One surefire way to make a show gain popularity is by giving it an immensely powerful protagonist. While protagonists with great backstories are lauded by viewers, it is the characters with unique and lethal powers who most often steal the spotlight.
Due to the popularity of the trope, more and more mangaka started using it in their work. It reached the point where it became difficult to find a series without an overpowered protagonist. However, there are certain anime series that do not have a main character that falls into that category.
7Berserk
Kentarou Miura’s seinen manga has become immensely popular because of its incredible world-building and an even better cast of characters.Berserkfocuses on the story of Guts, a lonely mercenary who finds solace with his blade.
Guts suffered several betrayals in his life, but none of them could have prepared him for what Griffith was going to do to him and his love interest. Guts is driven by revenge, and because of that, he solely focuses on killing monsters. While Guts is stronger than most humans, he is nowhere near the level of Griffith and the other members of the God Hand, who are the main antagonists in the series.
6Tokyo Revengers
Check it out on Crunchyroll!
Tokyo Revengersis an amazing work of fiction based on the manga of the same name by Ken Wakui. Even though the manga has ended, the series' popularity has continued to increase. It is mainly due to the way the characters have been presented by the author.
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At the center of the story is aman named Takemichi, an introvert with little to no success in life. After being pushed in front of a train, Takemichi is sent back to his high school days. Despite lacking physical strength, Takemichi manages to join the Tokyo Manji Gang. He continues to fight against all odds in order to change the future, but he has to seek the help of others due to his limitations.Tokyo Revengersoffers a riveting story with an extremely weak protagonist, thus subverting the usual trope.
5Slam Dunk
Slam Dunkis a sports anime, and its importance in the industry cannot be overstated. Based on Takehiko Inoue’s manga,Slam Dunkdelves intothe life of Sakuragi, a high school delinquent who is rejected a record 50 times. However, his high failure rate doesn’t stop Sakuragi from approaching Haruko.
After he learns about her love for basketball, Sakuragi tries his hand at the sport, only to put up a laughable performance. While Sakuragi is the main protagonist of the series, there are still tons of players who are better at the sport. Even his rival, Kaede Rukawa, is on a completely different level from him.
4Pokemon
Check it out on Netflix!
Pokemonis one of the biggest franchises in the world. The manga has inspired multiple anime adaptations, movies, and video game titles. The majority of thePokemonanime covers the journey of Ash Ketchum, a young boy who dreams of becoming the greatest Pokemon Master.
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Ash fails to achieve his goal multiple times, but he is never disheartened. Considering he is the main lead, it seems a bit bizarre that he didn’t win a major championship for several decades.
3Goblin Slayer
The world ofGoblin Slayeris filled with all types of monsters, but it is the goblins who cause the most damage. Goblins overwhelm entire groups with their massive numbers, which makes them frightening opponents. However, one man arises to kill the pesky creatures on his own.
The man is called Goblin Slayer, but he has no special powers that enable him to get rid of these monsters. In fact, he requires extensive training and help from other individuals to curb them.Goblin Slayeris an elegant but grim tale, and there are many incidents in the story that are deeply disturbing. So, one should watch the anime at their own discretion.
2Monster
Monster, one of the greatest anime series of all time, is basedon Naoki Urasawa’s manga. The anime is almost perfect, and it does not have any glaring flaws. The gripping plot ensures that viewers don’t stop at just one episode. It leaves the audience wanting to see more.
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The main protagonist of the story is Kenzo Tenma, a surgeon who earns a lot of fame due to his skills. Tenma’s life changes when he decides to save the life of a young boy. Years later, strange murders start happening around Tenma, and they are all related to the same young boy. Tenma is not overpowered in the sense that he has no special powers or any extraordinary physical strength. He is just a regular human.
1Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable
Check it out on Hulu!
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventureis known for lots of things, including great characters, storylines, and eccentric powers. NoJoJopart can be considered normal, as there are several outlandish aspects.Diamond is Unbreakable, or Part 4, is no exception either.
This part follows Josuke Higashikata, the son of Joseph Joestar. Josuke possesses Crazy Diamond, which is a pretty strong Stand, but it is rather limited. The Stand can only heal other people, and considering the malevolent villains present in the series, it puts young Josuke at a serious disadvantage. Josuke has to be extremely careful, and by thestandards set by otherJoJoprotagonists, Josuke is not overpowered by any means.
