Top 20 Heroic Moments in Anime

“Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead” (2023-)

For the sake of his future waifu, there is no enemy Akira won’t face, even if his opponent is far deadlier the average zombie. While fulfilling his childhood dream of becoming a superhero, Akira once again crosses paths with his crush Shizuka while saving people from a horde of zombies. Unfortunately, their situation only gets worse after trying to hide in a nearby aquarium where they are confronted by one of the most terrifying undead imaginable, a zombie shark with legs. Just when it looks like Shizuka is about to meet an untimely demise, Akira defies her expectations and faces down the nightmarish beast, risking his own life without any hesitation and earning some brownie points with Shizuka in the process.

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#19: From Executioner to Savior

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Top 10 Heroic Moments in Anime

“Hell's Paradise” (2023-)

There's nothing this Yamada clan executioner won’t do to protect the person he admires most. After reaching the gate of Horai and encountering the Tensei Mu Dan, Senta and his allies find themselves on the receiving end of the twisted sage’s ruthless assault. While Senta manages to hold his own against the immortal being, a surprise attack from Mu Dan forces him to take the blow for Yuzuriha, a prisoner whom he was sworn to kill. Even with his life force slowly draining away, Senta uses his remaining strength to inform his allies of Mu Dan’s true weakness, allowing them to claim victory. While Senta’s passing is indeed tragic, at least he got to spend his final moments in the arms of his precious Yuzuriha.

“Akame Ga Kill” (2014)

Tatsumi’s made plenty of sacrifices to save people from the Empire's reign of tyranny. However, his tragic fate in the anime ending, makes his final sacrifice all the more heroic. After the gullible Emperor unleashes the power of the Shikoutazer, Tatsumi finds himself on the ropes against the Ultimate Teigu’s fearsome power. However, when the Emperor's actions only bring more harm to the people he vowed to protect, Tatsumi pushes himself beyond his limits to stop the Emperor’s rampage. Eventually, Tatsumi unleashes his inner dragon and defeats the Emperor with the power of his newly evolved Teigu. Unfortunately, Tatsumi’s victory is shortlived as he then uses his remaining strength to prevent the Shikoutazer from crushing innocent civilians, sacrificing his own life in the process.

“Inuyashiki” (2017)

Even heroes and villains will work together in the face of an overwhelming threat. When a giant planet killing meteor threatens Earth, Inuyashiki, being the kind and heroic soul that he is, wastes no time in trying to stop it. Unfortunately, despite packing enough fire power to level an army, Inuyashiki is unable to stop it. Just when all hope seems lost, Inuyashiki receives help from the most unlikely source, his former enemy Shishigami. In an unusual act of altruism, Shishigami convinces Inuyashiki to activate his self-destruct button in order to save the world. While noble, Shishigami’s sacrifice fails to completely obliterate the meteor, forcing Inuyashiki to perform one final act of heroism.

“Fairy Tail” (2009-19)

To atone for her sinful past, Ultear willingly sacrificed her life to safeguard the future. When an evil future version of the dragon slayer Rogue paves the way for a dragon invasion, Fiore’s strongest guilds unite to stop them. When the bodies start piling up on the battlefield, Ultear contemplates taking out Rogue’s younger self to end the bloodshed. While she ultimately abandons this plan, this brief reversion to her villainous ways sends Ultear into despair. With nothing left to lose, Ultear unleashes the forbidden spell Last Ages, sacrificing all of her “time” to turn back the clock. Although Ultear only managed to reverse time by a single minute, it was more than enough to save countless futures and pave the way for humanity’s counterattack.

“Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack” (1988)

When Char’s attempts to save humanity threaten the entire planet, his rival Amuro is determined to stop him once and for all. After Char causes part of the giant meteor known as the Axis to hurtle towards Earth, Amuro attempts to push it back using the power of his advanced Gundam. Although Char claims his actions are futile, Amuro’s efforts attract the attention of both the Earth Federation and Neo Zeo fleets, inspiring them to temporarily join forces in pushing back the Axis. After suffering some losses, Amuro’s unique brainwaves amplify the power of his psycho-frame which not only pushes the remaining pilots to safety, but also sends the Axis back into space, putting an end to Char’s genocidal ambitions.

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#14: A Gentleman’s Final Stand

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“JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Phantom Blood” (2012)

While travelling on a ship to America for his honeymoon, Jonathan Joestar’s life is tragically cut short by the return of his sworn enemy, Dio Brando. Despite being reduced to a disembodied head, Dio catches Johnathan off guard and inflicts a fatal blow while attempting to take his body for himself. Refusing to let Dio have his way, Jonathan fights back and sabotages the doomed vessel with the intent on blowing himself and Dio to kingdom come. Even though his efforts to destroy Dio ultimately fail, Jonathan’s sacrifice was far from meaningless as he bought enough time for his wife Erina and an infant orphaned by Dio’s scheme to find shelter. In the end, Jonathan died the same way he lived, as a true gentleman.

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#13: Armin Burns for Humanity

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Top 10 Brutal Attack on Titan Kills (ft. Josh Grelle - Voice of Armin!)

“Attack on TItan” (2013; 2017-)

Even without Titan powers, Armin was willing to risk everything for humanity’s future. With the fate of his people pushing him forward, Armin challenges the Colossal Titan head on as part of a brilliant, yet insane scheme to take down their former comrade once and for all. As he puts his plan into motion, Armin soon finds himself on the receiving end of a constant and powerful blast of the Titan’s scalding steam. Despite enduring unimaginable agony and having his body reduced to charcoal, Armin’s desire to fight for his friends and people allow him to power through Bertholdt's assault through sheer force of will. In the end, Armin fulfills his purpose in distracting Bertholdt long enough for his friend Eren to inflict the final blow.

“Gurren Lagann” (2007)

He may have lost his chance to be with his dream girl, but that didn’t stop this gunmen pilot from going out like a total boss. After Team Dai-Gurren find themselves caught within the Anti-Spiral’s Death Spiral Machine, they desperately try to break free before it’s too late. With little time remaining, Kittan steps up to make the ultimate sacrifice for his team. Amidst the crushing pressure of the Death Spiral field, Kittan overcomes all odds and unleashes his own Spiral Power to liberate his comrades. In a final move that would make his former rival proud, Kittan goes beyond the impossible for his friends before going out in an epic blaze of glory.

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#11: Final Atonement

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“Dragon Ball Z” (1989-96)

As much as Vegeta values his Saiyan pride, he values his friends and family even more. After his duel with Goku releases the powerful Majin Buu, Vegeta takes responsibility for his actions by taking on the deadly Majin himself. However, even after being enhanced by Babidi’s dark magic, Vegeta’s attacks barely slow Buu down. After surviving a brutal beating and saying farewell to his son, Vegeta resorts to extreme measures, unleashing an all or nothing kamikaze attack to incinerate Buu. Considering how he used to be, the fact that Vegeta would sacrifice himself for others, even if it means a one way ticket to Hell, is a true testament of his moral growth.

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#10: Broken Heart, Noble Spirit

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“The Seven Deadly Sins” (2014-21)

Poor, poor Jericho. It’s not hard to see why she would fall for the Fox’s Sin of Greed. After all, Ban isn’t only quite the looker but has an overall suaveness that would melt the heart of any maiden, but unfortunately for her, he’s only ever had eyes for Elaine. It’s painful to watch, yet she didn’t think twice about saving the pair of them when the Commandments showed up to murder them. Unable to move their bodies, Jericho carries the two lovers despite the oncoming attacks, refusing to ditch them and run. You’re true knight Jericho.

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#9: Eye for an Eye

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“Megalo Box” (2018-21)

Coach Ganbu has never stood at the pinnacle of decency, after all he used to make a living by staging rigged underground boxing fights. However, as both he and Joe made their way towards Megalonia, he finds himself torn between paying off what he owes to a fearsome gangster and helping his protégé take the championship. During a critical moment, Ganbu makes his choice by cutting out his own eye in order to square his debts. He may not have gotten to see Joe land that winning punch, but it’s fair to say he was the one who lay the foundation.

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#8: A Chef’s Chivalry

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“Food Wars” (2015-20)

For the most part, Soma is a pretty chill guy who ignores all insults towards himself and prefers to let his cooking do the talking. However, when his friend and best girl Megumi is humiliated by alumni Shinomiya, due to unfair circumstances, Souma isn’t going let that fly. With her expulsion imminent, the chef-gloves come off and Soma challenges him to a Shokugeki. Channeling his inner Gordon Ramsay, Soma’s overwhelming determination to save his classmates from an unwarranted punishment is nothing short of epic.

“Black Clover” (2017-21)

Asta is pretty used to mages giving him crap about his lack of magic, but don’t think for one second you can talk down to one of his friends without earning a Demon Sword to the face. After Noelle’s own vile family taunt and assault her, Asta pretty much declares war on the whole Silva lineage, lashing out with pure ferocity. Needless to say, watching him wipe the smug look off of their royal faces is an absolute delight to behold. Anything for one of modern anime’s best tsunderes.

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#6: The Guts To Never Give Up

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“Naruto” franchise (2002-17)

No matter what you think of the numerous overpowered skills that this ninja developed during Shippuden, there’s no denying the one trait that’s remained consistent throughout Naruto’s character growth is his unwillingness to never back down. With Kabuto going in for the killing blow against Tsunade, Naruto throws himself to intercept the strike, all before showing the results of his training by releasing his first ever Rasengan. Even when he was a little shit, he sure knew how to take a punch.

“Bleach” (2004-)

The mad dash to rescue Rukia from her unjustified death sentence made up the bulk of what many believed to be this anime’s highlight, all of which culminated in this spectacular showdown. Just as Rukia is about to be turned to ashes, Ichigo arrives on the scene at the last second, thwarting her execution. The substitute shinigami then proceeds to wreck the Gotei 13 with his overwhelming strength, all before clashing blades with Captain Flower-Power himself, Byakuya. It’s a brilliant payoff to the meticulous build-up and care that went into this iconic arc.

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#4: Saitama vs Meteor

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“One Punch Man” (2015-19)

As the singularly most powerful being to ever grace the medium, Saitama has managed to knock down a whole slew of villains, monsters and world-enders with minimum effort. However, probably the best example of Saitama acting like a hero would be when he single-handedly punched his way through an incoming meteor. Leaping into the sky like a bullet, watching Saitama destroy the approaching cataclysm is like something straight out of the silver age of comics. Even if no one thanked him, it just further proves that beneath that dopey exterior likes the heart of a true hero.

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#3: The Flag

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Top 10 Badass Anime Moments of the Century (So Far)

“One Piece” (1999-)

We all know that Luffy wants to be the King of the Pirates, living for adventures with his crew and occasionally kicking the crap out of swashbuckling scumbags. However, it was in this scene that we saw just how much the Straw Hat Captain respected piracy in all its aspects. When the wicked Wapol tried to blow up the flag belonging to Chopper’s foster father, Luffy stood his ground and took on the explosion full force, keeping the flag safe while declaring its immortal importance.

“My Hero Academia” (2016-)

Not only is this clash between the Symbol of Peace and his nemesis one of most epic battles in recent memory, but it also perfectly encapsulates everything endearing about All Might. With his Quirk waning in the face of All for One’s mesh of stolen superpowers, all he can do is push himself beyond his last limit in order to finally bring an end to his most hated enemy. This not only results in him unleashing the United States of Smash, but also signals the end of his time as the World’s Greatest Hero, losing the last of his strength to pass on a message to his young successor…

“Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion” (2006-08)

All this member of the Britannian royal family had ever wanted was make a change. As the masked vigilante Zero, Lelouch certainly came close, but only when he became the Emperor of Britannia was he able to achieve his dream. Whatever mistakes he made along the way, he still managed to succeed in uniting the world through the Zero Requiem, wherein he made himself a figure that everyone could despise. As prime target number one, Lelouch has his friend Suzaku don the mantle of Zero and end his life, finally bringing peace to the world.

Which noble anime action roused your spirit? Let us know in the comments!