7 Strongest Berserkers in Shonen Anime

Shonen anime is loaded with an amazing variety of fighting styles or elements, not to mention different attitudes about combat. Different personalities or behaviors in battle anime add another fun layer of depth to how these characters function, like the cool, detached fighter whose power levels and icy attitude contrast sharply. There is also the berserker archetype, which is familiar in shonen anime, seinen and definitely comic books.

Comics have Incredible Hulk, and seinen have Guts the mercenary in it Berserkso that leaves the question of who the awesome berserkers are in shonen anime. “Berserker” describes anyone who loves to fight and may even lose self-control when the bloodshed begins, and it's no surprise that these berserkers tend to be quite strong as well. It takes a tough fighter to keep diving into the chaos and survive, and they live for it. It's how berserkers become some of the most entertaining characters in all of shonen, whether they're heroes, villains, or something in between.

Kenpachi Zaraki made Combat his entire personality

Kenpachi learned from the best to become so strong

The Whiten the anime has some cold-blooded, in-control fighters like the traitor Sosuke Aizen, Ulquiorra Cifer, and Jugram Haschwalth, but it also has a lot of berserkers. That's why Yammy Llargo's zanpakuto is called Ira, Spanish for “anger” or “rage,” but it's Team 11's Kenpachi Zaraki who rises to the top of the berserker pile. He flies into a bloodthirsty frenzy just like Yammy, but is much tougher and has survived more battles.

Kenpachi owes his success to Yachiru Unohana, the woman who helped found the Gotei 13 along with Yamamoto himself. For a while, Kenpachi thought he had reached the peak of his power even without knowing the name of his zanpakutos, but after defeating Unohana in battle, he regained the power. Interestingly, this enhancement helped take the edge off Kenpachi's ruthless ways just a little while giving him the clarity of thought needed to defeat the likes of Sternritter V, Gremmy Thumeaux.

Eren Yeager is a Hothead with three Titan Shifter Powers

Attack Titan is ideal for Berserker types like Eren

It's rare for shonen anime protagonists to be outright villains, as fans want a more balanced hero who fights for noble causes rather than venting rage. But that's what Attack on Titan fans were introduced to Eren Yeager, the boy who has been throwing hands like a true berserker since boyhood. Eren often got into trouble that way, but it also helped him save Mikasa Ackerman's life, for which Mikasa is extremely grateful.

As a teenager and young man, Eren is even more of a berserker, this time using the power of the Attack Titan and even the War Hammer Titan to activate his hot-tempered fury. He's not just ruthless or brave like many Goku clones are, as Eren also tends to lose control and dive deeper into battle than he's ready for. It's no wonder Eren often gets captured and needs rescuing, because he just never knows when to stop.

Akaza can't stop beating people even after decades of fighting

Hakuji the Human loved to throw down every chance he got

Not unlike Eren Yeager, Demon Slayer's Akaza was a berserker human whose supernatural power-up only allowed for more ruthless bloodshed. In this case, the martial artist Hakuji found himself in trouble, as fighting was all he knew, and he often lost himself in the violence. It was him almost redeemed, but his master's passing set Hakuji on the path to becoming a rogue warrior when Muzan Kibutsuji appeared.

Muzan's demonic gift turned the martial artist Hakuji into the berserk demon Akaza, a fearsome member of the Upper Moons. He can't outdo Doma or Kokushibo, but Akaza is somehow even scarier thanks to his do-or-die attitude, never hesitating to jump into a fight and go insane to find victory. That brutal attitude was how Akaza took over Kyojuro Rengoku, and it was how he almost killed Tanjiro and Giyu as well.

Wrath represents the cold-blooded side of the Berserker archetype

Wrath also died a strangely peaceful death on the promised day

True to his name, the homunculus Wrath in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood representing the unstoppable rage and bloodlust of humanity's most violent side. All of Father's homunculus children can fight, like Lust with her Ultimate Spear or Sloth with her surprising speed, but Wrath is the one actually designed to fight. He doesn't even need any special forms, making do with a couple of sabers and his Ultimate Eye.

Wrath survived many clashes with the heroes, such as Lan Fan and Greed himself, and he did not need to regenerate flesh to get out of these fights alive, which contrasted him with Gluttony. What's funny is how Wrath really is as berserk as someone who loses himself in the glorious heat of battle, but he doesn't laugh or rejoice that much. He's an icy kind of fury, a streamlined berserker who sees combat as a fun quest, not a way of life.

Denji Flies Into a Berserker Rage Wen Motivated

Denji's Berserker attitude helped him defeat the Eternity Devil

Denji is another anime protagonist who won't hesitate to go berserk in a haze of rage and bloodlust, similar to Eren Yeager. There are some important differences between them, but Denji is much less ambitious than Eren as Chainsaw manmain character, and he doesn't use anger to go berserk. Instead, Denji is a berserker because he is part wild and is determined to make the most of his diabolical new powers.

Denji is simply a wild person, one who knows that his three chainsaws lend themselves well to a berserk fighting style. Power the devil is also brutal in a fight like the blood devil in a human body, but even she can't match Denji's berserk ways. A good example was when Denji laughed with evil glee as he tore into the Eternity Devil for days on end, torturing the massive devil until it gave up the fight to escape the torment.

Son Goku becomes a Berserker in Great Ape Mode

Vegeta has more control in this form

It's true that Son Goku loves a good fight in the expansive Dragon Ball franchise, to the point where he can cause more problems than he solves when looking for a challenge. That said, Goku has some restraint, favoring sportsmanship over savagery and preferring to fight where innocent people don't get hurt in the crossfire. Goku is only a berserker when the full moon arrives, a trait found in all Saiyans.

Early in Dragon Ball Goku shocked everyone when he transformed into his Great Ape form, a sort of Werewolf King Kong who showed no mercy to friend or foe in his berserk form. Of all that, Goku and his friends escaped Pilaf's seemingly invincible trap during the hunt for the Dragon Balls. Goku's berserker form is strong but dangerous, so Goku's friends made sure to rob him of that form for good. It was a smart move, but as Vegeta later showed, Saiyans can learn to maintain self-control in this form and even speak like monkeys.

Jugo is the Berserker who helped inspire the Seal of the Curse

Jugo prefers a life of peace

Berserkers are not that common in Naruto anime universe, as most ninjas rely on clever tricks and precise moves to gain the upper hand. The likes of Shikamaru Nara, Sasori, Kakashi Hatake, and even Sakura Haruno are far from bearers, but there are some exceptions. Jinchuriki like Naruto and Gaara can enter berserker modes while harnessing their tailed beasts, and Jugo is even more of a berserker than that.

Jugo is Naruto's Bruce Banner, a gentle man who can turn into a total berserk beast in his alternate mode. While the Hulk is a mean and green avenger, Jugo is an anti-hero who is definitely more likable than the other members of Team Taka in Naruto Shippuden. He was actually exploited when Orochimaru the Sannin modified his abilities to form curse marks, making Jugo the unwilling progenitor of Sound Village's greatest weapon. On his own, Jugo is more like a nature-loving sage or hermit, a far cry from most anime berserkers.