5 anime characters who can destroy Earth with a single move (& 5 who can't do it with everything they've got)

The ever-growing world of anime is filled with a wide range of overpowered anime characters who could effortlessly wipe off the Earth with a mere flick of their finger. Conversely, at the end of the spectrum, are those anime characters who, albeit being extraordinarily powerful in their own right, are just not quite at the level of planet busters like Son Goku from Dragon Ball or Saitama from One Punch Man.

Over the past few years, there has been an astonishing increase in anime characters with absurd power systems, capable of destroying multiple planets and galaxies.

Given that such characters are too many to count these days due to their increasing number, let us look at the five anime characters who can destroy planet Earth in a single move, and five who cannot accomplish such a feat in spite of everything they have got.

Disclaimer: This article reflects the opinions of the author. Reader's discretion is advised.

5 overpowered anime characters who can effortlessly destroy Earth

1) Saitama (One Punch Man)

Anime characters who can destroy Earth with a single move - Saitama (Image via Madhouse)

The ridiculously overpowered protagonist of the One Punch Man series, Saitama, transcended all his human limitations and seemingly became the strongest character of the entire series. After breaking his limiter through hard work, determination, and multiple near-death experiences, Saitama became a being whose strength knows no bounds.

He is usually brought into the story when things get tough so that he can put an end to the seemingly invincible villains with a single punch. His most impressive feats occurred in his battle against Awakened Garou in the Monster Association arc, where Saitama's strength grew exponentially throughout the battle.

This happened to the point where he could blow off Jupiter's surface with a single sneeze, flip over the entire surface of one of Jupiter's moons, and even kick aside Fourth Dimensional portals. As such, there's little doubt that if Saitama truly wanted to, he could devastate the entire Planet Earth in a single punch.

2) Zeno (Dragon Ball)

Anime characters who can destroy Earth with a single move - Zeno (Image via Toei Animation)

Despite his child-like appearance, Grand Zeno is the strongest being in Dragon Ball. Also known as the Omni-King, he is the supreme ruler of the Multiverse, whose mere presence is enough to strike fear in the hearts of the Gods of Destruction.

Zeno's feats in Dragon Ball place him in the upper echelon of the strongest anime characters to have ever been created. Not only did he once destroy six out of the eighteen universes after a bout of anger, but he also destroyed several planets while playing a game. As such, Zeno would have no problem in blowing away the Earth as well.

3) Enrico Pucci (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)

Anime characters who can destroy Earth with a single move - Pucci (Image via David Production)

Enrico Pucci is one of the few anime villains who managed to accomplish his goal of defeating the protagonists and destroying the entire universe - and then recreating it thereby wiping out his enemies in the process.

Pucci's initial Stand, White Snake and C-Moon, wasn't the most flashy or powerful Stand in the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure universe. That said, everything changed when his stand got upgraded to Made In Heaven, enabling Pucci to manipulate gravity on a universal scale and accelerate time. His time acceleration ability was so powerful, that it ended up reshaping reality and led to the creation of a new universe.

Seeing as how Pucci was able to recreate the universe, there's no doubt that destroying the world would be child's play for him.

4) Eren Yeager (Attack on Titan)

Anime characters who can destroy Earth with a single move - Eren Yeager (Image via MAPPA)

While it's natural for many to think that Eren Yeager may not be as powerful as other characters like Saitama or Zeno to be able to destroy Earth, it should be noted that he almost succeeded in doing so in the Attack on Titan series.

Towards the end of the series, Eren tried to bring a definitive end to the cycle of hatred between the Marleyans and the Eldians by attempting to completely wipe out the Marleyans from the Earth's surface. This was achieved after he activated the Rumbling, which enabled him to command an entire army of Colossal Titans.

In the end, Eren managed to wipe out almost 80 percent of humanity with the Rumbling. Had he not planned out his demise, there's little to no doubt that he would have succeeded in ending the human race and destroying the world.

5) Kusuo Saiki (The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.)

Anime characters who can destroy Earth with a single move - Kusuo Saiki (Image via J.C. Staff)

The protagonist of The Disastrous Life of Saiki K., Kusuo Saiki, is undoubtedly one of the strongest anime characters of all time. He is an overpowered psychic, whose abilities include shapeshifting, telekinesis, teleportation, pyrokinesis, the ability to turn anyone into stone, changing reality on a small scale, and even being effectively immortal due to his restoration abilities.

Furthermore, Saiki was shown to be capable of stopping the destruction of the world. As such, it would be fair to conclude that Saiki would have no problem in doing the opposite as well.

5 anime characters who are incapable of destroying the world

1) Gon Freecss (Hunter x Hunter)

Anime characters who cannot destroy the world - Gon Freecss (Image via Madhouse)

While some may underestimate Gon Freecss due to his age, he has proven his strength time and time again throughout the series by taking down opponents thrice his size. Moreover, his adult form gave him an immense amount of power and control over his Nen, as he was even considered a threat to Meruem, the King of the Chimera Ants.

However, despite all his strength, Gon is certainly not capable of taking down an entire planet by himself. In fact, he was almost on the verge of death after his adult transformation and was only able to survive with Killua and Alluka's help.

2) Yuji Itadori (Jujutsu Kaisen)

Anime characters who cannot destroy the world - Yuji Itadori (Image via MAPPA)

In the recent chapters of the Jujutsu Kaisen manga, Yuji Itadori has shown a tremendous amount of growth in a short period. In the ongoing battle against Ryomen Sukuna, Yuji, who initially only had his combat abilities to rely on, was seen proficiently using Reverse Cursed Technique, Sukuna's Dismantle, Simple Domain, and Blood Manipulation.

While it's an undeniable fact that Yuji has grown much stronger than before, he is still nowhere close to being powerful enough to lay waste to the entire world. It is also likely that Yuji would never achieve that level of strength anytime soon, since it would completely break the power system of Jujutsu Kaisen.

3) Jotaro Kujo (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)

Anime characters who cannot destroy the world - Jotaro (Image via David Production)

The protagonist of the Stardust Crusaders arc of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Jotaro Kujo, is one of the most popular characters in the franchise. His Stand, Star Platinum, was also an instant favorite among fans, who were captivated by its simple yet brutal display of power.

There's no denying that Jotaro is one of the strongest and most capable fighters in the entire series, mainly due to his experience in dealing with Stands. That said, Jotaro is certainly no planet-level threat, seeing as to how he often had a tough time against opponents like Dio, Enrico Pucci, and Yoshikage Kira.

4) Izuku Midoriya (My Hero Academia)

Anime characters who cannot destroy the world - Deku (Image via Bones)

Throughout his grueling battle against All For One and Tomura Shigaraki in the Final War arc of the manga, Izuku Midoriya, aka Deku, managed to surpass All Might and became the strongest user of One For All.

After unlocking all the Quirks of the previous users of One For All and training them vigorously, Midoriya became powerful enough to not only overpower the combined strength of his class at U.A. High but also to take on two of the deadliest villains of the entire series.

However, it should be noted that One For All itself isn't destructive enough to cause the end of the world, which means that Midoriya wouldn't be capable of destroying the world all by himself.

5) Tanjiro Kamado (Demon Slayer)

Anime characters who cannot destroy the world - Tanjiro (Image via Ufotable)

Tanjiro Kamado's determination to turn his sister back into a human after she became a demon led him on a journey to become a Demon Slayer. Tanjiro's indomitable spirit and inherent kindness even while dealing with dangerous demons led him to become one of the most beloved anime characters in the world today.

Throughout the series, Tanjiro has showcased tremendous growth in his strength and skills, to the point where he was even capable of holding his own against the Upper Moon Demons and even the Demon King himself, Muzan.

However, neither Tanjiro nor Muzan was shown to have any powers that could destroy the entire world. As such, it's doubtful if Tanjiro, even in his Demon King state, would be able to destroy the world.

Final thoughts

As one can see from the aforementioned list, the anime world consists of two very different kinds of characters. On one hand, there are those characters who can easily wipe out entire worlds and universes. On the other hand, there are those who, although still deemed extremely powerful, are not yet on the level of planetary busters.