And who doesn’t enjoy a solid glow up? With so many to pick from, this will take a look at all those ugly ducklings that came back with a bang. All anime glow ups on the table here! And permanent transformations are also fair game.
15. Asta
Anime: Black Clover Man, Asta really came back with a vengeance after the time-skip. Although he might look similar to the untrained eye, a professional weeb will quickly deduce the massive transformation. His outfit finally allowed for those precious abs to be on full display. And his muscle gains are sure to make any gym bro proud. Plus, he came back more powerful than ever, as he even got over his biggest hurdle in the show: having to hitchhike everywhere.
14. Palm Siberia
Anime: Hunter X Hunter This glow up was so drastic that it could have easily been a completely different character. Initially, Palm seemed like the type of person who would crawl out of your television and eat your sleep paralysis demon. But then, bam! All of a sudden she’s this cute well-built woman that just looks like she makes the meanest bento lunch you’ll ever see in your life. She’s arguably still a bit nuts. But at least now you won’t know that right away.
13. Akira Fudo
Anime: Devilman Crybaby This is another example where it just felt like a completely different character. Sure, it was technically a transformation with all the demon business going on. But still, the dude went from zero to hero real quick. What was once a shy timid boy with a fickle stature, was now this brooding bad boy that can’t control his hormones. I bet you don’t even remember what he originally looked like. Go ahead, take a gander and see what a difference it made.
12. Alvida
Anime: One Piece To be fair, Alvida loved herself even before the transformation. In fact, she carried herself damn fine. But after she ate a certain fruit and lost a truck-load of weight, let’s just say that she became slightly more appealing to the general audience. Now I’m not here to fat shame anyone. But god damn, you cannot tell me that the post-fruit Alvida doesn’t look like an absolute fox. Why her face changed as well, that’s yet to be determined.
11. Sasuke Uchiha
Anime: Naruto: Shippuden Sasuke always had a rather cool design. And yet he managed to keep one-upping himself. From the first major change during the chunin exams, all the way to the big papa Sasuke that we see now, the dude has just been striving. But he looked his absolute best (in my opinion) at the very beginning of Shippuden. That low-cut white shirt mixed with some Orochimaru apparel and his badass sword really just stole the show. The change from young Sasuke into this sexy beast was just amazing. Why they had to nerf his cleavage game later on, I will never truly understand.
10. Eren Yeager
Anime: Attack on Titan I honestly didn’t like Eren all that much going into the series. But man did the fourth season have some surprises instore for me. Not only did he become this cynical badass who might take over the world, he also came back looking fresh as hell. Sure, he looked pretty scruffy when he was first revealed. But during the scene where he met up with a certain group of followers, you know the one, he looked fresh as hell. Just goes to show you should never judge a book by its first season adaptation.
9. Kae Serinuma
Anime: Kiss Him Not Me With great hotness comes great responsibility. This is a lesson that Kae had to learn after she melted away all of her excess weight and started dressing to impress. I also have to mention that she lost this weight not at the gym, but in her room, as she was crying over the death of an anime character. Haven’t we all been there? At least she came out of the whole ordeal looking like a 10/10. And she can now use her newfound good looks to manipulate boys and stimulate her yaoi fantasies. Yes, that’s what the show is about. And yes, it is amazing.
8. Ken Kaneki
Anime: Tokyo Ghoul This transformation really shouldn’t have mattered as much as it did. And yet it was so amazing. Although Kaneki just embraced his ghoul side and had his hair turn purple, he just seemed like a completely different dude, physically and mentally. He went from a simp to a Hot Topic franchise that would make all the edge lords rejoice at the sight of his face. Although being tortured isn’t the most fun way to achieve a transformation, it sure worked for him.
7. Simon
Anime: Gurren Lagann Adult Simon is what every short kid wanted to become once they grew older. Considering that he was a little runt when the series started, no one could have guessed that he would grow into this tall, handsome, badass leader that we saw by the end. The fact that he also took some fashion tips from Karma, the ultimate husbando of them all, only elevated him further on the glow up scale. Plus having the confidence to back up all that hotness makes him an even better overall package.
6. Gon
Anime: Hunter x Hunter This is kind of a cheap shot, but I just have to talk about adult Gon. Spoiler alerts here. It’s somewhat debatable whether Gon will actually look like that once he has grown, as it was more in line of materializing his ultimate potential. But I don’t care. The transition of kid Gon to adult Gon was so great that I just had to highlight it. I mean, just look at that absolute beef cake of a man. Look at that glorious flowing hair! Don’t look at what he’s doing to Pitou’s body. Just look at that jawline!
5. Shikamaru Nara
Anime: Boruto I think that Shikamaru was the only character from the original cast that aged well into Boruto. While everyone else started looking like a soccer mom or a failed pickup artist(I’m looking at you Kiba), Shikamaru just looked even better than before. His resemblance with his father is believable and not overwhelming. Plus his new design just gave off “I advise the Hokage” energy. I don’t know whether I’m alone on this, but Shippuden Shikamaru had to walk so that adult Shikamaru could run.
4. Masamune Makabe
Anime: Masamune-kun’s Revenge Is this show the best written drama ever? Hell no (and we’ve got a list for that). But is it enjoyable to watch as a previously fat kid? Oh yeah. It’s all about Masamune and his grand plan to get revenge on a girl that called him piggy when he was little. The nickname stung, and so he did what any sane person would do: Create a life mission to become the hottest dude around so that he could one day seduce that very same woman, and then reject her, completing the circle of pain. Ah, coping mechanisms. Although he did become quite a beefcake, his revenge isn’t going to be as easy as he thought.
3. Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck
Anime: Bleach I think we all remember where we were the first time we saw this transformation. I can remember it like it was yesterday. This character that was introduced as a little cute kid, was actually a bodacious gorgeous fox of a woman all along. Anime lovers around the world simultaneously grasped their heart and questioned their sexualities, as this was one glow up that none of us were prepared for. I almost feel like it should have come with a warning or something.
2. Raphtalia
Anime: The Rising of the Shield Hero You often hear people say “kids grow up so fast”. But I don’t think they meant as fast as Raphtalia. Her transformation took no time at all, as she went from a tiny little adorable girl to a tall sophisticated woman who could cut out your liver in an instant. I mean, she is still a child at heart. Especially when Naofumi’s around. But I still had to highlight her any% speedrun through puberty. The icing on the cake is the fact that she kept her overpowered pouting ability.
1. Ruka Urushibara
Anime: Steins; Gate 0 Even though this was the most short-term glow up on this list, I just had to save it for number one. Ruka has always been both best girl and best boy in the show, that much is clear. But I was not prepared for his transformation. She’s probably the most beautiful and badass katana wielding middle aged-man that I have ever seen in my life. And if that previous sentence reads a bit off, you must be new to the anime scene. I can also give an honorable mention to our “madu hacker” from the same series, but only one can be in first place.
