Top 10 Greatest Anime Comebacks

“Kaiji” (2007-11)

Kind of tricky to take your revenge on someone when they’re the king of pachinko machines specifically rigged to ensure that you don’t have a hope in hell of winning. Able to shift its immense size to ensure that no unlucky gambler can prevail, it looked like Kaiji and his companions were set to be sent plummeting right back into financial despair…at least until he succeeded in plugging the machine with so many balls that by the laws of probability he ended up winning anyway! Way to hustle the system!

“Kengan Ashura” (2019)

This one is just brutal, to the point where it’s astounding that our boy Cos even had the spirit left to try and fight back. Taking on the likes of the psychotic cop Akoya, things soon spiral out of control when the justice-obsessed murderer decided that it wasn’t enough to beat Cosmo, he ha to break him by biting his flesh off, smashing his ribs, and essentially torturing him to death. It’s a bona fied horror show, which makes the fact Cosmos was able to turn it around knock Akoya out of the Kengan Matches all the more rewarding. That’s the King of Strangers for you!

“Tokyo Ghoul” (2014)

Apparently the ghouls of Japan were too concerned with their ravenous appetites to consider the ramifications of pushing a kind soul beyond his breaking point, you never know what kind of monster could be unleashed in the process. After being tortured to the point of suffering a mental meltdown, the once kind Kaneki finally decided to accept his ghoul half, resulting in him breaking free and taking Jason to the cleaners. You know you’re the new apex predator on the block when you turn your tormentor into a midnight snack.

“Food Wars” (2015-)

He may be the most laid-back chef in Totsuki Academy, but Soma is also the sorest loser you’re ever likely to meet. Despite making his way to the finals of the Autumn Election, he ultimately fell at the final hurdle thanks to Hayama and his curry bomb of a dish. This wouldn’t be the last time these two sparred on a culinary level, since after Hayama turned to the dark side, the two rivals would square off in the delicious battle of bear meat, where Soma’s food proved to be so monumental his once prodigious foe swore he was looking on the face of God!

“Cautious Hero: The Hero Is Overpowered but Overly Cautious” (2019)

Once upon a time, this guy was just another isekai protagonist. Full of smiles, a romance option, and not a care in the world. And then the love of his life got slaughtered by a demon king right in front of his eyes. After experiencing such trauma and getting a second chance at life, the new chosen one not only became something of a prickly bastard but also refused to set out on any adventure without training himself to the maximum level, or holding back against even the most basic of enemies. It might seem pointless, but given how this time around he destroyed every enemy in his path, we’d say there’s a method to his madness!

“Yu Yu Hakusho” (1992-94)

The young punk of retro shounen has punched out demons, come back from the dead and can blast monster to pierces with his fingers alone. It takes a lot to get him rattled, and yet that’s exactly what Toguro did when he revealed a taste of his true strength by destroying a parking lot and inviting the spooked Spirit Detective to a do-or-die tournament. Which he eventually accepted, leading to the two getting that long awaited rematch of theirs. Fair to say that by the time he was blasting Toguri and his 100 percent form to pieces, Yusuke hadn’t long gotten over the demon’s intimidation factor.

“Megalo Box” (2018)

An underdog story filled with blood, sweat, tears and plenty of gears! Starting off as a literal junk dog who made a living by throwing fights, the man who would later become known as Joe dared to dream for something greater following a battering by the likes of the supposedly next great champion Yuri. From that point on, it’s one brawl after another as Gearless Joe used old fashion boxing to secure himself a place in the final against his new nemesis. Every dog gets his day, and seeing Joe pull off a miracle win with technique and grit truly made this series something special.

“Attack on Titan” (2013-)

Did someone say heavyweight Titan rematch?! Because that’s what Season 3 gave us in abundance. After getting his ass whooped by Reiner’s Armoured Titan form, Eren was more than eager to knock him and his schizophrenic backside across the ocean. While their levels in their strength remained the same, Eren’s newfound mastery of hardening his body into a crystalline state more than levelled the playing field, leading to a brutal fist fight that allowed the Rogue Titan to well and truly pay his former comrade back for his unceremonious betrayal.

“The Rising of the Shield Hero” (2019)

They thought they’d buried him. Left him in disgrace. Ruined the chances of the Shield Hero name ever becoming more than a taboo associated with a deviant and a devil. Only for Naofumi to rise up from his false accusations, constant battles and personal pain to become the hero that the kingdom so desperately needed. We can’t think of a better redemption story than that. Well…at least until he sparred his conspirators from execution, only to strip them of their power and change their names to Trash and Bitch.

“One Piece” (1999-)

If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again until you bury the sand-spewing bastard who nearly killed you twice before! With his fists barely able to land a scratch against the ruthless Crocodile, the Captain of the Straw Hats nearly met his end twice while trying to save the Kingdom of Alabasta – one of which nearly had him drown in a desert. Was that enough to keep him down? Of course not! After learning that liquid can allow his punches to make contact, Luffy goes all in and uses his own blood, allowing him to smash the Baroque Works leader like a literal sandbag.