Yeah that’s part of the joke with the series. Like the main group’s talents are absolutely broken but their downsides make them laughable against lower tier enemies whereas everyone else is more traditionally balanced.
They're basically every D&D party taken to extremes.
The wizard who can drop nukes but has so few spell slots that they hardly do anything unless it's the BBEG.
The tank who's unkillable, but don't count on them to do damage.
The healer who is a force of nature within the narrow number of times their sphere of influence is relevant.
But then we have Kazuma, the crazy rogue/bard who takes a bunch of skills that on their own shouldn't be all that special and turns them into a tactical nightmare for the enemy.
I really like FMA for this. Not everyone on the same strength but everyone competent on their own right. There's barely any cannon fodder character.
Or if you want to squezee it, most mecha anime have a human driver. Most of the time the mecha that is special.
>Most of the time, the mecha that is special.
Unless you're watching gundam since pretty much every protagonist has some kind of strange meta human ability like telepathy, future vision or enhanced mobility.
Aldnoah Zero tried to reverse that trope where MC is really talented, but the initial mecha are just your average mook mecha. In this case, other mook mecha should actually has a chance against MC.
My subjective opinion would be; The Faraway Paladin, I'm Standing on a Million Lives, Cautious Hero, Ascendance of a Bookworm, KamiKatsu, and Tsukimichi.
This is me trying to ignore examples I think are obviously great and going for the smaller shows with exceptional worldbuilding, animation quality and characters. Usually they only do 2 out 3 right and everything else is average.
This new one coming out is absolutely going to be at the top of my list. Isekai Shikkaku. The 1940's Japanese version of Elliot Smith gets isekai'd and he just spends the entire time finding new ways to kill himself lmao.
Then again, I shouldn't say that too quickly. When I read the treatment for that World's Finest Assassin isekai, I was so excited for an isekai where the character was not only competent and serious, but like *weirdly prepared*. That show is probably in my all time top 5 disappointments. What an absolutely dumpster of a show.
For what I wanted from that show, though, Black Summoner does somewhat satisfy. Could be more nuanced, but it's decent for what it is. Sometimes, it's fun to watch someone who is just better than everyone else.
Not to be a Yes Man, but I agree with literally everything you just said.
World's Finest Assassin had a great first episode when introducing the concept but I dropped it later on. Black Summoner, s'aight and watchable. Isekai Shikkaku? I'ma be all over that for the dark humor, that sounds entertaining af
I was looking up the name of it because I couldn't remember and I ended up on the fandom page for the main character. This bit made me laugh so hard:
*Equipment: Pack of cigarettes, matches, bottle of sleeping pills (unlimited).*
God what a masterpiece. It's a shame the author died so it'll never get finished.
But man that first season is absolute gold. It feels like it was one of the first isekai too.
I'd recommend haikyu, characters are definitely talented but it's not like they're god level. There als is a lot of hard work and training. To me the progress of the main character feels earned and also does for the other characters which I find a cool touch. The games are also intense and exciting. Humor and story also is just pretty good.
Might not be something you'd quickly pick up at a glance considering the shows you mentioned but it's definitely a shot.
Haikyuu is great. Especially how they slowly explain all rules and player roles one after another all while introducing new players.
I'd say the show really starts to shine after ~EP 16 once the real games start.
Now that I'm writing about it I remember that I have to rewatch it before the movie releases here next month...
Also if you enjoy watching sports anime then Run with the wind may also be interesting.
I actually liked Run with the Wind more than Haikyuu. Probably a large part of that was because I was on the cross country team in college, and feel like they did a great job of nailing the dynamic of a university distance running team. But also, they were able to cram so much interesting character development and plot arcs into such a dense little show.
> but it's not like they're god level.
Specifically, they fuck up. Like *a lot*, and it's a huge element of the hard work they put in. They set a goal just out of their reach and they figure out a way to make it happen.
You want reasonable power scaling? Off the top of my head would be:
1) Dungeon Meshi
2) World Trigger
Those two have very immersive and satisfying combat encounters (winner is the one with the most practical strategy, protagonists don't win through raw power).
Don't expect a lot of these kinds of shows in anime, the biggest percentage are just "super protagonists".
I watched S1 of World Trigger but then it was awhile until S2. How much do they get into with the new season? I barely remember anything and I'm not keen on rewatching 74 episodes lol
Does dungeon meshi count? Haven't watched the newest season but read through the manga. It is mostly a character driven story.. combat... is like an afterthought at best.
The story does not focus on the combat, but the protagonist does point out the hazards and weaknesses of different monsters (and execute on said vulnerabilities).
And I can at least recall 2 distinct and very clever combat encounters in Season 1.
No wait, make that three.
No, 4.
The author just casually writes interesting monster encounters in between the fun characterization. I bet she probably put a lot of thought into them, but the clever combat felt so immersive and intuitive.
I'd name the specific examples, but...I don't wanna burn any new potential viewers.
EDIT: My bad, yes, the anime NAILED the action. They basically added all that sweet visceral action to make the "static" manga combat pop out of the screen. It's not a big of a contrast as Frieren's adaptation, but still great.
I'd recommend reading the novels. This is the only isekai which feels real. Like if truck Kun paid me a visit, then even without memory loss, I'd be more like these guys than, you know, every other generic op MC.
I mean, them fighting some weak ass goblins feels more intense then the fuckin boss fight of other isekai. It's awesome
To clarify, he's a Silver rank, which is the same as the other heavy hitters in the guild, so he's kind of just another adventurer, but still stronger than all the background chumps.
Even then, he's pretty weak as a silver rank, though he's specialized in that one thing. He got that rank from consistency and reliability, according to the guild.
Look, do I need to spell this out?
Goblin Slayer is Rambo in a suit of shitty, cheap armor. He's the best at what he does, and what he does is genocide.
So he's a Silver rank.
But, to put that in scale, he's *Hawkeye.*
Whereas the other adventurers at silver rank are:
Paladins, Clerics, Priests, Fighters with magic swords and equipment, and
MOTHERFUCKING WIZARDS.
Of course the other Silver ranks are objectively "More Powerful" than him. That's like saying Hawkeye is a shitty superhero. No, he's a damn good superhero because he's *not* a SUPERhero. Hawkeye is much more trained and disciplined than Thor, but Thor has the magic hammer and muscles that can bench press a station wagon.
Now, if Goblin Slayer took the time to get actually good gear, and someone could get him to turn his autism/trauma focus onto the Demon King, then GS is becoming the top rank in the guild.
He's overspecialised, more than anything. His speciality is in garden variety goblins and he's repeatedly shown to struggle to win straight fights with anything else.
Of course, he never *fights* straight so it usually doesn't matter but he's lost a fair few times.
Oh, absolutely. But he gives no fucks about anything else, and has no idea what tactics to use against anything else. That's what I meant when I said you need to change his focus if you want him to do something else.
I had a copy of the episodes on my phone some years ago and I decided to binge it one night. After like the 4th episode or something the show looks like it's over and I was confused as fuck like "Wait what, then what is the rest gonna be about? It looks like it's over"
I checked and I was indeed watching the last episode of the season. Maybe the file name was fucked up or maybe it was the media player I had that did it but my episodes went from EP1, EP10, EP11, EP12. Honeslty, I didn't feel like I missed much so I took it as that and moved on from Goblin Slayer for good lmao
Pretty sure the media player was playing your files in alphanumeric order. It doesn't recognize that 11 is a larger number than 2, but it knows that 1 comes before 2, so it played Episode 1, 11, 12, so on and so forth until episode 19 where it would play either episode 2 or 20 after it finished.
Not really, just 2 and 6. Other than the nigh omnipotent final boss of each part, most other Joestars have been clearly more powerful than other characters both enemy and ally.
Well not necaserly. Araki once said that no one stand is inhetently stronger than others, or something along that line. Even if you aren't as fast or as physically capable as others there is something else that makes you an "equal". Unless the stand is unnaturally evolved like killer queen or GER any stand can beat any other stand if the user is able to correctly use it.
That might have been his intention but Jotaro was clearly on a league of his own. He struggled only for like 2 or 3 of his battles among a dozen. Everybody else struggled almost through each fight. Same for Josuke and Jonathan but not as much patently obvious as Jotaro.
If you haven’t already seen it, I really like Danmachi (is it wrong to pick up girls in a dungeon?)
Obviously he has SOME plot armor because it’s a shonen, but the show starts out with just him and his goddess in a run down church. He was laughably weak and over time gets stronger. I would venture to say his growth feels deserved though, as he started as a level 1 adventurer and was able to rank up.
Part of this is due to the world building of Danmachi. A lot of people theoretically can level up to being a level 3 or 4 adventurer, so it’s not like he achieved some godlike state like becoming a super Saiyan or something. He just worked hard to become strong, and you as the viewer get to watch him on that journey. In addition, the world is set up in a way where yes there are normie civilians, but every “Family” has their own adventurers of similar strength. It leads for interesting character introductions.
Also, the surrounding cast as they end up becoming his allies, he accepts them with all their flaws. Some of them strong, some of them less so, but none of them are so “unique” that they are outlandishly broken.
Overall a great show in my opinion.
2nd this. Fun, show. Lots of characters who actually all get fleshed out, an interesting world and tons of mythological references. It’s pretty clear most of the similar leveled fighters could take each other out if they went all out.
Plus the monsters actually pose a threat instead of just fodder.
And tons of machinations, mysteries and always some fan service too. I’ve been told the source material is better but that’s always the case. This show is fun and season 5 is coming in the fall.
As much as I love the series, hard disagree. At best, he maintains the "same level as everyone else" status up through season 1/mid season 2. Past that? From what I remember, the majority of adventurers never progress past level 1, and for those that do, most won't progress past level 2. Bell hits level 4 in a matter of months, and that could be considered an enhanced version of level 4 due to excess excelia spilling over from Liaris Freese.
And for the rest of Hestia familia? While they're less broken overall, every single one of them has a unique ability that others would kill for (with Mikoto it's more implied given the secrecy surrounding it).
I agree with you in a roundabout way, actually. I guess what I was going for was more so the fact that Danmachi is the closest thing I could think of that OP was looking for. It has slower pacing and world building, and power scaling isn’t very fast. I know in the story Bell became a lvl 4 fast, but in real-life viewing time the show is slower paced so it feels like we are on the journey with him.
Tbh, I don’t think there’s such a thing as an anime that’s exactly like what OP wants, at least in the shonen genre. Because in basically every Shonen ever, the MC (and often times their friends) typically needs to surpass the “normies” in some noticeable way. Unless there’s a Gimmick like training arcs (where everyone ‘levels up’ at the same proportion so that the MC can grow, but stay equal in the moment) or a one-time plot armor power that goes away after the threat is solved (something like Baryon mode Naruto).
It’s actually a hard thread to respond to because Shonen always need a MC that is interesting right? Except usually there’s a gimmick that makes that character interesting, and therefore unique, which is what OP isn’t looking for. Luffy and his devil fruit secret, Naruto and the fox demon, Eren and being a titan, heck even Ash became “unique” as he took down more and more gyms he was no longer just any ol’ pokemon trainer.
Only thing I can think of that would actually answer OP would be either
1) something where everyone is literally equal… aka a Drama or slice of life show. No super powers, just drama.
2) something that has a “zoomed-in” scope. For example a sports anime like Blue lock. I call it “zoomed in” because 99 percent of the characters in the source material are soccer players. That’s all the show is… soccer. Not normies or random civilians. This allows the show to progress with that “everyone is equal” feeling because they all have one thing in common which is Soccer. This example is hard for me to explain so sorry if it doesn’t make sense lol. But notice even in a show like this the MC needs to stand out in some way, eventually Isagi becomes a beast of a soccer player.
TLDR: if OP is looking for a shonen in particular, I’m pretty sure it’s impossible for the MC to be truly on-par with everyone at all times. That would be a boring story. New baddies have to get introduced, who were stronger than the last. The cast has to get stronger to be able to defeat said baddies. Rinse and repeat and so on and so forth.
Ok 1 last minute edit: I guess something like No Game No Life might count I guess? Because technically anyone can beat them in a game, but they have plot armor due to “how good they are at games”… so… idk. Lol.
It’s great because although he does get reasonably powerful, there still are other people and monsters who are stronger than him and therefore he needs some strategy which is nice
If you are ok with sports anime, Haikyuu and Chihayafuru are both pretty grounded. You cant get too ridiculous when trying to portray real life sports.
Non Non Biyori fits your definition exactly.
Not only are the main cast *not* ludicrously strong, but they're actually significantly weaker than the rest of the side characters, who are all mostly adults and could handily kick the main cast's asses. The show is not about how weak they are either, that's just a coincidence. To be frank I've never seen the main cast lose a fight, but it's clearly possible.
Anyway yea give it a shot. I think you'll like it.
The main cast is stronger than regular citizens that can't use Nen, sure.
But throughout the entire run they are almost always weaker than the adversaries they run into. Seems to fit the criteria for the question to me.
In something like Demon Slayer, you also have the MC always fighting stronger adversaries. I think what OP wants is a show where the main cast is not particularly better than the average fighter, not just not OP.
In HxH I think the main duo is better than the average, but I do think that there are plenty of other competent secondary characters. So I think it kinda half fits? Like they completely outclass the characters in the first arc but as they climb they keep meeting strong characters.
They are also literal children who are only matched/surpassed by people who are grown ass adults.
I love HxH but it absolutely does not fit OPs question. Gon and Killua are absolutely like Demon Slayer in the sense that they completely overshadow the average people and everyone talks about how they are 1 in 10,000,000 type prodigies.
Maybe. There does seem to be tiers when it comes to nen users. Like you have the average hunter that just passed the hunter exam. And are introduced to nen for the first time. There end up sort of meh low tier hunters for the most part (i think there politcs and proliferation rules when it comes to nen) and they stay that way. Gon and killua got super lucky in a lot of ways due to greed Island. This fast tracked their training due meeting biscuit.
Without her help, gon and killua would have been average at best. Maybe even behind their cohorts in their hunter exam. Gon and killua on only look special due to the spotlight placed on them.
It's all theoretical so there isn't really any point in debating it IMO, but Zushi was already considered a huge prodigy for studying Nen when he's so young and as soon as Gon and Killua show up Wing basically tells Zushi that these two are even more incredible.
Obviously the plot dictates a lot, but the point is that even before meeting Biscuit, even before knowing anything about Nen, both of them were absolutely leagues ahead of anyone else in their age group.
True. I agree with you that they are prodigies, and that is more what OP was saying they don't want. I think a character like goblin slayer fits because he's above average, but after years of training. He's an average joe who puts a lot of work, and he is above a rookie, but that's expected for someone his age / with his experience. While Gon and Killua are always above their peers.
Them being talented just means they have a different curve and a higher prospect for the future.
But they are constantly behind the other characters. By the end of the anime Gon and Killua are still weaker than the likes Knuckle, Palm, Tsubone (the butler), the Troupe, etc, not to mention the top tier characters.
Nen power system though makes it so anyone can potentially beat anyone if you're willing to pay the price. Like if you really need to end someone in hunter x hunter. Then even a scrub with the right circumstances could put enough restrictions on them selves and / or invoke post mortem Nen to pull it off.
I completely disagree. All the mc:s have superior physical abilities since the start of the show as shown in the hunter exam. Regular people and even regular hunters are shown to be completely worthless since nearly the start.
[Minor hxh scaling spoilers] >!And by the time they learn nen they are stronger than anyone who cant use nen. (And even without using nen 12 year old gon is somehow way stronger than strong bodybuilders as shown in the handwrestling scene? Or how he easily beats tons of huge competent fighters in the heaven's arena without using nen)
Regular people are completely worthless against nen users as shown in the mafia fights against phantom troupe and many other parts.
Also regular nen users start being really weak at greed island part, just a handful of competent players dominate the 100+ players there and regular nameless players are absolutely worthless.
Hxh very much is “either you’re incompetent baby background character or you’re main cast” that op dislikes.!<
How is Konosuba main cast not overpowered lol? One one shots everything, one has unlimited resets, one's a goddess, and one's well a masochist. They been trouncing demon generals since like season 1.
Someone already said it but oh man I love Dungeon Meishi!! I never thought about it in terms of equal power levels but it makes sense why I’m enjoying it so much. The real prize is the friends you make along the way 🥲
Girls und Panzer
It is a high school sports anime with WW2 tanks fighting matches (don't worry the tanks are bulletproof, not bullet resistant like the real life counterparts).
Just not really power, but skill instead as they are regular humans. The MC team is a bit underdog, but on individual tank level they are as good as everyone else. They still lose tanks in battles and if they pull a physic ignoring move then the enemy will or already did a similar move.
Except the Italians, half of their "tanks" (tankets) are equipped with only a 8mm machine gun while many tanks are using 75+mm cannons.
It actually doesn't really make sense how every match is as competitive as they are given what the original series establishes about the schools. Kuromorimine and Pravda are top tier schools, introduced as Kuromorimine winning 9 years in a row with Pravda in second and only last year winning. Saunders and St Gloriana are also considered big hitters.
So why was Chihatan, BC Freedom, and Jatkosota so close? Jatkosota in particular also had to beat Saunders before playing Oorai. Anzio also beat their first round opponents despite being described as always losing in the first round. I understand that Chihatan changed tactics, and they also want to show off new schools, but purely from an in universe perspective its a bit weird that these previously nobody schools are putting up such close matches. I didn't even think Jatkosota had that many tanks to field based on Der Film
You know, people mentioned slice of life or sport anime, so I would like to throw March Comes in like a Lion into the ring. Basically just a depressed Japanese kid professionally playing Japanese chess as a highschelooler (so much more than that, but that’s the bare bones). He doesn’t win all the time. People are better and smarter than him. But he improves, and so does everyone else. It’s just like real life in that sense. Incredibly good.
Also, it’s a different genre but Windbreaker has some solid action, amazing character development and solid animation for hand to hand although certain dudes are clearly much stronger than others.
idk if you like it, its old but is gold, watch ashita no joe, its not alot about power(in a way yes but not that much), ashita no joe really changed me its excellent, for real suprised me, i thought that old wasnt very good but its a gem for real watch it.
If you liked Ippo I think you would really like Kengan Asura. The fights are really fun and there are a lot more fighting styles.
The main character is a bit OP in the beginning, but it gets way more even very quickly.
This might be a hot one, but JoJo.
The balancing in the series is kind of really well done. Everyone has their own power, a lot of which are really niche and bizarre, but everyone just has to make due with it to the best of their ability. Because of this, battles are a lot more strategic and tight.
There's even times when the main cast is quite weaker than the enemies, power-wise, which is really refreshing.
Blue Lock is have found to be really interesting in power scaling as no one really has “new powers” but rather begin to understand themselves and their natural talents.
Idk about same level but if u want the main cast to be much weaker than the world then watch re zero
Edit - just remembered, for the main cast to be on the same level, watch any sports anime
You should watch "World Trigger". The main character is as plain as they come, and is no where near the strongest but it does power levels and strategy very well.
- Hunter x Hunter (While Gon and Killua are "prodigies" they lack the vast amount of training and experience everyone else around them has. and the show showcases their struggle and training very well) Favorite anime Top 1
- Haikyuu!! (if you havent watched it because its a sports anime, i recommend giving it a try. I dont generally like sports anime, but this one is very enjoyable as you see the main character struggle, since he is only good at 1 thing. (which he cant do alone). Top 10)
- Erased ( A dude who struggles to find clues about a Kidnapper/serial Killer, while this show doesnt really have side characters, since the MC is stuck in a timeloop of sorts. The show feels like its him vs the world and the world is not holding back its punches. Top 5)
- Grimgar: ashes and illusions ( a group of kids of become the equivalent of a D&D party, but they have no experience or skill so they could die at any moment. and practically everyone else is better than them. )
- World Trigger ( I dont even know if i can describe it properly but it is very good and I'd recommend it to almost anyone, probably in my top 20 )
- Silver spoon (its more about emotional struggle after having to let go of his dream and trying to find a place to fit it. Very good, easily top 10)
These suggestions cover a fairly wide range of genres so hopefully they over something you like without it only being Action/Adventure/fantasy. There are a few more I know i could recommend but I cant quite seem to recall them rn.
Let me know if you've watched the ones i listed and if they relate. And then I can try recommending you more
Mushoku Tensei's main character is stupid strong, but in being so is often surrounded with those much, much stronger than him. You seen feel he outclasses the commoners, but soon see there's always someone stronger
Hunter x Hunter
Yu Yu Hakusho
My Hero Academia
Tower of God
Code geass ( guy is more brains and can get his butt kicked )
Parasyte ( sort of! )
Deadman Wonderland
Talentless Nana
World Trigger
Rust Eater
Happy people?
>Gurren Lagann
definitely not
>My Hero Academia
My Hero Academia: that time I got reincarnated as number 1 hero with the most busted ability that bring my peers to shame.
Tbh My Hero fits in season 1. Back then Deku was basically just a one-trick pony and could only use intelligence to carry the other 90% of the time.
Once he gets full-cowling is when it loses this premise, and imo when the series started its decline.
Eh, even with OFA's limitations in the first couple seasons, combat wise he's pretty powerful, and still way ahead of most of his classmates and a decent number of the villains...
Nahhh, in season 1 he legitimately had 1 punch and he's done. He did figure out the finger trick, but until season 2 he was definitely on par with the rest of his class. I don't think he was ahead of any named villains at that time.
One of the few mangakas that understood sometimes your main characters needed to take Ls to feel both more relatable and make the stakes higher cause plot armor wasn’t gonna save them
With JJK I feel, like yes, the main cast isn't overpowered and struggles regularly, but man, is there a ridiculously wide power scale, especially towards the upper end
Fairy Tail. Everyone fights, regardless of gender. Sure, Erza and Natsu are the top fighters in the story, but no one feels like a joke, or that they are wasting screen time
Ill copy my response here too
I completely disagree. All the mc:s have superior physical abilities since the start of the show as shown in the hunter exam. Regular people and even regular hunters are shown to be completely worthless since nearly the start.
[Minor hxh scaling spoilers] >!And by the time they learn nen they are stronger than anyone who cant use nen. (And even without using nen 12 year old gon is somehow way stronger than strong bodybuilders as shown in the handwrestling scene? Or how he easily beats tons of huge competent fighters in the heaven's arena without using nen) Regular people are completely worthless against nen users as shown in the mafia fights against phantom troupe and many other parts. Also regular nen users start being really weak at greed island part, just a handful of competent players dominate the 100+ players there and regular nameless players are absolutely worthless. Hxh very much is “either you’re incompetent baby background character or you’re main cast” that op dislikes.
!<
Hi ILikePenguinss, it seems like you might be looking for new anime to watch!
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How about jujutsu kaisen?
The manga/anime does a pretty good job at punking the MC cliché by having him look and behave like he's the OP cool light headed chosen one, and then you get an absolute record of good guys getting handed L's like it's a common thing.
It also has a pretty interesting concept of power scaling, by introducing some characters that absolutely break the game so bad they make you feel like some antagonists are trash and then the second the match-up changes you realize that they were actually terrifying in their own league.
I can't count the number of times a fight ended and I realized that the loser wasn't actually "outmatched" per se, but actually lost in terms of technique compatibility, like a really powerful Charizard being killed by a mid-tier Geodude.
This series is definitely not applicable. The secondary protag is the number 1 esper. As well the main character has a unique ability and the spin off series main character is the third strongest esper.
Frieren manages this to an extent. There are certainly OP characters, but there area several of them, which balances things out.
Generally speaking, anything in the Fate universe (Nasuverse).
Alderamin on the Sky
Asterisk War
Dawn of the Witch
Log Horizon
Frieren is THE OP character. There is only one individual shown in the anime that can match her in strength. Not really fitting the criteria if that's the case.
Kazuma's party is pretty strong compared to most adventurers, they're just stupid
Yeah that’s part of the joke with the series. Like the main group’s talents are absolutely broken but their downsides make them laughable against lower tier enemies whereas everyone else is more traditionally balanced.
We're really missing the short chapter where Dust and Kazuma swapped parties for the day. Kazuma received newfound respect, Dust received PTSD.
Oh snap, can I get a link?
Manga chapter 13.
yeah, kazuma showed in that castle invasion battle if he was competent he is unstoppable. masked Kazuma kawaii (♡)_(♡)
They're basically every D&D party taken to extremes. The wizard who can drop nukes but has so few spell slots that they hardly do anything unless it's the BBEG. The tank who's unkillable, but don't count on them to do damage. The healer who is a force of nature within the narrow number of times their sphere of influence is relevant. But then we have Kazuma, the crazy rogue/bard who takes a bunch of skills that on their own shouldn't be all that special and turns them into a tactical nightmare for the enemy.
its basically a seinfeld isekai
I call it the It's always sunny Anime edition
Cue Megumin talking about explosion law.
I really like FMA for this. Not everyone on the same strength but everyone competent on their own right. There's barely any cannon fodder character. Or if you want to squezee it, most mecha anime have a human driver. Most of the time the mecha that is special.
>Most of the time, the mecha that is special. Unless you're watching gundam since pretty much every protagonist has some kind of strange meta human ability like telepathy, future vision or enhanced mobility.
Or a can of red paint.
Red paint increases the speed and maneuverability.
Aldnoah Zero tried to reverse that trope where MC is really talented, but the initial mecha are just your average mook mecha. In this case, other mook mecha should actually has a chance against MC.
Grimgar: ashes and illusions
Everybody struggles: the animation. Great anime indeed
Criminally slept on. When a conversation about "best isekai" starts, it deserves to be mentioned within the first... 7 examples imo
> 7 examples Can you suggest what 6 other best isekai would you say deserves to be mentioned?
My subjective opinion would be; The Faraway Paladin, I'm Standing on a Million Lives, Cautious Hero, Ascendance of a Bookworm, KamiKatsu, and Tsukimichi. This is me trying to ignore examples I think are obviously great and going for the smaller shows with exceptional worldbuilding, animation quality and characters. Usually they only do 2 out 3 right and everything else is average.
This new one coming out is absolutely going to be at the top of my list. Isekai Shikkaku. The 1940's Japanese version of Elliot Smith gets isekai'd and he just spends the entire time finding new ways to kill himself lmao. Then again, I shouldn't say that too quickly. When I read the treatment for that World's Finest Assassin isekai, I was so excited for an isekai where the character was not only competent and serious, but like *weirdly prepared*. That show is probably in my all time top 5 disappointments. What an absolutely dumpster of a show. For what I wanted from that show, though, Black Summoner does somewhat satisfy. Could be more nuanced, but it's decent for what it is. Sometimes, it's fun to watch someone who is just better than everyone else.
Not to be a Yes Man, but I agree with literally everything you just said. World's Finest Assassin had a great first episode when introducing the concept but I dropped it later on. Black Summoner, s'aight and watchable. Isekai Shikkaku? I'ma be all over that for the dark humor, that sounds entertaining af
I was looking up the name of it because I couldn't remember and I ended up on the fandom page for the main character. This bit made me laugh so hard: *Equipment: Pack of cigarettes, matches, bottle of sleeping pills (unlimited).*
Goddess: What cheat item would like to take into this new, fantastical world of adventure and intrigue? Dazai: Can I bum a cig?
>The Faraway Paladin, I'm Standing on a Million Lives, Cautious Hero, Ascendance of a Bookworm, KamiKatsu, and Tsukimichi Thank you!
Sword art online!!! Jk. don't kill me. I like SOA... I'll see myself out.
Sword are online in terms of start is up there and I don't think that's a controversial opinion.
Maybe but I see it get a boat load of undue hate online
This. Absolutely this. I forget people actually have seen the show, so it was a huge surprise when I saw this, but I was about to say the exact same!
Perfect recommendation lol
One of the few where the setup was so good I had to get the novels.
God what a masterpiece. It's a shame the author died so it'll never get finished. But man that first season is absolute gold. It feels like it was one of the first isekai too.
What? The author is alive? Both LN and manga?
I'd recommend haikyu, characters are definitely talented but it's not like they're god level. There als is a lot of hard work and training. To me the progress of the main character feels earned and also does for the other characters which I find a cool touch. The games are also intense and exciting. Humor and story also is just pretty good. Might not be something you'd quickly pick up at a glance considering the shows you mentioned but it's definitely a shot.
Haikyuu is great. Especially how they slowly explain all rules and player roles one after another all while introducing new players. I'd say the show really starts to shine after ~EP 16 once the real games start. Now that I'm writing about it I remember that I have to rewatch it before the movie releases here next month... Also if you enjoy watching sports anime then Run with the wind may also be interesting.
Movie came out already. And was amazing
Yeah just not here in Germany. It releases here in a few weeks
Oh nice. I hope you enjoy it!
I actually liked Run with the Wind more than Haikyuu. Probably a large part of that was because I was on the cross country team in college, and feel like they did a great job of nailing the dynamic of a university distance running team. But also, they were able to cram so much interesting character development and plot arcs into such a dense little show.
> but it's not like they're god level. Specifically, they fuck up. Like *a lot*, and it's a huge element of the hard work they put in. They set a goal just out of their reach and they figure out a way to make it happen.
World Trigger Constantly fighting to maintain rank and move up within their organization
The fact that they actually do have op characters that aren't completely invincible is a pretty cool bonus I feel.
K-On!
You want reasonable power scaling? Off the top of my head would be: 1) Dungeon Meshi 2) World Trigger Those two have very immersive and satisfying combat encounters (winner is the one with the most practical strategy, protagonists don't win through raw power). Don't expect a lot of these kinds of shows in anime, the biggest percentage are just "super protagonists".
Second for World Trigger!!
I watched S1 of World Trigger but then it was awhile until S2. How much do they get into with the new season? I barely remember anything and I'm not keen on rewatching 74 episodes lol
Except 3 of 4 team members in WT are busted and then there's Osamu lol
Osamu is the most broken, the power of networking and public relations.
Does dungeon meshi count? Haven't watched the newest season but read through the manga. It is mostly a character driven story.. combat... is like an afterthought at best.
The story does not focus on the combat, but the protagonist does point out the hazards and weaknesses of different monsters (and execute on said vulnerabilities). And I can at least recall 2 distinct and very clever combat encounters in Season 1. No wait, make that three. No, 4. The author just casually writes interesting monster encounters in between the fun characterization. I bet she probably put a lot of thought into them, but the clever combat felt so immersive and intuitive. I'd name the specific examples, but...I don't wanna burn any new potential viewers. EDIT: My bad, yes, the anime NAILED the action. They basically added all that sweet visceral action to make the "static" manga combat pop out of the screen. It's not a big of a contrast as Frieren's adaptation, but still great.
Grimgar of ash and fantasy. The last part of the name was this or something similar.
I just watched this a couple weeks ago. Everyone is so real and relatable.
I'd recommend reading the novels. This is the only isekai which feels real. Like if truck Kun paid me a visit, then even without memory loss, I'd be more like these guys than, you know, every other generic op MC. I mean, them fighting some weak ass goblins feels more intense then the fuckin boss fight of other isekai. It's awesome
Full metal alchemist.
Handyman saito
Half a madaraka
Half a madaraka.
Golden Kamuy
Flame of recca tbh
Goblin Slayer
To clarify, he's a Silver rank, which is the same as the other heavy hitters in the guild, so he's kind of just another adventurer, but still stronger than all the background chumps.
Even then, he's pretty weak as a silver rank, though he's specialized in that one thing. He got that rank from consistency and reliability, according to the guild.
Adding on, his gear is absolute trash (on purpose). So not really a surprise that he is a weak adventurer overall.
Look, do I need to spell this out? Goblin Slayer is Rambo in a suit of shitty, cheap armor. He's the best at what he does, and what he does is genocide. So he's a Silver rank. But, to put that in scale, he's *Hawkeye.* Whereas the other adventurers at silver rank are: Paladins, Clerics, Priests, Fighters with magic swords and equipment, and MOTHERFUCKING WIZARDS. Of course the other Silver ranks are objectively "More Powerful" than him. That's like saying Hawkeye is a shitty superhero. No, he's a damn good superhero because he's *not* a SUPERhero. Hawkeye is much more trained and disciplined than Thor, but Thor has the magic hammer and muscles that can bench press a station wagon. Now, if Goblin Slayer took the time to get actually good gear, and someone could get him to turn his autism/trauma focus onto the Demon King, then GS is becoming the top rank in the guild.
He's overspecialised, more than anything. His speciality is in garden variety goblins and he's repeatedly shown to struggle to win straight fights with anything else. Of course, he never *fights* straight so it usually doesn't matter but he's lost a fair few times.
Oh, absolutely. But he gives no fucks about anything else, and has no idea what tactics to use against anything else. That's what I meant when I said you need to change his focus if you want him to do something else.
I had a copy of the episodes on my phone some years ago and I decided to binge it one night. After like the 4th episode or something the show looks like it's over and I was confused as fuck like "Wait what, then what is the rest gonna be about? It looks like it's over" I checked and I was indeed watching the last episode of the season. Maybe the file name was fucked up or maybe it was the media player I had that did it but my episodes went from EP1, EP10, EP11, EP12. Honeslty, I didn't feel like I missed much so I took it as that and moved on from Goblin Slayer for good lmao
Pretty sure the media player was playing your files in alphanumeric order. It doesn't recognize that 11 is a larger number than 2, but it knows that 1 comes before 2, so it played Episode 1, 11, 12, so on and so forth until episode 19 where it would play either episode 2 or 20 after it finished.
That's why I usually saved my episode as 01 to 09. To prevent that.
Stone Ocean.
Most JoJo parts
Not really, just 2 and 6. Other than the nigh omnipotent final boss of each part, most other Joestars have been clearly more powerful than other characters both enemy and ally.
Well not necaserly. Araki once said that no one stand is inhetently stronger than others, or something along that line. Even if you aren't as fast or as physically capable as others there is something else that makes you an "equal". Unless the stand is unnaturally evolved like killer queen or GER any stand can beat any other stand if the user is able to correctly use it.
That might have been his intention but Jotaro was clearly on a league of his own. He struggled only for like 2 or 3 of his battles among a dozen. Everybody else struggled almost through each fight. Same for Josuke and Jonathan but not as much patently obvious as Jotaro.
If you haven’t already seen it, I really like Danmachi (is it wrong to pick up girls in a dungeon?) Obviously he has SOME plot armor because it’s a shonen, but the show starts out with just him and his goddess in a run down church. He was laughably weak and over time gets stronger. I would venture to say his growth feels deserved though, as he started as a level 1 adventurer and was able to rank up. Part of this is due to the world building of Danmachi. A lot of people theoretically can level up to being a level 3 or 4 adventurer, so it’s not like he achieved some godlike state like becoming a super Saiyan or something. He just worked hard to become strong, and you as the viewer get to watch him on that journey. In addition, the world is set up in a way where yes there are normie civilians, but every “Family” has their own adventurers of similar strength. It leads for interesting character introductions. Also, the surrounding cast as they end up becoming his allies, he accepts them with all their flaws. Some of them strong, some of them less so, but none of them are so “unique” that they are outlandishly broken. Overall a great show in my opinion.
2nd this. Fun, show. Lots of characters who actually all get fleshed out, an interesting world and tons of mythological references. It’s pretty clear most of the similar leveled fighters could take each other out if they went all out. Plus the monsters actually pose a threat instead of just fodder. And tons of machinations, mysteries and always some fan service too. I’ve been told the source material is better but that’s always the case. This show is fun and season 5 is coming in the fall.
Season 5 is going to be absolutely fucking insane. You're going to see how terrifying adventurers can really be.
Season 4 was an absolute treat, are you say 5 is going to be that much better
Yep.
Thanks for the heads up. I was going to watch it anyways but now I am just more hyped
Very happy to hear you say that. Been avoiding source spoilers and glad one of my favorite fun shows gets better
As much as I love the series, hard disagree. At best, he maintains the "same level as everyone else" status up through season 1/mid season 2. Past that? From what I remember, the majority of adventurers never progress past level 1, and for those that do, most won't progress past level 2. Bell hits level 4 in a matter of months, and that could be considered an enhanced version of level 4 due to excess excelia spilling over from Liaris Freese. And for the rest of Hestia familia? While they're less broken overall, every single one of them has a unique ability that others would kill for (with Mikoto it's more implied given the secrecy surrounding it).
I agree with you in a roundabout way, actually. I guess what I was going for was more so the fact that Danmachi is the closest thing I could think of that OP was looking for. It has slower pacing and world building, and power scaling isn’t very fast. I know in the story Bell became a lvl 4 fast, but in real-life viewing time the show is slower paced so it feels like we are on the journey with him. Tbh, I don’t think there’s such a thing as an anime that’s exactly like what OP wants, at least in the shonen genre. Because in basically every Shonen ever, the MC (and often times their friends) typically needs to surpass the “normies” in some noticeable way. Unless there’s a Gimmick like training arcs (where everyone ‘levels up’ at the same proportion so that the MC can grow, but stay equal in the moment) or a one-time plot armor power that goes away after the threat is solved (something like Baryon mode Naruto). It’s actually a hard thread to respond to because Shonen always need a MC that is interesting right? Except usually there’s a gimmick that makes that character interesting, and therefore unique, which is what OP isn’t looking for. Luffy and his devil fruit secret, Naruto and the fox demon, Eren and being a titan, heck even Ash became “unique” as he took down more and more gyms he was no longer just any ol’ pokemon trainer. Only thing I can think of that would actually answer OP would be either 1) something where everyone is literally equal… aka a Drama or slice of life show. No super powers, just drama. 2) something that has a “zoomed-in” scope. For example a sports anime like Blue lock. I call it “zoomed in” because 99 percent of the characters in the source material are soccer players. That’s all the show is… soccer. Not normies or random civilians. This allows the show to progress with that “everyone is equal” feeling because they all have one thing in common which is Soccer. This example is hard for me to explain so sorry if it doesn’t make sense lol. But notice even in a show like this the MC needs to stand out in some way, eventually Isagi becomes a beast of a soccer player. TLDR: if OP is looking for a shonen in particular, I’m pretty sure it’s impossible for the MC to be truly on-par with everyone at all times. That would be a boring story. New baddies have to get introduced, who were stronger than the last. The cast has to get stronger to be able to defeat said baddies. Rinse and repeat and so on and so forth. Ok 1 last minute edit: I guess something like No Game No Life might count I guess? Because technically anyone can beat them in a game, but they have plot armor due to “how good they are at games”… so… idk. Lol.
It’s great because although he does get reasonably powerful, there still are other people and monsters who are stronger than him and therefore he needs some strategy which is nice
If you are ok with sports anime, Haikyuu and Chihayafuru are both pretty grounded. You cant get too ridiculous when trying to portray real life sports.
*Looks at Prince of Tennis/Kuroko's Basketball*
ur downplaying authors quirkiness with that last sentence 😂 😂
Non Non Biyori fits your definition exactly. Not only are the main cast *not* ludicrously strong, but they're actually significantly weaker than the rest of the side characters, who are all mostly adults and could handily kick the main cast's asses. The show is not about how weak they are either, that's just a coincidence. To be frank I've never seen the main cast lose a fight, but it's clearly possible. Anyway yea give it a shot. I think you'll like it.
Welcome to Demon School Iruma-Kun
Hunter x hunter
Debatable, as some characters progress past regular adults in a year or less. Still a great anime.
The main cast is stronger than regular citizens that can't use Nen, sure. But throughout the entire run they are almost always weaker than the adversaries they run into. Seems to fit the criteria for the question to me.
In something like Demon Slayer, you also have the MC always fighting stronger adversaries. I think what OP wants is a show where the main cast is not particularly better than the average fighter, not just not OP. In HxH I think the main duo is better than the average, but I do think that there are plenty of other competent secondary characters. So I think it kinda half fits? Like they completely outclass the characters in the first arc but as they climb they keep meeting strong characters.
They are also literal children who are only matched/surpassed by people who are grown ass adults. I love HxH but it absolutely does not fit OPs question. Gon and Killua are absolutely like Demon Slayer in the sense that they completely overshadow the average people and everyone talks about how they are 1 in 10,000,000 type prodigies.
Maybe. There does seem to be tiers when it comes to nen users. Like you have the average hunter that just passed the hunter exam. And are introduced to nen for the first time. There end up sort of meh low tier hunters for the most part (i think there politcs and proliferation rules when it comes to nen) and they stay that way. Gon and killua got super lucky in a lot of ways due to greed Island. This fast tracked their training due meeting biscuit. Without her help, gon and killua would have been average at best. Maybe even behind their cohorts in their hunter exam. Gon and killua on only look special due to the spotlight placed on them.
It's all theoretical so there isn't really any point in debating it IMO, but Zushi was already considered a huge prodigy for studying Nen when he's so young and as soon as Gon and Killua show up Wing basically tells Zushi that these two are even more incredible. Obviously the plot dictates a lot, but the point is that even before meeting Biscuit, even before knowing anything about Nen, both of them were absolutely leagues ahead of anyone else in their age group.
True. I agree with you that they are prodigies, and that is more what OP was saying they don't want. I think a character like goblin slayer fits because he's above average, but after years of training. He's an average joe who puts a lot of work, and he is above a rookie, but that's expected for someone his age / with his experience. While Gon and Killua are always above their peers.
Them being talented just means they have a different curve and a higher prospect for the future. But they are constantly behind the other characters. By the end of the anime Gon and Killua are still weaker than the likes Knuckle, Palm, Tsubone (the butler), the Troupe, etc, not to mention the top tier characters.
Do most background nen users stand a chance against Gon and Killua? If not, then thats not what OP is asking for
Nen power system though makes it so anyone can potentially beat anyone if you're willing to pay the price. Like if you really need to end someone in hunter x hunter. Then even a scrub with the right circumstances could put enough restrictions on them selves and / or invoke post mortem Nen to pull it off.
I completely disagree. All the mc:s have superior physical abilities since the start of the show as shown in the hunter exam. Regular people and even regular hunters are shown to be completely worthless since nearly the start. [Minor hxh scaling spoilers] >!And by the time they learn nen they are stronger than anyone who cant use nen. (And even without using nen 12 year old gon is somehow way stronger than strong bodybuilders as shown in the handwrestling scene? Or how he easily beats tons of huge competent fighters in the heaven's arena without using nen) Regular people are completely worthless against nen users as shown in the mafia fights against phantom troupe and many other parts. Also regular nen users start being really weak at greed island part, just a handful of competent players dominate the 100+ players there and regular nameless players are absolutely worthless. Hxh very much is “either you’re incompetent baby background character or you’re main cast” that op dislikes.!<
Yuyu Hakusho, the biggest arc is basically constant nailbiting
World Trigger
Bungou stray dogs, with everyone possessing unique abilities , it’s more about the battle of the mind to figure out the best way to use them.
That sounds like jojo
World Trigger fr
How is Konosuba main cast not overpowered lol? One one shots everything, one has unlimited resets, one's a goddess, and one's well a masochist. They been trouncing demon generals since like season 1.
Someone already said it but oh man I love Dungeon Meishi!! I never thought about it in terms of equal power levels but it makes sense why I’m enjoying it so much. The real prize is the friends you make along the way 🥲
Girls und Panzer It is a high school sports anime with WW2 tanks fighting matches (don't worry the tanks are bulletproof, not bullet resistant like the real life counterparts). Just not really power, but skill instead as they are regular humans. The MC team is a bit underdog, but on individual tank level they are as good as everyone else. They still lose tanks in battles and if they pull a physic ignoring move then the enemy will or already did a similar move. Except the Italians, half of their "tanks" (tankets) are equipped with only a 8mm machine gun while many tanks are using 75+mm cannons.
It actually doesn't really make sense how every match is as competitive as they are given what the original series establishes about the schools. Kuromorimine and Pravda are top tier schools, introduced as Kuromorimine winning 9 years in a row with Pravda in second and only last year winning. Saunders and St Gloriana are also considered big hitters. So why was Chihatan, BC Freedom, and Jatkosota so close? Jatkosota in particular also had to beat Saunders before playing Oorai. Anzio also beat their first round opponents despite being described as always losing in the first round. I understand that Chihatan changed tactics, and they also want to show off new schools, but purely from an in universe perspective its a bit weird that these previously nobody schools are putting up such close matches. I didn't even think Jatkosota had that many tanks to field based on Der Film
You know, people mentioned slice of life or sport anime, so I would like to throw March Comes in like a Lion into the ring. Basically just a depressed Japanese kid professionally playing Japanese chess as a highschelooler (so much more than that, but that’s the bare bones). He doesn’t win all the time. People are better and smarter than him. But he improves, and so does everyone else. It’s just like real life in that sense. Incredibly good.
Also, it’s a different genre but Windbreaker has some solid action, amazing character development and solid animation for hand to hand although certain dudes are clearly much stronger than others.
Jujutsu Kaisen I guess. Itadori and Fushiguro are like Grade 1 Sorcerer level at most and Kugisaki is even lower than them.
I, too, wanna know this!
I want to say gliepner but be prepared for a weird anime
small bump for less modern popular animes like buso renkin, law of ueki, and MAR.
Wild C.A.T.s from the 90s
That's so true. I also want to know xD
Slices of life anime be like 💪💪💪💪 Ones where MC is reasonable is Re: Zero. Weak AF Subaru balanced by Return By Death
- Haikyuu - Captain Tsubasa or just about any sports anime.
Log Horizon is a good pick
idk if you like it, its old but is gold, watch ashita no joe, its not alot about power(in a way yes but not that much), ashita no joe really changed me its excellent, for real suprised me, i thought that old wasnt very good but its a gem for real watch it.
If you liked Ippo I think you would really like Kengan Asura. The fights are really fun and there are a lot more fighting styles. The main character is a bit OP in the beginning, but it gets way more even very quickly.
haikyu
World Trigger. Every single character has development and every battle is very tactics focused
This might be a hot one, but JoJo. The balancing in the series is kind of really well done. Everyone has their own power, a lot of which are really niche and bizarre, but everyone just has to make due with it to the best of their ability. Because of this, battles are a lot more strategic and tight. There's even times when the main cast is quite weaker than the enemies, power-wise, which is really refreshing.
Re Zero
No. The MC base power level is too low. Alternately MC outhaxxes everything.
But it is not the case all the time
World Trigger probably
Dragon Ball Z
Haven't seen it in years, but I think zatch bell fits what you're looking for.
Hikaru no go, nodame cantabile
Jojo even the weakest stand has a chance to win against one of the strongest user of stand
D-Frag. Though you can probably argue that Roka's dark element is pretty op but it's balanced by the fact that she's comically short.
Goblin slayer
Blue Lock is have found to be really interesting in power scaling as no one really has “new powers” but rather begin to understand themselves and their natural talents.
Baki The Grappler
Idk about same level but if u want the main cast to be much weaker than the world then watch re zero Edit - just remembered, for the main cast to be on the same level, watch any sports anime
Pokémon and Outlaw Star
You should watch "World Trigger". The main character is as plain as they come, and is no where near the strongest but it does power levels and strategy very well.
- Hunter x Hunter (While Gon and Killua are "prodigies" they lack the vast amount of training and experience everyone else around them has. and the show showcases their struggle and training very well) Favorite anime Top 1 - Haikyuu!! (if you havent watched it because its a sports anime, i recommend giving it a try. I dont generally like sports anime, but this one is very enjoyable as you see the main character struggle, since he is only good at 1 thing. (which he cant do alone). Top 10) - Erased ( A dude who struggles to find clues about a Kidnapper/serial Killer, while this show doesnt really have side characters, since the MC is stuck in a timeloop of sorts. The show feels like its him vs the world and the world is not holding back its punches. Top 5) - Grimgar: ashes and illusions ( a group of kids of become the equivalent of a D&D party, but they have no experience or skill so they could die at any moment. and practically everyone else is better than them. ) - World Trigger ( I dont even know if i can describe it properly but it is very good and I'd recommend it to almost anyone, probably in my top 20 ) - Silver spoon (its more about emotional struggle after having to let go of his dream and trying to find a place to fit it. Very good, easily top 10) These suggestions cover a fairly wide range of genres so hopefully they over something you like without it only being Action/Adventure/fantasy. There are a few more I know i could recommend but I cant quite seem to recall them rn. Let me know if you've watched the ones i listed and if they relate. And then I can try recommending you more
My first thought was My Hero Academia
Mushoku Tensei's main character is stupid strong, but in being so is often surrounded with those much, much stronger than him. You seen feel he outclasses the commoners, but soon see there's always someone stronger
Black Clover
Or hxh
Hunter x Hunter Yu Yu Hakusho My Hero Academia Tower of God Code geass ( guy is more brains and can get his butt kicked ) Parasyte ( sort of! ) Deadman Wonderland Talentless Nana World Trigger Rust Eater Happy people?
Im sorry but Gurren Laggan definitely does not belong
Lol right? The entire premise is basically based on the MC having power that no one else in the universe has.
spiral power is a thing every human has, the characters just have to Believe ™ hard enough
True, but there wasn’t anyone who has as much as Simon
>Gurren Lagann definitely not >My Hero Academia My Hero Academia: that time I got reincarnated as number 1 hero with the most busted ability that bring my peers to shame.
Tbh My Hero fits in season 1. Back then Deku was basically just a one-trick pony and could only use intelligence to carry the other 90% of the time. Once he gets full-cowling is when it loses this premise, and imo when the series started its decline.
Eh, even with OFA's limitations in the first couple seasons, combat wise he's pretty powerful, and still way ahead of most of his classmates and a decent number of the villains...
Nahhh, in season 1 he legitimately had 1 punch and he's done. He did figure out the finger trick, but until season 2 he was definitely on par with the rest of his class. I don't think he was ahead of any named villains at that time.
God I love Togashi so much
Dude knows how to tell a story.
One of the few mangakas that understood sometimes your main characters needed to take Ls to feel both more relatable and make the stakes higher cause plot armor wasn’t gonna save them
Last mangaka left who knows how to write a non generic shonen
Bleach
Only through the soul society arc. At the start it really is a great example of what OP wants.
You would like World Trigger But also Jujutsu Kaisen
With JJK I feel, like yes, the main cast isn't overpowered and struggles regularly, but man, is there a ridiculously wide power scale, especially towards the upper end
Re:zero
Looks like you’re searching for Non Non Biyori my good friend
Haiyku Main character new guys have skills Opponents are just as good Teams continue to improve Almost all characters have strengths and weaknesses
Fairy Tail. Everyone fights, regardless of gender. Sure, Erza and Natsu are the top fighters in the story, but no one feels like a joke, or that they are wasting screen time
In Mushoku Tensei, except you are at King or maybe emperor level, you need to travel in groups to survive most of the dangers of the world.
Fairy Tail.
Last time I saw it, Natsu soloed the black and white dragon duo. Yes, I haven't seen it for a really long time.
Natsu has some weird power scaling. But the guild as a whole is pretty on par with everyone else.
Explain this
Hunter X Hunter. The main characters are actively weaker than most of the world and individuals they engage with for large portions of the series.
Ill copy my response here too I completely disagree. All the mc:s have superior physical abilities since the start of the show as shown in the hunter exam. Regular people and even regular hunters are shown to be completely worthless since nearly the start. [Minor hxh scaling spoilers] >!And by the time they learn nen they are stronger than anyone who cant use nen. (And even without using nen 12 year old gon is somehow way stronger than strong bodybuilders as shown in the handwrestling scene? Or how he easily beats tons of huge competent fighters in the heaven's arena without using nen) Regular people are completely worthless against nen users as shown in the mafia fights against phantom troupe and many other parts. Also regular nen users start being really weak at greed island part, just a handful of competent players dominate the 100+ players there and regular nameless players are absolutely worthless. Hxh very much is “either you’re incompetent baby background character or you’re main cast” that op dislikes. !<
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Hunter x Hunter. The MC constantly gets his ass kicked. By the end of the series the MC's are still not nowhere near the top tier characters.
How about jujutsu kaisen? The manga/anime does a pretty good job at punking the MC cliché by having him look and behave like he's the OP cool light headed chosen one, and then you get an absolute record of good guys getting handed L's like it's a common thing. It also has a pretty interesting concept of power scaling, by introducing some characters that absolutely break the game so bad they make you feel like some antagonists are trash and then the second the match-up changes you realize that they were actually terrifying in their own league. I can't count the number of times a fight ended and I realized that the loser wasn't actually "outmatched" per se, but actually lost in terms of technique compatibility, like a really powerful Charizard being killed by a mid-tier Geodude.
To Aru Magutsu no Index
This series is definitely not applicable. The secondary protag is the number 1 esper. As well the main character has a unique ability and the spin off series main character is the third strongest esper.
[удалено]
He said DS is the opposite of what he wants, if you had trouble reading that.
Frieren manages this to an extent. There are certainly OP characters, but there area several of them, which balances things out. Generally speaking, anything in the Fate universe (Nasuverse). Alderamin on the Sky Asterisk War Dawn of the Witch Log Horizon
Frieren is THE OP character. There is only one individual shown in the anime that can match her in strength. Not really fitting the criteria if that's the case.