Top 10 Greatest Anime Tournaments Ever

“My Hero Academia” (2016-)

Don’t go into this one expecting a three-legged race. In a clash between all the students at U.A High, not only are Deku and the rest pitted against the other superpowered heroes of tomorrow outside of Class 1-A, but are also forced to take on each other! Between the lethal obstacle course, calvary battle and the one on one showdowns, there’s plenty of Quirk-based eye candy! With visually stunning battles and unforgettable moments this tournament set up plenty of narrative threads going forward while excelling in excitement.

“Ultimate Muscle” (2002-04)

Galactic wrestling has never looked so good! As expected of the absurdity that comes with Kid Muscle’s career, rising up to becoming the winner of this well-regarded tournament is no simple task. Olympic style hurdles, wacky challenges, death defying courses, and all of these to qualify for the actual matches! Granted, the crazy train didn’t stop there, since before taking on the likes of Kevin Mask in the finals Kid had to take on a wide variety of out of this world combatants, the likes of which we’ll probably never see in another anime.

“Black Clover” (2017-)

There’s a group of magical terrorists out there ready to bring havoc to the kingdom and its occupants. A strike force is needed to take out their home base before they launch their attack. How to choose the candidates for said strike team? Tournament arc! Made up of three on three magical brawls in which a team must destroy their opponent’s safeguarded crystal, these clashes were host to numerous series highlights! With the large roster of magic knights taking part in this tournament we were spoiled for choice in the visual department.

“Fairy Tail” (2009-19)

What better way to show that after seven years that you’re still on top than by kicking the ass of every other magical guild in the land via a colossal series of battles? After returning from being missing in action, the Tenrou team soon discovers that Fairy Tail is no longer the guild it was, and so they decide to participate in these highly competitive games in order to restore their former glory. Featuring a quite a number of tasks and battles, eight teams duke it to gain the most points. And we have to admit, it’s nice seeing the ragtag group from Fairy Tail in the underdog position for once.

“Naruto” (2002-07)

The road to becoming a ninja is not an easy one, so if you want to earn that headband, you’d better be prepared to kick the chakra out of your fellow shinobi wannabes. Aside from a written exam, Chunin hopefuls are expected to traverse through the infamous Forest of Death, all before competing in a series of one vs one fights to see who is worthy of rising up in rank. While Orochimaru’s invasion somewhat halted the process, getting to see our favourite ninja’s duke it out made the whole thing worth it!

“Shaman King” (2001-02)

Selecting the next king is no easy task, especially when the victor has to be strong enough to merge with the Great Spirit to save both the living and the dead from the star of destruction known as Keito. As such, they don’t make ascension simple, since even finding the damn tournament setting is an arduous task. After making their way to Patch Village, it’s a good ol’ three vs three spirit brawl, where combatants have to deplete the other team’s Furyoku before their own runs dry. Even before Hao showed up to burn the whole thing to the ground, Yoh and company still found a way to shine!

“Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters” (2000-04)

You’ll never find a more lavish, well-funded, borderline psychotic competition all centred around a card game. Only Kaiba. In order to become the new King of Games, a duellist has to challenge other competitors around the entire city in order to acquire six locator cards that allow them to proceed to the next stage…which then takes place on a blimp, and then finally on a remote island. Sounds exotic right? At least until you read the fine print where it says losing a duel also means you forfeit your rarest card! Unless you’re Yugi of course, in which case you leave the whole thing with three Egyptian God Cards in the bag!

“Kengan Ashura” (2019)

No cards, no weapons, no limits – all combat! In order to elect the next chairman of the hugely influent Kengan Association, numerous companies and corporations from the world over elect personal fighters to compete a series of bare-knuckle fights. Any style is allowed, death in the ring is brushed over, and literally anyone can be competitor, even if their profession is that of an assassin or serial killer. For someone like Ohma, it’s the perfect battlefield for him to put his Niko style to the test, especially against monsters like Raian Kure!

“Dragon Ball Super” (2015-18)

In terms of scale, tournament arcs don’t get bigger than this. With the existence of entire universes on the line, a whole host of fighters from across the multi-verse are brough together in order to spare their worlds from being decimated by the all-powerful Omni King. It’s a battle royal on a cosmic scale, featuring combatants that have strength to rival that of Goku and Vegeta on their best days. When your conclusion involves Goku and Frieza willingly teaming up to defeat the uber-strong Jiren, you know you’ve nailed the landing.

“Yu Yu Hakusho” (1992-94)

It’s the shounen classic that forever raised the bar as far as tournament arcs go, all thanks to its dynamic cast of characters battling against a whole host of vicious, layered foes, interwoven with a whole slew of creative fight scenes that make for some of retro anime’s best. With his usual posse at his back, Yusuke takes up Toguro’s challenge and enters the infamous competition, with fifteen teams of various demons standing between him and victory. With each brawl bloodier than the last, the only thing that hits harder in than the Spirit Detective’s punches is Jin’s accent.