Behind several anime protagonists are senseis who helped them reach greater heights. Either through detailed instruction or leading by example, these mentors acted as an exemplar their pupils could learn how to be the best from. Some of these overpowered instructors were undeniably better than others though, which is why they’ve made our list of the 10 anime senseis that we’d want to train with.

All Might (My Hero Academia)

Best Anime Senseis

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Don’t let the sunken eyes and monstrous build fool you; All Might is easily one of the most caring anime senseis to ever grace the screen.

In the superhero-filled world of My Hero Academia, he is the closest approximation to Superman available. His very existence has ushered in an era of peace, and his overwhelming strength allows him to take down most any threat he comes across with ease.

He hasn’t let this power warp his ideals though. As an inheritor of the immensely powerful quirk One for All, he understands the importance of doing right by those who came before him and using one’s power to help as many people as possible. This is something he tries to instill in his students, whether that means giving them a rousing speech or fighting with them in bouts that’ll push their quirks and strategizing to new heights.

However, he also knows what it’s like to be powerless, having had no quirk before he inherited One for All. It’s this knowledge that allows him to better sympathize with people like Deku, or even Bakugo, when they’re feeling helpless and incapable of growing further.

Even after his powers fade, these elements of his character remain, helping to cement him as a mentor that Class-A and the world as a whole can look to for inspiration.

Master Roshi (Dragon Ball)

Best Anime Senseis

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Goku may be one of the strongest there is in Dragon Ball Z, but a big reason he reached that point is thanks to Master Roshi.

A hermit who has dedicated his life to martial arts, Roshi understands close combat in a way few in his world could ever hope to. His strength and speed are still exceptional despite his age, and he’s even capable of attaining a semi-perfect form of Ultra Instinct – one of Goku’s strongest transformations.

However, he isn’t concerned with using this strength for himself. Instead, he seeks to pass it on to others, helping them to grow stronger and improve in the same way he has.

This is what led him to take on Goku, Krillin, and so many others as students when they were younger, and what motivated him to continue instructing them as they grew up. No matter how old they get, he makes sure they keep wanting to learn and improve too, either by showing them new heights they can reach or acting as proof that there’s still someone stronger out there.

To be sure, he isn’t perfect – his perverted nature continues to age like milk – but he’s still the best anime sensei the Z Fighters could have hoped for.

Hatake Kakashi (Naruto)

Best Anime Senseis

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It’s hard to understate how integral Kakashi is to Naruto’s story, and why he is deservedly one of the best anime senseis of all time.

A wunderkind of the Hidden Leaf Village’s ninja forces, he proved from an early age that he could handle even the most dangerous missions. He could quickly strategize a plan to deal with any given scenario, and knew how to combine his natural jutsu with those afforded to him by his Sharingan.

However, he also gained an appreciation for prioritizing the safety and lives of allies over completing a mission, having lost his closest friends during different conflicts.

These elements remained with him even after he began instructing students, and in many ways bolstered his teaching goals. Instead of simply turning them into efficient soldiers, he helped teach them how to become strong enough to get through missions without losing those they cared about; all the while fighting alongside them to ensure they had a leg up in increasingly dangerous situations.

It’s safe to say that without him around, Naruto and his friends wouldn’t have had the same moral compass they boast by the series’ end, and they may have even met an untimely fate.

Biscuit Kreuger (Hunter X Hunter)

Best Anime Senseis

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Biscuit Kreuger may not have as much screen time as other anime senseis, but that doesn’t change the fact that she’s one of the best instructors around.

Boasting several decades of Nen use, she has mastered the basic principles of her world’s superpower system and knows how to strengthen these powers in an optimal fashion. She can tell from a glance what someone’s strengths and weaknesses are, and how to bring them out as efficiently as possible with a variety of training techniques.

This isn’t to say she hasn’t focused on strengthening herself though. When she or an ally are threatened, she isn’t afraid to decimate her enemy with overwhelming force, utilizing Nen with terrifying precision.

It’s for this reason that she has stuck with anime fans who witness her power, and why she remains one of the biggest drivers for Gon and Killua’s growth throughout the Hunter X Hunter anime.

Satoru Gojo (Jujutsu Kaisen)

Best Anime Senseis

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Jujutsu Kaisen’s Satoru Gojo is a strange fit for an anime sensei character, but one which makes more sense the longer he’s on screen.

An embodiment of the Chaotic Good alignment, he revels in saving the world in the most destructive and devious ways possible. He uses unimaginable cursed powers to decimate foes both human and Curse-based, and loves to undermine the more rigid hierarchy of Jujutsu Sorcerer society.

This is a big reason why he found himself dropped into the role of instructor for up-and-coming Jujutsu Sorcerers. By instructing them directly, he can ensure the next generation doesn’t carry the stiff and uncaring view toward the world that his superiors hold. Likewise, he can protect those the older guard of Jujutsu Sorcerers deem undesirable, helping said undesirables to prove they can be beneficial to the world.

Not only that, but he’s helped them to get on the path to obtaining the level of powers that he has, ensuring the world won’t be left defenseless should anything happen to him.

He’s still a chaotic element in his students’ lives, but few could argue there’s anyone better to prepare them for the long road ahead.

Izumi Curtis (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)

Best Anime Senseis

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It’s safe to say that if Izumi Curtis hadn’t been Ed and Al’s mentor in Fullmetal Alchemist, the story likely would have gone in a much darker direction.

Granted, this might not be apparent right off the bat. On the surface, Izumi is a strict and violent teacher, just as likely to hurl a butcher’s knife at someone as she is to teach them the finer points of alchemy. She demands nothing less than total obedience from her apprentices, and deviating from that could see her students beaten within an inch of their lives.

Beneath this harshness, though, lies a genius who is eager to pass on her knowledge in the best way possible. She grasps alchemy in a way few others do, and knows exactly how to pass this knowledge on to others in a way that they’ll forever appreciate.

She also cares deeply for anyone she considers a student, current or former. If someone threatens them, she won’t think twice before unleash her considerable power in the name of rescuing them, all while stoically ignoring her own health issues as she does.

It’s for these reasons that Ed and Al took all of her lessons to heart, and knew they could count on her without question when they needed help. Without her around, they likely wouldn’t have been shaped into the heroes they became. They might even have been left defeated by the series’ end.

Eikichi Onizuka (GTO: Great Teacher Onizuka)

Best Anime Senseis

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Eikichi Onizuka is not a good person.

He’s loud, crude, and got into teaching for all the wrong reasons. He frequently destroys the lives of others in his attempts to help people, and if it weren’t for anime logic, he’d have been arrested ten times over for all the chaos he has caused.

As a teacher though, there are few who could hope to measure up to him.

Where others would write off troublesome students as lost causes, he’s willing to give them all the patience and care they require. This is because he has been these students, and knows how frustrating it is to be abandoned by anyone that could help you.

He goes to extraordinary lengths to make sure said students know they won’t be abandoned in their times of need. This might mean causing the destruction mentioned above, or sticking with them well after they’ve tried to push everyone else away from them out of fear.

It’s inspiring to say the least, and makes it hard to look at Onizuka as anything less than an exemplary anime sensei.

Kamogawa Genji (Hajime No Ippo)

Best Anime Senseis

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Hajime no Ippo is an anime about pursuing one’s passions with dedication and perseverance. Few embody that drive like Coach Genji Kamogawa.

A lifelong lover of boxing, Kamogawa has dedicated decades to mastering the instruction of the sport. He knows how best to bring out a boxer’s strengths, and has meticulously designed different training regiments for them to follow while preparing for bouts.

It’s thanks to this that characters like Makunouchi Ippo and Takamura Mamoru have found the success they have, obtaining championships and accolades for years on end.

However, he’s also more caring than his gruff demeanor lets on. When any of his fighters are injured or struggling, he’s always the first one to look out for their health and well-being first and foremost. They’re like family to him, and he won’t let their dreams be dashed for momentary glory.

It’s this caring that helps him stand out among other anime senseis, and makes him so memorable to anyone who has seen him in action.

Genkai (Yu Yu Hakusho)

Best Anime Senseis

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One of the most important lessons an anime sensei can impart is that no one can be the strongest forever, and none embody this sentiment like Yu Yu Hakusho’s Genkai.

Once an exceptionally powerful user of Spirit Powers, Genkai accepted her descent into old age long ago. With this acceptance, however, came another realization: She could use everything she learned to help the next generation achieve greater heights, which they could then do for others in turn.

This is how she came to be a mentor to those like Yusuke, Kuwabara, and so many others. Though harsh and demanding of them, she knows how to bring out their true strength and push them to the limits of what they can achieve.

Even if her own life is what stands in the way of them improving, then she won’t hesitate to give it up. She’ll happily face down dire threats to keep her students safe, and even if it means her death, she trusts them to carry on her will of doing what’s best for the next generation.

Korosensei (Assassination Classroom)

Best Anime Senseis

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It isn’t like we could omit Korosensei from a list of the best anime senseis; he has “sensei” in his name for god sake!

In all seriousness though, Korosensei is an exceptional instructor to his students. Patient and understanding even in the face of constant assassination attempts, he’s always there for his students and their problems. He cares about preparing them for the future, and longs to see them go off to live their lives with everything they’ll need.

This remains true even when they drag him into a number of hijinks, ranging from the mundane to potentially life-threatening. No matter the circumstances, he’s there to lend them a hand – or rather, a tentacle – and beat back anything that might threaten them.

His reasons for doing so are complex and motivated by the usual tragic anime backstory. However, it’s still genuine enough that it’s hard not to admire his dedication to making these students good people, and better than he was as a person at their age.

As the series neared its conclusion, this still remained true. By the show’s end, he proves to be one of the best influences his students – and really any anime character out there – could ask for.