What makes anime fight scenes better than those in the real world?
Awesome anime fights free from the limits of budget, safety, and the laws of physics are one of the big draws for the medium of anime.
Coming up with a top 20 proved a challenge, simply because there's so much awesome action animation out there. Not everyone's favorites will have made the list, of course, but hopefully it will remind you of some the greatest moments of anime ass-kicking or perhaps introduce you to some anime battle scenes on an epic scale that you need in your life right now.
Come check out 20 of the most epic fights in anime!
Luffy Monkey D vs Lucci Rob
From: One Piece Episode 310
Luffy vs Lucci
Luffy fights at his full power to save Nico Robin.
Rock Lee vs Gaara
From: Naruto Episode 48
Naruto’s two coolest characters battle it out in one of the more emotional parts of the Chuunin exams.
Gohan Son vs Cell
From: Dragon Ball Z Episode 184
Gohan vs Cell
Gohan's awakening scene is one of the best moments in anime history.
Isaac Netero vs Meruem
From: Hunter Hunter 2011 Episode 125-126
Netero vs Meruem
A fight between the strongest hunter and the king.
Edward Elric vs Greed
From: Fullmetal Alchemist Episode 34
This is an extremely well-animated fight with the most sympathetic homunculus.
Kallen Stadtfeld vs Suzaku Kururugi
From: Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch R2 (Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2) Episode 25
Kallen vs Suzaku
The final, and historic fight of Code Geass!
Kiritsugu Emiya vs Kirei Kotomine
From: Fate/Zero Episode 24,25
Kiritsugu vs Kirei
The speed, the killing tactics, the battle action, everything is remarkable in this fight.
Spike Spiegel vs Vicious
From: Cowboy Bebop Episode 5
Fights don’t need to be the size of the universe to be epic, though. Between the deep character conflict, the beautiful cinematography, and the amazing music, Spike and Vicious’s first confrontation from Cowboy Bebop stands as one of the most epic anime scenes period.
Kenshin Himura vs Hajime Saito
From: Rurouni Kenshin Episode 30
This is the fluidly animated sword fight from the start of the Kyoto arc that puts Kenshin’s “no killing” oath to the test.
Mugen vs Jin
From: Samurai Champloo Episode 1
This anime battle showdown between unlikely future partners shows off their distinctive fighting styles.
Saitama vs Genos
From: One Punch Man Episode 5
Saitama vs Genos
One Punch Man aired just this past fall, but its intense anime battle scenes will probably go down in anime history!
Motoko Kusanagai vs Spider Tank
From: Ghost in the Shell
Ghost in the Shell has one of the most epic anime battle scenes ever! Motoko vs Spider Tank
The original GitS is heavy on talk, light on action, but its climax pulls out all the stops with this epic anime battle scene!
Yuki Nagato vs Ryouko Asakura
From: The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Episode 4 (Chronological Order)
Haruhi is usually a slice of life comedy, but when a fight breaks out, KyoAni delivers with this beautiful anime battle scene.
Mako vs Ryuuko Matoi
From: Kill la Kill Episode 12
Mako, Kill la Kill’s secret badass, saves her best friend by slapping the crap out of her!
Jonathan Joestar vs Dio Brando
From: Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Episode 8
How do you defeat a seemingly unbeatable vampire? With sheer manly awesomeness in the form of an anime battle!
Eiko Megami(A-Ko) vs. Robots
From: Project A-Ko
An anime battle featuring the daughter of Superman and Wonder Woman is bound to kick ass.
Ahiru Arima vs Rue Kuroha
From: Princess Tutu Episode 13
A dance battle might not be your typical anime battle, but Tutu makes it epic.
QT vs Toaster
From: Space Dandy Episode 13
Everyone’s favorite outdated vacuum robot grows huge with the power of love.
Robot Fight
From: FLCL Episode 1
Disorienting, insane, and utterly awesome. This anime battle scene will take your breath away!
The Origin of O-Ren
Fom: Kill Bill
A lot of anime battle scenes and character development are packed into the short anime sequence from Quentin Tarantino's 2003 movie. (Content Note: Extreme Violence)
Mami Tomoe vs Charlotte
From: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Episode 3 & Movie 1
A blaze of glory with a tragic fall. This is the moment Madoka got messed up and became a phenomenon.
San vs Eboshi vs Ashitaka
From: Princess Mononoke
A metaphorical anime battle of nature vs industry vs compromise from Miyazaki's most action-packed film.
Capsule Gang vs Clown Gang
From: Akira
One of the most captivating opening acts of any movie, this anime battle scene is the perfect hook for an action masterpiece like Akira.
EVA Unit 01 vs EVA Unit 03
From: Neon Genesis Evangelion Episode 18/Rebuild Movie 2
This is the moment Evangelion embraced the darkness and became one of the most intense anime series of all time.
Team Dai-Gurren vs Anti-Spiral
From: Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann Episode 27/Movie 2
Galaxy. Sized. Mechs. In terms of sheer scale, anime battle scenes don’t get any bigger.
Need more action? Check out the Top 5 Anime Action Scenes more entertaining fights!
