Shonen anime is built around the idea of containing exciting battles, and there is hardly any anime that does it better than Naruto series. Naruto is the perfect blend of an exciting story with compelling characters, as well as phenomenally well-written battles that follow and exist within a specific power system. They deliver tons of excitement to fans all over the world. While Naruto does it brilliantly in this regard, there are surely other anime series out there that do it just as well, if not even better.
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Solo Leveling
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Animation Studio: A-1 Pictures
Solo Leveling is a new anime series, and while its impact on the world certainly isn't close to Naruto, nor is its story, the battles it delivers are absolutely sensational. Solo Leveling is pure action from start to finish, and each episode delivers a new battle that excites fans in a variety of ways. These battles usually don't have the emotional weight that the battles in Naruto do, but the action that they deliver is truly spectacular.
Notably, Solo Leveling featured the battle of Sung Jinwoo Vs the Ant King in the second season, which went on to become one of the most popular anime battles of all time. The fact that the anime has great animation only furthers its case as one of the best anime when it comes to having great battles.
Dragon Ball
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Animation Studio: Toei Animation
Dragon Ball has set a standard when it comes to exciting battles in shonen anime, and in many ways it even established the formula for it. Dragon Ball has delivered thrilling battles right from the start, and they've only gotten more complex over the decades. The series has delivered some of the most phenomenal fights in the series, with some of them being Goku and Vegeta's battles, as well as Goku and Frieza, among many others.
Dragon Ball may not have the best written story, but when it comes to action, it really does amazingly well. In fact, even its sequel series, Dragon Ball Super, which has average writing, delivered some very exciting battles that fans of all ages are sitting down for.
Demon Slayer
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Animation Studio: Ufotable
Demon Slayer is one of the most popular modern shonen, and when it comes to the anime side of things, it has probably established a monopoly, thanks to the incredible success of its movies. Demon Slayer does well in many departments, and that includes combat. Over the years, the anime has delivered some of the most exciting battles that have great choreography, as well as strong emotional weight.
For example, Demon Slayer recently made the Infinity Castle movie, which featured some of the most exciting battles seen in recent years in anime, such as Tanjiro and Giyu vs. Akaza, and Shinobu vs. Doma. With more high-level battles to come as the story unfolds, Demon Slayer will only become more popular.
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Whiten
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Animation studio: Studio Pierrot
Whiten is the least popular of the big three shonen, but at the same time it delivers a lot of exciting battles. In fact, if there's one thing Bleach is known for, it's the intricate power system that aids the brilliant battles. Tite Kubo has pushed his characters into some very exciting battles with the likes of Aizen, Yhwach and of course the protagonist Ichigo Kurosaki. The incredible cast of villains only adds to the tension of the story and results in some quality battles being framed throughout the run time.
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Jujutsu Kaisen
Jujutsu Kaisen is one of the most popular modern shonen with a compelling story, a good cast of characters and, most importantly, a phenomenal power system that follows some very intricate rules. Jujutsu Kaisen takes quite a lot of inspiration from the likes of Naruto and Bleach and over the years has done incredibly well to deliver some of the most phenomenal fighters. In modern shonen, it goes without saying that Jujutsu Kaisen rules when it comes to high-level battles over the race in anime.
The series has delivered phenomenal fights such as Sukuna vs Mahoraga, Yuji vs Mahito, and, more recently, the Sendai Colony Battle in JJK Season 3. In the manga, some even bigger battles have taken place, such as Gojo vs Sukuna and the Shinjuku Showdown Raid, in general. This manga is filled with chaotic battles of the absolute highest order that any fan of Naruto would absolutely love.
One Piece
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Animation Studio: Toei Animation
One Piece is the biggest manga series in the entire world and has established its presence at the top and held onto it for over two decades now. Considering it's a shonen, One Piece has some incredible battles, and while many may say that these battles are not the best, the emotional weight that each battle in One Piece carries is huge, and arguably the biggest in all of anime.
Eiichiro Oda, the author of the series, mixes top stories and compelling character arcs into fights in a way that no other author does. The action that the series delivers is amazing, but when it comes to adding emotional weight, these fights are in a league of their own and definitely continue to rival those in Naruto. It must also be said that the anime by Toei Animation has made these battles even more impressive, especially in recent times. The most recent One Piece arcs feature some of the biggest and most intense fights, and along with great animation, these battles have been a joy to watch for fans of all ages.
Hajime no Ippo
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Animation studio: Madhouse
Among the classics featuring top-tier fights that tease fans to their core, Hajime no Ippo takes the top spot. This incredible shonen series focused on boxing is a cult classic that has won over countless fans worldwide. The series may be old and certainly not as famous as Naruto, but the incredible battles it delivers make it one of the skillful masterpieces that have etched their names in history.
Considering that Hajime no Ippo focuses solely on boxing, the clashes with characters like Ippo, Ichiro, Takamura and others that it has delivered over the years have immortalized this franchise. In many cases, it can be said that the fights in Hajime no Ippo are even better than those in Naruto, and that is what makes this series incredibly special in the eyes of fans. Fans of Naruto who haven't seen Hajime no Ippo really need to take the time to enjoy this series because the fights it contains are absolutely sensational from start to finish.
Naruto
- Release date
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2002 – 2007-00-00
- Showrunner
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Masashi Kishimoto
- Directors
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Hayato Date
- Author
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Masashi Kishimoto
