We all love flashy abilities in anime, especially when they're drawn with insanely good animation and executed during climactic moments. But for every pillar of flame, violent wind scythe, or swirling water dragon, there are extraordinarily unique abilities that are cool in their own ways.
Not all techniques, skills, jutsus, and powers are based on the stereotypical fire, water, wind, and earth attributes. Not all involve violence, destruction, or death. Some of the most memorable abilities are actually quite simple, but can be useful in creative ways.
Here are my picks for the most unique powers and abilities featured in anime and why they're actually pretty cool.
20. Regeneration Minimum (Hamatora)
Art was believed to be just an ordinary man, at least until he was killed and returned to life with his Regeneration Minimum, an ability that was triggered by his death.
The Ajins of the series Ajin: Demi-Human also possess this same type of ability, in which they return to life after being "reset" and restoring all of their lost limbs and broken body parts.
19. Power of Absolute Obedience (Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion)
Lelouch vi Britannia was given a Geass called Power of Absolute Obedience that allows him to command any person who makes direct eye contact with him—but he can't control the same person twice. He uses this Geass in many surprising ways throughout the series.
There are other Geass that may seem more useful and more powerful than Lelouch's—like Charles's which enables him to alter memories—but the Power of Absolute Obedience is unique in its power, which can even command someone to continue living.
18. Word Soul Magic (Black Clover)
Unlike other magic attributes, Kotodama (Word Soul) Magic can influence anything and anyone within range using just speech or words.
One can send someone flying by just saying "fall back" or summon an endless rain of blades onto a target by saying "storm of blades," as if commanding one's area of influence.
The only known user of Kotodama Magic in the Black Clover series is Zagred, the devil who uses elves and humans for his evil desires.
17. Love Quirk (My Hero Academia)
Manami Aiba's Love Quirk is an enhancement-type ability. Sounds a bit simple, right? What makes this Quirk special is that it works in tandem with her feelings: the deeper her love and affection for a person, the stronger that person can be (as boosted by the Quirk).
16. Crazy Slots (Hunter X Hunter)
Kite's Crazy Slots ability takes the form of a head of a clown when activated, and will turn into a weapon depending on the number given by the roulette. Kite has no control over what weapon will come out.
This imposed restriction on the Crazy Slots ability increases the power of the individual weapons. Ging also noted that Crazy Slots has a number that comes out when Kite has a strong will to live, allowing him to get reincarnated as a Chimera Ant after being defeated by Pitou.
15. Reanimation Jutsu (Naruto)
The Naruto series is filled with different kinds of abilities that are based on the four elements of nature, but the Reanimation Jutsu looks more like witchcraft and dark magic than any normal ninja skill.
As long as you have genetic material, this technique can summon the soul of a dead person and bind that soul to a living sacrifice, effectively bringing them back to life.
What makes this unique compared to most reanimation spells is that it can't be undone unless released by the caster, so the reanimated person will continue remaining in the world even if the caster dies.
Furthermore, reanimated bodies cannot die. Even if they're broken to pieces, they will regenerate. The only way to defeat a reanimated person is to seal their soul away for good.
14. Conqueror's Haki (One Piece)
Who would have thought that intimidation has a higher form? The Conqueror's Haki works by overpowering another's willpower, knocking them unconscious if they aren't strong enough.
Unlike the other two forms of Haki, this one can't be attained through training alone. The Conqueror's Haki is innate to a select few individuals who are said to have the qualities of a king. Some of the known users include Shanks, Luffy, Katakuri, Bullet, and Rayleigh.
Rimuru's Merciless in That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime works in a similar way to Conqueror's Haki: anyone who loses their will to fight in front of the caster will automatically die.
13. Predator (That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime)
Despite being a mere slime, Rimuru Tempest acquired a skill that made him one of the strongest creatures in his world: the Predator technique, which allows him to consume anything and acquires properties, including magical attributes and immunities.
In addition to the things he ate to gain powers, he also has Veldora inside his stomach, giving him an immense boost in power and properties. He can also use the skills of whatever he consumes, making him one of the most overpowered anime characters.
This ability later evolved as his powers grew stronger—from Predator to Gluttony and then Beelzebuth. While it still has the properties and effects of the original Predator, it becomes way cooler and more badass.
Instead of Rimuru engulfing his target with his slime body, both Gluttony and Beelzebuth become an emitter-type ability in the form of a dark substance that pulls and absorbs his targets.
12. One For All (My Hero Academia)
At first glance, One For All seems to be a simple enhancement-type Quirk that multiplies the user's power a hundredfold or even a thousandfold, such that a single punch can be overwhelming to throw.
But over the course of My Hero Academia, we learn that there's more to this Quirk than first meets the eye.
One For All is an ability that can be passed down from one to another, and embedded within the ability are all the consciousnesses of its previous wielders along with their individual Quirk factors.
This allows Izuku Midoriya, the current wielder, to deliver destructive blows while having access to all the Quirks of the previous wielders, such as the fifth wielder's Quirk called Blackwhip.
11. No Longer Human (Bungo Stray Dogs)
In a world full of battles that involve special powers, a technique that can nullify any power is most powerful of them all. In Bungo Stray Dogs, Osamu Dazai uses his No Longer Human ability to negate people's abilities and stop deadly clashes.
Many anime series feature abilities of a similar concept, like Shota Aizawa's Erase Quirk in My Hero Academia and Asta's Anti-Magic in Black Clover. These types of abilities are interesting because they level the playing field and lead to unforeseen results.
10. Hakoware (Hunter X Hunter)
Of all the Nen abilities featured in the Hunter X Hunter series, Knuckle's Hakoware is one of the most complex in terms of application. It operates like a bank or lending company, but uses Nen instead of money.
With every hit, the counter of the Aura Power Redirector (APR) adds interest. If he gets hit, interest is subtracted. The APR then turns into Individual Ren Suppressor (IRS) when certain conditions are met, which renders the target unable to use Nen for 30 days.
9. Sharingan (Naruto)
The Sharingan is perhaps the most unique ability in both Naruto and Naruto Shippuden to this day. It's one of those things that kept fans hooked for years, pulling them along with its mysteries—not to mention the awesome characters like Kakashi and Itachi.
Early in the series, the Sharingan was only an enhancement of vision and reflexes, allowing the user to copy another's jutsus.
Later on, the Sharingan became more complex: able to alter reality with Izanagi, create a spiritual avatar with Susanoo, or even trap someone in an endless illusion with Tsukuyomi.
Going even further, the Sharingan can potentially be awakened into the Rinnegan, which is a far superior eye with god-like abilities: wiping out entire landscapes with Shinra Tensei or even calling forth meteors from outer space with Tengai Shinsei.
8. Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash (Demon Slayer)
While Zenitsu Agatsuma is a user of Thunder Breathing, he has only mastered its first form: Thunderclap and Flash. Yet, in battle, he has proven that one form is more than enough to slash his way through his enemies—even an Upper Moon Demon.
Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash utilizes speed and leg power, which are the basic components of Thunder Breathing. He dashes with incredible speed to deliver a fast and deadly sword strike.
What's cool about this technique is it resembles the real-life quick-draw sword technique called Iaijutsu. The Thunderclap and Flash moments are some of the best animated scenes in Demon Slayer, featuring the flashy technique partnered with badass vibes.
7. Prayer of Debility (Dark Gathering)
Yayoi Hozuki's "The Imprisoned Demon Sergeant Who Died for His Country" has a very unique ability called the Prayer of Debility.
This technique manifests instantly upon calling him into battle, in which he marks the area with an eye pattern with him at the center. Those caught within his mark are weakened and suffer the same pain he experienced in war.
What's unique about this power is that instead of making him stronger as the ability intensifies and the mark gets bigger, it actually makes him weaker—along with anyone or anything caught inside.
With the Prayer of Debility, he actually hopes that someone will eventually defeat him since he's weak. However, the Prayer of Debility also utilizes his super regeneration ability, which keeps him alive while his opponents succumb to weakness.
6. Heavenly Restriction (Jujutsu Kaisen)
While the Jujutsu Kaisen series commonly features abilities revolving around Cursed Techniques and Domain Expansions, there's one unique ability that only a few had access to: Heavenly Restriction.
Heavenly Restriction isn't an active or triggered ability; rather, it's a kind of inborn curse that places limitations on a person. However, it grants something in exchange that's proportional to the limitations.
The most famous "sorcerer" with Heavenly Restriction is Toji Fushiguro. Born without Cursed Energy but gifted with heightened physical strength, he's so powerful that he almost kills Satoru Gojo.
Another person with Heavenly Restriction is Kokichi Muta, who was born with a weak and deteriorating body, but in return was gifted with a massive reserve of Cursed Energy.
5. Severed Universe (Fire Force)
Of all the time-stopping abilities in anime, Sho's Severed Universe appears to be the only one that actually has scientific reasoning that coincides with the real-life theory of universe expansion.
When Severed Universe is used, Sho cools down his surroundings and neutralizes the heat that's responsible for the "expansion of the Universe," thus slowing everything down for him.
Upon activation, it looks like he's moving at incredible speeds, but in reality it's everything else around him that's slowing down or even stopping altogether.
The downside of Severed Universe is that he can't maintain it for too long, as the cold and freezing effects also affect his body.
4. The Visionary (Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War)
Let's forget about Zanpakutos and Bankai for a moment and look at Gremmy's unique ability: The Visionary. With this ability, he can make anything he imagines manifest and materialize in the real world.
The Visionary is an overpowered ability, especially in the hands of Gremmy who utilizes every fantasy he has to bring forth destruction and chaos. From meteors coming down to imagining he can't die, Gremmy proved how deadly one's imagination can be.
Then again, this power was also the cause of his defeat. He imagined that he had power greater than Zaraki—and while The Visionary granted him an overwhelming power that surpassed Zaraki, his body started to break down as it couldn't handle the power he had imagined.
3. I Am Atomic (The Eminence in Shadow)
Shadow is one of the many overpowered characters common in isekai anime. His ability called I Am Atomic is a powerful finisher move in his arsenal and one of the flashiest abilities in anime.
By concentrating magic on a single point (i.e., his sword), he can release a destructive force akin to a nuclear blast.
There are several variations of this ability featured in The Eminence in Shadow, all having destructive properties. However, one time, he used a variation to save people instead of obliterating them.
I Am Atomic has a pretty interesting backstory, too: out of his desire to survive a nuclear blast, Shadow took things one step further and decided that he must become the incarnate of nuclear power itself.
2. Sunshine (The Seven Deadly Sins)
In The Seven Deadly Sins, Escanor's Grace called Sunshine has some limitations and handicaps. With this Grace, Escanor is a tall and muscular man during the day but thin and fragile at night.
However, these limitations and handicaps are well-compensated by the power boost that's granted during the day—and it grows ever stronger as the sun reaches its highest peak at noon.
To make things more interesting, Sunshine doesn't end with the setting of the sun. It can also use one's own life force as its power source, as seen when Escanor was able to keep his powers active against the Demon King while burning away his own life.
1. Serious Punch (One Punch Man)
Saitama of One Punch Man is unique because he doesn't have any visually flashy moves yet remains extremely overpowered. He packs insane power in his abilities, most notably the Serious Punch.
While his normal punches are strong enough to knock down enemies, his Serious Punch is so powerful that it even outclassed Boros's intergalactic powers and gave him the fight he was looking for.
