Top 20 Anime Fights of Each Year
Jessica Wilkins Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we are counting down our picks for the Top 20 Anime Fights of Each Year.
For this list, we’ll be looking at the best battles in the anime scene to come year after year, starting in 2000 all the way to 2019.
Think we overlooked some sensational scuffles? Let us know in the comments below!
2000: Big O vs. Big Duo
“The Big O”Who’s up from some classic robo action? Far from the slick and fluid mecha battles we’ve come to expect from franchises like Gundam, watching two Megadeus punch it out may be slow, but the impact is monumental. With the flying terror that is Big Duo causing chaos in Paradigm City, it once again falls to the slickest Negotiator around to clip its wings. While Big Duo certainly has the high ground, that doesn’t do it much good when compared to the Big O’s seemingly never-ending bag of weaponry. Sure, the collateral damage was off the chain, but at least they put on a hell of a show!
2001: Baki vs. Hanayama
“Baki the Grappler”Having a rookie fighter like a pre-time skip Baki go up against the yakuza’s deadliest enforcer might sound like a wholly one-sided match up, but like everything else in the crazy series, the golden rules remains the same – as long as it isn’t Yujiro, there’s a chance they can be beaten! In spite of Hanayama’s ridiculous size and absurd talent for ripping off flesh with grip strength alone, Baki was still able to hold his own, with his precise striking and unwavering stamina proving to be the key to bringing down such a hulking mass of muscle.
2002: Luffy vs. Crocodile
“One Piece”The insurgent sandman might not technically be the most overwhelming foe that the Straw Hat Captain has faced in his tenure as wannbe-Pirate King, but he’s certainly the one that caused the most damage! It took Luffy no less than three separate attempts to waste the leader of Baroque Works, leaving Luffy in a bad state each time. Naturally, that just made Luffy all the more determined to end him, which he accomplished by using his own bloodied fists to side step Crocodile’s Devil Fruit defence before absolutely wailing on him!
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2003: Rock Lee vs. Gaara
“Naruto”Possibly the most unexpectedly awesome moment from the original series, the match between the once comic relief ninja against the heartless, sleepless killer has since become immortalised as one of the best the series has to offer. With Lee’s extreme taijutsu training proving to be too quick for even Gaara’s instant defence, what was originally posed as one sided slaughter-fest became a compelling underdog story, complete with no end of ferocious fist-work that put Lee on the map as a character deserving of respect. Which of course made the fight’s conclusion all the more heart-breaking.
2004: Ed vs. Greed
“Fullmetal Alchemist”While it’s certainly not the canonical depiction of Greed’s demise contained within the original manga, it’s perhaps the highlight of the Elric Brother’s first adaptation! In spite of his shifting alignment towards the side of good, the reveal of Dante’s supposedly deceased corpse immediately put the homunculus at odds with Ed, leading to Fullmetal fists colliding with the Ultimate Shield. While he may have won the day using his knowledge of alchemy, Ed’s victory also marks the first time he’s actually killed another living person, adding a whole other layer of darkness to what was already a somewhat tragic duel.
2005: Naruto vs. Sasuke
“Naruto”Everyone and their ninja grandmother has weighed in on how impressive the final fight between these two shinobi was at the end of Shippuden, and while its wasn’t anywhere near as destructive, we can’t forget about their first tussle at the Valley of the End. Determined to bring Sasuke back to the Hidden Leaf Village, Naruto is pushed so far that his inner demon fox is subsequently let out of the bag and free to run wild. Throw in the last Uchiha unleashing the full power of the Curse Mark as well as that cinematic collision between Rasengan and Chidori, and this was easily the greatest showdown to come out of the original Naruto series!
2006: Luffy vs. Blueno
“One Piece”What can we say? Luffy was killing it back in the day, and while we’d love to include the final face-off with Lucci, it just missed the yearly mark. Not to say this battle outside Enies Lobby doesn’t make for a great watch! Hot off declaring war against the World Government, Luffy not only dunked on this cocky CP9 agent right off the bat, but did so by powering up to Gear Second for the first time, opening the floodgates to all manner of new rubber-based techniques that we’re sure Blueno has yet to recover from to this day. That bazooka damn well turned him into beef stew!
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2007: Team Dai-Gurren vs. Anti-Spiral
“Gurren Lagann”As far as mecha battles go, they don’t come bigger and more spectacular than this! After reuniting with his beloved Nia, Simon and the rest of Team Dai-Gurren combine their Spiral Power as well as every giant robot at their disposal, and in doing so create a monster of a machine in the form of the Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, which happens to be the size of a whole galaxy. With the sentient malevolence known as the Anti-Spiral reaching a similar size, the stage was set for a brawl that turned out to be as amazing as it was cosmically incomprehensible!
2008: Maka vs. Crona
“Soul Eater”Sometimes, when all hope seems lost, your only choice is to the madness flow. Unable to hold their own against the pure ferocity that is Crona’s demon sword Raganrok, Maka and Soul are left with no choice but to use the black blood for themselves. With their wavelength stronger than ever, the meister and weapon duo were finally able to bring down Medusa’s offspring. Not to worry though, for all this fight’s flashy exchanges and overabundance of insanity, there’s a sweet ending, as Maka does the impossible and breaks Crona out of self-isolation, becoming their first ever friend.
2009: Mustang vs. Lust
“Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood”With nothing more than a lighter, the Flame Alchemist not only put an end to one of anime’s most beautiful and dangerous monsters, but did so in such a way that was as close to animated perfection as possible. Showing up at the last second to save Hawkeye and Alphonse, the thought-dead Colonel wastes no time in incinerating the Homonculus, again and again and again. The swell of the music, the way the flames are gorgeously displayed, Roy’s unflinching gaze as he roasts Lust with every flick, it’s a truly harrowing sight but one that you can’t look away from.
2010: Ichigo vs. Ulquiorra
“Bleach”The Shinigami Strawberry has had a lot of people stab him over the years, but none have a patch on the edgelord Espada. In a bid to rescue Orihime, Ichigo found himself clashing blades with Hueco Mundo’s very own Batman, the results of which ended rather poorly for him, on account of Ulquiorra unleashing a Second Release form, which proved strong enough to blast a hole in him. Of course, the highlight came from Ichigo’s murderous second wind. Taking on a much Hollower guise, he laid waste to the Aspect of Emptiness with zero mercy and a whole lot of screams.
2011: Homura vs. Walpurgis Night
“Puella Magi Madoka Magica”The build-up to this apocalyptic encounter was insane. From the brief glimpse we were given in the opening episode, all the way through Homura’s various time-jumps, it was clear that this particular witch was not something you could just take down with a single shot – hence why Homura brought an entire military’s worth of weaponry with her. Rocket launchers, bombs, every kind of ammo the broken magical girl could get her hands on, she unleashed, all in a desperate attempt to change the impending future that awaited them. While her efforts proved useless, the sight of her setting off a dozen missiles at once isn’t something you’re likely to forget!
2012: Kiritsugu vs. Kirei
“Fate/Zero”Goes to show that for all the Servants and their Noble Phantasms, the ancient heroes of the Fate-verse don’t have a patch on these two Masters, whose long-awaited battle proved to be so visceral and intense that we’re pretty sure we were holding our breath all-throughout. On the one hand you have the self-titled Champion of Justice armed with anti-magic weaponry, who would sacrifice those most precious to him to save the world from strife. On the other, you’ve got the Church’s ultimate assailant whose physical prowess and murderous instincts are unparalleled, who would slaughter everyone in order to find a purpose in life. Put them together and what do you get? One of UFOtable’s greatest accomplishments.
2013: Eren vs. Annie
“Attack on Titan”While the series would go on to elevate and perfect their heavyweight Titan fights down the line, watching these two tear each other to pieces inside the walls still made for a great finale to the original series. After her identity as the Female Titan is blown, Annie goes on a rampage, with only the Survey Corp’s screaming rage machine capable of stopping her. Giving into his bestial side, it’s not long before Eren is tearing off limbs and beating her to a giant pulp, along with any unfortunate civilians that happened to be caught in the middle of their tussle.
2014: Netero vs. Meruem
“Hunter x Hunter”Watching an old man in socks try to squash an ant has never been more exhilarating. With the King’s power proving to be nigh unstoppable, hope for the human race falls to veteran Hunter Netero and his colossal Nen abilities. What follows is quite possibly the height of shounen battles, with Meruem continuously fending off the seemingly endless hands of Netero’s 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva. As much a game of chess as it is a fight between two gods, the way in which Netero utilised the Zero Hand and Poor Man’s Rose is truly unforgettable, raising the bar for animated confrontations everywhere.
2015: Saitama vs. Boros
“One-Punch Man”Turns out when the world’s strongest hero gets serious, he blows everyone’s collective minds in the process. Even after taking out threats like the Deep Sea King and an incoming meteor, it did nothing to prepare us for his hype match against the galactic tyrant Boros. In spite of getting kicked into the moon and bombarded by all manner of next-levels attacks that would likely wipe out any other S-Class heroes, Saitama casually shrugged them off before delivering a punch that made the world shake. The only thing crazier than the damage he inflicted is the knowledge that he was still holding back!
2016: Naruto vs. Sasuke
“Naruto: Shippuden”It was the rematch for the ages and it only took over eleven years to take place! With the fourth great shinobi war finally over, Sasuke finally makes his intentions known, and it’s up to Naruto to end their feud once and for all. Taking place at the very same spot of their last encounter, the valley of the end, Naruto and Sasuke have absolutely no qualms about completely destroying the place. And once both competitors get their insane powers out of their system, it all boils down to one of the best and most brutal fist fights in anime history. We like to think of this fight as a thankyou letter to all the fans who put themselves through all that awful filler!
2017: Midoriya vs. Todoroki
“My Hero Academia”You don’t know what a superhero spectacle is until you’ve seen these two high-schoolers clash via tournament arc, both burdened with so much emotional baggage and unrelenting determination that, quite frankly, you have no idea who to root for. In a desperate act to help Todoroki overcome the shadow of his abusive father, Deku pushes the elemental prodigy to the limit, until he finally accepts both halves of his Quirk. Building to a blistering crescendo, the sight of One for All taking on a simultaneous fire and ice storm is incredible, heightened by the fact we’re seeing two future pros in the making slowly come into their own.
2018: Goku vs. Jiren
“Dragon Ball Super”What a time to be a Dragon Ball fan. Just when it looked like the Tournament of Power couldn’t get any more frantic, along comes Goku to defy the odds once again, only this time by achieving a form that even makes Gods shudder. With his newfound power of Ultra Instinct, the Saiyan wasn’t only able to hold his own against the seemingly unending might of Jiren the Gray, but also gave hardcore Z fans a battle that was just as nostalgic as it was thrilling. Capping with an unexpected tag team with Frieza, this face-off stands proudly amongst the pantheon of Dragon Ball’s greatest outings.
2019: Asta & Yuno vs. Licht
“Black Clover”A no magic loser with a devil inside, a prodigy capable of tapping into the magic of the spirits, and a recently reincarnated elf with sword skills for days. Put all that together and what do you get? An aerial assault that serves as a perfect example as to why this series holds the position of frontrunner for the next generation of shounen. With Licht’s half-awakened body still proving to be too much to handle alone, the Clover Kingdom’s most iconic rivals let loose with all they have, combining the power of their ascended forms to deliver one hell of a lightshow with the animated trimmings you could want!
