Anime is filled with moments that can only be described as pure brilliance, but sometimes, you need to go through hundreds of episodes before reaching that point. These particular episodes represent the best of the best of a series, showcasing plot twists, emotional moments, or action beyond your wildest dreams.
They truly test the limits of anime and contribute towards its success or maybe even leave an impact that stays with you for a long time. Though it might feel tedious to get into anime with hundreds of episodes, you shouldn’t let it stop you from witnessing anime’s greatest moments, such as the ones on this list.
10 One Punch Man – The Strongest Hero
The only episode we saw of Saitama not instantly winning a fight was with Lord Boros, an alien who traveled the universe looking for a worthy opponent. Initially, we saw Saitama on the defensive, barely breaking a sweat while the other heroes were fighting the spaceship.
Towards the end, we see a battle of epic proportions, with Saitama still maintaining his unimpressed expression while Boros goes all out, only to be finally taken out in one punch. All this action is wrapped in a neat little bow of stunning animation and a hyped-up soundtrack.
9 Demon Slayer – Hinokami
After Tanjiro’s fateful encounter with the lower moon Rui, this episode showcases just how outclassed Tanjiro is against the Twelve Kizuki. That is, until Rui threatens to capture Nezuko, and Tanjiro suddenly awakens old memories of his father.
In a beautifully animated sequence, Tanjiro’s father shows Tanjiro the Hinokami Kagura, a dance that uses sun breathing, which he promptly performs to defeat Rui. At the same time, Nezuko also awakens her blood demon art, which leads to Rui’s beheading in a colorful and vibrant sweep, an emotional moment for the sibling duo, and an incredible moment for Demon Slayer fans.
8 My Hero Academia – One For All
The best episode of My Hero Academia features All Might’s ultimate showdown with his nemesis, All for One. This episode took the series to its peak, showing a vibrant and amazingly choreographed fight between the two that blew fans away.
It had it all: intelligent character moments, an angry All Might, and him going all out against All for One. The raw emotion in All Might’s words, the artistic fight, and the ending made this episode truly stand out for My Hero Academia and even anime as a whole.
7 Hunter X Hunter – Anger X and X Light
The Chimera Ant arc is considered to be the most brutal anime arc of all time, and it features one of the best HxH episodes to date. Kite’s death and humiliation propelled Gon on a bloody rampage, fighting against the strongest Nen user in existence, who had been teased for a while now.
The episode has the ultimate catharsis for HxH fans and an emotionally charged ending with Gon giving himself up to his bottled rage. Overall, it makes for the best Hunter x Hunter episodes and one of the greatest anime experiences of all time.
6 Attack On Titan – Warrior
Possibly one of the best plot twists in anime, the big reveal of Bertholt and Reiner being the Armored and Colossal Titans blew viewers away. The fact that it was so casual is why it’s considered so amazing since it came out of absolutely nowhere.
Watching this episode is like having an Eureka moment when we finally started connecting the dots. Unfortunately, we weren’t the only ones who had that moment, Eren and the rest of the squad were mortified at the reveal since Reiner and Bertholt were their comrades for the past couple of years.
5 Code Geass – Re
Very few anime have managed to have an ending that is considered ‘perfect’ by the fanbase, and even fewer resist the urge to continue with new stories instead of ending where they should.
Code Geass, fortunately, ended right when it was supposed to in a jaw-droppingly emotional finale that saw Lelouch’s plan implemented, thus freeing Japan from imperial rule. A final episode that was both discouraging and hopeful at the same time did the series and characters justice in what could be considered the best finale of an anime of Code Geass's caliber.
4 Attack On Titan – Hero
Yet another Attack on Titan episode that made it so high is Hero, which shows us the lost battle that the scouts were fighting against the warriors and finally shows us the capability of the Beast Titan. The Return to Shiganshina arc was filled with heartbreaking moments and next-level action, in particular, the aftermath of the suicide charge that Erwin led.
After the deaths of most of the survey corps, Levi fights the beast titan and bulldozes Zeke in a way that could only be done by humanity’s greatest soldier. At the same time, the Colossal Titan is also finally taken down by Armin and Eren, which leaves the former almost dead. One of the best Attack on Titan episodes ever, and it still managed to be topped by Season Four.
3 Boruto: Naruto Next Generations – Aibo
The Boruto series always tried too hard to come close to Naruto and kept failing throughout the series since the changes to the lore weren’t as widely appreciated as they should’ve been. But with this episode, we see a classic Naruto moment and a new transformation, the Baryon mode.
The episode not only surpassed its predecessor, but it also signified the end of the Naruto era with Kurama’s death and Sasuke losing his Rinnegan and showed us just how far Naruto had come. The next season of Boruto will certainly be worth watching after this and might even lead to the prologue we saw at the beginning of the series, marking a milestone for Boruto: Naruto Next Generations.
2 Demon Slayer – I will Never Give Up
Demon Slayer is known for its stunning animation, and nothing truly represents it better than the second to last episode of the entertainment district. Just when all hope is lost, Tanjiro manages to find an opening and almost wins against Gyutaro, but just as he’s about to be stabbed, Tengen comes in and battles Gyutaro in one of the most beautifully animated fight scenes in all anime.
Meanwhile, Zenitsu and Inosuke are fighting Daki, and in the midst of the spectacle, they behead their respective demons and win the battle that destroyed an entire city. It truly surpassed all expectations in terms of animation and will remain at the top spot for a while, making it one of the greatest anime episodes of all time.
1 Attack On Titan – Declaration Of War
After four episodes straight of covering the Marley characters and the warriors, particularly Reiner, we finally see Eren after a five-year time skip post Return to Shiganshina Arc. As a hobo, Eren confronts a PTSD-ridden Reiner, and they talk about the time they spent on Paradis and how Eren is actually the same as Reiner while a determined Willy Tyber is hyping up the crowd with a declaration of war against Paradis.
The tension rises, and we have no idea what’s going to happen next, whether Eren will spare Reiner or kill him, but the last thing we’d expect would be for him to transform underneath a building full of civilians. The island of Paradis finally got its revenge after this swift attack from Eren, and though it’s justified, innocents died, cementing Attack on Titan as the most morally gray anime ever and a banger of an episode to boot season four.