The best hand-to-hand combat action anime

Summary

  • Kenichi, the most powerful student, started out as an ordinary child and honed his skills through consistent training.

  • High School God follows Jin Mori as he relies on his own strength and martial arts to defeat opponents who wield God's power.

  • Fist of the North Star features a variety of fighting techniques that challenge Kenshiro and inspire future shonen heroes.

When people think of action anime, they may think of the flashier series in it Dragon Ball Zwhere characters shoot each other with some form of beam. They might even think of more modern shows like this Sword Art Online or The Vinland Sagawhich are almost completely opposite each other in tone except for their focus on gun combat.

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However, in some series, weapons and energy waves are abandoned in favor of hand-to-hand combat, where the main character's only hope lies in their limbs. They can be more difficult to animate, but in return they can make for more intuitive, exciting fights. So, if viewers want to watch the best hand-to-hand combat anime, they can start by watching these examples.

7

Kenichi The most powerful student

From shrimp to fighting shrimp

Many of these entries start out with their leaders already quite strong, and then only get stronger as their skills improve. In contrast, Kenichi starts out as a normal child, although he is often bullied, until he stumbles upon Miu and her grandfather, Ryozanpaku. Only by consistently learning from him, he becomes Kenichi is the most powerful student.

It's an ambiguous show, with its frequent fanservice and gags dating back to the mid-2000s. However, it strives to provide a more realistic take on martial arts shows, interspersing real-life techniques with more flashy, fictional ones. As corny as it may be, Kenichi offers some hilarious fight scenes that only get better as the show progresses.

6

High School God

It would seem that an ordinary mortal is fighting God

Manhwa (Korean comic books) have been gaining popularity over the years, and some are getting equally strong anime (or aeni in Korean) adaptations. High School God is another standout following Jin Mori, who is looking to win a national title and then lead Korea to the top of the world stage.

Not that this is an easy feat, as many combatants use “borrowed power” from the gods to overcome their opponents. But Jin Mori relies on his own strength and his re-taekwondo, which is powerful enough to overcome his seemingly divine opponents. They certainly look like it, too, thanks to their fast-paced choreography and devastating hard beats. It's a tour de force of punches that only gets faster and stronger as it goes on.

5

Pole Star Fist

His competitors are already dead

Grandpa action anime, Pole Star Fist famous for its focus on rapid punches and kicks, as well as exploding body parts and repetitive animation. It's an old show that stretches its budget, though some of its guerilla animation techniques retain a certain charm (such as showing the dying villain's POV by distorting and tearing up the actual film footage).

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However, he manages to give his characters various techniques that allow them to challenge the seemingly invincible Kenshiro. The Hokuto Shinken master himself creates a new skill almost every episode. His standby technique, the Hokuto Hyakuretsuken, may also be the first multi-hit flurry that would inspire later shonen heroes such as Luffy's Gum-Gum Gatling Gun in One Piece.

4

Kengan Ashura

Arguments for 3D anime

Kengan Ashura is a controversial choice. Not necessarily because of its content, which follows Tokita “Ashura” Ouma as he is drawn into the world of underground fighting through the Kengan Destruction Tournament. Instead, it's usually because it's in 3D, leaving viewers with bad memories Berserk 2016 or Souten no Ken: Regenesis' slow motion.

But luckily Kengan Ashura does not suffer from any of their shortcomings. It's well-edited, and viewers can tell when one punch leads into another, or when he gets hit back. They also hit hard, delivering decisive blows that feel like they're going to end the world, not to mention who they're hitting. In 3D or otherwise, these are spectacular fights that deserve to be seen.

3

Bucky Grappler

Can't spell madness without “sanity”

Just because the action is hand-to-hand doesn't mean it can't be crazy. on paper Bucky GrapplerThe story is very simple: a young boy becomes stronger to defeat his father and avenge his mother's death. Baki's father, Yujiro, is simply so powerful that countries have to sign treaties with him to keep the peace.

But behind the crazy scenes, like when Yujiro smashes a glass barrier by slamming his face into it, there are some exciting fight scenes. They have a method to deal with the madness, as each fighter's style has some basis in reality (for example, fighters train to tank through hard punches). They are just as exaggerated as everything else in the show, making for intense fight scenes.

2

Megalo Box

How sci-fi boxing can feel more real than other fight shows

Megalo Box difficult to add since it's a sci-fi take on a boxing anime where most of the fighters use mechanical exoskeletons called Gear to increase their punching power. Technically, this could be considered a weapon since they are objects that are physically possessed (as opposed to High School Godmagic).

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But ultimately they're there to boost regular slashing attacks, not throw out blades and the like. Even then, the hero of the Junk Dog series eventually abandons their use entirely, beating down Gear-equipped opponents with his bare hands. Gear aside, boxing requires a tough approach, as Junk Dog's fights and the damage they take look real and brutal.

1

Hajime No Ippo

Possibly the best boxing anime ever

Part Megalo BoxCruelty comes from his inspiration, Ashita is not Joewhich essentially wrote the blueprint for all subsequent boxing anime, including Hajime no Ippo (aka Fighting spirit). The long-running series is famous for adapting the intricacies of the sweet science and how it affected its brave protagonist Ip Makunouty and his gym mates.

The show uses artistic license to illustrate how the boxers feel and move (like putting them under water to show them floundering, so to speak), but otherwise lets the action speak for itself, keeping viewers guessing. which way they will spin until the last bell rings. If viewers want a bare-handed action anime with minimal excess and all the thrills, Hajime no Ippo should be their first port of call.

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