There's a good chance most people became anime fans because of an amazing fight scene they saw.  Maybe it was from Dragon Ball, maybe it was from another anime series, but the fact that animation doesn't really have a special effects budget makes a huge difference.  They aren't held back by the constraints of live-action, and they can go all out and have fun with their fights.

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And last year had plenty of amazing fights to choose from.  Though shonen didn't have a strong a year as it usually does, they offered up some pretty awesome showdowns, especially since some series were experiencing the end of some long-running arcs.  Of course, no one can see every anime and there's a better chance than not people missed a lot of the best fights.

10 Kirito vs Subtilizer Is Well-Animated But Short (Sword Art Online: Alicization - War of the Underworld)

Kirito vs Subtilizer

This fight is visually stunning, but it’s also not terribly long. At the end of the last season of Sword Art Online, Kirito is forced to fight against Gabriel Miller, a guy who was assigned by America to kidnap Alice Zuberg’s Fluctlight.

In the world of Project Alicization he possesses near-immortality and proves to be a foe that Kirito has to assemble energy from all the Fluctlights to defeat. It’s got some stellar animation and is great for how it capped off the series, but it lacks the punch of some of the other fights this year.

9 Touma & Gunha vs. Misaka Is A Great Two On One Fight (A Certain Scientific Railgun T)

touma index imagine breaker

The attempts to turn Misaka into the first Level 6 Esper resulted in her taking on an entirely new form that was about to lay waste to everything. It took the main character of Index in Kamijou Touma and a powerful Level 5 Esper in Sogiita Gunha to be capable of doing anything to her. Gunha’s incredible strength helped Touma get close enough to touch Misaka with his Imagine Breaker, which can cancel any ability.

But even that didn’t stop her from powering up. In the end, it was Touma summoning dragons after his arm was blown off that were able to break her magic down and allow Touma to wake her up.

8 Avan & Dai vs. Hadler Gives Dai A Great Motivation To Get Stronger (Dragon Quest: The Adventures of Dai)

Dragon Quest Dai Avan Megante (1)

This series pulls viewers in early by getting people to like characters and cranking up the tension. Dai has just barely gotten to know his teacher when he loses him to the Demon Lord Hadler, who’d had his power boosted after being brought back to life.

But fortunately, the incredible power within Dai allows him to not only use Avan’s legendary Avan Strash technique, but to power it up enough to completely eradicate Hadler.

7 Team 7 vs Deepa Is One Of Boruto's Best Animated Fights (Boruto: Naruto Next Generation)

Deepa Manipulating Carbon

The Deepa arc of Boruto is so well-done it’s starting to win over long-time Naruto fans. The heroes battle against Deepa once before, but his ability to create diamond-hard armor makes him a threat that even Konohamaru isn’t able to damage.

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The group is completely destroyed in their first attempt to defeat him, but working together and with Boruto’s new Compression Rasengan they’re able to completely shatter him. What really sells this fight is just how much of an upgrade the series goes under not just in animation but combat choreography. This fight is actually on a similar level as the Naruto and Sasuke vs. Ohtsutsuki Battle.

6 Zhuge vs Puppets Is The Best Pure Martial Arts Fight Of 2020 (Hitori no Shita - The Outcast Season 3)

Zhuge vs Puppets

Though epic magical battles can be fun, they can also be tired. Sometimes fans just want to see a classic fight between the characters of their favourite anime.

It’s a short flight, but watching Zhuge battle against a pair of puppets is a delightful experience for any fan of martial arts. Special techniques are kept to a minimum in favor of some of the crispest fight choreography this side of The Raid.

5 The Magic Knights vs. Zagred Is An Excellent End To The Eye Of The Midnight Sun Arc (Black Clover)

Asta vs Zagred

The anime Black Clover continues to get better with each new arc. At the end of the Eye of the Midnight Sun storyline, the Magic Knights fight against their first demon, and it’s quite the experience.

Exhausted after fighting their fellow knights boosted up by the spirits of the elves, the Magic Knights all come together to take on the demon responsible. The animation for this fight is matched only by Yuno vs. Rill, or the more recent Asta and Yami battle against Dante.

4 Bell vs Asterius Gives Fans Bell's Rematch Against His Biggest Foe (Is It Wrong To Try To Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon Season 3)

danmachi-season-3-episode-12-bell-asterius

Much of DanMachi comes down to a battle against minotaurs. Bell running from a minotaur is what causes him to want to get better in the first place. Him defeating a minotaur on his own in the dungeon is what made the series famous in the first place. And then here at the end of Season 3, he faces off against one of his oldest opponents yet again.

Only this time, with the minotaur having awakened, even Bell’s unique Argonaut ability isn’t enough to compete. It’s not just a loss, but a humbling that once again fuels Bell with the desire to become strong.

3 Deku vs. Overhaul Gave Fans Deku At 100 Percent (My Hero Academia Season 4)

Anime My Hero Academia Villain Kai Chisaki sporting four arms while using his Quirk, Overhaul.

Ever wanted to see what Deku finally looked like when he was capable of tapping into One For All at 100%? Deku vs. Overload finally grants that to the viewers, as Deku works with Eri to keep him constantly regenerated so he can fight Overload properly.

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With all the other heroes injured or already in a fight, Deku burns with an undeniable passion to save the young girl he’d let slip from his hands at the start of the season. He not only succeeds, but he puts down a high-level villain in doing so.

2 Jin vs Daewi Is The Best Part Of God Of High School (The God Of High School)

Jin Mori Against Han Daewi God Of High School

Do people that only watched the anime know God of High School for anything else but this fight? The show cut so much of the main plot that by the end people likely forgot most of the characters’ names.

The only thing that made the series worth watching was the initial tournament and this episode. Though it’s nowhere near as good as the webtoon version of the fight, it’s still beautifully animated and shows Daewi’s struggle against the invincible protagonist, done from his own perspective, something most shows don’t do.

1 Endeavor vs. High End Is The Epitome Of Great Shonen Action (My Hero Academia Season 4)

Endeavor After His Battle With High-End in MHA

In terms of sheer combat, Endeavor vs. High End likely isn’t the best fight. But what pulls a viewer into an action scene? The pulse-pounding combat is part of it, but the stakes being set up play just as much of a part in a good action anime. Up until now, Endeavor was simply just the vain Number 2 hero that was seen as a jerk.

But against High End, Endeavor’s true determination is on display. He has to surpass the old version of himself, to prove that he’s able to stand in place as the Number 1 Hero now that All Might is down. Working with Hawks as society watches helplessly, people are finally given that one ray of hope to believe everything could actually be safe again.

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