History AGodAmI / AnimeAndManga

** Played straight and slightly subverted by the villain of the Skypiea arc, Enel, who declares himself God. This is subverted in that, according to Gan Fall, the prior God of Skypiea, "God" is merely the title for the Skypiran leader. However, Eneru believes himself a true god by virtue of his lightning-based Devil Fruit abilities and power to read others' conscious thoughts. And the fact that the word for ''god'' (kami) is similar to the word for ''thunder'' (kaminari) in Japanese. A fact he puns on by introducing himself with "Ore wa Kaminari" which can mean both 'I am Lightning' or 'I have become God'.
** The World Nobles. Simply by virtue of the fact that their ancestors founded the [[TheGovernment World Government]] (an organization of over 170 countries), they consider themselves divine by nature. The descendants of those who "created this world", they use their heritage as the sole justification for their reprehensible actions, including but not limited to slavery (which was abolished ''two hundred years ago''), and blatantly disregard the law regularly. Worse yet, the World Government condones these actions, to the point that the Marines ignore the existence of numerous human shops that cater to them and other, lesser nobles, and are frequently sent out to retrieve escaped slaves. However, the most distressing thing of all is that defying the World Nobles is considered a crime of the worst sort -- they even have the authority to send an ''[[PersonOfMassDestruction admiral]]'' to deal with even the smallest offense, and one chapter showed that even suggesting they're human like everyone else is considered blasphemy. [[spoiler:And this is all before being introduced to the ''true'' ruler of the World Government, Imu, who sits on the supposedly untangible Empty Throne and to whom even the Five Elders (who are World Nobles themselves, and thus share the God complex of all the other Nobles to a certain degree) bow to and interpret his orders (such as obliterating entire islands and {{Unperson}}ing them) as decrees from God.]]

* ''Anime/CodeGeass'': Lelouch Lamperouge, otherwise quite similar to Light, explicitly ''doesn't'' associate himself with God. Instead, in the final episodes of the first season, he describes himself as [[NecessarilyEvil someone rather more akin to the Devil]].

* In ''Manga/DeathNote'', [[LightIsNotGood Light Yagami]] believes himself a god who brings his own form of justice to the world by killing criminals with a supernatural notebook (all thoughts that concern this usually being accompanied by GlowingEyesOfDoom in the anime). He proclaims his desire to become "the God of this new world" ''in the first episode'' and is generally consistent in this. It's like an ActionPrologue. Eventually, some people also start worshipping him as one, especially [[spoiler:Teru Mikami, who always calls him "God." Near]] eventually [[ShutUpHannibal calls him out]] on this:

** Yusuke Urameshi had a moment like this when it turned out that [[spoiler:[[TomatoInTheMirror he's really an]] [[SuperWeight uber-powerful]] {{Youkai}}]], shouting "Kneel down and worship me, you insects!". Subverted in that he immediately reveals it to be [[ItAmusedMe an immature prank]] and says that they should have seen their faces. Which was itself a strong indication that he hadn't changed.

* Father, the main villain of the manga version of ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'', believes that humans are mere insects that are to be used as [[MagnificentBastard pawns in his plan]]. [[spoiler:He's not human himself, being the original homunculus that all other homunculi comes from; he does have human ''origins'', however, being partially created from Van Hohenheim's blood (making Father essentially a "son" of sorts to Hohenheim).]] His contempt shows when Ed goes to Xerxes, and discovers a transmutation circle that shows the name of {{God}} upside down. [[spoiler:In Chapter 104, he uses the five sacrifices to force open the world's Gate, dragging God itself down to Earth and fusing with it.]] Fortunately, that didn't last long, as [[spoiler: [[BatmanGambit Hohenheim had taken measures to ensure Father got to enjoy his godliness for a couple minutes at most.]] ]]

** Played straight and slightly subverted by the villain of the Skypeia arc, Enel, who declares himself God. This is subverted in that, according to Gan Fall, the prior God of Skypeia, "God" is merely the title for the Skypeian leader. However, Eneru believes himself a true god by virtue of his lightning-based Devil Fruit abilities and power to read others' conscious thoughts. And the fact that the word for ''god'' (kami) is similar to the word for ''thunder'' (kaminari) in Japanese. A fact he puns on by introducing himself with "Ore wa Kaminari" which can mean both 'I am Lightning' or 'I have become God'.
** The World Nobles. Simply by virtue of the fact that their ancestors founded the [[TheGovernment World Government]] (an organization of over 170 countries), they consider themselves divine by nature. The descendants of those who "created this world", they use their heritage as the sole justification for their reprehensible actions, including but not limited to slavery (which was abolished ''two hundred years ago''), and blatantly disregard the law regularly. Worse yet, the World Government condones these actions, to the point that the Marines ignore the existence of numerous human shops that cater to them and other, lesser nobles, and are frequently sent out to retrieve escaped slaves. However, the most distressing thing of all is that defying the World Nobles is considered a crime of the worst sort -- they even have the authority to send an ''[[PersonOfMassDestruction admiral]]'' to deal with even the smallest offense, and one chapter showed that even suggesting they're human like everyone else is considered blasphemy.

* In ''Literature/TheRisingOfTheShieldHero'' the final arc explains that given sufficient time and resources, populated worlds will eventually develop technology or magic sufficiently advanced to make every citizen immortal and free from want. However, eventually somebody on one of those worlds will develop a god complex and head into the multiverse to cause trouble [[NormalFishInATinyPond on less developed worlds]]. [[spoiler:Medea, the BigBad of the entire story, is one such self-proclaimed goddess who has been causing the Waves both to gather power and amuse herself by watching the mortals suffer]].

--> '''Z-ONE:''' Yusei Fudo, though you may have come this far with [[ScrewDestiny the intention to cut open the future with your own power]]...[[AllAccordingToPlan everything has merely traveled along the rails that I have laid out.]] To you, I am the equivalent of a God. [...] In order to change [[BadFuture the future]], Zero Reverse was caused and your lives were changed dramatically. You were orphaned, living in Satellite, and then rose up to the challenges in the WRGP. However, that victory was only a means [[spoiler: [[ColonyDrop to call out the Ark Cradle]]]]. [...] Do you understand? The meaning of me being your God? And if a God decides to take a path of destruction, then no one shall defy it.

* In ''Manga/KamichamaKarin'', the titular character's magical girl form is that of an actual goddess. Her transformation {{catchphrase}} is "I am God".

** [[spoiler:Sasuke to be taking on this role, since when Naruto asks Sasuke what will happen to his vision of Hokage when he dies, Sasuke states that he plans to become immortal and seals all nine Tailed Beasts into his Susanoo and would rule the world from the shadows and control every conflict that arose in it.]]

* Claire Stanfield from ''LightNovel/{{Baccano}}'' doesn't need superpowers to convince him that he's God -- he's just a BadassNormal [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solipsist solipsist]].

* In ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex'':

* ''LightNovel/FateZero''. Gilgamesh considers the whole world his garden and considers the other Heroic Spirits, including Myth/KingArthur and UsefulNotes/AlexanderTheGreat, as peons and false kings compared to him. He is partially justified in-universe by his status as the first Heroic Spirit and the King of Heroes, by the fact that his power does, in fact, dwarf that of all the other Heroic Spirits, and, just like the Gilgamesh of myth, is also two-thirds god.

* ''LightNovel/FullMetalPanic'': Happens twice in the novels, after [[spoiler:Kaname Chidori]] becomes possessed by [[spoiler: Sophia]], the original Whispered. The first time, in ''Semaru Nick of Time'', just before [[spoiler:Sophia]] takes over, she resonates with [[spoiler:Kaname]] and she claims that: "If a God exists, then we are that existence. You are the entirety of the three Moirae. Clotho, Lachesis, Atropos." The second time it happens in the second part of ''Zutto Stand By Me'', when [[spoiler:Sophia/Kaname]] thinks that there is no God, no help coming from anywhere, only herself and [[spoiler:the machine she had created to change the world.]]

* This trope is the main reason why [[LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya Kyon, Yuki, Mikuru and Itsuki]] spend so much time, effort and stress to keep LightNovel/{{Haruhi|Suzumiya}} from finding out she is a [[spoiler:RealityWarper]].

* In ''LightNovel/TheRisingOfTheShieldHero'' the final arc explains that given sufficient time and resources, populated worlds will eventually develop technology or magic sufficiently advanced to make every citizen immortal and free from want. However, eventually somebody on one of those worlds will develop a god complex and head into the multiverse to cause trouble [[NormalFishInATinyPond on less developed worlds]]. [[spoiler:Medea, the BigBad of the entire story, is one such self-proclaimed goddess who has been causing the Waves both to gather power and amuse herself by watching the mortals suffer]].

%%* ''LightNovel/ScrappedPrincess'' also twists this trope in at the end.

* ''[[{{LightNovel/Slayers}} Slayers Revolution]]'': Zanaffar in Episode 13:

* In ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline'', the BigBad Akihiko Kayaba's lifelong dream is to create a world that he himself has designed, with complete control over it. Fortunately, unlike many examples he simply creates a MMORPG to play around with. Unfortunately, he decides to trap 10,000 people inside that game, killing anyone who disconnects or dies in it, because otherwise it wouldn't be "real" enough for him. Somehow, he's less ''still'' not as crazy and evil as several other villains of the series.

** [[BrokenAce Sosuke Aizen]] has an extreme god complex, claiming that he alone can "stand in Heaven" and become something even a god could only wish to be, with his ultimate plan being to overthrow the Soul King and take its place in the Royal Realm. He even built a sky with artificial spying abilities and used the Hougyoku to try and break the boundary between the shinigami and the divine [[spoiler:before Ichigo stopped him]]. It's such an integral part of his character that the mini-arc where he was finally defeated was called ''[[KillTheGod Deicide]]'', which literally means "to kill a god." [[spoiler:It also alludes to Gin's Bankai, ''Kamishini no Yari'' ("God-Killing Spear"), which he used in his attempt to kill Aizen.]]

** Orochimaru's self-stated goal is to learn all ninjutsu and discover their origin, which led him to covet the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan and later the power of the Sage of Six Paths. His efforts to obtain this power spur much of the conflict in Part I, as to this end he attempted to attain Sage Mode -- developing the Cursed Seals in the process; and developed an [[ShootTheShaggyDog incorrect]] hypothesis that the Sage's Rinnegan could be attained by reuniting the Sage's bloodlines, the Senju and Uchiha clans. To do so, he figured out how to [[BodySurf transfer his soul into a host body]] and experimented to see if it was possible to transplant [[GreenThumb Hashirama Senju]]'s cells[[note]]Which would also let him use Wood Release and control the Tailed Beasts.[[/note]] into others, succeeding with Yamato and Danzo. His efforts to acquire an Uchiha as a host, however, have continually backfired and gotten him killed ''twice''.
** His assistant Kabuto attempted to complete Orochimaru's plan to become the next Sage of Six Paths, successfully attaining Sage Mode and bartering with Tobi for a White Zetsu and Sasuke, whose Sharingan Kabuto believed would evolve into a Rinnegan upon the transfusion of Senju Cells from the White Zetsu.

* In ''Anime/AngelBeats'', after the SSS manages to [[NiceJobBreakingItHero oust Angel from her Student Council Presidency]], gets Naoi Ayato to succeed her; in all respects, he is this trope. Though [[spoiler: it becomes much more humorous after his HeelFaceTurn]].

* In ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'', Emperor Ganishka takes a stab at this, but [[spoiler:Griffith]] really gets it done.

* Director Kakuzawa in ''Manga/ElfenLied'' wants to be the father of the future generations of the Diclonius race so that when it replaces humanity he'll be worshiped as their god. [[spoiler:This doesn't work out well for him in the end, as it involved the cooperation of Lucy, who decided to kill him instead.]]
** Moreover, his own status as a Diclonius [[spoiler:turns out to be based on the racial myths of his once-persecuted, very Human family -- his clan merely possessed a freaky skull defect that superficially resembled Diclonius horns, but turned out to be wholly unconnected); Lucy's evolutionary offshoot has no connection to his clan whatsoever, as Lucy tells his corpse.]]

* ''Manga/FutureDiary'' has twelve already mentally unstable individuals empowered with precognitive diaries and [[ThereCanBeOnlyOne made to battle each other]]; the winner will become God once the other 11 are dead. As a result, it's probably easier to state which one of the diary holders ''do not'' suffer from this to one degree or another.
** Ironically, [[spoiler: TheHero who ends up WINNING.]]

* Played straight and slightly subverted in ''Manga/OnePiece''. The villain of the Skypeia arc, Eneru, declares himself God. This is subverted in that, according to Gan Fall, the prior God of Skypeia, "God" is merely the title for the Skypeian leader. However, Eneru believes himself a true god by virtue of his lightning-based Devil Fruit abilities and power to read others' conscious thoughts.
** And the fact that the word for ''god'' (kami) is similar to the word for ''thunder'' (kaminari) in Japanese. A fact he puns on by introducing himself with "Ore wa Kaminari" which can mean both 'I am Lightning' or 'I have become God'.

* Rex Godwin in ''Anime/YuGiOh5Ds''. He tries to TakeAThirdOption in the Signer vs Dark Signer war that has been going on for millennia by losing to a Dark Signer on purpose to become a Dark Signer himself, then grafts his brother's amputated arm with the fifth Signer mark onto his own stump of an arm. The end result is that he becomes a Signer and a Dark Signer at once, planning to use the Dark Signer's power to destroy the world, then use the Signer's power to remake the world in his own image.

* ''Manga/CeresCelestialLegend'': [[spoiler:Shiso.]] Sort of.

* ''Manga/FushigiYuugi'': [[spoiler:Nakago.]]

* Adam Arclight from ''Manga/{{Needless}}''.

* ''LightNovel/ScrappedPrincess'' also twists this trope in at the end.

* Knives from ''Manga/{{Trigun}}'', eesh.

* Most antagonistic espers in ''Manga/MobPsycho100'' show this attitude in regards to their powers making them inherently superior to normal humans. Most of them end up on the receiving end of a KirkSummation from the protagonists, who reject the idea of espers being better than humans due to their powers. Also of note is the spirit Dimple, who's main motivation is to have himself [[spoiler: and, later, Mob,]] worshipped and revered as Deities for their powers.

** In the [[Anime/DragonBallZBrolyTheLegendarySuperSaiyan first Broly movie]] of the series, Broly is able to single-handedly beat down everyone. This includes (All of which are SSJ) Goku, Gohan, Trunks, and Vegeta. After Vegeta gets beat a second time, Piccolo appears to (at least try to) save the day. He looks at the damage, and then at Broly.
--->'''Piccolo''': What are you, some kind of monster?\\
'''Broly''': Monster? No...I'm the Devil. (In the edited version this is replaced with "I AM A DEMON!")

** Ultimately, his [[spoiler: VillainousBreakdown occurs when Near tells Light that he's nothing more than a childish, unhinged mass-murderer. Light finally up all hope of anyone understanding him, and desperately tries to kill Near; it's only when Light's shot repeatedly does he realize that he's painfully mortal.]]

* In ''Anime/ReCreators'' Blitz Talker's Creator Shunma Suruga is the only one who embraces the Created labeling them gods. If Blitz had expected any remorse or sympathy from her for killing his daughter, he was mistaken. In fact, she goes to great length to drive home the point: She is the god, she'll cause as much suffering as she likes.
* The dorm leader of ''Manga/MariaHolic'', who rules with an iron fist and is TheDreaded among her students, is named ''God'' and for all she cares, you ''will'' think of her as such.
* In ''Manga/DeathNote'', [[LightIsNotGood Light Yagami]] believes himself a god who brings his own form of justice to the world by killing criminals with a supernatural notebook (all thoughts that concern this usually being accompanied by GlowingEyesOfDoom in the anime). He proclaims his desire to become "the God of this new world" ''in the first episode'' and is generally consistent in this. It's like an ActionPrologue. Eventually, some people also start worshipping him as one, especially [[spoiler:Teru Mikami, who always calls him "God." Near]] eventually [[ShutUpHannibal calls him out]] on this:
-->''"You yielded to the power of the shinigami and the notebook and confused yourself with a god."''
** Ultimately, his [[spoiler: VillainousBreakdown occurs when Near tells Light that he's nothing more than a childish, unhinged mass-murderer. Light finally up all hope of anyone understanding him, and desperately tries to kill Near; it's only when Light's shot repeatedly does he realize that he's painfully mortal.]]
* ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar'' is set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland where guns have ceased to exist. Martial arts masters who do not walk the path of righteousness will fall victim to this mental illness and proceed to build an empire of blood, tears, and tyranny before being taken down by Kenshiro.
* ''Manga/HayateTheCombatButler'': Katsura-sensei [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cit_hayate_the_combat_butler_23_Katsura_a_god_am_i.jpg makes a shout out]] to Light's trademark glowing eyes and "I will be god of a new world" line during her scheme to shame a rival teacher into leaving.

* In ''Anime/TransformersHeadmasters'', Galvatron hatches a scheme to use the Earth as raw material to become a being akin to his creator, Unicron. When Punch, the Autobot spy learned of this plot, he uttered the words, "He's gone mad!" As if all of Galvatron's actions since the third season of the Generation 1 cartoon didn't clue us in already.
* ''Anime/{{Kamichu}}'' contains a noticeable aversion: The main character of the anime actually ''does'' become a god, for no particular reason, just before the series begins. She continues, however, to act like a confused, shy, somewhat overwhelmed middle-school girl, and her deific status is treated more or less like a part-time job. This is not so much a usual instance of A God Am I but more of an expression of the UsefulNotes/{{Shinto}} belief that all things and beings are tied to their gods.
* ''LightNovel/ScrappedPrincess'' also twists this trope in at the end.

* ''Anime/TenchiMuyo'': [[BigBad Kagato]] desires to acquire the power of the Juraian Royal Family and reign over the universe as its god. His name actually ''means'' "I am god who is man."
* In ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEED'', Rau Le Creuset, [[spoiler:rants about him being the one to judge humanity which has done horrible deeds (especially in the last days and also to him. The whole concept is emphasized by his Providence Gundam as in divine providence. Though, it's not based on any god-like powers of his or the like.]]
** His friend Durandal in the sequel ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEEDDestiny'' [[spoiler:thinks of himself more as a High Priest (stated in series by Mu [maybe?]) of his new world order than a god.]]
* [[spoiler:Ribbons Almark]] of ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundam00 Gundam 00]]'' believes himself to be far superior to any living being in existence, and feels that justifies his desire to conquer all of humanity. [[spoiler:He actually is superior to most humans by way of being an ArtificialHuman with superior capabilities, but once Setsuna becomes a True Innovator, he's lost that position of superiority.]]
-->'''Setsuna''': Why are you doing this? Do you want to play God?
-->'''[[spoiler:Ribbons]]''': No. I really am God.

** [[spoiler:Lelouch's brother Schneizel develops a sudden god complex himself in episode 23 of R2, and ends up nearly killing Cornelia because of it. He intends to use Damocles' arsenal of FLEIJA nukes to rule the world by forced peace. It's implied that he mostly cares about the latter part and is just willing to roll with acting as a god if that's what it takes. Lelouch foils his plan and Geasses him to [[ExactWords serve Zero]].]]
* In ''Manga/AirGear'', the BigBad declares himself the King of the Sky after obtaining the [[{{Macguffin}} Sky Regalia]]. Given the series' constant focus on having the freedom to fly however one wants, he's essentially declaring himself the lord of everything.

* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'':
** [[BrokenAce Sosuke Aizen]] has an extreme god complex, claiming that he alone can "stand in Heaven" and become something even a god could only wish to be, with his ultimate plan being to overthrow the Soul King and take its place in the Royal Realm. He even built a sky with artificial spying abilities and used the Hougyoku to try and break the boundary between the shinigami and the divine [[spoiler:before Ichigo stopped him]]. It's such an integral part of his character that the mini-arc where he was finally defeated was called ''[[KillTheGod Deicide]]'', which literally means "to kill a god." [[spoiler:It also alludes to Gin's Bankai, ''Kamishini no Yari'' ("God-Killing Spear"), which he used in his attempt to kill Aizen.]]
** [[ScarySkeleton Second Espada Barragan]] proclaims himself the "God of Hueco Mundo", having been its original unopposed ruler as a Vasto Lorde before Aizen came knocking thanks to his [[WalkingWasteland power]] making him effectively unstoppable. Heck, even Aizen only defeated him thanks to his illusions before he could unleash that power. [[spoiler:Eventually, he gets disintegrated [[HoistByHisOwnPetard by his own power being turned against him]]. His opponent notes that perhaps this ''is'' the only way to kill a god.]]
** Yukio declared himself to be a god of his game dimension. [[spoiler: Since Yukio's idea of fighting was based on video games and Hitsugaya was a seasoned warrior, Hitsugaya didn't have much trouble defeating him.]]
** [[GodEmperor Yhwach]]. [[spoiler:It's right there in his name: When he was just born, the people considered him a holy child due to the miracles he could perform. The first thing he ever heard was of them chanting "YHWH" (Yahweh), one of the ancient Hebrew names for God. He took that name for himself, and tweaked it just a tad to promote his own identity, thus resulting in Yhwach. He even calls his power "The Almighty".]]
** Mask de Masculine boasted that Renji would stand no chance against his "Godly" power. [[spoiler:Renji shrugs off his attacks, impales him on his sword, and reduces him to a pile of ash with ''Souou Zabimaru Zaga Teppou'' in one of the story arc's most awesome moments.]]
* Father, the main villain of the manga version of ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'', believes that humans are mere insects that are to be used as [[MagnificentBastard pawns in his plan]]. [[spoiler:He's not human himself, being the original homunculus that all other homunculi comes from; he does have human ''origins'', however, being partially created from Van Hohenheim's blood (making Father essentially a "son" of sorts to Hohenheim).]] His contempt shows when Ed goes to Xerxes, and discovers a transmutation circle that shows the name of {{God}} upside down. [[spoiler:In chapter 104, he uses the five sacrifices to force open the world's Gate, dragging God itself down to Earth and fusing with it.]] Fortunately, that didn't last long, as [[spoiler: [[BatmanGambit Hohenheim had taken measures to ensure Father got to enjoy his godliness for a couple minutes at most.]] ]]
* Kars, the villain of the second part of ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'', becomes "[[UltimateLifeForm the perfect lifeform]]" just before the final battle. When you have absolutely no weaknesses and can feed on any living thing by touch, claiming godhood is not that much of a stretch.
** There's also Dio Brando, who often acts as if he has [[{{Pun}} the world]] in his hands. He's the series's SatanicArchetype, with a legion of devoted, {{brainwashed| and crazy}}, and/or bribed followers whose ultimate plan [[spoiler:to reset the universe]] is carried out by a priest, and his name ''quite literally'' [[BilingualBonus means]] "God".

* Shapiro Keats from ''Anime/{{Dancougar}}'' is always under the ambition that he will be a god. Which leads him to dump his lover Sara, and join the Muge Empire, rising up the ranks as a top-class strategist. Then his plans eventually come crashing down and he still held his delusions that he will be a god. [[spoiler:This doesn't stop him from saving the Cyber Beast Force in "Blazing Epilogue" with his anger against the aliens who betrayed him. Dancougar is a machine fed by fury, and he had lots of it.]] All that frustration had to go somewhere.
* Masami Eiri from ''Anime/SerialExperimentsLain'': [[spoiler:he commits suicide so he can enter the Wired and become its god, but he states that he's only able to be a god because he has followers, the hacker group known as the Knights of the Eastern Calculus.]] Eiri's ultimate goal is to [[spoiler:connect all of humankind subconsciously through the Wired. That's what he created Lain to accomplish.]]
** [[spoiler:He's proven wrong quite dramatically at the end, where he actually does declare himself an "omnipotent god" before being interrupted by Lain. In a single BreakingSpeech she hints at the existence of a real {{God}}, mocks Eiri for thinking himself anything more than a puny human and destroys him effortlessly when he tries to attack her in a rage. A God I'm Not...]]
*** [[spoiler:He's declaring this to a girl who is omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent. And probably immortal. Oh the irony...]]
* Played straight and slightly subverted in ''Manga/OnePiece''. The villain of the Skypeia arc, Eneru, declares himself God. This is subverted in that, according to Gan Fall, the prior God of Skypeia, "God" is merely the title for the Skypeian leader. However, Eneru believes himself a true god by virtue of his lightning-based Devil Fruit abilities and power to read others' conscious thoughts.
** And the fact that the word for ''god'' (kami) is similar to the word for ''thunder'' (kaminari) in Japanese. A fact he puns on by introducing himself with "Ore wa Kaminari" which can mean both 'I am Lightning' or 'I have become God'.
** The World Nobles. Simply by virtue of the fact that their ancestors founded the [[TheGovernment World Government]] (an organization of over 170 countries), they consider themselves divine by nature. The descendants of those who "created this world", they use their heritage as the sole justification for their reprehensible actions, including but not limited to slavery (which was abolished ''two hundred years ago''), and blatantly disregard the law regularly. Worse yet, the World Government condones these actions, to the point that the Marines ignore the existence of numerous human shops that cater to them and other, lesser nobles, and are frequently sent out to retrieve escaped slaves. However, the most distressing thing of all is that defying the World Nobles is considered a crime of the worst sort -- they even have the authority to send an ''[[PersonOfMassDestruction admiral]]'' to deal with even the smallest offense, and one chapter showed that even suggesting they're human like everyone else is considered blasphemy.
* Subverted in ''Manga/MagicKnightRayearth'': The Pillar of Cephiro ''has'' limitless power, as it is her will which [[FisherKing gives shape to the world]]. When [[spoiler:Hikaru achieves this state, in both anime and manga, she relinquishes it ''immediately'' and gives it willingly to the inhabitants of Cephiro, so ''they'', rather than a single person, are responsible for their own world.]]
* In ''Anime/MacrossFrontier'', the ultimate goal of the BigBad is [[spoiler:to unite the galaxy in a galaxy-spanning [[HiveMind collective consciousness]] (whether it wants to or not) with the BigBad personally at the very top]].

* ''[[{{LightNovel/Slayers}} Slayers Revolution]]'': Zanaffar in episode 13:
-->"Everything, from gods to demons, I was created to surpass them all! ... And if my numbers keep growing, ... I will be able to consume even the gods!"

** [[spoiler:Madara Uchiha. His true goal of Infinite Tsukuyomi - With the most powerful chakra after taking away everyone else, he'll rule over everyone and 'force peace' onto them.]]

* Creed from ''Manga/BlackCat'' does this after he [[spoiler:uses nanomachines to become immortal]]. He tells Sephiria that her death will be the result of her opposing God (in other words, him). In a rather comedic moment, Creed explains to Train that he can recover from any life-threatening wound in a few seconds except for damage to the brain. Train promptly supplies that makes him more like a zombie, to which Creed angrily replies that it makes him a god.
* Creator/OsamuTezuka's ''Manga/{{Phoenix}}'': volume Future, has main character Masato Yamanobe fill the role of God. Masato must begin the evolution of Earth anew when the current world is devastated by nuclear war (and it is hinted that this isn't the first time life on Earth has been obliterated). Masato doesn't want to be god and in fact tries to discourage the people he helps create from thinking of him in that way. The real god of the story is the eternal Phoenix, who gave Masato his power and immortality in the first place.
* Claire Stanfield from ''LightNovel/{{Baccano}}'' doesn't need superpowers to convince him that he's God - he's just a BadassNormal [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solipsist solipsist]].
** It turns out that Claire Stanfield's god complex is hereditary, as his great-grandaughter Claudia has much the same worldview.
* ''Manga/FutureDiary'' has twelve already mentally unstable individuals empowered with precognitive diaries and [[ThereCanBeOnlyOne made to battle each other]]; the winner will become God once the other 11 are dead. As a result, it's probably easier to state which one of the diary holders ''do not'' suffer from this to one degree or another.
** Ironically, [[spoiler: TheHero who ends up WINNING.]]
* ''Franchise/DragonBall'':
** The exact opposite also occurs: ''Manga/DragonBall'' features our green Namekian friend Kami. As you all know by now, that's Japanese for "god". Though he may be called a god, he has higher-ups in heaven and is infinitely weaker than all bad guys in ''Anime/DragonBallZ''.
** In the [[Anime/DragonBallZBrolyTheLegendarySuperSaiyan first Broly movie]] of the series, Broly is able to single-handedly beat down everyone. This includes (All of which are SSJ) Goku, Gohan, Trunks, and Vegeta. After Vegeta gets beat a second time, Piccolo appears to (at least try to) save the day. He looks at the damage, and then at Broly.
--->'''Piccolo''': What are you, some kind of monster?\\
'''Broly''': Monster? No...I'm the Devil. (In the edited version this is replaced with "I AM A DEMON!")
** Frieza shows vibes of this during his eventual VillainousBreakdown in ''Z'', completely unwilling to accept that he lost to a "[[FantasticRacism monkey]]" such as Son Goku.
** Zamasu from ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'' is an interesting variation, in that he technically ''is'' a god, but only one of a great many in the setting, dozens of them being higher-ranking than him. However, his differing ideals of the purpose of the gods leads him to [[spoiler:not only attempt genocide of all mortal beings, but to commit mass deicide in order to make himself the ''only'' god]].
* In ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'' this can be used to describe the power of those who have access to the higher levels of Spiral power. Lordgenome acts a lot in the fashion of a god-like king and the [[spoiler: Anti-Spiral have taken such a position concerning the whole universe dedicating themselves to protecting it.]]
** Even the good guys get in on the act to a degree: Chouginga/Super Galaxy Gurren Lagann is described as [[BlasphemousBoast being able to take on the gods themselves]].
** You can even argue that this trope regarding the heroes is [[spoiler: [[SubvertedTrope subverted]] ''and'' [[DefiedTrope defied]] at the end of the series. Simon could have ascended to god-status easily and permanently; at a certain point one might assume this will be the case, considering the amazing power he and Team Dai-Gurren have amassed. But instead, Simon refuses to take that role; Yoko and he even give the ''opposite'' of the "A God Am I" speech: [[DefiedTrope "Simon isn't God, Gimmy." / "I'm just Simon the Digger."]] (He had his reasons, though it's a very controversial end.)]]
* ''Anime/YuGiOhGX'' gives use several. Kagemaru wishes to harness the power of the Mythic Demons/Sacred Beasts to "become the God of the world" and restore his youth. Saiou, possessed by an EldritchAbomination, wished to cleanse the world and remake it in "the image of light." Yubel wanted to fuse all twelve dimensions into one, and rule over them with Judai. Amon Garam wants to become the god of the alternate dimensions. [[MonsterOfTheWeek Duelist of the week]] Frantz, who dueled using a copy of the Winged Dragon of Ra, merged with Ra using its special ability:
-->'''Frantz:''' Now you will respect me, you insignificant little insect! I don't ''have'' an Egyptian god, [[LargeHam I AM ONE!]]
* Rex Godwin in ''Anime/YuGiOh5Ds''. He tries to TakeAThirdOption in the Signer vs Dark Signer war that has been going on for millennia by losing to a Dark Signer on purpose to become a Dark Signer himself, then grafts his brother's amputated arm with the fifth Signer mark onto his own stump of an arm. The end result is that he becomes a Signer and a Dark Signer at once, planning to use the Dark Signer's power to destroy the world, then use the Signer's power to remake the world in his own image.
** Z-ONE in the most recent season is apparently also a "God of Destiny" ([[spoiler: being able to change the past and all that]]).
--> '''Z-ONE:''' Yusei Fudo, though you may have come this far with [[ScrewDestiny the intention to cut open the future with your own power]]...[[AllAccordingToPlan everything has merely traveled along the rails that I have laid out.]] To you, I am the equivalent of a God. [...] In order to change [[BadFuture the future]], Zero Reverse was caused and your lives were changed dramatically. You were orphaned, living in Satellite, and then rose up to the challenges in the WRGP. However, that victory was only a means [[spoiler: [[ColonyDrop to call out the Ark Cradle]]]]. [...] Do you understand? The meaning of me being your God? And if a God decides to take a path of destruction, then no one shall defy it.
* ''Manga/FushigiYuugi'': [[spoiler:Nakago.]]
* ''Manga/CeresCelestialLegend'': [[spoiler:Shiso.]] Sort of.
* Director Kakuzawa in ''Manga/ElfenLied'' wants to be the father of the future generations of the Diclonius race so that when it replaces humanity he'll be worshiped as their god. [[spoiler:This doesn't work out well for him in the end, as it involved the cooperation of Lucy, who decided to kill him instead.]]
** Moreover, his own status as a Diclonius [[spoiler:turns out to be based on the racial myths of his once-persecuted, very Human family - his clan merely possessed a freaky skull defect that superficially resembled Diclonius horns, but turned out to be wholly unconnected); Lucy's evolutionary offshoot has no connection to his clan whatsoever, as Lucy tells his corpse.]]

* Played with in ''Manga/TheWorldGodOnlyKnows'', where the protagonist is a god...of {{Dating Sim}}s. [[ItMakesSenseInContext Which is actually a good thing for the plot.]]
* Knives from ''Manga/{{Trigun}}'', eesh.
* In ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'', Emperor Ganishka takes a stab at this, but [[spoiler:Griffith]] really gets it done.
** In the bloopers the voice over guy has a mental breakdown and becomes convinced that he is God when he finds out they've finished the last episode.
* [[spoiler:Theodore Dudek]] in ''Manga/KingOfRPGs'' wants everyone to play RolePlayingGames constantly. Yes, you guessed it... he wants to [[spoiler:be the Game Master!]] Shesh's reaction and the last line illustrate this is a parody, but it's still a good example.
-->[[spoiler:Theodore]]: Well, yeah... but it's sorta more then that. I want everyone on earth to play role-playing games constantly! To play them like breathing! Imagine a world where everyone is completely absorbed in their own fantasies! Better yet, ''my'' fantasies! I want to create an imaginary world that everyone dreams of being a part of! A grand illusion with me as the Game Master, adored by all! Games are about ''control''! And when I have that control...[[Manga/DeathNote I will reign over a new world!]]

* In ''Anime/AngelBeats'', after the SSS manages to [[NiceJobBreakingItHero oust Angel from her Student Council Presidency]], gets Naoi Ayato to succeed her; in all respects, he is this trope. Though [[spoiler: it becomes much more humorous after his HeelFaceTurn]].
** [[spoiler:Yuri subverts this near the end of the series. She discovers the source of the Shadow [=NPCs=] and is presented with the opportunity to effectively become God by taking control, but chooses to destroy the source instead.]]
* In ''Manga/{{Psyren}}'', the BigBad Amagi Miroku claims to be "the god of a new world." Also, Usui who used his knowledge of the future to become GodEmperor of Neo Amakusa.
* ''Manga/FairyTail'':
** The Exceed, a ''race'' who view themselves as this over the humans [[spoiler: except it's really a [[TheMasquerade very carefully constructed lie]].]] [[spoiler: Happy turns out to be part of this race.]]
** We also have Godslayers, whose Magic is an alternative form of Slayer magic. Of the three introduced, [[AxeCrazy Zan]][[PlayingWithFire crow]] considers himself a god in much the very same way [[TheHero Natsu]] sees himself as a Dragon. [[ShockAndAwe Orga]] is just extremely arrogant, and [[BlowYouAway Sherria]] is the utter opposite.
** Then there's God Serena, the [[TheArchmage #1 Wizard Saint]] of Ishgal and the first amongst the "Four Gods of Ishgal", collectively considered gods amongst men for their power, who wields the power of [[spoiler:'''eight''' Dragon Slayer magics granted by his Lacrima]], and has let said power go to his head. [[spoiler:He ends up picking a fight with [[WorldsStrongestMan Acnologia]], [[CurbStompBattle who kills him without batting an eye]]]].
** Dimaria Yesta of Alvarez is a bit more low-key and justified, as she [[spoiler:actually ''wields'' the power of [[TimeMaster the God of Time, Chronos]]]]. The only things that can stop her when she gets serious [[spoiler:are Sherria using her full and unrestrained power and the most powerful demon in the world]].
** Ajeel Ramal of Alvarez (who power-wise is on par with God Serena and Dimaria) declares himself as such when he activates his [[DishingOutDirt Sand World]] ability and attempts to [[KneelBeforeZod make Erza revere him as such]] before he kills her. [[spoiler:Erza [[ShutUpHannibal responds]] by setting up Bisca's shot with [[WaveMotionGun the Jupiter cannon]] before taking him down.]]
** Bloodman of Alvarez ([[SmugSuper noticing a pattern yet?]]) repeatedly declares himself "The God of Death" due to the ease with which he can slaughter people [[WalkingWasteland simply with his mere presence]] [[spoiler:thanks to his [[OurDemonsAreDifferent demon physiology]] making him the ultimate MageKiller.]] When he finally goes all-out, [[spoiler:it takes Gajeel assimilating Bloodman's own AntiMagic particles and unlocking [[SuperMode Dragon Force]] to bring him down.]] Particularly blasphemous since there ''is'' an actual God of Death in the ''Fairy Tail'' universe.
* The Mage from ''Manga/TheLuciferAndBiscuitHammer'', once he became [[TheUnfettered an unfettered psychic]] and [[spoiler: hammered the Earth, then did it again in a different time/dimension a dozen more times]].
* In ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex'':
** [[SuperpowerLottery Accelerator]] certainly seems like this at first, as he claims he is trying to raise his power so that "even thinking of challenging me would be a sin," but it is later revealed that he had been convinced that becoming godlike would be the only way to prevent people from challenging him and getting horribly injured by his abilities.
** God's Right Seat takes it further: they are aiming to become "[[AbstractApotheosis The One Above God]]". [[spoiler:Fiamma of the Right actually achieves this briefly, but is quickly taken down by a number of factors.]] [[ArtisticLicenseReligion A rather paradoxical goal, given they are supposed to be Christians.]]
** Othinus has the power of the Norse God Odin, but she also incessantly tells everyone to bow down and worship her, and keeps her arrogance even when she loses her powers.

* ''Manga/YuYuHakusho'':
** Yusuke Urameshi had a moment like this when it turned out that [[spoiler:[[TomatoInTheMirror he's really an]] [[SuperWeight uber-powerful]] {{Youkai}}]], shouting "Kneel down and worship me, you insects!". Subverted in that he immediately reveals it to be [[ItAmusedMe an immature prank]] and says that they should have seen their faces. Which was itself a strong indication that he hadn't changed.
** Played straight in the movie when the BigBad declares himself a god.
* ''LightNovel/FullMetalPanic'': Happens twice in the novels, after [[spoiler:Kaname Chidori]] becomes possessed by [[spoiler: Sophia]], the original Whispered. The first time, in ''Semaru Nick of Time'', just before [[spoiler:Sophia]] takes over, she resonates with [[spoiler:Kaname]] and she claims that: "If a God exists, then we are that existence. You are the entirety of the three Moirae. Clotho, Lachesis, Atropos." The second time it happens in the second part of ''Zutto Stand By Me'', when [[spoiler:Sophia/Kaname]] thinks that there is no God, no help coming from anywhere, only herself and [[spoiler:the machine she had created to change the world.]]
--->"However, if the three Fates would be born from human technology, she would become all of them - Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos at the same time."
** It's worth mentioning that most people loyal to Leonard Testarossa seem to think the same way about her, considering her and Leonard as Gods that would [[spoiler:make their sad pasts go away, and give them a new, better life in return]].
* Yasako begins seeing herself as the goddess of the civilization growing on her face in one episode of ''Anime/DenNohCoil''. It was...an odd episode.
* This trope is the main reason why [[LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya Kyon, Yuki, Mikuru and Itsuki]] spend so much time, effort and stress to keep LightNovel/{{Haruhi|Suzumiya}} from finding out she is a [[spoiler:RealityWarper]].
* In ''Manga/KamichamaKarin'', the titular character's magical girl form is that of an actual goddess. Her transformation {{catchphrase}} is "I am God".
* [[spoiler:Zeus]] in ''Manga/KingOfThorn'', who manipulated the Medusa in [[spoiler:Shizuku]], and gave himself some nifty abilities in the process. [[spoiler: He also orchestrated a lot of things in the plot]], and is [[GigglingVillain a giggling asshat]].
* In ''Anime/ArmoredTrooperVOTOMS'', It turns out Chirico is an [[spoiler:Overman]] and that he was destined to [[spoiler:become the new God of the Astragius Galaxy. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lH7-_gwwDew He acted like this when he got the offer]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSONA-fwT4c but it was]] [[FakeDefector all an act]] [[AGodIAmNot to kill Wiseman.]]]]
* Adam Arclight from ''Manga/{{Needless}}''.
* ''Manga/InuYasha'': When Rin was killed by wolves, Sesshoumaru decided to test Tenseiga's power by restoring her to life. When it worked, he concluded Inuyasha was a fool for having let him live, believing he now had no need to fear death. This is eventually lampshaded by his own mother who accuses him of thinking he had become a god and that he was very mistaken to believe he was immune to death. [[spoiler:She proves this point by putting Sesshoumaru through TrainingFromHell against a foe that is immune to Tenseiga. Rin dies in the process for a second time, whereupon Sesshoumaru learns that Tenseiga can only ever revive a life once. Only when the truth about his god complex and the value of compassion sink in does his mother restore Rin back to life.]]

* In ''Anime/TheBigO'', in the final episode [[BigBad Alex Rosewater]] completely loses it, thinking that Big Fau gives him ultimate power, and declares "This world has a new order now! It has a new ''God''!"
* ''LightNovel/FateZero''. Gilgamesh considers the whole world his garden and considers the other Heroic Spirits, including Myth/KingArthur and UsefulNotes/AlexanderTheGreat, as peons and false kings compared to him. He is partially justified in-universe by his status as the first Heroic Spirit and the King of Heroes, by the fact that his power does, in fact, dwarf that of all the other Heroic Spirits, and, just like the Gilgamesh of myth, is also two-thirds god.
* Most antagonistic espers in ''Manga/MobPsycho100'' show this attitude in regards to their powers making them inherently superior to normal humans. Most of them end up on the receiving end of a KirkSummation from the protagonists, who reject the idea of espers being better than humans due to their powers. Also of note is the spirit Dimple, who's main motivation is to have himself [[spoiler: and, later, Mob,]] worshipped and revered as Deities for their powers.
* In ''Anime/GargantiaOnTheVerdurousPlanet,'' [[spoiler:Kugel's [[HumongousMecha Machine Caliber]], Striker]] turns out to be running her own fleet, refashioned into a cult that functions similarly to the Galactic Alliance of Humanity. Interestingly, her motives are more UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans than ego, even suggesting that by ruling humanity, [[spoiler:she's still fulfilling her function, becoming their collective will and thus making all of them her "users"]].
* In the ''Anime/MazingerZ'' series, Kouji Kabuto's grandfather tells him that Mazinger Z can use its power to become a god or a devil. This is most likely in the figurative sense as Mazinger Z could trounce humanity if Kouji ever went bad. In ''Anime/{{Mazinkaiser}}'', Professor Kabuto boasts that Mazinkaiser can ''surpass'' god and devil and in ''Manga/ShinMazingerZERO'', Mazinger Z actually ''becomes a god''!
* In ''LightNovel/TheRisingOfTheShieldHero'' the final arc explains that given sufficient time and resources, populated worlds will eventually develop technology or magic sufficiently advanced to make every citizen immortal and free from want. However, eventually somebody on one of those worlds will develop a god complex and head into the multiverse to cause trouble [[NormalFishInATinyPond on less developed worlds]]. [[spoiler:Medea, the BigBad of the entire story, is one such self-proclaimed goddess who has been causing the Waves both to gather power and amuse herself by watching the mortals suffer]].

* ''Manga/RosarioToVampire'': Kamiya Kanade calls himself God. As a [[spoiler:[[BrownNote siren]]]], he really did win the SuperpowerLottery, but his delusions of godhood come to a crashing halt at the hands ([[spoiler:or rather, voice]]) of [[spoiler:Sun Otonashi, an even more powerful siren whose song causes his body to crumble to dust.]]

* In ''Manga/DeathNote'', [[LightIsNotGood Light Yagami]] believes himself a god who brings his own form of justice to the world by killing criminals with a supernatural notebook (all thoughts that concern this usually being accompanied by GlowingEyesOfDoom in the anime). He proclaims his desire to become "the God of this new world" ''in the first episode'' and is generally consistent in this. It's like an ActionPrologue. Eventually, people also start worshipping him as one too, especially [[spoiler:Teru Mikami, who always calls him "God." Near]] eventually [[ShutUpHannibal calls him out]] on this:
-->''"You yielded to the power of the shinigami and the notebook and confused yourself with a god."''[[note]]A similar line is found in the earlier anime, ''Anime/BubblegumCrisis''.[[/note]]
** Ultimately, his final breakdown occurs when Near claims that Light is nothing more than a mass-murderer. Light gives up all hope of anyone understanding him, and in desperation tries to kill Near.

* Father, the main villain of the manga version of ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'', believes that humans are mere insects that are to be used as [[MagnificentBastard pawns in his plan]]. [[spoiler:He's not human himself, being the original homunculus that all other homunculi comes from; he does have human ''origins'', however, being partially created from Van Hohenheim's blood (making Father essentially a "son" of sorts to Hohenheim).]] His contempt shows when Ed goes to Xerxes, and discovers a transmutation circle that shows the name of {{God}} upside down.
** [[spoiler:In chapter 104, he uses the five sacrifices to force open the world's Gate, dragging God itself down to Earth and fusing with it.]]
*** Fortunately, that didn't last long, as [[spoiler: [[BatmanGambit Hohenheim had taken measures to ensure Father got to enjoy his godliness for a couple minutes at most.]] ]]

* In ''LightNovel/TheRisingOfTheShieldHero'' the final arc explains that given sufficient time and resources, populated worlds will eventually develop technology or magic sufficiently advanced to make every citizen immortal and free from want. However eventually somebody on one of those worlds will develop a god complex and head into the multiverse to cause trouble [[NormalFishInATinyPond on less developed worlds]]. [[spoiler:Medea, the BigBad of the entire story, is one such self-proclaimed goddess who has been causing the Waves both to gather power and amuse herself by watching the mortals suffer]].

** ZONE in the most recent season is apparently also a "God of Destiny" ([[spoiler: being able to change the past and all that]]).
--> '''ZONE:''' Yusei Fudo, though you may have come this far with [[ScrewDestiny the intention to cut open the future with your own power]]...[[ExactlyAsPlanned everything has merely traveled along the rails that I have laid out.]] To you, I am the equivalent of a God. [...] In order to change [[BadFuture the future]], Zero Reverse was caused and your lives were changed dramatically. You were orphaned, living in Satellite, and then rose up to the challenges in the WRGP. However, that victory was only a means [[spoiler: [[ColonyDrop to call out the Ark Cradle]]]]. [...] Do you understand? The meaning of me being your God? And if a God decides to take a path of destruction, then no one shall defy it.

** Zamasu from ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'' is an interesting variation, in that he technically ''is'' a god, but only one of a great many in the setting, dozens of them being high-ranking than him. However, his differing ideals of the purpose of the gods leads him to [[spoiler: not only attempt genocide of all mortal beings, but to commit mass deity genocide (or "deicide") in order to make himself the ''only'' god]].