Power fantasies run rampant in most anime, with most battle shonen shows doing a great job of showing amazing powerups as heroic characters manage to beat down heinous villains time and time again. These boosts in power can come from many sources, such as training, emotional spikes... or the character's very body-transforming to become a weapon of sorts that can be used to take down the strongest foes around.
The latter is something that many anime have experimented around with to great effect. Most anime characters that are able to transform their body into weapons end up becoming some of the best parts of the overall experience, with the most notable characters of the bunch being mentioned below.
8 David Martinez (Cyberpunk: Edgerunners)
David Martinez is one of the most tragic figures in anime. After losing his mother to the gang violence prevalent in Night City, David decided to become an Edgerunner and seek out glory.
He lost a bunch of friends on the way, taking on their cybernetics and becoming one of the most successful Night City edgerunners around. However, in a bid to become the ultimate human weapon, he lost himself to cyberpsychosis and met a grisly end at the hands of Adam Smasher.
7 Shinichi Izumi (Parasyte: The Maxim)
After his right arm was infected by a parasite, Shinichi Izumi underwent quite a transformation. He was a meek high school nerd who quickly turned into an adept fighter, with both Shinichi and Migi forming a pretty close bond.
Of course, Shinichi's ace in the hole was his right hand, letting him use the most of Migi's powers. This led to many interesting fights in the show where the host and his parasite combine their intellect to battle imposing and powerful enemies.
6 Elder Toguro (Yu Yu Hakusho)
The Elder Toguro brother was one of the tougher fighters in Yu Yu Hakusho. He was a menace during the Dark Tournament arc and decided to join Sensui's crew later on as well.
The Elder Toguro brother is a shapeshifter who can mold his appendages as he sees fit to battle against his enemies. Suffice it to say, that made him a pretty imposing threat, and the fact that Kuwabara, of all people, managed to take him out was pretty impressive indeed.
5 Baby 5 (One Piece)
One Piece is a series full to the brim with colorful characters that have unique powers of their own. This is courtesy of the many Devil Fruit that can be found all over the world, with Baby 5 being one such character who got a pretty unique power after eating the Buki Buki no Mi fruit.
This fruit lets the character transform parts of her body into weapons that can be used to take out foes with ease. The freedom she has while transforming her body is great and makes her one of the more interesting characters on the show.
4 Denji (Chainsaw Man)
The debut of Chainsaw Man's anime has been a landmark moment in anime. The story follows the life of Denji, a son of a Yakuza member who gets loaded with debt after his father passes away.
However, Denji managed to make a deal with a devil dog named Pochita, leading to him becoming the Chainsaw Man. He gets a bunch of unique powers that let him transform his body into chainsaws and absolutely cleave through most of his enemies with ease.
3 Edward Elric (Fullmetal Alchemist)
Fullmetal Alchemist is one of the greatest manga of all time, with Brotherhood doing its part in ensuring that the legacy of this series remains eternal. Edward Elric is the protagonist of his series, with the story revolving around him trying to get his brother's body back.
Edward's a proficient alchemist, allowing him to transmute materials into weapons with ease. This applies to his metal arm as well, which can take the form of a blade if need be.
2 Eren Yeager (Attack On Titan)
Attack on Titan is one of the most legendary anime of all time, with the series poised to experience a bombastic finale unlike anything ever seen before. At the heart of this series is Eren Yeager, who is easily one of the most fascinating anime characters of all time.
The growth of this character from a child hungry for revenge into a diabolical villain who will destroy the entire world to try and eliminate all conflict in life makes for a truly riveting watch. Eren's power to turn into a titan and absolutely wreck house is pretty terrifying as is, and the fact that the Attack Titan has a completely different power that lets him affect the flow of time itself makes Eren even more of an interesting character than he already is.
1 Ken Kaneki (Tokyo Ghoul)
It's a shame that the anime adaptation of Tokyo Ghoul has been so disappointing since it's clear that the manga deserves way better. The series revolves around Ken Kaneki, a human who turns into a ghoul after receiving a blood transfusion from another ghoul who tried to eat his guts.
Over the course of the series, Kaneki slowly loses his mind and starts eating the kagune of his enemies, becoming a powerful ghoul who uses his own body and blood to destroy his enemies. By the end of the series, he's easily one of the strongest characters in the manga by a country mile.