It's pretty rare for an action anime to get through the entire series without some character getting a power-up that nobody saw coming. After introducing a villain that's far stronger than anything the protagonist has faced up to that point, the hero is up against the wall. Their training was insufficient, and the villain has planned things out too perfectly. But just when all seems lost, the hero taps into some hidden power that allows them to blow away their opponent!
These kinds of storylines are too tantalizing to avoid, because they perfectly build up some tension in a way that brings the viewer coming back for more. It makes things all the more satisfying when the hero is finally able to crush the villain in a fight too, providing the kind of emotional release that makes for memorable episodes that stick with viewers long after they've finished watching.
10 Gridman Transforms Into His Original Gridman Form For The Final Fight (SSSS.Gridman)
"What a nostalgic look that is, Gridman!" Studio Trigger went all out with their animated version of Gridman, based on the original tokusatsu series, Denkou Choujin Gridman. With everything seeming lost in the final fight against Alexis, Gridman asks them to type the final access code to unlock his true power: Gridman. A new access flash transforms Gridman from his anime form into his original live-action version, granting him the power to battle Alexis on an even level.
The original Gridman theme, "Yume no Hero," swells as Gridman gives Alexis a one-sided beating. Alexis reveals his ability to reincarnate "infinitely," but it's still not nearly enough. Gridman reveals his final move: the Grid Fixer Beam. Using the power to purify, Gridman not only manages to restore the world that Alexis has destroyed, but reaches out to Akane and convinces her to return to the real world, and beat Alexis.
9 Tenchi Muyo's Light Hawk Wings Allowed Him To Defeat Kagato (Tenchi Muyo)
Tenchi was always going to defeat Kagato, that much is true. But it could have easily been a regular sword fight, because Tenchi had been trained by Yosho to know how to fight with the blade. It was an ability he'd had for years and he'd been rigorously trained enough to get us a regular sword fight.
But instead they decided to add the unique power of the Light Hawk Wings, which can allow whoever wields them to reshape part of reality. Tenchi with this power was able to create his own blade, a new costume, and defeat the deranged scientist, saving the day after Kagato had successfully captured him and defeated Ryoko.
8 Jotaro's Stand Developing Time Stop Saved Him From DIO's The World (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders)
Jotaro’s Star Platinum Stand had a very simple, understandable ability. It had quick, accurate movements and was able to strike hard enough to defeat any opponent. Overwhelming them with Jotaro’s basic strategies, Star Platinum got them through all of DIO’s warriors. But when Jotaro faced off against DIO and he revealed his Stand The World was able to stop time, Jotaro was in trouble. It wasn’t until Jotaro developed the ability to stop time as well that he managed to match with DIO blow for blow.
7 Nezuko Gaining Blood Arts Helped Tanjiro Defeat Rui (Demon Slayer)
Nezuko worked with Tanjiro several times in the past to defeat some of Tanjiro’s most dangerous opponents. But she hadn’t shown any sign of growing stronger during any of those fights—she was just taking advantage of her strength and speed. It wasn’t until Tanjiro and Nezuko were challenged by Rui that she unlocked a new power.
With her Blood Arts, she was able to do enough damage to Rui to allow Tanjiro to have a chance to win. This was particularly shocking considering she hadn’t done anything to increase her abilities - she simply developed them because she wanted to protect her brother.
6 Goku Transforming Into Super Saiyan Is The Most Memorable Transformation Ever (Dragon Ball Z)
The concept of a Super Saiyan had seemingly come out of nowhere when it was introduced. The idea hadn’t been discussed beforehand, but Goku was simply so strong so quickly that the idea that he could be more than a normal Saiyan led Vegeta to wonder if he'd become the legend. The idea would resurface later, when Vegeta believed he was a Super Saiyan when he fought Frieza, but he was easily defeated.
At the time, it would have been possible to say there was no such thing as a Super Saiyan and have Goku win through the effort he put in. Instead, they confirmed the legend and showed Goku transforming, ultimately creating a world where everyone expects their shonen protagonist to transform at least one time.
5 Natsu Gaining The Dragon Force Allowed Him To Beat Jellal (Fairy Tail)
Fairy Tail was very early in it’s series when Natsu got his first power-up. Up against Jellal, someone considered powerful enough to be one of the Ten Great Wizard Saints, he’d been easily defeated. Trapped in the Tower of Heaven, he and Erza were at risk of being destroyed by Jellal’s plans.
But Natsu’s rage at what Jellal had done to his friend Erza, bringing her to tears, pushed him to do something insane. He consumed Etherion--pure magic--which really should have killed him. Instead, it awakened the power of the Dragon Force within him. Dragon Force brings a Dragon Slayer closer to becoming a dragon, from dragon scales to the silhouette of a dragon. With Dragon Force drastically increasing his magical ability, Natsu gained the power necessary to beat Jellal and destroy the Tower of Heaven.
4 Sasuke Gaining Hagoromo's Chakra Protected Team 7 From The Infinite Tsukuyomi (Naruto: Shippuden)
While Naruto and Sasuke proved themselves to be two powerful ninja, neither of them were able to deal with the threats gathered together against them. Sasuke was nearly killed by Itachi, until he met Hagoromo Otsutsuki, the Sage of the Six Paths. Hagoromo granted Sasuke half of his power.
This power gave Sasuke the Rinnegan, making him capable of using space-time jutsu, granting him the ability to swap places with people and enter other dimensions. With Hagoromo’s chakra, he was able to protect Team 7 from the Infinite Tsukuyomi, which led to them saving the world.
3 Yusuke Becoming A Half-Demon Allowed Him To Fight Back Against Sensui (Yu Yu Hakusho)
This storyline wasn’t even hinted at during most of Yu Yu Hakusho. Yusuke’s strength came from him training and constantly battling against threats that were stronger than him. But Sensui’s strength was a whole other level—he was strong enough to beat Yusuke and all of his friends in their battle.
And Yusuke in the end was nearly killed before being revived as a half-demon, with his ancestor in control of his body. Raizen was able to beat Sensui around, but Yusuke eventually took over and the fight between the two turned far more even.
2 Natsu's E.N.D. Form Gave Him The Magic To Stop Zeref (Fairy Tail)
When Natsu first faced off against Zeref during the Alvarez Empire arc, he had the power of Igneel inside of him. It was strength he could only use once, and using it allowed him to dominate Zeref in combat...but the power wore off before he could finish the job.
But Lucy was able to rewrite the book that allowed Natsu to live, and in doing so it allowed him to tap into new levels of power. Despite Zeref having literally infinite magic inside of him, Natsu’s power was able to burn Zeref’s out, using up all the energy that had once been inside of Mavis and saving everyone from Zeref’s plan.
1 Goku Learning Ultra Instinct Allowed Him To Compete With Jiren (Dragon Ball Super)
Ultra Instinct might be the most literal “out of nowhere” power-up in anime history. No one had ever mentioned it before, it wasn’t hinted at, and even the fans only knew about it because of its mention in scans spoiling the storyline. When Goku battled Jiren, he quickly found out he wasn’t on the Universe 11 Pride Trooper’s level and tried to defeat him with a Spirit Bomb.
When Jiren deflected it back to Goku, it caused his energy to “zero out” and awaken Goku’s Ultra Instinct power. Though he couldn’t control it, he would tap into it three times to gradually learn how to use it’s strength and defeat a pair of his most powerful challengers in the tournament.
0 Comments