Anime is full of moments that are funny, suspenseful, or even heartbreaking, but we're partial to scenes that are badass in nature—the ones that have you pumping your fist because they're so cool.
This can happen when a desperate character is backed into a corner and finally decides to go all-out in a fight against an indomitable opponent.
It can also happen when a supremely powerful character finally meets an adversary on their level, allowing us to witness the true extent of their power as they unleash everything they have.
And what's more badass than a character being heroic, willing to lay down their own life to protect and save others who aren't able to protect or save themselves?
Whether as a last-ditch attempt at survival or simply to show off what one is capable of, here are my picks for the most badass anime moments that are so awesome that they gave me chills.
17. Midoriya vs. Muscular (My Hero Academia)
Midoriya can't use the full potential of his One For All Quirk because a single punch powered by his Quirk would cost him his entire arm.
Yet, in his battle against Muscular of the League of Villains—when his arm was already damaged—he throws a punch that isn't just loaded to 100% power but to 1,000,000% power!
As expected, the toll this takes on his body is really bad given the strength he imbues in his punch, but that's what makes it such a badass moment.
16. Rimuru Uses Megiddo (That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime)
To revive his fallen friends and comrades, Rimuru Tempest plans to become a Demon Lord—and all he has to do for that is consume enough souls as the requirement.
Just as his allies destroy the magical barrier, he releases Megiddo to wipe out the human settlement below him, killing thousands of individuals. It's an impressive show of power, for sure.
15. Yujiro Hanma vs. Kaku Kaio (Baki the Grappler)
Yujiro "The Ogre" Hanma is the most terrifying character in the Baki the Grappler series. With little to no effort, he can make his opponents tremble in fear as they face the worst scenario of life: death.
When he flexes his muscles and forms the monstrous face on his back, we know he's dead serious about the fight and ready to go all-out to satisfy his brute nature, as he did in his fight against Kaku Kaio.
Though his opponent is an old man, he goes full power because he knows this old man is a worthy opponent.
14. Vigilante Deku (My Hero Academia)
In his attempt to save everyone from the eyes of All For One, Izuku Midoriya distances himself from those who are dear to him. However, he never gives up on being a hero.
He works in the shadows with the help of a few Pro Heroes (including the now-retired All Might), tracking down and chasing All For One on his own so he doesn't put his friends and family in grave danger.
That's when Midoriya and Muscular end up in a rematch, but now Midoriya has the upper hand since he can utilize the other Quirks in him. What an awesome way to show Midoriya's progress!
13. Attack Titan vs. Jaw Titan (Attack On Titan)
Before we saw the epic moment of Falco Grice's Flying Jaw Titan, the most memorable Jaw Titan scene was when Eren Yeager's Attack Titan went up against Porco Galliard's Jaw Titan.
Who would have thought that Eren would find a way to crack open Lara Tybur's impenetrable cocoon using Porco's Jaw Titan as a nutcracker? It's just plain disrespectful! Yet so cool and badass.
12. Asta and Yuno (Black Clover)
During the Star Awarding Ceremony of the Clover Kingdom, the rookies Asta and Yuno are mocked for being peasants among the ranks, even despite being awarded for their hard work.
To demonstrate that they're actually worthy of the award, Yuno commands Bell (his Wind Spirit) to go full power and fire off an attack at Asta, who's able to nullify the attack.
Both rookies show how powerful they are: an unstoppable force (Yuno) and an immovable object (Asta).
11. Genos vs. Meteor (One Punch Man)
When a meteor enters the atmosphere, the citizens are in grave danger of a lethal impact and wide-scale destruction. Genos responds with a plan to use his Incineration Cannon to destroy it.
But upon seeing that even Metal Knight's firepower couldn't damage the falling meteor, he decides to go all-out—much more than he could give—to power up his arm for his powerful yet desperate attack.
10. Might Guy Opens the 8th Gate of Death (Naruto Shippuden)
There's an unspoken rule for those who are able to open and use the Eight Inner Gates: you only open them when you're ready to give your life to protect someone or something you cherish.
To protect the future generations, Might Guy opens up his Eight Inner Gate and converts his own life force into tremendous power.
In his battle against Madara Uchiha—who acquired the power of the Ten Tails and became the strongest ninja in history—Might Guy is able to deal critical damage to him using this ability. In response, Madara acknowledged Guy as the strongest ninja next to Hashirama.
9. Escanor's The One (The Seven Deadly Sins)
The Lion's Sin of Pride, Escanor of the Seven Deadly Sins, has the Grace called Sunshine, which grows stronger as the sun rises. With Sunshine, he becomes "The One" when the sun is at its peak during noon, which grants him the full power of the Grace for one minute.
In their last battle against the Demon King, he uses "The One" for longer than a minute, which gives him the necessary power to match his opponent at the cost of burning his own life force.
8. Goku Ultra Instinct (Dragon Ball Super)
Dragon Ball is full of fight scenes where characters go wild, but Dragon Ball Super introduced us to an inter-universe tournament where fighters from different universes compete for existence.
One of the coolest parts is Goku's Ultra Instinct mode and the continuation of their battle against the remaining players in the field. All of the contestants give their all, as those who lose will cease to exist along with their respective universes.
7. Kenpachi Zaraki's Shikai (Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War)
While many Bleach anime watchers are still waiting for Ichigo's true Zanpakuto and his new Bankai, the moment when Kenpachi unleashes Nozarashi's Shikai form is one of the most badass scenes in Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War.
For a long time, Kenpachi was known as the only Captain who possesses a nameless sword. However, in his battle against Gremmy, he calls forth Nozarashi and totally blows us all away with this surprise.
6. Sanji and Zoro vs. King and Queen (One Piece)
One of the moments you shouldn't miss in One Piece is when Zoro and Sanji work together. They're always seen to hate and argue with each other, but they always have each other's back.
In their match against the top fighters of the Beast Pirates, King and Queen, they know for sure that if they win this battle, their captain Luffy would be a step closer to becoming the Pirate King.
This scene features their comeback, with Marco the Phoenix stepping down to give way to the stars of the real show. The flashy animation further escalates the tension and the badassery of the fights.
5. Revival of Toji Fushiguro (Jujutsu Kaisen)
It's not uncommon in anime for dead characters to be brought back to life, nor is it uncommon for those revived characters to be far more dangerous than they were. The Reanimation Technique in Naruto is a great example of this.
In Jujutsu Kaisen, we see a similar kind of ability when the villainous sorceress revives one of the most fearsome characters in history: Toji Fushiguro, an assassin who possesses no Cursed Energy but can still go toe-to-toe with Curse Users.
Toji Fushiguro is brutally strong and known as Sorcerer Killer. He's so powerful that his revived soul manages to take control of the medium's body as his own, much to the caster's surprise.
In this particular scene, he appears right in time to save the sorcerers caught in Dagon's Domain and takes the stage to fight the Special Grade Curse with ease.
4. Yayoi vs. The Creepy Doll (Dark Gathering)
Dark Gathering is such a masterpiece of anime for horror fans, incorporating the action-packed moments of a typical shonen series with the dark and ominous lore of haunted stories.
This scene where Yayoi subdues the evil spirit is just one of the many exorcism moments that will surely creep you out. The way she decapitates the doll is simply awesome.
3. Megumi Summons Mahoraga (Jujutsu Kaisen)
In Jujutsu Kaisen, Mahoraga is said to be untamable, with no other users of the Ten Shadow Technique able to control it. That's why the battle with Ryomen Sukuna is one of the most epic fight scenes in the series.
But before that fight between Sukuna and Mahoraga, we witness how Megumi Fushiguro summons this monster.
He knows for sure that the price for summoning Mahoraga is to forfeit his own life and the life of another, so he bids farewell to Haruta Shigemo with a creepy grin. There's nothing more terrifying than facing someone willing to give up his life just to win!
2. Zoro's Sacrifice (One Piece)
In the aftermath of the decisive battle in the Thriller Bark, the Straw Hat Pirates are left with the Monster Trio weakened and gravely injured, especially Luffy who has reached his limits.
That's why the appearance of the Warlord Bartholomew Kuma isn't the best timing for them. Instead of taking the captain's head, he takes away Luffy's overwhelming pain and exhaustion using his Devil Fruit ability—but someone has to carry it in his place.
This scene is widely known as the Nothing Happened scene where Zoro, after carrying the huge bubble of pain on behalf of his captain, calmly says: "Nothing happened." So badass.
1. Adult Gon vs. Pitou (Hunter X Hunter)
Prior to this scene, Gon had gone all-out with his cannon-like punch during the dodgeball game with Razor. Here, he goes ahead and surpasses his own limits using the Covenant and Restriction.
In this scene, Gon becomes the adult version of himself and instantly gains all the power he would've gained in the next ten or more years. This allows him to defeat his enemy, but in exchange he almost loses his life.
