From Goku to Tanjiro, most shounen manga characters are specialized in close-quarter combat. The reason is that there’s something inexplicably exciting in watching carefully choreographed melee attacks. That's why more often than not, close-range fighting is more interesting than long-range ones.
However, there is an interesting class of fighters that can blend both types of fighting styles and make the action sequences way more thrilling than the previous two. They are called "Puppet Master". As the name suggests, they use or create puppets in order to fight their battle for them. When done right, this type of fighting can create some of the most engaging and memorable battle sequences ever made. The following characters are some of the most iconic puppet masters in anime.
5. Shalnark (Hunter x Hunter)
Shalnark is a member of a group of ruthless thieves called the Phantom Troupe, and he is also a licensed Hunter. Shalnark is one of the brains of the group and thanks to his status as a Hunter, he can also access all sorts of information that are not available for the general public, which he certainly uses to the benefit of the Phantom Troupe.
His nen ability is called Black Voice. This ability allowed Shalnark to control two people at the same time, including himself. By sticking a small antenna on the target's body, usually the area around the neck, Shalnark can control the target through his phone. He can also set certain rules to his puppet and let it run automatically, just like what he's done to the auctioneer in Yorknew City.
4. Puppeteer (Fire Force)
Puppeteer is an employee for Haijima Industries who are responsible for looking after and entertaining the children that are being researched by Haijima. She is a third-generation fire user, which means she can generate her own flames, which she uses to power up her puppets.
Puppeteer uses a small, custom-made puppet called the Dominion. She controls the puppet by using thin yet highly durable strings that enable the puppets to perform various highly dynamic movements. Her Dominion can perform all kinds of physical attacks and even shoot some fire attacks as well.
With just one puppet, she manages to give Maki and Vulcan an extremely hard time. But when necessary, Puppeteer can use special gloves that enable her to control six Dominions at the same time. In this mode, she can easily wipe out a platoon of rookie firefighters by herself.
3. Mother Spider (Demon Slayer)
Mother Spider is a part of the Spider Demon family that rules over the Natagumo Mountain area. Her physical strength is not that great, but her power lies in his Blood Demon Art technique that allows her to control numerous corpses, or even living beings, at the same time.
She uses tiny spiders to stealthily connect her thin, transparent, and extremely long thread to the target. Once connected, she can boost their physical power and control their movement. The closer the puppets are to the Mother Spider, the stronger the puppets will be and the easier it is for her to control them.
She often sticks her threads to the unsuspecting demon slayers who wander into the mountain and force them to kill one another. The stronger the original target is, the stronger the puppets become, which is why Tanjiro and Inosuke have a hard time against one of her strongest puppets, a headless corpse of a demon.
2. Doflamingo (One Piece)
Doflamingo's Ito Ito no Mi is one of the most versatile devil fruit powers in One Piece. This power allows him to create threads that can be used in numerous ways. He can stick the threads to the cloud and use it to hover and even move mid-air. He can also use it as a steel thread and cut his opponents with it.
But the most dangerous application of this power by far is the ability to control the body of other people. That is precisely what he has done to the royal guards, soldiers, and also the king of Dressrosa, and force them to kill their own citizens. In doing so, Doflamingo can step in and easily take control of the nation and make it his base of operation.
1. Kabuto (Naruto)
Kabuto used to be a minor character in Naruto, but as the story goes on, he gained an increasingly important role to the point of becoming one of the main antagonists in the Fourth Shinobi World War arc. He manages to do that due to one of the most dangerous jutsu in the series, the Edo Tensei. Edo Tensei is a jutsu that enables the user to revive deceased people, along with all of their original unique abilities. The user has ultimate control over his puppets and can freely choose whether to give them free will or not. As a cherry on top, only the caster can release the summons.
What's even crazier is the fact that since these summoned people are already dead, they cannot be killed anymore. Therefore, they won't suffer any kind of damage at all. And since they have unlimited stamina, they can literally fight for eternity. From the seven swordsmen of the Mist to the previous Kages from the five villages, Kabuto has summoned all sorts of legendary ninjas with this technique and controls them as puppets. There are other puppet users in Naruto, such as Sasori or Kankurou, but none of them can hold a candle to Kabuto. He is truly a one-man army.
Final Thoughts
When you watch the anime where any of these characters engage in a fight, you will see how exciting these kinds of characters truly are. Whether controlling custom-made puppets like Puppeteer, or legendary dead ninjas like Kabuto, every single one of their battles offers some of the most thrilling action sequences in the series.
Have you watched any of these characters' battles? If you have, what do you think about it? Or maybe you know other characters that deserve a spot on this list? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
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