Some of those abilities are as simple as Gon’s Jajanken punch (from Hunter X Hunter) while others are as complicated as Kite’s Crazy Slots (also from Hunter X Hunter). And then there are anime abilities and powers that are so strong, so awe-inspiring, so deadly that they can inflict damage on the ones who invoke them—and that’s what makes them the most dangerous. Here are some of the strongest anime abilities and techniques that are unbelievably strong but also pose great risk to their users.
10. 3rd Gear: Bone Balloon (One Piece)
Luffy’s ability “3rd Gear: Bone Balloon” in One Piece is a great defensive move during the early seasons, where there are only cannonballs and punches to endure. This technique allows him to inflate his body by blowing air into his bones, causing projectiles to ricochet off of him. However, when the power wears off, he shinks into a chibi form that renders him powerless and vulnerable to any attacks.
9. One For All (My Hero Academia)
“One For All” is a quirk (“ability”) in My Hero Academia that can be passed from individual to individual, allowing it to be cultivated and harnessed before moving on. The eight holder of this quirk, All Might, passes it on to our protagonist Izuku Midoriya, who was born without any quirks. But being the inheritor of such an extraordinary ability at such a young age, his body can’t cope with its surging power. When Izuku uses it during the entrance exam for UA, he’s rendered immobile after just one punch. With every use of One For All’s power, he takes damage—and even reaches a point where he can’t use the quirk for quite some time. During his battle with Shoto Todoroki, he sacrifices his fingers to deploy powerful smashes one at a time, giving him only a limited number of attempts to defeat his opponent. He ends up sustaining major injuries to his hand, and doesn’t even win.
8. Izanagi/Izanami (Naruto)
“Izanagi” is an ocular technique that’s unique to the Uchiha clan in Naruto Shippuden. Izanagi creates illusions and forces them to become real, allowing the user to change the fabric of reality. “Izanami” is another ocular technique of the Uchiha clan, and its purpose is to counter Izanagi users by trapping them in an infinite loop of illusionary fate: the only way to escape the loop is for the victim to realize and accept their fate. Both Izanagi and Izanami are risky because they take away the user’s sight once they’re used. (It’s believed the lost sight can be recovered if the user evolves their Sharingan eye to a Rinnegan eye.)
7. Indra (Seven Deadly Sins)
“Indra” is one of the strongest abilities of the demon clan in Seven Deadly Sins. It’s seen during the Great Holy War, performed by Monspiet and Dereiri as their ultimate move against the more powerful foe, Ludociel of the Goddess Clan. Indra is an ability that can only be used by the Commandments or the higher Demons, where they sacrifice six of their seven hearts to become a monster that surpasses their previous power. According to Meliodas, once someone turns into an Indra, it’s over for them and all that’s left is for them to wreak havoc until they die.
6. Something (Hunter X Hunter)
In Hunter X Hunter, Nanika is a powerful entity who resides and coexists in Alluka Zoldyk’s body and has the power to grant any wish. There are certain rules when asking Nanika for something, with only Killua as the exception who doesn’t need to comply with the rules. That makes wishing risky because if the wisher fails to meet the necessary conditions, the wisher—or someone close to them—will die. We saw that happen when a butler refused to give one of her internal organs to Nanika in exchange for her wish.
5. Restriction & Covenant (Hunter X Hunter)
In Hunter X Hunter, “Restriction” and “Covenant” are implied rules when attaining a powerful Nen ability or enhancing one’s Nen ability. Kurapika uses Restriction while making his chain ability: he restricted himself to only using his chains on those who aren’t members of the phantom troupe, otherwise he’ll die. Gon uses Covenant while grieving to exchange a lifetime of the ability to use Nen in order to use peak-strength Nen in his fight against Pitou. By doing so, Gon temporarily gains power equivalent to a lifetime of rigorous training, but loses his Nen ability after the fight. Strangely, his Covenant also forces him to age up into a 20-year-old man, almost as if to signify the shortcut he took.
4. Final Moon Fang Heaven-Piercer (Bleach)
You might be able to tell from the name itself that “Final Moon Fang Heaven-Piercer” is the final form of Ichigo Kurosaki’s Getsuga Tenshou in Bleach. The transformation allows him to use his most devastating ability, Mugetsu, but there’s a catch. It’s called “Final” because he loses all of his shinigami powers once the transformation ends. He returns to being a normal human.
3. Sage Art: Rinne Rebirth (Naruto)
“Sage Art: Rinne Rebirth” is simple: in exchange for one’s life, you can bring someone else back to life. It’s not an uncommon ability to find in shonen anime, but it’s done well in Naruto Shippuden. There are a few other abilities like this throughout the Naruto universe, including the reincarnation technique used by Granny Chiyo to bring Gaara back to life, as well as the bloodline technique used in Naruto the Movie: Blood Prison to bring Naruto back to life.
2. Self Destruct (One-Punch Man)
In One-Punch Man, Genos is a cyborg who has a self-destruct ability that he can use as his final ace. It’s one that he’s contemplated using in several episodes when a villain seems otherwise undefeatable, but there comes a time when he does pull the trigger. And when he does, the ability blows himself up and destroys the target as well, resulting in guaranteed mutual destruction.
1. 8th Gate of Death (Naruto)
In Naruto Shippuden, Might Guy proves himself as one of the strongest characters in the shinobi world—so much so that even Madara Uchiha, the god of shinobis himself, recognized him as the strongest next to his life-long rival Hashirama Senju. With his ultimate technique called “Eight Inner Gates,” Might Guy is able to open his inner chakra gates and greatly enhance his Taijutsu (hand-to-hand combat) abilities. But it comes with a steep cost: when a shinobi opens his inner chakra gates, he’s able to temporarily surpass his physical limits, but that causes immense strain and damage on the body. The final chakra gate, located on the heart and called the “8th Gate of Death,” uses all of the body’s energy and kills the user. Read next: The best anime fights of all time
