Plunderer, the battle fantasy manga currently serialized in Monthly Shonen Ace, will be adapted into an anime series starting in Winter 2020! This is the next work from the author of Sora no Otoshimono, and while it certainly features a lot of adorable characters, it also features a lot of strong and cool characters. So, today, I've created a ranking of my personal favorite characters, and I'd like to share them with you!
Strongest Character #1: Schmelman Bach
300 years ago, he was the protagonists' superior officer and instructor. He is a character with a mysterious aura, who normally guides his students with kindness, instructing them to aim to become a "non-killing army," and has always put children first, as evidenced by his past. However, he currently operates in the shadows as the boss of a special forces unit, and is currently the tentative final boss character, repeatedly engaging in villainous actions that make it hard to believe he is the same person. To begin with, he has an extremely aggressive personality and is portrayed as a character with two sides.
Schmelman's Strength
300 years ago, he possessed overwhelming combat ability and reaction speed that most characters could not even touch, and he also possessed the unique talent of being able to harness energy from the Parliament. By transplanting his genes, the Ace Pilot was born, bringing about the end of the war. Not only was he strong, but he also possessed the ability to control ice with ice attacks, making him the strongest character in terms of both basic combat ability and special abilities.
Second Strongest Character: "Sakai Tokikaze"
The brother-in-law of the protagonist, Licht Bach (whose real name is Rihito Sakai), is a master swordsman. He was one of the people who received Schmelman's genes and became a leading ace pilot, earning him the nickname "The 'Instant Attack' Ace Pilot." He was the only one who opposed the plan to found the nation of Arsia and replace the people on Earth with a complete replacement for humanity, and was killed by an out-of-control Rihito. However, he was not actually dead, but had survived in the Abyss. While caring for his children, he lay in wait, waiting for the right time to enter Arsia and save the Abyss.
The Strength of Sakai Tokikaze
He is known for his swordsmanship and his lightning-fast slashes. His prowess has been esteemed for 300 years. However, since falling into the Abyss, he has been honing his skills in preparation for the coming time. His greatest strength is his enormous 500,000 count, which is the "number of loved ones he has slashed." In the Abyss, exploitation by Alcia meant that reducing the number of mouths to feed was essential to survival. Tokikaze therefore killed adult children with their consent, accumulating a total of 500,000 counts.
Strongest Character #3: Licht Bach
The protagonist of this work, whose real name is Rihito Sakai, later changed his name after being adopted by Schmelman. His true personality is kind and humorous, and he's a perverted demon who loves sexual harassment. However, after his surgery to become a pilot-ace, he killed enemy soldiers on the front lines so that no one would have to go to war. However, due to the side effects of his surgery, he was unable to control his destructive impulses, eventually attacking even his allies. Therefore, he was isolated and only sent to the battlefield under drug control. He was feared as the strongest ace of the ace. His nickname was "The 'Lightning' Ace."
Licht's Strength
Able to move at the speed of sound, he is characterized by his incredible mobility. While his usual count is heavily negative due to the number of times he's been dumped by women, he actually keeps a secret count from his time as an ace of the ace. His number is an astounding 5,700, but as a ace pilot, he has the power to double his Ballot count. However, in exchange for the count increasing tenfold, he becomes consumed by a destructive impulse and goes into a rampage, attacking indiscriminately around his surroundings. The original count is the number of people he has killed in place of everyone else. He currently lacks the Ballots he originally possessed, which is why he is ranked this way.
Strongest Character #4: Alexandrov Grigorovich
The de facto leader of the Alcia Kingdom military and Jail Mardog's father-in-law. Although he is very lenient towards Jail, he can also show the strictness he had 300 years ago. 300 years ago, he was the protagonist's superior officer and instructor, a strict instructor who would punish them with iron fists and unleash flamethrowers. He later underwent ace-of-the-air surgery and took on the nickname "Ace of Bombing." He was one of the people who founded Alcia and ended the war. This choice was a desperate measure to prevent the extinction of humanity, but it also meant creating a dystopia called Abyss and abandoning his students.
Alan's Strength
Alan's flashy ability allows him to simultaneously explode a wide area. He was so powerful that he easily defeated Jail Mardog, who challenged him to a planet-stealing battle. While the exact count is unknown, it is estimated to be an astounding 200,000. Ever since his days as a strict instructor, he has possessed exceptional combat abilities, and although it is not clearly depicted, it is believed that he played a major role during the war.
5th Strongest Character: Doan Taketora
With his huge body and frog-like face, Doan Taketora is unable to fit in with those around him and has a pragmatic personality. In short, he's violent, disliked, and a bully. At the military academy where the main characters attend, he is often seen as a hated figure, resorting to illegal means and trying to force Sonohara to drop out. However, this is due to his realism and concern for Sonohara, who would likely be killed if he were on the battlefield. He even risked his life to protect Sonohara during an attack that ignored the ceasefire agreement. While his actions and words may be extreme, he has his own beliefs.
Doan's Strength
He is a "Heavy Attack Ace King" who can manipulate gravity, and is the nemesis of Licht, whose mobility is everything. Although he is a member of the Special Forces 300 years later, his actions are solely to avoid exposing Sonohara to danger, making him a lone outlaw among the Special Forces. During the Disposal War 300 years ago, he was Licht's partner in killing enemy soldiers on the front lines. Because Licht was unable to kill children due to the influence of Schmelman's genes, he took his place and killed all the children who attacked Licht in an attempt to assassinate him. He's a charming character, similar to the character in the movie "Giant."
[Plunderer] Strongest Ranking Summary
I've made my own opinionated ranking of strength, but I think the members of the Ace Pilots are the strongest. Schmelman, who currently surpasses all the Ace Pilots and seems like the final boss, is still a mysterious character, and I'm curious to see how things will develop! Of course, we can't help but look forward to the flashy action scenes in the anime!
