There are several power systems in anime, especially within the shonen genre. Magic, Chi, Stands, Devil Fruits, Ninjutsu, and even Quirks all count. These power systems all have varying degrees of complexity, but they're all effective in battle. That said, power systems often reuse the same concepts, and the ability to control the elements is arguably the biggest offender.

There are a handful of characters who can control all the elements, but there are others who specialize in just one. Some characters master the art of wielding lightning, and they tend to look especially cool while using it. Of those skilled enough to wield such power, the best lightening user quickly rise to the top.

Updated on June 30th by George Voutiritsas: The anime world is filled with characters who possess unique and powerful abilities. Many of these characters manipulate some type of element, with fire and water being the most common. Lightning is one of the strongest natural elements on earth, but it can also be very dangerous. A number of anime characters can create and manipulate it at will. Many of these lightning users are well known, but there are others who deserve to be mentioned as well.

15 Luck Volta Can Use Lightning Magic & Real Lightning (Black Clover)

Luck Volta Producing Lightning Magic

Luck Volta may not be a Magic Knight Captain, but he's still a gifted mage. Like other mages, Luck possesses enhanced physical abilities, and he's an expert in hand-to-hand combat as well. Considered a First Class mage, he can cast powerful spells by borrowing mana from nature.

Luck Volta mainly uses Lightning Magic, and he concentrates the lightning on his hands. Additionally, Luck can use the Heart Kingdom's special Mana Method to create true magic. With this ability, he can create and control real lightning.

14 Hei Can Discharge Electricity Through Conductive Material (Darker Than Black)

Hei Activating His Contractor Power

In Darker Than Black, a pair of spatial anomalies appear in Tokyo and South America, resulting in a number of people gaining special powers. These individuals are called Contractors, and each time they use their ability, they must pay some kind of price known as an Obeisance.

Hei may be a Contractor, but he gained his abilities by fusing with his sister — allowing him to operate his abilities without dealing with an Obeisance. With his power, Hei can manipulate electricity through conductive material, including the human body. He can kill with a strong enough shock, and he can cause massive power outages. His electricity can even alter matter at a quantum level.

13 Budo Possessed A Lightning-Based Imperial Arms (Akame Ga Kill!)

General Budo Using His Imperial Arm

Some say Akame Ga Kill! gets too dark, but no one can deny that it has great action. The Empire is the main antagonistic force of the series, and Budo is one of its most feared and respected generals. Like other characters, he wields one of the 48 legendary Imperial Arms relics.

Budo's Imperial Arms is called Thunder God's Rage: Adramelech. It comes in the form of two gauntlets and gives Budo the ability to create and manipulate electricity. He can fire electric orbs at his enemies and he can summon thunderstorms and lightning pillars.

12 Hitomi Was The Strongest Code Breaker Of His Time (Code: Breaker)

Hitomi-One Of The Strongest Code Breakers In History

In Code: Breaker, the Eden organization uses assassins to take out corrupt officials and politicians. All of these assassins have special powers, and they each have a number assigned to them, with Code:06 being the weakest and Code:01 being the strongest.

Before leaving Eden, Hitomi was the organization's strongest asset. He could manipulate electricity to the point of controlling someone like a puppet by zapping parts of their brain. His electricity could fill entire rooms and light people on fire. Hitomi could even melt steel with it.

11 Azula's Lightning Is An Advanced Form Of Firebending (Avatar: The Last Airbender)

Azula Lightning Bending

Azula is arguably the best villain in Avatar: The Last Airbender. She's the reason why the Earth Kingdom fell, and she critically injures Aang while he's in the Avatar State. The princess of the Fire Nation, Azula is considered to be a true prodigy.

Azula was one of the most skilled Firebenders in the world and the only one who could produce blue flames. Her skills allowed her to master an advanced form of Firebending called Lightningbending. Additionally, she could fire lightning bolts at her enemies after separating the positive and negative energies in her body.

10 Enel Mastered The Power Of The Rumble-Rumble Fruit (One Piece)

Enel showing off lightning in One Piece

One Piece is one of the most popular shonen on the planet, and it depicts a wide range of abilities and powers given to people, animals, and even objects via Devil Fruits. There are Zoans and Paramencia, but Logia are typically the strongest — letting the user literally become the element their fruit represents.

Enel ate the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, and it gave him control over Thunder. He could destroy an entire island, travel at the speed of lighting, and transform into lightning at will. If Luffy didn't happen to be made of rubber, he would've lost to Enel — who easily could've taken over at least a portion of the Grand Line with his overwhelming abilities.

9 Killua Zoldyck Can Create Lightning WIth His Nen (Hunter X Hunter)

Killua Godspeed

Killua Zoldyck is arguably the coolest supporting character in Hunter x Hunter, in fact, he's basically the series' secondary protagonist. Killua starts to come into his own once he and Gon begin to master their Nen and discover their specialties. In a cool display of power, Killua first uses his Transmuter Nen to transform his Nen into lightning using a stun gun.

When he went Godspeed Killua in the Chimera Ant arc, that's when fans knew the child had mastered his lightning ability. Godspeed Killua could send electrical signals to his limbs faster than his brain could, forcing his body to react to movement at superhuman speeds. This, plus the absurd quickness of the Godspeed form, made him one of the fastest anime characters.

8 Sasuke Uchiha Became A Powerful Lightning Release User (Naruto)

Sasuke Lightning

Sasuke Uchiha isn't exactly known for being a "master of lightning." His first big Jutsu on screen is a fireball, and the Uchiha are known for their Genjutsu and Sharingan abilities. Later in the Naruto series, it's revealed that every ninja has an inclination towards a certain element (similar to Nen).

Sasuke is a powerful Lightning-User like Kakashi. Fans see evidence of this every time Sasuke uses the Chidori, or when he and used Kirin against Itachi and Naruto. The older he gets, the further this mastery develops. At this point, lightning has basically become synonymous with Sasuke's name.

7 Kaminari Denki Can Generate Electricity With His Electrification Quirk (My Hero Academia)

Kaminari Denki Preparing To Fire Electricity

Compared to Enel, who has pinpoint control over all types of electricity, Kaminari Denki from My Hero Academia is a bit rough around the edges. Kaminari can expel millions of volts at once, but it's really just an area-of-effect attack that can't differentiate between friend or foe.

Later on in MHA however, Kaminari starts using support items which allow him to be more precise with his charge. And, if he continues down that line, Kaminari may become a fantastic Pro Hero.

6 Gilthunder Is Highly Skilled In Lightning Magic (The Seven Deadly Sins)

Gilthunder preparing to attack Seven Deadly Sins

Gilthunder is one of the more memorable Holy Knights in The Seven Deadly Sins, as most of them fall by the wayside as the story progresses and the enemies become more powerful. Yet, Gilthunder sticks out, and it's due to more than just his past relationship with Meliodas.

Unlike other members of the Holy Knights, Gilthunder uses his specialty magic quite efficiently and creatively, whether creating storms, coating himself in lighting, or launching it from his sword. The Magic in SDS is pretty versatile, and Gilthunder uses that to his advantage, making a name for himself as a Knight of Britannia.

5 Laxus Dreyar Has Mastered Lightning Magic (Fairy Tail)

laxus dreyar

The prestigious grandson of Fairy Tail Guild Master, Makarov Dreyar, Laxus is one of the most notable magicians in Fairy Tale. He uses the legendary Dragon Slayer magic, uses Lightning Dragon Slayer Magic, and can do a variety of things Natsu can't. He can call bolts of thunder down on people from the sky, punch people with gigantic lightning fists, and create entire fields full of electrical mines.

Laxus might have the closest relationship with his element, considering he likes to eat it in his spare time. Although he's countered pretty hard in-universe by another Dragon Slayer Magic-user, Gajeel, he's still a force to be reckoned with.

4 Zatch Bell & Kiyo Takamine Use Powerful Lighting Spells In Combat (Zatch Bell)

Anime Zatch Bell

It's not clear how far fans got in the original Zatch Bell when it aired in the West, but it went on for much longer than people thought. As the story progressed, Zatch and Kiyo kept discovering new spells that used electricity and lightning in really inventive ways.

Something about having a "spellbook" of powers to use rather than an entire element to play around with seems to force the user into being more creative. This dynamic duo plays around with magnetism, lightning dragons, rainbow lightning, and even a lightning claw.

3 Sinbad Gains Lightning Powers From A Djinn (Magi)

Sinbad in Magi

Sinbad can do it all. He's sort of the Renaissance Man of Magi, taking in interest in everything and mastering whatever he chooses to. In Magi, people with grand ambitions are always trying to conquer these mysterious dungeons in order to obtain fame, fortune, and prestige.

Sinbad is one of the most Legendary of all, managing to adventure through seven different dungeons and collect their Djinn. His favorite one gives him lightning powers, Baal. Baal dwells in Sinbad's sword, using it as a vessel. Sinbad can use an ability called Djinn Equip to unleash a variety of powerful lightning-based attacks — and that's just 1/7th of his power.

2 Adolf Reinhard Has The Powers Of An Electric Eel (Terra Formars)

Adolf Reinhard in the Terra formars anime

Terra Formars is a fascinating piece of media, in many ways. On one hand, it has a cast full of diverse fighters from all nations and who all have superpowers allowing them to take on the traits of various organisms. On the other hand, the narrative is full of holes and has some negative messages.

One of the best characters is Adolf Reinhardt, a man who's been genetically modified to exhibit traits of the Electric Eel. Reinhardt can emit a field that blocks bullets, and he can shock anything he manages to land a throwing knife into. He can even restart his own heart like a defibrillator.

1 Misaka Mikoto Has Immensely Powerful And Versatile Powers (A Certain Magical Index/Railgun)

Railgun

Misaka Mikoto started as a side character in A Certain Magical Index, but she worked her way up to having her own series called A Certain Scientific Railgun (which some people like better). Misaka was a Level 5 Esper better categorized as an Electromaster.

At the most basic level, Misaka can create a "Railgun" between her arms, launching anything between them at three times the speed of sound. She can also fly with her electric powers, hack any nearby device, walk on walls and ceilings, and call down lightning strong enough to cause a city-wide blackout.

NEXT: 13 Anime Characters Whose Powers Don't Match Their Personality