Top 10 Two vs. One Battles in Anime

“Assassination Classroom” (2015-16)

Don’t you just hate it when the past comes along and bites you in the backside? The yellow tentacled teacher of Class E got a double dose of it when he found himself cornered by Shiro – aka the scientist douchebag who turned him into the lean, mean smiling machine in the first place. Unfortunately for Korosensei, he’s also brought backup, in the form of the Reaper 2.0 – former apprentice of the killer that Korosensei used to be, only now mutated into rageful monster with an even worse attitude. Dealing with such malicious brains and brawn was never going to be easy, but they still don’t have a patch on the OG God of Death.

“World Trigger” (2014-16)

While he’s as friendly as you can get, turns out that the government isn’t too thrilled about a Neighbour from another world wandering around. Hence the likes of the A-Ranked Border Squad being deployed to end Kuga’s visitation. While their various Triggers managed to carve up the Trion user over and over, it isn’t long before the laid back visitor gets the better of them both by duplicating their own weapons on himself and leaving them flattened on the ground. A pretty laxed end considering they sliced him up and got a sniper to shoot off his arm.

“My Hero Academia” (2016-)

Meeting your heroes is one thing, having to fight them in order to pass a final exam is something else entirely. With their conflicting personalities already crippling their chances, both Deku and Kacchan find themselves in the regrettable position of battling their idol in order to prove themselves as wannabe dispensers of justice, made all the more difficult given that Symbol of Peace doesn’t pull back on the punches. Fuelled by desperation, the two rivals somehow find a way to pass, all thanks to Bakugo’s relentless explosions and Midoriya’s last-second sucker punch.

“JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable” (2016)

Talk about a hard-fought victory. Relentlessly pursued by Kira’s Stand-powered bomb, both Jotaro and Koichi found themselves experiencing the full wrath of Killer Queen, with one getting skewered by its fist, and the other blown up to the point their body became swiss cheese. However, with Koichi’s psychological warfare combined with Jotaro’s sheer refusal to let something like intense haemorrhaging kill him, the duo managed to overcome the serial killer’s ploys, eventually leaving him at the mercy of a classic ORA ORA ORA beatdown.

“Berserk” (1997-98)

Remember when these two fought side by side against a common enemy? Ha! Those were the days. Faced with the otherworldly monstrosity of Nosferatu Zodd, Guts nearly loses his life despite landing some impressive wounds on the demon bull, surviving by the skin of his teeth thanks to the arrival of the White Hawk and his cavalry. Not that it does them much good, since despite their coordination and expert swordsmanship, all they can do is land a few scratches before getting curb-stomped, with only the reveal of the Red Behelit sparing their lives.

“Dragon Ball Z” (1989-96)

By comparison, it may not be the most glamorous of battles, but considering this clash introduced a lot of future hardcore fans to Dragon Ball’s outrageous world of shounen, it deserves a lot more credit. With his son kidnapped by his alien brother from the mother he never knew, Goku is forced to partner up with long-time enemy Piccolo to strike down the first of what would inevitably be many, many, many intergalactic invaders. From the first Kamehameha all the way to that Special Beam Cannon Double Kill, this was a truly awesome way to kick off such a beloved series.

“Hunter x Hunter” (2011-14)

The leader of the Phantom Troupe should thank his lucky stars. Even the most experienced of fighters stand little chance against a single member of the Zoldyck family, let alone against two! With their financial obligation to take down the criminal organisation, father and son do what they do best and put Chrollo through hell, all too happy to let themselves be killed if it means they complete the job. Not sure what’s worse – getting pecked to pieces by Zeno’s fists of fury or blasted apart by Silva’s destructive Nen.

“Bungo Stray Dogs” (2016-19)

An anxious were-tiger hybrid and an edgelord enforcer with a demon lurking in his jacket taking on the man who gets stronger the more money he spends. How could this not be amazing? Despite their abject hatred of one another, the attack dogs of the Armed Detective Agency and Port Mafia are forced to join forces in order to put a stop to the widespread threat of the Guild’s eccentric leader. Too bad all his billions don’t have a patch on two tortured adolescents with a grudge to settle!

“Black Clover” (2017-)

Just when you thought that insane clash with the Wizard King was off the most off the wall fight so far, along comes this epic team up between the No Magic Loser and the Stone-Faced Prodigy. In spite of having his body consumed by the reanimated soul of an elf, Yuno is able wrestle back control, leading to both him and Asta accessing their ascended forms and taking on the leader of the Eye of the Midnight Sun together. With both demonic and spirit magic running wild, even someone as seemingly untouchable as Licht is forced to pick up the pace in order to handle the young knights’ combined magical ferocity.

“Boruto: Naruto Next Generations” (2017-)

Turns out that time didn’t only allow these two to bury the hatchet, but provided ample opportunity to raise their strength beyond that of any other ninja. Even when faced against the godlike power of a member of Kaguya’s clan, Naruto and Sasuke’s flawless coordination allowed them to shatter his defences and hubris faster than you can blink, and that’s to say nothing of their combined jutsu, which by this point is practically broken due to how devastating it is. You don’t just walk off a Susanoo Tailed Beast slash to the face.