Anime’s Best Underdogs Who Never Needed Overpowered Abilities to Win Fans
A good underdog exists in a story where all the odds are against them, where they have always been looked down upon for lacking a certain something. In a society obsessed with super-powers, several popular anime, like My Hero Academia, center on a character who has no super-powers in a world filled with them. At first, the thought of watching someone without powers become the greatest hero without supernatural abilities was tantalizing, only to have them be given the greatest superpower in history deflated the underdog concept. But other stories have gone a different route.
Despite the fact that he could not draw upon the inner chakras that other ninja used to execute supernatural techniques in Naruto's world, Rock Lee did not let that stop him from achieving his dream of becoming a splendid ninja. After he was introduced in Naruto episode #21 and viewers learned of his backstory, Rock Lee became the symbol of hard work with his dedication to hardcore physical training and the martial arts.
The story centered on the violent and disrespectful high schooler, Yusuke Urameshi. After proving to have a good heart by sacrificing himself to save a young child, Yusuke is given the chance at another life by agreeing to fight demons as heaven's Spirit Detective. That trash-talking punk provided an entertaining edge not found in other series, and was balanced out extremely well by the spotlight-stealing doofus, Kuwabara.
Like Yu Yu Hakusho's main character, Kuwabara learned to control and weaponize his own spiritual energy, but instead of Yusuke's iconic Spirit Gun, he was able to manifest his energy into a Spirit Sword with many creative alterations.
While Kuwabara often seemed like a loud-mouth dork, his courageous and stubborn nature helped him win against seemingly incredible odds consistently throughout the series. While he started as Yusuke's punching bag, determined to prove his worth, Kuwabara charmed his way into viewers' minds with his honorable deeds and an unforgettable voice-over performance from Dragon Ball legend Christopher Sabat.
Many of One Piece's strongest Devil Fruits allow its cast to do incredible things like manipulate elements, transform their bodies, and even break reality to a certain degree. Any normal person would see such feats and promptly be overwhelmed by the danger. Still, despite living in a much more frightening world, Usopp pursues his dream of becoming a brave warrior of the sea and leaves his home island to adventure with Luffy.
Rock Lee and Naruto
Naruto is one of the world's most popular anime and best-selling stories of all time, but he’s arguably not the franchise’s most beloved character. Throughout the orphan's adventures, audiences see Naruto grow from a loudmouthed brat into the most respected ninja of his village. There are several moments where the series' main character fills the role of an underdog, but as his peers began to respect Naruto's growing abilities, the franchise saw the rise of another character who had a serious handicap in the magical ninja-filled world: Rock Lee.Despite the fact that he could not draw upon the inner chakras that other ninja used to execute supernatural techniques in Naruto's world, Rock Lee did not let that stop him from achieving his dream of becoming a splendid ninja. After he was introduced in Naruto episode #21 and viewers learned of his backstory, Rock Lee became the symbol of hard work with his dedication to hardcore physical training and the martial arts.
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Kuwabara and Yusuke
While Dragon Ball Z was a juggernaut of popularity, only one other classic 90s anime earned the obsessive attention of viewers and ratings in the growing entertainment medium: Yoshihiro Togashi's Yu Yu Hakusho .The story centered on the violent and disrespectful high schooler, Yusuke Urameshi. After proving to have a good heart by sacrificing himself to save a young child, Yusuke is given the chance at another life by agreeing to fight demons as heaven's Spirit Detective. That trash-talking punk provided an entertaining edge not found in other series, and was balanced out extremely well by the spotlight-stealing doofus, Kuwabara.
Like Yu Yu Hakusho's main character, Kuwabara learned to control and weaponize his own spiritual energy, but instead of Yusuke's iconic Spirit Gun, he was able to manifest his energy into a Spirit Sword with many creative alterations.
While Kuwabara often seemed like a loud-mouth dork, his courageous and stubborn nature helped him win against seemingly incredible odds consistently throughout the series. While he started as Yusuke's punching bag, determined to prove his worth, Kuwabara charmed his way into viewers' minds with his honorable deeds and an unforgettable voice-over performance from Dragon Ball legend Christopher Sabat.
Usopp and Luffy
With One Piece being one of the world's best-selling manga, it's a series that needs no introduction. Its unmatched world-building and narratively rich arcs certainly contribute to its ongoing success, but arguably it's its character writing that really fills the series' sails. Monkey D. Luffy's infectious optimism and thirst for adventure attract countless souls to enjoy Eiichiro Oda's epic tale, but it's the role of relatable everyman represented by Usopp who helps ground audiences so effectively in the super-powered pirate-filled world.Many of One Piece's strongest Devil Fruits allow its cast to do incredible things like manipulate elements, transform their bodies, and even break reality to a certain degree. Any normal person would see such feats and promptly be overwhelmed by the danger. Still, despite living in a much more frightening world, Usopp pursues his dream of becoming a brave warrior of the sea and leaves his home island to adventure with Luffy.
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