10 most powerful time manipulators in anime, ranked

Time manipulators in anime are alluring as readers see characters with near-absolute control and ability within what is seemingly their domain. While these characters within anime move through the past, the present, or the future, these instances show the complexity of temporal manipulation in anime.

Among these stories of time manipulators in anime, from The Girl Who Leapt Through Time to the advantages of time freezing in Dragon Ball Z, every story has been a powerful way of illustrating the implications accompanying the ability to manipulate time.

These 10 time manipulators in anime are famous not only for their ability to manipulate time but also for how much this affects the story.

Disclaimer: This article reflects the writer's opinion.

Eri, DIO and others are among the most powerful time manipulators in anime

10) Eri (My Hero Academia)

My Hero Academia's young Eri has one of the most powerful Quirks in the anime and almost unlimited potential. Eri's Quirk, Rewind, allows her to reverse the state of any living organism by rewinding time. This ability lets her heal injuries and diseases or even erase someone from existence by rewinding them out of reality.

Despite the immense power of her Quirk, Eri struggles to control it fully and has a long way to go before she can manipulate time safely. My Hero Academia features many powerful heroes and villains, but Eri's potential makes her truly stand out as one of the time manipulators in anime.

9) Baraggan Louisenbairn (Bleach)

Baraggan Louisenbairn as seen in anime (Image via Bleach)

Baraggan Louisenbairn was a strong and terrifying villain in Bleach. He had a potent time manipulation ability, making him one of the strongest time manipulators in anime. As the former king of Hueco Mundo, he was egotistical yet highly intelligent, with impressive fighting skills.

Baraggan could slow time around him, including his enemies' movements, allowing him to attack in real time and easily win battles. His Respira technique accelerated time's effects, causing rapid deterioration and decay. Bleach follows Ichigo's journey as a soul reaper on an epic adventure to save the world, featuring action-packed battles, powerful warriors, and memorable characters like Baraggan, who add depth to the story.

8) Tokisaki Kurumi (Date A Live)

Tokisaki Kurumi as seen in anime (Image via AIC Plus+)

Tokisaki Kurumi is one of the most fascinating and powerful time manipulators in anime. Initially a villain, she eventually becomes a protagonist in Date A Live. While her primary ability is shadow manipulation, she also manipulates time using her "Zafkiel" clock.

Kurumi's powers are represented by twelve bullets, each corresponding to a clock number. She can accelerate and slow time, age targets, heal, grant visions of the future, freeze time, create memory clones, and send people mentally and physically back in time. Her combination of shadow and time manipulation makes her a formidable and complex character in the series.

7) Guldo (Dragon Ball Z)

Guldo as seen in anime (Image via Toei Animation)

In Dragon Ball Z, one of the time manipulators is Guldo, a member of the Ginyu Force, who can stop time so long as he does not exhale. This time-stop power, however, puts him in a much stronger position than his enemies, especially in fights where he can use it effectively even though he may be physically unfit.

By immobilizing his opponents, Guldo can reposition or attack them with ease. His technique highlights the tactical benefits of time manipulation in the Dragon Ball universe, showing how brief pauses can dramatically alter battle outcomes and strategies. This unique ability makes Guldo a notable character despite his limited combat skills.

6) Sailor Pluto (Sailor Moon)

Sailor Pluto as seen in anime (Image via Toei Animation)

Sailor Pluto is the guardian of the Underworld and the Space-Time Door in Sailor Moon. He can send characters through time, such as when she helped the Senshi save Neo-Queen Serenity. While Sailor Pluto can stop time, she is forbidden from doing so, and breaking this rule will result in her death.

However, as the Sailor Senshi of time, she can quickly reincarnate, allowing her to return and aid in critical moments. Her role as the time guardian underscores her immense responsibility and power, making her an essential figure in maintaining the stability of timelines in the Sailor Moon universe.

5) Rintarou Okabe (Steins;Gate)

Rintarou Okabe as seen in anime (Image via White Fox)

Rintarou Okabe, the eccentric mad scientist of Steins;Gate, manipulates time through science. He accidentally invents the machine with his lab group, allowing them to send messages back in time and even travel in time. Initially, misusing his invention.

Okabe faces serious consequences, leading him to repeatedly go back in time to prevent his dear friend's death. His journey shows the desperation that reaches hundreds of times when he tries to change the course of fate along with the consequent ethical issues of time travel. 'Steins; Gate' is an interesting sci-fi anime series depicting Okabe and his team and their experimentation and discoveries that create a time manipulation effect on them.

4) DIO (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)

DIO as seen in anime (Image via David Production)

Dio Brando is one of the most violent and power-hungry characters in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. As a sadistic character, he often gets what he wants through his ruthless nature and formidable powers.

Dio can stop and restart time at will, a skill that significantly aids his dark ambitions. The anime follows the Joestar family, known for their extraordinary psychic strength, as they embark on various adventures to fight evil. DIO's time-stopping ability is a key element in his battles against the Joestars, making him one of the series's most iconic and feared villains.

3) Makoto Konno (The Girl Who Leapt Through Time)

Makoto Konno as seen in anime (Image via Madhouse)

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time's main character, Makoto Konno, becomes a powerful time-warp user by an attempt at suicide, making her one of the strongest time travelers in anime. This high school girl can travel back in time and change the past if she makes a mistake, only to discover that changing one event has a vastly different impact.

Notably, Makoto's aunt shares this gift, hinting at a familial connection to the ability. Additionally, her friend Chiaki is revealed as a time traveler from an enigmatic future, enriching the narrative with mysteries and deepening Makoto's understanding of time's fluidity, making her a standout among the time manipulators in anime.

2) Hit (Dragon Ball Super)

Hit as seen in anime (Image via Toei Animation)

Hit, the legendary assassin from Dragon Ball Super, possesses the Time-Skip technique, enabling him to skip fractions of time and move within stopped time briefly. This ability grants Hit unparalleled combat prowess, allowing him to anticipate and counter opponents with deadly precision, making him one of the time manipulators in anime.

Hit's stoic demeanor and mastery over time manipulation make him a formidable adversary in the Tournament of Power and beyond. His strategic use of time-skipping in battles makes him one of the most feared warriors in the Dragon Ball universe. He challenges even the strongest fighters with his unique abilities, making him one of the strongest time manipulators in anime.

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

Saiki Kusuo as seen in anime (Image via J.C.Staff)

Saiki Kusuo, from The Disastrous Life of Saiki K., is among the most powerful time manipulators in anime. Born with immense psychic abilities, he struggles to control, hence his constant use of a head device. His powers include time manipulation, allowing him to travel back and forth in time, making him one of the strongest time manipulators in anime.

Despite wanting a normal life, Saiki often uses his abilities to help friends and even intervene in personal matters like his parents' marriage. The series blends comedy and introspection as Saiki navigates high school with eccentric friends who inadvertently draw him into using his secret powers more than he desires.

To conclude

A handful of characters can manipulate time, freezing its passage and journeying through its expansive dimensions. These time manipulators in anime, whether as heroic protagonists or formidable antagonists, enthrall fans with their captivating stories and formidable powers.

From time manipulators in anime like the epic quests of mighty warriors to the introspective journeys of ordinary high schoolers discovering newfound temporal abilities, anime offers diverse genres—from dark fantasy sagas to slice-of-life sci-fi dramas.

These time manipulators in anime narratives entertain and explore the ethical dilemmas of tampering with time, showcasing anime's narrative depth.

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