Top 10 Strongest Elderly Anime Characters

For the Top 10 Strongest Elderly Anime Characters lists, I’m limiting the number of characters from each series to one, for the sake of series diversity. Also my definition of elderly is age and appearance. Old characters like Alucard from Hellsing don’t qualify.

10 – Gran Torino

Series: My Hero Academia

Age: Unknown

Gran Torino also known as Sorahiko Torino is an elderly retired Pro hero and a mentor to Toshinori Yagi (All Might) and Izuku Midoriya (Deku). Despite his retirement he continues to aid the Police Force in fighting the League of Villains. When Torino was younger he was handsome and tall, however he got shorter as he aged.

Despite his age, Gran Torino remains a powerful hero. He was born with the Quirk, Jet. This Quirk allows him to increase his speed with the jet’s that shoot air from his feet. Along with speed he gains immense kicking power. However, Torino’s speed has limits. He cannot propel himself to far in the air without running out of air. Gran Torino has shown super strength, having once struck All Might so hard he vomited. Even with his advanced age he could handle a low-tier Nomu alone.

Best Battle Moment:

Hospital Raid Team & Trainees vs. Tomura Shigaraki

9 – Naobito Zenin

Series: Jujutsu Kaisen

Age: 71

Naobito Zenin is the 26th head of the Zenin Family, father of Naoya Zenin. He’s a supporting character and special grade 1 jujutsu sorcerer. He refuses to recognize Maki and Mai because they weren’t born with cursed energy. Naobito is arrogant alcoholic with sexist views. He decided to take a nap during the Shibuya Incident, rather than fight transfigured humans with Maki.

Like all special grade 1 sorcerers, Naobito has amazing abilities. Between Nanami, Maki, and himself, Naobito was the only one who could damage Dagon. He’s a master of hand to hand combat, able to engage in close quarters combat with opponents. Naobito can attack with quick and powerful kicks and punches. He also has a keen tactical intellect. AS the head of the Zenin family, Naobito has a massive amount of cursed energy. His inherited technique, Projection sorcery allows him to “divide one second into twenty-four frames and trace a predetermined set of movements to execute in that second.”

Best Battle Moment:

Jujutsu Sorcerers vs. Dagon

8 – Bang

Series: One Punch Man

Age: 81

Bang or Silver Fang is a profession hero and martial artists. He is the 3rd highest ranked S-Class hero and is one of the strongest overall heroes. Besides his brother, Bomb, Bang is one of the two “greatest masters of the martial arts.” Bang is normally calm and believes heroes should practice good ethics. Bang is always searching for new disciples to succeed him. He has set his sights on recruiting Saitama and Genos.

Bang is considered to be an exceptional fighter even among S-Class heroes. Garou has stated that “Demon-level beings like Bug God and Royal Ripper are nothing compared to his former master.” Despite being past his prime he’s still considered to be the greatest martial artists and the one of the physically strongest heroes. Bang has immense strength, speed, reflexes, durability, stamina, and endurance.

Best Battle Moment:

Garou vs. Bang and Bomb

7 – Yoshimura

Series: Tokyo Ghoul

Age: Unknown

Yoshimura is an SSS-rated ghoul and manager of the Anteiku café. He aids ghoul that can’t or won’t hunt and kill humans. He takes in Ken Kaneki and teaches him to live as a ghoul. His ghoul masks covers half his face. Despite his reputation, Yoshimura is kind and generous. He views humans and ghouls as equals.

As a ghoul, Yoshimura has an ukaku kagune and a kakuja obtained from cannibalization. His Ukaku Kakuja specialize in avoiding the limits of traditional Kakuja, sharpening into large scimitar blades. Yoshimura is able to “parry incoming attacks, and strike back synchronously,” and it’s almost “impossible” to escape his reach. He also has superhuman speed, regeneration, durability, and a high pain tolerance.

Best Battle Moment:

Owl Suppression Operation

6 – Genkai

Series: Yu Yu Hakusho

Age: Over 70

The only woman on the lists, Genkai is the master of Yusuke Urameshi and Kazuma Kuwabara. Genkai put her mind and body through training, learning to create and control her spirit wave orb. She’s pragmatic, which often comes across as being cold. Genkai’s personality is what helped her achieve her power. She isn’t without compassion however. During the Dark Tournament, she used her spiritual powers to free enslaved humans under mind control.

Genkai is one of the most powerful characters of Yu Yu Hakusho. Her age cost her some of her power but her experience remains. She substitutes her loss of strength with her tactical skills. Her eventual killer, Toguro, praised her claiming “all tactics are useless against her.” Her spirit wave uses the “body as a center for spirit energy.” This makes the human body a weapon and one could return to the time when they were the strongest. According to Genkai, the Spirit Wave grants users the ability to “healing wounds, purification, and even unleashing a massive blast of Spirit Energy powerful enough to blast apart mountains.”

Best Battle Moment:

Genkai vs Shishiwakamaru

5 – Kaiou Kaku

Series: Baki

Age: 146

Kaiou Kaku is the greatest Supreme Grandmaster of Chinese Kenpo and the captain of the Chinese Team representing China in the Raitai Tournament. Kaku is considered “ruthless” and prideful in Chinese Martial Arts. When the Chinese fighters in the Raitai underperform, he slices off the hands of three Chinese Association elders. To gain his strength he “abandoned all joys of life.”

Kaku is the strongest of all Kaiou, except Yuujiro. After training for over a century there’s very little he doesn’t know about martial arts. He’s capable of slicing off limbs with a chop of his hands. Despite his age, Kaku has profound durability and stamina. His primary technique is called Shaorii. This technique produces hypoesthesia: “which allows Kaku Kaiou to absorb the whole body weight of his attacker.”

Best Battle Moment:

Kaiou Kaku vs Yuujiro Hanma

4 – Hiruzen Sarutobi

Series: Naruto

Age: 69

The Third Hokage, Sarutobi was called the “God of Shinobi.” The student of the previous Hokage, Sarutobi would go on to train the Three Sannin. Hiruzen was among the first generation of ninja produced in Konoha. Early in his training, Sarutobi was clearly a genius. He viewed all the people of Konoha as members of a family. Sarutobi was a pacifist and while some saw him as weak, he did permit Danzo to create a black-op Anbu force.

Sarutobi became Hokage at a young age and was the most powerful ninja from his generation. Like many on this list, his skills deteriorated with old age. However, he was still able to handle Oorochimaru and reincarnated version of the First and Second Hokage before dying. Oorochimaru suggested that ” had Hiruzen been ten years younger, he would’ve won.”

Best Battle Moment:

Third Hokage verses Oorochimaru

3 – Genryusai Yamamoto

Series: Bleach

Age: 2100 +

Captain-Commander Yamamoto was the captain of the 1st Division and the commander of the Gotei 13. Yamamoto values the rules and laws of Soul Society and expect that others need to do the same. He is intolerant of insubordination and is quickly angered by betrayal. His loyalty to Soul Society is such that he’s willing to die and risk the lives of others to protect it. Despite his sternness, he can have compassion for others even enemies. He was saddened to have to kill Wonderweiss Margela due to his childish demeaner.

A 1000 years ago Yamamoto considered himself a “monster” having caused Soul Society’s instability. He was willing to use any means to defeat his enemies. Yamamoto is the considered the most powerful swordsman in Soul Society. He was able to fight two other captains, Shunsui Kyoraku and Jushiro Ukitake, at the same time without injury. Yamamoto is a Master Swordsman, Hakuda Master, Master Strategist, and Tactician. His Zanpakuto, Ryujin Jakka, is the “greatest offensive power than all other Zanpakutō in Soul Society.”

Best Battle Moment:

Yamamoto vs Yhwach

2 – Isaac Netero

Series: Hunter X Hunter

Age: 110

Isaac Netero is the 12th Chairman of the Hunter Association and the Head of the Exam Commission. Netero was playful and occasionally absentminded. Biscuit Krueger called Netero a “twisted individual”, sometimes giving hunters “impossible” tasks. He dedicated his life to martial arts and prayer. His goal in life was to “find a worthy adversary against whom he could fight with his all.”

Morel claims “if Netero cannot defeat an opponent, then no one in the entire Hunter Association can.” Netero is capable of unleashes punches as fast as the speed of sound. His speed is considered to be greater than any other character in Hunter X Hunter. By “clasping his hands,” Netero can strike his opponents with one of his Guanyin’s hands. The whole movement takes 0.1 seconds. Netero’s 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva is his most powerful Nen ability. A single strike from bodhisattva is capable of sending Neferpitou a great distance without her being able to react. His 100-Type Guanyin also has a great deal of variety. Netero was considered to be “the world’s most powerful Nen user.”

Best Battle Moment:

Isaac vs. Meruem

1 – Whitebeard

Series: One Piece

Age: 72

Edward Newgate also known as Whitebeard. He was the captain of the Whitebeard Pirates and until his death was considered the “Strongest Man in the World.” He was an orphan and later a member of the infamous Rocks Pirates. Whitebeard would become known as one of the Four Emperors that ruled the seas. Whitebeard was so strong that he had the highest bounty of a living pirate and the second highest bounty of any pirate.

Whitebeards strength was greater than a giants. During the Summit War of Marineford, Whitebeard was able to “block a two-handed downward swing from the giant Vice Admiral John Giant with only one hand on his naginata.” He could move at incredible speeds, jump high enough to reach giants, and had tremendous pain tolerance. During the war he sustained a number of life threating injuries and continued to fight.

This doesn’t include what he could do with his devil fruit ability, Gura Gura no Mi. With it, Whitebeard could generate quakes and shockwaves. His devil fruit was considered to be the strongest in the Paramecia class. Sengoku suggested Whitebeard had the power to “destroy the world.” Whitebeard could use his power to “to shake, rupture, and tilt the landscape itself,” causing massive earthquakes and even tsunamis.