In the anime world, elders are often depicted as some of the most impressive forces, often outclassing even the most feared villains or military leaders. While St. Saturn in One Piece has shown he’s more than just a high-ranking elder with terrifying Devil Fruit abilities, there are elders in other anime whose strength, influence, or supernatural powers eclipse even Saturn’s.
This list spotlights twelve such elders from across anime. Their impact on their worlds and their unmatched abilities make them legends, feared or revered far more than even Luffy’s latest enemy. Count down with us to the top elder who could easily surpass Saturn in a fight or in terms of what they bring to their respective universes.
12 Pride – Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Pride is the oldest homunculus created by Father and serves as his most dangerous agent. His true form is a mass of shadowy tendrils, each tipped with a single eye and mouth. He can manipulate these shadows at will, making him almost untouchable to anyone but the most resourceful.
Pride’s abilities are not just limited to physical attacks. He can spy over vast distances by distributing his shadows, and his intelligence and cunning make his powers even more deadly. You can attack his host body, but his true form is very difficult to destroy.
Unlike Saturn, who relies heavily on his Devil Fruit powers, Pride’s shadow body allows for almost complete invulnerability unless you attack the core of his being. When Ed finally conquered Pride, it took more than raw power. That shows just how dangerous this elder homunculus was, even compared to the most feared members of the World Government.
11 Lordgenome – Gurren Lagann
Lordgenome ruled Earth for generations as the Spiral King, commanding an army of Beastmen and keeping the human population underground. His power came from both his authority and his mastery over Spiral Energy, the force that fuels the mechas in Gurren Lagann.
Lordgenome demonstrated superhuman strength and regeneration abilities, making him almost impossible to beat in a direct fight. If his spiral energy ran low, he was still capable of overwhelming most enemies with his bare hands. His spiral power let him pilot towering Gunmen and even manipulate biology at will.
He stood against the main characters with both raw force and strategic genius for years. Even after his defeat, Lordgenome’s legacy and power were crucial in humanity’s survival against future threats. Saturn’s Devil Fruit powers look limited compared to Lordgenome’s almost limitless spiral energy and the scope of his ambitions.
Characters from One Piece rarely face enemies who can alter the planet itself, but Lordgenome did exactly that to maintain his rule for centuries.
10 Avatar Kyoshi – Avatar: The Last Airbender
Kyoshi was one of the longest-living and most powerful Avatars in history. She left a mark on the Avatar world that lasted for generations, not only with her might but also through her uncompromising will and sense of justice.
Kyoshi’s unique earthbending and her creation of Kyoshi Island are still unmatched in scope and power. She didn’t just move mountains – she reshaped the world’s geography. In close combat, Kyoshi faced and defeated Chin the Conqueror, a feat that stood as a legend for centuries. No Elder in One Piece has shown the ability to change the landscape permanently in such a dramatic fashion.
Her connection to the Avatar State provided her with access to all her past lives’ knowledge and skills. Even fellow Avatars like Aang or Korra often call upon Kyoshi for guidance. Saturn’s tactical mind and strength fall short when compared to the lasting legacy Kyoshi left on her world, both as a warrior and as a leader.
9 Yamamoto – Bleach
Captain Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto was the founder and the head of the Gotei 13 in Bleach, known for his unmatched spiritual pressure and his ability to incinerate enemies with his zanpakuto, Ryujin Jakka. Even among Soul Reapers, Yamamoto held a status nobody dared challenge for a thousand years.
His Bankai, Zanka no Tachi, can reduce entire armies to ash. When Yamamoto activates its full potential, he can obliterate the battlefield itself and leave lasting devastation. This level of destruction is far above anything Saturn could hope to cause, even in his awakened Devil Fruit form.
Yamamoto’s power put him in a different category compared to even the most skilled Soul Reapers or most villainous hollows. His decades of battle experience and tactical prowess led him to win wars single-handedly. His only real weakness was his own code of honor and his limits on when to use his true power.
Yamamoto’s legacy extends beyond strength. He shaped Soul Society itself, making decisions that impacted generations. This influence and raw might far outstrip what an Elder like Saturn brings to the world of One Piece.
8 Boros – One-Punch Man
Boros was a galactic warlord searching for an opponent worthy of his tremendous power. His regeneration and energy projection abilities made him a rare match even for Saitama.
Even when Saitama punched him, Boros was able to recover and fight on, a feat no other enemy achieved for long. His power was so great that he could level a city or fire energy beams capable of destroying the surface of a planet. Compared to Saturn, Boros has far more destructive power and physical resilience.
Boros’s self-healing and transformation gave him a second and even a third wind during his battle. This kind of tenacity is missing from most other elders, even powerful ones. If Saturn and Boros fought, Boros would simply outlast him and overwhelm him with energy attacks.
His leadership among alien forces also puts him on a different tier. He could conquer planets, not just lead an army.
Even after his defeat, fans remember Boros as the first to truly survive Saitama’s strength – a mark of his own legendary status as an elder in his universe.
7 Anos Voldigoad – Misfit of Demon King Academy
Anos Voldigoad is the Demon King of Tyranny, feared in legend and proved unstoppable even after returning as a student in a new era. His strength exceeds anything that could be explained by normal logic within the anime’s world.
Anos has complete mastery over magic, with the ability to revive himself and others, rewrite reality, and destroy his foes with a flick of his finger. He once even challenged and defeated the God of Time. No One Piece elder, not even Saturn, could ever dream of fighting on that scale.
His presence makes allies feel safer, while most enemies surrender upon recognizing his true power. Anos never faces a true threat on the battlefield; every fight becomes a lesson or a demonstration of his overwhelming abilities.
Also Read
15 My Hero Academia Villains Who Could Take the Spotlight in Vigilantes After Stain
The Misfit of Demon King Academy shows time and again that Anos is less a character and more of a force of nature. His return is a crisis for the demon and human worlds alike.
6 Acnologia – Fairy Tail
Acnologia is known as the Dragon King and is the most feared dragon in Fairy Tail. He annihilated the entire Tenrou Island and all on it with a single attack. His power pushed even legendary dragons and the strongest wizards to their limits.
He spent centuries terrorizing the skies, collecting the power of other dragons by slaying them and absorbing their essence. His control over both his dragon and human form meant he had unmatched versatility in combat. Against Saturn, Acnologia would simply not feel threatened. His durability and strength are on another scale.
To finally defeat Acnologia, it took the combined power of all seven Dragon Slayers. No elder in One Piece commands that level of dread, nor do they force such alliances among rivals just to take them down.
Also Read
13 Most Memorable Squirtle Moments in the Pokémon Anime
Acnologia’s lasting fear over generations and the collective trauma he left behind gives him a unique place among anime elders – one defined by absolute might and terror.
5 Kaguya Otsutsuki – Naruto Shippuden
Kaguya descends from the divine Otsutsuki clan and is the final antagonist in Naruto Shippuden. Her arrival marks the highest escalation of power in the series, surpassing all previous threats, including Madara Uchiha.
She commands the chakra from which all ninja powers in the world originate. With her, the world faces an apocalyptic threat, one so severe that she cannot even be killed – only sealed away by Naruto and Sasuke using god-level jutsu. Saturn’s Devil Fruit awakening does not come close to this level of cosmic danger.
Kaguya can warp dimensions, manipulate gravity, and regenerate from almost any wound. Her fighting style is something no character in One Piece has faced, and her powers stem from the laws of the universe itself.
Also Read
12 Times Friendship Sapped the Drama from Anime
As the source of chakra and one of its most skilled wielders, Kaguya could wipe out armies with a thought. While Saturn is menacing, Kaguya is genuinely supernatural – her enemies needed divine aid to survive her attacks.
4 Whitebeard (Prime) – One Piece
Even in his later years, Whitebeard was known as the strongest man in the world. In his prime, he was almost unstoppable, wielding the Tremor-Tremor Fruit and capable of splitting seas or destroying whole islands with a single attack.
Whitebeard’s physical strength and mastery of Haki put him on a tier above almost everyone else in his universe. While Saturn’s Devil Fruit form is unique, Whitebeard could end the fight with a quake. Even the Five Elders respected his legacy and the fear he inspired.
Whitebeard’s reputation was built on protecting entire nations and facing down all challengers. His leadership kept the balance of power in the seas for decades. Where Saturn relies on status and myth, Whitebeard had the muscle and courage to back up every threat.
Also Read
15 Best New Generation Isekai Anime Making Waves
It’s likely that if the two were to face off at their peak, Whitebeard would force Saturn to retreat. His heroic legend endures even after his death.
3 Zeno – Dragon Ball Super
Zeno is the supreme ruler of the multiverse in Dragon Ball Super. His abilities place him above any god, angel, or mortal. Zeno doesn’t fight, because he doesn’t have to – his will alone can erase whole universes from existence.
Simple gestures from Zeno can control the fate of all realms. The fear of Zeno keeps even the most powerful deities cautious and obedient. Compared to someone like Saturn, Zeno is in a completely different league.
His childlike innocence is what makes him terrifying. He decides on life and death as if it were a game. But his status as the absolute elder among deities is undisputed. Every major event in the Dragon Ball universe happens under his silent watch.
Also Read
13 Dragon Ball Movies That Lose Their Charm on a Second Watch
Powerful as Saturn may be, even the Five Elders pale in comparison to the cosmic authority and power held by Zeno.
2 Sukuna – Jujutsu Kaisen
Sukuna stands as the “King of Curses” in Jujutsu Kaisen. When at full strength, with all twenty fingers reclaimed, Sukuna is essentially a force of nature that no ordinary sorcerer or curse can take down.
He has unmatched speed, endurance, and an almost unlimited arsenal of deadly cursed techniques. Sukuna’s ability to cut through anything is legendary, and unlike Saturn, he is fast, mobile, and hard to predict during battle. Saturn’s size works against him, making him an easy target for Sukuna’s assaults.
During the Shibuya Incident arc, Sukuna’s rampage showcased just how little anyone could do to slow him down. Only clever tactics and spiritual power can hope to contain his aggression. No elder in One Piece moves or attacks like Sukuna – he can simply obliterate anything he wishes.
Also Read
15 My Hero Academia Quirks That Would Defeat Knuckleduster Instantly
His terrifying reputation makes him feared by both allies and enemies, and he considers few even worth his time. In a head-to-head, Sukuna would dominate Saturn with his power and speed.
1 King Yhwach – Bleach
King Yhwach is the father of all Quincy and is known as the main antagonist in the Thousand-Year Blood War arc of Bleach. What makes Yhwach particularly dangerous isn’t just his raw strength, but his ability to reshape fate itself.
Yhwach can absorb the power of others, rewrite reality, and predict all possible futures using The Almighty. This grants him total dominance over any battle, making him nearly impossible to strategize against. The kind of threat Yhwach poses is more fundamental than just strength – he breaks the basic rules of existence.
While Saturn’s awakened Devil Fruit powers make him a legend among One Piece villains, Yhwach’s abilities render the efforts of nearly all Soul Reapers useless. Even Yamamoto, Soul Society’s mightiest captain, fell to Yhwach’s overwhelming strength and his reality-altering powers.
Anime fans still consider Yhwach one of the most effective and powerful elders because he almost succeeded in reshaping the Bleach universe entirely. Compared to the rest of this list and to Saturn, Yhwach’s power is in a class of its own.
