Top 10 Epic Anime Hand To Hand Combat Battles

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we are counting down our picks for the Top 10 Epic Hand to Hand Combat Anime Battles.

For this list, we’ll be looking at the most hardcore and out-there fights in anime, ones that focused purely on any and all kinds of fisticuffs!

Did we miss any obvious knockouts? Let us know in the comments!

“Vivy: Fluorite Eye’s Song” (2021)

In order to make humanity smile with her singing, this A.I is willing to do anything, even if it means helping a time-travelling teddy bear protect humanity from a synthetic uprising. With the Starship Sunrise in danger of crashing due to the devotion of the vengeful A.I Elizabeth, Vivy finally accepts herself as a willing instrument in Matsumoto’s Singularity Project. After downloading combat data, Vivy goes full Joanna Wick, her skills proving to be too much for even a crazy robot terrorist to handle.

“The God of High School” (2020)

Friends fall out all the time, though rarely do their disputes lead to them trying to knock the other out in the finals of a martial arts tournament. Filled with grief over the loss of his friend, Daewi almost loses himself as he uses his Four Guardians style to tear Mori apart. However, with a few wise words and encouraging strikes to the noggin, the two find compromise with one another, allowing both to fight to their heart's content, in what just might be the series’ most visually splendid scene.

“Psycho-Pass” (2012-13)

Now this was a fight in the making. The hard-boiled enforcer willing to break the rules to get his revenge, against the psychopath willing to commit atrocious crimes to free humanity from its enslavement to the Sibyl System. Turns out that both also know how to throw a punch. While their philosophies may differ, both Kogami and Maikishima prove themselves to be equally adept when it comes to beating the stuffing out of each other, their skills and pain thresholds presented to us in a refreshingly realistic manner!

“Fate/Zero” (2011-12)

Step aside Saber, it’s time for the Masters to take to the stage. There are many things these two men have in common: they’re terrible when it comes to relationships, willing to do monstrous things for the sake of their own sense of justice, and are experts when it comes to killing people. With the Fourth Holy Grail War coming to a close, Kiritsugu is forced to take on the merciless Church assassin in a duel to the death. While both implement guns and blades respectively, it’s not long before the two of them are punching holes in each other, pulling off strikes that would impress even servants.

“Hajime no Ippo” (2000-14)

Back before he was training Takamura and Ippo to become Boxing Champions, old man Kamogawa was a force of nature unto himself. Taking on an American captain who took great pleasure in beating Japanese citizens in the ring, Kamogawa risks it all by dedicating himself to the Iron Fist; a dangerous method of training that ruins the nerves in his hands. It may have wrecked his mitts, but it also allowed him to strike back with such force that within two hits Anderson’s skeleton and soul are shattered, and every moment is glorious to behold.

“Hunter x Hunter” (2011-14)

One’s a bundle of cinnamon following in his father’s footsteps in order to become a Hunter, the other is a murder-jester who really shouldn’t be left around Gon. Put them together in an arena and what do you get? One of the series’ most frantic and flashiest fist-fests! While neither get to flex their Nen to the fullest extent, we are given a glimpse at just how able the two handle themselves with unarmed combat. In spite of his larger stature and experience, Hisoka still wasn’t prepared for Gon’s last second sucker punch to the face!

“Kengan Ashura” (2019)

With both the Niko Style and the demonic transformation known as the Advance at his disposal, Ohma was able to punch his way throughout the Kengan Tournament, overpowering every foe with raw strength alone. That is until he ran into a roadblock by the name of Raian Kure. With an insidious form of his own, Raian swiftly proved himself to be the superior fighter, knocking the red right out Ohma. Thankfully, it’s nothing a post-mortem conversation with his dearly departed teacher can’t fix, with Ohma finally accepting the Niko style as his own.

“Baki” (2018-20)

Even with a century’s worth of knowledge and technique at his disposal, this most revered of Sea Emperors still fell short when put up against the unstoppable force that is the Ogre. Kaku’s blows may be able to break a lesser man, but Yujiro exists on a different plane of reality. With nothing more than his own innate strength, Yujiro takes down China’s deadliest combatant, reducing him into a flailing old man before all of his peers.

“Naruto: Shippuden” (2007-17)

The climactic battle at the Valley of the End was a vital moment for the Naruto canon, since it not only contained arguably the greatest battle the whiskered shinobi ever participated in, but it also brought both his and Sasuke’s personal arcs to a close. Fatigued from wasting their chakra, the only thing the two rivals can do is keep throwing hands, every blow sluggish but containing immense weight. It might seem rather drawn out and rigid by comparison to other ninja exchanges, but with every blow dealt the emotional significance becomes all the clearer. Who knew a punchout could have so much history behind it?

“Cowboy Bebop: The Movie” (2001)

When it comes to martial arts mastery and making it look good, no one pulls it off quite like this Space Cowboy. Well, maybe the crazed terrorist who was driven to darkness due to military experiments. Reflections of one another, the two are once again brought to blows on the eve of Halloween, the spooky backdrop serving for one of the most suave, well-choreographed and beautifully realistic fights ever put to animation. It’s an exhausting brawl that pushes Spike to his limit, but also reinforces why he’s the coolest cat in the universe.