Even if one has the best intentions, superpowers are the living embodiment of temptation. Effectively, they provide a means to cheat the system and allow their owner to gain an unfair advantage over the rest of the population. On the surface, a world packed with fantastical abilities sounds like a great way to even the odds, but there is no guarantee that only honest people will unlock these traits.

Charlotte follows an obnoxious student with the ability to slip into someone else's mind for five seconds at a time. Up until this point, Yuu Otosaka has depended on this power to ace exams and establish himself as the top pupil at a prestigious school; however, comfort led to arrogance and Yuu ends up grabbing the attention of the mysterious Nao Tomori. Forced to transfer to a school for children with supernatural abilities, Yuu has no choice but to aid the student council in tracking down people who abuse their powers.

While things do eventually snowball to involve the entire world, Charlotte is at its best when focusing on the everyday lives of the students. Despite being packed with superpowered characters, P.A. Works' anime rarely gives into the typical tropes associated with the genre. Charlotte is a surprisingly intimate and touching experience.

Espers are people with psychic abilities. Even though they are relatively common, espers are not so prevalent that they have become the rule rather than the exception. In order to take advantage of the potential held by these humans, teenagers possessing special traits are sent to Japan's Academy City, a technologically advanced social hub that principally consists of universities designed to educate espers on their powers. 

In a city where the strange is mundane, Touma Kamijou stands out for his lack of powers. On the surface, this teenager seems like a perfectly ordinary boy who should be attending a regular school, but Touma actually possesses the ability to negate other supernatural skills. In a genuinely fantastic twist, the most overpowered individual is the one person without any outlandish abilities. Touma exists to level the playing field.

Based on Kazuma Kamachi's fantastic light novel series, Toaru Majutsu no Index prioritizes character development and its core relationships over outlandish fights. Admittedly, this means the anime moves at a slightly slower pace than most other entries, but the writing is second to none!

The Monogatari series is hard to summarize to the uninitiated. Yes, the protagonist is a vampire with otherworldly powers, but he rarely ever gets the opportunity to use them. The arcs generally center around investigations into teenagers who suddenly develop quirky abilities due to a run-in with mystical creatures, but the anime prefers to avoid providing any crystal clear conclusions or solutions.

In layman's terms, Owarimonogatari is a mindbending experience that is not for everyone. Besides the absolutely mesmerizing animation, and that is by no means an exaggeration, the dialogue tends to monopolize the screentime. While shows that never shut up can be annoying, Monogatari's characters are unique and interesting enough to carry such a burden.

Owarimonogatari sits among the best anime of all time, but the philosophical and psychological nature of the storylines means its far from the best series dealing with supernatural powers. Nevertheless, we recommend trying out the franchise!

Following a couple of dark and twisted entries, Saiki Kusuo no Ψ-nan is the ideal selection for anyone yearning for a hearty laugh. Supernatural powers are a fantastic gimmick for action series, but the premise works wonders as a comedy. An extremely dangerous psychic, Kusou Saiki loathes his abilities and wishes to be just a normal student. Unfortunately, Saiki's carefree high school life is constantly interrupted by some of the weirdest classmates in anime.

Be it x-ray vision or telepathy, Saiki's powers are far-reaching and can be devastating. As a result, the teenager constantly keeps a stoic expression and wears antennas to limit his strength. For the sake of humanity, Saiki attempts to stay out of the limelight, but the delusional Shun Kaidou and the boneheaded Riki Nendou refuse to let him be.

Split into sketches, Saiki Kusuo no Ψ-nan is a fast ride that never outstays its welcome. Spearheaded by a relatable protagonist, the remaining cast members could easily lead a show on their own!

Folklore and urban legends always serve a deeper purpose than just scaring the pants off listeners. They reflect the social tension of that time and teach lessons to children who might not know better. Japan is home to some of the weirdest and darkest stories of all time, ones dealing with the occult and pre-dating the country's Sengoku period.

Mostly set during feudal Japan, the "Medicine Seller" is a mysterious man who travels the country in search of violent cases of the paranormal. Split into five separate arcs, Mononoke is a twisted and freaky anime that feels genuinely otherworldly. Featuring some of Toei's best animation, this series is a must watch for horror fans!

In order to free a vengeful spirit, the "Medicine Seller" needs to learn its Form, Truth, and Reason; once this information is known, the protagonist would be able to use his powerful Exorcism Sword to sever the supernatural being's ties to the mortal world.

Want to know what is worse than a deadly tiger? How about a mystical man-eater that apparently wants to do nothing but stalk you? Atsushi Nakajima is an orphan destined to live on his own as a shunned outcast. After he starts to be haunted by the previously mentioned feline, Atsushi is thrown out in the cold and ends up homeless. While pondering his unfortunate luck on a riverbank, the young adult runs across a suicidal man named Osamu Dazai and saves him.

Working for a detective agency that specializes in the supernatural, Dazai takes a personal interest in Atsushi and his mystical tiger. Set in a bustling city torn to shreds by competing gangs, Bungou Stray Dogs follows the misadventures of a group of rejects who find solace in their makeshift family.

Whether yearning for a good laugh or a cathartic cry, Bungou Stray Dogs has you covered. The first season prioritizes action above anything else, but the sequel improves in nearly every other avenue. Dazai is among the best-written characters of any recent anime, while the fight scenes make the most out of the quirky powers possessed by the dogs.

The vast majority of decent action series center around underdogs who are stuck in a situation that is well above their pay grade; nevertheless, the likes of Goku, Luffy, and Naruto actively pursue the call of adventure. One could say that they were born to be heroes. While Tsunayoshi Sawada has been described as a quite a lot of things, heroic has never been among them.


A good-for-nothing middle school student who earned the label of "Loser Tsuna," the boy's life is marked by a pervasive boredom stemming from a lack of any motivation to rock the boat. On a random day, Tsuna's life is turned upside down due to the arrival of a mafioso baby named Reborn. Putting aside his cute appearance, this hitman ranks among the deadliest in the universe and was tasked by the head of his family to prepare Tsuna to take over as the new Don. 

Due to a more comedic tone, Reborn!'s first 20 episodes are rather terrible, but the shounen series picks up a lot of steam when it shifts to a supernatural action anime. Tsuna’s transformation from loser to worthy mafioso is a sight to behold, while the fight scenes incorporate a slew of cool gimmicks and abilities!

Only a handful of other shows wear the paranormal on their sleeve quite as proudly as Kekkai Sensen & Beyond. Due to a seismic event that opened a gateway between Earth and a strange alternate dimension, New York City turned into a cesspool of crime littered with dangerous extradimensional creatures and equally precarious humans. A young photography possessing an unwanted power that came at a hefty price, Leonardo Watch traveled to New York City to try and find a way to cure his sister's blindness.

In spite of his useful ability, Leonardo is extremely weak and constantly finds himself on the verge of death. Fortunately for the lad, a secret organization named Libra exists to maintain order in Hellsalen's Lot, and they are hunting for a new member with Leonardo's specific skill set.

Bolstered by a unique soundtrack and some jaw-dropping animation, Kekkai Sensen & Beyond is a thoroughly engaging action epic that boasts a relatable protagonist that avoids most of the pitfalls associated with weak-willed but humorous main characters. The rest of the cast is just as good, but Leonardo proves that strength comes in various shapes and sizes.

Coming from the same mangaka who blessed the world with One Punch Man, Mob Psycho 100 tackles a comparable premise from a fresh angle. Similarly to Saitama, Shigeo "Mob" Kageyama is a ridiculously overpowered protagonist capable of destroying any foe with a mere thought. While his psychic talents are useful in certain situations, Mob regularly struggles to maintain full control over them, and pushing the eighth-grader to his limit leads to catastrophic results.

Alone in the world with nobody who truly understands him, Mob turns to a popular psychic named Arataka Reigen, who promises to share his wisdom with the boy. Unfortunately, Arataka is a complete fraud and, initially, believes that Mob is just delusional. While the con artist knows nothing about real psychic abilities, the master and student form a touching friendship that provides an outlet for Mob's fears.

Bones' anime is a work of art. There is simply no other way to describe it. The animation is stylish, gorgeous and instantly identifiable; while Mob's journey is riddled with tension, sympathy, and humor!

As the cream of the crop, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure takes the cake. Split into separate storylines, each season introduces a new protagonist and cast, but they are all linked by the same family name. Ever since Jonathan Joestar got into a conflict with the vampiric Dio Brando, the Joestar family has constantly attracted the attention of supernatural beings.

Out of the bunch, JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken: Diamond wa Kudakenai is arguably the best and most fitting for this particular list, but that hardly means that the prequels should be ignored. The entire franchise is worth watching and, hopefully, part five comes sooner rather than later.

In JoJo's world, people fight using "stands," which are the physical manifestation of someone's fighting spirit. Depending on the user's personality, these entities spawn unique abilities that drastically alter the best way to approach a conflict. Diamond is Unbreakable houses the best array of "stands" and, easily, the franchise's greatest villain!

A serious virus has spread across society and is causing massive problems, as it affects the brain severely and changes the perception of those who’ve been infected. They can now see phantoms living in the real world alongside them, not knowing that they’ve been coexisting with humans for quite some time. Some of those infected however have acquired special abilities that allow them to fight against these dangerous phantoms, and this is where Mai and Haruhiko come to save the day. The two have their own unique powers which they use and form their own team alongside a friendly phantom, to ensure that that humanity no longer has to deal with these troublesome creatures.

Musaigen no Phantom World at times makes you feel so sorry for the phantoms that are casted away, because you’re so drawn to their quirky stories. There’s a unique interaction between the main characters and the phantoms, because not all of the phantoms are actually out for blood but some actually are lost souls who only want to find peace, or just simply want to have fun. Haruhiko has the power to draw creatures in his artbook which come to life to fend off enemies, while Mai uses an unique ability called Spirit of the Five Elements, in which she rubs various parts of her body in an ecchi like fashion to cast powerful spells through her fists. Their other allies Reina and Koito also have some wicked powers too such as Reina’s really strange yet powerful ability to suck in her opponents through her big mouth in a kirby like action.

Tokyo Ghoul looks at the city from a corrupt and unforgiving perspective, as vicious evil creatures called ghouls coexist with the human race. The citizens who once believed their society was at peace, are now facing terror as these flesh eating ghouls stop at nothing to bring torment to the entire city. The worst part of it all is their ability to take the form of humans and blend in with the rest of the community. Ken unfortunately meets his demise at the hands of female ghoul, and leading him down a dark path of uncertainty. After he awakens and looks in the mirror, Ken now realizes he's not the same person who he used to be and must now find a way to blend in with the evil corrupt society.

Ken is stuck in duality, a world that he knows actually exists and one which has been created to keep the truth out. Unfortunately he’s been thrown into it all without much protection and he must somehow make his way out of it all before corruption engulfs his soul. He never asked for any of this to happen to him, but now Ken must realize that his new ability to devour human flesh is his only way of survival, and he’ll need all the energy possible to take out enemies who show no mercy to anyone. This blood spilling and gruesome anime gives us a true glimpse of the world we currently live in, but also has you begging for more as the action escalates at every corner that Ken turns.

Kimihiro has the unique ability see spirits and other supernatural beings whenever he ventures outside. However, he is not too fond of this gift since he is often confronted by them, he can’t seem to live a normal life like everyone else, and they cause him grief. One day he comes across a small shop that is run by a young woman named Yuuko, and he states to her that he no longer wants to see spirits and requests she get rid of them. Yuuko happily accepts the request but as a stipulation, Kimihiro must now work for her and assist in taking care of her errands.

Yuuko claims that she is able to get rid of the curse and relieve Kimihiro of his torment, however for a price. Now Kimihiro finds himself thrown into a world that’s full of yokai, which is the problem that he vowed to avoid in the first place. Yuuko really cares about Kimihiro, especially when he’s sent off to do the dirty work. She usually summons her Kudakitsune or Doumeki to make sure he’s safe at all times against the reckless yokai that pester him. Yuuko has extremely powerful magic abilities but tries to refrain from using them too much, now that Kimihiro pretty much comes to her aid to clean things up.

Rin is just another regular troublesome student, who goes about his way causing mischief and joking with his colleagues to pass the time. His life as he thought wasn’t really much of a thrill, that is until he realizes he’s the son of Satan and is attacked by a horde of demons on school grounds. His father wishes that the two of them work together to claim the throne of Assiah, which Rin has no interest in. Now with the truth revealed, Rin, alongside his brother and other comrades must now fight against his father to stop his plot to rule the nation of Assiah, and take out his father before it’s too late.

Rin and his brother were born with supernatural powers that allow them to cast various spells to dispose of the enemy. Rin can cast blue flames from out of his body and over the course of the series, he eventually learns to master his skill entirely. With his skill now in tact, he must constantly battle against demons who seek out to destroy him, and come face to face with his egotistic father who vows to control the entire society and create a utopian world of torment.

Ichigo never truly asked for what his life was about to transform into, but over time he comes to understand his destiny as a shinigami. His entire town has been threatened by enemies known as hollow, who’ve come from an alternate universe to wreak havoc on its citizens. Unable to fend them off and about to die, Ichigo is saved by a female shinigami named Rukia who grants him his new ability and alerts him that there’s more dangerous threats on the way. Along with Rukia and other friends whom he meets along the way, Ichigo must now use his powers to protect the innocent from the hollows and to help the spirits themselves find peace.

What made this series spectacular was because every character was relatable, the action was extremely intense, especially when Ichigo finally makes his way to the soul society, but even more so the entire story itself is what breathed life into the series. There are so many extremely cool and powerful abilities that some of these characters have, such as Byakuya’s beautiful yet deadly bankai called Senbonzakura Kageyoshi that once he drops his sword into the ground, two large rows of giant blades rise up behind him then scatter into a million tiny blades killing destroying his opponent. Deeper into the story you start to see more powers that go well beyond the bankai state, so if you want to see those be sure to tune in!

Allen decides to join an academy of exorcists to put a stop to lifeforms called Akuma, which were designed by Earl himself. Using the souls of the deceased, Earl gives them immense power, terrorizing everything in their path. Allen must now team up with other powerful exorcists to put an end to the sinister plans the Millennium Earl has for the world, before it all manifests and creates destruction.

Allen was cursed as a child and had to bare with this condition, until he realized that his curse was in fact a gift to help save humanity. Earl and his clan of Noah realize a secret about Allen and are now trying to use that secret against him to help destroy the Order, and take back what Earl feels is rightfully his. Allen’s innocence allows him to destroy akuma, and save the souls of the dead that were corrupted by Earl himself. Kanda’s innocence called mugen or six illusions, allows him to slide his fingers down his blade which activates it allowing him to cast various powerful spells that devour his opponents. Every battle is filled with a plethora of magical spells from every corner and you’re just never sure how things will turn out. Be sure to tune into season two to get a glimpse of more superpower action!

After a surprising turn of events, Otonashi discovers that he's dead but can’t seem to recall why. The only thing he can remember clearly is his name, and Yuri explains to him that he exists in the afterlife. She explains to Otonashi that she is about to wage war against a female enemy, and that this enemy is someone to avoid at all costs. Otonashi doesn't seem to be convinced by her story, and so Otonashi joins the Afterlife Battlefront to learn more about Tenshi and her evil intentions. His mission however becomes even more challenging as he now must deal with his growing attraction to Tenshi, and to learn more about his mysterious death and how it led him here.

Angel Beats! is an action packed anime made by Key, who are well known for their very unique art style, and approach to story. Otonashi has no clue what he’s about to deal with, but along the way he meets up with different individuals who all have their own secret purpose that the viewer eventually discovers towards the end. Every time someone gets hit by the big hammer which is followed by a mellow melody, you burst out into laughter because it’s all so random. Each character has their own supernatural ability which they use along with certain weapons, but the underlying theme of the show is what really grips you because it’s a powerful message that will leave you thinking for months after watching.

The story of Fate/Zero takes place ten years before the events in Fate/Stay Night, which follows the life of Kiritsugu, who now finds himself in a game of life and death. He must stand toe to toe with six other combatants, all of whom have their own ancient familiar and are fueled by their most inner desires. Kiritsugu must now team up with his own familiar Saber, to confront his greatest threat of all Kirei Kotomine, who seeks to bring an end to Kiritsugu’s existence.

Kiritsugu’s life is on the line and he needs to come up with solutions fast before his very life is taken from him by the enemies that lie ahead. He summons Saber, who’s such a badass in her own way because she really doesn’t give a damn about anyone, so long as Kiritsugu is protected at all costs. Her excalibur blast, which uses an incredible amount of energy, sends her opponent flying and into the next dimension. She’ll take on the most fearsome of beasts and just slay them without breaking a sweat, nonchalantly carrying on with her business as if nothing transpired. Kiritsugu uses a variety of seals throughout the show to increase Saber’s powers, but at the cost of her acting against her own will to survive.

Light just doesn’t feel that the world he currently lives in is being governed justly. He feels as if the world needs more justice, since many crimes take place and so many criminals walk away clean. With enough power he thought, he could be the supreme giver justice in this corrupt world and restore balance. One eventful evening he discovers a black notebook lying on the ground, and out of curiosity he picks it up. Reading through the book he sees a rule that states anyone's name that is written in the book will die, and so Light is convinced that this may perhaps be his destiny. From that very moment he picked up the book, his entire life changed forever.

Finding a book that grants you the ability to take the lives of corrupt criminals and politicians is beyond fathomable by human capacity, but Death Note makes it all seem so real in a world that closely resembles our own. Every time someone dies you’re just itching to see if Light will get caught and serve his punishment, but his crafty and meticulous ways of killing his victims is nothing short of impressive. His manipulative ways paired with his very keen alertness give off this aura of a supreme being that cannot be touched, and no matter how hard the police try to stop him there’s just no evidence to tie him to. If it wasn’t for Ryuk dropping the book in the first place, Light’s abilities would’ve been just a pipedream, and his powers would have been non existent so he must give Ryuk all the credit!

Chihiro finds herself situated in an abandoned amusement park along with her parents on the way to visit their new home. Not pleased by any of it, she insists that they leave since it carries no value to her. However, as strange events start to take place once dusk falls, Chihiro starts to realize that there’s more to this park than she initially assumed. Her parents are suddenly turned into pigs and various other paranormal activity takes place, and soon Chihiro comes to discover that she’s no longer in the world which she knew. Now residing in the spirit world, she must now come to terms with her new surroundings and build relationships with the spirits around her with the help of a little friend she meets along the way.

This all time classic Ghibli tale is not only full of ghostly encounters and random events, but it tells the story of a young girl who must learn to grow and develop on her own in a world that’s foreign to her. Chihiro was thrown into a vast land of uncertainty and she now needs to decide what her best plans of actions are to deal with these new spirit friends she’s now encountering. One of those new friends was Kaonashi, who comes to like Chihiro and ensures to protect her at all costs. When he’s mistreated or doesn’t get his way however, he transforms into a big monster who devours what whatever is in his way. He reverts back to his usual self after calming down, but it’s interesting to see just how far he goes to protect those around him.