Top Anime Where Protagonists Level Up and Power Up

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Summary

  • Anime series with game-inspired systems feature protagonists who start weak and steadily progress, leveling up over time.
  • Solo Leveling, Shield Hero, and Sword Art Online showcase unique progression systems, quests, and character development.
  • Progression in DanMachi, Bofuri, and Reincarnated as a Sword involves grinding, questing, skill-sharing, and overcoming real-world challenges.

For more than two decades, I’ve been captivated by anime series that revolve around game-like mechanics, and it’s no wonder why! The thrill of stepping into a realm where limitless potential and epic journeys are the norm is a dream shared by anime enthusiasts worldwide.

The charm in these tales comes from witnessing a character who starts off as relatively powerless, yet develops significantly throughout the storyline. This concept is often referred to as leveling up, one of the most thrilling elements added to fantasy stories. These characters either overcome challenges and accumulate experience points or acquire skills through certain actions, making progression systems crucial components in these narrative structures that resemble games.

1. Solo Leveling

Character-Based Progression System

One could say that while Solo Leveling might appear to be a typical power fantasy, it’s actually quite different. Unlike most protagonists in similar genres, Jinwoo, often referred to as the weakest hunter of all mankind, consistently teeters on the edge of mortality. He starts his journey as an E-rank hunter, who perishes during a dungeon raid, and surprisingly finds himself in the same powerless state upon waking up.

Unlike many stories about reincarnation where characters start with extraordinary powers, Jinwoo has a distinct leveling system in which he is the sole “Player,” similar to an RPG character. In this world, other hunters are unable to surpass their own ranks. This system offers Jinwoo quests and allows him to gain experience by vanquishing dungeon monsters, which rewards him with status points, title upgrades, and exclusive skills that aid him in his incremental advancement as a hunter. However, this system also imposes penalties on Jinwoo if he fails to accomplish the tasks, frequently placing his life in peril. This is a hard-earned grind that comes from intense, high-stakes battles.

2. The Rising Of The Shield Hero

Leveling Through Strategic Resource Allocation

In most video games, a shield is typically considered as a purely defensive item. It’s generally thought that a character armed only with a shield would find it challenging to advance or accumulate experience points on their own. However, this assumption was challenged when Naofumi and three other cardinal heroes were summoned to the kingdom of Melromarc to defend against waves of dangerous monster attacks.

In video games, shields are usually seen as defensive tools. A hero armed only with a shield might find it hard to grow stronger or progress on their own. But Naofumi and three other heroes proved this wrong when they were summoned to the kingdom of Melromarc to fight off monster invasions.

The leveling system of Shield Hero stands out in typical power fantasies because it focuses on the protagonist’s smart management of resources, selection of companions, and advancement of weapons. Progress for Naofumi was never intended to be straightforward. Right from the start, battles in this series are tough, featuring significant risk and minimal reward. However, by providing the shield with suitable materials obtained from battles, it triggers special skill trees that enable Naofumi to assume various roles beyond just defense or support.

3. DanMachi: Is It Wrong To Try To Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon?

Progressing Through Real-World Experiences

Could a love at first sight spark an epic journey through the intricate maze of Orario? This amusingly intriguing concept propels Bell Cranel, the sole member of the Hestia Familia, to bravely venture into the perilous dungeon at the heart of the city of Orario. Driven by his unrequited affection for Ais Wallenstein, a formidable adventurer from the Loki Familia who had once rescued him, Bell resolves to attain the title of the world’s strongest adventurer, a man deserving of Ais’ admiration.

The advancement system in the DanMachi universe is heavily influenced by Greek mythology. Just like the heroes of old tales, Bell Cranel experiences a hero’s odyssey, growing stronger and acquiring abilities not through monotonous leveling-up, but through genuine actions in the world. Here, his conduct and achievements translate into numerical boosts in power, speed, and magic. Yet, these stats don’t escalate on their own; they require regular evaluation and adjustment by Hestia, the goddess who oversees his guild.

4. Shangri-La-Frontier

RNG-Based Leveling System

Many folks prefer games that have solid structures and complex features. In contrast, Rakuro Hizutome takes pride in mastering flawed video games filled with tricky glitches and game-halting bugs. His real journey commences when he elects to engage with a top-tier VR game called “Shangri-La-Frontier“. Rather than focusing on equipment, Rakuro – also known as Sunraku in each game he plays – opts to join the assassin class, adorning a bird mask and no gear whatsoever.

Shangri-La-Frontier offers a distinctive open-world setup that appreciates player ingenuity. Unlike conventional MMORPGs, the advancement of equipment is unforeseeable, leaning on infrequent monster loot and item compatibility as opposed to predetermined updates. This results in a progression system where success depends significantly on RNG (Random Number Generation) luck, with exclusive gear drops, secret missions, and unusual interactions shaping stat development and talent advancement.

5. Bofuri: I Don’t Want To Get Hurt, So I’ll Max Out My Defense

Leveling Through Grinding, Questing, And Events

Inexperienced in gaming, Kaede Honjou teams up with her closest friend in the virtual reality world called New World Online. Lacking any understanding of creating a well-rounded character, Kaede’s main intention being to avoid injury, she crafts a character specialized in wielding shields and boasting high vitality levels. This unusual move alters the game’s power dynamics, causing her character to become remarkably durable, bordering on invincibility.

Although it presents an unanticipated, amusing twist in its storyline, Bofuri sticks to conventional MMORPG mechanics such as leveling up through grinding and completing quests for power progression. Notably, like Shangri-La-Frontier, the anime incorporates surprising and distinctive game aspects that can be discovered by accomplishing particular challenges or unveiling hidden missions.

6. Log Horizon

Traditional Party Roles Gameplay

In the virtual world of Elder Tale, where thousands of gamers are unexpectedly stuck, the trio consisting of Shiroe, Naotsugu, and Akatsuki join forces to navigate this new existence. Guided by Shiroe’s tactical acumen, they assign roles as a healer, tank, and damage dealer respectively, allowing them to conquer grueling raids and tough encounters effectively.

In the world of Log Horizon, combat progression is based on a classic experience system that emphasizes teamwork and class compatibility. As characters reach specific level thresholds associated with their character roles, they acquire new abilities. While death doesn’t mean the end, a delay in respawn adds tension to the game, compelling players to strategize threat levels and coordinate skill usage to progress through various obstacles.

7. Sword Art Online

Accumulating XP Through High-Stakes Battles

Similar to Log Horizon, Sword Art Online finds thousands of players trapped within an incredibly realistic VRMMORPG. The twist here is that dying in the game translates to death in reality, leaving no chance for respawns. To survive, the players must swiftly level up and complete all 100 levels of the game. Kirito, a formidable solo player and former beta tester, steps up to the challenge, testing his limits in an attempt to master this lethal digital landscape.

Advancement in the world of Sword Art Online is achieved by gaining experience points through various means such as slaying monsters, completing missions, and overcoming floor bosses. This tower-like game presents fresh areas, valuable loot, and increasingly difficult adversaries with each successfully cleared level. Since players’ real lives are at risk, they must become proficient in combat using weapons and develop quick reflexes to stay alive.

8. Reincarnated As A Sword

Progressing Through Skill-Sharing

In typical Isekai stories, being reborn as the main character in another world is common, but what’s unique here is that the protagonist gets reborn as an instrument wielded by the hero instead. This extraordinary tool, with sentience and a knack for accumulating abilities by assimilating defeated enemies’ cores, forms an unbreakable bond with a resolute young black cat named Fran. Unlike any of her kind before her, Fran aims to achieve something unprecedented—evolution.

What makes Reincarnated As A Sword stand out is its distinctive dual-progression system, where Teacher can acquire skills, spells, and abilities and pass them on to Fran. Simultaneously, Fran has the opportunity to earn regular XP, weapon-related skills, stat improvements, and combat expertise through actual combat experiences.

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2025-04-15 05:09