There are few things that create more hype than a good fight.
In this list are martial arts anime that not only have absolute banger fights, but also plots that will have you rooting for the main characters with everything you have. Good anime can stand the test of time, and these anime are proof. Included in this list are many old classics with some more recent ones.
10. Ranma ½
Ranma Saotome, a martial arts prodigy, is hit with a curse that causes him to turn into a girl when he’s splashed with cold water and back into a boy when he’s splashed with warm water. To make matters worse, Ranma discovers his father has set him up to be engaged. The girl he’s to be engaged to is the skilled martial artist Akane Tendou, who is known to hate men. As the two spend time together, they run into all sorts of challenges from enemies they must fight to new love interests.
9. Fist of the North Star
Kenshiro is one of the last humans in a post-apocalyptic wasteland of a world destroyed by a worldwide nuclear war. Fortunately for him, he’s armed with an ancient and deadly martial arts style that gives him a huge upper hand in a world where justice must be fought for. In his journey to become the savior of this ruined world, he faces rival martial artists, a tyrannical empire, and evil overlords.
8. Dragon Ball
Son Goku is on the hunt for seven mystical orbs, the Dragon Balls, which are said to be able to summon a dragon with the power to grant wishes. In his journey to find these orbs, Goku trains his martial arts skills and explores the world, meeting many friends and enemies along the way. After all, he isn’t the only one who wants the wish-granting powers of the dragon. Every step of his journey brings Goku closer and closer to becoming the strongest being in the universe.
7. Moribito - Guardian of the Spirit
On the verge of a terrible drought, there is only one way for the Shin Yogo Empire to be saved, and according to myths, that is to slay a water demon should one appear. The water demon does appear, but in the body of the emperor’s son, Prince Chagum, and so the emperor orders the death of his son. Balsa, a spear-wielding mercenary, arrives in the empire for business, and after saving Prince Chagum, she is instructed by the prince’s mother to protect him. Bound by a promise, Balsa accepts, and so the two go on an adventure to protect Chagum’s life.
6. Katanagatari
In a time of sword fighting, Shichika Yasuri practices Kyotouryuu, a technique where the user uses their body as a blade. One day the strategist Togame arrives and declares that Shichika must help her collect 12 swords, aka the Deviant Blades, for the shogunate. Shichika agrees and so the two begin their dangerous journey that is rife with enemies who seek to thwart their plans.
5. Ashita no Joe
Joe Yabuki is a wandering orphan, and one day he finds himself in jail for fraud. In jail he fights Nishi Kanichi, which causes him to be sent to a juvenile detention center far from Tokyo. Nishi and Joe try to escape but are stopped by Tōru Rikiishi, a boxing prodigy, and a rivalry forms between Joe and Rikiishi. They fight, accomplish nothing, but vow to face each other again as professional boxers in the future. As he enters the world of professional boxing, Joe must steel himself for the violent road that lies ahead.
4. Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan
Kenshin Himura is a wandering samurai who once fought in a war to bring about peace. He was once known as Hitokiri Battousai, and was feared as the most ruthless killer of all the revolutionaries. Now Himura is haunted by guilt, and has vowed never to kill again. One day, Kenshin meets Kaoru Kamiya whose dojo risks being closed because a man claiming to be the infamous Battousai is murdering in its name. Kenshin puts a pause on his wanderings to team up with Kaoru in order to clear their names, but staying put is not easy for someone on the run from their past.
3. Yu Yu Hakusho
Yuusuke Urameshi was a street fighting 14 year old delinquent until he was killed in a car accident for trying to save a life. His one act of goodness confused the underworld, and so he is given a chance to return to his body if he can pass a series of tests. Yuusuke succeeds, and is revived as a Spirit World Detective whose mission is to investigate supernatural activity in the human world. Enemies he must face include demons with nefarious goals and other humans with superhuman powers.
2. Samurai Champloo
After a small mishap at the teashop where she worked, Fuu Kasumi is being harassed by samurai. So, she gets help from Mugen, another samurai, who easily takes care of them with his fighting style that uses moves similar to breakdancing. However, Mugen then challenges the more traditional ronin Jin, and the two get into a fight that destroys the teashop and kills the local magistrate’s son. Fuu helps them escape execution, the punishment for their crime, and the eccentric three embark on a journey to help Fuu find a mysterious samurai who smells of sunflowers.
1. Hajime no Ippo
Makunouchi Ippo has spent his entire life being beat up by his classmates, and though he wishes to change his situation, he’s never had the courage to do so. One day during yet another beating, he is saved by the boxer Takamura Mamoru who takes him to a gym to recover. There, Ippo is introduced to the world of boxing and he finds himself wanting to become part of it.
