Due to anime being a fictional medium, most shows within it naturally contain unnatural elements. As a result, they sometimes present features such as; other-worldly landscapes, mythical beasts, magical artifacts, or even arrguably less impressive, extremely aged characters.
Despite the fact that these characters all share the same characteristic of being extraordinarily old, they come in many different shapes and sizes. Some possess physical features hinting at their old age, while others are completely bereft of distinct physical characteristics, leaving viewers in awe when their real ages are revealed. Regardless of what group they belong to, however, most of them maintain a significant presence within their respective shows. This list consists of some of the oldest characters to ever appear in the medium.
10 Yato – Noragami
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- Age: 1000+
Yato is the rather unfortunate tracksuit-wearing god that serves as one of the three main protagonists of the Noragami anime. He is a minor deity who doesn’t even possess a shrine, is dirt poor, and has difficulty managing his relationships with the people around him. Nevertheless, he is a carefree and compassionate being, constantly showing genuine care for his companions.
Despite his comical outlook, he exudes an intimidating aura whenever he gets serious or angry, sometimes even showcasing a decent amount of wisdom. Being a deity, it comes as no surprise that Yato has been around for so long.
9 Kibutsuji Muzan – Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
- Age: 1,000+
Kibutsuji Muzan is the overarching villain of the Demon Slayer series. He is a ruthless demon and has the power to turn other humans into demons as well. Despite his elusive nature, he is extremely powerful and is known by many in the anime as the demon king.
He is known to have lived for over a thousand years. During this period, he spent his time converting humans into demons and avoiding the Demon Slayer Corps. Unfortunately, despite his immense strength, he is extremely weak to sunlight, as significant exposure to it is enough to kill him. As a result, his long-term goal is to overcome the sun and make himself truly immortal.
8 Joseph – The Ancient Magus' Bride
- Age: 2,000+
Joseph is the main antagonist of The Ancient Magus’ Bride and, despite his age, possesses an appearance resembling that of a young boy. Originally, his main goal was to uncover a way to die, however, because of the many years he has lived, he occasionally lost sight of his true purpose and began to cause suffering for those he encountered.
The source of his immortality was his merger with Cartaphilus, a being which had been around since the execution of Jesus. Sometimes, it is difficult to tell which of the two really is in control, but the resulting entity has pointed out that he detests the name Cartaphilus.
7 Yamamoto Genryusai – Bleach
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- Age: 2100+
Gotei 13 Captain-Commander Yamamoto Genryusai is one of the few characters on this list with an appearance that corresponds with their age. He is one of the apex powers of the Bleach series and is the strongest of all the captains. He is so powerful, in fact, that he runs the risk of destroying the entire soul society if his powers are not properly restrained. He has been around for over 2,100 years and is the main figure responsible for the creation of the Gotei 13.
6 Meliodas – The Seven Deadly Sins
- Age: 3000+
The Seven Deadly Sins is a series that plays host to a great number of different species. As a result, the lifespan of each being also differs greatly. One of the characters that, quite literally, got the long end of the stick in this regard is the main protagonist Meliodas.
Meliodas is a lecherous demon who has been around for over 3,000 years. He has an extremely short stature and facial features resembling that of a child. Despite this, he is one of the strongest characters in the series and the captain of the Seven Deadly Sins.
5 Senku Ishigami – Dr. Stone
- Age: 3700+
In the world of Dr. Stone, humanity fell victim to a worldwide event that caused the petrification of all humans on the planet. Awakening over 3,700 years later, the main protagonist Senku Ishigami set out to restore the world to the state it once was using the power of science.
Though his body retained the form of a regular 15-year-old at the beginning of the series, Senku's mind remained active. Throughout the entire petrification period, he managed to count through 116,427,065,530 seconds without a single moment's rest, an unbelievable feat. Senku now spends his time creating new inventions, supporting life in earth's current state, and opposing forces that threaten the existence of humanity.
4 Jibril – No Game No Life
- Age: 6,407
The majority of the No Game No Life anime is set in a fantasy world called Disboard, where games have the power to decide every single dispute, challenge, or event. The main protagonists, Sora and Shiro, are two widely renowned gamers from a different world, but after finding themselves in Disboard, they set out to take over this new world using their profound gaming skills. Early in the pair's journey, they come across Jibril, a powerful Flügel who is the strongest of her race.
Jibril is the last of her species and has been around for 6,407 years. She has a rather unnatural and insatiable thirst for knowledge, willing to risk anything to gain further enlightenment. After her defeat at the hands of the main duo, she submits herself to servitude and can now be seen regularly accompanying them.
3 Kaname Kuran –Vampire Knight
- Age: 10,000
Kaname Kuran is a prominent character in the Vampire Knight anime, and a class leader in the Cross Academy; a school with two classes, namely the Night Class and the Day Class. The Day Class, as its name suggests, consists of regular humans who attend classes during daytime hours. The Night Class, however, consists of students who attend classes after dark, all of whom are actually vampires.
Kaname is an extremely powerful pureblood vampire. He is the head of the Kuran family and, being a pureblood, is also an immortal who has been around for over 10,000 years.
2 Kars – JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
- Age: 102,000
Kars is the main antagonist of the second part of the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure series, Battle Tendency. He belongs to a race of ancient humanoid beings with remarkable strength and tremendously developed physiques. After awakening from his extremely prolonged slumber, he is revealed to be one of the only four of his kind remaining in the world.
He is known to have been born 102,000 years prior to the parts' beginning. As a result of being found within stone pillars, he and the rest of his kind are referred to as Pillar Men, with him acting as the group leader. Despite being extremely powerful, he is bound to die if exposed to sunlight. Hence, he makes relentless efforts to obtain the Red Stone of Aja, an artifact capable of granting him immunity from the sun.
1 Najimi Ajimu - Medaka Box
- Age: 3,402,193,822,311
Medaka Box is a series created by famous Japanese novelist and manga author Nisio Isin, who is also responsible for the Monogatari series. Just like Monogatari, Medaka Box plays host to a group of characters with rather eccentric personalities and distinct features. Medaka Box, however, involves characters with far more exaggerated abilities and characteristics, one of which is the mysterious Najimi Ajimu.
Najimi has been around for an absurd count of 3,402,193,822,311 years. She has a laid-back personality and is usually met in a strange classroom by Kumagawa each time he dies. Even more astonishing, she possesses over 12 quadrillion skills which, surprisingly, do not make her unbeatable.