If you’re new to the world of anime, you may be surprised to see an age-old fan-war about dubbed and subtitled anime. There are passionate defenders of both options when watching anime, but why is this even a thing?

I’m sorry you have to experience this uglier side of the hobby, but it’s a good time to cover the basics of why some people who like Japanese animation get into a froth about the soundtrack.

What the Fight Is Even About

The “sub” or “subtitled” anime proponents want their anime in the original Japanese language, with English subtitles. The “dub” proponents want anime that’s dubbed into their language of choice.

The “sub vs dub” argument has been raging practically since the moment anime left Japan’s shores. Early anime that made it to the west were usually “fansubbed”, which is to say, these were bootleg copies that were fan-translated and then subtitled. Anime’s earliest fans, then, didn’t even have a choice because there were no dubs.

As anime became officially licensed in the West, local production companies paid to have dubs made in English and other languages. For many anime fans, their first experience of anime was with an English dub or a dub in their own language. For example, my first experience of anime was Heidi GIrl of the Alps, dubbed into Afrikaans, my first language.

I have a feeling that most people’s preference for one or the other is strongly influenced by what they experienced first, but there are plenty of rationalizations on both sides as to why their camp is superior.

Why People Love Subs

On the subtitled side of the argument, the main point is that original voice performances are preserved. There’s a common sentiment that the quality of the acting (whether you understand any Japanese or not) is generally better with subs. There’s some truth to this, especially if we’re looking at dubs from the 80s, 90s, and 2000s. A lot of dubbed anime used bottom-tier voice talent combined with lackluster voice direction.

Dubbed anime (in English at least) ended up sounding like American cartoons, losing the unique flavor and more nuanced performances of the Japanese cast. There were some exceptions, and Disney in particular only used A-listers for their Ghibli dubs, but generally early anime dubs are like nails on a chalkboard more often than not.

That’s changed quite a bit though, and modern English dubs are done with a much better understanding of what made the original voice track good in the first place.

Apart from the performance and authenticity arguments, subs are simply ready to watch sooner, so if you don’t want to wait for the dubs, this is your only choice. Then there’s also the issue of dubs coming out weirdly because the new voice actors try to match the mouth movements of the animation meant for Japanese, though honestly, that’s possibly the weakest point, because anime rarely has the sort of mouth movement where this makes a difference.

Why People Love Dubs

One big reason some people will only watch dubs is because they find subtitles distracting. Not everyone can read as fast or fluidly as is necessary to enjoy subbed anime. You also don’t need to watch the screen the whole time to follow the story, and many younger people like to play TV shows in the background while they do something else. You can’t do that with a subbed show.

If a dub is done well, it can be a better experience overall because you can appreciate the art and animation fully, and have an integrated performance where you understand both the verbal and nonverbal elements of speech.

The Arguments That Keep It Alive

While it’s absolutely true that shows can have awful dubs on an individual basis, the real argument that has kept this topic raging over the years is authenticity versus accessibility. A show dubbed into your own language is less authentic than the original, but less accessible. This has become a real bone of contention because not all anime gets dubbed. Which means there may be some shows that you really want to watch, but if, for some reason, you just can’t make use of subtitles, you’re basically shut out.

There’s also the constant argument about localization. Subbed anime tends to have more literal translation and fewer liberties taken. This is more true with fansubbing than official translations, but it’s generally the case. With English dubbing you may get more localization liberties, with significant changes to the meaning of dialogue to match the current cultural context of the new audience.

A localizer’s job isn’t easy, but then again, many people don’t want to hear an anime character say something is “sus” or “on fleek’ because these will date the dubs for no reason. You also have problems like representing Japanese dialects. What do you do with a character that has a Kansai or Okinawan regional accent? Especially when it’s relevant to the plot. Do you give them some sort of Southern accent from the USA?

Ultimately, there’s also the emotional connection you make to certain performances. For me, watching the new Netflix English dub of Neon Genesis Evangelion felt like being in a parallel universe. It’s why I forked out $150 to buy the Blu-ray collection that includes the original 90s English dub.

How the Internet Made It Worse (and Better)

Before broadband, the only way I could get access to anime was through fansubs shared around campuses where high-speed internet was available. Once a month or so, we’d get together with external hard drives and spindles of blank CD-R discs and share shows and movies that simply were not available to buy or watch on TV at the time.

Today, anime is about as mainstream as it gets. According to a Netflix blog post, over 50% of the company’s global audience watches anime. When I was a teenager I could never have imagined this, but it means that you can access subbed and dubbed anime with the click of a button. It feels like the golden age of being an anime fan just thanks to this access.

It also means that companies like Netflix are motivated to fund dubbing with good talent behind it, and new shows like Delicious in Dungeon have wonderful dubs. Fansubbing groups are still doing their thing, of course, but chances are all the truly good anime content will make it over to the West in an official capacity. Likewise, the trend of butchering stories and censoring content for a Western audience is largely dead, it seems.

On the negative side, social media have made anime fandom pretty toxic, or at least more visibly so. That’s where the “sub vs dub” debate really is the worst, and most people who just want to watch the shows aren’t the ones fueling it, they’re just aware of it.

The Modern Truce… Kind Of

For most of the two-plus decades I’ve watched anime as a hobby, I’ve been on the side of subs because of real problems with dubbing in the medium. That problem still exists with historical anime, but with new shows I’ll happily give the dubbed version a try and, if it’s good, I’ll stick with it. I still have a strong preference for subs, but quality dubs can only be a good thing for the medium overall, and it’s certainly made it easier to share the hobby with new people.

I think most anime fans aren’t too fussed anymore, and will watch whichever is the best option for them on a per-show basis, and even the delay for dubs is shrinking, with so-called “simuldubs” becoming more common. Which means there’s very little reason to actually keep arguing about this. There is no right or wrong answer, other than it’s always wrong when you try to dictate how someone else should enjoy something.

Numerous powerful anime characters have established a foundation of powerscaling that fans are obsessed with. One of, if not the most popular, franchises with strong characters is Dragon Ball, and after Dragon Ball Super introduced Zeno, the ruler of all the universes, there is a new strongest character in the series. Able to destroy a universe with a single thought, no one can compare to Zeno in the Dragon Ball universe.

However, Zeno isn’t the strongest character in all fiction, and this list will highlight some anime, comic, and TV characters who can best this universal being, or at least give him a run for his money. This list will be based on known feats, hypothetical feats, abilities, potential, and context, determining that these ten characters are also at a universal level and more than capable of going toe to toe with this curious but overwhelmingly powerful being.

10

Arale Norimaki

‘Dr. Slump’ (1981)

While there is no Dragon Ball character stronger than Zeno, Akira Toriyama has another series with a character powerful enough to defeat him. Dr. Slump follows Arale Norimaki, a powerful android girl who, despite her strength, isn’t the brightest. Each episode follows her wild antics in the most unusual of locations, showcasing her remarkable strength.

Arale is a gag character, meaning there is no rhyme or reason to her overpowered strength, as everything is played off for jokes. However, this humorous approach doesn’t diminish her standing, as she has real feats that put her on the level of Zeno, from her physical strength to her inpenetrable defence, to her unpredictable fighting style, making her one of the strongest anime characters.

9

Galactus

The Fantastic Four Franchise

Comic characters have numerous versions with varying feats and power levels, spanning from the planetary to the multiversal level. Some characters also have different versions, depending on the writer and storyline. This list refers to Lifebringer Galactus from the comics. This enormous entity is known for devouring planets and serving as a main villain to the Fantastic Four.

While fans usually think of Galactus as a planet-eating entity, his Lifebringer form makes him infinitely more powerful. He can reach into the beyond realm and manipulate matter and create life just as easily as he can destroy it. Galactus has defeated other universal characters, including Chaos and Master Order, making him one of the most powerful Marvel characters. He has flaws, for sure, but it takes a real effort to bring him down.

8

Sinbad

‘Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic’ (2012)

One underrated fantasy anime masterpiece that fans no longer discuss is Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, which follows king candidates and their Magi as they aim to conquer dungeons and become kings. One such candidate is Sinbad, a side character who is easily the most powerful in the series and even received an origin spin-off.

While the studio cancelled the anime without actually showcasing Sinbad’s true power, he demonstrates why he is so revered in the manga. Besides his many special weapons he earned from the dungeons, Sinbad’s most powerful ability is narrative manipulation, where he can write opponents out of the story, making it so they never existed. This hax ability is far beyond Zeno’s reach, meaning Sinbad handily wins.

7

Superman

‘All-Star Superman’ (2011)

The DCU officially kicks off in 2025 with Superman, reminding fans of the many iterations of this character, ranging from decently powerful to one of the strongest characters in fiction. While James Gunn confirmed that Superman will be “weaker” in this film, fans should remember some of the strongest versions, including All-Star Superman and Superman Prime.

A lethal dose of solar radiation made Superman virtually unstoppable, enabling him to lift millions of tons and travel faster than the speed of light. Superman Prime became so powerful that he could bend reality and dent the fabric of space and time, making him a physical threat to Zeno. Superman is the strongest member of the Justice League and the peak of all superheroes.

6

Featherine Augustus Aurora

‘Umineko: When They Cry’ (2009)

Most fans are familiar with all the characters on this list. However, Umineko: When They Cry is a relatively unheard-of anime and manga, making Featherine Augustus Aurora equally unknown. She is an endless witch, which is more akin to a god, having lived multiple lifetimes, relying on a memory device to maintain her personality.

Despite having a glaring weakness, Featherine is an all-powerful entity, with powers such as immortality, reality manipulation, and invulnerability. These powers essentially make her unbeatable with all the power in the world, allowing her not just to defeat Zeno, but also making her a strong enough character to solo the Dragon Ball universe. It’s a shame not many fans know about her, though.

5

Doctor Manhattan

‘Watchmen’ (1986-1987)

Alan Moore is a legendary comic creator, and his magnum opus is arguably Watchmen, which he made alongside Dave Gibbons. While the mystery of the superhero murders continues, one character embarks on an entirely different journey: Doctor Manhattan, who became a godlike entity after accidentally falling into a nuclear experiment.

Doctor Manhattan is more than just a strong superhero, but a complex character who represents the capability of good and evil through absolute power. However, he is also one of the most powerful movie superheroes, making him a discussion piece in powerscaling arguments. As he is able to create and destroy with the wave of a hand, Doctor Manhattan is on the level of Zeno, but his intelligence arguably puts him a tier above.

4

Anti-Spiral

‘Gurren Lagann’ (2007)

There aren’t many anime more hype-inducing than Gurren Lagann, wowing viewers with its spectacular animation, stellar character moments, and riveting fight scenes. While Simon could also be on this spot, Anti-Spiral takes it as the main villain of the series, having been this powerful since the beginning.

Like most of the characters on this list and in Gurren Lagann, the Anti-Spiral is a universal-level entity, making it larger than entire galaxies. In its final fight against Simon, the Anti-Spiral hurled galaxies at him, creating an epic image and demonstrating overwhelming strength. Not to mention, its cosmic strength and overall power would rival any anime character, making this a perfect over-the-top anime for fans to watch.

3

Bill Cipher

‘Gravity Falls’ (2012)

Gravity Falls is a beloved kids’ show that is acceptable for all ages, dazzling viewers with its unrivalled mystery and sense of adventure. Bill Cipher is the main villain of the series, manipulating everyone in his tiny town in order to gain overwhelming strength, but his only opposition is two random kids.

This may seem like an egregious mismatch, but Bill Cipher is surprisingly robust and has a good chance, even if he doesn’t win. He is around a five-dimensional level as he defeated a four-dimensional entity in the Time Baby with ease. Bill Cipher created a galaxy-sized room and has intangibility, but what makes him stronger than Zeno is the fact that only a specific requirement can defeat him.

2

Haruhi Suzumiya

‘The Melancholy of Haruji Suzumiya’ (2006)

Anime has many unsuspectingly strong characters, including Haruhi Suzumiya from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. She and her group investigate strange phenomena around town, but they learn that she has been the one subconsciously creating these bizarre disturbances.

Haruhi is fully omnipotent, meaning she can create or destroy anything, including Zeno, regardless of his immense power. However, her power is dependent on her mood, as she is unaware of her abilities. However, this doesn’t detract from her limitless abilities, such as time manipulation and immortality, which make her strong enough to defeat any anime character.

1

Alien X

‘Ben 10: Alien Force’ (2008)

No other series experienced as significant a power creep as Ben 10, which began as a somewhat grounded show where aliens battled in small towns and ultimately evolved into a galactic-wide fight with the destruction of universes. While there are many strong aliens in this series, Alien X is by far Ben’s best transformation.

Alien X isn’t the most powerful character on this list, but he ranks in at number one because he is the most comparable to Zeno, making this the closest fight. Alien X can repair universes, survive the destruction of one, and fight at an inconceivable level. Zeno and Alien X can erase universes with ease, making this battle a coin flip of whoever strikes first. The first one to act is the winner, and Ben is likely to be more intelligent in reading the situation and winning.

NEXT: 10 Characters Strong Enough To Battle ‘One-Punch Man’s Saitama — and Even Win

Behind closed doors at Summer Game Fest, I sat down to play a new game published by Bandai Namco that’s tailor-made for Hades fans: Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree, which has its own take on the roguelike hack-and-slash genre. And, yes, a playable hot hybrid fish-man.

Towa’s isometric combat looks a lot like Hades at first glance, and shares some of the same basic structure. Players start at a hub area and start runs going through a series of gated battlefields filled with enemies. After they’re defeated, you’re granted a boon — an upgrade to your skills, weapons, currency reward and so on. Hades players will be able to pick this up with ease when Towa launches on Sept. 18.

Towa, developed by studio Brownies, Inc., has its own anime style and diverse group of fighters that sets it apart from Hades. In it, the titular Towa, a priestess of the tranquil Shinju village, charges eight guardians with defeating the evil Magatsu and his minions. With different combat styles, players pick one of these heroes to control and another for spell-casting backup (which a second player can pick up and control, too) to send into battle.

Setting aside, it’s clear that Towa takes a lot of inspiration from Hades in its gameplay, which Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree director Shuhei Yamashita acknowledged.

“Of course, we have respect for Hades, and I had early access to that, and when I played it, the maneuverability was interesting, so that’s something that we referenced,” Yamashita said. “And the roguelike system, you have a unique maneuverability and you can really incorporate a unique element to it, so that’s something that we have put into our game.”

Towa is visually striking, with an anime look and vibrant colors — and even though players wield two swords like samurai, the game stands apart from the recent vogue of period titles like Assassins’ Creed Shadows and Ghost of Tsushima with its setting in a peaceful village.

“Rather than going with samurai and historical days with a more realistic style, Brownies created this game that we wanted to be more fantastical — not necessarily Japanese, but the kind of Eastern fantasy-type artwork that would be more attractive,” said Yamashita.

Apart from the game’s aesthetics, Towa stands out for its different take on combat. The players’ two swords — a main-hand honzashi and off-hand wakizashi — wear down quickly with every slash, kind of like the durability meter in Monster Hunter World’s weapon system. You’ll need to swap between the two swords to sharpen them (a move that comes with a short dash), which adds a rhythm to combat as you switch back and forth.

But unlockable boons and upgrades will add variety to your play style. Some are straight damage, others add effects to your swords like knockback or trigger things like shockwaves when using a spell. The devs sitting alongside my demo hinted that you may even find boons that incentivize unorthodox strategies, like keeping your blades dull to unleash different attacks. There’s a depth to the combat that I didn’t scratch the surface of during my brief time with the game.

I also didn’t get a deep look at how the eight fighters differ — aside from the fish-man Nishiki, there’s a rotund Shiba Inu and six other anime-looking heroes to choose from. I chose the hunky fish-man as my main while selecting Origami, the fighter covered in folded paper armor, as my spellcaster and dove into a run.

With a mix of melee and ranged enemies, the latter of which show the path for their attacks, Towa has some overlap with Hades’ design. But the weapon switching mechanic is a notable difference, as are the spells — my sidekick Origami had one with an area of attack mechanic that I could splash groups of enemies with.

In practice, remembering to switch between weapons when they dulled took time to learn, and I kept forgetting to use my spells. It also took me a while to sort out that my health bar at the bottom of the screen was split between my main fighter and backup spellcaster. But the game can get overwhelming with all the area attacks and flashy skill effects, so it’s easy to lose your hero in the fireworks.

After several rooms of enemies, I squared off against the mid-run boss and soundly defeated it, then moved into a merchant room where I could spend currency on upgrades — all familiar territory for Hades fans. But just before advancing on the main boss, I entered a calm room overlooking a vista with a campfire. Here is where your heroes will take a breath and chat to share their backstories and more details about the world, fleshing out the characters and the game’s lore.

“Towa is a very story-focused game, so you could find as much story as you would normally find with RPG games,” Yamashita said, noting that the characters you bring on runs with you deepen their relationships as you converse at these campfires.

Brimming with confidence — a little too much, sadly — I waltzed into the boss room and gave it everything I had, including Nishiki’s ultimate ability for massive AOE damage. These charge up with attacks, and certain upgrades can speed up their recharge rate. Despite some nimble dashing and damage, and whittling down the boss to a quarter of its health, I succumbed. (Later in the weekend, I was told that only seven players at Summer Game Fest had taken down the boss at the time.)

Players won’t have long to wait for their own chance to try out a unique spin on roguelike combat. Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree comes out Sept. 18 on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch for $30.

DanDaDan is about to get serious. When the hotly anticipated sci-fi anime premiered last year, it introduced viewers to a frantic, goofy, mysterious, and action-packed story of two high school students discovering that ghosts and aliens are very real and using their newfound abilities to combat the strange and horrific supernatural entities around them. The stakes are higher in Season 2, though, as Momo (Abby Trott) and Okarun (AJ Beckles) face their greatest threats yet, including, most notably, the demonic Evil Eye, who pushes the pair to their limits. During a conversation with Collider’s Laura Adams for the Evil Eye compilation movie, English dub stars Beckles, Trott, and Aleks Le opened up about how the new arc sends the series in a more intense direction that leaves behind a bit of the laughs for more serious storylines.

Evil Eye kicks off the second season on the silver screen, covering the events of the first three episodes of Season 2 with the introduction of the Avatar of Hatred, who possesses Momo’s childhood friend Jiji (Le). It’s all part of the Cursed House arc, which sees the three teens discovering the dark secrets of Jiji’s home and tangling with the demonic force within. The danger is at an all-time high with Evil Eye vowing to kill all humans it comes across, leaving Okarun with no choice but to try to subdue the powerful foe before it can harm anyone else. With the more personal stakes for Jiji as the unwitting antagonist and the work Season 1 did to establish its characters, their relationships, and abilities, Beckles believes the season takes a more serious tone from the get-go in accordance with what the characters are feeling. Its job is to kick the story and character arcs of Yukinobu Tatsu‘s manga into overdrive.

DanDaDan is also a show about adolescence and, more specifically, the budding relationship between Okarun and Momo. If Season 1 showed where the teens are in life, Season 2 pushes their emotions to the extreme in the face of overwhelming forces a typical high schooler would never be confronted with:

“The first one I feel it was very establishing. It was a very ‘here’s the characters, here’s everyone’s little backstories,’ and, you know, introducing us to the world and where will the story go. The story is about relationships and adolescence. This season, so far to me, feels more like it’s focused on driving that plot forward, right? How far can we push those adolescent emotions? How much more of the action can we show? How many obstacles can be put into the middle of these relationships and watch them grow from there? I think that’s the vibe, and you can see that it’s a lot more tense. The first season obviously had some serious moments in those first couple of episodes, but a lot of it was just like, you know: funny, funny joke, serious, funny, funny, funny. [The second season is serious] straight out the gate. There are some funny moments, but mostly it’s serious, which is cool.”

‘DanDaDan’ Season 2 Is “A Lot More Purple” Than Its Predecessor

It’s not just the story and characters that are changing in Season 2. Anyone who’s seen the promotions for the new episodes will notice that DanDaDan‘s color palette is increasingly dominated by purple. “Yeah, I mean, it’s a lot more purple,” Le added, which Beckles and Trott agreed with. The color is tied heavily to Evil Eye, but it also symbolizes the gravity of the situation the teens are stuck in. On every level, creatively, the show wants viewers to know that the stakes are real and there’s a real chance Momo and Okarun won’t be strong enough to come out on top this time. “There’s definitely, and especially in the first three episodes, a lot of unsettling feelings and a kind of despair with the whole Evil Eye situation,” Trott continued. “So it’s kicking it off pretty dark.”

DanDaDan: Evil Eye is currently in theaters ahead of Season 2’s premiere on July 3 on Crunchyroll and Netflix. Stay tuned here at Collider for more on the hit anime leading up to its return. Check out the rest of Adams’ conversation with the cast below.