Weakest anime main character

[Sharpandpointies]

This is very true. I could toss the girls from Azumangah Daioh or the school council from Seitokai Yakuindomo in here for the same reason.

But the thread starter said this:

Which is why I suggested Ippo from Hajime no Ippo.

Absolutely!

Munch was questioning my post on the first page, which was before the thread starter clarified. Munch seems dubious that there are manga and anime that are about essentially normal life, and I was just explaining.

[Dark Soul # 7]

Absolutely!

Munch was questioning my post on the first page, which was before the thread starter clarified. Munch seems dubious that there are manga and anime that are about essentially normal life, and I was just explaining.

Ahh, my bad. I didn't read the whole conversation. Then allow me to add a few examples.

I mentioned Azumanga Daioh which is about a bunch of teenage school girl doing school girl stuff. It's a bit wacky, but that mainly because the characters themselves are kinda wacky, not because there's anything supernatural about their adventures.

Baby Steps, sports manga about a studious teen who becomes enarmored with he game of tennis. No magic or anything weird, it even feels more realistic than other sports manga since it's less exaggerated in its presentation.

Sweetness and Lightning, a widowed math teacher and his young daughter bond and learn how to cook food together with one of his students. No magic or other highjinks.

[Sharpandpointies]

Amanda Daioh is actually done by the same person that does Yotsuba&!.

Have read Baby Steps but stopped. It’s up to what, now, 400 chapters?

For other non-exaggerated sports manga, there’s always ‘All Rounder Meguru’ and ‘Teppu’.

Both are MMA manga, both are highly realistic with zero superhuman stuff or weird martial arts.

I’ve also read multiple bartender manga which are about…bartending. With some normal, real-life drama thrown in. Then there’s the historical stuff like ‘A Bride’s Tale’, which, yeesh, has some of the most insanely detailed art I’ve ever seen.

[Postmania]

Yeah slice of Life is a pretty popular genre I thought (at least as of when I was still paying attention which is years ago at this point) that doesn't tend to need much twisting.

Like K-ON doesn't have a hidden dimension afaik, it's just girls in a band

[Dark Soul # 7]

Amanda Daioh is actually done by the same person that does Yotsuba&!.

*giggle snorts* Oh dear, seems like the League of Typos has an unexpected slice of life oriented member now.

Have read Baby Steps but stopped. It’s up to what, now, 400 chapters?

I also stopped. But I should finish it, I quite enjoyed it. It's actually completed at 455 chapters.

[Sharpandpointies]

Stupid Phone autocorrect….

I’m leaving it.

[Dark Soul # 7]

Stupid Phone autocorrect….

I’m leaving it.

I would've been disappointed if you removed it. I find Amanda Daioh supremely charming.

[Sharpandpointies]

I would've been disappointed if you removed it. I find Amanda Daioh supremely charming.

Sometimes a mistake produces a win! ^_^

[Jackalope89]

It's an interesting idea...

.....

...Ranma still has all his speed and skill, though, and can pull of the HSH in this state.

HSH is the only thing he could pull off. Because even his speed and skill were useless otherwise.

[Sharpandpointies]

HSH is the only thing he could pull off. Because even his speed and skill were useless otherwise.

Absolutely!

I just don’t feel this makes him ‘the weakest’.

[Captain Morgan]

Keep in mind slice of life stories are not what the OP is looking for. They clarified they mean action series only. As to my answer... Gonna go for relative strength.



Blue Lock qualifies as a shonen action story. The cast, while very talented soccer players, are weak on the scale of action heroes. Of the 300 Japanese high school forwards the story focuses on, the main character (Isagi) is bottom tier for inherent physical abilities. But his awareness of the field and predictive game-sense let him hang with bigger, stronger, and more talented players. His advantages might still qualify him as "strong" by the loose anime definition of the word, but it took like 200 chapters before his physical training started improving enough to be competitive with the top players. The story's structured to always reset him as an underdog whenever a new best player shows up, so he rarely gets to be top dog for long.

The base line physicality of the others puts the Blue Lock cast wildly above Cells at Work on the absolute scale, but they aren't exactly powerhouses either. And Isagi's basically perpetually learning to overcome his own short comings, so he never feels like the strongest on the relative scale.

[Captain Morgan]

Another contender for the relative scale: Yuji Ichadori from Jujutsu Kaisen. He's not weak on the absolute scale. Heck, he's not exactly bottom of the barrel in his own setting. But it feels worth pointing out that 99% of the JJK cast, including the main character, are basically ants compared to the two strongest characters in the setting. And I don't get the sense Yuji will ever truly catch up. That's pretty rare in these kind of stories.