Anime has some of the strongest heroes around. Many great protagonists and supporting characters struggle through challenges and stop at nothing to save those around them. Some may start weaker than the rest.
But as they grow, they surpass even the greatest heroes before them. Despite the many amazing anime heroes, there are just as many who aren't quite as great. Whether they're the main hero or another character joining the hero's team, they do little to contribute to the group. Some even need saving more than they save others. No matter their role in the story, these characters come off as more pathetic than heroic.
10 Shinji Ikari Cries More Than He Helps (Neon Genesis Evangelion)
Shinji goes through some terrible things in the series Evangelion, so he isn't entirely to blame for his constant complaints. In later renditions of the franchise, his character improves a lot as well. However, in the series, he lacks a backbone throughout. He is cowardly, his wimpy attitude and continuous crying being of no use to his crew.
Compared to the rest, Shinji essentially is a regular person stuck in an extraordinary situation which explains why he is of little use. He has his moments, of course, but overall his actions are not nearly as impactful as those of his fellow Eva.
9 Lucy Needs More Help Than She Gives In Return (Fairy Tail)
As the female lead of Fairy Tail, viewers expect Lucy Heartfilia to stand equally with the other characters. However, her strength and abilities usually come up short compared to the rest of the main cast. She is one of the weakest group members, her physical strength is nowhere near that of her peers.
She uses the Celestial Spirits to aid her in a fight. Without them, she is near powerless. Even with them, she struggles in battle. Though she attempts to save others, she winds up in danger herself and needs rescuing from Natsu. Though her abilities improve as the series progresses, she remains one of the feeblest of the bunch.
8 Armin Contributes Little To His Team (Attack On Titan)
Armin Arlert is arguably the smartest of the group. His analytical skills are incomparable and he can come up with great defensive and offensive plans. Despite his intelligence, his talents are put to little use throughout Attack on Titan. Outside of his brilliant mind, he is cowardly and a crybaby.
While other members of his team fight on the frontlines, Armin loses his composure, breaking down on the battlefield. His fear may be understandable given the situation, but it is unsuitable for a soldier. He is loyal and supportive but his support is one of the only uses he has in the fight to survive.
7 Tristan Serves As A Cheerleader Stuck At The Sidelines (Yu-Gi-Oh!)
Tristan Taylor is one of Yugi's friends and companions throughout the series Yu-Gi-Oh!. He accompanies the gang on all of their adventures. Despite his place in the group, he serves little to no purpose in the story whatsoever. Like Tea, he is not a duelist and only duels a few times in the entire series.
Both characters serve primarily as cheerleaders for the duelists of the group, Yugi and Joey. Though they share this role, Tea's support impacts more than Tristan's, especially for Yugi. The Virtual World Arc shows Tristan at his most useless when he turns into a robotic monkey. It highlights how little the series needs him and how his presence makes no impact on the show.
6 Tenten Doesn't Stand A Chance Against Other Shinobi (Naruto)
While fans argue that Sakura Haruno is the most useless character in Naruto, Tenten is more useless than Sakura could ever be. Within her team, she is the weakest of the three. She has no special techniques and what strength she has is limited. The one time viewers see her in action, Temari hands her a defeat almost immediately.
While her use of weaponry is impressive, it stands no chance against the powers of the great Shinobi around her. In a generation of geniuses, Tenten is as ordinary as they come.
5 The Best Thing Going For Yukiteru Is His Strong Girlfriend (Future Diary)
Yukiteru Amano is the protagonist of Future Diary and is very weak and useless on his own. He can hardly match up to his opponents. The main reason for his success is due to his powerful girlfriend, Yuno Gasai. She is always by his side, ready to bail him out of whatever mess he creates.
Without her, he would never make it out alive. Yukiteru spends more time complaining than he does helping and never takes responsibility for his mistakes. When he finally becomes useful, he goes overboard, becoming violent and selfish in the process. His attempts to become stronger are pointless, as he reverts to his original wimpy self by the end of the series.
4 Kazuma Is A Lazy Wimp Whose Money Is More Useful Than He Is (KonoSuba)
Kazuma Satou is a hikikomori who reincarnated into a fantasy world where he must defeat the Demon King. As expected of a hikikomori, he is the worst choice for the job possible. He is lazy, whiny, and cares more about creeping on girls than defeating evil. He is useless to his group, with no defensive or offensive abilities to show. His only use is his money, which he uses to purchase weapons, armor, and whatever else they may need on their quest.
Most of the time, he wins his battles out of sheer luck or stupidity. His skills never improve much either. He has also proven he has no problem abandoning his group altogether if it means chasing a pretty girl.
3 Ash Ketchum Is Far From A Pokémon Master (Pokémon)
In the series Pokémon, Ash Ketchum journies to be the greatest Pokémon Master ever. However, despite the show running for two decades now, he is no closer to reaching his goal than when he began. He is usually the weakest trainer of the group and loses most of his battles. With each new region he goes into, he tosses out his old Pokémon and starts over with new, weak ones.
He never thinks of a strategy in battle and chooses Pokémon at random, resulting in poor match-ups that guarantee a loss. Though he somehow manages his way through gyms, Ash is never able to defeat the Elite Four. In his years of competing, he has only won one Pokémon League so far, a win that shocked fans everywhere.
2 Subaru's Return By Death Power Is His Only Use (Re:Zero - Starting Life In Another World)
Subaru Natsuki is one of the weakest characters of the Re:Zero series. He has no power or abilities to aid his group, apart from his Return By Death ability. While this power is useful, it is the only thing that keeps Subaru from being entirely useless. He skirts by danger through trial and error, so even if he messes up and gets killed, he can try again until he gets it right.
He shows little competence in situations, which is often what results in his death. He is able to use magic but none of his powers are helpful and he remains weak in battle. Even as he improves his skills he is useless and has to be carried by his more powerful companions.
1 Yamcha Is A Character With Wasted Potential (Dragon Ball)
Though Yamcha is overpowered compared to other humans, when next to his peers he is the weakest link. He starts out as a formidable character with great potential to become stronger. This potential gets shelved very early on and Yamcha spends most of his time on the sidelines.
While other characters grow immensely in strength, he stays the same and loses a lot of his use. He even gives up fighting because he knows that he is unable to do anything compared to others. With his potential lost, Yamcha settles into a small role as a comic relief character, leaving the fighting to the big heroes.
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