Top 10 Rival Team Ups in Anime

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Rival Team-Ups in Anime.

For this list, we'll be looking at the moments in anime when both friendly and enemy rivals teamed up against a common foe.

Which team up between rivals had you feeling the most excitement? Let us know in the comments below.

“My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising” (2019)

When the villain Nine threatens the inhabitants of a small island community, Class 1-A stands against him as its last line of defense. With most of their classmates either defeated or fighting against Nine’s subordinates, all hope rests on the shoulders of Deku and Bakugo to stop Nine. The fight is anything but easy as the young heroes are pushed to the brink of defeat, forcing Deku to transfer his quirk to Bakugo. Boosted by the power of One For All, both Deku and Bakugo unleash the full power of their innate hero potential to defeat Nine once and for all.

“Sengoku Basara: Samurai Kings” (2009-10)

Who needs historical accuracy when you’ve got a fight between these legendary warriors? With the “Demon King '' Oda Nobunaga seeking to conquer Japan, and eventually the entire world, his ambition leads him into battle against many powerful fighters, none of whom are able to vanquish him. However, Nobunaga soon meets his match after he clashes with both the one-eyed dragon of Oshu, Date Masamune, and the prodigy of the Takeda clan, Sanada Yukimura. The battle between these three legends is a fierce one, but in the end, neither Nobunaga’s inner demon, nor even his castle, were a match for Masamune and Yukimura’s combined warrior spirit.

“Shaman King” (2021-)

Ren Tao may be infamous for his power and ferocity, but even he could never hope to defeat his father En by himself. With En’s shamanic powers making him nearly invincible, Ren’s only hope for defeating the superior Tao is by teaming up with his former enemy and rival Yoh. Their battle quickly escalates as Yoh supports Ren and proves to En that rather than grow weak for relying on help from others, Ren’s actually grown as both a person and a shaman. Their stubbornness and refusal to give up eventually weakens En’s resolve which affects his control over his giant oversoul, allowing Ren and Yoh to defeat the giant construct and expose En’s true form.

“Fire Force” (2019-20)

This mad scientist makes even monstrous Infernals look tame by comparison. During the Nether Investigation arc, Shinra encounters the former captain turned White Clad, Giovanni, who has become even more dangerous after modifying his body into that of an insect. Even when Arthur arrives to assist Shinra, the two barely keep up with the creepy doctor who can predict their moves thanks to his new body. While Shinra takes the lead with flashy and powerful blows, Arthur enters a state of Nirvana to bypass Giovanni’s new ability and deals a near lethal blow. While we may not have witnessed the full power of their teamwork, this battle offers a sneak peak at what these two fire soldiers can pull off when they work together.

“One Piece” (1999-)

Arriving in the nick of time to defend their samurai allies, the trio of Luffy, Law and Kid once again join forces to decimate Kaido’s underlings. Despite the seriousness of the situation, the three captains can’t help but compete with one another to see who can wipe out the enemy first. While their methods of teamwork may be somewhat questionable, watching these three Supernovas take down an army of pirates is a breathtaking experience and an amazing display of the overwhelming power possessed by the best of the Worst Generation. They’ve certainly come a long way since their first team up against the Marines just a few years ago.

“Fairy Tail” (2009-19)

With the battle of Fairy Tail reaching its conclusion, it’s only natural that the final fight would also be the most epic. Despite being former enemies, Natsu and Gajeel put aside their differences to save the guild from Laxus’ tyrannical rule. Both slayers hold nothing back as they unleash a massive storm of iron and fire to overwhelm Laxus. However, they are soon put on the defensive when Laxus unleashes his own Dragon Slayer abilities and even tries wiping everyone out with Fairy Law. Fortunately, his attempt fails, giving Natsu the opening he needs to take Laxus down. With the power of his dragon slayer secret arts and Gajeel taking a blow for him, Natsu defeats Laxus and reduces his rebellion to ash.

“Bungo Stray Dogs” (2016-19)

The leader of the Guild gives new meaning to the expression “money is power.” With an ability that increases his strength equal to the amount of money he spends, Fitzgerald easily overwhelms Atsushi and Akutagawa thanks to his vast fortune. While the two youths can’t help but fight and argue with one another, the moment Fitzegerald tries to interfere with their rivalry, both the Tiger and Demon don’t hesitate to turn their rage against him. The lethal combination between these two rivals is so great that Fitzegerald sacrifices literally everything to defeat them. Fitzegerald makes one heck of a gamble but in the end, the value of his wealth fails to surpass the priceless strength of Atsushi and Akutagawa’s unique rivalry.

“Black Clover” (2017-21)

Whether their enemy is a powerful human or something even greater, these two rivals will take on any foe. With the elf tribe reincarnating all over the Clover Kingdom, Asta and Yuno face the fight of their lives against the original Licht. While not fully conscious, the elves leader is easily the strongest foe they’ve faced at the time. As the fight reaches its conclusion, the two rivals exceed both their limits and expectations in order to beat Licht. Even though they only manage to disarm him, Asta and Yuno refuse to give up even when faced against Licht’s final attack. All things considered, this team up was one worthy of the series one hundredth episode.

“Boruto: Naruto Next Generations” (2017-)

Even though their generation has long since passed, the power between these two legendary rivals has never been stronger. When the shinobi world is threatened by Momoshiki of the Ōtsutsuki clan, Naruto and Sasuke dust off their teamwork skills and prepare to unleash their true power. Sure enough, they do not disappoint as they go all out against Momoshiki demonstrating flawless teamwork and showing off incredible displays of martial arts skills and high level ninjutsu. Did we also mention the clash between two literal titans? If this battle taught Momoshiki anything, it’s that you should never underestimate the power of these old school shinobi.

“Dragon Ball Super: Broly” (2018)

Goku may have been the first Super Saiyan of his generation, but only the Legendary Super Saiyan Broly deserves the title of the strongest. Even when facing foes with power beyond a Super Saiyan God, this only serves to help Broly adapt and become even more powerful. It’s not long before Broly takes things to a whole new level of intensity when he unleashes his own Super Saiyan transformation. In this form, Broly surpasses anything that Goku and Vegeta can throw at him. With no other options, the two rivals perform fusion to become the unstoppable Gogeta. What follows is a battle of such magnitude, it broke through entire dimensions. Team ups between rivals have never been more epic than this.