a clear dominion over other students by facing them in combat.

But, as things are always destined to be in isekai anime, there comes a point in the lives of the main characters where they need to decide what’s the point of all the fighting. And Sylphie managed to somehow “tame” Rudeus (to a certain degree) grounding him and preventing him from becoming a total battle freak. First, she does so as her alter ego, Fitts, and then when revealing her true identity, she does so as Rudeus’s first wife. But, that doesn’t mean Rudeus is out of the “danger zone” yet. There are plenty of battles to come, where Rudeus will keep showing his “battle junkie” streak to fans. And the stakes will only rise as the Greyrat family grows.

7

Cid Kagenou (Eminence In Shadow)

Only Loves To Fight When He Plays Pretend

Another edgelord suffering from the 8th-grader syndrome is transported to a fantasy world, developing powerful magic capable of obliterating entire countries. The worst part is that he uses this power just to make fun of others and have epic battles with no true purpose but the sheer pleasure of it. That is what defines Eminence in Shadow, a satirical isekai about a man with the perception of reality altered.

Curiously, as Cid Kagenou, he pretends to be a meek and sidelined mob, but when he dons the mantle of Shadow, he becomes a murderous evil mastermind capable of facing the most powerful beings in the world, and toy with them as if they were mere children learning to walk.

8

Kuzunoha Makoto (Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy)

An Otherwise Regular Bookworm. If Only They Didn’t Force His Hand

At first, Makoto only uses his magic and archery skills to protect himself and others, but as the story progresses, and the many enemies attempting to cause harm to his beloved friends and familiars pile up, he develops a secondary persona.

As Kuzunoha, a man who lives to obliterate his foes, Makoto will do anything and fight anyone to protect what he thinks is precious to him. Little by little, what began as a fight for survival becomes second nature for him, and he starts to enjoy these fights for supremacy. One day, this will lead him to fight and destroy the very goddess who summoned him and his classmates to this strange world.

More

Solo Leveling: 5 Things The Manhwa Does Better Than The Anime

The Solo Leveling manhwa possesses a few strengths over its celebrated anime adaptation. These examples tend to stand out.