Sung Jinwoo is anime’s latest action hero. WithSolo Leveling’s meteoric rise in popularity over the past year,all eyes have been on Jinwoo and his mysterious power, and incredible feats of strength have kept the discussion on him and the smash-hit series. Boasting immense physical strength and an army of shadow soldiers,Solo Leveling’s protagonist would give many of anime’s biggest names a run for their money, except for one: another current generation unlikely hero,Mob Psycho 100’s Mob.
AsSolo Levelingushers in a new generation of power fantasy action anime,Mob Psycho100also ushered in its own new generation of shōnen all the way back in 2016, forever leaving its stamp on the action genre. Based on the manga by One, the artist behindOne Punch Man, the series took the typical shōnen battle formula and flipped it on its head, focusing inward on its characters rather than the enemies they faced. Nevertheless, protagonist Shigeo Kageyama is incredibly strong.
Who Is Mob Psycho 100’s Shigeo Kageyama?
The Esper Known As Mob Is One of Anime’s Strongest Characters
Much like anime’s newest hero,Mob Psycho 100’s Mob is an unassuming presence when first introduced. An average-looking middle school boy, Kageyama, or Mob, is actually hiding tremendous psychic powers, and works under a self-proclaimed medium named Reigen Arataka. Reigen isn’t exactly a traditional master to Mob, or even a real one at that, as the man fakes his spiritual abilities throughout the series. Regardless, Mob is loyal to Reigen, and the two form a relationship that is undeniably heartwarming.
Through its protagonist and his relationships with others,Mob Psycho 100is able to tell a story about individual growth, self-acceptance, morality, and other deeply human themes. The series comes to one of themore masterful closings in recent anime history, with a Mob who has essentially learned to accept all parts of who he is, before returning to trying to improve himself once again.
Though its narrative is often deeply heartfelt and features an incredibly likable cast of characters,there is no lack of action inMob Psycho 100. Animated by Bones, the anime is able to consistently impress in its battle scenes, and more often than not, Mob is in the middle of the excitement, putting his psychic powers on display with downright beautiful animation from the powerhouse studio.
He May Not Look It, But Mob Is Incredibly Powerful
Mob’s Psychic Abilities Put Him On Par With Anime’s Other Greatest Heroes
Mob’s psychic power is immense,but it’s relatively rare that all of it is used. In order to keep himself in check, he must suppress his emotions at all times, which causes trouble for Mob as the series unravels. In the heat of battle, he’ll either willingly or uncontrollably allow his emotions to bubble to the surface, causing his strength to take massive leaps depending on the situation he’s in. His powers include telekinesis, which allows him to move incredibly heavy objects at will, energy absorption, the ability to control plants, astral projection and more.
This is all on top of the immense physical strength his psychic powers award him, allowing him to serve up beatdowns that otherwise would be impossible for the relatively out-of-shape boy. At 100%,Mob is frighteningly powerful, with artist One confirminghis strength to be on the level of Tatsumaki’sfrom his other work,One Punch Man. However, that isn’t the limit of what he’s capable of.
When Mob enters his ???% state,there’s no limit to the power he possesses. Theoretically, the series' protagonist could just continue becoming stronger, but it does have a major drawback.Mob has no awareness of his surroundings, or any care for the destruction he causes when at ???%, making him incredibly dangerous and unpredictable. He’s also prone to letting rage become his dominating emotion, in which he becomes far more aggressive than he usually appears.
Who Is Stronger Between Two of Anime’s Unlikeliest Heroes?
Anime’s Unexpected Hero of Yesterday vs. Anime’s Unlikely Hero of Today
WhenSolo Leveling’s Sung Jinwoo was introduced to the anime community,he was branded as the “Weakest Hunter in the World”. Though he graded out as an E-Rank, his strength was no more than an average human’s, and he was less than useful in raids. Appearance-wise, Jinwoo didn’t exactly strike fear into the hearts of any monsters, but the same can be said ofMob Psycho 100’s Shigeo Kageyama. Nevertheless,the former has become anime’s latest big hero, while Mob filled a similar role in the not-so-distant past.
WithSolo Leveling’s fast success, fans have begun pitting other characters against Jinwoo, but between two of anime’s unlikeliest heroes,Mob has the clear upper hand in strength. Jinwoo boasts incredible strength and speed, and has an army of shadows behind him that can do real damage. However, Mob at full power can practically bend reality to his will, and while Jinwoo may have impressive strength, he might not be able to match up with someone who can rip entire buildings out of the ground.
Sung Jinwoo would have a clear numbers advantage with his army behind him,though Mob has shown he can deal with crowds, having the ability to cling an entire room of people to the ceiling. With a strong barrier around him, it’s uncertain whetherSolo Leveling’s protagonist or his shadows would even be able to touch him. Later in the source material, after Jinwoo fully inherits the power of the Shadow Monarch, he becomes an even more formidable fighter, though it likely still wouldn’t be enough.
Mob Psycho 100is anachievement in shōnen action storytelling, placing a large focus on its individual characters, their growth, relationships, and issues, rather than the fighting that has always been the genre’s main selling point.Its protagonist is still incredibly powerful though, and it will take someone with quite a bit more power than anime’s latest number one hero to rival him. Anime fans would be doing themselves a favor by checking out the series, as it sits comfortably onScreen Rant’s own top 50 all-time list.
Mob Psycho 100
Cast
Mob Psycho 100 follows Shigeo Kageyama, a young boy struggling with self-expression while possessing formidable psychic abilities. As he strives for normalcy by suppressing his powers, he faces challenges from false psychics, malevolent spirits, and enigmatic entities, bringing his emotional and psychic thresholds to critical levels.
