10 Most Anticipated Anime Rematches

The anime medium is popular for many reasons, but there’s no denying that its spectacular fight scenes and high emotional stakes have played a role in its rise to prominence. Many of the most beloved anime in the world feature combat on a consistent basis, and as various genres have evidenced, nothing drives a series forward like the potential for a long-awaited rematch.

An iconic anime battle might not receive a rematch for various reasons, such as time constraints within the plot or a shift in the trajectory of the characters. However, some rematches absolutely must take place as they have far too much potential for their narratives to ignore. Memorable clashes between Dragon Ball Super‘s Goku and Beerus, as well as Jujutsu Kaisen‘s Satoru Gojo and Ryomen Sukuna, immediately set the stage for their respective series, but perhaps even more importantly, they set up potential rematches that should intrigue fans for many years to come.

10 Roronoa Zoro’s Final Standoff Against Dracule Mikawk Promises to Be the Greatest Sword Fight of the Series

One Piece

When the legendary swordsman Dracule Mihawk first meets the Straw Hat Pirates during One Piece‘s Baratie Arc, former bounty hunter Roronoa Zoro quickly recognizes and challenges him to a duel — much to the dismay of his crew. Mihawk agrees to battle the Straw Hat using only a small dagger, and he stops just short of killing Zoro after inflicting a massive cut across his torso.

Since his first encounter with the Warlord of the Sea, Roronoa Zoro has grown strong enough to defeat King the Wildfire, an Emperor of the Sea’s strongest commander, and scar the World’s Strongest Creature: Kaido. It’s only a matter of time before the Straw Hat Pirate’s swordsman becomes skilled enough to defeat his mentor in a rematch and claim his place in One Piece‘s history books.

9 Boruto’s Face-Off Against Kawaki Will Determine the Fate of the Hidden Leaf Village

Boruto: Naruto Next Generations

The opening sequence of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations takes place several years after the rest of the series, and it teases a battle between Boruto, the son of Naruto Uzumaki, and Kawaki, an unknown assailant of the Hidden Leaf Village. However, the series immediately returns to their adolescence after this scene, giving the audience the chance to see how these two characters meet.

As they grow as shinobi, Boruto and Kawaki square off in several skirmishes, which grow more and more serious as Kawaki strays from the Will of Fire. Since fans know for certain that these two will inevitably square off in a fight above the ruins of the Hidden Leaf Village, all eyes will be on them until their long-awaited rematch finally occurs.

8 Ichigo Hopes to Stop Yhwach From Achieving His Sinister Goal

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War

Bleach follows Ichigo Kurosaki’s journey to protect the Soul Society after he’s thrust into his role as a Substitute Soul Reaper, and by the end of the original series, it seems as though all is right in the world. However, the show’s sequel, Thousand-Year Blood War, reveals that Ichigo has yet to defeat his greatest opponent: the mysterious Quincy King known as Yhwach.

Yhwach, the ancient leader of the Qunicys, returns to power in the Thousand-Year Blood War, and in his first duel with Ichigo, the villain nearly kills Bleach‘s beloved protagonist. His overwhelming strength destroys the Substitute Soul Reaper’s Zanpakuto, forcing Ichigo to go back to the drawing board and summon even more of his latent power. A rematch should not only give the series’ protagonist the chance to take revenge on Yhwach but also provide him with the opportunity to halt the villains’ dark plan to eliminate the world’s population.

7 Aki Hayakawa’s Face-Off Against the Gun Devil Is His Only Hope for Revenge

Chainsaw Man

When the Gun Devil first appears in the world of Chainsaw Man a few years before the beginning of the series, the entity launches a massive deadly attack around the world that leaves young Aki Hayakawa as the sole survivor of his family. Although Aki is powerless to defend himself and his loved ones at the time of the attack, he becomes a Devil Hunter capable of wielding powerful devils in hopes of avenging the deaths of his family members.

Years after the deadly global phenomenon, the elimination of the Gun Devil becomes a priority among devil hunters as the fear surrounding it grows stronger. When Aki finally faces the Gun Devil as a challenger instead of a victim, their rematch will decide the trajectory of the devil’s power over the world and provide an opportunity to take revenge for his childhood loss — even if it costs him his life.

6 Goku’s Ultra Instinct Could Be the Key to Finally Defeating Beerus

Dragon Ball Super

The Gods of Destruction are known as the most powerful beings in the Dragon Ball Super universe, and Lord Beerus is the strongest of them all. Although the anime’s protagonist is forced to concede after expending all of his Super Saiyan God power in his first match against Beerus at the beginning of the series, Goku later unlocks a higher form of power that could give him the edge to defeat the destroyer god: Ultra Instinct.

While it’s true that Goku is celebrated as a mighty hero for enduring very few losses throughout the classic shonen series, Beerus represents the benchmark for strength as the most powerful god in the multiverse. Ultra Instinct allows the user’s body to act reflexively without interference from consciousness, and the combat efficiency awarded by this divine ability could be enough to rival the power of a God of Destruction in their next rematch, further cementing Goku’s status as the greatest fighter in anime history.

5 The Battle Between All For One and One For All Is at the Heart of Midoriya’s Journey

My Hero Academia

The power struggle between My Hero Academia‘s two strongest Quirks, One For All and All For One, sets the stage for Izuku Midoriya’s journey throughout My Hero Academia. The former of these powers, wielded by Midoriya, grants the user immense strength that grows as the One For All Quirk, which includes seven abilities so far, is willingly passed to others. However, the latter, wielded by the series’ primary antagonist (also known as All For One), allows the user to steal and transfer others’ powers.

Throughout history, the users of One For All have repeatedly squared off with All For One, with both sides achieving several victories. That said, there has yet to be a decisive winner between the two, setting the stage for My Hero Academia‘s main character to do the impossible by eliminating All For One and the monumental threat that it poses, once and for all.

4 Yuno Hopes to Avenge His Captain by Defeating Zenon Zogratis

Black Clover

After the Clover Kingdom survives Black Clover‘s Elf Reincarnation Arc, they quickly find themselves under attack by the Spade Kingdom’s strongest fighters: the Dark Triad. These figures attack various locations, including the Golden Dawn’s headquarters, where Yuno finds his fellow Magic Knights brutally defeated by Zenon Zogratis.

Yuno does his best to defeat Zenon Zogratis, but after being soundly defeated by Zenon’s Devil Magic, a severely wounded Yuno wakes and learns that half of his squad died in the ambush. With no other option, he focuses on building his strength to protect his comrades from further loss. The Clover Kingdom and the Spade Kingdom are bound to break into all-out warfare whenever Black Clover returns to syndication, so a rematch between Yuno and Zenon is a matter of when, not if.

3 Genos’ Feud With Garou Represents a More Grounded Take on the Hero-Villain Struggle

One-Punch Man

The story of protagonist Saitama is that of an unassuming hero who has somehow grown to become an impossibly powerful being after adopting a regular workout routine. One-Punch Man parodies the superhero genre on a regular basis, and while this is also true for Saitama’s “student,” Genos, the cyborg isn’t nearly as over-the-top as some of the series’ other characters.

In fact, Genos finds himself in one of the most grounded narratives in all of One-Punch Man when he forms a rivalry with the villain known as Garou. Garou has a vendetta against the heroes of the world, and as part of his philosophy, he strives to defeat opponents like Genos. Unfortunately, when the pair finally square off in the series’ second season, Garou’s former mentors, Bang and Bomb, interrupt their fight. A follow-up showcase of the two fighters’ special abilities paired with Garou’s intriguing rationale for punishing heroes would create an engaging rematch for viewers. ​​​​

2 Tanjiro’s Next Battle Against Akaza Is His Chance to Avenge a Fallen Mentor

Demon Slayer

In Demon Slayer, the series’ heroic protagonist, Tanjiro Kamado, fights alongside other members of the Demon Slayer Corps to hunt down the progenitor of all demons: Muzan Kibutsuji. As part of his master plan, Muzan creates 12 incredibly strong Demon Moon soldiers, one of which kills Tanjiro’s mentor — the Flame Hashira, Kyojuro Rengoku — in the Mugen Train Arc.

This demon, known as Akaza, is Muzan’s third-strongest demon, but after his battle with Rengoku, he must immediately flee to avoid the sunlight, which kills all demons. Before he can escape, Tanjiro launches his katana through Akaza’s chest, giving the demon a warning of what awaits him when they square off in their long-awaited rematch.

1 Gojo and Sukuna’s Duel Will Crown the Greatest Sorcerer

Jujutsu Kaisen

In the Jujutsu Kaisen universe, sorcerers have harnessed cursed energy to destroy malevolent spirits for centuries. However, many years before the events of the series, an evil sorcerer by the name of Ryomen Sukuna dominated the Heian Era, eventually sealing himself inside cursed objects in hopes of being revived at a later date. For most of modern history, Sukuna was considered to be the strongest sorcerer ever, but recently, a contender to his throne has emerged: Satoru Gojo.

In Jujutsu Kaisen‘s first episode, Yuji Itadori, an average male high school student, discovers and eats one of Sukuna’s twenty cursed object fingers, awakening the ancient sorcerer. However, Yuji is miraculously able to control Sukuna’s will, prompting Gojo, who is nearby in search of the cursed finger, to challenge Sukuna’s spirit for a brief moment. Although the King of Curses is only at a fraction of his power when he fights Gojo in an uneventful exchange, the duo is virtually guaranteed to square off in the near future and decide who is truly the greatest sorcerer of all time.