07/09/2021
#10: Ichigo vs. Ulquiorra
“Bleach” (2004-12)
While it's highly regarded as the best battle in the whole damn series, the struggle between the Shinigami Strawberry and the Fourth Espada got off to a rocky start, namely due to whole filler arcs being dropped right before their fight was about to commence in earnest. Even then, things didn’t really kick off until the duo starting fighting above the canopy of Las Noches, leading to the reveal of Ulquiorra’s Segunda Etapa, Ichigo’s death and subsequent resurrection, and finally, everyone’s favourite bat boy being turned to dust, which in total brings us to (on and off) eight episodes.
#9: Yugi & Kaiba vs. Dartz
“Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters” (2000-04)
It may have made for some bizarre filler involving Atlantis, motorcycle punk duellists and dragons, but at least the last duel against Dartz proved to be quite the spectacle, if only for the sheer amount of monsters summoned over the course of their match. From the moment the Pharaoh and Kaiba-boy lock in their duel-disks, it takes them six episodes to defeat the Divine Serpent and its infinite attack points (don’t ask). Of course, the fight ends up extending beyond the duel when the Leviathan is unleashed.
#8: Yusuke vs. Sensui
“Yu Yu Hakusho” (1992-94)
A clash between two Spirit Detectives was never going to come up short. Traversing multiple realms and a whole bunch of Sensui’s personalities, this arduous battle did not go in Yusuke’s favour, given how he ended up dead at around the halfway point. While his friends attempted to finish things on his behalf, it wasn’t along until he tagged back in after coming back to life with his demon ancestor at the helm, laying on the mother of all beatdowns until the Sensui Seven was reduced to zero.
#7: Tsuna vs. Xanxus
“Reborn!” (2006-10)
You can’t become a tenth-generation mafia boss without knowing how to downsize. The battle for the Sky Ring against the traitorous leader of the Varia certainly pushed the good-natured student to his limit, though that may have been due to nine episodes of exerting his Hyper Dying Will Mode and having to perfect the Zero Point Breakthrough on the fly in order to subdue Xanxus. It was certainly a compelling ending to the arc, one that cemented Tsuna as worthy of inheriting the mantle of the Vongola Family. Just look at his stamina!
#6: Kaiji vs. The Bog
“Kaiji” (2007-11)
Take a seat, grab a drink, and kick back, because this might just be the longest example of gambling ever put to animation. For ten episodes, it’s nothing but Kaiji going up against the sadistic pachinko machine known as the Bog, one that constantly eats every last yen to his name and seems to outwit the various stratagems he’s put in place to try and overcome it. It’s certainly made his inconceivable victory all the sweeter, but it also takes so damn long to get there you could probably go off to a casino yourself, win some cash and still not miss the finale.
#5: Team Kinnikuman vs. Team Phoenix
“Kinnikuman” (1983-92)
Now this is what you call a cluster, though what else do you expect from a three on three final match of an intergalactic wrestling event? Spilling well over ten episodes, the match sees the eclectic line-up of Kinnikuman, Robin Mask and Neptuneman trading piledrivers with the evil as can be Super Phoenix, Mammothman and Omegaman. It’s a match you’ll want to strap in for and dedicate an evening to, because there’s no breaks from the moment the trios enter the ring and get to grappling.
#4: Akagi vs. Washizu
“Akagi” (2005-06)
We hope you’re a fan of mahjong, because otherwise you’re in for a very long thirteen-episode session, one that doesn’t even get concluded by the anime’s end. If it had gained more traction and the source material adapted in full, then it’s very likely Akagi’s lethal game against the sadistic billionaire Washizu could have become the longest showdown in anime history, since in the manga, this little exchange lasted over two hundred chapters! Try wrapping your heads around that! Even in such a condensed form, it seems Akagi’s greatest gamble has still retained some of its extensive legacy.
#3: Naruto vs. Obito
“Naruto: Shippuden” (2007-17)
This one is a little tricky, since in typical Naruto fashion, this singular fight is intercut with numerous other battles, side stories and everything else that got crammed into the Fourth Great Ninja War. From their first clash all the way until his defeat, almost sixty episodes have passed! Of course, so much of that is dedicated to everything but the fight in question that you almost have to take a stab in the dark with the timing of this one, though there’s definitely more than enough here to qualify. Talk about a labyrinth.
#2: Goku vs. Frieza
“Dragon Ball Z” (1989-96)
How long does it take a dying planet to finally explode? Well, if it’s Namek, a long-ass time, since the climactic battle between the legendary Super Saiyan and the galactic tyrant lasted a whopping eighteen episodes. Which, in the retro days of shounen, was monumental. It was certainly extensive but given how it had such exquisite weight to it, the pacing never felt unbalanced. From the initial brawl, to the iconic transformations, Frieza accidentally slicing himself up, all the way to Goku’s haunting blast of rage. Not a bad way to kill a few hours.
#1: Luffy vs. Katakuri
“One Piece” (1999-)
Twenty one episodes. Twenty. One. Episodes. Hats off to the future Pirate King, because he delivered a battle that was so explosive, so intense, and so drawn-out that by the time the son of Big Mom actually fell back on his ass defeated, we were left just fatigued as Luffy. The two exhausted everything over the course of this confrontation, from their mastery of Haki, to their Devil Fruits, all the way to that last second King Cobra, they pushed each other beyond all limits in the vain hope they could claim victory. Evidently, that takes a while.
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