Since the beginning of Japanese animation, one genre has stood the test of time.
Fighting anime is loved by every generation and age group and consistently tops the popularity polls across the world.
From classics such as Dragon Ball, Fist of the North Star, and Gundam, to more contemporary creations such as One Piece and Attack on Titan.
The popularity of fighting anime is apparent to a lot of people, not just due to its entertaining and fast-paced action sequences and awe-inspiring visuals, but also because a lot of the works have an aspect of coming-of-age.
Join our protagonists on their adventures as we showcase some of the greatest fighting-themed anime ever created.
27. Yu Yu Hakusho (1992)
Meet Yusuke Urameshi, an unredeemable person who has the most violent attitude and temper.
A few days ago, Yusuke jumps in front of a car to help a boy and was killed during the incident.
His ghost is welcomed by the ferrywoman from the River Styx, the border to the realm of spirits.
To the delight of Yusuke, Botan clarifies that there was no place for him in any of the realms of spirit.
It is because nobody would ever have expected such a person as Yusuke to give up for any reason.
After meeting Koenma the Son of God’s King Yusuke is offered the chance to go back to his body and carry on living.
Yusuke agrees and is then put through the challenges of the afterlife.
With assistance from a few of his acquaintances, Yusuke can overcome the trials and is back in his body.
But, it was not without a cost.
Yusuke is now a Spirit Detective, tasked with looking into supernatural phenomena that happen within the realm of the living.
26. Terra Formars (2014)
Today, in the 21st Century scientists have sent an experiment algae group to Mars in an attempt to transform the planet.
They were carried on by cockroaches, which travel around the globe and spread the algae wherever they go.
Five centuries after, the first human mission to Mars finds that the Mars mission went wrong.
The cockroaches have transformed into gigantic creatures.
The first crew of the expedition is destroyed by the mutant Cockroaches, yet they manage to send an alert to Earth.
Based on the new data Earth’s scientists started experimenting with humans that were genetically enhanced and preparing for conflict with Mar’s inhabitants known as Terraformars.
25. Seven Deadly Sins (2014)
Elizabeth is a resident of the Kingdom of Britannia which is ruled by the military-minded Holy Knights as the third princess of the figurehead throne.
Dissatisfied with their oppressive regime, Elizabeth sets off on the search for those who once fought against the Holy Knights: the Seven Deadly Sins.
In the past in the past, the Seven Deadly Sins disbanded after they were believed to have attempted to take over the ruling of the Liones Kingdom.
This plot was foiled with the help of the Holy Knights.
They appeared to have been defeated. The Seven Deadly Sins were no more, but the rumors of their existence didn’t stop.
Soon afterward, they were gone. The Holy Knights executed their coup d’etat and quickly assumed the reigns over the kingdom.
Elizabeth embarks on a quest to search for those Seven Deadly Sins to claim what’s hers against the corrupt Holy Knights.
24. One-Punch Man
One-Punch-Man is exactly what it says with the protagonist being so strong that he could take on anyone in one blow.
His story is about getting recognition for the effort the character has put into as a superhero since his actions are usually under-appreciated.
While it may appear as if the show does not have much opposition for the protagonist, that’s not the case since a lot of rivals are up to the challenge.
Their distinct qualities make way for thrilling battles with different characters.
23. Sengoku Basara (2008)
In an alternative Warring States period, Oda Nobunaga is the dark lord who rules with an iron fist.
Yukimura Sanada and Masamune Date are two clans that have fought against one another for long periods of time.
After numerous fights, both warlords realize the bigger threat is Nobunaga and begin to form an uncomfortable alliance.
After that, they embarked to gather the rest of the clans that were fighting against the Dark Lord.
22. Samurai Champloo (2004)
Samurai Champloo is a story that’s sexy and elegant. It’s a reimagining of the Edo period of Japan with an updated twist.
It’s a blend of the traditional and modern street culture portrayed through the characters.
Mugen is from a village ravaged by marauders and bandits, He wields his sword in a wild manner and incorporates elements of contemporary breakdancing.
Jin is an old samurai who is seeking answers.
When they first meet in the middle of a tea shop in which the young Fuu waitresses the customers, they accidentally kill an official’s son.
For this, they’re to be executed. Fuu takes over and helps to orchestrate their escape.
She is inspired by her encounter with the “man who smells of sunflowers,” a samurai she had met in the past through two swordsmen she invites to join her to find him.
21. Rurouni Kenshin (1996)
After assisting in the Meiji Revolution as the legendary assassin “Hitokiri Battousai,” Himura Kenshin has decided to leave his bloody past and become a wanderer.
In his travels, he offers his services to the weak in hopes of being able to atone for the numerous murders he was convicted of as Battousai.
In the end, Kenshin arrives in Tokyo in the middle of the Meiji period when the two meet Kamiya, the leader of a Dojo for sword fighting in the local area.
She needs help after a man claiming to be the Battousai confronts her dojo in an unarmed duel.
Kenshin is witness to this and defeats the fake Battousai quickly.
After recognizing that Kenshin is the authentic Battousai, Kaoru decides to accept him into his home.
This is the beginning of an entirely new journey in Tokyo.
However, his apparent peace won’t last because the skeletons from his past keep him in a state of mind.
20. Queen’s Blade (2009)
In the capital city of Gaines, there is a competition annually held to determine the most beautiful and powerful queen of the country.
Many fighters from across the globe visit Gainos to fight the reigning queen.
The tournament is also known as The Queen’s Blade.
The story unfolds as Leina, who is the heir of the Vance family and the next in line for the throne, journeys off to Gainos to take on Queen Aldra to claim the throne of Gaines.
In the process, she comes across several other warriors who are competing against the queen’s Blade and must come out triumphant to claim the crown.
19. Devil May Cry
Most people associate Devil May Cry with the popular video game series but the animated series is a largely unappreciated piece of entertainment.
In the end, there’s plenty of action here as the characters frequently engage in battle with demonic creatures and use their high-octane style to accomplish this.
The main character is Dante who’s a genuinely humorous character whose skills in fighting can’t be matched by his status as half-demon.
Because the show was episodic, fans could check it out fast to satisfy their anime-fighting desires.
18. Fist of the North Star (1984)
It is set in the 1990s, a time period when the world is devastated by the effects of the nuclear conflict.
Humanity has fallen to just 30 percent of what it was and is now a society in which the powerful are in control of the weak.
Enter Kenshiro who is the successor of the old combat art known as Hokuto Shinken He tried to find a home for his wife, Yuria, and himself in the post-apocalyptic future.
Kenshiro was defeated by Shin who was a rival of Shin’s Nanto Koshu Ken School.
Yuria was taken away from him and the result was seven-star marks across his chest.
He now wanders through the desert looking for his lost love and the vengeance he seeks.
17. One Piece (1999)
Gol G. Roger The King of Pirates is seated on the gallows holding the blade of his neck.
In his final words, he declares to everyone that his biggest prize, One Piece, will be waiting for anyone worthy of taking it.
This is the beginning of an era of pirates, when groups of pirates, adventurers, treasure, and bounty hunters go to search for the legendary treasures of Gol D. Roger.
It’s Monkey D. Luffy, orphaned at a very young time, the young boy was adopted under the care of the famous pirate “Red Haired” Shanks.
Being too young, Shanks told Luffy that he couldn’t sail with him, but one day, he would meet him with his own ship and crew.
Luffy decided to form his own group of pirates to pursue his idol and to follow One Piece!
One Piece has no shortage of great action and creativity due to the existence of the main power system of the series Devil fruits and Haki.
Fighting noodle men, human-animal hybrids, zombies, dinosaurs, gods and so much more makes every fight in One Piece unique and entertaining!
16. Naruto (2002)
Naruto, as a newborn, had a formidable beast, known as the Kyuubi nine-tails sealed inside him.
The beast swarmed throughout the countryside, nearly devastating the home of his father, Konoha Village.
In the aftermath, Naruto was feared, shunned, and rejected due to his status as the same monster who destroyed the village in the past.
Because of this, Naruto vows to become Hokage, the most powerful ninja and the leader of the village, so that the village can recognize him in the future as not just a threat but a person whom people can count on.
This is what drives Naruto toward becoming a formidable ninja.
It is the circumstances that lead Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke together along with their master Kakashi and they begin to achieve their desires.
15. Hunter X Hunter
This anime tells the tale of a boy in his early years who learns that his father is among the elite humans called Hunters.
To prove himself capable of the job and become a Hunter, he begins to learn how to be a Hunter to follow in the footsteps of his father.
The fights in the show get more intense in scope as the episodes progress and the protagonist gains in strength on a gradual basis.
Because of this, it’s entertaining to see the character’s development as he goes through his fight scenes.
14. Dragon Ball Z
Superpowered and massively powerful characters are entrusted with the responsibility to protect the Earth from aliens and other magical creatures.
Dragon Ball Z takes the significance of power to extraordinary heights when the characters achieve a world-changing level of accomplishments.
It is because of the emphasis on combat that several episodes are dedicated to the action scenes.
They are developed until the point that storylines are focused on how characters gain new capabilities.
It’s all over the top but with huge adrenaline.
13. Fire Force
The discovery of fire was one of the most important things humans discovered.
Using fire in all sorts of different ways and using it to do all sorts of different things, this show focuses on the beauty and versatility of fire as a superpower.
Lasers, plasma, electricity, propulsion and so many other uses of the same basic uses of the element.
showing so many creative ways to create a diverse world within such a limited main power system, namely being first, second, and third-generation pyrokinetic!
Fire Force creates characters so mysterious and diverse who have different goals and priorities.
With a firefighting organization, fires, and people combusting randomly on their own, Fire Force tackles all these questions with fights animated with visuals and sound effects that will leave you in awe of their blaze!
Also, don’t forget the humor!
12. Mobile Suit G Gundam (1994)
Within the Future Century era, a devastated Earth has mostly been abandoned to space colonies.
Apart from a few living in their own Earth nation, the majority of countries are sovereign over a space colony that is outside of the atmosphere of Earth.
In this modern age, conventional warfare has been prohibited and all nations have decided to participate in the “Gundam Fight Tournament”.
Each nation sends its representative pilot and Gundam which is a massive armored combat suit, to compete in a tournament that is held once every 4 years.
If the winning country will then be able to govern the entirety of the Earth region for the following four years.
The G Gundam takes place during Future Century 60 when the preparations to prepare for the 13th Gundam Fight have begun.
The plot follows Neo Japan’s Domon Kasshu, who is selected as the champion of his nation.
However, the event isn’t the only thing Kasshu has to do.
He is also part of the task of finding his missing brother, who is believed to have stolen the prototype Gundam away from his nation.
11. Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure (2012)
In 1868, the year and the location is England.
A thief called Dario Brando walks the streets to find his next target and stumbles upon an overturned carriage.
Inside the carriage are a man as well as his son are alive.
The nobleman George Joestar awakes to see Dario supervising the two and believes he’s their protector.
He praises Dario and says that he’ll always be his ally.
A year later Jonathan Joestar (JoJo) George’s son, who is also George’s, hopes to follow the noble’s way to be a gentleman.
On the other side of town, Dario is dying and informs his child Dio to find George Joestar to repay his debt.
Dio follows in the footsteps of his father, who robbed banks and is naturally devious and shrewd.
Looking for an opportunity to make himself more successful, Dio joins the Joestar residence after having disrespected his father’s burial site in the hope of taking the money to himself.
The result is a long battle with Joestars as well as Dio.
10. Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Edward as well as Alphonse Elric, are two of the continent’s best young Alchemists.
As they travel to search for the Philosopher’s Stone, they come across numerous strong Alchemists who are determined to do them harm.
To safeguard themselves, the brothers use their knowledge of Alchemy to battle.
Edward, as well as Alphonse, are genii with a clear understanding, that are often able to perform Alchemy without drawing an alchemical circle.
This advanced alchemy made sure that some of the battle scenes were fought in Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood, resulting in a thrilling watch.
9. Hajime no Ippo (1989)
Ippo Makunouchi is a quiet and shy senior in high school.
While helping his mom manage the family’s fishing business, Ippo Makunouchi never found time for school.
This meant that Ippo was frequently bullied.
A few days ago, the people who were bullying him, led by the Umezawa and Umezawa, decided to give Ippo an extremely brutal beating.
Ippo saves himself with the help of Mamoru Takamura, an experienced boxer who fights back against Ippo’s opponents and takes him to the Kamogawa training center to heal.
After witnessing the strength of Takamura, Ippo finds a new determination in himself to get stronger.
In the wake of the incident, Ippo joins the Kamogawa training facility with the hope that one day he will step into an e-ring.
8. My Hero Academia
Being a superhero is now a job, just like anything else.
People born with “quirks” choose their sides, as either heroes or villains, and use their quirks accordingly.
To become a hero worthy of saving the world, our protagonist in the series, Izuku Midoriya, must overcome not just his fears but also the numerous villains that will see society plunge into chaos.
Heroes and villains fight all day long to accomplish what they want to achieve.
This never-ending conflict has produced many of the most exciting fights in anime history.
7. Bleach (2004)
Ichigo Kurosaki appears to be a normal student at high school with one peculiarity: he can feel the supernatural and be able to see spirits.
They become routine for Ichigo, and he accepts his relationship with the deceased as an aspect of living.
However, he is shocked when he encounters Rukia Kikuchi.
In the course of encountering Hollows, which are evil spirits, Ichigo brushes against death and is saved by Rukia the Soul Reaper.
Rukia is injured by the fight and releases her energy into Ichigo who takes on the role of Rukia.
This begins Ichigo’s new journey in the role of Soul Reaper as a keeper of peace in the realm of the supernatural.
6. Demon Slayer
Demon Slayer is the most profitable manga of the last few years and is currently surpassing the sales of other manga from Japan to date in 2020.
Demon Slayer focuses on the Demon Slayer Corp’s constant battle against Muzan Kibutsuji and his army of demons.
This continuous battle offers thrilling and exciting battles with every character having a distinct combat style.
The battles are superbly animated and the music and sound effects are added to take it to a whole new level.
5. Basilisk (2005)
In the Warring States Period, Japan is caught in a volatile situation with civil war raging throughout the country.
Two clans of ninjas known as the Iga Tsubagakure and Kouga Manjidani are caught up in a bloody war that spans several centuries.
The conflict ended when the legendary Hanzo Hattori brokered an agreement to end the war, which brought about a new age of rule by the Tokugawa Shogunate.
After a brief peace, Tokugawa Ichiyasu chooses to step down and chooses her grandson to be the new ruler.
This creates turmoil between his subjects and creates a rift among his Iga as well as Kouga clans because of the dispute over succession between the heirs of Ieyasu.
To restore the stability of the political system, Ieyasu dismantles the truce between the Iga and Kouga clans and instructs the clans to send their finest soldiers to represent Ieyasu’s descendants in a bloody contest to the end.
4. Tokyo Ghoul
Ghouls are creatures that eat human flesh and need to eat human flesh to live.
Therefore, it’s not uncommon for ghouls to roam through the streets at night seeking their next meal.
To reduce the number of deaths caused by the consumption habits of ghouls Japan created a separate agency to combat ghouls, called the CCG.
The CCG fights these dangerous creatures every day and the battles can be extremely risky.
In these battles, both sides put their lives in danger to emerge with the upper hand and this results in epic fights.
3. Attack on Titan (2013)
Over the past 100 years, humanity has been in the grip of massive humanoid creatures known as Titans.
Since their appearance 100 years prior they appeared.
Titans were seen and began to devour and attack humankind, which led to the destruction of the human race.
The last sliver of humanity is located inside the Walled City in an era that is a state of war.
Eren Yeager and the foster sibling of his Mikasa Ackerman and Armin Arlert have been attending their normal routine at the locality of Shinganshina in the outer walls of the city when suddenly an enormous figure appears above the wall and shatters it.
The first Titan sighting in over 100 years creates chaos as a multitude of Titans come in through the gap, leading to the destruction of the town where Eren grew up.
After these devastating incidents, Eren, Mikasa, and Armin join the Survey Corps, a group dedicated to the defense of the Walled City and the eradication of all Titans.
2. Vinland Saga
In the end, Vinland Saga is about more than the battle.
In many instances, it is a wonderful Norse tale that is designed to increase the perception of Nordic culture.
However, the Vinland Saga does an excellent job of presenting its battle scenes.
The battles featured in the Vinland saga usually mean more than death or life.
Battles are not just risking their lives but also their honor.
As in Vinland Saga, battles usually are very risky and the losers risk not just losing their lives but also their families and countries.
1. Akame Ga Kill (2014)
In seeking a better future for his village and himself, Tatsumi embarks on a journey to the Capital along with two other friends.
He is on his own after the two friends were taken captive in an ambush by bandits.
In a state of nowhere else to go, Tatsumi continues to the capital city and attempts to join the army but is turned down.
After hitting the bottom and being rejected, he is caught in a chance of luck when a noble family decides to admit him to their home.
But, when an assassin’s team known as The Night Raid infiltrates and kills the people who brought Tatsumi into custody,
He realizes that the family also killed and tortured his acquaintances and was planning in doing the same thing to Tatsumi.
The Capital’s nobility seemed to have an unavoidable dark aspect.
After being betrayed by his faith and the only thing he had left of his residence taken away from him,
Tatsumi steels his resolve and joins the Night Raid, led by the dark-haired Akame, and vows to get revenge for the corruption that has afflicted the capital’s elite.
Some Good Anime Mentions
- Baki the Grappler
- One Punch Man
- Kengan Ashura
- Megalo Box
- Keijo
- Ikki Tousen (Battle Vixens)
- Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple
- The God of High School
- Ranma ½
- Virtua Fighter
- Mutsu Enmei Ryuu Gaiden: Shura no Toki (Time of Shura)
- Jujutsu Kaisen
