Let's be honest, anime absolutely knocks it out of the park when it comes to a good scrap. The best anime fights aren't just a bit of punch-up; they're proper emotional rollercoasters that stick with you for years. We're talking about battles that made you gasp, cheer, or even have a little cry. So, we've put our necks on the line and ranked the ten most legendary dust-ups ever animated.
What Makes a Proper Good Anime Scrap?
A top-tier anime fight needs blinding animation, proper stakes, and a bit of heart. It’s not just about who’s got the flashiest laser beam. The proper belters are the ones where the characters have to dig deep, overcome their own demons, and the outcome actually means something. If you’re not shouting at the telly by the end of it, what’s the point?
The Top 10 Anime Scraps, Sorted
10. Endeavor vs. High-End Nomu (My Hero Academia)
Why’s Endeavor’s fight so good? It’s a brutal slog where a massive berk of a hero has to finally step up and prove he’s more than just a powerful bellend.
Blimey, this one is a proper grueller. After All Might calls it a day, the world needs a new number one hero. The problem is, it’s Endeavor—a bloke with more baggage than Heathrow Airport. This isn't just a fight; it's a public trial. He gets absolutely minced by this intelligent Nomu called Hood. But just when it looks like he’s done for, he pulls out a move so powerful it’s basically a human sunbeam—the ‘Prominence Burn’. It’s the moment this flawed git finally starts his long road to not being a total arse. Proper goosebumps.
9. Naruto & Sasuke vs. Momoshiki (Boruto)
Right, we all know Boruto can be a bit hit and miss. But this fight? This is what we all wanted to see. The old guard, Naruto and Sasuke, at the absolute peak of their powers, fighting side-by-side like a proper dream team. The animation is absolutely stunning—all fluid martial arts and massive, screen-flying magic. It’s the ultimate bit of fan service that actually delivers. It’s like watching your favourite football duo from the noughties lace up their boots for one last glorious match.
8. Denji vs. Katana Man (Chainsaw Man)
How does Chainsaw Man mix things up? By being absolutely brutal, properly weird, and not giving a monkeys about the usual ‘power of friendship’ claptrap.
Cor, this is a nasty one. Studio MAPPA went all out to show how utterly grotesque and brilliant this world is. Denji gets ripped to shreds, over and over again, all for the chance to… well, touch a girl’s boobs. His motivations are about as high-brow as a Love Island contestant’s, and that’s what makes it so refreshing. The fight is a chaotic, gore-soaked spectacle that ends with the most bizarre and childish contest you’ll ever see. It’s absolutely genius.
7. The Telepathy Club vs. Shimazaki (Mob Psycho 100)
The mad thing about this fight is that the main character, Mob, isn't even in it! Instead, all the sidekicks have to band together to take on a villain who can teleport. The animation is proper clever, showing the fight from the baddie’s point of view—it’s all a blur until they work out how to mess with his senses. It’s a brilliant underdog story that proves you don’t need the main character to have an absolute banger of a scrap.
6. Goku vs. Vegeta (First Fight) (Dragon Ball Z)
This is the granddaddy of them all. Before this, we’d never seen power levels, transformations, or a bloke’s hair colour change because he got a bit cross. The stakes felt massive—the whole planet was on the line. Vegeta is incredibly arrogant, and Goku has to push himself further than ever before. It set the blueprint for every big anime fight that came after it. Proper iconic.
5. Asuka vs. Mass Production EVAs (The End of Evangelion)
Well, this is just horrifyingly beautiful, isn't it? Asuka, in her repaired robot, takes on nine copies all by herself. The animation is a mix of slick mecha action and proper body horror. But it’s not really about the robots. It’s about a deeply troubled girl having one last, furious scream at the world. Her final, defiant shout of "I'll kill you all!" You won’t forget it in a hurry.
4. Kurapika vs. Uvogin (Hunter x Hunter)
This isn't a fight, but a tense revenge thriller. A devil's pact to obtain Kurapika has led to the Phantom Troupe's defeat, and this is its first test. Kurapika is smarter, Uvogin is tough, but... the tension is high. You're not just watching a fight; you're watching one man's quest for revenge finally pay off in the coldest way. It's brilliant.
3. Saitama vs. Boros (One-Punch Man)
The genius of this fight is that we all know Saitama is going to win with one punch. So how do you make it exciting? By having the other bloke, Boros, be so ridiculously powerful that he can kick Saitama to the moon and unleash an attack that should scrub the planet clean of life. The animation is absolutely top-tier—a proper visual feast. But it’s also a bit sad. Boros is just like Saitama: a powerful being bored out of his mind, searching for a worthy fight. And he finds one, only to learn it’s completely hopeless.
2. Simon vs. Anti-Spiral (Gurren Lagann)
This fight is completely and utterly off its rocker. It starts with big robots and ends with characters so massive they’re using entire galaxies as throwing stars. It is the definition of "going too far" and we love it for that. It’s not about the choreography; it’s about pure, unfiltered HYPE. Simon’s journey from a scared kid underground to a bloke who punches god in the face is what anime is all about. Chuffing glorious.
1. Naruto vs. Sasuke (Final Valley)
Why is this the undisputed number one? Because after 500+ episodes of will-they-won’t-they, these two idiots finally have it out in a raw, bloody, and emotionally exhausting brawl that finishes exactly how it should.
This is it. The big one. After they’ve saved the world, these two best mates have one last argument that can only be settled with fists. They start by throwing massive magical attacks at each other, but it all boils down to a proper, gritty fistfight in a crater. There’s no music. Every punch carries the weight of their entire story. It’s the perfect end to one of the biggest anime of all time. It’s not just a fight; it’s storytelling at its absolute best. No contest for the top spot.
(Image: A still from the final Naruto vs. Sasuke fight, showing their bloody fists clashing in the crater.)
Caption: No magic, no music. Just two ex-friends settling their differences the old-fashioned way.