Top 20 Best Anime Moments

Top 20 Best Anime Moments

Written by: ClayDragon & Shiggins

This is it. This is the big one. This took us a long time to do. There are so many anime series out there, and there are so many great moments that there was no way we could narrow them down to just 10. These aren’t just awesome moments though – as long as a moment is memorable, we’ve considered it for this list, so be prepared to see some emotional entries here as well…

Thanks to the anonymous commenter who requested this list!

As is this the case with many of these lists, SPOILER ALERT. You have been warned.

  

20.)        Alucard vs Anderson (Hellsing Ultimate) (Written by: Shiggins)

Okay, if the Catholic Church was more like Father Anderson, I think we'd all sign up. There aren't a lot of people who can take on Alucard but Anderson was definitely up to the challenge. In fact, I'd say he was the most difficult opponent Alucard had to face, considering very few others were able to chop off the vampire’s head or use the power of God to kick some ass against him! Anderson is a great character, and Alucard is a great character. So when you put one against the other, blood has to fly and you have to love it.

By the way, you're meant to be rooting for the one on the...uh...

The action is fast, strong and lethal. Seras is practically overwhelmed for most of it, and even Alucard is at one or two points. He's not intimidated by Anderson, but impressed. The music is great, and the mocking is great. Honestly, it's just a great fight scene of blood and madness. If that isn't enough for you, then just remember this one life lesson the fight scene gave you – don’t fuck with God!

Wow. That's just... That's just rude, man!

19.)        Omnimon Appears (Digimon: The Movie) (Written by: ClayDragon)

Whilst most people remember the Digimon Adventure anime fondly, opinions on the accompanying movie are…a bit divided, even more so for the dub version. However, even though the fandom is divided on the movie, almost everyone agrees on one thing: Omnimon was awesome. When a rogue Digimon infiltrates the internet and attempts to start World War 3 by launching nukes at Japan, Tai and Matt send WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon to stop it. But by the time they arrive, Diaboromon has duplicated himself millions of times, and only by killing the original will they be able to save the world. They end up getting their asses kicked.

 

*cue awesome music*

Somehow, Tai and Matt are able to enter the internet and, thanks to emails from people all over the world, WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon get a second wind. Using the energy from the emails, which are sort of implied to be digital equivalents of souls (I know, it sounds ridiculous) the two DNA Digivolve into Omnimon and begin to wipe out swathes of Diaboromon clones in one attack, saving the world with a second to spare. Admit it, when you were a little kid watching this movie for the first time, you cheered.

Come to think of it, seeing someone get stabbed in the head is pretty brutal for a kid's show.

18.)        Team Rocket’s Sacrifice (Pokémon: The Movie 2000) (Written by: ClayDragon)

               

Everyone remembers Team Rocket. The laughably evil, borderline pathetic villains from the Pokémon anime have made it their goal to capture Ash’s Pikachu. But despite being the bad guys, there are a number of moments that highlight the fact that they are not bad people. This point is really brought home in the second movie where the trio actually play a major role in saving the world. Granted, they initially planned to swipe Pikachu, but once Ash ends up having to traverse a frozen sea in order to calm the rampaging legendary birds, Jessie, James and Meowth decide to help out.

It's no hot-air balloon, but it gets the job done.

Reasoning that there would be no-one to steal from if the world were to end, the trio give Ash a lift on what is essentially a fan-powered inflatable dinghy. Later on, when they’re hitching a lift on Lugia’s leg, they realise that their weight is slowing Lugia down, leading to them making the decision to let go and fall to their deaths, thus allowing Ash to complete the world-saving ritual in time. What’s more, they do this without a second thought. These three comic relief villains are more than willing to sacrifice their lives in order to save the world, and the fact that they go down together makes it even more moving. Granted, they do actually survive, but it doesn’t lessen the impact of the moment.  

Forget Ash, these guys are the real heroes here.

17.)        Giga Drill Breaker (Gurren Lagann) (Written by: Shiggins)

Are you tired of the Anti-Spiral? Are you fed up with the annoying and surprisingly boring second half of the Gurren Lagann anime, mostly due to the great main character Simon becoming blander than white beard placed on top of even more white bread? Well, don't worry because help is at hand! And this help comes in the form of a giant robot that is so massive and powerful it literally uses galaxies as stepping stones and fucks with physics so hard that ClayDragon gets a migraine just thinking about it!

*deep breath... deeper... deeper...* JUST WHO IN THE HELL DO YOU THINK WE ARE?! 

Shortly before this moment, I was so pissed off. Almost all the good characters were dead, with more than half of them being killed off right before this final fight. I was in the mood to see something really awesome, and that's exactly what I got. Giant robots in anime are actually quite boring half the time, but Gurren Lagann does it perfectly and realised that if you can't go ridiculous, go big. And when I say big, I mean so massive that the only thing in fictional history bigger than it is... Super Tengen Toppen Gurren Lagann from the movie! ...IT'S FUCKING HUGE, OKAY!?

Just saying 'screw you' wasn't enough for these guys.

16.)        Rider’s Party (Fate/Zero) (Written by: Shiggins)

Fate/Zero is better than Fate/Stay Night. I'm sorry but it's true. You can tell me as much as you like about this character or that character but does Fate/Stay Night have Fate/Zero’s Rider? No? Then Fate/Zero is the winner. And it's thanks to him we get this surprisingly memorable scene that is mostly just a conversation between three of the Servants. Saber, Rider and Archer. And what do they talk about? Being a king, obviously!

This looks exactly like every party I've ever been to (that's me in the gold by the way). 

I think what makes this scene so interesting is that we've never seen Saber get talked back to before. She's one of those prideful types that spouts her own morals and beliefs about what she should do and why you are wrong to go against her, but Rider and Archer actually go against that. They point out how wrong she is and actually render her speechless. Protagonists rarely get told to shut up, and it's great to see. Also, it's one of the only times these three aren't fighting so that's always a lot of fun too.

Go to a YouTube comment page.  All dialogue becomes a war over there.

15.)        Kyon’s Choice (The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya) (Written by: ClayDragon)

Over the course of the entire two seasons of the anime, Kyon has always complained about the chaos that Haruhi and the SOS Brigade get up to. During the events of The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya, it appears that Kyon has got his wish – the world has been altered so that Haruhi is just a normal girl, the SOS Brigade never existed, and Nagato has gone from being an emotionless humanoid interface to a quiet, shy bookworm. You’d think Kyon would be happy with this new world, right? Well, not really. At the climax of the film, he’s offered a choice – stay in this new world, or go back to the old one, complete with everything he always complained about.

And now he's lost the right to complain about anything that Haruhi does in the future.

As it turns out, the answer is a no-brainer. After forcing himself to accept the truth, Kyon admits that he actually loved every minute of being in the SOS Brigade, and returns to the old world. Whilst the scene where Kyon confronts his feelings is awesome, it’s also quite tragic. In choosing to go back to the old world, he’s pretty much denied Nagato the chance to feel emotions. Sure, Nagato doesn’t blame him for his choice (since she did trust him to make the right decision), but seeing the alternate Nagato grab Kyon’s sleeve as he’s about to change the world back is just heartbreaking.

Great. Now I'm sad.

14.)        Travelling Across Space & Time for Government Work (Gintama: The Movie: The Final Chapter) (Written by: ClayDragon)

The Joui War played a huge part in Gintoki’s backstory, as he was one of the main rebels in the fight against the Amanto invaders. Whilst flashbacks to events during the war were shown every so often, this is the first time we actually see a proper battle in all its glory. Thanks to the time-travelling nature of the movie’s plot, Gintoki ends up going back into the past in order to kill his younger self before he can be infected with a highly contagious, lethal disease during the War. When that fails, he comes up with another plan: kill the original carrier of the Pestilence before it can be passed on.

You do not want to go up against this guy.

As it turns out, Gintoki isn’t the only one that travelled back in time – every single important character from the series came back to help him. Seeing Gintoki carve his way through an entire army single-handedly is epic enough as it is, but when he’s fighting alongside Shinpachi, Kagura and the Shinsengumi as they charge towards the army’s commander, it goes from ‘epic’ to ‘spine-tinglingly awesome’. Add in SPYAIR’s ‘Status Quo Destruction’ playing in the background, and the result is one of my favourite scenes in any anime movie.

Sure, if you look closely Sougo just tried to kill Kagura, but I still ship them.

13.)        Touma Comforts Mikoto (A Certain Scientific Railgun) (Written by: ClayDragon)

The Sisters arc was not kind to Mikoto. After seeing a number of her clones get massacred by Accelerator, being nearly killed by another Lever 5 esper, and suffering from physical and mental exhaustion, Mikoto comes up with a way to stop the Level 6 Shift experiments that result in the deaths of her Sisters. Namely, she has to die by Accelerator’s hand. Fortunately, before she can go through with it she’s found by Touma, who has learned all about the project. Unfortunately, Touma is unable to dissuade her through words alone, and just ends up making her angrier.

Never have I wanted to hug an anime character more.

So angry, in fact, that she gives him an ultimatum – get out of her way or die. When Touma refuses to move, Mikoto zaps him. Hard. Like, ‘heartbeat stopped for a few seconds’ hard. When he eventually wakes up, Touma realises that his head is on Mikoto’s lap, and she’s openly crying onto his face. Seeing the usually-tough Mikoto break down over the course of the arc was heart-wrenching, but the tender moment between the two as Touma vows to defeat Accelerator for Misaka’s sake is just lovely. Plus, it really solidifies the Touma x Mikoto pairing.

Awww...

12.)        “Bang” (Cowboy Bebop) (Written by: ClayDragon)

No-one really expected Cowboy Bebop to have a truly happy ending. Whilst I did expect the ending of this gritty space opera to be bittersweet, I didn’t expect it to be so ambiguous. In the final episode, the love of Spike’s life has died and, despite his friends telling him to leave the past where it is, Spike seeks out his old friend/nemesis Vicious in an attempt to get revenge. This means that Spike single-handedly takes on an entire crime syndicate (and wins) just in order to reach Vicious. And when the two former partners finally come face to face, it doesn’t disappoint.

Well, that's gonna sting.

By anime fight standards, their battle is relatively short. After a few blows, they both land a solid hit on each other, with Spike shooting Vicious in the heart, and Vicious slicing Spike across the stomach. Vicious collapses instantly, but Spike survives long enough to climb down the stairs towards the remainder of the syndicate. He pauses halfway down, points his finger at them, and says one word before the series ends. “Bang.” Regardless of whether or not Spike actually survived, it’s an awesome end for both an awesome show, and an awesome character.

See you, Space Cowboy...

11.)        Monokuma Revealed (Dangan Ronpa) (Written by: Shiggins)

...Spoilers! Ah fuck it, you should know this one already. Only filthy heathens haven't become one with Dangan Ronpa yet. Monokuma, the little fucker bear that could do anything, was the perfect mascot for such a bizarre and funny yet dark series but what we really wanted to know was who was controlling him. And just like every other mystery in Dangan Ronpa, even the twist of the identity was covered in twists!

What do you mean, you can't see the resemblance? 

Junko Enoshima, also known as Ultimate Despair, was secretly the mastermind behind it all and wow, we were shocked. The big reason behind that shock was because we saw her DIE during the second episode! Oh wait, that was her sister. Oh and also, she's insane and possibly schizophrenic and is even hotter when she’s a villain. Oh and she even laughs like Monokuma. “Upupupu”. What the hell is that?!

...Is it weird I think she's even hotter now?

10.)        Chiyuki’s Choice (Death Parade) (Written by: ClayDragon)

After arriving in the afterlife and spending the entire show being judged by Decim, Chiyuki is taken back to the world of the living to see the effect that her death had on her family. Upon realising how much despair and suffering her death had caused, she’s given a choice: press a button and be brought back to life, at the cost of someone else’s. Just as she’s about to go through with it, Chiyuki remembers everyone she interacted with during the series, and realises that she can’t press the button. In her grief, she begs Decim to do it for her, causing the world to break down around them.

 

If you didn't cry at this, then you may actually be dead inside.

As it turns out, it was all an illusion created by Decim in an attempt to understand Chiyuki’s emotions. Seeing the sheer emotional turmoil that she went through, Decim’s emotions finally surface and he falls crying to the ground, constantly apologising for what he put Chiyuki through. This incredibly heartfelt scene ends with Chiyuki tearfully hugging Decim and saying that she forgives him. It manages to be both extremely heartwarming and sad at the same time, and it’s a perfect example of how Death Parade can be emotional enough to bring viewers to tears. 

At this point, there wasn't a single dry eye in the house.

9.)           “Let’s Hold Hands” (Fairy Tail) (Written by: Shiggins)

Fairy Tail is the prime example of a series that has only gotten better over time. Clearly filled with struggles at the beginning, the manga expanded its roster of characters, delved into a deeper storyline and enhanced the bonds between the protagonists and even some of the villains. The true beginning of huge improvement for me was the Tenrou Island Arc, and it's amazing ending to transfer all their magic to each other to create a shield to survive an attack from the bastard dragon Acnologia. It's time for hand-holding!

It's as if the shippers chose who held hand with who.

Fairy Tail is about friendship as much as Dragon Ball is about punching people or Pokémon is about not ageing. It's one of the most important and relevant themes in the series, and this moment perfectly captures that. They're going to use magic. They're going to either survive together or die together. And they're not letting go until it's all over!

The speed I went from “hating Laxus” to “adoring Laxus” was so sudden that I smacked my head against the laptop screen. 

8.)           Future Okabe’s Message (Steins;Gate) (Written by: ClayDragon)

Steins;Gate is one of those shows that gets even better when you watch it again and pick up on small details that you missed the first time around. For example, at the very start of the show, Okabe receives a video message that just shows static. This moment is then completely forgotten about until near the very end of the story. After travelling back in time and failing to save Kurisu from getting stabbed, Okabe is just about ready to give up. However, upon remembering the distorted video he received weeks ago, he notices that he can view it now – and what’s more, it’s a video of himself. The Okabe in the video is from the future, and manages to completely change the tone of the scene with one simple phrase: “It is possible to save her.” 

Damn you, low video quality! I want to see his face!

Whilst Present Okabe may be a huge dork, Future Okabe radiates awesomeness. He’s cool, calm and collected, and the confidence he has in his younger self’s ability to save Kurisu makes it even better. By simply explaining the situation to his past self, Future Okabe manages to do what no-one else could do and bring Okabe back to his old ‘Hououin Kyouma’ personality, complete with the opening theme for the visual novel kicking in towards the end. This message inspires Okabe to try to save Kurisu again, and by manipulating events so that the past appears unaltered (even though it has been changed), he succeeds. Hooray for time travel!

Hououin Kyouma is back in the game!

7.)           “Nothing Happened” (One Piece) (Written by: Shiggins)

I feel like I'm hitting myself every time I admit something great about One Piece. Admittedly, this entry was a bit difficult and I almost picked the rampage of Whitebeard during the war, but this one came just a bit closer due to being far more personal to the crew of the Straw Hat Pirates, and for including the best thing about One Piece in general; Zoro.

Possibly the most manly thing you'll see in this lifetime.

A ridiculous set-up to be sure, Zoro basically had to endure all the pain his comrade Luffy felt during a massive battle against a resurrected zombie giant (Just... Just accept it). This was the deal Bartholomew Kuma offered, in return for letting the crew survive. Adding to the amount of horrible pain he'd already endured the fighting, then adding that on top of it, is nothing short of unbearable for even the strongest anime characters out there. And what did Zoro say after it all was over? “Nothing... Happened...” What a man.

Wow, it sure is lucky a giant balloon-bear-man-thing with a bible came out of nowhere.

6.)           Edward’s Proposal to Winry (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood) (Written by: Shiggins)

What is life without love? It's not half-bad actually. I suggest you try it. Unfortunately, the brilliant character Edward Elric is a man who couldn't deny he was in love and was unable to live the wonderful life I lead. When Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood ended, it was smiles all around as every character got the closure they deserved. Story arcs and character arcs finally came to a resolution, and Edward proposed to the brilliant Winry Rockbell just before he got on the train.

Science! That always gets the ladies, I'm sure...

The proposal was everything we needed it to be, and so perfectly in character. Nobody says “I love you” or anything else that cliché and done a million times. Instead, Edward starts using alchemy phrases like the dork he has, and Winry responds with frustration and her own dorky embarrassment. We knew exactly what was being said and because it wasn't shoved in our faces, it worked perfectly.

I will really miss the size difference though.

5.)           L Outsmarts Light (Death Note) (Written by: ClayDragon)

Death Note started off well, but if you ask anyone what made them keep watching the show, most would say it was the dynamic between Light and L. L was touted as the best detective in Japan, and minutes after he had appeared, he had worked out Light’s location and motive. Appearing on a worldwide broadcast, L told the world his full name – Lind L Taylor – and publicly condemned Kira’s actions. Enraged by this act of defiance, Light wrote L’s name down in the Death Note and watched him die, only to find out seconds later that Lind L Taylor was a decoy, and the real L was very much alive.

From 'victory!' to 'oh, crap!' in two seconds.

Not only that, but the ‘worldwide’ broadcast was in fact only shown in one area of Japan. With some trickery and misdirection, L had shown that Kira existed and was in Japan, and even found out that there were limits to Light’s power (namely, that he needed a face and a name to kill someone). The methods that L used were so simple, yet Light fell for them hook, line and sinker. This moment, and their monologues a minute later when they both declare themselves the embodiment of Justice, sets up their dynamic incredibly well, and it’s entertaining no matter how many times you watch it. 

"I'm Justice!"
"No, I am!"
"No you're not, I am!"

4.)           Ichigo’s Bankai (Bleach) (Written by: Shiggins)

No question with this one. The greatest Bleach moment of them all is easily the reveal of Ichigo's Bankai against Byakuya Kuchiki. We were tempted to say when Ichigo saves Rukia from the actual execution itself, but this one just gains the edge in terms of how cool it is. And unlike the execution moment, no funny moment to make you lose your downstairs excitement. Ichigo finally revealed his new outfit and speed, and it was amazing! 

Bleach: The most under-appreciated series when it comes to art and style.

At this point in the story, Byakuya was an asshole that we really wanted to see be taken down a notch or twelve. He was unreasonably cruel to Rukia and most of his subordinates and allies, and he was so devoted to taking down Ichigo so he couldn't prevent Rukia's execution. While admittedly the way Ichigo got Bankai so much quicker than everyone else is... somewhat bullshit... the reveal of his new powers only made things better for the entire series as  a whole.

"Will you be my friiiiiiend?"

3.)           Sage-Mode Naruto (Naruto: Shippuden) (Written by: Shiggins)

I was really struggling with the Naruto entry because to be honest, Naruto has dozens of great moments. Moments like Rock Lee fighting Gaara, or Sasuke leaving the village, or even the reveal of Obito and his transformation into a jinchuuriki are all noteworthy and deserve recognition. However, we finally agreed on the appearance of Sage Naruto and his battle with the major antagonist known as Pain. And it’s a big one. 

Do you feel that inside you? That's called “admiration for someone better than you”.

Many consider the Invasion of Pain Arc the best Arc in Naruto history, which is actually very fair. It's got some of the best action scenes and moments throughout the series, and when Naruto finally arrives onto the battlefield with his badass new form, complete with red cloak and giant scroll, and begins the long-awaited climax against Pain. It's everything a final battle should be too. Naruto takes them all on with only limited amount of Sage chakra and giant toads to help him on his way. His dramatic entrance where he finally appeared after Sakura's cry for help, after the village has been destroyed, after all hope seems lost... It definitely feels like a true action manga moment.

Well, I hope he kept the warranty.

2.)           Meruem & Komugi (Hunter x Hunter) (Written by: ClayDragon)

Ladies and gentlemen, hold on to your feels. It’s quite rare that the death of a major villain can bring a viewer to tears, so it’s a testament to Togashi’s writing that the final moments of the Chimera Ant King Meruem and his love interest Komugi are so emotional. After defeating Isaac Netero, Meruem realises that his opponent’s last-ditch attack left him with severe radiation poisoning, and that Komugi was also affected. They take this surprisingly well, and they spend their remaining moments playing Gungi with each other.

Try as hard as you can, no-one can top this death scene.

Soon, Meruem becomes so weak that he can’t keep playing, and simply asks Komugi to hold his hand as he ‘falls asleep’. He eventually dies listening to Komugi call him by his name, and she follows him not long afterwards. This is without a doubt the best death scene in any anime, as it perfectly encapsulates Meruem’s character development from a ruthless tyrant to a loving anti-villain. In fact, one of the final scenes of the anime shows Meruem and Komugi still holding hands, long after they’ve died. Excuse me, I’ve got something in my eye…

Thank you, Madhouse. The last thing I needed was more tears!

1.)           Super Saiyan Goku (Dragon Ball Z) (Written by: Shiggins)

You can talk about all of these moments until the cows come home or until I finally figure out what that phrase actually means, but there is one scene in anime history that simply everyone knows. It’s none other than the moment when the brave hero Goku got his iconic blonde hair and become better than anybody imagined. With the battle against the tyrant Frieza still heating up and nearing its climax, Krillin is killed and Goku’s rage breaks forth, transforming him into the legendary Super Saiyan.

It’s like I’ve always said: Everybody looks better with blonde hair.

The Frieza Saga was the point at which Dragon Ball really changed. Before this arc, we never thought we’d see alien planets or all these transformations. Frieza’s arrival in the series was such a shock because he was truly the most evil figure Akira Toriyama had created and even to this day, none can surpass Frieza in terms of cruelty. Goku and Frieza are iconic, more so than possibly any other character in manga and anime history. The battle between them changed the way we look at fighting today. The Super Saiyan transformation is timeless and unforgettable, and it’ll be recognised by fans both casual and obsessed for years to come. This is what makes the arrival of the Super Saiyan our all-time favourite moment in anime history.

The creation of the first ever Rasengan perhaps?

Honourable Mentions:

Isaac & Miria Become Immortal (Baccano!)

Soul & Black*Star 'Defeat' Death the Kid (Soul Eater)

"One More" (Toradora)

Medaka Defeats Kumagawa (Medaka Box)

Vash vs Knives (Trigun)

Ryuko Is Caught (Kill la Kill)

Negi vs Jack Rakan (Mahou Sensei Negima)

Emperor LeLouch (Code Geass)

Houtarou Meets Chitanda (Hyouka)

Izaya's Introduction (Durarara!!)

Is there a moment you feel we missed out? Or do you have any suggestions for another Top 10 list? Let us know in the comments below!

You said it, Elizabeth.

Thanks for reading!

ClayDragon:









ClayDragon is currently studying Physics at university, and is constantly bewildered by it. The main method of contacting him is his Gmail account at claydragon.on@gmail.com. He has an ask.fm account at ask.fm/ClayDragon. When not playing games or reading, he can be found with his head in his hands whilst trying in vain to understand quantum physics. My feels!

Shiggins:[Admin]   .

Shiggins enjoys many strange forms of communication, especially those including cosplayers or presents or videos. However, until that wonderful day comes when people care enough to give him things for being him, you can contact him on his Skype; shigginsishere. He can also respond to you if you contact him through GMails at shigginsishere@gmail.com, and you can find out about him or ask him stuff on ask.fm/shigginsishere.