Something that always makes for a great anime is a great power system; as entertaining as mindless action can be, when there’s a specific system that everyone draws their powers from, it becomes far easier to understand what’s possible for the cast, and that level of understanding does wonders to help fans get invested in every conflict.
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Whether it’s something refreshingly simple or delightfully complicated, a good power system can make or break an action anime, and the best action anime are almost always the ones with the best rules to their worlds. In that regard, a few anime power systems especially stand out, and it’s plenty easy to see why they’ve all become so iconic.
10) Spiritual Energy (Bleach)
Spiritual energy, also known as “reiryoku,” is the primary energy source of Studio Pierrot’s Bleach. By controlling the spiritual energy in both their bodies and the environment, characters like Soul Reapers, Fullbringers, and Quincies can heighten their physical strength and call forth powerful weapons and abilities, and having enough spiritual energy can defeat people with pressure alone.
While spiritual energy isn’t that complex, the wide array of abilities offered by both its basic form and higher applications still makes it highly engaging, especially when characters from two different factions fight and apply it in different ways. Power systems are often hard to pull off, but Bleach more than succeeds, thanks in large part to being so simple.
9) Quirks (My Hero Academia)
Bones Film’s My Hero Academia takes place in a world where the majority of people possess superhuman abilities called “Quirks.” Quirks typically allow a person to create something or transform themselves in exchange for some sort of physical limitation, and this has led to the world becoming one where superheroes and supervillains are a natural part of life.
Just like Western superhero comics, Quirks have an incredible variety of powers and applications, resulting in battles that always have a great deal of creativity to them, even as they undergo constant escalation. It’s a power system that helped redefine modern anime by bringing an equivalent of X-Men’s mutant power lore to the genre – and that’s unlikely to change, even as My Hero Academia enters its final season.
8) Chakra (Naruto)
“Chakra” is the power system of Studio Pierrot’s Naruto and its sequels. Loosely based on the real-life concept of the same name, ninjas in Naruto amass chakra by combining physical and spiritual energy within themselves and then weaponizing it in various ways, most notably for activating powerful jutsu in battle.
Chakra is another power system that, while being relatively simple, works because of how its simplicity allows for an incredible variety in techniques and overall action. Later arcs are often accused of making the action too over-the-top, but if anything, it’s a perfect showcase of how much is possible with a simple powers concept.
7) Devil Fruits (One Piece)
Toei Animation’s One Piece has two primary power systems: an energy force called Haki and, most notably, mysterious objects called “Devil Fruits.” Anyone who eats a Devil Fruit will gain a random power that can either be worthless or incredibly overpowered, but in addition to each Devil Fruit having specific weaknesses, they always rob someone of the ability to swim.
The wide variety of Devil Fruits and their surprising depth always result in a lot of variety in One Piece’s action, and when combined with Haki, their strength and potential only become greater. One Piece is known for having some of the most creative and lively action in shonen anime, and Devil Fruits are the biggest reason for that.
6) Alchemy (Fullmetal Alchemist)
Bones Film’s Fullmetal Alchemist takes place in a world that revolves around the art of alchemy. Unlike in real life, where alchemy was more of a philosophy, Fullmetal Alchemist makes alchemy an actual force that people can use to transmute and weaponize physical objects, although the philosophical elements are still a key part of its foundation.
With all the intricate rules about how alchemy functions within the law of transmutation, alchemy in Fullmetal Alchemist does a great job of being a slightly complex power system built on concepts easy enough for anyone to understand. Fullmetal Alchemist is famous for its clever writing, and the handling of alchemy is a major part of that.
5) Vital Instruments (Gachiakuta)
“Vital Instruments” are the weapons used in Bones Film’s Gachiakuta. When an object that holds value for a person accumulates significant amounts of Anima, an energy source derived from thoughts and emotions, that person becomes a Giver and can transform the object into a Vital Instrument, which alters its physical appearance and grants it some form of supernatural ability.
Not only are Vital Instruments all highly unique in their designs, but their nature allows each one to be varied in terms of power while still following the same rules, making every battle highly creative from start to finish. Gachiakuta is slowly becoming a defining hit of modern anime, and its power system has been a major part of that.
4) Ki (Dragon Ball)
“Ki” is the primary power source of Toei Animation’s Dragon Ball and its sequels. Much like the real-life concept of qi, “ki” is a force of energy that all living beings possess, and through hard work and training, it can give people superhuman strength, the ability to fly, and even the power to shoot massive energy beams from their bodies.
The way ki is rooted in real-life philosophy always makes it engaging, especially with how well it lends itself to grounded and over-the-top action in every era of Dragon Ball. Dragon Ball is one of the most influential anime in history, and in that regard, ki probably played the biggest part in generally shaping anime power systems into what they are today.
3) Rukh (Magi: The Labyrinth Of Magic)
“Rukh” is the lifeblood of the world in A-1 Pictures’ Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic. Rukh is the manifestation of fate and where all souls return to after death, and magicians and wielders of Metal Vessels can use the Rukh to build up an energy called “Magoi,” which is then used to fuel powerful magic attacks in combat.
It’s one thing for Rukh to be interesting as a power source, but the depth and lore given to how it operates is surprisingly intricate and does a lot to help flesh out the overarching narrative from day one. Magi is famous for its incredibly thorough worldbuilding, and the way it uses the Rukh is a major part of that.
2) Nen (Hunter X Hunter)
“Nen” is the signature power system of Madhouse’s Hunter X Hunter. It’s a means of focusing a person’s innate aura to heighten their power to levels far beyond a regular human’s, and in addition to increasing the user’s physical abilities, Nen can be focused even further to grant someone superhuman abilities based on one of six different varieties.
It’s one thing for Nen to have so many applications, but Hunter X Hunter keeps adding more complexity to even the simplest aspects of Nen, making it a power system that always finds new ways to reinvent itself. Few stories are as cleverly written as Hunter X Hunter, and it’s easy to see Nen as a big part of why.
1) Stands (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure)
After part 2 of David Production’s JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, the series would use its third installment to introduce a new power system called “Stands.” While there are some exceptions, Stands are usually spiritual entities summoned to a person’s side that fight in either close-quarters combat or with more esoteric supernatural abilities, even ones that seem like they would be useless.
Stands always allow for incredible creativity in their application that few stories can match, and even after almost 40 years, the series keeps finding new ways to keep the concept interesting. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure can be seen as the precursor to all in-depth power systems in anime, and that makes it the best power system that redefined anime, by far.
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