by August is the season when supernatural phenomena, such as ghost stories, urban legends, and psychic TV shows, are in the spotlight. In the world of Anime, many characters appear who possess powers that can be called “supernatural powers” and cannot be explained by science.
They possess a wide range of abilities, including psychokinesis, which enables them to move objects without physical contact, telepathy, which allows them to communicate with others through their thoughts, and teleportation, which permits them to travel to distant locations instantly.
So Anime! conducted a reader survey titled “Who comes to mind when you think of a character with psychic powers?” Nine hundred thirty-two people responded during the survey period from August 5th to August 11th. The gender ratio was approximately 40% male and 60% female, with a slight majority of females. In terms of age group, the majority were young people, with approximately 60% under 19 years old and approximately 15% in their 20s.
Rediscover the appeal of psychic powers x Anime! Number one was Saiki Kusuo from “The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.” His approval rating was approximately 40%. Saiki Kusuo is a high school student who possesses a wide range of psychic powers. Readers commented, “The protagonist is the strongest, with every psychic power imaginable, telepathy, telekinesis, teleportation, clairvoyance, precognition, and more at his disposal. Yet, his desire to live a peaceful life is an amusing contrast,” and “His pink hair and antennae are shocking visuals.
What’s more, he uses his hypnotic powers to alter common sense to make people perceive his hair color as usual, which is surprising.” Others commented, “His self-introduction, ‘My name is Saiki Kusuo. I’m a psychic,’ matches perfectly with the calm voice of voice actor Kamiya Hiroshi, and ‘He seems philosophical because he can do anything. Still, he’s actually quite human, showing his love for coffee jelly and using his powers to help his classmates.’ Second place went to Momo Ayase from “Dandadan,” with a support rate of approximately 10 percent. Momo is a high school student born into a family of psychics. She faces the mysteries alongside her classmate, Okarun. Her popularity is due to her performance and teamwork in the series, with comments such as, “After being captured by the Serpo aliens, she awakens to her psychic powers, and the way she fights with her green-powered hands makes her look just like a psychic girl,” and “She suddenly awakens to her psychic powers, so she struggles to use them at first, but gradually masters them and saves everyone from danger. Her teamwork with Okarun is very reliable.” Other comments, such as “It’s interesting how she adapts her psychic powers to suit the situation.
The anime adaptation has made the battle scenes even more impressive,” and “It’s a timely series that’s currently airing, so it was the first one that came to mind,” highlight the popularity of the series. Coming in third place is Anya Forger from “SPY×FAMILY,” with a support rate of approximately 6 percent. Anya is a telepathic girl who can read people’s minds. She becomes a family with spy Lloyd and assassin Yor, and while hiding their identities from each other, they embark on a mission for world peace. Readers commented, “I love how she uses her powers in secret for her mom and dad. She can be a bit of a dork, but she’s a great member of the Forger family.”
Others commented, “She’s not good at studying because she lies about her age. She plans to cheat on a test using her psychic powers, but it was adorable when she panicked when she remembered she can’t use them during the new moon.” Her comedic side is also appealing. “I love her pairing with Bond, the dog who can predict the future. Anya can read minds so that she can use her precognitive abilities, and they work great as a team!” The psychic characters fuel the story.
The third season of the Anime is scheduled to air in October. Here are some other comments! Regarding “Mob Psycho 100” author Shigeo Kageyama, “Despite being a middle school student with the strongest psychic powers, he never abuses his powers and sticks to his master’s teachings of ‘not using them against people.’ His inner strength is incredible. He taught me what true strength is.” Regarding Babel II from “Babel II,” “There are many characters with supernatural powers, but when it comes to characters with psychic powers, it’s Babel II. Her style of fighting in a school uniform with three servants is unique.
The battle scene with the combatants in the ending animation is also well-balanced and brilliantly directed.” Regarding Natsume from “Pokémon,” She’s a psychic with the title of Esper Girl. In the Anime, she never smiled, but the episode where she became a smile thanks to Satoshi’s ghost is memorable.”
Regarding Misaka Mikoto from “A Certain Scientific Railgun,” She’s third out of only seven psychics (Level 5). She’s impressive in combat, not only with her railgun, which fires coins at supersonic speeds, but also with her attacks using iron sand and the ability to launch objects using electricity.” Votes were also cast for titles with confirmed fourth seasons.
A wide range of characters, both male and female, made the rankings in this survey. Another notable feature is the large number of works that feature battles and action scenes, reaffirming the importance of psychic powers as a compelling element in Anime.
Ranking Top 10 [When you think of characters with supernatural powers, who comes to mind?] 1st: Saiki Kusuo, The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. 2nd: Ayase Momo (Momo), Dandadan 3rd: Anya Forger, SPY×FAMILY 4th: Kageyama Shigeo (Mob), Mob Psycho 100 5th: Misaka Mikoto, A Certain Scientific Railgun 6th: Tatsumaki the Fearsome, One-Punch Man 7th: Accelerator, A Certain Magical Index 8th: Mewtwo, Pokémon 9th: Asakura Shin, SAKAMOTO DAYS 10th: Usami Sumireko, Touhou Project (Response period: August 5th to August 11th, 2025)
Ranking Top 20 [When you think of characters with supernatural powers, who comes to mind?] ] 1st place: Saiki Kusuo “The Disastrous Life of Saiki Kusuo” 2nd place: Ayase Momo (Momo) “Dandadan” 3rd place: Anya Forger “SPY×FAMILY” 4th place: Kageyama Shigeo (Mob) “Mob Psycho 100” 5th place: Misaka Mikoto “A Certain Scientific Railgun” 6th place: Tatsumaki the Frightening “One Punch Man” 7th place: Accelerator (Accelerator) “A Certain Magical Index” 8th place: Mewtwo “Pokémon” 9th place: Asakura Shin “SAKAMOTO DAYS” 10th place: Usami Sumireko “Touhou Project” 11th place: Babel II “Babel II” 12th place: Rock “Choujin Rock” 13th place: Koizumi Itsuki “The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya” 13th place: Natsume “Pokémon” 16th place: Uiharu Kazari “A Certain Scientific Railgun” 16th: Kinuha Saia “A Certain Magical Index” 16th: Kotobuki Mii “A Certain Scientific Railgun” 16th: Sakuragi Naruha “A Certain Scientific Accelerator” 16th: Shokuhou Misaki “A Certain Scientific Railgun” 16th: Yuzuki Aoki “A Certain Magical Index” (Response period: August 5th – August 11th, 2025) This survey is part of a survey of readers’ opinions on their “interest and attention in current anime works and characters.” The results are not intended to determine the superiority or inferiority of any character or work. We hope this article will help you learn about new works and characters, and deepen your understanding and interest.
