The Most Hype Moments In Anime History

The oldest entry on this list, the first episode of Mobile Suit Gundam launched a franchise still going strong almost 50 years later. When his colony is under attack, Amuro Ray gets inside the prototype Gundam and fires it up, resulting in anime history. While it’s not as intense as the later entries, the entire episode built up to this moment, and it became the template for every Mech anime that’s aired since.

Another candidate from the Gundam universe was Heero calling in Wing Zero during Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz, but for sheer historical impact, nothing beats the original.

In the world of My Hero Academia, All Might, the holder of One For All and the villainous All For One, had a brutal fight before the start of the series that left each with lifelong injuries. When the two squared off again towards the end of Season 3, everyone, from fans watching at home to the other heroes, watched the two most powerful forces on the planet clash one more time, resulting in another great anime hype moment.

The result was exactly what everyone wanted to see, with incredible displays of power on both sides, but All Might, at his very limit, reached within and pulled out the victory, thanks to all the past generations of One For All users adding their strength to his. My Hero Academia was forever changed after this clash, and fans are waiting for these two to battle again.

Berserk is filled with incredible moments, from the first episode’s demon battle to the finale’s infamous “Eclipse” scene, but nothing sums up Guts as well as his battle against 100 soldiers. The Black Swordsman doesn’t stop, even as he’s bloodied and beaten, showcasing what makes him the greatest warrior in the world. It’s not his strength; it’s his inexhaustible willpower.

The anime hype moment here comes slowly, as Guts simply will not stop. Later versions of Berserk included the same scene, but in our opinion, nothing can top the 1997 original.

As with the last entry, the battle between Jotaro and Dio had been building for a while. Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure is a delightfully strange anime that follows the Joestar family and, through the first six parts, the rivalry with Dio. Stands, an inner spiritual power, give their users different powers, allowing for some of the coolest-looking battles in anime history, but we think this showdown is the best in the series for pure anime hype.

After watching Dio tear through other Stand users, Jotaro Joestar calmly walks up to him, and the two engage in a close-range battle with their Stands. Series fans were on the edge of their seats waiting for this climatic showdown, and it paid off. For the first time in the “Starlight Crusaders” arc, Dio is hit, with a small gash on his cheek proving that the monster isn’t invincible.

We’ll be honest: this whole list could have been from Attack on Titan, even if we only included Levi. Towards the end of Season 3, when the Scouts are ambushed by the Armored, Colossal, and Beast Titans, it looks bad for the heroes, but that’s when Erwin, the Scout leader with no more power than a regular human, steps up. The result is a speech so inspiring that the squad engages in a kamikaze charge against the Beast Titan, buying time for Levi to make his move.

Erwin’s speech is so effective there are Attack on Titan fans who have to listen to this in the morning before they face the day. Like a great leader, Erwin rides at the front of the charge, proving why the Scouts will follow him to Hell.

The shortest entry on this list, Naruto’s entrance before his battle with the killer, Pain, was immediately an iconic anime hype moment as soon as it aired. After over a hundred episodes of wanting to become the Hokage of his village, it’s a result of the showdown with Pain, that Naruto realizes he needs to think bigger. Naruto Shippuden takes a turn in this moment, as it’s clear Naruto is now accepting his fate as the Child of Prophecy, and he will shoulder the burden of pain in the world to make it a better place.

The only entrance better than this is The Undertaker. It’s worth noting that the ensuing battle with Pain is also among the best in the series, and there’s a reason Naruto is one of the “Big 3” anime.

Demon Slayer’s “Mugen Train” arc is so good it was able to be adapted as not only one of the most successful anime movies of all time, but also as part of the series itself. Rengoku, up to this point, was shown as one of the strongest of the Hashira, but in going through an entire train of demons, he’s pushed to his limits. Akaza, one of the Twelve Kizuki, is the deadliest demon the Slayer Corps has faced to that point, and he’s ultimately able to mortally wound Rengoku.

What makes this one of the most anime hype moments in Demon Slayer is that Rengoku refuses to go down without a fight. The warrior spirit on display here is, thanks to the gorgeous animation available in 4k HD, stunning. Later seasons will likely be able to outdo this moment, but for now, it’s one of the best of all time.

After years of waiting, fans finally saw Luffy achieve his Gear 5 form, and it was such an anime hype moment that it briefly broke Crunchyroll. One Piece had aired for over a thousand episodes by this point, so finding ways to send fans into a new level of hype is impressive.

Once the “drums of liberation” start to beat, it’s clear that this is going to be an amazing moment, and it is, as Luffy becomes the new Joy Boy (or Sun God…or…well…still a mystery) during his battle with Kaido. There’s still a lot of One Piece left to go, so even this moment may become overshadowed, but for now, it’s one of the best series at its peak.

Mobile Suit Gundam ushered in a new era of anime hype moments, but when Goku in Dragon Ball Z is pushed to his limit battling Frieza, he taps into his Saiyan heritage and goes Super Saiyan for the first time in history. Not only is this an iconic moment in anime, but pop culture, with references and parodies of this scene still being made today.

In this one scene, anime changed forever, as without Goku going Super Saiyan, Luffy achieving Gear 5 would have never happened, and who knows if Shonen anime would have caught on as it did. In all of anime history, only one moment can top this.

The rule for a great anime hype moment is simple: show the hero overcoming nearly impossible odds, make it the payoff to a long-simmering conflict, and this helps, include amazing music. Pokemon spent decades showing Ash and Pikachu’s journey, then earlier this year, it all paid off in one goose-bump-inducing, pure hype moment at the Championships.

You know it’s going to be good when the Pokemon theme song starts up. Sure enough, almost 30 years of anticipation are released in this one moment of Pikachu vs. Charizard and Ash vs. Leon. Nothing in the history of anime will be able to out do this one moment.