Top 10 Anime Power Awakening Scenes
For this list, we'll be looking at the moments in anime where a character manages to unlock their hidden potential in the most badass way imaginable. As such, prepare for plenty of transformations and spoilers down the line!
#10: Echoes Awakens
"JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable" (2016) Poor Koichi, he sure had a rough beginning to the school year. Conned out of money, made to think he killed a cat, then having his family ensnared by a greedy Stand user. Of course, Kobayashi goes too far when he tries to get Koichi's sister to be his woman as well as get his mother to kill herself. From there, the gloves come off, as Koichi is finally able to summon his own Stand, one that comes equipped with sound reverberations guaranteed to make you want to rip your face off. We could honestly watch Tamami suffer on a loop.
#9: Projection
"Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works" (2014-15) While it's the Servants that are normally the ones stealing the show, it's our boy Shirou who gets the spotlight this time. In a bid to protect his waifus Rin and Saber from the deadly fists of Soichiro, the resident Master of Saber manages to tap into his potential and instantly crafting the same blades that Archer had used previously. Unsurprisingly, even an amateur like him is able to deal some serious damage against his foe. While we would later see him perfect this power against the likes of Gilgamesh down the line, this was when we first saw glimpses of the badass Shirou was destined to be.
#8: The Zone
Top 20 Anime Power Awakening Scenes
"Kuroko's Basketball" (2012-15) And you thought that superpowers and sports didn't go together. With their long-awaited rematch against Touou, Seirin's basketball team find themselves not only having to face off against a well-abled team, but also a former member of the Generation of Miracles. Things only get worse when Aomine unleashed his full strength by entering the Zone; a state of mind that basically turns him into a super athlete. While it looked like Seirin were on the cusp of a second loss, Kagami managed to pull out a miracle of his own when he too found a way to enter the Zone. How's that for a slam dunk.
#7: Obito's Mangekyo Sharingan
"Naruto: Shippuden" (2007-17) The mystery regarding Tobi and his true identity finally came to a head when we learnt the tragic truth of his past. In reality, the masked puppeteer behind the formation of the Akatsuki was none other than Obito Uchiha; Kakashi's childhood friend, who had assumedly been crushed to death by a bolder years prior. As it happened, he overcame his near-death experience just for the chance to see his beloved Rin again...only to arrive just as she had been murdered. Blinded by his sorrow, Obito ended up unlocking the true power of the Sharingan before going to town on some very unlucky ninja.
#6: The First Smash
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"My Hero Academia" (2016-) Becoming a hero isn't easy, especially if you're one of the few unlucky enough to be born without superpowers. However, thanks to a pure heart and honest desire to save people with a smile, Izuku Midoriya finds himself in a unique position when he inherits the Quirk of the greatest hero ever known; All Might. In the midst of his primary examination to enter a top tier school for wannabe caped crusaders, Izuku ends up unleashing his new power for the first time in order to protect Ochaco from getting crushed by a colossal machine, culminating in a punch that would make Superman proud.
#5: Coordinator
"Attack on Titan" (2013-) In spite of his skills as a member of the Survey Corp as well as the ability to turn into a Titan, Eren yet again finds himself robbed of everything following the death of Hannes by the same monster that killed his mother. Instead of succumbing to despair, Eren is imbued with newfound determination thanks to Mikasa's heartfelt confession, leading him to unleash a final scream of defiance. Turns out said scream was the trigger required for his dormant power as the Coordinator to awaken, allowing him to take control of every rabid Titan in the area and then use them as his personal attack dogs. Now that's what you call sweet revenge.
#4: The Conqueror's Haki
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"One Piece" (1999-) With his brother's life on the line, the Captain of the Straw Hat Pirates was willing to take any and all risks in order to save him, even if that meant running straight into Marineford with a thousand navy soldiers ready to cut him down. Despite his best efforts, Luffy is unable to stop the execution going forward, prompting him to let loose a burst of power so strong that it renders the majority of the soldiers unconscious. As we would later find out, this innate ability was the Haki of the Conqueror, just another sign that Luffy's path to become the Pirate King might as well have been written in the stars.
#3: The Hollow Within
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"Bleach" (2004-12) Against the immense power of the Fourth Espada, it looked everyone's favorite Substitute Shinigami had finally met his match. Unable to hold a candle to Ulquiorra's second release form, Ichigo finds himself dead and buried atop the canopy of Las Noches. At least until Orihime's desperate cries reach him, which causes his Hollow half to run rampant. Coming back from the edge of death with a new, terrifying guise, Ichigo is able to make quick work of his Arrancar foe by giving into his inner monster.
#2: Gon's True Power
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"Hunter x Hunter" (2011-14) Ah kids these days, always in a hurry to grow up, though in most cases it wouldn't be for the sole purpose of gaining enough power to punch the shit out of an evil cat-boy-girl. After discovering that Kite can't be saved, Gon unleashes all of his pent-up anger, leading to him taking on a much more adult form with Nen equal to that of the Chimera Ant King. Hard to believe that the once happy go lucky boy from Whale Island could possibly become something so deadly that it even scared the bejesus out Pitou.
#1: Super Saiyan 2
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"Dragon Ball Z" (1989-96) While Goku's ascendance to both Super Saiyan and Ultra Instinct were nothing short of spellbinding we still feel his son edges out in this regard given just how long the series had been building up to this moment. After Cell sets his miniature clones upon the rest of the Z Fighters and even kills Android 16, Gohan can no longer hold back his rage. And in the process attains a new level of Super Saiyan, one capable of pulverising the ultimate android with ease. Atta boy!
