The greatest anime fight you have seen.

08-12-2010, 07:07 PM

My favorite is Goku VS.Vegeta in the Saiyan saga where Goku and Vegeta battled for the first time.i also call it my favorite because the fight created a rivalry the lasted threw out most of the series.it was also the first DBZ fight with nonstop fighting for more than 3 episodes.

**Skylark** · 08-13-2010, 12:19 AM

Hrm this post looks familiar....

Anyways, my favourite fight scenes would be from Samurai Champloo, the first and last (ie the high budget) episodes. The movements were smooth and fluid, and the flows between fights were particularly awesome in the first episode. I remember getting my socks knocked off by episode 1 in particular, being awesome from start to finish. Introducing the hip-hop theme to a historical setting really set the pace for the whole anime, and the switches between Mugen and Jin's separate fights and eventually bringing them together sold the series for me right off the bat. Their fight, with their conflicting styles after each receiving a crowning moment of awesome individually, was absolutely sublime from beginning to end and I can't really decide which style I preferred; Jin's calm, concentrated force, exerting only the necessary amount of energy required to maximise the efficiency of each strike (giving him a cool aura, to boot) or Mugen's frenetic break-dance cross pirate-like sword wielding, energy draining, fast paced blows. The first fight was not only awesome, fluid and overflowing with cool but it really introduced the styles and personalities of the two lead guys better than any backstory could of; all in the space of a fight scene which took only a few minutes.

Unfortunately the quality was not so great for other fights for the duration of the series due to budget constraints, I assume. However, the final episode and the fight between the guy who's name I forgot, and Jin, is one of the most memorable I can think of offhand. The strokes are fast and the "camera work" really helps aid immersion, for me anyways.

That said, the fights in between still manage to be a cut above nearly everything else I've seen. I grow weary of fights which involve both sides think for painstaking, flow-breaking minutes before they power up for one strike, or pull some bullshite special win-saving move out of their ass just before they get it handed to them; or people getting nearly killed by a powerful attack only to get up stronger than ever, or people who become intensely stronger when they people they love are in danger. This whole power-up basis for fights rather than the matching or mismatching of skills should just go away, in my opinion. Fights can be good without someone screaming until their pecs are double-D. Yes I'm biased against shounen. Yes it's just my personal opinion.

08-13-2010, 09:18 AM

It is hard to come up with a system for ranking them because most anime fights follow preset formulas that, once you see them enough, become more tiresome than entertaining. Bleach is an ultimate example of this.

Generally, an anime fight goes like this:

1. Provocation/Challenge. Blows/lightning bolts/whatever get traded.

2. Hero get beat down. Usually after puffing up. ("I am not going to lose to you!") Villain: "pathetic worm you aren't worth my time."

3. Villain yak yaks over technique or superiority or metaphysics or whatever long enough that Hero recovers enough to get up again. ("It isn't over!")

4. Villain surprise stage. Usually emotes new anger or perhaps amusement, usually as a sign of receding contempt. Hero isn't dead yet dude why don't you read the script they gave you?

5. Hero pulls out new, stronger weapon/technique/power-level ("aaarrrghhhh!") that they should have used from the get go but that would have made everything done with back at step 1.

6. Sometime repeat steps 2-5 because the bad guy also ratchets up another level. In Bleach this is done about 37 times.

7. Villain finally beat down. The big variance happens here but the options are A) die, B) slink off B1) forever, or B2) vowing revenge, and then the all time favorite C) become friends with hero.

Now of course this isn't the end of things. After this you "level up" to the next bad guy and if you thought the LAST guy was badass it turns out he was just a flunky for the super-badass that is coming next. Here you usually get the obscured-eyes-evil-grin trope and go back to Step 1, already in progress.

So which fight is "best?" None of them.

**Skylark** · 08-13-2010, 12:13 PM

Originally Posted by HaruhiToy

So which fight is "best?" None of them.

That's not particularly fair; while true for shows such as Bleach, Naruto, DBZ, etc (ie long shounen series) it isn't true of all fights. I agree that this particular formula is hair-pullingly prevalent but I tend to avoid series which utilise it.

For example, the fight scenes in the movie series Kara no Kyoukai were absolutely amazing examples of what can be accomplished through anime, with both stunning visuals, a high fps and obviously incredibly high budget. These kind of fight scenes will take you along for the ride rather than leave you wondering if they just put it in their to stretch to fill out the time allotment. There are plenty of great fight scenes out there.

I think it is also completely untrue that "most" anime fight scenes follow preset formulas. I can't really confirm since you don't have an anime list there, but there are plenty of series that don't need to have generic power up "fights" where each participant throws the biggest handheld hand-aimed nuke they can at each other. Hell, even the first episode of Midori Days has a pretty kickass fight scene in the first episode.

08-13-2010, 03:05 PM

[EDIT: Put reasons for your choices, please. -TK]

**sea lion** · 08-13-2010, 10:53 PM

One of the favorites fights I've seen has to be Revy vs. Roberta in Black Lagoon. They have an epic gun battle across the docks of Roanapur until Balalaika comes to break it up, then they proceed to literally beat each other senseless with their fists as the sun rises. I don't know if I've ever seen a fight so brutal between two women.

08-14-2010, 12:02 AM

Originally Posted by HaruhiToy

Generally, an anime fight goes like this:

1. Provocation/Challenge. Blows/lightning bolts/whatever get traded.

2. Hero get beat down. Usually after puffing up. ("I am not going to lose to you!") Villain: "pathetic worm you aren't worth my time."

3. Villain yak yaks over technique or superiority or metaphysics or whatever long enough that Hero recovers enough to get up again. ("It isn't over!")

4. Villain surprise stage. Usually emotes new anger or perhaps amusement, usually as a sign of receding contempt. Hero isn't dead yet dude why don't you read the script they gave you?

5. Hero pulls out new, stronger weapon/technique/power-level ("aaarrrghhhh!") that they should have used from the get go but that would have made everything done with back at step 1.

6. Sometime repeat steps 2-5 because the bad guy also ratchets up another level. In Bleach this is done about 37 times.

7. Villain finally beat down. The big variance happens here but the options are A) die, B) slink off B1) forever, or B2) vowing revenge, and then the all time favorite C) become friends with hero.

Now of course this isn't the end of things. After this you "level up" to the next bad guy and if you thought the LAST guy was badass it turns out he was just a flunky for the super-badass that is coming next. Here you usually get the obscured-eyes-evil-grin trope and go back to Step 1, already in progress.

So which fight is "best?" None of them.

You apparently need to watch more anime fights, my friend. Or less shounen.

08-14-2010, 12:22 AM

OK, ok I'll play. Didn't know I was trampling on sacred cows here.

I can't say what was "greatest" but there are a few that I would put in a top ten list.

When Jigaro takes on each and all of the King's Spears to defend Balsa. Damn righteous.

Black Lagoon has several -- that torpedo boat vs. helicopter thing had to be a joke, but Revy vs. anyone is worth watching. I particularly liked the fight in the bowling alley in japan. Talk about comeuppance.

Mezzo had its moments -- again in a bowling alley -- when the two versions of the orange girl go at it. However VW bugs can't do that. Honorable mention for Asami kicking that guy in the nuts, and then finally standing down the bullies that picked on her.

Formula or not, I liked the final fight in Kenichi Disciple, particularly the part where he emulates each master in turn. The master's reactions are hilarious.

In ROD the TV, they did a pretty good job with Maggie vs. the evil paper-master guy.

And of course I would also pick one of the duels out of RGU -- I just don't know which one.

How's that?

08-14-2010, 01:38 AM

Seirei no Moribito, episode three. Balsa takes on four incredibly strong assailants and holds her own in one of the finely animated and expertly choreographed fights in Anime, ever. That show didn't have many fight scenes, but when it did, boy were they good.

I like a lot of the fight scenes from Dragonball Z franchise, although I'll admit a lot is to do with nostalgia. There were a lot of epic beatdowns, but Android 17 versus Kami and Piccolo fusion is notable for being such an evenly matched slugfest, instead of using the usual Shounen powerup tropes.

The Championship match of the Orange Islands in Pokemon. Best fight in that series I've ever witnessed, though I've only watched the show up to about halfway through the Hoenn region (and then only patchily).

Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion episode eleven, the first fight between the Guren and Lancelot. Kallen and Suzaku's final battle in R2 was also very well done.

Neon Genesis Evangelion, episode nineteen. If you've watched the show, you will know exactly what I mean. Awesome and terrifying at the same time.

Bakemonogatari, Koyomi versus [spoiler]Suruga. She was swinging him around by his entrails; holy crap. And then Hitagi just comes along and effortlessly berates Koyomi and breaks up the fight.[/spoiler]

A few good Mecha fights can be found in Gundam SEED, especially with regards to the druggies. They were crazy, but in a fun way; the way they were more interested in fighting one another than the heroes was hilarious.

A few Cowboy Bebop fights were pretty good. Episode five had a particularly good one, the [spoiler]first time we saw Vicious.[/spoiler]

FLAG and Gasaraki were both filled with Mecha porn. It is too hard to choose which fights in either one of them was the best.

As much as I thought it was pretty disappointing, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood had some awesome fights. [spoiler]Roy versus Lust and Al versus both Kimblee and Pride[/spoiler] were two of my favourites.

This isn't a normal fight per se, but the fourth battle in Initial D First Stage was pretty awesome, mostly because of the way the [spoiler]girls slowly realised just how outclassed they really were.[/spoiler]

Macross Frontier had lots of fairly good battles, but the over-the-top finale simply outclasses them all. Too bad that it went on so long there wasn't a proper conclusion to the characters . . . but the battle was good.

Master Keaton, the episode where Keaton takes on a dog. Doesn't sound impressive? Your loss for not watching it. Half the episode was an extended battle, more of wits than of strength. And that dog was no ordinary canine . . . but saying anything more would give away too much. Just watch the series, will you?

Samurai 7, the final battle between the palace and the village. Full of emotion, full of great action sequences.

Trigun, final battle. Some battles are aided with epic, soaring, rousing music to get your blood pumping, while other battles have little music and are better for it. This battle was of the latter. The lack of music really heightens the tension as there are no musical clues to tell you what's going to happen next. Just watch the battle, though not on YouTube (everyone mistakenly adds music, and it ruins it).

Zipang, [spoiler]the USS Wasp and its complement of aircraft versus the Mirai.[/spoiler] An extended battle with not that much actual fighting, it is a great one nonetheless, mostly because it is a very character-driven battle.

I hope that's enough.

08-14-2010, 01:54 AM

Looks like Samurai Champloo, ROD, and Eva are already taken :/. Only ones I can think of off the top of my head are from

Hellsing Ultimate OVA, along with gruesome violent slaughter, Alucard gets into some epic gunfights and duels, especially with his rival Alexander. Of course Alucard just goes Uber-vamp and just scares the other dude half to death and literally eats them.

Ninja Scroll is all about that boss battle event, each fight being unique and epic. Jubei can get into a tough spot at times fighting unusual enemies, but pulls out some improvised ghetto-samurai tricks, quite entertaining.

There's a lot more that I can't think of now, but these are the most unique fights and certainly not from the shonen pile.