6 Anime Protagonists Who Have Unbreakable Plot Armor

Plot armor is inevitable in fiction, since the story can only happen if the most important characters make it to the end. The trick in mediums like anime is not to avoid plot armor, but to hide it behind character growth and thematic events. But even when an anime protagonist is written well, it’s obvious they have incredibly thick plot armor. Depending on the viewer’s attitude, that can be immersion-breaking and annoying, or just plain funny.

In any case, a number of anime heroes are noted for surviving everything the story can throw at them, either through circumstances or special powers. These anime leads always have the right plan, the right powers, the right friends, or just the right luck to cheat death every time and always make it to the next episode or arc. At times, the characters might actually comment on it, or the plot armor is actually central to the character’s arc, either for good or ill.

Edward Elric Got Plot Armor From the Villains

Envy Actually Told Ed This in Laboratory 5

The world of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood doesn’t indulge in the typical power scaling of anime like the shonen “big three” or Dragon Ball. That’s why most characters in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood can’t just go Super Saiyan or rely on an inner monster to get diamond-hard plot armor. Physically, Edward Elric is actually quite vulnerable, but that never seriously threatens him because the villains don’t want to kill him until the last possible second.

Edward and Alphonse were both chosen as sacrifices for Father, since the brothers had already opened the Portal of Truth, and the same was true for Izumi Curtis. Thus, homunculi like Envy and Lust were told not to kill Ed or Al, and Ed actually took advantage of that fact more than once. Thus, the battles against the homunculi had different stakes than the hero’s survival, challenging Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood to raise the tension in other ways. On a side note, Ed even survived being impaled when he used his own life force to heal. And even if that didn’t work, a Philosopher’s Stone was lying around nearby.

Goku Has Returned From the Dead More Than Once

Even When Dead, Goku Can Still Fight the Good Fight

The heroes in Dragon Ball and its spiritual successors tend to rely on pretty tough and often blunt plot armor to survive each battle and story arc. Usually, that plot armor spares the heroes from a violent death, but with the magic of the Dragon Balls around, the heroes can actually die and come back. Goku himself returned from the dead twice, and even while dead in the Buu Saga, he was still allowed to step onto the battlefield, complete with his angelic halo.

This tends to deflate the tension in Dragon Ball somewhat, because anytime a hero dies, their allies note how the Dragon Balls can bring them right back. Entire plans are shaped around that fact, and the heroes usually succeed in securing various sets of Dragon Balls. There have been a few cases where the Dragon Balls and their plot armor powers were in peril. As a whole, though, those seven balls make sure anyone and everyone can come back, ready for more Saiyan action. No one knows that better than Goku, because it simply wouldn’t be Dragon Ball without him.

Naruto Uzumaki Has Nothing to Fear With Kurama Backing Him Up

Jinchuriki Are Far More Durable Than Normal Ninjas

Like his himbo predecessor Goku, Naruto protagonist Naruto Uzumaki simply will not stay dead, and he’s too strong for any villain to handle for long. Naruto has lost plenty of personal battles and some physical fights, but his plot armor ensured he always survived to learn a rough lesson for next time. One example was when Sasuke narrowly defeated him at the end of Part I, conveniently deciding “nah” when the chance presented itself to finish off Naruto for good.

It’s often Kurama himself who sees Naruto through his most dire encounters, to the point Kurama gladly admitted that he’d protect Naruto for mutual survival. Kurama may be a ferocious fox beast, but he’d rather not have Naruto die on him and wait centuries for resurrection, so Kurama keeps lending Naruto more and more chakra to make sure the most critical battles are always won. Not even Kaguya Otsutsuki herself could finish off Naruto, and neither could Madara Uchiha, with the former losing to Naruto thanks to Chibaku Tensei.

Ichigo Kurosaki Always Wins With His Hollow Mask or Special Training

That’s How He Became the Hero of the Soul Society

Just like his counterpart Naruto, Bleach’s Ichigo Kurosaki has an inner monster who won’t let him die. This is why the “half-other” trope is such a mixed bag, since it gives the hero cool powers while also making it obvious the hero cannot be killed. Even if the hero’s other half is scary and dangerous, that being won’t let their human host die on them. Kurama often bails Naruto out of trouble, and Ichigo’s inner Hollow does the exact same thing.

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Fans won’t soon forget how Ichigo lost to Ulquiorra Cifer fair and square on Las Noches’ roof, only for the inner Hollow to go berserk with its Vasto Lorde form. Similarly, Ichigo’s inner Hollow spared Ichigo a painful loss to Byakuya Kuchiki on Sokyoku Hill, a move that shocked both combatants. In other cases, Ichigo’s plot armor is on the outside, such as when Uryu Ishida miraculously acquired and used that silver arrowhead to shut down Yhwach’s The Almighty for a few critical seconds in the final battle. It was great to see Uryu support his friend in such a big way, but it was also a blunt example of how Ichigo is simply not allowed to lose the most important fights.

Jotaro Kujo Was Simply Unstoppable in Stardust Crusaders

Not Even The World Could Kill Jotaro in Frozen Time

Jonathan Joestar shocked manga and anime fans early in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure when he gave his life to defeat Dio Brando on that doomed steamship. His successor Joseph, did the opposite, surviving his final fight against Kars with borderline divine plot armor as he survived that volcano encounter with the ultimate life form. Next came Jotaro Kujo, whose plot armor was Stand-flavored and lasted much longer than Joseph’s.

Since Jotaro spent much more time in the anime than Joseph, it became clear he had even more plot armor than his goofy grandfather. To his credit, Jotaro often won Stand battles fairly with his wits and Star Platinum’s furious fists, but plot armor still played a role. More than once, Star Platinum awakened a convenient and even contrived power to survive Stand battles, including its eyebrow-raising ability to copy The World’s time warp. Jotaro also just happened to have a book under his shirt to survive DIO’s thrown knives. Jotaro’s plot armor was much thinner in the Stone Ocean Arc, but even then, death could not claim him until the last second, and he got reincarnated in the new universe anyway.

Eren Yeager Can Survive Decapitation and Being Eaten By Titans

Eren Only Died When it Actually Meant Something

Most cast members in Attack on Titan have thin plot armor and are liable to die in situations ranging from heroic last stands to sudden violence. This anime has plenty of “redshirts” who get wiped out to highlight the extreme danger, as seen in the battle for Trost. As for the Titan Shifters, the Grim Reaper is nearly powerless, most of all when it comes to Eren Yeager. He already had the Attack Titan in him by the time that the bearded pure Titan ate him, so of course, Eren awakened his half-other powers to break free.

Eren did get defeated and captured several times, much to Mikasa’s horror, but it never stuck. Either through his own powers or his friends’ aid, Eren always made it out alive, getting stronger all the time. Even when Eren got his head shot off late in the anime, he cheated death with his Founding Titan powers to turn the tables on all his enemies with the Rumbling. Eren did die at the end, but that was under his own terms after uniting the world against him and his Colossal Titan army.