There are a lot of anime that cover relatively short time spans, not giving much time for change in the story in the form of characters aging and passing on roles and abilities. While not every story needs them though, succession narratives can be very compelling.
Successor characters are hard to get right, as their appearance can fundamentally change aspects of a series that many fans love. However, if handled well, the pressure of walking in someone else’s shadow can create a diamond of a character that helps usher in a new age, while paying sufficient homage to what came before.
8 Near (Death Note)
L’s death is easily the most world-shattering moment in Death Note. So much of the series was founded on the battle between L and Light, and seeing the former go makes it seem like Light has already won. Luckily though, L already had a successor waiting.
Having been raised under similar circumstances to L and possessing a comparable intellect, Near is very much L version 2. What he does have over his mentor is his greater ability to rely on others. While this seems like a weakness at first, it’s the support he receives from people like Mello that help him do what L couldn’t and stop Light.
7 Rock Lee (Naruto)
Unlike many of its contemporaries, Naruto as a series tends to let its characters age and change roles regularly. Many of Naruto’s peers grow up to take over the roles of their masters and teachers, but few do this as completely as Rock Lee.
Devoid of the same chakra control as his peers, Lee was only able to keep up due to the training he received from Might Guy. By the time he’s an adult and Guy is no longer in active duty, Lee manages to succeed him by inheriting all his techniques, including the powerful ‘8 gates’ technique.
6 Death The Kid (Soul Eater)
Much of Soul Eater’s story is centered around the Death Weapon Meister Academy (DWMA), run by Death himself. Death the Kid starts off the story as the headmaster’s neurotic son, still a long way from matching up to his old man.
Over time though, Kid grows along with his friends, eventually unlocking his full power as a ‘shinigami.’ While this action causes his father to pass away, Kid inherits the role of Death graciously, promising to help make the world a better place. Sadly though, this arc is only fully completed in the manga.
5 Tanjiro Kamado (Demon Slayer)
In the world of Demon Slayer, the breathing techniques that enable human swordsmen to battle the vastly more powerful demons have been passed down for generations. This means that most of the important characters are the latest successors for their breathing styles.
At first, Tanjiro learns water breathing, but this isn’t the best suited style for him. Through the ‘hinokami kagura’ dance his father would perform in his childhood, he manages to bring sun breathing back into the world, being the first one to do so since the original demon slayer. While he doesn’t match his predecessor’s sheer skill, he proves himself to be a worthy successor by figuring out the style’s hidden secrets and using them to help end the demons once and for all.
4 Gohan (Dragon Ball)
To the chagrin of many Dragon Ball fans, Gohan is a successor who has never really gotten to fully take up his predecessor’s role. Following the arrival of Cell, Gohan went from being Goku’s cowardly son to a legitimate powerhouse, poised to become the series’ new protagonist.
Sadly, this doesn’t end up happening, as Goku returns after a few in-universe years. Gohan then stops fighting after Buu is defeated, falling even further from his potential. Despite this, Gohan was the first non-Goku character to defeat a large threat, and if Goku ever does permanently retire, he will likely be the next in line to be earth’s strongest warrior.
3 Joseph Joestar (Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure)
When Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure first began, it followed the rivalry between Jonathan Joestar and Dio Brando. To everyone’s shock however, the first part of the series ends with both of their deaths, leaving the protagonist role confusingly empty.
In comes Jojo part 2 and its protagonist, Joseph Joestar. Joseph improves on his grandfather in every way. He’s stronger, smarter, craftier, and more enjoyable to watch. Jojo would go on to be well known for swapping protagonists periodically, and Joseph is to thank for this structure being so well received from day 1.
2 Simon (Gurren Lagann)
For most of his early life, Simon was able to rely on the protection and support of his big brother Kamina. Kamina was a natural-born, charismatic leader who founded Team Gurren. After Kamina’s death, however, it fell to Simon to take up his role.
Despite being a shy kid himself, Simon inherits Kamina’s determination, using it to drive him to defeating the Spiral King and becoming humanity’s new leader. Even when a new war begins, he fights all the way up to a galactic level, saving the world and rescuing his fiance Nia with gusto that would make Kamina proud.
1 Izuku ‘Deku’ Midoriya (My Hero Academia)
While most protagonists get to start off their stories on their own terms, Deku is a character walking in the shadow of All Might from day 1. Having inherited the number 1 hero’s quirk, Deku constantly feels like he needs to live up to the legacy he’s become a part of, to the point of mentally restricting his own potential.
As he grows though, Deku proves to be a worthy successor. He not only shoulders the power of his initial quirk, but the six extra quirks he develops later on. At one point, his determination to be the new All Might even leads him down a path of self-destruction. Ultimately though, Deku is not only able to become the hero’s strongest fighter, but work with his classmates to realize and decide to change the faults in All Might’s destructively lonely ideology.