Plot armor is one of those tropes in anime that are just inevitable. When a character is essential to a story’s plot, they can’t be removed from it. The point of series like My Hero Academia or Jujutsu Kaisen is to see the protagonists achieve their goals. It wouldn’t make sense for them to die at the beginning of the anime.
Most of the time, an audience can accept this, however, there are occasions where plot armor goes too far, like when characters survive fatal wounds or are saved by something that is a little too convenient. At times like that, it’s a lot harder to accept how lucky the main characters are.
10 Main Characters Survive Attack On Titan
Attack on Titan is known for killing off characters left and right. When it comes down to it, the series is best at killing side characters while the main characters live on. Armin was burned alive by the Colossal Titan but he was somehow still breathing afterward.
Even Jean benefited from plot armor when he was violently thrown from a horse and when his ODM gear malfunctioned leaving him defenseless. Until the plot calls for it, the main Scouts of the series are in no danger of being killed.
9 Natsu Uses The Power Of Friendship To Win (Fairy Tail)
A common complaint with fans of Fairy Tail is that the characters often win by “the power of friendship.” Every time Natsu is about to be killed, he’ll think of his friends and suddenly have the strength needed to win.
The four main members of the guild face at least one near-death experience per arc and even characters that were killed off miraculously come back to life. The show becomes darker over time and characters begin to lose their plot armor, however, for the majority of the show, none of the main cast members was at risk of being killed.
8 Asuna & Kirito Died In-Game But Still Lived (Sword Art Online)
Sword Art Online‘s premise is very simple: if you die in the game you die in real life. Many of Kirito’s friends died this way and even more of his enemies. However, during the final confrontation with Nobuyuki Sugo, both Asuna and Kirito managed to survive their hit points reaching zero. Even though Asuna disintegrated like all other people who died in the game, it’s revealed later that she didn’t actually die, her consciousness was trapped in the game.
Why this only affected Asuna and not every person killed in the game is pretty much because she is a main character. Kirito’s plot armor was even more egregious. When his body disintegrated, it immediately reformed because he didn’t want to die yet.
7 Yusuke’s Plot Armor Helped Him Win Genkai’s Tournament (Yu Yu Hakusho)
At the beginning of Yu Yu Hakusho when Yusuke was new to the whole spirit detective thing, luck played a key role in his victories. He managed to make it through Genkai’s tournament thanks to outside influences and several plot conveniences stacked on top of each other.
Kibano was beaten because of a cigarette Genkai threw at Yusuke and both Rando and Kazamaru were defeated because Yusuke slipped in a mossy puddle. Yusuke may be a skilled fighter but it definitely wasn’t skill that saved him this time.
6 The Heart Of The Cards Leads To Victory (Yu-Gi-Oh!)
The popular phrase “heart of the cards” from the anime Yu-Gi-Oh! is essentially plot armor in disguise. Getting the cards you need to win is often up to random chance, but Yugi and his friends always seem to get the cards they need just in the nick of time. Plot armor most heavily featured during the battle city finals.
Yugi was able to summon an Egyptian god card just as he was about to lose to Bakura and Kaiba won his match when he suddenly received a vision that told him what card to play. At the end of the day, Yugi wouldn’t be the best duelist in the world if he wasn’t the main character.
5 The Boy With The Least Amount Of Skills Lives The Longest (Angel Beats!)
The plot or Angel Beats! seems like plot armor considering no one can die, but it’s actually not. In this series, Yuzuru Otonashi wakes up in purgatory where a group called SSS is fighting against a girl known as Angel.
Although Otonashi is new to the world he suddenly found himself in, he still managed to survive more than the veterans. During the second episode when the group tries to enter their guild they find a bunch of traps blocking their path. Somehow. Otonashi was the only one to get past the traps even though he had no prior experience.
4 Koro-Sensei Hides His Tricks Behind His Plot Armor (Assassination Classroom)
Assassination Classroom has a very simple plot: a classroom of delinquent students is tasked with saving the world by killing an alien that threatens it. The so-called alien Koro-sensei sure makes it hard for them with his plot armor. Even when the students get close to killing him, Koro-sensei reveals some new ability that is just what he needs to save himself.
It was hard enough for the students when he only had super-human speed and regenerative powers, but as soon as it looked like they were finally going to beat him, Koro-sensei revealed his ultimate defense, which protects him from all attacks.
3 No One Dies In Bleach
A common phrase amongst Bleach fans is that “nobody dies in bleach.” Each main character has survived at least one fatal wound, especially Ichigo Kurosaki. A sudden power-up helped Ichigo survive getting stabbed through the heart more than once. The first being his fight against Kenpachi.
He also somehow survived nearly being sliced in half when he first fought against Aizen. His need to protect Orihime even helped him survive a giant hole in his chest. Ichigo Kurosaki’s plot armor is probably the thickest when compared to other shonen protagonists.
2 The Straw Hats Is The Luckiest Pirate Crew (One Piece)
Blind luck seems to be what saves the Straw Hat Pirates on a day-to-day basis. Even if the members of the crew are strong, it’s a little ridiculous for them to survive falling out of the sky or getting smashed across the face with a 4-ton bat.
During the Skypiea arc, several members of the crew were hit by a lightning attack but managed to walk it off like it was nothing. Luffy is especially prone to being protected by plot armor. Not many would survive a hook through the gut, but somehow Luffy managed it.
1 Sasuke Is Always Saved By His Plot Armor (Naruto)
If it wasn’t for plot armor, Sasuke wouldn’t have survived to see the end of the series. He often involved himself in fights he wasn’t prepared for, with adversaries that were far stronger than him. The most egregious use of plot armor was during his fight with Deidara.
Sasuke was out of chakra when Deidara created a massive explosion and this particular explosion would have disintegrated Sasuke on contact. Somehow, Sasuke was able to use two jutsu that required a massive amount of chakra to save himself.
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