The hero’s journey is a tale as old as time itself, after struggling through trials and tribulations, the protagonist scores a spectacular win that changes everything. While victories come in many forms, the best of them are always extremely satisfying to see, and this goes for the medium of anime too.
Whether it’s the final battle, a crazy over-the-top win, or just a character taking down someone who really deserved it, anime has seen characters rising to the occasion and winning the day in ways that have become iconic in themselves. There are many to choose from, but for one reason or another, they all deserve their spot in the “anime victory hall of fame.”
10 Soma Humiliates Eizan (Food Wars!)
Etsuya Eizan was a smug and arrogant antagonist in Food Wars! who delighted in crushing his challengers, and after Totsuki’s hostile takeover, he abused his position in the Elite Ten even further. He even played dirty by paying off the judges to vote in his favor in any Shokugeki he was in. So by the time Soma challenged him, viewers were itching to see Eizan taken down a peg.
The stakes were high, as Soma’s expulsion and the Polar Star Dorm were both on the line, and the odds were stacked against Soma, but Soma managed to pull through. Soma humiliated Eizan with a dish that looked ordinary but blew his clean out of the water.
9 Anos Voldigoad Obliterates The God Of Time (Misfit Of Demon King Academy)
Misfit of Demon King Academy sees the reborn Demon King protagonist, Anos Voldigoad, defeat his enemies in tons of over-the-top power flexes since the very first episode, but his battle against the God of Time was something else entirely. Despite time literally being against Anos, he very easily smacked the god around like he was nothing.
Flexing only a fraction of his full power, Anos obliterates the time god with a single strike of his sword. With how casually Anos slays a conceptual deity here, this moment pretty much cements Anos as nigh unstoppable for the rest of the series.
8 Jotaro Settles The Score With DIO (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure)
The entire third part of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure built up to Jotaro confronting DIO to save his mother, and that confrontation didn’t disappoint when the two finally met face-to-face. With both sides out of backup, it’s just down to a one-on-one fight between the vampire Stand User and the descendant of his old nemesis.
During the course of their clash, DIO‘s able to back Jotaro into a corner multiple times, pushing him to fight smarter and harder than ever before. In the end, Jotaro’s sheer willpower was able to overcome DIO‘s and his Stand’s time-stopping abilities, putting an end to DIO‘s delusions of grandeur once more.
7 The Scout Regiment Takes Back Shigashina (Attack On Titan)
For the better half of Attack on Titan, the Scouts have more or less been on the defensive as they had to fight off ravenous Titans, the Marleyan warriors, and even their fellow humans within the walls. Eventually, the Scout Regiment was able to journey on to finally retake the Shiganshina District that had been overrun with Titans at the start of the series, but it wouldn’t be easy.
Up against the Beast, Armor, and Colossal Titans, the Scout’s chances were slim, but through risky mad dash plans that cost them plenty of lives, they not only took back Shiganshina, they even secure the Colossal Titan for themselves. This may have been Paradis’ most significant victory—one that changed the very course of the series.
6 Luffy Beats Lucci With All He’s Got (One Piece)
One Piece‘s “Enies Lobby” saga had a lot of standout battles for the entire Straw Hat crew at the time, but the most intense was hands-downs Luffy versus Lucci. Even with his new “Gear” abilities, Lucci wouldn’t go down so easily and put Luffy’s newfound strength through the wringer.
The finale of this fight sees Luffy go all-out, letting loose a flurry of punches faster than the eye could see until Lucci was out for the count, definitely one of his best final blows. Luffy pushed himself so hard to win this fight that he couldn’t move for a while afterward.
5 All Might Ends His Hero Career With A “Bang!” (My Hero Academia)
All Might’s future as a hero was always going to be on borrowed time, since the very first episode of My Hero Academia, but he did make sure to finish things off in style. Taking on All For One, All Might hits his limit, but just when it looks like all is lost, he’s able to muster the last of One For All’s power for one big punch.
Taking the villain out with a mighty “United States of Smash”, All Might’s able to stand tall as the symbol of peace one more time before announcing his retirement soon after. While this wouldn’t be the last of All For One, All Might definitely finished his career in a blaze of glory.
4 Ash Beats Leon & Becomes The World’s Strongest Trainer (Pokémon)
For decades, it seemed like Ash was forever doomed to repeat the same cycle of defeat and restarting things, but that changed after his victory in the Alola Region, and that was only the start. The Journeys era of Pokémon saw Ash battling his way up the ranks of the World Coronation Series until finally facing off against the undefeated Leon.
Their battle was fierce, putting all of Ash’s skills as a trainer to the test until it came down to just Pikachu versus Charizard. Using everything they had, Ash and Pikachu were victorious, winning the tournament and securing Ash’s place as the world’s strongest trainer, a welcomed finale to all of Ash’s trials throughout the anime.
3 Naruto Defeats Pain & Becomes A Hero To Konoha (Naruto Shippuden)
Across Naruto and Naruto Shippuden, the orange-clad ninja has had plenty of wins under his belt, but none as satisfying as his victory at the end of the “Pain’s Assault” Arc. With Konoha basically leveled and hope nearly lost, Naruto made a grand entrance and faced-off against the supposed leader of the Akatsuki.
While the battle was long and almost lost, Naruto did what he does best and pulled through at the 11th hour, defeating Pain. While this wasn’t a final battle, it was one that saw Naruto‘s unyielding spirit at its best and one that ends with Naruto finally being recognized by the village as a hero.
2 Gohan Finishes Cell Once & For All (Dragon Ball Z)
Dragon Ball Z has some of the most famous examples of triumphant victories in anime history, but quite possibly the best among them all is Gohan huge win against Cell. As Gohan’s battle against the Bio-Android reaches its climax, the two clash Kamehamehas in a beam struggle to end all beam struggles.
Despite only having one arm to work with Gohan’s able to keep the pressure on Cell with his father’s spirit guiding him, and with one final push, Cell is finally destroyed. This victory is not only iconic but a culmination of Gohan’s journey up to that point.
1 Team Dai-Gurren Wins Their Beyond Galatic Battle With The Anti-Spiral (Gurren Lagann)
Gurren Lagann’s mecha-action always ends in glorious over-the-top fashion, but none more so than the final battle against the Anti-Spiral. Together, Simon and the rest of Team Dai-Gurren were able to combine their fighting spirits and create “Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann,” a mech that can actually stand on galaxies and throw them like frisbees.
With the entire team united, they’re able to save the universe and Simon delivers the final blow with just Lagann. It’s an anime victory that’s famous for just how energized, visually splendid, and overly excessive its action is, the kind of final battle an anime like Gurren Lagann deserved.