Summary
There’s no doubt thatShangri-La Frontierwas one of thebiggest anime surprises of 2023. In a genre plagued with weird harems and overpowered main characters, this is an isekai by gamers for gamers, with a unique premise surrounding an expert on bad video games (or “Kusoge”) on top of that.
The titular video game of this show is a huge MMORPG with a lot of different possibilities, and the players ofShangri-La Frontiertake full advantage of that. From wizards to monks, from animal experts to player killers, this fictional game is filled to the brim with skilled, talented, strong human players.
Updated on July 07, 2025, by Julián Fernández Loyarte:The original version of this list was written back in January, around the time Season 1 of Shangri-La Frontier was completing its first half. Ever since, not only has Season 1 finished airing, but Season 2 also just started, which means a lot of stuff has happened in this unique gaming anime that warrants a proper update, with the biggest standout being the monumental defeat of Wezaemon the Tombguard at the hands of Wolfgang. As a result, the entries for Orcelott, Oikatzo, Sunraku, Arthur, and Psyger-0 were updated, and two new entries of recently introduced characters were added: the Professor and Psyger-100.
8The Professor (Name Unknown)
A Wise Scholar Of The Shangri-La World
Behind a small and adorable female avatar, there’s actually a brilliant and resourceful grown man playingShangri-La Frontier. That’s why other players should never be fooled byThe Professor’sappearance since he is actually much more intelligent than he may initially seem.
He’s the leader of the Library clan, and his main goal isto unveil the mysteries of the world ofShangri-La Frontier. Of course, the Professor doesn’t usually focus on fighting NPCs or other players, meaning that he’s weaker than some of the other players in the show, but he is still respected by most people. Curiously enough, his wife also plays the game, and she’s apparently part of the Schwarzer Wolf guild.
7Orcelott (Kuon Amane)
The Leader Of The Ashura-Kai
WithinShangri-La Frontier, there are several clans made of player characters that can make any person tremble with fear, especially newcomers. And the clan of Player Killers known as theAshura-Kaiis the most intimidating one in the entire game. Because of this, it’s evident that their leader,Orcelott, is incredibly strong.
Due to his high level and his status as leader of the deadly Ashura-Kai, there’s no denying that Kuon Amaneis much more powerful than the averageShangri-La Frontierplayer. However, his performance in the story so far has left a lot to be desired. It’s evident that he’s quite skillful, but he hasn’t been able to properly display his full strength so far, especially after he and his entire clan were defeated by Psyger-0.
6Animalia (Maria Itsukushima)
A High-Leveled Wizard
When the existence of Sunraku’s vorpal rabbit companion, Emul, was leaked to the entire community of Shangri-La Frontier, they caught the attention of a powerful player: the leader of the SF-Zoo Clan,a powerful wizard namedAnimalia. She’s obsessed with observing and photographing monsters, so it’s only logical that she is quite strong.
Most characters in this anime fight with their fists or weapons, so it was refreshing to see a powerful wizard using magic in action. Animalia is definitely a force to be reckoned with, considering that she could fight toe-to-toe Arthur Pencildragon herself, and even used a high-powered magic spell filled with debuffs that almost defeated the infamous Player Killer.
5Oikatzo (Kei Uomi)
A Seasoned Fighting Game Expert
What would happen if a fighting game expert is thrown into the world of an MMORPG? This is the entire gimmick ofOikatzo, Sunraku’s loyal friend, who is a master at brawling withhis fists and martial arts techniques. He managed to become relatively good inShangri-La Frontierin a brief amount of time because he decided to pick the Monk class, which benefited his physical strength, so he could take hits and strike back with power.
In just a few days, Oikatzo became almost as good as Sunraku, who had spent much more time in the game, although he is still a few levels behind his friend. Nevertheless, he managed to become surprisingly effective in combat in a short amount of time and his immense physical strength was of extreme importance in the intense battle against Wezaemon the Tombguard, in which Oikatzo partially took care of his mechanical steed.
4Sunraku (Rakuro Hizutome)
Sinceoverpowered protagonists are a common tropein shows like this,Sunrakufeels like a breath of fresh air in comparison. He is a connoisseur of bad games who’s always looking to do things in the least conventional way, by skipping entire tutorials and exploiting any bugs and glitches he can find. As weird as Sunraku’s way of playing is, there’s no denying that it ended up being quite beneficial to him since he managed to unlock special scenarios and weapons that no other player had found before. Depending on his luck and wits, Sunraku is slowly reaching the skill level of the strongest players in the game.
There are no other players like him inShangri-La Frontier,and it shows because over the course of the anime, he has managed to defeat stronger and stronger monsters, face players at levels much higher than him, and even collect and forge weapons made out of the rarest materials. Sunraku’s skills were on full display when he (alongside Oikatzo and Arthur Pencilgon) defeated the mighty Wezaemon the Tombguard, one of the seven unique monsters in the game.
3Arthur Pencilgon (Towa Amane)
A Clever Player Killer & Tactician
Arguably the most feared player in all ofShangri-La Frontier, the nameArthur Pencilgonhas become infamous even before this MMORPG was launched since she was known for killing players from many other games in the most cruel ways. Pencilgon is the sworn rival of Sunraku and Oikatzo. Of course, Arthur Pencilgon has immeasurable strength, considering that she’s an expert at using weapons like swords or spears.
But she became one of the best PKs in the game becauseshe’s a skilled master tacticianwho knows how to use precise strategies and trickery to defeat opponents who are even stronger than her. That’s why Wolfgang would never have been able to defeat Wezaemon if it wasn’t for Pencilgon. Not only did she properly help her friends prepare for the long and challenging battle, but her effective item management was a key element in it as well. She may have restarted her entire character to turn over a new leaf, but it’s apparent that she will keep using her wits and strength anywhere she and her new clan go.
2Psyger-100 (Momo Saiga)
The Legendary Leader Of Schwarzer Wolf
Even though she still hasn’t had the chance to display her full power, it’s evident thatPsyger-100(real nameMomo Saiga) is an extremely powerful and efficient player ofShangri-La Frontier. After all, she’s the respected leader of Schwarzer Wolf, the guild that is dedicated to slaying Lycagon the Night Raid and the other Seven Colossi.
Based on her appearance and her interactions with the other players, it’s evident that Psyger-100 has been playing this game for a very long time, and she even has a previous history with Arthur Pencilgon herself. Because of her immense strength and high level, both Psyger-100 and her entire guild are infamous within the player base ofShangri-La Frontier.
1Psyger-0 (Rei Saiga)
The Highest Firepower In The Game
Psyger-0perfectly encapsulates how creative and clever this show is. InsideShangri-La Frontier, she is an intimidating knight who wields a giant sword and is covered head-to-toe with legendary armor. She achieved the highest amount of firepower in the entire game, which earned her the impressive title of“Maximum Firepower.”And even strong players like Arthur Pencilgon are afraid of facing Psyger-0.
Outside the game, however,Rei Saigais a shy and innocent girlwho has a crush on Sunraku.She began playing Shangri-La Frontier because she knew that her love was going to get into the popular game someday, which he eventually did. Psyger-0 is the strongest player in the game because she waited and grinded for so long. Her existence is a lesson of how important patience can be in a video game. Fortunately, viewers got to see some of Psyger-0’s amazing, high-level powers, which include her intimidating black and golden Reverse Armor, her Friend Warp ability, and her Chaos Void skill. Thanks to her powerful arsenal, she managed to defeat Ashura-Kai and Arthur Pencilgon with no real problems.
