5 Iconic Anime Characters With Powerful Beings Sealed Inside Them

Published Jul 26, 2026, 7:00 PM EDT Emedo Ashibeze is a tenured journalist and critic specializing in the entertainment industry. Before joining ScreenRant in 2025. he wrote for several major publications, including GameRant. Anime characters housing formidable entities are some of the most popular in the medium. The trope has been well received in both classic and modern times, as these figures have headlined several prominent titles over the years. They make for unique narrative developments and add an exciting layer of intrigue to standard battles. The beings in question are renowned for making incredible abilities and power-ups accessible to their hosts, though they often come at a severe cost or with strict limitations. Creators take advantage of these transformations to showcase diverse, fascinating designs that clearly indicate the level of power the hosts are being granted. They are also frequently affiliated with evil, creating special tension where their heroic vessels must suppress as much of their powers as possible. The hosts are also constantly at risk of full possession, where they can subsequently lose control and wreak irreconcilable havoc. As a result, learning to control these powers is a crucial step in every hero’s journey. In many cases, these beings are ancient figures with rich histories that contribute greatly to their stories’ lore and hosts’ status. They are usually given distinct personalities that aid engaging interactions and foster special dynamics. Their relationships with their vessels also gradually evolve over time, leading to complex alliances with varying outcomes. Akira Fudo Akira Fudo is the originally timid, pure-hearted protagonist of the historic Devilman series. He started out as a regular teenager living with his close friend and love interest, Miki Makimura. He also spent a lot of time with his other friend, Ryo Asuka, who revealed to him the existence and danger of demons. He subsequently invites Akira to a wild party known as the Black Sabbath in the hopes of turning him into a powerful devil warrior. To this end, Ryo starts attacking random partygoers to incite violence and bloodshed. He succeeds as the event quickly descends into chaos and people are turned into rampaging monsters one after the other. Akira himself is also possessed by the demon Amon, one of the strongest to have ever lived. Owing largely to his pure heart, Akira’s consciousness dominates Amon’s, and he retains full control over his actions while gaining the demon’s immense strength. He annihilates all other devils on the scene and fully transforms into the titular Devilman. Besides the astounding physical strength gained from the transformation, Akira can also project beams of energy and breathe powerful flames that can incinerate his opponents in seconds. His personality underwent a complete change as well, as while his good nature remained, he gained unshakeable confidence and assumed a flashier disposition. Yugi Mutou Studio Gallop Yugi Mutou is the iconic protagonist of the original Yu-Gi-Oh! series. He is a mild-mannered, intelligent boy with a passion for strategy games. Long before the events of the series, his grandfather recovered a mysterious artifact known as the Millennium Puzzle. Yugi stumbled upon the puzzle as a child and managed to solve it after a grueling eight-year period. Unknown to him, he would begin harboring a separate persona after this, manifesting whenever Yugi was in danger while the puzzle was wrapped around his neck. This figure possessed a much more imposing personality and was largely unknown at the start of the series, going by the name Dark Yugi. He is eventually revealed to be an ancient Egyptian Pharaoh named Atem. He was sealed into the puzzle three thousand years ago and had his memories erased to prevent the destruction of the world. He doesn’t offer traditional power-ups in terms of raw strength, but brings invaluable dueling prowess to the table. He and Yugi develop a poignant relationship over the course of the series, and they amicably take turns in control depending on what the situation requires. The anime does well to highlight Yugi’s personal growth amidst all this, as he blooms into a capable individual able to stand on his own even without Atem’s help. Denji Custom Image by Zach Zamora Denji is the main protagonist of the hit new-gen series, Chainsaw Man. When he was still a child, he inherited a crippling amount of debt from his deceased father and lived a life of extreme poverty. He was coerced into hunting Devils for the yakuza to pay off his debts, enlisting the help of the Chainsaw Devil, Pochita. He is later betrayed by the organization and left to die at the hands of the Zombie Devil. Right after his death, however, Pochita takes the place of Denji’s heart and revives him as the eponymous Chainsaw Man. He swiftly eliminates the Zombie Devil and is later recruited by a woman named Makima to become a Public Safety Devil Hunter. His new form is triggered by pulling on a chainsaw starter cord attached to his chest. It mainly features three protruding chainsaws, one from his head and one from each forearm, with his head most resembling an actual chainsaw. He can also manifest chainsaws from other parts of his body, such as his legs and feet. In addition to his deadly blades, Denji gains superhuman physical strength and the ability to recover from fatal injuries through the ingestion of blood. His brash personality and chaotic childhood shine through in his fighting style, as he is often willing to take severe damage in order to gain the upper hand. Yuji Itadori Yuji Itadori is the protagonist of the massive Jujutsu Kaisen series. He is a high school student who already began the story with freakish physical abilities. He was a part of his school’s Occult Research Club, and it was there he came across a finger of Ryomen Sukuna, a special-grade cursed object. Once unsealed, the finger began attracting cursed spirits and put everyone present in grave danger. To save his friends, Yuji ingested the finger and was immediately possessed by the formidable ancient sorcerer Ryomen Sukuna. To everyone’s surprise, Yuji was perfectly capable of suppressing the possession and was subsequently enrolled in Jujutsu High to both contain and nurture his power. Despite residing in Yuji’s body, Sukuna only offers help whenever the situation serves to benefit him. Likewise, Yuji rarely ever cedes control to him as Sukuna is a thoroughly malicious entity itching to cause mayhem whenever possible. This helps the series focus on Yuji’s evolution as a sorcerer, as he is highly skilled in his own right. In the instances where he does lose control, Sukuna displays tremendous power. He has access to many of the abilities available to him in his past life, and he is aided by immense cursed energy reserves as well. He grows stronger with each finger Yuji consumes, and possesses a tactical intellect impressive enough to match his phenomenal strength. Naruto Uzumaki Naruto Uzumaki started out as a young ninja and troublemaker with dreams of becoming the Hokage, the title given to the village leader. However, he is largely shunned by the villagers due to his connection to the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, a ferocious beast that attacked the Hidden Leaf Village twelve years prior. In order to halt the fox’s destruction, his father and Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, sealed half of the fox into himself and the other half into a newborn Naruto. This jutsu unfortunately came at the cost of his life, and both he and Naruto’s mother, Kushina, perished on that day. The chakra of the Nine-Tails serves as a boundless reserve Naruto is initially only able to access when engulfed by intense emotional turmoil. Some of his mentors have advised him to rely solely on his own strength, while others have advocated that he learn to harness it as an invaluable asset. He nearly lost control on multiple occasions, but over the course of the series, he eventually masters this immense power and forms a genuine bond with the fox. As they become partners, he learns of its storied history dating back to ancient times and begins calling it by its true name, Kurama. Release Date 2002 - 2007-00-00 Showrunner Masashi Kishimoto Directors Hayato Date Naruto is an action-adventure anime series based on the manga series created by Masashi Kishimoto. The titular Naruto Uzumaki is a fearsome Nine-Tailed Fox Spirit sealed inside him, which once wreaked havoc on his village. Shunned by his community yet determined to earn their respect, Naruto dreams of becoming the greatest ninja, the Hokage. This series follows his journey through the Ninja Academy as he continues to train and grow, hoping to prove himself to his peers- and himself.