If you are an anime lover, you have surely noticed the importance given to the sensei-student relationship, especially in the shonen where this mentor-student link participates directly in the evolution of the story. After all, the person who trains the hero in battle is usually quite important. Whether Genos in One-Punch ManNaruto from the eponymous manga, or even Yuji in Jujutsu Kaisen, what would these characters be without the crucial help of their respective sensei? We invite you to review some of the sensei-student relationships that have marked us the most.
#1 Piccolo & Gohan – Dragon Ball Z
If your dad was an emotionally bereft Super Saiyan who spends most of his time in the afterlife, you might have needed someone else to take over. At first, Piccolo wasn’t much of a competitor – he even hated Goku and did everything to destroy him. But after establishing an alliance with Goku, he decided to help Gohan, Goku’s young son, train and become stronger. At first, he just wanted to make sure the child could stand up to the Saiyans who were soon to invade him, but it didn’t take long for the two to strike up a friendship.
Over time, Piccolo became the person Gohan respected and relied on the most., while Gohan has become almost like a son to Piccolo. When Gohan grows up and loses the will to fight, Piccolo is the only person who can motivate him to fight and take responsibility, as evidenced in the recent movie Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero (whose reviews are particularly rave).
#2 Jiraiya & Naruto – Naruto
Unquestionably one of the best relationships Naruto has ever formed, Jiraiya indirectly played a role in his life even before he was born, as he mentored both Minato and Nagato, as he was predicted to be a student under his orders would be destined for greatness. He was also the one who gave Naruto his name, with the boy being named after the protagonist of his novel, making him Naruto’s godfather. Due to Orochimaru’s defection and the existence of the Akatsuki, Jiraiya was forced to leave the village to spy on the organization and could not take care of his godson for the first twelve years of his life.. Jiraiya would not meet Naruto until years later during his first Chūnin Exam, being labeled “Evil Hermit”.
Jiraiya had many similarities with his godson, whether it was his desire to bring peace to the world or an unrequited love for their respective teammates.. Since their meeting, Jiraiya and Naruto have become close, the latter having a lot of esteem and affection for him. After learning of Jiraiya’s death at the hands of Pain, Naruto fell into a deep depression, and mourned him. Jiraiya’s death was very symbolic since it will be the first time that Naruto feels the pain of losing a loved one.
#3 Silvers Rayleigh & Monkey D. Luffy – One Piece
If Monkey D. Luffy has always had boundless admiration for Shanks Le Roux, for whom he has a particular admiration, his real sensei is Silvers Rayleigh, nicknamed the King of Darkness, the former Lieutenant of Gol D. Roger, the Lord Pirates. They meet and befriend the Sabaody Islands, and Rayleigh goes to rescue the Straw Hats, who are engaged with the Navy.after Luffy hit a Celestial Dragon.
After the War at the Summit, during which Luffy will have experienced his most resounding defeat, he will receive the support of Rayleigh who will take him under his wing, to teach him how to use the royal fluid (or haki of kings, depending on the translations). With this learning, Monkey D. Luffy will find his crew two years later, before leaving for the New World. The Dark King will then read about the adventures and exploits of the future Pirate Lord in the newspapers!
#4 Izumi & The Elric Brothers – Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Alphonse and Edward Elric are a little nervous around Izumi Curtis, and rightly so: she doesn’t hesitate to give them a hard time during their alchemy training. But if she’s so tough on them, it’s because she knows how devastating the cost of a mistake can be – and so do they.
When Al and Ed were younger, their mother passed away. They used alchemy to try to resuscitate her. Not only did they fail, but Ed lost two limbs from his body and Al wasn’t so lucky as he lost his entire body. Izumi also fell into the trappings of alchemy while doing something similar. She tried to revive her stillborn baby, but ended up destroying some of her organs. Thereby, Izumi and the boys understand each other and share the same suffering.even though they cannot replace the loved ones they have lost, they have a mother-son relationship in addition to their teacher-student relationship.
#5 Gojo & Itadori – Jujutsu Kaisen
After Yuji swallows Sukuna’s finger, almost every high-ranking official in the exorcist world wants to wipe him out. Gojo doesn’t want to see an innocent child sink for no reason, and he also thinks it would be a huge waste not to train someone with such potential. to make him an exorcist himself. So he tells the superiors not to interfere and begins to train Yuji using his own unconventional methods.
Despite the seriousness of the situation, the two men manage to have fun together. Even Yuji’s revelation that he wasn’t executed is turned into a fun joke – though no one but Gojo and Yuji really liked it. It is in this that the two protagonists become a fantastic duo very popular with fanswithout forgetting the Sukuna-Gojo rivalry which marks the beginning of hostilities from the first episodes with a super stylish fight!
#6 Krueger & Gon & Killua Cookie – Hunter x Hunter
At the beginning of Hunter x Hunter, Gon is a twelve-year-old child who has never used Nen and knows next to nothing about the life of a hunter. Killua was trained as an assassin, but when it comes to using Nen he is rather clueless. Although they both learned the basics with Wing, it was under Biscuit’s tutelage that they really progressed.
Biscuit is a middle-aged woman who uses her Nen to take on the appearance of a child. This is both out of pride and to deceive his enemies. His approach to combat is quite different from what Killua or Gon are inclined to do, so training under his tutelage gives them a new approach to fighting techniques. It also forces them to train when they get lazy and stay alert when they get distracted – in fact, she embodies a maternal figure aware that these are only children who do not really have responsibilitiesand that’s why she wants to help them become the best version of themselves.
#7 Saitama & Genos – One-Punch Man
These two make a particularly interesting duo. Genos is a hyper-serious cyborg who is all about improving his strength so he can get revenge on Mad Cyborg, who destroyed his entire town when he was 15. He hopes that Saitama is the solution he is looking for. Meanwhile, Saitama can defeat anyone with a single punch. Bored with how easily he defeats his enemies, he seeks a real challenge.
Since Saitama rarely takes things seriously and Genos is so passionate, they balance each other out.. Saitama is a real motivator for Genos, he tries to share his knowledge with him so that he improves in battle and he helps him relax when needed. While Genos pushes Saitama not to slack off just because he can rely on his unrivaled strength.
#8 All Might & Izuku – My Hero Academia
For Izuku Midoriya, All Might is the coolest hero ever. His main goal in life is to become exactly like him, but there is a problem: He doesn’t have any special features or superpowers.and therefore cannot become a real hero.
But a chance meeting with All Might changes the course of things. All Might’s power is transferable, and he seeks an heir to pass it on. He chooses Izuku and helps him not only train so that his body can inherit his power, but also get into a high school for budding superheroes.. Once Izuku is admitted, All Might becomes one of his teachers. From there, their relationship becomes more complex. As Izuku grows stronger, he learns more about the power that binds them – and about All Might as a human being with his weaknesses and flaws. Although he gained a more nuanced image of his idol, he keeps thinking he’s the coolest hero in the world, even when he can’t be a hero anymore.
#9 Urokodaki & Tanjiro – Demon Slayer
Having been the previous Water Pillar Hashira, Urokodaki knows exactly how dangerous demons can be. That is why, when his former student Giyu Tomioka tells him about Tanjiro and Nezuko, he knows he has to help them. Tanjiro knows nothing about demons, but he carries his demonic sister on his back and will have to fight more than one if he wants to hope to transform his beloved sister back into a human.
Because Urokodaki knows what Tanjiro has to deal with, he isn’t soft on him during his training. He makes him work tirelessly for more than a year, then makes him cut a huge rock in half before allowing him to participate in the final selection to join the corps of demon slayers: the Hashiras. When Tanjiro manages to pass final selection alive, Urokodaki cries tears of joy, which underlines how important it was for him to fulfill this role of mentor.
And you, what is your favorite sensei-student duo and who impressed you the most! Do not hesitate to let us know in the comments section!