We’ve often seen students surpass their sensei in the world of anime: while some take in and refine what they were taught, others bring a new level of power and strength that goes beyond their teacher’s academics. With a lot of anime being targeted towards teenagers and the younger generation, we know how essential this small but important narrative is.
With that out of the way, let’s check out what we’re here for in the first place. From the magical world of Black Clover to the Shinobi world of Naruto, here are the best anime students who took in all they could and eventually surpassed their sensei, ranked by narrative and character arc impact.
Spoiler Alert !!!This article contains potential spoilers from multiple anime and manga series. Readers’ discretion is highly advised.
10. Natsu Surpassed Igneel’s Magic and Evolved It Beyond Expectation
Natsu and Igneel from Fairy Tail | Credits: A-1 Pictures
The relationship between Natsu and Igneel from the Fairy Tail anime series is both emotionally driven and narratively beautiful. Being Natsu’s adoptive father, Igneel raised him from childhood and mentored him in one of the biggest magical traits that became his identity later on – the Fire Dragon Slayer Magic.
While canonically it was never mentioned that Natsu surpassed Igneel and his level of power, the endgame narrative pretty much implies it. By the final arcs of the series, Natsu gains access to Dragon Slayer evolution and his END potential – fighting against opponents like Zeref and Acnologia – exceeding the traditional dragon-tier levels of power.
9. Edward Took All Izumi Offered and Surpassed Her in Every Way
Izumi and Edward from Fullmetal Alchemist | Credits: Bones Inc.
Edward Elric surpassing Izumi Curtis in the Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood series isn’t just a case of a stronger fighter overtake – it has a deeper, more meaningful dimension than raw combat. Izumi is the one who teaches Ed all the fundamentals of alchemy, especially the concept of “One Is All, All Is One”. She also breaks Ed down and rebuilds him mentally.
While we can still debate that there are certain times in combat and alchemy when Izumi outshines Edward, it is undeniable that she doesn’t have the creativity and adaptability Ed has. Furthermore, in terms of philosophy, Ed trades his Gate of Truth to restore Alphonse – a level of sacrifice and decisiveness Izumi never achieves.
8. Denji Reached New Levels in Chainsaw Man Beyond Kishibe’s Grasp
Denji and Kishibe from Chainsaw Man | Credits: MAPPA
This one is interesting because, if you look at the anime, there is clearly no instance where Denji surpasses his Public Safety sensei, Kishibe. However, since the Chainsaw Man manga has recently ended and we have a clear summary of the narrative, Denji goes well beyond his sensei’s skill set and accomplishments by the end of the story.
Denji eventually fights enemies far beyond anything Kishibe handles directly at a level where human fighters become secondary. However, it’s not a traditional “student surpassing the master” and more like they exist on a completely different tier.
7. Yuji Surpasses Gojo Beyond the Traditional Jujutsu Kaisen Story
Yuji and Satoru Gojo from Jujutsu Kaisen | Credits: MAPPA
If you are confused about the “Beyond the Traditional Story” in the entry titles, let’s start with that first. If you read and watch throughout the Jujutsu Kaisen story, you won’t find any instance where it clarifies that Yuji Itadori has surpassed his mentor and the “strongest” JJK character, Satoru Gojo. So what are they doing here?
In the sequel series, Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo, by Gege Akutami, Yuji returns after a 68-year timeskip and displays his planetary-level powers and moves, including one of the series’ strongest Domain Expansions. At that point, it was pretty clear that in terms of power, Yuji definitely surpassed Gojo.
6. Even Yami Was Left Behind Compared to Asta’s Anti-Magic Prowess
Yami and Asta from Black Clover | Credits: Studio Pierrot
While not a direct teacher, Yami was one of the core mentors for Asta in the Black Clover series – teaching him ki sensing and pushing him to become the best version of himself, which led to Asta adapting Yami’s battle mindset. In the early series, Yami is clearly superior in magic and battle IQ; things change as soon as the Devil Union Era begins.
Asta gains advanced anti-magic control and techniques that can erase or negate devil-level magic entirely. So basically from that point onwards, Asta’s anti-magic is a hard counter to almost everything Yami does, which solidifies his surpassing in terms of power.
5. Tanjiro Developed Breathing Forms Beyond What Urokodaki Taught Him
Sankonji Urokodaki and Tanjiro from Demon Slayer | Credits: Ufotable
Students surpassing their sensei is not a new precedent of anime narrative, something that is shown perfectly with Tanjiro and Sankonji in the Demon Slayer anime series. After his family’s massacre, Tanjiro and Nezuko are left with the former Water Hashira, Sankonji Urokodaki, by Giyu.
Not only does Tanjiro work extremely hard to take in whatever Sankonji teaches him, but he easily surpasses the former Hashira in Water Breathing, even if we don’t count the Sun Breathing part. While Tanjiro’s Water Breathing might match Giyu’s on an equal level, it surpasses Urokodaki’s eventually.
4. Ichigo Surpasses Urahara to Break the Rules of the Bleach-Verse
Ichigo and Kisuke Urahara from Bleach | Credits: Studio Pierrot
The sensei-student relationship between Kisuke Urahara and Ichigo Kurosaki is one of the earliest learning relationship dynamics of the Bleach anime and manga series. Being one of his most important teachers, Kisuke trains Ichigo in Zanpakuto combat and spiritual control, and even restores his Soul Reaper powers.
While the former Gotei 13 captain represents the peak of balanced mastery in the series, Ichigo decisively surpassed him in more than one particular way. During the Final Getsuga Tensho phase, even Aizen had to evolve to adapt to him; Urahara was pushed to a completely different tier at that point.
3. Midoriya Proved All Might Made the Right Decision With One for All
Let’s be honest, many of us have known this for a while, and the series makes it pretty obvious – Izuku Midoriya has surpassed All Might a long while back in the My Hero Academia series. What makes Deku’s journey even more compelling is that not only did he surpass All Might, his teacher and sensei, but also every other One for All user from the past.
All Might transferred his powers to Deku, who pushed himself so hard that even his sensei was proud of him every time he looked back. Not only was Deku able to use the OFA at 100% power, but he was also able to use all the other abilities, something All Might never achieved.
2. Naruto Fulfilled Jiraiya’s Dream by Surpassing Him in Power
Naruto and Jiraiya from Naruto: Shippuden | Credits: Studio Pierrot
Even though he was one of the legendary Sanin in the Naruto series, Jiraiya was surpassed by Naruto for quite some time. Being the best sensei in the series, Jiraiya not only taught our protagonist important techniques like Sage Mode and Rasengan, but also emotionally shaped Naruto into the person he became.
Naruto perfected Sage Mode, went on to obtain Kurama’s Chakra, then the Six Paths Chakra, eventually rising to become a god-level Shinobi. While Jiraiya was never able to achieve any of these when he was alive, he remains one of the best senseis in all of anime.
1. Goku Surpassing Roshi in Dragon Ball Reshaped Shonen Storytelling
Master Roshi and Goku from Dragon Ball | Credits: Toei Animation
The moment and narrative of Goku surpassing Master Roshi in the Dragon Ball series is the original blueprint for this trope in shonen. Goku, being a Saiyan, was always supposed to surpass Master Roshi in power, but what made it more significant was the actual lessons Goku learned from him.
Roshi trained both Krilin and Goku in fundamentals, discipline, and conditioning. Furthermore, he also emphasized hard work over shortcuts and taught the philosophy of always striving to improve. These lessons were carried by Goku, no matter how powerful he got, and helped him reach new power ceilings.
RANKINGSTUDENT-SENSEISERIESIMDb RATINGS (As of April 29, 2026)1Goku-Master RoshiDragon Ball8.5/102Naruto-JiraiyaNaruto8.4/103Deku-All MightMy Hero Academia8.2/104Ichigo-Kisuke UraharaBleach8.2/105Tanjiro-Sankonji UrokodakiDemon Slayer8.6/106Asta-YamiBlack Clover8.2/107Yuji Itadori-Satoru GojoJujutsu Kaisen8.5/108Denji-KishibeChainsaw Man8.3/109Edward Elric-Izumi CurtisFullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood9.1/1010Natsu-IgneelFairy Tail7.8/10
Here are some FAQs on this list:
How many types of Breathing Techniques can Tanjiro use?
Tanjiro can use both Water Breathing and Sun Breathing in the Demon Slayer series.
Was Jiraiya Naruto’s first teacher?
No, if we go based on the timeline, Iruka was Naruto’s first teacher back in school.
Does Deku keep One for All by the end of My Hero Academia?
No, Deku loses his One for All quirk while fighting with Shigaraki Tomura and All for One in the My Hero Academia series.
What are your thoughts on our ranking of the best anime students who surpassed their sensei? We’d love to hear your opinions in the comments below.
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