Someone who’s both a womanizer and has a silly personality as their default isn’t the first person people would picture as a bad ass, and Spirit Albarn is no exception. Based on his interaction with Maka when we’re first introduced to him, it’s hard to picture him as a serious fighter, and one wonders just how he was able to prove himself in order to be a weapon used by Death himself. All those doubts are set aside when we come to learn that Spirit is not only one of the Death Scythes used by Death himself, but also that he is regarded by Death as being the most powerful. We get to see Spirit’s power demonstrated multiple times such as when he is used by Death, Maka, and Stein, and we see his effectiveness in combat as he brings out his Meister’s best qualities due to his Wavelength Control. In other words, in spite of his personality, Spirit is certainly a badass when it comes to combat.

If someone were to meet Justin Law for the first time, it’s almost a certainty that “badass” would be the last term they’d use. Seeing Justin dressed in clothing that appears to have religious connotations would cause someone to think he’s a man of faith, and the fact that they would always hear the volume of his music before they saw him can become very annoying very quickly. Yet Justin is regarded as a living legend due to his incredible accomplishment of reaching the Death Scythe level at the age of 13. What makes it even more incredible is the fact that Justin achieved this feat without the aid of a Meister. Justin is a good example of a badass who you would not expect such power from someone who looks as if they should not be able to do what they’re capable of doing.

Without a doubt, Asura’s presence in terms of combat is completely badass. Despite the paranoia and mistrust he has regarding the world around him, all of that seems to disappear when Asura is in the middle of a fight, as his unique abilities completely mess with and overpower his opponents. One example would be how Asura completely neutralizes Black Star’s assault on him without even facing him and effortlessly sends Black Star flying. Asura’s powers and techniques certainly place him as one of the strongest characters, with only a few (such as Death himself) really showing themselves capable of overpowering his Madness Wavelength. But it is his way of making it seem so easy to defeat almost everybody that comes against him that earned Asura a spot on this list.

Another example of a character that can surprise you from your 1st impression of them, Marie is a force to be reckoned with. One of the most powerful Death Scythes in the series, Marie shows she is more than capable of handling herself as she takes on both Stein and Medusa at once. Marie’s Healing Wavelength is also a powerful technique, even capable of repelling Asura’s madness technique. One would not immediately suspect that the individual capable of such feats has no sense of direction, came super close to marrying a toilet, and is a compassionate person with everyone, even her enemies. Yet despite these oddities, Marie certainly proves that appearances aren’t everything, marking what she is capable of doing even more badass.

A classic example of the “strong and silent” archetype, Mifune lets his swordplay speak for him. When we’re first introduced to Mifune, he comes up against Black Star, who we have quickly gathered is loud and overconfident. However, Black Star quickly finds out why Mifune is referred to as “God of the Swords”, as he completely has the upper hand in their matchup, all while portraying a demeanor that is the complete opposite of Black Star’s. What makes Mifune’s skill with a sword even more badass is the fact that he’s 100% human; the fact that he can hold his own against most of the other characters in the series just goes to show how powerful Mifune’s Strong Soul is. Throw in a strong sense of duty to protect children, especially his friend Angela, and you have yourselves quite the badass character.

One of the more mature characters in the series, Tsubaki is much more patient than her friends, and tends to see the good in everyone. She tends to be really trusting of others, and usually will do what others want to do in order to avoid conflict. While this isn’t the best way of handling things in day to day situations, this approach of Tsubaki’s combined with her temperament is pretty bad ass. Nothing’s cooler than watching a female fighter that knows how to transform into multiple weapons carry herself calmly in even the most stressful of fights. Combining Tsubaki’s approach to fighting with that of Black Star’s, and you see just how much of a badass Tsubaki can be, especially during the few times when she does lose her temper.

Death the Kid definitely grows into a badass on multiple levels throughout the series. For starters, Kid’s style of fighting can be regarded as “cool” with the use of his guns and hover board, making him stand out from the rest of the student body. Both his high skill level and his unique appearance make Kid someone you don’t want to mess with. Even his obsession of being a perfectionist slowly reduces over time, allowing ourselves to witness a badass in the making as he achieves a balance in his life. With Kid taking over his father’s spot as Shinigami, it’s safe to say that if people didn’t think he was a badass before, they certainly do now.

Maka Albarn stands as the classic example of a badass that defies common perception. Being one of the first characters that we are introduced to, Maka looks like an ordinary school girl, as we usually see her wearing something that resembles a school uniform. All of that changes, however, when we see her fight, as Maka knows how to wield a scythe very effectively and has the attitude to match it. With a drive to provide a Death Scythe for Death himself, Maka wants to prove that she is a strong fighter, and it’s this deeply committed attitude of bettering herself that allows her to achieve a lot throughout the series, making her a certified badass..

Stein would be a perfect example of a badass if it weren’t for the direction he takes it in, as well as his personality quirks. Considered to be the strongest Meister to ever graduate from Death Weapon Meister Academy, Stein was Spirit Albarn’s former (and first) partner and was even asked by Death to be a teacher at the academy, to which he obliged. However, Stein’s real passion was science, and preferred to explore this passion by dissecting anything that caught his interest. On one hand, this never-relenting pursuit to constantly experiment can be respected in terms of being a badass since Stein does not care for what other people might think regarding his strange experiments and the lengths he will go to. On the other hand, his obsession with dissecting leads many to question his sanity, especially when they see the number of scars on his own body, suggesting that Stein has experimented on himself multiple times. Despite his insanity, however, Stein’s obsession and his talent as a Meister make him a certified badass.

Without a doubt, Soul Evans is the definitive badass in Soul Eater. Upon first impression, Soul does an excellent job of presenting himself as a laid back individual who is apathetic about most things and only doing things he considers to be “cool”. Even though Soul’s maturity level can be equivalent to that of Black Star’s at times, for the most part Soul remains calm and collected in most situations (unless Blair is around). In addition, Soul’s combat abilities are impressive, especially when he becomes a Death Scythe. But the best demonstration of Soul being a badass is his growing maturity, especially in his relationship with Maka. In the beginning of the series, Soul does an excellent job of acting like a badass; by the time series ends, Soul is a badass through and through.