You use it to work the field, catch lunch, and of course kick some butt. So Asta having anti-magic became extremely powerful, extremely quickly. But just because some wizard dudes from his own universe can’t beat him, doesn’t mean he’s the best around! So let’s check out some anime characters that could likely beat Asta in a fight.
10. The Nomu
Anime: My Hero Academia We know for a fact that nothing can negate the monstrous force of the Nomu, as even quirk-erasing powers have no effect on them. And when left without his anti-magic, Asta is basically just a buff dude. Do you know who’s also a buff dude? All Might! In fact, I would argue that All Might’s raw strength surpasses Asta’s quite a bit, as the dude can literally change the weather with a single punch. Taking into account everything I have said, Asta’s anti-magic is completely useless – and considering that even All Might struggled to punch the Nomu into orbit, I think Asta’s chances are close to zero.
9. Sora and Shiro
Anime: No Game No Life I can’t help but pull an r/techicallythetruth here. In the world of No Game No Life, there are no real physical battles. Everything is a mental game over there! And as we’ve seen in the latter part of the season, even if you try to make it physical combat, brains still comes up on top. And I don’t mean to be rude when talking about our boy Asta – but he might not be the smartest fellow around. Especially if he’s in a room with a sibling duo that beat a literal god. And it’s not like he could even do anything about the game rule with his anti-magic, as it’s literally a natural rule in that world and not magic. So better start binging Queen’s Gambit or something Asta, as it’s not looking good for you.
8. Satoru Gojou
Anime: Jujutsu Kaisen Gojou is simply a living counter to any melee fighter. Or ranged fighter when I think about it. But melee fighters have it exceptionally rough as time and space are inverted around Gojou’s body, preventing anything from touching him unless he wants to be touched. And even though I do think Asta could break free from Gojou’s Domain and deflect his ranged attacks, I don’t think he can really counter this form of Limitless. Plus, even if he could, Gojou still blitzes Asta when it comes to speed. So the status quo stays the same.
7. Rock Lee
Anime: Naruto: Shippuden What better way to beat anti-magic than to just have no magic at all? When you think about it, it’s like anti-anti-magic, which is pretty magical. So yeah, Asta’s swords are now just regular swords. But that would hardly suffice when you are facing the walking biceps knows as Asta! Luckily, Lee is an incredibly skilled fighter, blitzing all of the characters bellow S tier, and packing a pretty significant punch as well. I will say that Lee would have to either go all out with his gates, or at least close to it, because Asta is no spring chicken either. Nevertheless, in a full-out brawl, I’m giving the dub to Lee.
6. Melone
Anime: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable I generally stayed away from JoJo’s when it came to this topic, as one could always argue that the Stand can be easily defeated with anti-magic. However, I think that Melone’s Baby Face is an exception to this rule. Since it’s part human and part Stand, I don’t think that Asta could just blow it away. And since even the Stand’s own power isn’t tangible, I don’t think Asta could deal with that either. The thing with Baby Face is that you really have to use your head to beat it. It’s a devilishly smart assassin that only gets more powerful by the minute. If Melone really wanted to go Satan mode he could even make Baby Face using some of Lily’s DNA, as Asta would likely hesitate and give it enough time to fully evolve.
5. Meliodas
Anime: The Seven Deadly Sins This would be one demonic encounter, but alas there’s a reason why Asta only has a demon and Meliodas is their king. Sure, I could just point out that Meliodas beats Asta when it comes to raw stats, as his destructive power if much higher – but that’s boring. Instead I want to focus on Full Counter. I feel like this ability would be a major headache for Asta, since it’s not only easy to get off and spammable, but it also counters his anti-magic. Being that the returned blast is considered a physical attack, Asta couldn’t just absorb it. And when adding that to the fact that Full Counter multiplies damage taken, it spells trouble for Asta.
4. Tatsumaki
Anime: One Punch Man Correct me if I’m wrong, but you can’t really cut down telekinesis. If that’s true, then guess who’s getting yeeted into the Sun? Or maybe into the ground repeatedly? And even if we were to argue that Asta could get away from the telekinetic pool by thinking about his dreams or something, or using his wings, there still is the very realistic prospect of Tatsumaki dropping an asteroid on his head. Maybe this is just me lowballing Asta, but I think his slashing ability peaks at around large building, maybe small town, but an asteroid is definitely out of the question.
3. Meruem
Anime: Hunter x Hunter (2011) This is another classic case of “why learn all this nen mumbo jumbo when I can just be built different and one shot all those in my path?” That’s right, Meruem is arguably the worst nen user in the entire series. But has that ever stopped him? No! And that’s because he has a super-computer brain, near light speed, incredible strength, and the tenacity of a cockroach on steroids. And once Asta’s anti-magic is taken out of the equation, he can only rely on his brute strength, which simply will not be enough this time around.
2. Momonga
Anime: Overlord This one might sound a bit weird, as Momonga is literally a stereotypical mage, but hear me out. Momonga basically already had this fight when he faced Shalltear and came out victorious. The secret? Lots of meta-gaming. So yes, I don’t think Momonga would win if he was jumped while taking his midnight stroll. But with some prep time, he could pull it off. It’s basically like facing Zora on steroids, as Momonga can place dozens of traps while also buffing himself and using incredibly powerful spells one after another.
1. Sasuke Uchiha
Anime: Naruto: Shippuden Stat-wise, Sasuke just wins straight out. The dude is at lightning speed and could probably level a town if he truly wanted to. However, what I’m more interested in is a situation that happened way back at the beginning of Shippuden. You know, when Sasuke just dropped into Naruto’s psyche and told Kurama to sit down and be quiet so he can think. And who does Naruto’s situation remind us of? It’s of course pure headcanon that Sasuke could pull this off – but I honestly see no reason why he couldn’t. And if he does manage it, Asta is pretty much reduced to a peasant.
