Top 10 Anime Fights of 2017

Top 10 Anime Fights of 2017

The new year is in sight, so what better way to celebrate than by looking back at the times anime characters kicked the crap out of each other. Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we are counting down our picks for the top ten anime fights of 2017.

For this list, we’ll be looking at the battle between anime characters that took place over the course of 2017 and ranking them on just how epic, emotional and just plain badass the conflicts were. As you might expect, be on the lookout for a few spoilers down the line.

#10: Vlad vs. All Servants

“Fate/Apocrypha” (2017)

It’s a rare sight in the Fate-verse to see Servants teaming up for a common goal, especially in the case of this series considering its built around two warring factions going head to head. Alas, when the Lancer of Black, Vlad, goes full on Dracula, a temporary truce is called, leading to members from both the Black and Red faction team up in order to ground the frantic beast. In spite of combining their strengths, it turns out its not that easy to clip old Vlad’s wings.

#9: Guts vs. Grunbeld

“Berserk” (2016-)

Okay, hear us out. Yes, 2017 Berserk anime still has sub-par animation that reeeeeeeeally damages its credibility as a true sequel to the 1997 masterpiece. That being said, do you know how long manga readers have been waiting to see the Berserker armour make an on-screen appearance?! Watching Guts succumb to his rage and just to go to town against the dragon apostle Grunbeld was still quite a sight. Just goes to show that Guts’ sheer badassery exceeds far beyond that of poor animation.

#8: Altair vs. Everyone

“Re:Creators” (2017)

Worlds literally collide as characters from anime, manga and video games all unite to take down one woman who is too OP for her own good. With the goal of destroying the real world out of grief following the death of her own creator, Altair goes toe to toe with the likes of soldiers, knights, magical girls and even giant freakin’ mecha. While in any other series this would seem like a bit much, the fact this whole brawl essentially boils down to deadly fanfiction makes it oddly compelling. If you ever wanted to see what would happen if Hatsune Miku went on a superpowered rampage, it would look something like this.

#7: Kirito vs. Eiji

“Sword Art OnlineThe Movie: Ordinal Scale” (2017)

Kirito and his God Mode are back, which can only spell doom for all over players involved. After entering the augmented reality video game known as Ordinal Scale, it isn’t long before he and his useless – uh we mean beloved – Asuna discover that a darker plot is underway. This leads to Kirito clashing swords with the second strongest player, and despite being a brief exchange the swordplay and animation here actually payoff rather well due to its fluidity. We all knew that Kirito was going to win no matter what, but at least he gave us the courtesy of making the fight interesting this time.

#6: Luffy vs. Sanji

“One Piece” (1999-)

Fight back the tears, fight back the tears! In one of the most emotional moments in the entire series (which is saying a LOT) the chef of the Straw Hats ends up kicking his captain to the curb. Of course, the real tragedy here is that Sanji had been forced into this predicament by his douchebag family. This of course doesn’t make the sight of Luffy letting himself get pummelled any easier. And just when you thought it was over, Sanji breaks down after hurting his comrade. Despite him not even raising a fist like he did against Big Mom’s cronies (xref), this battle truly showed Luffy at his best.

#5: Boruto and Mitsuki Vs Shizuma

“Boruto: Naruto Next Generations” (2017)

Harkening back to the glory days of the original Naruto series, this confrontation reminds us that a battle between ninja doesn’t have to have the fate of the world hanging in the balance to be awesome. In order to quell the bloodthirsty Shizuma’s revolution, Boruto and Mitsuki employ all the shinobi tricks they have in their arsenal. The parallels to Naruto’s first battle with Zabuza are on full display here, and just like his father Boruto manages to make this small scale clash exceptionally enjoyable thanks to his determination and some damn good animation. The fact that Shizuma is basically Kisame Jr doesn’t hurt either. We miss that shark man.

#4: Gintoki vs. Kamui

“Gintama” series (2006-)

The action scenes in this franchise, much like its humor, don’t hold back in the slightest, though we have to admit this might just be the most brutal scuffle in the show’s history. In a bid to prove himself as the strongest, Kagura’s brother nearly ends up killing thier father, only for the White Demon to enter the fray, where the two proceed to literally tear each other to pieces. Bones are broken, faces are pulverised, these two go through more pain than we think most shounen characters do in a whole series. How Gin managed to come out of this one we will never know, because that looked like it hurt.

#3: Eren vs. Reiner

“Attack on Titan” (2013-)

Its fair to say that the Armoured and Colossal Titan caused a lot of damage during the early days of the series, heck they led the assault that caused the Walls to be smashed in. You’d think that would be bad enough, but then the twist is revealed; they were actually Reiner and Bertholdt all along. Naturally, our boy Eren is a little pissed that his friends are traitors, and just like that we have our heavyweight Titan fight! In terms of size and scope, seeing these two pummel each other made for quite the spectacle.

#2: Midoriya vs. Todoroki

“My Hero Academia” (2016-)

Raising the bar for tournament arcs everywhere, this face-off between two upcoming superheroes wasn’t only a feast for the eyes but another reminder of why Izuku Midoroya’s such an amazing character. Despite each use of his Quirk causing severe backlash, Deku presses on, all in a bid to get Todoroki to accept both halves of his power and truly give it his all. Its fair to say this plan works as the two eventually throw everything they have at each other, with an elemental rampage takes on the full force of One For All. The battle against Stain was brilliant in its own way (xref), but nothing can top this exchange!

#1: Goku vs. Jiren

“Dragon Ball Super” (2015-)

We can’t exaggerate at how amazing the battle between Goku and the obscenely powerful Jiren is. Our favourite Saiyan goes through every transformation he has but is still beaten by Jiren at every turn. But as its proven time and time again, you can always count on Goku to come back swinging - unlocking the newfound power of Ultra Instinct! Suddenly, the battle is on almost equal footing, with the two even leaving the audience of gods in awe. It may not have ended the way Universe 7 had hoped, but this fight more than lived up to the Dragon Ball battles of old.