When people think about shonen series and their best fights, it's hard not to think of the main character. The stories are built around the main character: Goku, Luffy, Naruto. They're the ones who get all the best power-ups and new techniques, and they're the ones who need to defeat the big bad.
But everyone has their favorite supporting cast member who they secretly like as much or more than the main character. Though Dragonball Z has taught fans not to expect much from supporting cast development, anime fans still hope their favorite character gets the chance to shine and to show other people why their fans like them in the first place.
10 Armstrong And Curtis vs. Sloth Is A Battle Of Manliness (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)
The show Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood is a truly special series, and one of the best things about it is this battle. It kicks off with Ed and Al’s teacher Izumi judo tossing Sloth into her husband Curtis, who clotheslined him into a wall.
Sloth had been dominating the military until Izumi and Curtis arrived, after which it became shockingly one-sided. There’s no logic to this, short of Armstrong getting a boost in power from Curtis’ incredible valor and respectable muscles. It’s a quick fight, but one of the most memorable of the show.
9 Shikamaru vs Hidan: What Happens When The Lazy Genius Gets Serious (Naruto: Shippuden)
Shikamaru’s laziness was the most recognizable thing about him until the start of the Chuunin Exams. But even that didn’t show what he could do when things got serious. And that didn’t happen until after he confronted one of the groups responsible for the death of his mentor.
Hidan thought he’d outsmarted Shikamaru by outlasting his ability to control shadows...but it’s a lot harder than that to out-think one of Konoha’s best strategists. For Hidan’s overconfidence, he wound up covered in explosive tags and trapped at the bottom of a deep, dark hole where no one could ever find him.
8 Envy vs Roy Mustang: A Beatdown Fans Were Waiting So Long For (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)
Envy became Public Enemy #1 the second Hughes went down. Riza Hawkeye got the chance to unload multiple clips in him in a rather impressive scene. But there’s nothing more satisfying than having Roy finally confront the man who killed his best friend.
The only problem with this fight is that…it’s not a real fight. The only thing that makes it last longer than a few seconds is Envy’s ability to regenerate thanks to the Philosopher’s Stone, and quite frankly the real tension of the fight is getting Mustang to stand down from killing Envy.
7 Aizen vs. Everyone: What Happens When The One Is Able To Easily Defeat The Many? (Bleach)
Aizen was an absurd antagonist. The power of his Kyoka Suigetsu allowed him to hypnotize anyone and make them see whatever he wanted, even if they knew what he was doing before he did it. As a result, when multiple Captains and Vizoreds tried to overwhelm him with numbers...it still didn’t work.
In addition to just flat out being more powerful than any of them could’ve ever hoped to be, he still had the Kyoka Suigetsu for anyone who tried to get “clever” with him. There’s a brief spot where they think they’ve managed to defeat them, only for his illusion to break and the group realizes they’ve all been attacking one of their own.
6 Gildarts vs. Bluenote: The Most Powerful Fairy Finally Faces Someone On His Level (Fairy Tail)
They didn’t often put Gildarts on screen, largely because the character was so overpowered he would be able to easily defeat anyone Team Fairy Tail went up against. He was always away on other missions against more powerful foes. But on Tenrou Island, Gildarts was helping to get some of the younger mages up to S-Class strength, so he was there to fight one of Grimoire Heart’s most powerful enemies, Bluenote.
Bluenote possessed power over gravity, something that was enough to give even Gildarts pause. But after a hard-fought battle Gildarts came out on top. And Bluenote would get one-shotted eight years later by Natsu.
5 Jiraiya vs. Pain: The Toad Sage Faces His Former Student (Naruto: Shipuuden)
Jiraiya vs. Pain was already a great fight just off the basis of finally getting to see Jiraiya go all out in a match. But what elevated it beyond that was the fight’s finish. Jiraiya was a mentor who was able to help Naruto finally reach his potential, and so seeing him go up against another former student of his was heart-wrenching.
A large part of what made this such a shocking first watch is most fans likely didn’t think Kishimoto was going to get rid of the character. It felt made for someone to come in and save the day...but no one did. In the end, the role of taking down Pain was passed to Jiraiya’s other student, the knuckle-headed ninja himself.
4 Bakugou vs. Uraraka: The Genius Of Class 1-A Pushes Uraraka To Her Limit (My Hero Academia)
This fight had major Hinata vs. Neji vibes. Uraraka wasn’t really seen as much of a fighter up until this point. She certainly tried her best, but her ability wasn’t necessarily designed for combat. However, what makes this fight better is Uraraka didn’t need Deku to motivate her to want to win.
And even Bakugou, as cruel as he is, is a much more likable character than Neji. Neji’s goal is nothing short of humiliating Hinata, while Bakugou’s is to defeat anyone who gets in his way on the path to becoming #1.
3 Hinata vs. Neji: The Underdog Wants To Prove She's Capable Of Standing Alongside Her Cousin (Naruto)
Hinata vs. Neji was one of the better fights of the Chuunin Exams. It was between Hinata, the disappointment of the main family line, and Neji, the genius who could never receive the respect he deserved because he wasn’t from the main line.
This fight is memorable because it shows how far Hinata was willing to go to show her determination, even if she never stood a chance against him. Her compassion and fighting spirit was incredible, even in losing. Ultimately, she got under Neji’s skin so much he nearly killed her despite winning the match.
2 Kougyoku vs Sinbad: The Most Powerful Metal Vessel Holder Shows His True Power (Magi: The Kingdom of Magic)
Sinbad was a cheat code, along the lines of Gildarts in Fairy Tail or Hiko Seijuuro in Rurouni Kenshin. He was vastly more powerful than the main characters or their threats, so he’s often kept off-screen for one reason or another. He motivates Princess Kougyoku into fighting him seriously, and in the end, only displays just how absurd he is.
Kougyoku gets to cut loose, manipulating the seas themselves into massive torrents that could have destroyed the city they were fighting over. Except Sinbad was able to disperse her attack with a pair of punches and put her to sleep with a second Djinn Equip technique.
1 Gaara vs. Rock Lee: The Best Taijutsu Genin Forces The Owner Of The One-Tail To Get Serious (Naruto)
What helped Naruto stand out from Dragon Ball Z were fights exactly like this. Rock Lee wasn’t part of the main cast of Naruto at all, and yet he got to have a match with this much character development. Gaara was the odds-on favorite to win the Chuunin Exams, while Rock Lee was an underdog.
But Rock Lee displayed his incredible abilities achieved through hard work, and gave us a “weighted clothing” scene in a great shout out to Dragon Ball that was also one of the most hype moments of Part I of Naruto. He couldn’t win, but he came closer than anyone other than Naruto did.
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