Summary
For better or worse, fights arethe central focus of shonen battle anime, and most plot threads in franchises falling under this banner often revolve around an impending conflict or the aftermath of a battle that has already ended. In many cases, fights can make or break a series' success or failure, and there is an art to depicting conflicts in a way that keeps viewers on the edge of their seats.
The2010swere littered withinnumerable fights that garnered widespread acclaim, broke the internet, and left many viewers unable to deal with the fallout of their conclusion. While there were many expected names among this collection, including several long-running shonen anime titles, there was also an influx of new contenders, who put their own unique spin on the template of gripping anime fights.
The fight that had been building up since the conclusion of the Soul Society Arc finally debuted on screen in theBleachanime, bringing an end to the conflict against Aizen and the Arrancar.
Fromthe debut of Ichigo’s Dangai formand its overwhelming strength — which allowed him to manhandle Aizen’s Hogyoku form — to him unleashing the Final Getsuga Tensho, this fight was packed with payoffs that had been coming for a long time.
A worthy match for the Straw Hats' Captain, Charlotte Katakuri was a major obstacle standing in the way of Luffy rescuing Sanji from the combined forces of the Big Mom Pirates and Germa 66 inOne Piece’sWhole Cake Island Arc.
To make matters worse, Katakuri’s unique Paramecia-type Devil Fruit, the Mochi Mochi no Mi, allowed him to mimic many of Luffy’s own abilities, and augment them with his Conqueror’s Haki and Future Sight. ForLuffy, this was a trial by fire, where he had to master his own Observation Haki and pull out a new Gear 4 form — Snakeman — just to prevail by the skin of his teeth.
In a series filled with moments of jaw-dropping animation, the Battle of Shiganshina inAttack on Titanwas a conflict that deserved a finale filled with explosive action, and there was no better way to bring this to life than setting up a fight between humanity’s strongest soldier and the Beast Titan, Zeke Yeager.
Like many other instances in the series, Levi’s trademark spinning maneuvers completely ripped through Zeke’s defenses. This was a sequence that offered a near-perfect sense of catharsis, in return for the immense sacrifice made by Erwin Smith, as well as the many soldiers who laid down their lives toensure that the Survey Corps would prevailand retake Wall Maria.
Unlike the previous two entries, this fight was a clash of contrasting objectives, rather than two people seeking to annihilate one another for the sake of their own goals. As with many conflicts inHunter x Hunter,the battle between Netero and Meruemwas a masterclass in fight construction, and all-out brawling, supported by its exemplary animation.
The fight’s conclusion came with a dramatic finale, which brought the curtain down on a landmark moment in shonen anime as a whole.
When it comes to sheer spectacle, few fights in anime history could hold a candle to the earth-shattering event that concluded Season 1 ofOne Punch Man,where Saitama took on a planet-destroying alienwho was seeking a worthy opponent.
On its own, Madhouse’s animation pushed this confrontation to ridiculous heights, where each frame and second was bursting with movement, color, purpose, and monumental impact. This is a fight that is nigh on impossible to outdo in terms of its intensity and hype, with many others having tried and failed in the years since it premiered.
Regardless of whether it is the version fromBoruto: Naruto The Movie, or from theBoruto: Naruto Next Generationsseries, this is one of the fights that defined the 2010s.
For one,It showed off what Narutoand Sasuke were truly capable of, after reaching adulthood as seasoned and battle-worn shinobi while highlighting how far the series' animation had come since its early days. It also laid the groundwork for the rest of Boruto’s journey, and did so in impeccable style.
While a major theme throughoutMy Hero Academiawaspassing down the torch to the next generationof heroes, that did not mean the old guard could not seize one final opportunity to show the world what they were still capable of.
All Might’s battle against All For One was perhaps the ideal example of this, where the Symbol of Peace was forced to draw the remaining embers of his power to defeat his old rival once and for all. Needless to say, what ensued was a cataclysmic battle that pushed both combatants beyond their limits.
Since its premiere,Demon Slayerhas taken the landscape of battle anime by storm, in no small part due to Ufotable’s handling of the series' animation. In the years since,the show has new set standards in this regard, with its stylistic palette and fight scenes easily ranking among the most breathtaking in modern anime as a whole.
Out of the many fights that have pushed the show to even greater heights of popularity, it is almost certainly Tanjiro and Nezuko’s fight against Rui, the Lower Rank Five Demon, that takes the cake here, with its intensity, stakes, and the all-important debut of Hinokami Kagura.
2Goku Vs Jiren (Dragon Ball Super)
Goku Steps Into The Domain Of The Gods
If Goku’s battle against Frieza was his defining moment inDragon Ball Z, his fight against Jiren at the Tournament of Power was as close asDragon Ball Supercame to reaching the same heights.
A desperate struggle between two titanic fighters to ensure the survival of their respective universes, Goku and Jiren’s confrontation shook the multiverse to its core, and also marked the debut of one of the franchise’s mosticonic transformations in the form of Ultra Instinct.
Although many fans of the series may have grown tired of the endless flashbacks, filler, and plot contrivances that plagued the Fourth Shinobi World War inNaruto, there is no shred of doubt that this fight was the send-off the series deserved. It had long been known that Naruto’s story would not conclude until he redeemed his closest friend, and this required an epic battle for the ages.
Studio Pierrot’s handling of the fight was nothing short of exemplary, elevating the manga’s content to scenes oftop-notch taijiutsu and ninjutsu exchangeswhile tugging at heartstrings whenever the pair exchanged words. In short, the fight encapsulated the parallel journeys of one of shonen anime’s most iconic duos, providing a spectacular showcase of why the series is now a beloved classic.
MORE:Naruto: Why Naruto And Sasuke’s First Fight Is The Superior Battle
