In anime, moments of rage can bring out the best in a character, at least as far as character development goes.
Most rage scenes are epic, but when the "silent character" or "cool character" goes wild with fury or violence, the resulting scene can be especially shocking—and memorable.
Sudden bursts of emotions (and power), which are often caused by incidents like deaths or betrayals, can help viewers empathize with a character, to feel what they feel: the rush, the anger, the pain, the loneliness. Coupled with high-grade animation, there's nothing better.
Here are my picks for the best anime rage moments where characters explode and go insane in all kinds of intense ways!
17. Illumi Zoldyck (Hunter X Hunter)
One of the calmest evil characters in anime, Illumi Zoldyck is an assassin who comes from a family of hired killers and professional assassins.
In the 141st episode of Hunter X Hunter, there's a scene where Hisoka asks if he's allowed to kill Killua—one of the best scenes of the series.
Illumi's rage mode doesn't last too long and isn't as animated as other scenes, but his intent to kill overflows in that very frame.
When he says he's going to kill Hisoka, we know without a doubt that he really means it—and Hisoka would've been in trouble if he didn't pull it off as a joke when he saw the threat before him.
16. Masataka Takayanagi (Tenjho Tenge)
In the real world, a master martial artist would always win against a total novice. But that's not the case when Masataka Takayanagi confronts Souichiro Nagi in Tenjho Tenge.
Although Souichiro officially "won" because of the handicap agreement—that if he manages to land a single blow, it'd count as his win—Takayanagi still beats the freshman, rendering him unable to fight.
Takayanagi's rage is triggered by the engagement idea of Aya with Souichiro, but it explodes because of the dirty trick played on him.
After being hit by the winning blow, he charges and attacks relentlessly as if he's going to kill him, which even Maya and Aya can't stop.
15. Hyakkimaru (Dororo)
One of the most heartbreaking scenes in the series Dororo occurs when Mio—and the children with her—are murdered by the soldiers.
The grief and pain of the moment turns into heated blood fury when Hyakkimaru realizes that the people who took care of him died, causing him to lose his temper and kill every soldier he finds.
This rage moment becomes even more intense as his humanity is corrupted by anger with every slash and decapitation, leaving no one but himself and Dororo left in the scene.
14. Shigeo Kageyama (Mob Psycho 100)
While Shigeo Kageyama is powerful in Mob Psycho 100, his power isn't always apparent in his attitude or the way he carries himself. But don't underestimate him, because when his anger reaches a hundred percent, he can't be stopped.
Shigeo Kageyama, also known as Mob, has powers close in line with his emotions, which is why he keeps himself emotionless and free of hatred and anger. But occasionally he goes wild and reaches full emotion, like when his brother Ritsu is abducted.
When the scene turns black and his eyes glow red, you know he's about to release that frightening power hidden deep inside.
13. Levi Ackerman (Attack on Titan)
We always knew Captain Levi Ackerman wasn't a talkative person. He's a small-built man who stands noticeably short next to his comrades and recruits, but he's always cool and composed like his superior, Commander Erwin Smith.
But in his small frame rests unmatched lethal prowess. Levi can bring down a Titan in one fell swoop, as he does when he saw his friends killed by a Titan and loses all control out of anger. In this rage moment, even killing the Titan isn't enough to satisfy his grief.
There's also that other scene: his battle against the Beast Titan, where far too many troops are sacrificed to cover Levi's tracks and presence. From the hands to the feet and up to the nape, we can feel the depths of Levi's anger with every slash.
12. Megumi Fushiguro (Jujutsu Kaisen)
The Chimera Shadow Garden of Megumi Fushiguro is one of the most badass scenes in Jujutsu Kaisen. Though he states that the technique is still incomplete, he manages to defeat a special-grade cursed spirit who has Ryomen Sukuna's finger.
As he's about to be defeated, Megumi turns the tide of battle. We all know that his evil laugh while performing the Domain Expansion: Chimera Shadow Garden is telling that he fully intends to bring down the cursed spirit with his own hands.
11. Rin Okumura (Blue Exorcist)
Rin Okumura is the son of the Devil in the series Blue Exorcist, but he has a surprisingly good and caring personality. He hides his true identity, which manifests upon drawing his sword from its scabbard.
But when Amaimon appears, disturbs their camp, abducts Shiemei, and hurts his friends, Rin unsheathes his sword and fights back.
The best scene in this rage moment is when he charges into the cuckoo box of Mephisto where Amaimon was pulled into, cutting it—along with the demon—completely in half.
10. Ken Kaneki (Tokyo Ghoul)
In the early parts of Tokyo Ghoul, Ken Kaneki is a cool guy with a calm and timid personality. His calmness is broken after Yakumo Oomori ("Jason") tortures him physically, mentally, and emotionally.
In this scene, he embraces his Ghoul side. Aided by the memory of Rize in his mind, he goes berserk and pushes himself to the limit, defeating Yakumo in the same way he was tortured by him.
A more badass and wilder Ken is seen with his centipede-like kagune during the raid in the mansion of Akihiro Kanou.
9. Chopper (One Piece)
Chopper is the doctor of the Straw Hat Pirates and one of the close-combat fighters of the crew. He's a reindeer who has the power of the Hito Hito no Mi Human Model, which gives him the ability to manifest man-like features.
If this feat seems too normal to be qualified as "badass," check out his fight against Kumadori of the CP9. He uses his forbidden Rumble Ball technique out of desperation to save his friends, turning him into an uncontrollable monster.
Later on in One Piece, after Chopper manages to control his Monster Point, this ability becomes a normal technique he can use.
8. Yuji Itadori (Jujutsu Kaisen)
Like Megumi Fushiguro, Itadori Yuji also gets an intense rage moment in the Jujutsu Kaisen anime series. However, his isn't fueled by a desire to win, but rather pure hatred.
His anger is pumped up after Mahito turns his newfound friend Junpei into a monster and toys with his suffering.
Contributing even more to Yuji's anger is when Ryomen Sukuna—the Curse residing inside him—mocks him about the whole situation and refuses to lend a helping hand.
7. Ichigo Kurosaki (Bleach)
In Bleach, Ichigo Kurosaki has tons of moments where he lets his feelings of rage explode into manifested power, including his first clash with the Quincy King, Yhwach.
However, Ichigo's most iconic rage scene happens during his fight with Ulquiorra, when he unleashes a dormant monster inside him.
To answer Orihime Inoue's cries for help, Ichigo stands back up but is now transformed into a more powerful Hollow form—one that's uncontrollable and only aims to murder and destroy.
6. Broly (Dragon Ball Super: Broly)
During the early parts of Dragon Ball, we all thought that anger is what makes a Super Saiyan. We were proven wrong when the Saiyans were shown to freely tap into their Super Saiyan forms at will.
But for Broly in Dragon Ball Super: Broly, rage really is power! The more angry he is, the more powerful he becomes. When Frieza kills his father, he goes berserk and wants nothing but utter destruction.
His extreme rage powers him to a form that's even stronger than any Saiyan form seen to that point: the Legendary Super Saiyan.
5. Naruto Uzumaki (Naruto Shippuden)
What resides inside Naruto Uzumaki is "pure hatred" (which is what Kurama calls himself in the early parts of the series).
The Nine-Tailed Demon Fox takes advantage whenever Naruto loses himself to anger, causing him to leak considerable amounts of chakra and weaken the seal that keeps Kurama bound within him.
One of the best moments when Naruto fully succumbs to his rage and lets the power of the Tailed Beast take over his consciousness happens during his fight against Pain.
Though the animation is a bit off and far from the best, we can still witness—and even feel—how much the chakra-cloaked Naruto truly wants to eliminate his opponent.
4. Tanjiro Kamado (Demon Slayer)
In Demon Slayer, the death toll caused by Daki during the Entertainment District Arc makes Tanjiro Kamado lose hold of himself and fall into extreme rage.
Fueled by burning anger, he surpasses his limits and chases Daki (who was about to hunt the Sound Hashira).
In this state, he's even able to catch up to and hold his own against with Daki's superhuman abilities, and he's deeply focused on defeating the powered-up demon before him.
3. Asta (Black Clover)
We've seen Asta lose control of himself when he was controlled by the Witch Queen's Blood Magic. During his fight with Dante, he loses himself again, which is just what the devil-possessed mage wanted.
After Dante mortally wounds Gauche, Asta goes berserk and charges blindly in a fit of rage. However, despite a boost in strength, he's still no match for the devil who's been using only half of his real powers.
2. Monkey D. Luffy (One Piece)
Despite being a funny character, Monkey D. Luffy has tons of moments where he fights out of anger, especially when his "nakama" are involved. One of the best such moments occurs during their time in Sabaody Archipelago.
This jaw-dropping moment sees Luffy punching a Celestial Dragon—which was deserved, but it's still a Celestial Dragon! It's one of the many times when Luffy shows that he'll always fight for his friends and comrades, no matter who he's up against.
Of course, consequences do follow. Here, he ends up declaring war against the World Government and the World Nobles.
1. Gon Freecss (Hunter X Hunter)
In Hunter X Hunter, Gon Freecss is normally loud, easy-going, and funny. But one of the best anime rage moments of all time happens when he's up against Pitou and turns into Adult Gon.
What makes him earn top spot on this list is what happens after he gains immense power. Upon turning into his adult form, he assumes a disturbingly still demeanor with only one idea in mind: vengeance.
Unlike other anime rage moments, Gon's anger manifests as calmness, and yet we can still feel how angry and lonely he is during the scene—so much so that all he can do is beat Pitou over and over again.
