Top 20 Anime Power Awakening Scenes

“The Seven Deadly Sins” (2014-)

Truth be told, we had gotten used to King’s scrappy, short-stack frame. It was a nice off-set for his ridiculous magical abilities. But hey, if you’re going to be ruler of the fairies, then you have to sprout your wings at some point. Falling to his death, King finally succeeds in overcoming the seal that keeps his Harlequin powers dormant. The result? Well, he gets his wings…as well as a new hairdo. We’re sad to say that only one of them looks halfway decent.

“Digimon Adventure:” (2020-)

The reimagining of the original Digimon outing made a lot of slip ups along the way, but one thing we have to give it credit for was just how perfectly it recaptures, and in some ways improves upon, the feeling of watching a Mega Digimon enter the fray. The visuals, the music, seeing WarGreymon devastate his enemies with such a sense of scope, it all collides together to create a nostalgia overlord for long-time fans. Honestly, the way he unleashes that Terra Force is so slick it will make you forget he’s fighting a Vegimon.

“Re:Zero – Starting Life in Another World” (2016-)

Given all the shit that Subaru had to go through, it was about time that he got himself something that allowed him to fight back against the cruelties of his new world. Because having to kill himself over and over to undo timelines and reset everything was starting to get depressing! Through the power of character progression, Subaru unleashes the craziest sucker punch in anime, by having one shoot out from inside his…soul? Stomach? Either way it sends Garfiel reeling!

“Mobile Suit Gundam 00” (2007-09)

If there’s a bond between man and machine, and you happen to be some manner of Gundam-verse, then you can be damn sure that at some point a mecha will let loose some manner of physics-defying hardware. And that’s exactly what happens with Setsuna and Exia. Just as Al Sanchez appears to have him on the ropes, Setsuna discovers the secret weapon imparted to members of Celestial Being, one that causes his Gundam to glow and achieve unbelievable levels of precision and acceleration. Think of it as downloading the abilities of a Newtype directly into your Mobile Suit

“Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai” (2020-)

While he had been able to tap into the power of the Dragon Crest on numerous occasions, Dai was far from being able to bring it forth on command That is, until a clash with his demonic Dragon Knight Daddy provided the push he needed. As opposed to summoning the mark on his forehead as per tradition, Dai instead transferred its power to his fist, allowing him to take control of his draconic aura, and stand his ground against something as fearsome as Baran’s Dragonoid form.

“My Hero Academia” (2016-)

The manliest man to ever man, at least in the Class 1-A classroom, Kirishima is all about serving as the shield for those in need. Cause, you know, manly. We get to see the result of all this effort during his hands-on training, when he encountered a drugged up villain who had their Quirk enhanced. As opposed to his typical hardening, Kirishima turns his whole body into an unbreakable beast, one that can take just as much damage as he can dish out! Would not want to be on the end of one of those punches.

“The Rising of the Shield Hero” (2019-)

Naofumi’s arsenal of shields has made him one of the most unconventionally diverse and skilled isekai characters out there, to the extent he literally has a shield for every occasion. And that includes one for cursing an enemy to death. Unlocked through his contempt and unbridled rage, the Curse Shield is Naofumi’s ace in the hole; a sinful shield that can bring down monsters of all kinds, incinerating their souls and polluting their flesh. Though this is also a double edge sword on account that it can curses indiscriminately. So best keep a wide berth.

“Fire Force” (2019-)

As the wielder of the Adolla Burst, Shinra’s flames burn a tad hotter than most. And by that we mean his pyrokinesis is so out there he can pull off crazy crap like this! In order to match against his indoctrinated brother, Shinra pushes his body to such speed that it dematerialised, going beyond the speed of light, and as such is able to take down Shiro. Who just so happens to be able to heat up the universe to such an extent that he can freeze time. Now that’s a special kind of broken.

“Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works” (2015)

While it’s the Servants that are normally the ones stealing the show, it’s our boy Shirou who gets the spotlight this time. In a bid to protect future waifu Rin from the deadly fists of Soichiro, the resident Master of Saber manages to tap into his potential and instantly crafting the same blades that Archer had used previously. Unsurprisingly, even an amateur like him is able to deal some serious damage against his foe. While we would later see him perfect this power against the likes of Gilgamesh down the line, this was when we first saw glimpses of the badass Shirou was destined to be.

“Kuroko’s Basketball” (2012-15)

And you thought that superpowers and sports didn’t go together. With their long-awaited rematch against Touou, Seirin’s basketball team find themselves not only having to face off against a well-abled team, but also a former member of the Generation of Miracles. Things only get worse when Aomine unleashes his full strength by entering the Zone; a state of mind that basically turned him into a super athlete. While it looked like Seirin were on the cusp of a second loss, Kagami managed to pull out a miracle of his own when he too found a way to enter the Zone. How’s that for a slam dunk.

“Jujutsu Kaisen” (2020-)

This is what happens when you have a best friend like Todo waiting in the wings. Taking on the Curse known as Hanami, Itadori reveals just how much stronger he’s become since coming back from the dead and refocusing his efforts as a Jujutsu Sorcerer. By combining the strength of his Divergent Fist with absolute concentration, he’s able to unleash a technique that’s able to cripple a monster like Hanami. Unleashed within a trillionth of a second, the Black Flash is a bonkers move that Itadori has since made his own.

“Black Clover” (2017-21)

For all his life, all Asta had to rely on was the strength of his body and the unshakeable quality of his will to get by, as both a person and as a would-be Magic Knight. That changed when the monster inside of him finally woke up. As Ladros of the Diamond Kingdom lays waste to everyone around him, Asta’s inner devil starts to spill out, turning him from a no magic loser to an anti-magic beast of war. Now able to undo anything any mage sends at him, Asta’s first dip into the dark side was the first step to him becoming the Clover Kingdom’s secret weapon!

“Naruto Shippuden” (2007-17)

The mystery regarding Tobi and his true identity finally came to a head when we learnt the tragic truth of his past. In reality, the masked puppeteer behind the formation of the Akatsuki was none other than Obito Uchiha; Kakashi’s childhood friend, who had assumedly been crushed to death by a bolder years prior. As it happened, he overcame his near-death experience just for the chance to see his beloved Rin again…only to arrive just as she had been murdered. Blinded by his sorrow, Obito ended up unlocking the true power of the Sharingan before going to town on some very unlucky ninja.

“Attack on Titan” (2013-)

In spite of his skills as a member of the Survey Corp as well as the ability to turn into a Titan, Eren yet again finds himself robbed of everything following the death of Hannes by the same monster that killed his mother. Instead of succumbing to despair, Eren is imbued with newfound determination thanks to Mikasa’s heartfelt confession, leading him to unleash a final scream of defiance. Turns out said scream was the trigger required for his dormant power as the Coordinator to awaken, allowing him to take control of every rabid Titan in the area and then use them as his personal attack dogs. Now that’s what you call sweet revenge.

“JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind” (2018-19)

By itself, Gold Experience was already a Stand that was top tier, what with it being able to infuse and manipulate life in a myriad of ways. Pretty hard to top that. That is until the Italian Stallion of the JoJo bloodline got his hands on that deus-ex-arrow. In order to best Diavolo, Girono infuses himself with the power of Requiem, turning his Stand into an entity that not only nerfs King Crimson, but is shown to break reality and the concept of death itself, in the most casual manner possible. Ciao.

“One Piece” (1999-)

With his brother’s life on the line, the Captain of the Straw Hat Pirates was willing to take any and all risks in order to save him, even if that meant running straight into Marineford with a thousand navy soldiers ready to cut him down. Despite his best efforts, Luffy is unable to stop the execution going forward, prompting him to let loose a burst of power so strong that it renders the majority of the soldiers unconscious. As we would later find out, this innate ability was the Haki of the Conqueror, just another sign that Luffy’s path to become the Pirate King might as well have been written in the stars.

“Bleach” (2004-12)

Against the immense power of the Fourth Espada, it looked everyone’s favorite Substitute Shinigami had finally met his match. Unable to hold a candle to Ulquiorra’s second release form, Ichigo finds himself dead and buried atop the canopy of Las Noches. At least until Orihime’s desperate cries reach him, which causes his Hollow half to run rampant. Coming back from the edge of death with a new, terrifying guise, Ichigo is able to make quick work of his Arrancar foe by giving into his inner monster.

“Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba” (2019-)

What happens when your water style swordplay isn’t enough to cut through a demon spider with family issues? Set it on fire and have another go! Moments from death, Tanjiro recalls the final promise he made to his father, and in doing so finds the conviction to bring out the Hinokami Kagura. Now able to burn through all of Rui’s webs, this secretive breathing technique not only allowed Tanjiro to hold his own against one of Muzan’s strongest demons, but made for an utterly stunning highlight of the anime.

“Hunter x Hunter” (2011-14)

Ah kids these days, always in a hurry to grow up, though in most cases it wouldn’t be for the sole purpose of gaining enough power to punch the shit out of an evil cat-boy-girl. After discovering that Kite can’t be saved, Gon unleashes all of his pent-up anger, leading to him taking on a much more adult form with Nen equal to that of the Chimera Ant King. Hard to believe that the once happy go lucky boy from Whale Island could possibly become something so deadly that it even scared the bejesus out Pitou.

“Dragon Ball Z” (1989-96)

While Goku’s ascendance to both Super Saiyan and Ultra Instinct were nothing short of spellbinding, we still feel his son edges out in this regard given just how long the series had been building up to this moment. After Cell sets his miniature clones upon the rest of the Z Fighters and even kills Android 16, Gohan can no longer hold back his rage, and in the process attains a new level of Super Saiyan, one capable of pulverising the ultimate android with ease. Atta boy!