But this popularity also brings with it comparisons that extends outside of his comic book. Questions like: Who is Flash faster than? Who’s as fast as him? Who’s even faster than him? And most notably: Who can beat Flash in a fight? Well I’m here to share some picks from the anime world that might be up for this nigh-impossible task.
15. Shoto Todoroki
Anime: Boku no Hero Academia Inside and outside the comics, there’s only one weakness that almost every version of The Flash shares: His weakness against ice. Well with Todoroki’s Quick, Half Cold, Half-hot, I’d say he could be a very tricky opponent for the speedster. Shoto can simply freeze the ground he’s running on, or freeze The Flash himself, to completely neutralize his mobility. Not only that, but his fire side’s destructive capability is also off the charts, so much so that it’s almost comparable to Endeavor’s. Born and raised as a hero who would eventually surpass his old man, Todoroki is no stranger to challenging fights. This would certainly be one of them.
14. Lucy
Anime: Elfen Lied This entry brings us to another one of Flash’s weaknesses: Psychic characters with strong telekinetic abilities. One thing you might not know about Flash is that he’s actually immune to weaker forms of mind-control. But this immunity, unfortunately for him, doesn’t help him against telekinetics who engage him without actually being able to keep up with him. Enter Lucy, who can use her immense psychic abilities for both defense and offense that are given to her by her Vectors. Provided she can catch the speedster, she can simply lift him off of the ground and do whatever she wishes. And depending on who among her split personalities are in control, it probably won’t end well for Flash.
13. Rukia Kuchiki
Anime: Bleach Rukia has speed and ice abilities, which makes her a versatile pick as an opponent for The Flash. Not only is she a talented swordsman, but she also has expert-level hand-to-hand combat abilities, and a vast array of Kido techniques that can help her win the battle. However, what makes her an even tougher opponent for the speedster is her White Haze Punishment. This Bankai amplifies her frost powers and could even bring the temperature around her to Absolute Zero. No molecules will be able to vibrate at this temperature, thus sealing Flash’s fate to either incapacitation or death by hypothermia.
12. Yoruichi Shihouin
Anime: Bleach From the same series as Rukia, we have Yoruichi — the fanservice cat lady of Soul Society. Now we’ve seen characters that perfectly counter Flash according to his weaknesses– but what about characters that have the same abilities as him? Not only is Yoruichi pretty damn fast on her own, but she also has complete mastery of hand-to-hand combat and The Flash Step. Similar to all Bleach characters, Yoruichi can also tap into another level of power. Hers is called Shunko — a technique that amplifies her speed and offensive capabilities significantly. Yoruichi isn’t called the “Flash Goddess” for nothing. And her chances against the actual Flash are actually fairly high.
11. Gray Fullbuster
Anime: Fairy Tail Here we have Gray, who’s one of the most powerful ice-magic users in his series. Gray’s Ice-make, which allows him to mold ice into objects to his liking, can make the battle an uphill battle for the Scarlet Speedster. Not only can Gray make use of The Flash’s weakness against his ice to hamper the speedster’s mobility, but he can also finish the battle off quickly with his vast arsenal of offensive spells. Needless to say, there’s a high chance their battle might end the moment The Flash is caught.
10. Shigeo Kageyama
Anime: Mob Psycho 100 Yep, we have yet another strong psychic user in Shigeo – who might be more than a simple match for the speedster when he’s at his strongest. In addition to exhibiting strong telekinetic powers, Mob has shown plenty of other abilities that could only be considered mind-blowing. Provided Shigeo makes his move first, the battle will be over in seconds. If Shigeo gets incapacitated, however, The Flash will have no choice but to deal with an even bigger threat – essentially making this matchup a lose-lose situation for the speedster.
9. Toshiro Hitsugaya
Anime: Bleach Toshiro is another ice-user, and our third Bleach character in this list. He’s the youngest captain on Gotei 13 and the once-in-a-century prodigy himself. What makes Toshiro a harder opponent for The Flash is that, unlike Rukia, his abilities (and even his Zanpakuto) are purely ice-based. Not only that, but Toshiro is so strong that I’m willing to bet that he’ll be a really hard matchup for the speedster once he lets his Bankai out. With very few drawbacks compared to Rukia’s Bankai, he can even take the fight the distance if he so wishes.
8. Tatsumaki
Anime: One Punch Man Considering we’ve already seen a couple of espers on this list, was there any doubt that our favorite shortstack tsundere hero would be here as well? While she may not look like it, the Tornado of Terror is so strong that the mere mention of her name will make even the strongest villains and monsters in the OPM universe tremble. Furthermore, she’s actually been confirmed by the creator of both One Punch Man and Mob Psycho 100 to be much stronger than Shigeo’s 100% form. And Shigeo at his 100% is already pretty damn strong. If this doesn’t scream that she’ll beat The Flash much easier than most of the characters on this list, then I don’t know what will.
7. Accelerator
Anime: Toaru Majutsu no Index (A Certain Magical Index) When it comes to OP anime characters, you’d rarely see Accelerator being left off the list. I mean, this guy is practically invulnerable to anything The Flash might attack him with. And he also has enough offensive power to end the fight in just a few seconds after it started. Not to mention he also has the broken ability to completely reflect any damage he might take from the fight. All in all, in addition to being the strongest esper in the entire series, Accelerator is definitely more than a worthy opponent to The Flash.
6. Esdeath
Anime: Akame ga Kill! Esdeath, the fan-favorite antagonist-turned-waifu of this series, is one of the strongest ice users in all of anime. Naturally, this also means she’d be on the list of opponents that would give Flash a run (heh) for his money. Armed with the most powerful element-based power in her show, her strength doesn’t lie solely in her ridiculous offensive prowess. She also has the uncanny ability of freezing time itself, which definitely gives her the edge against even the stronger versions of Flash that have a similar ability.
5. Koro-Sensei
Anime: Ansatsu Kyoshitsu (Assassination Classroom) Not only is this teacher damn near impossible to kill, but he also has a lot of different abilities at his disposal. He can use them to attack, defend, or evade at will. And each of them is troublesome in this fight. Plus he can also move at speeds that could rival most versions of the speedster. Which is to say, he could keep up or even outrun The Flash, depending on which version he faces. Combine all that with his impressive durability and strength, and he’s truly a force to be reckoned with – especially if he’s somehow angered.
4. Aokiji
Anime: One Piece Closing in towards the top, we have arguably the most powerful ice-user in anime as a whole. Given his weakness to ice, The Flash is sure to have his hands full with this guy. After all, Aokiji is not just an absolute powerhouse of an anime character, but he’s also a Logia-type Devil-fruit user – which makes him invulnerable to any normal physical attacks. Add onto that the fact that he can regenerate his Logia body and that he can use Armament Haki, and this makes him a pretty tough opponent for The Flash to beat.
3. Minato Namikaze
Anime: Naruto So this guy is no-questions-asked the coolest Shinobi to ever come out of the series. He’s the Fourth Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village, the Yellow Flash, and more importantly, the husband of the sweetest (yet most terrifying) woman in the history of Konoha. Minato, hence his nickname, is the fastest character in Naruto. His techniques and overall feats more than justify this claim. And it’s hard to argue against it when the guy can travel/teleport around varying distances instantaneously. Touted as the only Shinobi that’s faster than lightning, I’d say Minato more than deserves his spot on this list.
2. Saiki Kusuo
Anime: Saiki Kusuo no Sai-nan (The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.) It’s been said plenty of times in the show and the manga that the world will end if this overpowered esper ever loses control. And given the extent that he uses his powers (even when he’s holding back) is proof enough of this pretty bold statement. If that isn’t a clear indication as to what Saiki can do when faced with a serious opponent like Flash, then I don’t know what is. Saiki, despite a few of his abilities being negated by Flash’s immunity to mental attacks, can dominate the fight with his telekinesis and elemental manipulation. As the strongest psychic user on this list, Saiki without hesitation will give most versions of Flash the worst ass-whooping of his life.
1. Borsalino
Anime: One Piece Finally, we have the anime character who I believe has the best chance against the Scarlet Speedster. Kizaru, in addition to having the most broken mobility-based Devil-fruit ability, is also a Logia-type user just like Aokiji. This means he can regenerate his Logia body as many times as he wants… If he ever takes damage, that is. And to make matters more interesting, this guy doesn’t just travel at the speed of light. He is light. Oh, and he can also predict attacks given his expertise in Observation Haki – so good luck catching him off guard. With all that said, I have complete confidence that Kizaru will beat The Flash in a straight fight. And that includes even The Flash’s more overpowered versions.
