Every great anime hero has had a great mentor behind him. In fact so prevalent is the trope of the main character and his friends being trained by a master figure, that Shounen anime have developed what is known as the training arc. This arc is where the MC powers up.
These mentor figures can be present from the start or may appear after saving the mc and gang from the peril of a villain they couldn’t defeat with their current strength. There are dozens of anime mentors who have helped various characters in different ways.
So today we at MyAnimeGuru have prepared a list of the Top 14 Best Anime Mentors (Ranked) for you. This list will be based on the popularity of the character, their involvement in the story, and their importance to the character development of the protag.
List of Best Anime Mentors
Let’s start with our list of the Best Anime Mentors
14. Reigen Arataka
From Mob Psycho 100
The mentor to Mob, Reigen might be a conman to others, but he has been always there for Mob. Reigen took Mob under his wing when Mob was a kid and since has been guiding Mob towards how to use his psychic powers the right way.
At times he might be a little sleazy and appears to take advantage of Mob, but we’ve seen time and time again, how much Reigen cares about Mob and as proof, it was only Reigen who could stop him when he went on a rage, showing Mob’s respect for him. He is easily one of the best anime mentors.
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13. Kakashi Hatake
From Naruto
Kakashi Sensei served as Naruto as well as Sasuke’s first leader once they graduated from the ninja academy. While initially coming off as cold and laid back, Kakashi cares for his students as evident from their first mission against Zabuza.
A great ninja in his own right, Kakashi was instrumental in the development of both Naruto and Sasuke. He even taught the latter, Chidori while also training him personally. He also supported Naruto throughout his ninja career.
These reasons make him one of the best anime mentors.
12. Piccolo
From Dragon Ball Z
After Goku died fighting Raditz, it was Piccolo who took young Gohan under his wing. Even though his training methods are very harsh, Piccolo eventually developed a soft spot for the young Saiyan. He is easily one of the best anime mentors.
Piccolo protected Gohan multiple times in battles against both Vegeta and Frieza, sacrificing himself. These attributes have resulted in Gohan having a deep respect for his mentor even wearing the same fighting gear as Piccolo.
11. Biscuit Krueger
From Hunter x Hunter
While Gon and Killua learnt basic Nen from Wing, it’s only under Biscuit that they really mastered the various techniques of using Nen to perfection. The pair met Biscuit, inside the game Greed Island where she then offered to teach them.
She is also the one who taught Wing, so in a way, she is their teacher’s teacher. She had both Gon and Killua undergo hellish training against various opponents in a treacherous valley in order to strengthen them. But she also cared about them.
These qualities make her one of the best anime mentors.
10. Izumi Curtis
From Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood
Izumi is the one who taught Edward and Alphonse about alchemy and how to perform it. After the death of their mother, the Elric brothers sought to learn ALchemy and approached Izumi to teach them. While initially, she didn’t want to eventually she took both of them in.
Izumi is a very strong alchemist in her own right, and can use it without incantation circles, a result of opening the forbidden door. She helped the brothers, learn the value of life as well as instilled in them the morals that would lead them into good people, making her one of the best anime mentors.
9. Koro-Sensei
From Assassination Classroom
Koro-Sensei is a global threat and is about to destroy Earth unless the class of failures he teaches known as class F will be able to assassinate him. You heard that right, the tentacled spectacle teaches the very people who want to kill him.
But he is much more than that. Koro-sensei cares about his students more than anything and helped them get over their insecurities and inspired them to be better people while in the process learning empathy himself and earning the immense respect of his students.
Truly one of the best anime mentors.
8. Allmight
From My Hero Academia
The person who was responsible for transforming Deku into a hero-in-training, as well as the world’s strongest hero, All-might, is the inspiration of the whole world. He inspires his students to strive to be better versions of themselves and helps nurture them.
He teaches them to be positive yet realistic and makes them understand that to help someone, you don’t need to be a hero. Always encouraging and helpful, his very presence makes his students feel like they can do anything making him one of the best anime mentors.
7. Gojo Satoru
From Jujutsu Kaisen
The self-proclaimed strongest sorcerer is also one who is always looking for promising youngsters who can help the future be better. He doesn’t believe in blindly following orders and instead wants to judge each situation by his own morality and help those in need,
He wants to raise students like Yuji who are selfless and kind and guides them to be someone who is always ready to help others. He doesn’t like killing someone just cause the higher-ups want it and due to his power, he is free to do as he wants.
These qualities make him one of the best anime mentors.
6. Kisuke Urahara
From Bleach
The former captain has helped Ichigo numerous times to gain strength and protect his friends. First making an appearance after helping Ichigo to train as a soul reaper and save Rukia, he is also the one who taught Ichigo how to manifest hollow powers.
He also helped Ichigo and his friends to reach the soul society as well as assisting them again and again whenever any troubles affected Karakura town and even fought in the final battle against Aizen. Kisuke is both strong and trustworthy making him one of the best anime mentors.
5. Genkai
From Yu Yu Hakusho
The teacher of both Yusuke and Kuwabara, Genkai is a master of fighting arts and is incredibly strong. She undertook a tournament and took Yusuke as her student after that and trained him in one of the harshest sessions.
These sessions helped him manage his spirit energy as well as gain powers that would make him a lot stronger. She also helped Kuwabara in understanding his own powers a lot better and guided him when he was lost. She is one of the best anime mentors.
4. Silvers Rayleigh
From One Piece
Silvers is a member of the Roger pirates and also the one who taught Haki to Luffy as well as trained him during the 2 years after the Marineford incident. He is also the one who saved the straw hats after Kizaru was deployed to destroy the pirates at Sabaody.
He sees a resemblance to Roger in Luffy and knows that he will change the world, and that’s why takes him under his wing to make him up for the task. He also makes sure that nothing happens to the Sunny Go, during the 2 years that the straw hats were away.
These qualities make him one of the best anime mentors.
3. Jiraiya
From Naruto
One of the greatest ninjas from Konoha, Jiraiya is the one who trained Naruto after he lost against Sasuke and failed to bring him to the village. Though initially reluctant to train a student, Jiraiya eventually took Naruto under his wing and helped him perfect the Rasengan.
The two had a close bond and in many ways, Jiraiya was like a father figure to Naruto. Jiraiya was the one who initiated Naruto into learning the Sage Jutsu and also imparted the knowledge of summoning Toads to him. He also taught Naruto’s father Minato as well as Pain.
His death shattered fans all around the world and for that, he is one of the best anime mentors.
2. Master Roshi
From Dragon Ball
Perhaps the most anime mentor of all time, Roshi is the one who trained both Goku and Krillin. He is a god of martial arts having lived for centuries and invented all kinds of martial arts and techniques, many of which he eventually passes down to Goku.
He is the inventor of the Kamehameha and taught the iconic move to Goku. At times a bit perverse but he is also very caring and helped nurture the talent of all his students and helped them become some of the most powerful fighters on earth. This makes him one of the best anime mentors.
1. Eikichi Onizuka
From Great Teacher Onizuke(GTO)
While he didn’t train any saiyans or ninjas, Onizuka is someone much closer to reality. He is made the teacher of a class who has come to detest teachers due to their own trauma. But he didn’t give up on his students and helped them figure themselves out.
He helps his students to overcome their insecurities and becomes a mentor to a group of troubled youngsters and gave them life lessons that are more important than any textbook can give. He had the back of those who the world had their back turned on.
Due to these qualities, the entire class of unruly students came to respect him and always listen to him. He helped all his students forge their own place in life and for that, he is at the top of the list of best anime mentors.
Conclusion
And this folks, was our list of the Top 14 Best Anime Mentors. This list took a lot of thinking since no two mentors are the same and to objectively judge them in shounen anime is a tough task. But we tried our best and came up with the list above.
If you liked the list, please connect with us. Until next time.
Source- Anilist
FAQ Section
Who is the most famous anime mentor?
Master Roshi
Who trained Jiraiya?
The 3rd Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi trained Jiraiya along with both Tsunade and Orochimaru.
Who was Naruto’s first teacher?
Iruka Sensei was Naruto’s first sensei.
