Top 20 Anime Moments We Waited YEARS to See

“My Hero Academia” (2016-)

As we all know, Midoriya was originally quirkless, meaning he had no super powers of his own. This all changed however when he was granted the powers of ‘One For All’ by All Might, after proving his courage to the legendary hero. In order to keep not only himself but others around him safe, Deku and All Might would keep this power transfer a secret. After becoming the prime target of Shigaraki and All For One, Deku was forced to leave the academy, but not before leaving a letter for each of his 1-A classmates, revealing the truth behind his powers.

“Baki Hanma” (2021-)

The Baki franchise has been host to all sorts of incredible fighters in many shapes and sizes, but quite possibly the most impressive is Biscuit Oliver. This Hulking mass of a man was first introduced in the anime all the way back in the final episode of the original anime all the way back in 2001. Although he would make his return in the sequel anime, we wouldn’t see him fight our protagonist until the conclusion of the Great Prison Battle Saga two decades later. The battle itself was well worth the wait, with Biscuit proving to be Baki’s toughest opponent so far.

“Berserk” (2016-17)

Griffiths betrayal at the end of the original series is one of the most controversial scenes in all of anime. The leader of the band of the hawk would sacrifice all of his men in order to become a member of the God Hand, and proceed to violate Casca in front of his friend Guts. We thought for sure this would be the last time we saw Griffith under his original guise, and that his new Femto get-up was here to stay. We were proven wrong however, when at the end of the first 2016 season, Griffith is resurrected in his original form, much to the dismay of both Guts and Casca.

“One Piece” (1999-)

The last person to join the Straw Hat Pirates was Brook all the way back in 2008 during the Thriller Bark Arc. From then on, the closest we got for a new member was when Luffy asked the former Warlord of the Sea, Jinbe to join whilst on Fishman Island. Jinbe initially declines, as he wanted to secure the safety of his fellow Fishmen, but promises to join the next time he sees Luffy if the offer still stands. After leaving the Big Mom Pirates Jinbe would finally come face to face with Luffy again, officially joining the Straw Hat Pirates. Sadly this meeting wouldn’t last long, and Jinbe would reunite with the crew once again during the battle of Wano.

“Fairy Tail” (2009-19)

From the very beginning of Fairy Tail, our favorite Dragon Slayer Natsu has made it very clear that his main quest is to find out exactly what has happened to his foster father Igneel. Having brought up Natsu from a young age, the powerful dragon Igneel, along with every other dragon, suddenly vanished from the face of the planet without a trace. Turns out that the Dragons actually hid themselves within the bodies of their foster children in order to prevent them from transforming into Dragons themselves. Igneel would finally make his dramatic return when he unleashed himself from Natsu in order to take on the Dragon King Acnologia.

“Digimon Adventure: Last Evolution Kizuna” (2020)

Digimon fans had been chomping at the bit to see the old 02 heroes for a long time. So when the Digimon emperor reappeared in the Tri movie series, it only made sense that the rest would follow. Unfortunately, that ended up not being the actual Ken and 02 fans also got completely shafted when they were only given silhouettes of the rest of the cast. Thankfully, Digimon Last Kizuna would rectify that by having them return for real this time. And while they weren’t the central focus of the story, it was still nice to see the kids aid Matt and Tai once again.

“Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War” (2022-)

Within Ichigo’s original Zanpakto lies two very different spirits taking on the name Zangetsu. The first takes on the form of a hollow who is identical to Ichigo, the second however is a lot more mysterious, taking on the form of an older man clad in shades. For years we wondered who exactly who this man is, and as it turns out he is not the real Zangetsu. He is in fact the spiritual manifestation of Ichigo’s Quincy powers, who claims he both is and is not the leader of the Quincys Yhwach. Zangetsu revealed that he would hold back Ichigo’s Shinigami powers for years, fearing that he would have to kill him.

“Mob Psycho 100” (2022)

From the very beginning of Mob Psycho 100, Mob has made it very clear to the viewers that he harbors an intense crush for his fellow classmate Tsubomi Takane. Part of the reason being that during their childhood, Tsubomi showed great kindness to him, and was initially impressed with his psychic powers. When Mob finds out that she’s transferring away from the school, Mob decides that it’s now or never and builds up the courage to finally ask her out. Although there are quite a few major detours before this moment, Mob finally confesses to her after almost completely destroying the town. While he may not have been given the answer he wanted, Mob took it in his stride and clearly grew as a person.

“Detective Conan” (1996-)

Before the beginning of Detective Conan, it was quite clear that Shinichi and Ran were going to become an item. This was all railroaded when Shinichi was transformed back into a child by the Black Organization, and forced to take on the alias of Conan Edogawa. After over two decades, many fans had given up hope that they would get together, however their wishes would come true when Shinichi responded to Ran’s text, confirming them as a couple. While it may take several more years before we see Conan return to his normal body, many fans consider this moment a huge milestone in the series.

“Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time” (2021)

From the beginning of the original series, the relationship between this father and son was certainly a hostile one, with Gendo forcing Shinji to get inside the Eva and protect humanity from the angels. With the conclusion of the original story, many thought we’d never see these two sort things out, but everything changed when the Rebuild movie series made it clear that they were more than just retellings, leading to Shinji finally confronting his father. Gendo makes clear all of his intentions to Shinji and the two finally make peace. The icing on the cake to this confrontation is the fact that it leads to Evangelion achieving its first truly happy ending after over 25 years.

“Inuyasha: The Final Act” (2009-10)

The spider’s quest to reform the Shikon Jewel fuelled many if not all of the series’ conflicts, driving the titular half dog demon and his friends to try to stop him on numerous occasions, and not always coming out of it victorious. Naraku eventually succeeds in his goal during the last few episodes and appears to have become invincible, but thanks to an undying love for Kagome and the nostalgia of hardcore retro fans, Inuyasha was able to cleave through and finally slay the beast, earning everyone a plethora of happy endings in the process!

“Attack on Titan” (2013-)

The contents of the Jaeger’s basement had been puzzling fans ever since its inception, and yet for the longest time were given nothing to clue them in. It wasn’t until Eren and the Survey Corp sliced through a hell of a lot of giant heads and took down an entire internal conspiracy before they finally made it. Inside, they discovered several books, which revealed more information about the Titans, Grisha’s past, as well as the life of humanity beyond the walls. While they didn’t answer all our pressing questions, the ones we got flipped everything we thought we knew.

“Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn” (2010-16)

There have been many classic rivalries in anime over the years, but few hold a candle between the original Gundam pilot and the Red Comet. However, their final battle left their actual fate up in the air, with both labeled officially missing in action following the events of Char’s Counterattack. It was not until nearly three decades later that fans had their true fates confirmed, in which the duo appeared as spirits, cementing that they had perished after all. But hey, least they got that reunion with Lalah.

“Dragon Ball Super” (2015-18)

Considering he’s something of an expert when it comes to smashing apart androids, some fans were disappointed that Goku never got to test his mettle against Android 17 back in his Z days. Then along came Super to grant their wish, though perhaps not how they had expected. While recruiting allies for the Tournament of Power, Goku seeks out the formerly murderous machine on an island, where he’d become a park ranger and family man. While their instant chemistry might seem a little strange at first, we do get to see them dust off the gloves in a quick practise match!

“Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Dark Side of Dimensions” (2016)

Following their final duel, the spirit of Atem; the ancient card game playing pharaoh possessing Yugi Moto’s body, was finally allowed to move on to the afterlife. Although time travel shenanigans allowed for further appearances from the character in sequel series and films, fans were still eager for a proper return by the character. Of course, you can leave it to Kaiba and his monstrous ego to somehow goad a ghost back into the world of a living just for the chance. With his rival causing mayhem and his former duelling vessel in need of saving, Atem makes a grand cameo that shakes the heavens!

“Hunter x Hunter” (2011-14)

Considering his entire reason for becoming a Hunter was to seek out his father Ging, this reunion was literally years in the making. Gon’s attempts to find his absentee father formed the basis for several arcs, but it wasn’t until the finale that the two were able to meet. Ging may not have been there for his son growing up, but he still manages to impart some great wisdom, while deepening the vast lore of the world. No matter your opinion on the master hunter, the conversation between these two was still wholly vibrant and meaningful.

“Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood” (2009-10)

The primary goal of the Elric brothers; restoring their bodies became their obsession following a botched and deadly alchemic experiment to resurrect their mother. Something they dealry paid for. Their hunt for the Philosopher's stone took them all over the world, but it wasn’t until they finally brought down Father that they made their goal a reality, with each sacrificing something to restore what the other lost. It’s a heartwarming and fist-pumping moment that had two full series of buildup to reach, and the result has us cheering/crying every time.

“Naruto” franchise (2002-)

Considering this ninja in training refused to shut up about it, it became very clear what his goal was from the beginning - to climb the ranks and become the leader of the Hidden Leaf Village. And we’ll be damned, he actually pulled it off. It took mountains of fillers, sequels and an OVA, but he got there in the end. Though after stopping the likes of Pain, Madara and Kaguya, there really wasn’t any other eligible candidate. Regardless of the wait, it felt good to see him earn the respect he had long sought, while doing a fair bit of growing up in the process.

“Pokémon” (1997-)

“I want to be the very best, like no one ever was?” Well, Ash Ketchum certainly could have fooled us! Because for all his lofty ambitions, he couldn’t win a tournament to save his life for most of the show’s history! All that changed though with the Alola League. It’s still quite shocking given all the grief and parodies that have been made about this trainer’s inability to both win a championship, as well as age up. But low and behold, he pulled it off in the most spectacular fashion imaginable against Gladion! This would lead him to compete in the masters eight tournament, where he would defeat Leon and become world champion!

“Code Geass: Lelouch of the Re;surrection” (2019)

He sacrificed himself as the ultimate tyrant so peace could bloom thereafter. RIP Lelouch. But in the years since his departure, fans have speculated – what if he didn’t die? What if that brilliant mind found a way to accomplish his goal and survive? Lo and behold, a cinematic sequel that reveals that the man formerly known as Zero has been brought back from the dead. And sure, technically, the movies are set in an alternate continuity, blah blah blah, whatever! The important thing is that he got to live to see the world he created in some manner!