Here Are 3 Fantasy Anime Worlds Worth Remembering

Posted on by Karandi
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One of the best things about anime is its ability to transport the characters to literally anywhere that can be imagined and because of that we have a field of vibrant and amazing worlds, planes, realities, planets, dimensions, time periods, and so on to travel through. So fantasy anime worlds regularly take us to amazing and vibrant places (or standard pseudo-medieval western style kingdoms but we take the generic with the amazing).

I mean, I love fantasy novels but there’s no denying that fantasy movies have always been limited by what they can create on screen. While the modern era is overcoming this issue through computer generated worlds it has always been a challenge to really feel absorbed by a live action fantasy.

When done well, you can be completely absorbed by the world constructed by an anime. I’m only going to explore a few worlds that I’ve encountered through anime, but I’d love to hear about your favourite anime world in the comments.

Which fantasy anime worlds left an impression?

When I started thinking about the worlds anime had taken me to, I realised I remembered the ones that were visually striking, seemed to have a rich history and political world, and seemed more than just a gimmick for the story (meaning that it felt like life was happening there anyway and we just happened to be seeing one story that took place in amongst a whole range of stories that could have been told).

1. Disboard (No Game No Life)

Disboard is a fantasy anime world that definitely leaves an impression.

For the moment, let’s ignore the over-the-top and slightly psychedelic colour scheme, and the fact that the name of the world feels like the creators just gave up arguing about what to actually call it. What I like about Disboard is that everything in the world is decided through games and there are clear and known rules that everyone must abide by. Imagining a world where everything follows a very clear logic and all conflict has an established method of being solved opens up all sorts of possibilities.

For a fantasy anime world it is pretty well thought out if not quite as well explored as I would like.

Now our protagonists in No Game No Life, collectively known as Blank, set about ruling the world. Not so much because they really want to rule but more because they like to win and they thought it looked like a great game. But what else could someone do if they were transported into this world? Suddenly that scrabble game has a lot more riding on it than just pride.

I also love that the history of the world feels authentic. This world doesn’t just exist because our protagonists are going to end up there. The people here have been going about their lives, trying their best and succeeding or failing for a long time without them and that history has an impact on the events our protagonists encounter.

There’s also a sense that there’s so much more still to explore in this world when the anime comes to an end.

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2. Everywhere in Tsubasa Chronicles

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I’ve been told, by someone who could not stand this series, that this is worth watching just for the travel through multiple dimensions. Every few episodes we’re hitching a ride to a new world with its own rules and logic, but beautiful even while uncovering its host of problems. The biggest problem with the worlds in this series is you never get to stay long enough and you feel like you’ve really only scratched the tip of the iceberg when you are whisked away to another location.

That, and after awhile you have to wonder where are the worlds where things aren’t all coming to an end right when the protagonists show up (very much like the Sliders TV series way back when). Still, if you are after some truly gorgeous fantasy worlds (and some sci-fi ones as well), Tsubasa isn’t going to disappoint.

Admittedly, our characters really only do stay for a short period before they move on to another world, but that just leaves the audience wanting more. One or two of the worlds don’t get enough time to be more than a single town or location, but even then it never feels like that is all that exists. There’s a sense that there is a bigger world that our characters just don’t have time to explore.

On the other hand, the method of transportations and the reason for the dimensional hopping in Tsubasa isn’t great, but what if you could just up and go to another dimension for a short period of time and then return home? Would you?

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3. The world of Hitsugi no Chaika

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It may be pretty standard fantasy fair when it comes to appearance, a quasi medieval setting overlaid with a bit of magic and steampunk inventions, but the world Chaika travels through is fascinating (even if inconsistent). The magical creatures are varied and dangerous.

An array of magical powers are being used and magic power itself can be drawn from memories and remains, which has a whole extra layer of creepiness when you think about it. The world is recovering from a war but hardly at peace leaving an intriguing political situation to learn about and the landscape has enough variety to certainly keep you from getting bored.

Honestly, I have no idea what this world is called as I don’t recall it being mentioned in the anime (specific locations are named but I don’t know about the world), but of all the similar fantasy worlds out there, this would be my pick in terms of interest. It’s a shame the second season of this anime lost the plot a bit because this one had so much potential and even though the plot kind of fell over, I still think this is a fantasy world worth exploring.

Other anime worlds I’d love to see include Soul Society (Bleach), anywhere in Full Metal Alchemist, the world in Sunday Without God, and as long as I had a lot of protection, the world from The Irregular at Magic High School.

So what about you? What anime worlds have caught your eye?

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Top 5: Anime That I’d Like To Rewrite

Posted on by Karandi
Tuesday's Top 5

Now I would like to note that I don’t think I’d actually do a good job or rewriting the story, but there are anime that I really like to see go in a slightly different direction than what they did. It’s entirely my own personal choices and I’m sure there are viewers out there who like these anime exactly as they are. That said, I am not just picking anime that are terrible but rather anime that are pretty reasonable as they are but just thinking about what personally I would have liked to have seen changed. On recently completing a tag where I was asked what cross over I’d like to see, I started thinking about how I’d like to modify a few anime and so this list was born.

As always, I’d love for you to share your choices and reasons so please leave me a comment below.

Please note, there will be spoilers below.

Honourable mention: Vampire Knight – A little less twilight and a little more of the politics of the vampire world and I probably would have really loved that anime.

Number 5: Chaika Coffin Princess

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Chaika is an interesting anime to discuss because it is actually quite a fun watch. However, most of the fun comes from the characters themselves and individually scenarios and action sequences. The over-arching plot is a bit of a mess and is ultimately pretty rushed to a conclusion at the end of season 2. I’d love to see this story redone with the time and attention it needs to really build up the different Chaika’s and their mission as well as the conspiracy and ultimately I’d love to see some of the other factions and groups get more time to feel like real characters rather than simply obstacles to overcome. As much as Chaika is an anime I enjoy, I really think there is a potentially much better story that could be told with a bit of rewriting.

Number 4: Junjo Romantica

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Right, so I’m not going to pretend this particular anime is problem free. It is quite a popular title mostly because of the particular niche market it fits into and the absence of other titles that actually get DVD releases outside of Japan in the particularly genre, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t issues. A number of reviews I’ve read come from people who outright skip episodes focused on one of the three main couples due to those problems. For me the biggest issues come from episode 1 and how the relationship between Misaki and Usagi begins (which is to be honest a criminal act and while it isn’t that explicitly shown the fact that Misaki doesn’t immediately report Usagi leaves a fairly sour taste). And honestly, the power imbalance and the possessiveness shown between this couple right through to season three continues to be a bit of a problem for the show when it is trying to sell it as a true romance. I think though that if that first encounter wasn’t as confrontational and off-putting, the rest of it would be a lot easier to swallow so I’d love that first episode to get a rewrite. It would still be a problematic relationship, but it wouldn’t cross that particular line.

Number 3: Parasyte

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Parasyte is one of those anime I really enjoy though for me the second half and then the ending feel very much like the show didn’t quite stick its landing. For all the excitement and tension early on in the show when the parasytes are mysterious and scary and Shinichi is dealing with coming to terms with sharing his body, the second half kind of loses a lot of its emotional tension and by the end when the show drops a save the environment message on the viewers lap it just doesn’t quite have the impact it could. I’d love to see this anime get rid of the super parasyte guy with four (?) parastyes in one body and actually just deal with the issue facing the world of humans being over taken. Rather than ending on a shounen style smack down it would be fantastic to actually just see the ongoing paranoia and fear as people aren’t sure what is going on. I’m not entirely sure how this would work as a show but I’d love to see it.

Number 2: Bleach

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I love Bleach. I really do. It has a very special place in my heart when it comes to anime. But realistically I think you could tell the entire actual plot of Bleach in about fifty to sixty episodes if you cut out all the fluff, silliness, and unnecessarily long fight sequences. If we just wrote out the core story points and got rid of the extra characters, subplots, and random asides, we could have a much tighter, much more thrilling story and one that never felt bloated or weighed down. If anyone makes a Bleach abridged story, I’m totally in.

Number 1: Kado The Right Answer

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Anyone who followed my reviews of this one will know how disappointed I was with the ending of this show. I really loved the set up and I was so into the story and then it decided to go for a standard fight sequence and a defeat the bad guy ending (with a time travelling daughter thrown in just for laughs I suppose). It was somewhat devastating to watching a show I’d really gotten excited for become something so standard and while it isn’t actually as bad as it sometimes feels, I’d love for this show to be rewritten with a different ending.

So those are the top 5 anime I’d like to rewrite (or see rewritten). What would be on your list and how would you change it?

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Tuesday’s Top 5: Anime Princesses

Posted on by Karandi
Tuesday's Top 5

The Princess list turned out to be easier than the anime Prince list. That’s probably because there’s a lot of princesses out there who happily sit as bystanders and then there are the extreme warrior princess tropes that run around. Finding a princess who is an active participant in their story but not a juggernaut of violence is actually fairly challenging. Still, here are my top 5 picks for anime princesses who have that regal Princess air to them (at least at times) but also take an active role in their plot. Bonus points for great outfits and as always I’d love to know what my readers think.

Number 5: Princess Hitei (Katanagatari)

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As the antagonist for a lot of Katanagatari, Princess Hitei didn’t really get to do a lot (and in honesty I’m not entirely sure if she’s a real Princess), but her manipulations and schemes certainly directed a lot of the action within the series. More importantly, when her schemes all came crashing down around her, she proved herself adaptable which is a fairly vital survival trait and one she demonstrated beautifully. Not to mention, her look is crazy but distinct – like most characters from Katanagatari.

Number 4: Chaika (Chaika – Coffin Princess)

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Alright, I know she’s actually a clone of a Princess and only one of many, but Chaika is awesome. Her magic is a little inconsistent and takes forever to power up, but you have to admit when it works, it is pretty brilliant. And even knowing her whole life is being manipulated, Chaika still manages to find her purpose for moving forward. Kind of have to love her (and her hair clips – those are gorgeous).

Number 3: Princess Serenity (Sailor Moon)

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This girl has way too many titles and while the modern day Serena isn’t exactly instilling confidence in her leadership most days, her past life and future self certainly lend her some credibility that even if she isn’t there yet she will be one day. Besides, the girl has saved the world how many times? You have to cut her some slack if she wants to spend her afternoons playing video games when there is no world threatening evil afoot.

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Number 2: Yona (Akatsuki no Yona)

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While I still feel Shirayuki was the superior red headed character of these two, technically Shirayuki is not a Princess (marry Zen already), and so Yona takes the number 2 place on this list. I will admit, as much as Yona didn’t impress me when I first saw it, time and a rewatch has definitely made me appreciate her more and now that I’m two volumes into the manga I’m kind of hoping to learn even more about the Princess who lost everything in one night and yet refused to give in.

Number 1: Euphemia li Britannia (Code Geass)

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Okay, her ending was pretty tragic for everyone involved, as it was supposed to be, but even before the event that made her infamous, Euphemia was a pretty special princess. Despite her lack of combat abilities compared to her siblings, she didn’t just sit on the sidelines. She worked her strengths and found other pathways such as diplomacy to achieve her ends and she almost succeeded at bringing about peace. I’m laying the blame for her untimely end entirely on Lelouch and I’m just saying we lost a very fine Princess.

That’s the end of another list but as always I’ll now turn it over to the comments and ask you who your favourite or top 5 anime Princesses are.

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Tuesday’s Top 5: Girls in a Shonen Anime

Posted on by Karandi
Tuesday's Top 5

I was inspired to write this list after watching My Hero Academia episode 22 on the weekend and then seeing this tweet:

Tweet - Shonen.JPG

It got me thinking about all the female characters in shonen anime and how usually they get sidelined or end up in support roles (healer, archer, etc). So I started thinking about my favourite female characters in these shows who defy the odds and actual get to be a front line fighter (even if only in the lead ups to final battles where the male protagonist of course steals back the show – it is shonen afterall). My other criteria for a spot on the list was I actually had to like them as a character. Just being a crazy fighter didn’t quite cut it if I couldn’t stand them whenever they were on screen.

Anyway, this is my list and I’d love for you to tell me who you would have included on yours.

Please Note – There will be spoilers below.

Honourable Mentions: Mikasa from Attack on Titan and Morgiana from Magi.

Number 5: Lenalee from D Gray Man

I really wondered about Lenalee and whether to include her or not. Mikasa was looking fairly tempting given she’s undeniably a better fighter, but Lenalee wins in terms of mostly having an actual personality other than save Eren. So what makes Lenalee awesome? During the early half of D Gray Man, she’s a very active fighter. She shows Allan the ropes of being part of the order and she holds her own in some pretty horrific fights. The first battle Lenalee and Allan have against Road Camelot takes a massive toll on both Lenalee and Allan but Lenalee is in that fight all the way. The second half of the original 103 episodes Lenalee gets a couple of exceedingly cool moments with a fight that literally destroys her innocence and ends up encasing her in crystal. She’s pretty much out of active combat at that point until we get to the final battle of that particular run of episodes where Lenalee’s innocence evolves and she gets a brand new power up just in time to help Allan win the fight. Admittedly though, you are just as often going to see Lenalee serving various characters cups of tea.

Number 4: Rukia from Bleach

Rukia is another strong female character that suffers from having her power broken/stolen/whatever in order to allow the male character a chance to actual grow and catch up. It would be lovely if we could just a female character strong and not need to be crippled for a good chunk of the plot for narrative convenience but apparently that is asking for a little too much (back to Mikasa, she hasn’t been crippled physically but emotionally she’s pretty stunted). Anyway, Rukia doesn’t get to show us how amazing she is for pretty much the entire first three seasons given Ichigo takes her power at the end of episode 1. Still, if you make it past that point, when Rukia comes back into the show you see the very capable shinigami that she is and her sword definitely does have one of the prettiest attacks in the show, if freezing your enemies solid can be considered pretty. What I really like about Rukia is her versatility. She uses her sword but she also uses a range of other attacks and thinks through her fights.

Number 3: Uraraka from My Hero Academia

Okay, one tournament fight does not make her an awesome fighter but seriously, Uraraka has been hanging in there right from the beginning. Despite a pretty timid personality she has stepped up to every challenge so far. She’s also a nice person. We’ve recently learned how fierce her desire to be a hero is and yet she still tried to give away her spot to Midoriya after the entrance exam. That’s a pretty impressive move for someone who is desperate to succeed. However, nice or not, hanging in there through every challenge including villains attacking the school, none of that is the reason for her place on the list. That one tournament fight is enough to show us that this girl is deadly serious about becoming a hero one day. She may not be there yet but her tenacity, skill, and focus were amazing and this girl really needs more attention on her.

Number 2: Akari from Hitsugi no Chaika

This one might be a weird choice and I will admit her weird brother focus does kind of make her a weird character at times, but Akari is fantastic. As a saboteur she’s got a fair range of skills at her disposal. I know most of the focus is on Toru, but Akari is in pretty much every fight and the majority of them wouldn’t have succeeded without her presence given the two siblings plan and one acts as bait or a distraction while the other usually either sets up the trap or pulls off whatever goal they are currently working towards. Also, there are two occasions where Akari turns on Toru (once for fun and once after brain washing). Both times, Akari pushes Toru hard. If you think Akari is just there for comic relief or rival love interest, think again. She’s a cold fighter and you better not be her opponent.

Number 1: Maka from Soul Eater

Okay, this was a given from the get go. Maka is not only an awesome fighter, hard worker, and academic, she’s also one of the few girls on the list who doesn’t lose her powers midway through a series and gets to be the main character and doesn’t lose out to the main guy in the show. Admittedly, she does go a little mad during one of the story arcs, but crazy Maka is kind of fun too (and a significantly stronger fighter due to a lack of care for personal safety). Actually, Soul Eater gets a double hit here because I’d love to also add Tsuabaki (Black Star’s weapon) to the list. She doesn’t get the spot light much but when she does, she really shines (plus she deserves a medal for putting up with Black Star).

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So that’s my list this week with my top 5 girls in shonen anime (okay, technically 6). I’d love to know who would have been on your list and which girls stand out to you.

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Top 5 Tuesday – Male Characters with Blue Hair

Posted on by Karandi
Tuesday's Top 5

As promised, here is the male list for characters with blue hair. Hopefully you enjoy this selection as much as I did making the list and if you didn’t see it, check out my post featuring the females.

My selection is very much based on how interesting these characters are and how integral having blue hair is to their character. So, maybe I left off one of your favourites. Feel free to add suggestions in the comments below.

Please Note – There are spoilers below. You have been warned.

Honourable mentions to Nova (Arcana Famiglia),Okumura Rin (Ao No Exorcist), Black Star (Soul Eater), and Jellal (Fairy Tail).

Number 5: Toru from Hitsugi no Chaika

Toru is notable because he’s the only character on the list who has hair that changes colour, which makes his hair an absolute part of his character. Usually it is blue and he’s useful as a saboteur but not too flash; he kind of sucks at life but that’s because he spent his whole life training for a war someone ended before he had a chance to get into it. When he get’s serious though he does an iron blood transformation (signified by the red hair and eyes) and at the point he because a fairly impressive fighter. Toru is a likeable character and certainly quite distinct (even if he does at times come off as generic protagonist type b).

Number 4: Reisi Munakata from K

When I did my list of red haired characters, the red king made my list because of his volatile and fiery personality. Munakata is his perfect opposite and the dynamic between the two in K is phenomenal. Every bit the blue king, Munakata has a towering sense of pride but unlike his explosive counterpart, Munakata is the ultimate example of self-control. Whether he is having a smoke with a friend or commanding his clan, he is composed and focussed. Okay, not so composed when having to kill his friend but that just made us love him all the more.

Number 3: Kanda Yuu from D Gray Man

If the Munakata shows us blue’s cool and composed side, Kanda Yuu shows us just how explosive a character with blue hair can get. Deeply troubled and excessively violent, Kanda is one exorcist you do not want to mess with. Even before D Gray Man came back with Hallow, Kanda was one of my all time favourite fighters. After the last weeks of Hallow, knowing more about his back story, he may very well become one of my all time favourite characters ever. Certainly one of the most tragic.

Number 2: Ikuto Tsukyomi from Shugo Chara

This may seem a weird choice after the last two entries but Ikuto had to be here. Blue haired cat boy who plays the violin. I’m sorry, it doesn’t get much better than that. Whether he is playing the jaded teen, the playful (and sometimes slightly cruel cat) or is getting lost in the sound of his violin, Ikuto is the mysterious blue haired stranger that most girls kind of hope will show up in their lives (although not in their cupboards). He’s a great character with a troubled past (surprise) but his connection with Amu and his ongoing transformation is one of the strengths of the series.

Number 1: Grimmjow Jaggerjack from Bleach

I wonder if there was ever any doubt in my mind that Grimmjow would come in at number 1? For anyone who has watched Bleach, you know there is a ridiculously large cast of characters. Even amongst that enormous cast, Grimmjow distinguishes himself and drives himself into the mind of every single viewer. Whether they remember him for being psychotically violent, ultimately tragic, or as the guy who actually got Orihime to heal Ichigo so that he could have a fair fight and then lost that battle, Grimmjow made his time on screen count. His electric blue hair is every bit as important to who he is as a character as his sneer, his laugh and his insane levels of violence even in a world where everything is settled by violence. Grimmjow, you are definitely my number 1 male character with blue hair.

Who would you have put on your list? Share your thoughts below.

Top 5: Anime Powers With Practical Application

Posted on by Karandi
Tuesday's Top 5

I know that these powers aren’t going to be the flashiest, but I’m listing anime powers that would be immediately convenient and practical in the everyday life of someone. So not a power to save the world or fight the bad guy. Powers that just make everyday life that little bit simpler and easy to deal with.

You know, the kind of power you might not immediately wish for if offered an ability but one that if you were given would make your life so much better.

What anime power would you have added to the list? Be sure to let us know in the comments.

Please Note – There are spoilers below. You have been warned.

Honourable mentions this week go to computer hacking (Captain Earth – and I know it’s not really a power but she does claim to be a magical girl) and a shout out to Orihime in Bleach because her power is pretty handy even if they keep changing their minds about what her power actually is.

Practical Anime Power Number 5:  Silencer (Hitsugi no Chaika)

Chaika Silence - this is one anime power all of us would have wanted as teenagers.

I’m going to be honest. This power isn’t so much one with a practical application as one that would just make life easier to deal with. No more noise because we are going to silence it. In the anime they use this power to cover the sound of smashing through jail bars, but just think how useful it would be during meetings and boring lunch dates.

That, and as a teenager, think how helpful it would have been to silence the noise if you were trying to sneak out, sneak someone in, or just have a private phone conversation without people listening in.

There are endless practical uses for this anime power.

Practical Anime Power Number 4: Luna Pen Transformation (Sailor Moon)

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Something unexpected came up? No problem. Whip out your luna pen and transform into whatever you need to be to deal with the current situation.

I always felt Serena under-utilised the abilities of this pen given how useful it could have been in certain situations. She does use it to sneak into invite only parties and to give herself a boost of courage when infiltrating a school or a bus, but really. There are so many more moments when a quick transformation would have helped.

But even those moments when you just wore the wrong shoes could be overcome in an instant if you had this amazing anime power. Not to mention, never suffer a bad haircut again.

Mondo

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Practical Anime Power Number 3: Speed Reading (Fairy Tail)

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Maybe this one is just a personal preference. But I read a lot in my job (and for pleasure) and I read very quickly, and even then I still feel that if I could just read faster and take information in quicker I could enjoy more stories and I could get more work done. Levy (and Lucy) use special glasses to help them read faster and I just felt so incredibly envious of them.

Just think about the everyday jobs that could be done quicker if you could read the assembly instructions in a near instant and understand them all or if you could read the manual on how to program your microwave and have the information more or less immediately at your disposal.

Yes it might seem like a dull choice but this anime power could be very handy.

Practical Anime Power Number 2: All Seeing (Inu X Boku)

Not sure if this is practical or creepy - anime powers.

Okay, this one could probably end up being used for creepy purposes but I thought it was kind of cool. Zange claims to be able to see everything about everyone, but it seems like his power is a little more limited than that. Still, his insight into others and his seeming ability to figure out where and when things will happen and to manipulate events to make things happen is pretty impressive and would be highly useful in everyday life.

Although, if everyone had this ability I assume that each person’s vision would cancel out the others so we’d probably end up no further along than we are now.

Still, think how insightful people at work will think you are if you had this anime power.

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Practical Anime Power Number 1: Teleportation (A Certain Scientific Railgun)

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This was the obvious choice. As annoying as Shirai is as a character, her anime power is incredibly amazing and has so many practical applications.

She teleports herself and objects through space (though she is limited by weight and distance). Still, how amazing would that be and how many ways could you use that in a single day. Although, if we are concerned about the growing obesity epidemic than maybe it isn’t the greatest idea to give us a means to completely avoid moving within short distances.

I still think it would one of the coolest powers and one that I could see a use for every day.

What do you think of the list? And what power would you have added? Let me know in the comments below.

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