[0:00] Every power system needs a leash. No
[0:04] matter how creative or innovative your
[0:06] abilities are, without some kind of
[0:08] limiter, your battles will lose their
[0:10] most essential ingredient. That is their
[0:13] tension. To solve this, almost nearly
[0:16] every shownen relies on the same trope,
[0:19] an energy system. Think of chakra, mana,
[0:23] key, cursed energy. The name changes,
[0:25] but the idea is always the same. an
[0:28] invisible battery that keeps battles in
[0:30] check. I like to use a bucket and tap
[0:34] analogy. Let me cook here. Every
[0:36] character is carrying around an
[0:38] invisible bucket that is filled with
[0:40] their respective energy system. Some
[0:42] characters buckets are huge while some
[0:44] are tiny, which is usually down to
[0:46] genetics, training, or both. Meanwhile,
[0:50] the tap controls how much of that energy
[0:52] a character can release at once. So,
[0:55] someone with a small bucket but large
[0:57] top might be able to unleash one massive
[0:59] attack before being drained dry, while
[1:01] someone with a large bucket but with a
[1:03] narrow top can keep pumping out weaker
[1:05] moves almost endlessly. Of course, many
[1:08] power systems don't stop there,
[1:10] rightfully so. Some go deeper,
[1:13] introducing other variables like
[1:15] replenishment speed, which is how
[1:16] quickly your bucket fills back up.
[1:19] efficiency, how much energy actually
[1:21] translates into power versus how much is
[1:24] wasted, or control, how precisely a
[1:26] character can manage the flow of their
[1:28] energy. These are all ideas that I
[1:30] encourage any writer to blend into their
[1:33] power system. Together, these reveal the
[1:35] true purpose and strength of an energy
[1:38] system. That is to blend fights with an
[1:41] essential element of strategy.
[1:43] Characters can't just recklessly spam
[1:45] their strongest moves forever. They have
[1:47] to conserve, to gamble, and sometimes to
[1:50] risk running out at the worst possible
[1:52] moment. At their best, these systems
[1:55] don't just make fights more intense.
[1:57] They dictate the outcome of the fights
[1:58] themselves. But at their worst, these
[2:02] systems blend into background noise,
[2:04] often revealing plot convenience or
[2:06] outright contradictions. So, how do you
[2:09] make a good energy system? What are some
[2:12] examples of the best energy systems in
[2:14] anime? And where do authors often go
[2:17] wrong? Well, in this video, that's
[2:19] exactly what we're going to find out.
[2:21] So, stick around. You might just learn
[2:24] something important. Chakra is the
[2:26] energy system of Naruto. And in all
[2:29] fairness, one of the most
[2:31] well-thoughtout energy systems in all of
[2:33] shownen. While it does get a bit weird
[2:36] towards the end, what with the aliens
[2:38] and all, Kishimoto still managed to
[2:40] create an energy system that far
[2:42] surpassed its contemporaries. Chakra is
[2:45] defined as a combination of a person's
[2:48] physical energy and spiritual energy
[2:51] which can be refined and molded to
[2:53] produce techniques called jutsu. It is
[2:56] the battery behind every technique in
[2:58] the series from the most basic cloning
[3:00] jutsu to the most destructive forbidden
[3:03] arts. Every ninja has a limited pool and
[3:07] the size of that is massively influenced
[3:09] by genetics and natural talent and maybe
[3:14] a bit of training because Kishimoto
[3:16] couldn't decide if he wanted to make a
[3:18] Nepo baby fanfiction or a hard work
[3:21] beats talents narrative. Regardless of
[3:23] that, in the early series, this system
[3:26] truly shines. Chakra is a lot more
[3:29] involved, actively serving character
[3:31] conflicts and strategy. One of the
[3:33] earliest examples of this happens within
[3:36] the land of the waves arc. Chakra is a
[3:39] very active element of that fight.
[3:41] Without the strain of chakra, Kakashi
[3:43] would easily be able to handle Zabuza
[3:46] and Haku by himself. But due to the
[3:48] massive amount of chakra his shang gun
[3:50] requires and his otherwise average
[3:53] reserves, the longer the fight drags
[3:55] out, the more dangerous it becomes for
[3:57] him due to exhaustion. His chakra
[4:00] limitations are the key reason his
[4:02] students, the protagonists, even matter
[4:05] in this fight. Or take Naruto versus
[4:08] Nei, which happens a couple arcs later.
[4:11] One element of chakra that makes it more
[4:13] interesting is its biological
[4:15] connection. Your chakra flows out of
[4:17] tenetsu points, and someone like Nei
[4:20] gentle fist is capable of closing off
[4:23] those points, which essentially seals
[4:25] away your chakra. So when Nei does this
[4:28] to Naruto, it should essentially finish
[4:30] the fight. But Naruto manages to
[4:33] somewhat plan ahead using his secondary
[4:36] external source of chakra, the
[4:38] Ninetailed fox, to completely catch Nei
[4:41] by surprise, which alongside the smart
[4:43] use of clone jutsu is a turning point
[4:46] that allows him to win the fight. In
[4:48] both of these moments, Chakra works
[4:51] perfectly. It is a clear limiter that
[4:54] separates characters in unique ways and
[4:56] creates tensions whenever those reserves
[4:58] start to run dry. You truly feel the
[5:01] weight of every move because Chakra is a
[5:04] finite meaningful resource. But as the
[5:07] series scales up, Chakra begins to lose
[5:10] that meaning. What started as a clever
[5:12] limiter becomes more of a background
[5:15] detail conveniently mentioned or ignored
[5:18] depending on the moment. The series does
[5:20] all right through Shipuan, but the
[5:23] illusion of Chakra's importance really
[5:26] begins to fall apart completely during
[5:28] the war arc. Take Susano, a literal
[5:32] massive suit of pure chakra that serves
[5:35] as both the perfect offense and the
[5:38] perfect defense. Rightfully, it is an
[5:40] incredibly taxing ability described as
[5:43] your every cell being on fire and
[5:46] requiring an absurd amount of chakra to
[5:49] use. Maybe not. Saskuke used it for
[5:52] hours at a time, but it still has the
[5:55] weakness of slowly blinding the user,
[5:58] returning that essential element of T.
[6:01] No, never mind. He got past that. Well,
[6:04] at the very least, you still need the
[6:05] showering gun to use it, right? It'd be
[6:08] ridiculous if a character who had say
[6:10] lost both of their eyes was still
[6:12] somehow capable of using a technique
[6:15] that literally requires special eyes to
[6:18] be used. Nah, that would never happen.
[6:21] At a point, the war arc essentially
[6:23] becomes a display of long- range nuclear
[6:26] warfare. Because by the end of the
[6:28] series, Chakra is such a non-issue that
[6:31] characters can literally spam mountain
[6:33] range obliterating attacks without so
[6:36] much as breaking a sweat. Their taps
[6:39] become as wide as the Grand Canyon, and
[6:42] their buckets become, well, infinite. At
[6:46] the very least, Kishimoto did seem to
[6:49] remember his energy system at the very
[6:52] final portion of the series at Sasuke
[6:54] and Naruto's final battle. And it's that
[6:58] very last sequence that made me remember
[7:00] what I loved about this series. Not the
[7:03] country shattering explosion that
[7:05] happened an episode prior, but the
[7:07] strategies, desperation, and tactical
[7:10] depth applied by both characters at the
[7:13] very end. And that's the tragedy of
[7:16] Naruto's chakra system. What once began
[7:19] as one of the most balanced and
[7:20] narratively rich limiters in shownen
[7:23] ended up collapsing under the weight of
[7:25] escalating power creep.
[7:28] Of course, we can't forget the most
[7:30] important energy system of all. The one
[7:33] we deal with every single day, stamina.
[7:37] Forget chakra and forget cursed energy.
[7:40] The one thing that actually has an
[7:41] effect on your life is how long you can
[7:44] stay awake and functioning. Like, I've
[7:46] been hitting the gym early and earlier,
[7:48] and by the time I come back home to make
[7:50] these videos, I feel like my stamina bar
[7:52] is flashing red. But luckily, that's
[7:54] where the partner of today's video comes
[7:56] in. Gamer subs. Gamer subs is I I can
[8:01] say whatever I want. Oh, cool. Well
[8:05] then, for a basic explanation, Gamer
[8:09] Subs is a zero sugar, low calorie energy
[8:11] formula designed to give you better
[8:13] focus and endurance without a crash.
[8:16] Imagine popping a stamina potion
[8:19] midfight. Kind of feels like that. So
[8:22] whether I'm editing videos into the late
[8:23] night like right now, or just trying not
[8:26] to collapse after leg day, Gamers is
[8:29] pretty good at keeping me running. If
[8:31] you want to try it out, Gamersops
[8:33] actually offers free, yes, free sample
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[8:50] yours. Anyway, let's get back to the
[8:53] video. Jiu-Jitsu Kaisen gets a lot of
[8:56] criticism. Some of it is welld deserved,
[8:59] but most of it, the vast majority, is
[9:03] completely baseless given by people who
[9:06] consume the series off of Tik Tok.
[9:08] Because if there's one thing Jiutsu
[9:10] Kaisen absolutely nailed from start to
[9:12] finish, it would be its power system.
[9:15] More specifically, its consistency with
[9:18] the series energy system. In jiu-jitsu
[9:20] kaizen, humans naturally produce cursed
[9:23] energy, which is an internal energy born
[9:25] from negative emotions. Most people just
[9:28] leak it unconsciously, which in turn
[9:30] gives birth to cursed spirits. But
[9:32] sorcerers, the main profession of this
[9:34] verse, are capable of harnessing this
[9:36] energy, using it to fuel their cursed
[9:39] techniques. It's a simple yet effective
[9:42] setup. What makes Cursed Energy stand
[9:44] out is its versatility because in
[9:47] practice it is far more than just an
[9:49] invisible stamina bar. Cursed energy is
[9:52] the very reason a lot of the main
[9:54] antagonist exists. I mean, they're made
[9:56] out of the thing and is capable of being
[9:58] weaponized to such an extent that
[10:00] Yujiadidori for the vast majority of the
[10:03] series was capable of relying purely on
[10:05] raw cris energy to keep up with the
[10:07] scale of the plot. Even beyond that, the
[10:10] system constantly expands in innovative,
[10:13] consistent ways. What happens when you
[10:16] flip cursed energy? Well, you get
[10:18] positive energy, which is capable of
[10:20] being used for healing or reversing the
[10:22] effects of your techniques. If you
[10:24] manage to time your cursed energy
[10:26] application just right, well, you can
[10:28] land a black flash, which is essentially
[10:30] a critical strike with devastating
[10:33] multipliers. Some characters forego
[10:35] cursed energy entirely, gaining heavenly
[10:38] restrictions, which massively boost
[10:40] their physicality instead. Every
[10:43] addition feels like a natural extension
[10:46] of the same core rules, not a
[10:48] contradiction. But what I truly love and
[10:51] appreciate about Chris Energy is how
[10:53] much it actually decides fights. One of
[10:56] the most prevalent cases of this
[10:58] actually comes about from domain
[11:00] expansions. They're almost always
[11:02] instant win conditions, an ability that
[11:05] guarantees your every attack will land.
[11:08] But here's the catch. They massively
[11:10] drain the user of their cursed energy,
[11:12] leaving them vulnerable once they
[11:13] collapse. So look at Mito versus Yugji
[11:17] and Toto. Mahito's final loss to Yugji
[11:20] isn't just because Yugji overpowered
[11:22] him. It's because Mso spent his energy
[11:25] recklessly during the fight, stacking
[11:27] highc cost move after high cost move
[11:30] until he had nothing left. The fight's
[11:32] outcome was dictated as much by resource
[11:35] management as it was by raw strength.
[11:38] So, from output to efficiency to control
[11:41] and reinforcement to reverse techniques
[11:43] and to heavenly restrictions, curse
[11:46] energy is one of the most consistent and
[11:48] well-developed energy systems in modern
[11:50] shownen. It's not just a limiter. It's
[11:53] the foundation of every battle in the
[11:55] story itself. And honestly, I encourage
[11:58] any author to use it as a blueprint when
[12:01] designing their own.
[12:03] So far, we've looked at an energy system
[12:05] with a strong foundation that eventually
[12:08] lost its way, and another that stayed
[12:11] consistent from start to finish. But
[12:13] now, let's look at an energy system that
[12:16] was weak almost from the ground up. mana
[12:19] from solo leveling. And to be clear, I'm
[12:23] not talking about the mana used by other
[12:25] characters in the verse. I mean
[12:27] specifically Sunjing Wu's mana, which is
[12:29] connected to the system. His abilities
[12:32] are modeled after video game mechanics.
[12:35] And so his mana bar functions exactly
[12:38] like you'd expect, a generic stamina bar
[12:41] that drains whenever he casts a skill or
[12:43] summons his army. And that's where the
[12:46] problem begins. In other series like
[12:49] Naruto or Jiu Kaizen, the energy system
[12:52] manages to evolve beyond just being a
[12:55] limiter. They branch into their series
[12:57] respective world building and are
[12:59] capable of being used for countless
[13:01] other forms of utility from sticking to
[13:04] walls or being timed right to land
[13:06] critical hits. These being additional
[13:08] uses that create tension and creativity
[13:11] in battle. Jinmu's mana system is
[13:14] entirely just a number on a stat screen.
[13:17] There are no clever interactions, no
[13:20] secondary uses, nothing. It exists
[13:23] purely as a meter. But the meter at
[13:26] least does its job, right? Like that's
[13:28] the point of the video. Surely, it
[13:31] realistically and fairly limits Jinu's
[13:34] use of his abilities. No, not really.
[13:37] The cycle is the same each time. Jinu
[13:40] fights a boss that conveniently has an
[13:42] army of minions that his shadows can
[13:44] aura farm on. The boss wipes out the
[13:46] rest of the shadows. Jinu's manner runs
[13:49] low and he turns to the camera and says
[13:51] some like, "Guess I'm going solo on
[13:53] this one." And then he solos it. Name of
[13:56] the series appears. Roll credits.
[13:58] Absolute cinema. Just give anime of the
[14:00] year. Just give anime of the year. This
[14:02] gets even worse when you realize this
[14:04] fake tension doesn't even matter half
[14:07] the time. Jin Wu can literally buy an
[14:10] infinite stockpile of mana potions that
[14:13] instantly refill a portion of his mana
[14:16] bar. So, the system fails at its only
[14:18] job of being a limiter. And while that
[14:21] works for hype, it makes for one of the
[14:23] weakest energy systems in modern anime
[14:26] storytelling. It feels much more like an
[14:29] afterthought than a system actually
[14:31] crafted to enhance the story. At the
[14:33] very least, there seems to be another
[14:36] version of Mana present in the story
[14:38] that is much more intertwined with the
[14:40] series lore. But because none of the
[14:42] other characters actually matter, it's
[14:45] not even that relevant in the first
[14:47] place. At the end of the day, energy
[14:50] systems are somehow one of the simplest
[14:52] tropes in battle storytelling, yet also
[14:55] one of the most important. They are the
[14:58] primary leash that keeps abilities
[15:00] grounded, adding an essential element
[15:02] that adds weight to every decision in
[15:04] battle. So, the lesson here is simple.
[15:08] The best energy systems are far more
[15:10] than just fuel tanks. They're
[15:12] storytelling tools. They create
[15:14] vulnerability and force strategy. And
[15:17] sometimes, like Jiu Kaizen's relation to
[15:20] negative emotions, can even reflect the
[15:22] themes of the story itself. So, the next
[15:25] time you're watching an anime with an
[15:27] energy system present, ask yourself, is
[15:30] it actually consistently adding stakes,
[15:33] or is it just background noise? Because
[15:36] that one detail might be the difference
[15:38] between a fight you forget tomorrow and
[15:40] one that actually sticks with you for a
[15:42] while.
[15:44] Thank you for watching. Got any energy
[15:46] systems that you love? Well, leave them
[15:48] in the comment section down below. Don't
[15:51] forget to check out gamers subs and use
[15:53] my code pines here to get 10% off any of
[15:56] your purchases. Anyway, if you like the
[15:58] video, don't forget to drop a like and
[16:01] subscribe. I'll see you in the next one.
[16:03] Peace.