Midoriya vs. Todoroki (My Hero Academia Season 2)
The fight between these two is one of the most brutal in My Hero Academia, as Midoriya slowly sacrifices the fingers on his right hand to stop Todoroki’s continued ice barrage. Eventually, Midoriya sacrifices his left arm too, and he uses the moment to teach Todoroki that anyone who wants to become the number 1 hero without giving their all doesn’t deserve the title. He solidifies his conviction by continuing to fight with his already broken fingers, and managing a few more attacks by ripping his cheek and sacrificing his left leg.
Midoriya’s actions and words remind Todoroki of what it means to want to become a hero. For the first time, Todoroki uses all his power, both his ice and his fire, and is able to claim victory over Midoriya because of it. Although this fight is incredible to watch, it’s one of the best because the loser was the true hero. Midoriya saves Todoroki’s soul. This act causes both to become friends, and easily cements the two as the two strongest heroes in Class 1-A of U.A. High School.
Goku vs. Kefla (Dragon Ball Super)
You can’t make a list about anime fights without including Dragon Ball somewhere, somehow. Dragon Ball Super’s fights continue the franchise’s tradition of people screaming at one another for several episodes and finding deeper wells of power than anyone thought they had.
The Goku vs. Kefla fight isn’t the longest fight in Dragon Ball Super, but the fight finishes with one of the most amazing scenes in the entire franchise. Goku aims to end the fight with one Kamehameha, but Kefla’s attacks are too fast. So he has to constantly charge the attack while dodging Kefla. In the final moments of the battle, Goku has no ground to stand on. With nothing to push off of to dodge Kefla, he uses the still charging Kamehameha to skate across her attack and fire off his finishing move at point blank range. It’s amazing.
Kamui vs. Gintoki, Kagura, and Shinpachi (Gintama)
I don’t know a thing about Gintama, but that doesn’t erase the fact that Kamui’s fight against Gintoki, Kagura, and Shinpachi isn’t incredible to watch. Different fighting styles, unique weapons, a group of friends trying to subdue their crazed companion, and (somewhat) realistic injuries? This fight has it all.
What’s impressive about this fight is that it doesn’t rely on a musical score to set the tone of the battle. This fight is jaw-dropping to watch for no other reason than the incredible animation, visuals, and voice acting. The fight isn’t really supernatural or superpowered either. This is just a group of friends beating the life out of one another, and even though I’ve never watched a single episode of Gintama, I can feel the pure emotion bleeding from the scene. This fight is powerful because it’s so visceral and raw, in a way that not many anime fights can pull off.
Level 100 Boss Fight (Sword Art Online The Movie: Ordinal Scale)
Sword Art Online has earned itself a bad rep over the years, so it came as a surprise that I enjoyed Ordinal Scale. This original story captures the simplistic charm and epic battles of Sword Art Online and cuts away most of the annoying drama and romantic subplots that kept the anime’s second season from being phenomenal.
The film culminates in one of the most incredible fight scenes I’ve seen across any medium. Watching all the heroes from the original anime unite together to take down the Level 100 boss amidst a flurry of colorful explosions, perfectly choreographed teamwork, and epic screaming really gets the heart pumping. The soundtrack is on point too, dipping at the ideal time to give the audience the chance to appreciate how epic the situation is before blaring to life to match the crescendo of attacks near the battle’s conclusion. The fight is so well done, and will probably go down as one of the best anime battles in recent memory.
Araragi vs. Kiss Shot (Kizumonogatari Part 3: Reiketsu)
This fight ends a fantastic trilogy on an incredible note. After becoming Kiss Shot’s vampire slave in Part 1, and restoring her to her full strength in Part 2, Araragi faces his master in Part 3 to end her monstrous reign.
Both fighters possess a vampire’s ability to regenerate from practically any injury, so most of the fight is a series of dismembered limbs, disemboweled organs, decapitations, and broken bones. Both Araragi and Kiss Shot get more creative in their attempts to kill each other as the duel goes on, with neither one really gaining the upper hand until the end.
The rest of the fights on this list are solely between humans or between humans and a monster. Araragi and Kiss Shot’s fight is a battle between two monsters. Araragi wants to be human again so he can be with his girlfriend, but this fight highlights just how non-human he has become. Even if he wins, he’ll only grow more and more like Kiss Shot, until he becomes the same bloodthirsty monster that she is. He’s fighting a foe that will lead to inevitable defeat. No matter what, Kiss Shot wins, and her continued ability to regenerate her body is a constant reminder that she’ll always be a part of his life whether he wins or loses. Araragi’s willingness to fight through his hopeless situation is inspiring to watch, even if it is a bit comical to see him running away halfway through the fight because he has no head or arms and he needs time to regenerate.
