Mythology & Religion Power Ranking TOP100
This article introduces Rank 40: Arjuna from the “Mythology & Religion Power Ranking TOP100”, which ranks the gods, monsters, and heroes of world mythology, religion, and legend in order of strength.
If you want to see the full TOP100 list and the criteria behind the rankings, check out the overview article below.
Rank 40: Arjuna (Indian Mythology)
Overview
Arjuna is one of the protagonists of the Mahabharata, the great Indian epic, and is known as the greatest archer hero in Indian mythology.
Arjuna could wield numerous divine weapons called “Astras” that were said to be impossible for ordinary humans to handle. Arrows fired from his divine bow Gandiva never missed their mark, and using an inexhaustible quiver, he could rain arrows down in sufficient numbers to cover the sky all on his own (the myths include depictions of him striking down thousands of enemies with a single volley).
The Pashupatastra, an arrow given to him by the god Shiva, was said to be the most powerful arrow in existence — possessing the power to destroy not just gods but the entire universe — yet Arjuna never used it throughout all of his many fierce battles.
The divine bow Chandradhanush was used during the burning of the Khandava Forest, wielding the power of fire; it is said that not even Indra’s downpour of rain could extinguish the flames from its arrows.
In addition to the standard “Brahmastra,” Arjuna also mastered its superior form, “Brahmashirastra.” When he and Ashvatthama unleashed it in a clash, the impact was so massive that it threatened to destroy the entire world — a literally extraordinary level of destructive power.
Arjuna achieved countless acts of valor in the myths: he slew the invincible hero Karna, defeated the immortal Bhishma, fought a disguised Shiva and was recognized by him, receiving the Pashupatastra — and when cooperating with the fire god Agni to burn the Khandava Forest, he repelled all interference from the heavenly gods including Indra.
Given these achievements, Arjuna is clearly a being that transcends the realm of ordinary humans, and his power is in no way inferior to an average war god. However, being human remains an unmistakable fact, meaning the clear weakness of having no immortality.
Reason for This Ranking
Arjuna is an archer who clearly transcends the human realm, and in particular, when fighting with the divine bow Gandiva, he can be considered capable of going toe-to-toe with an average war god.
However, the most dangerous abilities are the “Pashupatastra” — which was never used in the myths — and the “Brahmashirastra” — which was used only once. By the settings of the story, these would theoretically allow him to destroy virtually any opponent, which makes them very difficult to evaluate in a ranking context.
That said, regarding the Pashupatastra, it seems implausible that the power Arjuna could draw from it would equal what Shiva himself could. Even within the framework of Indian mythology’s lore, a human without a cosmic-scale perspective likely could not produce universe-destroying power from it (though it would still be devastating enough to work against the highest-tier gods).
Furthermore, since Arjuna is still human, his defensive capabilities are considerably weak. This means he could be instantly killed before he fires the Pashupatastra, or if the power gap is so vast that landing an arrow becomes nearly impossible, he would have no recourse — taking all of this into account, I evaluated him at this position in the ranking.
About the Book
I wrote a book that compiles this entire ranking! The reasoning behind each placement is grounded in the actual lore and episodes from each mythology, so I think it makes for a fairly convincing read.
The book also contains many columns and extras not published on this blog, so if you are interested, please check it out below.
📚 Series: Mythology Power Ranking (Individual Characters) (61/100)
