Kara Dennison
March 8, 2023 
Watch enough anime, and you’ll know: never underestimate anime kids. If they’re not mecha pilots or magical girls, they’re packing some other kind of punch. And this season’s anime proves that point more than ever!
Here are just a few younger—or in some cases younger-looking—stars who could take down someone twice their size. And in some cases, they already have. Be sure to tune in every week and see what they get up to next!
Kizuna
The stars of Ningen Fushin: Adventurers Who Don’t Believe in Humanity Will Save the World have a hard time forming bonds. Nick, Curran, Tiana, and Zem have all been hard done by. But they meet each other and learn to trust again. As the Survivors, they earn money to fulfill the hobbies that make their lives worth living. And, more importantly, they don’t intrude on each other’s good time. But the Survivors have a surprising fifth member: Kizuna, the oldest of our anime kids today. And also a sword.
In actuality, Kizuna is pretty ancient. He’s the personification of the Sword of Bonds. This high-tech artifact has lots of powers, one notably Dragonball-esque in nature. But he also gifts the survivors with many other abilities, and fuels his own with their magic. We’re just lucky he’s so busy taking in all the world has to offer. He might be even more dangerous otherwise.
Nio
The odd-jobbers of Revenger have one of this season’s most threatening anime kids in their ranks. The mysterious and mischievous Nio may seem silly and carefree at first glance. And, yes, sometimes that’s the case. But this pint-sized bringer of vengeance also has the ability to be legitimately frightening… and deadly.
Beneath Nio’s childish exterior is a terrifyingly cunning and calculating mind. And this kid’s weapon of choice? A kite string coated in glass shards. Viewers will have plenty of chances to see just how brutal Nio can be with one piece of string and a can-do attitude.
Erna
While technically a teen among our anime kids, she is the youngest member of the Spy Classroom cast. Lamplight’s best-kept secret is also known as Fool, and her abilities are terrifying even compared to those of her spy girl cohorts.
Bad luck seems to follow Erna wherever she goes, and she’s learned to use that to her advantage. Her weapon is misfortune: specifically, leading her foes into it when she senses it’s near. That’s some major collateral damage in one small package.
Get ready for the return of one of anime’s most famous kids, Astro Boy!
