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In the anime universe, powerful abilities like energy manipulation, inhuman strength, psychokinesis, etc., have received lots of love from the viewers. However, some of the unique abilities often went underappreciated, like shape-shifting.
It has been evident in anime that characters who have the ability to alter their body structure or appearance can not only turn into gigantic monsters but can also deceive others by pretending to be someone else. This article will list ten anime characters who have shown that shape-shifting can also induce nightmares.
Goku and 9 other characters in anime who can shape-shift
1) Muzan Kibutsuji (anime - Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba)
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The Demon King, Muzan Kibutsuji, who is the progenitor of all demons, has an arsenal of terrifying abilities up his sleeve. However, he has to mask his identity until he finds the blue Spider Lily, which will hopefully render him immune to the sun. One of his most prominent powers is Biokinesis, which grants him the ability to change his anatomy at a cellular level.
Muzan can change his entire appearance to anything and, as seen in the series, can blend with normal humans by looking like them. He also assumed a female form at Infinity Castle and appeared as a child in the Entertainment District Arc.
However, his most powerful form is his final form, which gives him several mouths with sharp teeth all over his body. Muzan can even turn into a giant deformed baby to protect his vital organs from getting damaged.
2) Eren Yeager (anime - Attack on Titan)
After consuming his father, Grisha Yeager, Eren assimilated the powers of Attack Titan and Frieda Reiss’ Founding Titan. Eren was terrified of the Titans his entire life and later found out that he was a part of them. Attack Titan is regarded as the fiercest Titan of all time; with the powers of the Founding, it can control a massive horde of Titans by screaming.
Later, Eren raided Liberio and attacked Lara Tybur, who was revealed to be the War Hammer Titan. Eren devoured Lara and took the powers of the War Hammer Titans.
Eren can only transform three times a day, and his entire body can be hardened twice.
3) Naruto Uzumaki (anime - Naruto)
Naruto didn't know the fact that he was the Jinchuriki of Nine-Tails/Kurama, which was why he was regarded as a demon by the people of Konoha. After Uzumaki’s Five Elements Seal on Naruto weakened, the Chakra of the Tailed Beast started leaking, which made Naruto behave like the Nine-Tailed fox.
After losing control, Naruto was able to enter the Version 2 form, which made him look like a fox demon. Much later, Naruto befriended Kurama and gained the ability to access the Tailed Beast Mode. Naruto's Tailed Beast Mode is different than other Jinchurikis. This is because, apart from completely transforming into a Tailed Beast, he also finds himself donning a golden-colored cloak made of the giant Nine-Tailed fox's chakra.
4) Tony Tony Chopper (anime - One Piece)
Tony Tony Chopper is a doctor for the Straw Pirates in One Piece. Initially, he was just an ordinary reindeer, but after consuming a Zoan-type Devil Fruit, Hito Hito No Mi, he became a hybrid. Chopper can transform into an overly-buff human. However, this only applies to his just body since his head remains the same.
After transforming into a human, Chopper is capable of unleashing his combat abilities by knocking the living daylights off his opponents with his giant arms and legs. Chopper’s human transformation also played a major role in making him a doctor.
5) Goku (anime - Dragon Ball)
As a pure-blooded Saiyan, Goku had a brown furry tail, one of his body's essential parts. As a kid, Goku never truly understood the significance of his tail, but he used it as a third arm for various purposes, like grabbing objects with it. His tail also granted him the ability to transform into a gigantic ape beast whenever he stared into a full moon.
In this state, Goku enters berserk mode, destroying everything and everyone in his path. In its Golden Great Ape version, Goku can use Super Flame Cannon, a powerful technique that allows the user to breathe destructive flames from their mouth. Goku lost his transformation ability after his tail was removed.
6) Yoruichi Shihouin (anime - Bleach)
Yoruichi possesses a unique shape-shifting power that grants her the ability to transform into a small black cat at will. After defecting from Soul Society, Yoruichi remained in her cat form for about a hundred years and later revealed her true form in the Ryoka Invasion Arc. It has been said that she possessed this ability for more than 100 years.
She can transform into a cat and return to her human form with ease and has shown no downsides regarding this ability. Moreover, her shape-shifting ability has no time limit. In her cat form, Yoruichi sounds like a male, which is why Ichigo and his friends assumed her to be a man.
7) Atsushi Nakajima (anime - Bungo Stray Dogs)
Atsushi Nakajima was kicked out of the orphanage as everyone believed that he was the strange mystical tiger who was terrorizing everyone in the dark. However, later he came to know that it was really him who was wreaking havoc upon everyone by transforming into a tiger. His ability Beast Beneath the Moonlight transforms him into a ferocious white tiger.
Atsushi initially had no control over his transformation, but over the course of time, he managed to tame his inner beast. After gaining immense control over him, he learned many techniques like transforming partially and moving at a speed that can distort the space-time around him.
8) Envy (anime - Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)
As a member of Homunculi, Envy is one of the seven deadly sins in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. Being the physical embodiment of the very sin, Envy exists only to make humans suffer and loves to inflict emotional trauma. Envy has the ability to shape-shift into anyone and anything he wants.
However, he can’t transform into someone who exceeds the size of his true form. Envy can blend in with normal people by transforming himself into an ordinary-looking person, and with his exceptional impersonating skills, no one can find out his real identity. Envy’s true form is that of a giant monstrous lizard. In his usual form, he can transfigure his limbs into weapons mid-combat.
9) Rimuru Tempest (anime - That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime)
Rimuru’s actual form is translucent spherical slime, but he can take any form he desires, with the ability called Mimicry. To transform into someone, first, he has to devour them whole. Rimuru can shape-shift into anything he eats, which is why his ability is limited. However, he can manifest large wings for flight and conjure armor to protect his body from being attacked.
Although Rimuru is genderless, he uses male pronouns due to his past life as a man. Rimuru has no need for breathing and excretion as his true nature is slime. Moreover, even after transforming into a human, he doesn’t possess any reproductive organs.
10) Keyaru/Keyaruga (anime - Redo of a Healer)
Keyaru’s Heal, apart from granting him the ability to heal anyone no matter how severe the wound, also gives him a plethora of other powers. One of the most prominent abilities of Heal is shape-shifting, which Keyaru uses to transform into anyone and anything completely. He can even alter his body structure by making himself more muscular.
He can also alter others' body structure and their genders with Heal just by touching them with his hands. This was seen in the series after he changed Flare’s appearance, deleted her memories, and gave her a new identity as Freya.
