Top 10 Skull Crushing Anime Headbutts

“Gintama” (2006-18)

Hard-headed in every way imaginable, this freedom fighter is never one to go down without a fight, which is exactly what we got when he faced off against one of the strongest Amanto to in town. With his bestial strength, Shokaku put Katsura through so much punishment it forced him to turn into an animal himself, lashing out with blind ferocity until the two were reduced to a bloody, fatigue mess. And yet they still found the drive to end things with one hell of a headbutt.

“Rurouni Kenshin” (1996-98)

Drugs may be bad for you, but in this instance, they also boost your headbutt game immensely. Cornered by one of the Oniwabanshu, Sanosuke found himself in the unfortunate position of getting dunked on by Shikijo, whose preferred method of attack seemed to involve doping himself up and layering on the headbutts until his prey crumble. Sanosuke may have been able to come back from it with a fist to the cranium, but it’s clear that he lost a few brain cells in the process.

“Deadman Wonderland” (2011)

Smashing your skull against a delicate young woman might sound like a horrific act, and you’d be right, it’s just that Minatsuki happens to be a crazy psycho who gets off on lashing out at others and causing some good ol’ gory carnage. How’s an underdog like Ganta supposed to overcome someone like her, especially with her Branch of Sin allowing her to cut him to ribbons from afar? By getting inside her head, stalling her long enough to close, and then bringing the thunder!

“Bleach” (2004-12)

Don’t let the bald head and ridiculous dance fool you, Ikkaku is made out of luck. At least where it counts; in the thick of battle! Pitted against Xcution member Shishigawara and his Jackpot Knuckle, the Shinigami got his organs blasted to bits over and over. Not that it really did anything other than give him an excuse to flex and land a headbutt of such magnitude that the little bastard went down for the count right after. Guess he wasn’t able to full-bring it after all.

“Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba” (2019)

It was established early on that Tanjiro’s skull was harder than most, to the extent that even a demon was left reeling from getting the full impact of his scarred forehead. So, imagine how it must feel for a human to get the same treatment, though to be fair the Wind Hashira really, really, really had it coming. You don’t just stab a guy’s sister through the shoulder and expect to walk away without suffering some serious repercussions. Doubly so if it’s our Nezuko!

“JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure” (2012-13)

Cheat in a boxing match? Unsportsmanlike, but a man like Jonathan can take it. Turning his friends and family against him? Insidious, but not something that would cause him to crumble. Forcibly kiss and slap his sweetheart? Oh, now you’ve gone and done it! After discovering what Dio did to his beloved Erina, Jonathan loses it, and like a proper gentleman, throws his all into a brutal bout of fisticuffs. With his superior skill, it looked like Dio was going to walk away the winner again…until Jonathan headbutts his face in so hard you’d think a Stand did it.

“Yu Yu Hakusho” (1992-94)

Leave it to Chu to take your typical tournament bout and twist into something far more dangerously entertaining. With their brawl in the Dark Tournament coming to a close, the two decide to duke it out in a knife edge death match, where every blow landed pushes the other towards getting their foot cleaved in half. It’s a bloody back and forth, and while it was likely murder on their heels, it was nothing compared to Yusuke’s finishing move, striking the demonic mohawk with a headbutt that flattens his ass out!

“Naruto” (2002-07)

Trying to bring someone out of their murderous rampage? Just bash their brains in so hard the next time you see them they’ll have had a complete alignment switch. With the One Tailed Shukaku going crazy thanks to Gaara, it falls to Naruto to break him out of it before his Tailed Beast causes any more destruction. Living up to his moniker as the ultimate knuckle-headed ninja, Naruto’s last, desperate strike seems to do the trick, rousing up the sand ninja in the most painful of ways.

“Ninja Scroll” (1993)

Now this is how you finish a final battle in style. Living up to the unbridled brutality this classic flick had set up, Jubei’s climatic clash with the immortal Gemma is about as visceral as you’d expect. Bones get broken, arms are sliced off, Gemma nearly gets himself damn well near chopped in half by the raging ronin at one point. Of course, the real standout moment is when Jubei was able to turn the tide of battle in his favour by repeatedly headbutting the bastard until he crashed through the floor and into an ocean of molten gold.

“One Piece” (1999-)

Monkey D. Luffy is not one to normally use his head, but when he does, it often leads to scumbag pirates getting sent hurtling into a world of pain. Captain Kuro discovered this first hand when he and his Cat out of the Bag attack were stopped in their tracks by Luffy binding him in his rubber ligaments, immobilising him long enough to stretch his head out as far as possible thanks to his Devil Fruit, all before delivering a headbutt with such force that it might as well have been a cannonball.