So the mother of all UNECESSARY throwdowns arrives this
Easter weekend. To describe how
unexcited I am for Batman v Superman would take an incredible amount of time
and explanation. BUT this is an Anime
blog, I’m not here to talk about that.
What I am going to talk about, are my five favorite Anime duels. These are the battles that happened for a
reason, that we’d been building up to for 26-52 episodes or more. They weren’t shoe horned in just to get the
fanbase divided. There was purpose and
there was pay off, unlike…you know what, let’s just get to this list before I
start cursing one of the potentially worst comic book movies ever (the reviews
haven’t been kind already and it’s hilarious).
#5-Amuro vs. Char
(Gundam: Char’s Counterattack)
This was one of the longest running and most developed
rivalries in all of Anime. It was tough
to choose between which final battle between these two should have had a place
on this list. In the end, I had to go
with Char’s Counterattack. With Axis on
it’s final approach to Earth, Amuro’s Nu Gundam and Char’s Sazabi enter on
final duel. When the blasters and funnels
and beam sabers fail, it comes down to fists and man does Amuro throw
down. It’s strange to think that Amuro
and Char could have been friends. Their
hearts are in the same place but their methods are far different. And there’s the fact that their shared
romantic interest was killed in the middle of one of their battles. These two may have never found true
peace. But their long war ended here and
it was a glorious ending to a key chapter in the Gundam Universe.
#4-Ichigo vs.
Byakuya (Bleach)
This was during the section of Bleach I think is still
the best (the second and third seasons).
Ichigo had pushed himself to the limit fighting Lieutenants and Captains
non stop since he arrived in the Soul Society.
But it was all leading up to the fight with the man who took his friend,
Rukia. The man who was willing to let
his sister die to see justice done, Byakuya Kuchiki. Here, we saw Ichigo’s bankai in action and
Byakuya actually threatened by it a little.
We even saw Ichigo’s dark side emerge for a bit of fun. In the end, this was another fight of
ideologies and ways of life. In the end,
Ichigo came out the winner. But Byakuya
was changed as well. He may have
remained calm, stern and borderline emotionless for the rest of the
series. But he was always kinder, more
appretiative of Ichigo and his comrades.
And best of all, he fought to save the only family he had left,
Rukia. That’s a victory in and of
itself.
#3-Kenshin vs.
Saito (Rurouni Kenshin)
This was the opening fight for one of the most beloved
arcs of the Rurouni Kenshin Anime (and the manga for that matter). After a decade long absence, Kenshin’s old
rival, Hajime Saito, returns to his life.
He has a mission but after a couple of minutes in the same room, Saito’s
willing to put his duty aside to settle an old score. The situation gets more intense with each
passing second. The more Saito lays into
Kenshin, the more the Rurouni’s Battosai persona returns. Soon, Kaoru and the others are looking at a
duel straight out of the Bakumatsu that solidified the new Japan. This duel ends in a draw, having to be called
off by Saito’s superior. But this left
no doubt in our minds that no one, even the main arc villain Shishio Makoto,
could bring out Kenshin’s dark side like Saito could. I only wish we could have seen this fight
reach a proper conclusion…even if it meant the end of one of two of my favorite
Anime characters.
#2-Shiro vs.
Gilgamesh (Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works) (SPOILER WARNING!!!)
I’ve talked about this fight before in a prior T5W, so
I’ll be brief. I had been waiting for
two separate series (Fate/Zero and Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works) for
Gilgamesh to get what was coming to him.
His arrogance, his over powered Noble Phantasm. I was so sick of him everytime he opened his
mouth to look down upon others. Shiro
did a good job cutting him up. But just
when it seemed like Gilgamesh was going to be a sore loser and pull Shiro to
Hell with him…BOOM HEADSHOT!!!! I have
never cheered or gone F*** YEAH so loudly watching such a moment in Anime in a
long time. Ahhhh…satisfaction.
#1-Kazuma vs.
Ryuhou (S-CRY-ed)
I remember sitting in a friends dorm room watching this
fight on Adult Swim. These two had been
rivals and even unlikely allies before the end of the series. But one matter always needed to be settled,
who was the stronger between Kazuma and Ryuhou.
What happened next was amazing.
First, both used their powers at all levels. And then, when they had depleted their
special abilities, were so tired and werery, they started punching each
other. Neither refused to go down. It was like watching the Anime equivalent of
Rocky and I could not look away. The
final victor was undecided, there’s even hints this fight went on much longer
than what was shown in the episode. For
a decent Anime action series, it got one helluva legendary finale.
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