9 anime characters who have surpassed their teachers

Most anime characters have one goal, which is to become the best in their field of expertise. Such goals often see them get introduced to veterans of the field who are willing to teach them and form a student-teacher relationship.

While such relationships are often wholesome to watch, they almost always evolve into something more. In most anime, the anime characters in question happen to surpass their teachers.

Such moments are also quite exciting to watch as they allow fans to witness their favorite anime characters reach a stage they had always dreamt of witnessing them in. Hence, here we shall list some of the anime characters that have surpassed their teachers.

Disclaimer: This article may contain spoilers from some manga.

Boruto, Yuji, and 7 other anime characters who have surpassed their teachers

1) Naruto Uzumaki

Naruto as seen in the anime (Image via Studio Pierrot)

While Naruto Uzumaki has had multiple teachers, the one teacher who taught him for the longest time was Jiraiya. Jiraiya was one of the three legendary Sannins and became Naruto's master just after he qualified for the Chunnin exam finals.

While initially Naruto faced a lot of trouble following Jiraiya's lessons, soon after his death, Naruto surpassed his master. He not only perfected the Toad Sage Mode but also gained control over Kurama, allowing him to enter Kurama Chakra Mode. As time passed, Naruto reached several new stages, far surpassing his late master.

2) All Might

All Might, as seen in the My Hero Academia anime (Image via BONES)

While All Might was the strongest hero in the My Hero Academia universe for a really long time, he wasn't as strong from the very beginning. This is because he became stronger after his teacher, Nana Shimura, passed on her One For All Quirk to him.

Following that, Nana Shimura became All Might's teacher and taught him the basics of One For All. Soon after, All Might surpassed his teacher and became far stronger than she ever was during her time as a One For All user.

3) Boruto Uzumaki

Boruto as seen in the anime (Image via Studio Pierrot)

While Boruto Uzumaki's main master in the series is Sasuke Uchiha, he also has another teacher, Konohamaru Sarutobi. In the beginning, Boruto went to Konohamaru to learn how to use a Rasengan. However, upon failing to impress Sasuke with a Rasengan, he started using ninja tools to cheat. Soon after, the series saw him training with dignity to become strong naturally.

As time passed, Boruto trained under Sasuke Uchiha and learned everything his master knew. In addition, Boruto also learned other jutsu like Flying Raijin Jutsu and Rasengan Uzuhiko, effectively making him stronger than his other teacher Komohamaru.

4) Son Goku

Son Goku as seen in the anime (Image via Toei Animation)

Son Goku from the Dragon Ball franchise is an anime character who loves fighting and becoming strong. With respect to that, he has had several teachers who helped him become stronger along the way.

While Goku has yet to surpass his current teacher, Whis, in the manga series, he has long surpassed his former teachers - Grandpa Gohan, Master Roshi, Korin, Mr. Popo, Kami, and King Kai. Each of his former teachers helped him learn the basics of martial arts, following which Goku started evolving into the higher stages of a Saiyan being.

5) Son Gohan

Gohan as seen in the anime (Image via Toei Animation)

Son Gohan from the Dragon Ball franchise never truly wanted to fight at the beginning of the series. But the death of his father saw Piccolo, a former enemy become Gohan's teacher to help him reach his potential to fight the oncoming Saiyan foes, namely Vegeta and Nappa.

Over time, Gohan fought several stronger enemies and attained Super Saiyan transformations under his father Goku's training. However, after defeating Majin Buu, the anime character stopped training altogether, following which Piccolo whipped him back to shape.

6) Izuku Midoriya

Deku, as seen in the My Hero Academia anime (Image via BONES)

Izuku Midoriya, similar to All Might, is an anime character who only became strong after inheriting his master's powers in an odd ritual. This power transfer saw Deku finally attain a quirk, allowing him to compete against his fellow hero students.

While Izuku Midoriya initially had trouble with his training due to his lack of muscle, as time passed, he started adapting to his inherited quirk, One For All. Eventually, he surpassed his teacher, All Might, and was able to use the former One For All users' quirks, a feat none of the former users had achieved.

7) Yuji Itadori

Yuji Itadori as seen in the anime (Image via MAPPA)

Yuji Itadori has had humble beginnings as an anime character due to the lack of an innate cursed technique. However, he soon surpassed his teacher and became a sorcerer strong enough to fight the King of Curses, Ryomen Sukuna.

As revealed by the manga, Yuji's teacher was none other than Atsuya Kusakabe, who taught Yuji the basics of Cursed Energy Manipulation, Barriers, and Simple Domain. After learning this, Yuji also inherited Cursed Techniques - Blood Manipulation and Shrine. On top of that, he is now also capable of using Domain Expansion. With such upgrades, Yuji far surpassed his teacher.

8) Tanjiro Kamado

Tanjiro Kamado as seen in the anime (Image via Ufotable)

As fans might remember, at the beginning of Demon Slayer, Tanjiro Kamado seemed like an ordinary anime character who wished to avenge the death of his family but had no means to do it. Hence, he became the student of Sakonji Urokodaki, a former Water Hashira.

While Tanjiro had a tough time at the start, he soon became proficient in Water Breathing and eventually started using Sun Breathing. We can say that Tanjiro surpassed his teacher because, unlike Urokodaki, He managed to defeat Upper Moon Demons.

9) Rudeus Greyrat

Rudeus Greyrat as seen in the anime (Image via Studio Bind)

Rudeus Greyrat was an isekai anime character who had a lot of potential for becoming a mage. Hence, his parents hired a talented Migurd Mage, Roxy Migurdia, to become their son's mage tutor.

As expected, Rudeus Greyrat struggled with magic spells at first, but soon after, he grasped them and excelled at them. This is because, unlike Roxy, Rudeus was able to cast spells without a chant, meaning that he was more talented than Roxy. Over time, Rudeus became a strong mage and surpassed his teacher.