In the anime franchise, it is a common trope for characters to embark on arduous paths to achieve their goals. However, they are often not alone on their journeys, as different individuals may assist them in overcoming multiple trials. A similar and probably the most common feature of these stories is the presence of a knowledgeable mentor, a teacher who offers profound guidance that would be difficult to find anywhere else.
While most of these characters give beneficial advice, there exists considerable variation in their respective approaches and profiles. Some of these individuals are pure academics, possessing little or no strength despite greatly influencing their students. Other characters, however, are great powerhouses, possessing strength and abilities that make them nigh unbeatable. This list features the cream of the crop when it comes to powerful anime teachers.
10 Might Guy – Naruto
Might Guy, often referred to as Guy-sensei, is the energetic leader of Team Guy. He served as the mentor of Rock Lee, Neji Hyūga, and Tenten, who all turned out to be exceptional ninjas. Despite rarely using ninjutsu or genjutsu, which would generally be considered a massive handicap, he was still regarded as one of Konoha’s strongest shinobi.
Guy is excellent at taijutsu and one of the strongest users in the series. Through taijutsu, Guy can move at immense speeds and has incredible durability and stamina. However, his most powerful abilities come to light when he taps into different stages of the Eight Inner Gates, which allows him to ignore the natural limiters placed on a human body. Furthermore, after opening the Eigth Gate and unleashing Night Guy, he was able to overwhelm Madara Uchiha, with Madara himself stating that he was the strongest taijutsu user he had ever faced.
9 Muten Rōshi – Dragon Ball
At first glance, this lecherous old man might seem unimpressive, but he is not an easy opponent to face when he gets serious. He acts as a mentor to important characters in the series such as Goku and Krillin, even introducing the signature Kamehameha the former is commonly known for today.
Rōshi might be significantly aged, but he is vastly experienced and is a martial arts master. Furthermore, he has different forms, and even in his weakest state, he is still far more powerful than a regular human being. In his strongest form, known as the Max Power form, he is able to stand his ground against some of the strongest fighters in the universe, as shown when he temporarily goes toe to toe with universe 11’s Jiren.
8 Jiraiya – Naruto
Of all the great teachers in anime, Jiraya has arguably supervised the most talented pupils. He personally oversaw the progress of some extremely powerful figures in the Naruto franchise. Characters like Minato Namikaze, Nagato, and Naruto Uzumaki were all under his wing at one point in their lifetime.
As a member of the Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya was considered a legendary ninja and one of the greatest shinobi ever. He excelled in ninjutsu and was capable of using senjutsu to enhance his abilities. In addition, he was highly proficient in battle, possessing multiple tricks that aided him greatly. He fought and survived against the legendary Hanzō and even stood up to one of the series’ greatest antagonists, Nagato.
7 Biscuit Krueger – Hunter X Hunter
Biscuit’s regular appearance may fool you into thinking she’s a harmless little girl, but this blonde-haired gem-lover is anything but that. In reality, she is a talented nen user who possesses a physical form much more robust than the one she generally adopts.
She is an expert teacher and uses effective practical methods to get the best out of her students. With these methods, she taught both Gon and Killua different applications of Nen while inspiring the formers Jajanken. She possesses exceptional strength, especially in her true form, and is proficient with all types of nen. In every battle she has participated in so far, she has won effortlessly and has failed to take any significant damage.
6 Yami Sukehiro – Black Clover
Yami Sukeriho is the mighty captain of the Black Bulls. Every member of the ragtag magic group respects him immensely due to his great strength and influence. Moreover, he often acts as a mentor to his squad members in all aspects of life, which is especially true with Asta, one of the group's standout characters.
As previously implied, Yami is incredibly powerful. Being a magic knight captain, he is one of the Clover Kingdoms' strongest. In addition to using mana like other combatants in the series, he can also use ki, which aids him greatly in battle. Furthermore, he has a significant affinity for dark magic and, when imbued with his sword, can use it to cut through anything, even dimensions. In addition, he has a myriad of impressive feats, most notable, however, being his contribution to the defeat of the king of the underworld Dante, surpassing his limits for the sake of his comrades.
5 All Might – My Hero Academia
Toshinori Yagi, commonly known as All Might, is the former symbol of peace and Number One Pro Hero. In search of a budding hero to inherit his quirk, he became a teacher at the prestigious U.A. High School. Though initially struggling with the formalities of the job, he is a sound battle instructor and is especially experienced in supervising physical conditioning, as shown with Izuku Midoriya.
His existence alone was a deterrent to criminal activity, as he was known to have never lost a fight. His quirk was among the strongest in the series, giving him unparalleled superhuman strength. His punches are strong enough to cause shockwaves and have even been shown to change the weather occasionally. He became significantly weaker after passing on his quirk, yet with the residue of one for all alone, he was able to overpower and defeat All For One, the most feared villain in the series at the time.
4 Silvers Rayleigh – One Piece
Currently referred to as a legend by many in the series, Silvers Rayleigh was the first mate and former companion of Pirate King Gol D. Roger. In the present age, he was responsible for Luffy's immense growth over the two-year time skip. He taught Luffy about all forms of haki and how to use them.
As the former vice-captain of the Roger Pirates, Rayleigh is an extremely strong character. Though most of the strength from his pirating days may have waned considerably, he is still capable of formidable feats. He has incredibly potent Conqueror's haki and was said to be able to incapacitate over a hundred thousand soldiers. He fought on equal grounds with Admiral Kizaru, one of the strongest characters in the series, and has been acknowledged by multiple other powerful individuals.
3 Urahara Kisuke – Bleach
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Urahara is initially portrayed as a regular shopkeep who sold shinigami items. However, he is later revealed to have a more complex role in the story, turning out to be an important figure in past and future events. Urahara was the former 12th division captain of the Gotei 13, but after settling down in the human world, he met Ichigo Kurosaki and trained him for ten days before his journey to the soul society.
He might be easygoing, but he is a highly talented swordsman and a formidable fighter. In addition, he has great intelligence, founding the S.R.D.I and developing a separate Hōgyoku. His most powerful ability, however, is his Bankai, Kannonbiraki Benihime Aratame. Using this Bankai, Kisuke can alter the state of anything it touches. It is a power with boundless possibilities, and its efficiency was shown in his fight against the Quincy, Askin Nakk Le Vaar.
2 Koro Sensei – Assassination Classroom
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Koro Sensei is the petty yet lovable homeroom teacher of Kunugigaoka’s Class 3-E. He originally appears while threatening to destroy the planet but gradually leaves a more positive impression as the series goes on. He resonates deeply with his students and gets enraged whenever someone puts them in harm's way, even if they do it to themselves.
One of Koro Sensei’s greatest strengths is his invulnerability, he is exceptionally skilled at avoiding attacks and has survived all forms of poisoning targeted at him. In addition, he is incredibly fast, and he can easily hit speeds of mach 20. Furthermore, he is a perfect assassin, and is not known to have failed any jobs throughout his lifetime.
1 Gojo Satoru – Jujutsu Kaisen
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Gojo Satoru has one main aim, to rework the jujutsu sorcerer society from the ground up and foster the talents of upcoming jujutsu sorcerers. This led to him directly involving himself in the growth of the next generation and taking a teacher's position at Jujutsu High.
Gojo is commonly referred to as the most powerful sorcerer in the series. He has incredible amounts of cursed energy and is extremely proficient in its control. In addition, he also possesses the Six Eyes, along with the power of the Limitless. Simply put, this ability allows him to slow down the time of all entities that attempt to approach him. It becomes even stronger when he uses his domain expansion, overloading his opponents' brains with unlimited amounts of information and effectively incapacitating them.