While powering up is a common turning point for many characters going through a growth arc, it’s rare to see a powerful character go all-out in a fight against an invincible opponent—and so we anticipate it. Characters who go full power are usually triggered by an emotion like hatred or desperation, but sometimes a character is so powerful that they only unleash everything when they’ve finally met their match. Whether as a desperate last-ditch attempt at survival or simply to show off what one is capable of, here are our picks for the most badass anime scenes where characters go full power.
12. Goku Ultra Instinct (Dragon Ball Super)
Dragon Ball is full of fight scenes where characters go wild, but Dragon Ball Super introduced us to an inter-universe tournament where fighters from different universes compete for existence. One of the coolest parts is Goku’s Ultra Instinct mode and the continuation of their battle against the remaining players in the field. All of the contestants truly give their all, as those who lose will cease to exist along their respective universes.
11. Rimuru vs. The Ogres (That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime)
Rimuru Tempest is one of the most overpowered anime characters, with his Predator ability allowing him to adapt to situations using the attributes and techniques gained from the things he’s consumed. In his encounter with the Ogres who seek revenge after losing their clan to the Orcs led by a Majin, Rimuru releases a large tower of black flames to show that he’s serious and means business. Fortunately for the Ogres, their Princess stopped the fight and announced a misunderstanding—after judging the magic used by Rimuru.
10. Asta and Yuno (Black Clover)
During the Star Awarding Ceremony of the Clover Kingdom, the rookies Asta and Yuno were mocked for being peasants among the ranks, despite being awarded for their hard work. To demonstrate that they’re worthy of the award, Yuno commanded Bell (his Wind Spirit) to go full power and fire an attack at Asta, who was able to nullify the attack. Both rookies showed how powerful they are: an unstoppable force (Yuno) and an immovable object (Asta).
9. Genos vs. Meteorite (One Punch Man)
As a Meteor entered the atmosphere, the citizens were in grave danger of the impact, which could cause wide-scale destruction. Genos responded with a plan to use with his Incineration Cannon. But upon seeing that even Metal Knight’s firepower couldn’t damage the falling Meteor, he decided to go all-out—much more than he could give—to power up his arm for his powerful yet desperate attack.
8. Midoriya vs. Muscular (My Hero Academia)
Midoriya can’t use the full potential of his One For All Quirk because a single punch powered by his Quirk would cost him his entire arm. Yet in his battle against Muscular of the League of Villains—when his arm was already damaged—he threw a punch that wasn’t just loaded to 100% power, but to 1,000,000% power! As expected, the toll on his body was as bad as the strength he imbued in his punch.
7. Iruma Used Pandulla (Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun)
Iruma was an ordinary human kid brought to the demon world. He was powerless and prone to being a meal for demons, but he was favored by luck: the demon who brought him to their world was a high-ranking one who thinks of him as his own grandson. With the ring infused by Sullivan’s mana, he was able to break the barrier enveloping the campus. He used Pandulla—the maximum level of the ring—to grow demon wings and make his attack more powerful.
6. Activating Megiddo (That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime)
To revive his fallen friends and comrades, Rimuru Tempest plans to become a Demon Lord, and all he has to do for that is consume enough souls as the requirement. Just as his allies destroyed the magical barrier, he releases Megiddo to wipe out the human settlement below him, killing thousands of individuals. It’s an impressive show of power, for sure.
5. Yujiro Hanma (Baki)
Yujiro “The Ogre” Hanma is the most terrifying character in the Baki series. With little to no effort, he can make his opponents tremble in fear as they face the worst scenario of life: death. When he flexes his muscles and forms the monstrous face on his back, we know he’s dead serious about the fight and ready to go all-out to satisfy his brute nature, like he did in his fight with Kaku Kaio. Though his opponent is an old man, he goes full power because he knows the old man is a worthy opponent.
4. Might Guy Opening the Eight Gates (Naruto Shippuden)
There’s an unspoken rule for those who are able to open and use the Eight Inner Gates: only open them when you’re ready to protect someone or something that’s worth giving your life. To protect the future generations, Might Guy opened up his Eight Inner Gate and gave up his own life force in exchange for tremendous power. In his battle against Uchiha Madara, who acquired the power of the Ten-Tails and became the strongest ninja in history, Might Guy was able to deal critical damage to him using this ability. In response, Madara acknowledged Guy as the strongest ninja next to Hashirama.
3. Midoriya and Eri (My Hero Academia)
Midoriya avoids using the full potential of his One For All Quirk to avoid the grave consequences of the Quirk on his body. But in his fight with Overhaul, he’s able to go full power thanks to Eri’s Quirk: Rewind. He used 100% of his One For All Quirk, knowing that the drawbacks of the Quirk would be reverted back to normal with Rewind.
2. Escanor’s The One (Seven Deadly Sins)
The Lion’s Sin of Pride, Escanor of the Seven Deadly Sins, has the Grace called Sunshine, which grows stronger as the sun rises. With Sunshine, he becomes “The One” when the sun is at its peak during noon, which grants him the full power of the Grace for one minute. In their last battle against the Demon King, he used “The One” for longer than a minute—which gave him the power to match his opponent at the cost of burning his life force.
1. Gon vs. Pitou (Hunter X Hunter)
Prior to this moment, Gon had gone all-out with his cannon-like punch during the dodgeball game with Razor. This time, he went ahead and surpassed his own limit. Using the Covenant and Restriction, we can even say that he went greater than full power. He gained immense power beyond his potential by becoming the adult version of himself and possessing all the power he would gain in the future. It allowed him to defeat his enemy, but in exchange, he almost lost his life—such is the cost of going beyond all-out. Read next: The strongest Hunter X Hunter characters
