Plot armor has been a consistent factor in anime, especially in the many pervasive ways it affects the main and supporting characters. Placed in impossible situations against staggering opposition with no clear weaknesses, the storyteller's divine providence has been their salvation more often than not.
Unfortunately, it is not always clear when distinguishing the heroes that receive plot armor from those that don't on account of the nuances in their respective stories. Through analyzing the situation surrounding their peril, viewers can identify those who realistically should have died well before their journey's conclusion.
10 Mako Was At The Forefront Of Danger & The Weakest Hero Of The Academy (Kill La Kill)
Mako was the ally (and later girlfriend) of Ryuko during the events of Kill La Kill. Unlike many of Honnoji Academy's students, she would only gain her life fiber uniform in rare instances throughout the story.
This would not prevent her from being at the forefront of its danger, subjected frequently to terrors that Satsuki Kiryuin and her mother posed to the heroes. Ultimately, not even Matoi herself was capable of protecting her, especially in the instance where she lost control.
9 Eren Yeager Should Have Died Dozens Of Times In Spite Of His Titan (Attack On Titan)
Eren Yeager's impetuous attitude entails that he should have died dozens of times to a variety of opponents. He was swallowed by Titans on three separate instances (so far), devoured by a nameless giant, Annie, and finally Bertholdt (in chronological order).
Further, many of Paradis' rulers and military advisors saw him as a danger, both on account of internal corruption and due to his ability to transform into a Titan. He was nearly consumed after being kidnapped by Rod Reiss.
8 Usopp Possesses Bravado Without Power (One Piece)
Usopp is in a profoundly precarious situation since he carries himself as the Straw Hat crew's strongest member in spite of being among its weakest in actuality. Despite following his father's footsteps and being an excellent marksman, he is cowardly and objectively less formidable than the devil fruit wielders he encounters.
Realistically, he should have been killed shortly after his introduction when fighting against Captain Kuro. Since he has no armor by which to protect himself (and on account of the pirate's disorienting speed), the only thing staving his death were his more capable allies.
7 Najenda's Imperial Arms Should Have Killed Her (Akame Ga Kill!)
Najenda should have died for a number of reasons. In addition to being the leader of Night Raid (and therefore a higher priority target to her empire adversaries), her Imperial Arms was fueled through her life force and bound to slay her after three uses.
However, considering that Susanoo contributed his own energy into his bid to fend off Esdeath, the boss managed to evade her own demise. In spite of being the most likely to die of her colleagues, she was ironically the only one to survive aside from Akame herself.
6 Joseph Joestar Encountered More Threats Than Any Other Hero (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)
Joseph Joestar was the main protagonist of Battle Tendency, also playing a supporting role in Stardust Crusaders and Diamond Is Unbreakable. He was miraculously able to survive the horrible things that had happened to him in spite of the frequent attempts on his life.
In addition to contending with Kars, a perfect being of unspeakable primal strength, he was not even aware that Akira Otoshi had attempted to assassinate him. Only the combined efforts of Josuke and Okuyasu were sufficient in saving the elderly man's life.
5 Deku's Practiced One For All Without Knowing How To Use It (My Hero Academia)
Izuku Midoriya was the successor of All Might and the inheritor of One For All. As ideal as Toshinori's power might seem, it was initially just as much of a burden as it was an asset.
Since Deku was completely incompetent at channeling it properly (and because his mentor did not adequately advise him on how to use it), he shattered his own body for many of his fights at the beginning of the series. This nearly got him killed when saving Uraraka from a towering training drone.
4 Naruto Was Spared Out Of Plot Convenience On Many Separate Occasions (Naruto)
Despite being the most powerful character in the anime by the end of Shippuden, Naruto was forced to rely on the strength and mercy of others in order to live to become Hokage.
The most prominent example comes from Sasuke's decision to spare him after their first fight at the Valley of the End. It was also proven through how Tsunade and Sakura both needed to save him after he sustained grievous injuries from Kabuto and Madara respectively.
3 Rukia Was Unprepared For The Threats She Faced (Bleach)
Rukia could have plausibly died throughout many points of the Bleach series. Not only was she the convincing scapegoat for Aizen's crimes, but the young woman was also forced to contend with an Espada by herself despite having comparatively little power.
Moreover, her opponent had already consumed over 30,000 hollows and one of her closest shinigami friends. Realistically, she should have died in either instance, especially if the Soul Society accelerated her execution once Ichigo had breached their walls.
2 Gon Freecss Didn't Know When To Stop (Hunter X Hunter)
While demonstrations of courage are an excellent quality for shonen heroes, Gon takes it to such an absurd extent that he never should have survived to see his father. This was first demonstrated through his ill-advised ploy against Hanzo during the final stage of the Hunter Exam, where he refused to back down since he knew his opponent couldn't kill him.
It was also seen through the Heaven's Arena arc, where he fought experienced Nen users days after learning it himself, and against Neferpitou, where he agreed to a Nen condition that would have killed him if Killua's sibling did not evoke his miraculous recovery.
1 Integra Hellsing Wasn't Always Protected By Alucard (Hellsing)
Integra was the leader of the Hellsing organization and a remarkably capable woman. She was able to navigate the treachery of the Millennium and Escariot organizations at the same time in spite of having no powers, relying instead on Alucard to keep her safe.
However, her vampire would be subdued by Schrodinger near the plot's climax. This left her exposed to the Major, who somehow was not able to kill her despite unleashing dozens of shots from point-blank range.
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