Even the best anime heroes are nothing without an even better opponent for them to fight. At the beginning of the story, no matter how strong or talented the hero is in their chosen field, there will always be someone out there who surpasses them or threatens to do so. Whether the opponent is on the good or evil side, they are often the most important obstacle the hero must overcome in his journey.
These types of characters are usually cool, collectible and smart as well as stronger than the more bloody heroes and tend to fall into two distinct categories. The first is an opponent the hero has known since childhood, either as a friend or as a bully, and offers a lifetime of challenge and motivation. The second is the adversary they encounter on their journey, often blinding them and curing them of any “big fish in a small pond” mindset they may have developed.
10 Gary Oak – Pokémon (1997 – present)
Gary Oak is the anime’s answer to Blue from the original games. He is presented as more famous and better than Ash, whom he often mocks and brags about. His brutal battle at the hands of Giovanni and Mewtwo is one of Pokémon’s darkest moments and very effective at showcasing the villains’ power.
Gary then exhibits another general tendency of the original opponent to antagonize. With Diamond and Pearl, both he and Ash have matured quite a bit in their Pokémon journey, and Gary has matured and become kinder to others. Although he remains a powerful Trainer, he has given up fighting to study Pokémon just like his grandfather and asserts his respect and friendship with Ash.
9 Vegeta – Dragon Ball Z (1989 – 1996)
Vegeta is a classic example of a shounen opponent. While Goku is loud and friendly, religiously training to raise his unimpressive power levels to dizzying heights, Vegeta is cold, focused, and arrogant, believing that power is raw His natural profile gives him natural superiority. Meeting and fighting each other forces Goku to become stronger, and after a while, the Proud Prince finds himself on the opposite side, trying to catch up with his opponent. Vegeta finally becoming stronger than Goku is one of the developments most anticipated by Dragon Ball fans.
He’s another member of the “evil rival turned hero” club. After activating Frieza and building a bond with the people of Earth – specifically Bulma and their children – Vegeta notices that the newly formed bond makes him stronger instead of weaker, for example. like when he saw Trunks injured, he got the extra strength to take down Cell because of it. This includes his partnership with Goku: the two of them often train and compete together, and when one of them isn’t enough to repel the threat to Earth, their powers combine. together will help get the job done easily.
8 Asuka Langley Sohryuu – Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995 – 1996)
Asuka is everything that overwhelming protagonist Shinji Ikari is not, and in any other show would fit perfectly into the archetypal archetype. Flamboyant, loud, and insistent that she’s the Best, she fiercely defends NERV’s ace status. No one has to convince her to join the cyborg: she fights the Angels for revenge and denigrates Shinji for his reluctance.
However, Asuka is an interesting case in that any competition is completely in her favor. Shinji feels confused and scared by her, and Rei quietly can’t stand her: neither of them are trying to compete. Asuka goes through one of the most tragic stories in anime that leaves her yearning to be perfect and make others see her, and when that fails, she breaks down in terror.
7 Ryuunosuke Akutagawa – Bungou Stray Dogs (2016 – present)
Before newly recruited tiger man Atsushi leaves on his first mission, he is warned to stay away from Akutagawa. Of course, when the two meet right away, Akutagawa not only shows how powerful his Abilities are, but also realizes that he has a special bond with Atsushi. Atsushi’s new friend and mentor, Dazai was once Akutagawa’s mentor, and Akutagawa is furious at being replaced.
Akutagawa is constantly trying to prove himself better than Atsushi to Dazai, and it’s a sign of just how much stronger Atsushi is making it less and less difficult for him to handle Akutagawa. They are repeatedly compared to reluctant partners Dazai and Chuuya, who hate each other but in battle complement each other’s Abilities. Confronted with Fitzgerald, they find that they actually work well together, but are deeply offended by Fitzgerald when he points out that they look alike.
6 Rin Matsuoka – Freedom (2013 – 2022)
While many sports anime, like Haikyuu!! and Kuroko’s Basketball, with no individual opponents, instead turning all opposing teams into friendly competition or opponents into allies, others like Free! follow the traditional path. The conflict in the first season was mainly due to Rin being estranged from his former swimming team and determined to defeat Haruka. Angry and bitter, Rin believes it is the only way for him to regain his confidence as a swimmer.
Rin has a special bond with Haru, a bond that only grows stronger in the seasons after they’ve mended one of Free!’s best friendships. Regaining a warmer and more open demeanor doesn’t dampen Rin’s competitive spirit at all, and he and Haru are each other’s strongest motivations for domestic improvement. This extends through high school and into their college and professional swimming careers.
5 Erina Nakiri – Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Souma (2015 – 2020)
A major theme of Food Wars! was Souma’s enduring pride in his humble background as a diner chef, even as he was vilified by his wealthier classmates at Tootsuki Academy for it. there. His harshest critic and fiercest competitor is the niece of the dean Erina, the first chef at his level that he meets. Erina’s magic tongue makes it impossible for her to eat anything but perfect food, and she is shocked and quite horrified when she is impressed by Souma.
Erina and Souma constantly challenge each other and force each other out of their comfort zones. Souma knows he really has a long way to go to become a professional chef and has to fight to rise above his peers, while Erina learns to break out of her rigid style and enjoy cooking. eat more. One of the Wildest Food Wars! The dishes were unmatched and the culmination of Erina’s growth as a chef was her refining and personalization of one of Souma’s wild culinary creations.
4 Katsuki Bakugou – My Hero Academia (2016 – present)
Bakugou and Izuku in some ways alter the typical dynamic character of “heroes and opponents” anime. Bakugou is introduced as the stronger and more popular of the two in middle school, with a strong Quirk and promising heroic career, while the shy Quirk-free Izuku falls behind. Both idolize All Might, but while Izuku imitates their hero out of a desire to help others, Bakugou is in it for the glory.
However, Bakugou’s brave and explosive personality didn’t really help him much at UA among the other heroes-in-training – most of them found him exasperated. Not only does Izuku get along better with others, but his in-depth analytical skills and ability to think clearly under pressure are also an advantage in battle as well as One For All’s power-ups. . The two are always ahead of their classmates as they fight to become better heroes.
3 L – The Death Note (2006 – 2007)
Perhaps if Light had competed with his intellectual peers in the first place, he wouldn’t have become a serial killer simply because he spent so much time inflating his own ego. L was the first person in Light’s life to actually challenge him. Both race to stay one step ahead of the other, in the belief that their justice will prevail.
Although they are opposites in looks and manners, the two develop a surprisingly close dynamic. Even under heavy manipulation and suspicion as they tried to crack each other up, Light admired L as a worthy opponent, and L at least claimed to consider Light his only friend. By the end of the story, they are still the most important characters in each other’s lives, for better or worse.
2 Seto Kaiba – Yu-Gi-Oh! (1998 – present)
Yugi duel for the love of the game and prefers an opponent like Joey, who is eager to win but will never go too far. Unfortunately, the rival that bursts into his life is instead Kaiba, who sees his life’s mission as taking things as far as he can. After being unexpectedly defeated by Yugi in a duel, his worldview is shaken and he becomes obsessed with proving his superiority over those he claims to be. below me.
Though unwilling to admit it, Kaiba has changed dramatically as a human and a duel from his relationship with Yugi. He’s still aloof, cold, and painfully sarcastic, but he’s developed a respect for Yugi and his approach to Duel Monsters and even helps protect the world from many different villains. However, he clings to his need to defeat Yugi and forgets to convince him that the “heart of the card” is a thing.
1 Uchiha Sasuke – Naruto (2002 – 2017)
Whether it’s friendship or bitter rivalry, this rivalry determines much of Sasuke and Naruto’s lives. At first they resent each other, the cold and stoic Sasuke finds Naruto irritable and the loud and serious Naruto finds Sasuke always cocky. But as they train and fight together, they discover that they have more in common than they thought, and develop a close and competitive friendship.
Naruto’s dramatic growth as a shinobi ended up scaring Sasuke at the worst possible moment, prompting him to decide to defect in search of power. Their battle in the Valley of the Edge includes some of Naruto’s saddest episodes. Over the next five years, despite their distance, they think of each other as they train hard to overcome each other: Sasuke becomes strong enough to achieve his goal of revenge, Naruto is strong enough to bring his friend home.