These anime battles that didn't just change the story, but revolutionized entire series and the medium itself! We're diving into the most impactful fights that transformed characters, worlds, and the very fabric of their narratives. Prepare for epic moments that redefined what anime could be!
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the conflicts in anime
00:17both large and small that had major implications on the story and world of their series.
00:23And hell, maybe on anime in general.
00:37Number 10 – Fairy Tail vs. Agnologia – Fairy Tail
00:53When the top members of the Fairy Tail guild go to an isolated island to see who's worthy
00:58of promotion to S-Class, they get interrupted – several times, actually.
01:03The final time is by Agnologia, the Black Dragon of the Apocalypse.
01:08Everyone pulls their magic and attacks together, and for once, the power of friendship doesn't
01:13work.
01:14Instead, they join together and are able to survive Agnologia's island-nuking attack,
01:19albeit by remaining in suspended animation for seven years.
01:33When they return, their guild is a laughingstock.
01:36However, that only makes their comeback, and constant flexing at the Grand Magic Games,
01:41even more satisfying.
01:57Number 9 – The Shibuya Incidents – Jujutsu Kaisen
02:07A group of powerful special-grade curses attacking civilians in Shibuya on Halloween
02:12is bad enough, but it gets so much worse than that.
02:16Gojo, the world's strongest Jujutsu sorcerer, is sealed inside a prison cube.
02:21The dozen-or-so fights between Jujutsu sorcerers and their opponents causes several main characters
02:27to be killed or severely injured.
02:37Sukuna's taking over Yuji's body and fighting throughout Shibuya results in thousands of
02:42civilian deaths, traumatizes Yuji and gets him marked for death, levels most of Shibuya,
02:49causes Tokyo to be evacuated, and exposes the existence of curses to the world.
02:54The Shibuya Incident ensures that nothing is ever the same again in Jujutsu Kaisen.
03:12Number 8 – Naruto vs. Sasuke – Round 1 – Naruto
03:27While there are several crucial fights in Naruto, this is arguably the one upon which
03:32the whole series hinges.
03:34Naruto pursues Sasuke after he leaves the village, planning to join the rogue ninja
03:39Orochimaru in pursuit of the power to get revenge on his brother.
03:43Naruto, unwilling to let his friend and rival go, tries to bring him back by force.
03:56Their clash is epic enough on its own, but its ramifications are long-lasting throughout
04:01the franchise.
04:02Sasuke emerges as the nominal victor, and continues pursuing vengeance.
04:08Meanwhile, Naruto decides to undergo training of his own from Jiraiya.
04:12All of this leads to a two-year time skip that shakes up the status quo even further.
04:26Number 7 – Battle of Shiganshina District – Attack on Titan
04:39Given how many twists and turns this story takes, plenty of battles in this grimdark
04:44anime change the course of the story forever.
04:47But none compare to the Survey Corps' attempt to retake Shiganshina District.
05:00Most of the scouts are massacred during the battle, major characters meet tragic ends,
05:05Titan powers switch hands, and after it's over, Eren and company finally reach his basement,
05:10where his dad's diary upends everything they – and we – knew about their world.
05:16Most of humanity isn't dead.
05:17Our heroes live on an island, and everyone else hates the people living on it – and
05:22those of their race – because only they can become Titans.
05:26This battle completely changed the game, and set the stage for the devastating events that
05:31follow.
05:47Ichigo and friends invading Soul Society to save Rukia from execution changes Bleach in
05:53so many ways.
05:54Prior to this arc, Bleach was relatively small-scale and low-stakes.
05:59But after this assault, everything opens up.
06:01Dozens of new characters are introduced.
06:04The peak of Shinigami powers, Bankai, is revealed.
06:07Ichigo obtains his own Bankai and faces off against many powerful opponents.
06:18Oh yeah, and there's the small matter of Aizen faking his own death, stealing the powerful
06:30Hougoku, and then bouncing along with two other traitorous captains.
06:34The Ryoka invasion expertly raised Bleach's stakes to an enormous degree, with incredible
06:40fights and superb twists, while also deepening the series' lore and developing its characters.
07:01Team Daiguren vs. Timilfe – Gurren Lagann
07:16A lot of us were fooled when we first watched this hot-blooded mecha anime.
07:20We all thought Kamina was the main character.
07:23But then, Team Daiguren faces off against the beastman general, Timilfe.
07:27The ape-like antagonist manages to wound Kamina, but he fights through the pain, delivers
07:33an inspiring speech, and combines with Simon to form Gurren Lagann.
07:51Their giga-draw break saves the day, and everything's okay… until it isn't.
07:56Kamina dies of his wounds, the loss of the apparent main character left viewers shook.
08:02More importantly, it forces Simon – the real MC – to step up to be the new leader,
08:07and become the him that believes in himself.
08:22All Might vs. All For One – My Hero Academia
08:37Bakugo getting kidnapped by the League of Villains causes a chain of events that leads
08:41to a rematch between All Might, the world's greatest hero, and All For One, the world's
08:47vilest villain.
08:48Although All Might is able to decisively defeat his foe, the outcome is still far from ideal.
08:54The symbol of peace must retire as a hero, because he uses all his remaining power during
08:59the fight.
09:00This leaves the world without its strongest protector, and Deku has to succeed him as
09:05the next user of One For All, sooner than expected.
09:21Likewise, All For One's apprentice, Shigaraki, is left to fill the power vacuum of his master.
09:30The beginning of MHA starts here, with the pieces moving into place for the endgame.
09:44Number 3 – Everyone vs. Pucci – JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
09:56All battles in JoJo tend to go big, but none of them go this big.
10:01Pucci's stand has evolved into Maiden Heaven, allowing the villainous priest to accelerate
10:06time for everything that's not alive.
10:08The ensuing battle sees Pucci kill most of the main cast, including multiple JoJo protagonists,
10:14leaving only young Emporio left.
10:25As if that wasn't wild enough, Pucci accelerates time so fast that the entire universe collapses
10:31on itself, creating a second Big Bang and effectively resetting the universe.
10:36Emporio somehow ekes out a victory and kills Pucci, which sets off another universal reset.
10:43We should have known something profoundly shocking would happen.
10:46This part is set in Florida, after all.
10:56Number 2 – Summit War of Marineford – One Piece
11:10The Marines vs. the Whitebeard Pirates, with Luffy dropped in the middle trying to save
11:15his brother Ace, listing all the effects this war has on One Piece and its world would
11:20take an entire video.
11:22It's the culmination of story threads laid throughout the first half of the series and
11:26involves nearly everyone.
11:28In short, both the Pirates and Marines suffer heavy losses and experience changes in leadership.
11:43Ace dies, devastating Luffy.
11:46Whitebeard dies and confirms the existence of One Piece, inspiring a new generation of
11:51pirates to find it.
11:52Blackbeard, his killer, usurps Whitebeard's position as an emperor.
11:57Meanwhile, Luffy decides he and his crew need to get stronger before they reunite, leading
12:02to a time skip.
12:04And that's just scratching the surface.
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12:28Number 1 – Goku vs. Frieza – Dragon Ball Z
12:37Most of these anime fights had huge ramifications for their respective series.
12:42Goku's battle with Frieza changed not only Dragon Ball Z, but also anime as a whole.
12:47The epic showdown on Namek devastates the entire planet, while also taking the power
12:52scaling of the series to absurd heights.
12:55But the real crux of it is Goku transforming into a Super Saiyan after Frieza kills Krillin.
13:06Sure, Goku fighting Frieza, in this form, fulfills the revenge of the Saiyans against
13:17the Space Emperor who killed them all.
13:19But the impact of Super Saiyan on the anime that followed DBZ cannot be understated.
13:25So many transformations, and maybe even entire series, would probably not exist if not for
13:31this fight alone.
13:45Is there a game-changing anime battle we forgot?
13:48Vote for your favorite in those comments below.