Best Anime Characters Who Can Manipulate Time

Key Takeaways

Time manipulation in anime is an exciting ability reserved for the strongest characters, shaping worlds and defeating foes.
Crunchyroll offers thrilling anime with time travel elements, showcasing unique ways characters wield time manipulation.
Despite its power, time manipulation comes with drawbacks, requiring intelligence to wield correctly in iconic manga/anime characters.

Time manipulation is one of the most exciting abilities that only the strongest anime characters can use properly. Only a few anime characters have this unique ability that can help them defeat great foes and easily change their world for the better and in some cases to the worst.

Anime fans can get lost in thrilling stories inspired by time travel and time manipulation abilities while watching some of the best anime on Crunchyroll or on any of their preferred platform. Anime creators came up with fun ideas to incorporate time manipulation into their stories and gave their characters this special magical or scientific power in a sometimes surprising but always engaging and highly entertaining way.

14 Mephisto Pheles

Blue Exorcist

Best Anime Characters Who Can Manipulate Time

Starting things off with someone whose title is literally ‘The King of Time’ in their universe, let’s take a look at Mephisto Pheles in Blue Exorcist. Mephisto is one of the Eight Demon Kings of Gehenna as well as the half-brother of Rin Okumura, the protagonist of Blue Exorcist. When it comes to his time manipulation abilities, Mephisto literally holds domain over both time and space, typically using this power to inform his past self of future events, stop time (albeit briefly), and even summon a variety of items with abilities related to time such as the Cake Cuckoo Clock or the Strongest Prison.

For the most part, Mephisto serves as a guide, a teacher, and a side character in Blue Exorcist, rarely fighting himself, so the full extent of his time ‘wizardry’ tricks is still pretty unknown. But, even the minor amount that has been shown is enough to prove to most that Mephisto is an absurdly powerful demon.

13 Subaru Natsuki

Re: Zero

Next is a character who isn’t commonly known as a time-manipulator, but Subaru Natsuki actually makes use of his time abilities better than most other characters, let alone isekai protagonists. Granted, they aren’t technically ‘his’ abilities, as his self-named Return by Death ability is actually an Authority given to him by the Witch of Envy. Still, the ways in which Subaru utilizes this ability are entirely unique to him, and it effectively becomes his own power with how intricately he begins to understand the pros and cons of this ability.

For the most part, Subaru uses this ability to return back to a ‘save point’ instead of dying, while still retaining all the memories leading up to this death. With this, Subaru can essentially learn ahead of time how events will go, how the people around him will act, and what each decision eventually leads to. When it all comes together and Subaru goes through numerous loops trying to figure out the best method of getting through it for everyone involved, the successful ‘run’ ends up almost looking like Subaru can see the future and is unable to fail and the show itself dives into the philosophical side of this, as it constantly explores the depths of Subaru’s mind as he’s forced to die over and over.

12 Toki Kozuki

One Piece

Character Toki Kozuki from One Piece stands out due to her unique Devil Fruit, the Time-Time Fruit or Toki Toki no Mi, which appears to have limited combat applications. Instead, its primary use allows Toki to move forward in time whenever necessary. This extraordinary ability has enabled Toki Kozuki to live for over 810 years, as she leaps through time to avoid enemies and dangerous situations. From what we gather about her character and the explanation of her Devil Fruit, it appears that this fruit only allows its user to advance in time, never rewind. Furthermore, it seems like a single jump can only cover a maximum of 20 years at most.

To summarize, the user of the Toki Toki no Mi can leap ahead in time, yet their location remains unchanged. This means users or individuals sent forward through time by this fruit must exercise caution about where they decide to jump. In essence, while the Time-Time Fruit has disadvantages, it was instrumental in ending Kaido’s oppressive reign over Wano, ultimately leading to its liberation.

11 Homura Akemi

Puella Magi Madoka Magica

Homura Akemi is one of the shiest yet bravest warriors in Puella Magi Madoka Magica who can also manipulate time. Thanks to her magical shield Homura can manipulate time and space and uses her special ability to defeat evil and save Madoka from a terrible fate.

Homura Akemi possesses impressive abilities in manipulating time, enabling her to establish multiple time paradoxes and even temporarily halt or reverse the flow of time. Notably, she is a formidable character from the anime series titled “Puella Magi Madoka Magica“. This show is renowned for its dark and magical girl genre, boasting some of the most potent antagonistic witches in anime. It offers an intense blend of action, emotion, and a heart-wrenching narrative that leaves viewers both saddened and enthralled.

10 Eri

My Hero Academia

My Hero Academia‘s young Eri has one of the most powerful Quirk in the anime with almost unlimited potential. Eri’s Quirk is called Rewind and thanks to it, she can rewind time and reverse the state of any living organism. Thanks to her special ability, Eri can not only easily manipulate time but can heal injuries and diseases or can even rewind time until someone is erased from existence.

Although Eri’s quirk is incredibly potent, she struggles to utilize it effectively. Despite showing improvement in handling it, she has a considerable distance yet to travel before she can safely manipulate time. In the world of My Hero Academia, where heroes and villains boast powerful abilities that often involve controlling time, Eri’s progress is a testament to her determination.

9 Baraggan Louisenbairn

Bleach

Baraggan Louisenbairn was a formidable and intimidating villain in an anime, equipped with the power to control time. Despite being arrogant, he displayed exceptional combat skills and boasted high intelligence as a God-King. In his role as the former ruler of Hueco Mundo, Baraggan frequently utilized his unique ability to manipulate time during battles, often using it to overpower his opponents.

In the captivating realm of “Bleach,” I found myself immersed in the thrilling escapades of Ichigo, who morphed into a soul reaper on an extraordinary quest to safeguard the world. One striking ability that caught my attention was Baraggan’s unique power to distort time around him, making his foes’ actions appear as if frozen. This allowed him to strike in real-time, effortlessly outmaneuvering and defeating his adversaries. The series is a rollercoaster of excitement, brimming with electrifying battles, formidable warriors, and characters that range from the funniest to the most laid-back you’ll ever encounter.

8 Rintarou Okabe

Steins;Gate

Okabe Rintarou was able to manipulate time thanks to science. He was the hilarious mad scientist of Steins;Gate who accidentally invented a special machine with his lab group that allowed them to send messages back in time and to even time travel.

In Steins;Gate, a brilliant but quirky character named Okabe finds himself repeatedly traveling back in time, often abusing his invention without serious repercussions until he faces dire consequences. What makes this classic sci-fi anime about time travel truly memorable is that Okabe watches his beloved friend die countless times during these temporal journeys.

7 Makoto

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

Makoto is likely the most well-known anime character known for having the power to manipulate time, a fact even those unfamiliar with anime are familiar with. She’s a youthful high school student who discovers that time marches on when she acquires her unique ability to travel through time and revisit past moments at will. It appears that this time-traveling skill is something she was born with, as it seems to be an inherited trait.

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is a charming and inspirational anime movie about Makoto who feels lost and not sure what to do with her life when her high-school years are coming to an end. Soon she discovers that she can travel back in time and through various adventures, she soon learns life-altering lessons.

6 Dio Brando

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure

Dio Brando is one of the most violent and power-hungry characters in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. Unfortunately, he’s also a sadistic character who doesn’t care about others, and thanks to his powers he often gets what he wants. He’s even capable of stopping and re-starting time at will which benefited him and his dark ambitions many times.

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure boasts a distinctive narrative populated by an array of unusual yet varied characters, even featuring some renowned blind anime personalities. This animated series focuses on the Joester clan, who possess extraordinary psychic abilities that defy the norm. Spectators can embark on these characters’ exhilarating journeys as they engage in diverse adventures and battle against wickedness.

5 Dimaria Yesta

Fairy Tail

Among the powerful war-maidens in Fairy Tail, Dimaria Yesta hails from the prestigious Mildian line. The deity of Time, Chronos, personally selected her as his conduit. In return for this honor, Chronos bestowed upon her a unique ability: she can manipulate time itself, wielding it like a powerful God Soul. This extraordinary gift has proven invaluable in numerous perilous journeys she embarked on.

Fairy Tail is one of the most fun magical fantasy anime with fantastic characters, great stories, epic battles, and two of the best anime cats ever created. The story follows Lucy and her wizard guild’s adventures.

4 Tokisaki Kurumi

Date A Live

Tokisaki Kurumi is one of the most fascinating and powerful anime characters ever created. While she starts as a villain she eventually becomes one of the main protagonists in the story. While her main power is shadow manipulation she’s also capable of manipulating time. When she combines her unique abilities she can even create a perfect clone of herself.

Date A Live is a funny action anime about a young boy named Itsuka who meets a spirit girl. Soon he learns that this mysterious girl almost wiped out humanity in the past, and now he has to date her if he wants the human world to survive.

3 Dialga

Pokemon

Dialga is one of the most famous Legendary Pokemon thanks to its many appearances in the Franchise’s movies. This ancient deity is not only capable of controlling time but also one of the members of the creation trio of Sinnoh since Dialga represents time itself.

Pokémon is a renowned anime series characterized by distinctive poses, where the main character, Ash, embarks on an extraordinary quest to become the greatest Trainer. The narrative encompasses his escapades alongside his beloved Pokemon, Pikachu, as they encounter and fight new creatures, forge friendships, and traverse various regions worldwide.

2 Saiki Kusuo

The Disastrous Life Of Saiki K.

Saiki Kusuo is one of the most powerful anime characters with immense psychic abilities. He was born with his powers and is still unable to fully control them that’s why he has to wear a special device on his head. He’s even capable of manipulating time and traveling back and forth in time. He used his time manipulation abilities on multiple occasions to help friends and to save his parents’ marriage.

The Life of Saiki K.: The Disastrous Version is an uplifting anime series featuring one of the most reserved and fashionable main characters. The narrative revolves around Saiki, who strives to keep his psychic powers hidden in pursuit of a normal lifestyle. Yet, due to his eccentric friends, he ends up utilizing his concealed talents far more frequently than desired.

1 Julius Novachrono

Black Clover

Captain Julius Novachrono is one of the mightiest magic knights, boasting a remarkable skill in manipulating time. This isn’t a gift he was born with, but a talent he honed over the years. He has mastered the art of accelerating, decelerating, or even freezing time. Moreover, he can rewind time, move it backward, and even collect and save it for later use. Remarkably, his exceptional control over time has allowed him to cheat death on several occasions.

Black Clover is a fun adventure anime filled with epic and magical battles. The story follows the adventures of two young boys who are called Asta and Yuno as they go on a journey and compete for the role of Emperor Magus.

2024-08-26 12:34