There are plenty of debates in the anime community regarding who the fastest anime characters are. However, due to the nature of many anime and the way many Shonen series tend to have their main characters possess superhuman speed and/or superhuman strength, it can become a bit tricky. In this list, we separate the best from the rest.
10. Demon Slayer – Zenitsu Agatsuma
Who is he? Even though Zenitsu Agatsuma (one of the best Demon Slayer characters) is quite a coward when awake, the astounding thing about him is that he is powerful once unconscious. He unlocks incredible speed and can close short distances in the blink of an eye. As one of the strongest characters in the show, this should come as no surprise.
How fast is he? As seen in his battle against Daki, the upper-moon demon the group faced in the show’s second season, he reached high speeds that resulted in him attacking and cutting down his opponent in a matter of seconds. Furthermore, as a lightning user, he shows an impressive play of his special abilities, moving even faster than he does in the manga.
9. Naruto – Minato Namikaze
Who is he? As the father of Naruto Uzumaki, it is no surprise that Minato easily qualifies as one of the fastest anime characters of all time. He is known as Konoha’s Yellow Flash for his ability to reach light speed using his flying thunder god technique. However, the only downside to his unique jitsu is the fact that he must mark a location he would like to teleport to with a special chakra seal.
How fast is he? While his speed classifies as ‘instant’, it is still challenging to achieve this if there are prior requirements or planning that need to be met, hence his place number nine on this list. But to be considered the fastest shinobi of all time, it only makes sense to be considered one of the quickest anime characters of all time, too.
8. Hamatora – Nice
Who is he? Travelling at the speed of sound is quite impressive and can easily make for one of the strongest characters on the show. This is true in the case of Nice, a detective who works for the Hamatora Detective Agency.
How fast is he? As a minimum holder, Nice possesses the ability to turn himself into pure sound waves and travel at the speed of sound. And while this makes his ability sound OP, he must wear either yellow or green headphones to achieve this.
7. Hunter x Hunter – Killua Zoldyck
Who is he? Recognized as one of the fastest characters within the Hunter x Hunter universe, Killua’s Nen abilities are awe-inspiring. Everyone cheered the young Zoldyck assassin on as he gave Menthuthuyoupi a run for his money during the Chimera Ant Arc. This is in addition to how incredibly cool Killua looks when he is powered up.
How fast is he? His Godspeed technique allows him to travel at speeds of up to 550mph, which is faster than the speed of sound. He reaches the speed of lightning, and his reaction times are impeccable. This is a remarkable ability to have, primarily when he engages in combat.
6. Assassination Classroom – Koro Sensei
Who is he? Many of Koro Sensei’s abilities are impressive, and if this were a list that ranked OP characters, he would easily make one of the top spots. He appears as an afterimage to the human eye, which is what makes this possible. Although he sports the appearance of an octopus, there is far more than meets the eye with this specific character.
How fast is he? In terms of speed, he is pretty skilled, being able to travel at speeds of up to Mach 20. To put it simply, that is twenty times the speed of sound, which explains how he can effortlessly evade the attacks of all the assassins in his class and how he can teach multiple students at once.
5. Bleach – Ichigo Kurosaki
Who is he? In Bleach, Ichigo Kurosaki received training from Yoruichi Shihouin, nicknamed the Flash Goddess for her incredible and unmatchable speed.
How fast is he? Whereas Koro Sensei could hit speeds twenty times the speed of light, Ichigo does better by hitting speeds up to Mach 286, which is over ten times faster than the Yellow Tentacled teacher. This is an insane speed and speaks volumes to his physical abilities. And it is funny that this is just one component of his overall power, considering he is a high school student who started as a substitute Shinigami.
4. Fire Force – Sho Kusakabe
Who is he? Sho is the younger brother of Fire Force‘s protagonist, Shinra Kusakabe. Sho possesses powerful pyrokinetic abilities and is a Third-Generation pyrokinetic capable of manipulating flames.
How fast is he? Although Sho can only use his Ignition Ability for a few seconds at a time, the power is quite impressive. His ability allows him to reduce the heat from the natural expansion of the universe, which in turn slows down time considerably. So, while Sho can do this, the world around him becomes dormant from his perspective, whereas he is seemingly teleporting from a spectator’s point of view. It is pretty impressive that he was able to keep up with Shinra, which caused the guy to panic a bit because of how well he was handling himself.
3. One Punch Man – Saitama
Who is he? Saitama could arguably be higher on this list, considering he is a parody character who represents other OP characters such as Goku, Superman, etc. That being said, he is extremely strong, the strongest in his respective universe (find out more about how strong he is here). In fact, he cannot find a worthy opponent and gets bored quickly. For example, in his fight with Boros, fans see him get knocked to the moon and get back to earth in under 2 seconds, which means he travels way faster than any other character listed so far.
How fast is he? His current speed standing is 256km/s, which means that he is 752 times faster than the speed of sound, which is insanely scary. Hopefully, fans will see more of his incredible abilities in season 3 of One Punch Man.
2. The Disastrous Life of Saiki K – Kusuo Saiki
Who is he? While this comedy anime is a slice-of-life, and audiences are not granted much action to gauge Saiki’s abilities, there are some ways of figuring out how fast he is. If you have seen the show, you would know that he already possesses an insane number of abilities, allowing him to overcome many of the contenders on this list easily.
How fast is he? In terms of speed, Saiki reigns superior so far, travelling from Tokyo to Washington D.C. in under 1 second. He stands at a travelling rate of 1200km/s, meaning he can travel at a Mach of 3555.
Keep in mind that this is Saiki’s speed while wearing his limiters. If he removed them, there is no telling just how fast he would be able to travel. Furthermore, meeting him in battle would be suicide if you consider his other abilities, such as clairvoyance and time travel. This means that he could see an opponent’s move or the outcome of a battle before it even begins and prove himself the victor. So perhaps Saitama would finally meet his match in Saiki.
1. Dragon Ball Z – Whis
Who is he? It should come as no surprise that the number one spot on this list goes to a character from one of the biggest anime series to date. It would make sense that the Guide Angel Attendant of Beerus, God of Destruction, would be highly OP. So, when it comes down to a head-to-head fight, all Whis would require is his speed to win. And why not? He is a god, after all.
How fast is he? Whis can travel at five septillion times the speed of light, which is insane. Fair enough, this is only when he uses his Autonomous Ultra Instinct ability. However, similar to Saiki, this is only one ability in a sea of other powers he possesses.
Who do you think is the fastest anime character of all time?
