Top 10 Heroic Moments in Anime

“The Seven Deadly Sins” (2014-18)
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.

“Megalo Box” (2018)
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.

“Food Wars” (2015-18)
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. Channelling his inner Gordon Ramsay, Soma’s overwhelming determination to save his classmates from an unwarranted punishment is nothing short of epic.

“Black Clover” (2017-)
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.

“Naruto” (2002-07)
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” (2004-12)
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.

“One Punch Man” (2015-)
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.

“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 encapsulated 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 R2” (2008)
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.