Anime, Manga and Light Novel with Badass Main Character

As some of you may or may not have noticed from one of my previous article, Overpowered Main Character - Anime, Manga and Light Novel, I love overpowered main characters. However, some protagonist are just way more badass than others and I’ve decided to make a list of all badass and occasionally arrogant MC that I have seen or read throughout the hundreds of series I’ve watched. By the way, the ones I will mention are only main characters and not secondary characters.

Anime

  • Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei (The Irregular at Magic High School): Tatsuya tries his best to hide is powers, but when he has to use it, he’ll use it – and he’ll do it with style. Not only is he extremely powerful, but the atmosphere of this serie is very suitable for people who enjoy main characters who are simply domineering in every aspect.
  • Mondaiji-tachi ga Isekai kara Kuru Sou Desu yo?: Despite being a short serie, the protagonist Izayoi Sakamaki is extremely arrogant and does what he wants to do – with his fists.
  • Sword Art Online (Arc 1): Alright, I know I’ll get a lot of shit for this one, but Kirito did have his badass moments. Being one of the strongest player in SAO’s universe, having some badass moments has its perks. Here’s an example:

Kirito vs Titan’s Hand

  • Hellsing: Alucard has to be in the list, because he’s Alucard.
  • Hokuto no Ken (Fist of the North Star): It’s an old serie and it’s not my favorite serie either, but the main character is undeniably a badass.
  • Darker than Black
  • Ghost in the Shell: Badass female MC.
  • Claymore (same as above)
  • Cowboy Bebop
  • One Outs: It’s a sport anime, I usually don’t watch sport animes, but the main character is one hell of a badass.
  • Rurouni Kenshin: Yes, yes I know, he’s a peace-loving fella, but when he gets serious, he’s definitely a badass.
  • Durarara: Shizuo, one of the main character, has a very destructive temper. It’s not one of my favorite anime, but if the anime was focused more on Shizuo and less on the other characters, I’d probably rank this one higher.
  • Berserk
  • Shokugeki no Soma: This one is just there for the sake of it. While it is a cooking anime, the main character has that kind of badass laid-back attitude which makes it seems like no matter his situation, he’ll always end up on top. It’s not a very serious anime either.
  • Youkoso Jitsuryoku Shijou Shugi no Kyoushitsu e (Classroom of the Elite): Though the main character is more of the I don’t care type, he definitely fits in this list.

Manga

  • Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei (The Irregular at Magic High School) (see Anime section)
  • Noblesse: Although the main character himself does not behave in an arrogant manner, his completely tyrannical powers speaks for themselves, not to mention his servant, Frankenstein, who is quite arrogant. I know this is biased, but just the main character on his own is so powerful that he has his moments.
  • Rain
  • The Breaker
  • AIKI: Don’t give up after watching 2-3 chapters, I also didn’t like the first few chapters. This serie is about a martial artist that had most of his powers ‘sealed’, but despite his powers being significantly lowered, he’s still not somebody to be trifled with.
  • Berserk (see Anime section)
  • Shokugeki no Soma (see Anime section)

Light Novel

  • Emperor’s Domination
  • Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei: (see Anime section) This was the first light novel that I read, aside from LMS
  • Martial God Asura: OP MC, weak to strong but always the strongest within his age group. He knows how to anger people.
  • Chaotic Sword God: I hesitated about adding this one to the list. While he is a badass, it’s also easy to mistake ‘ruthless’ and ‘badass’ in this serie. The main character leaves a very thick track of blood behind throughout the whole serie (so far). Everybody that gets on his bad side will regret it sooner or later.
  • I Shall Seal the Heavens