The tournament arch is a classic of Shonen’s anime: heroes and bad guys face electrifying battles within an organized competition. In addition to allowing the development of secondary characters, this type of plot also helps to introduce new skills and expand the universe of history.
The rules usually provide for direct elimination, individual or team fighting and decisive moments in which the hero must overcome himself.
Take a look at 10 epic tournaments of Shonen souls and where to look at them!
10 Shooun anime tournaments to look at streaming
My Hero Academia – Ua Sports Festival
The supereroi anime won fans with his combination of action, superpowers and student dramas. And, since it could not be missing in a good story about the heroes in formation, there is also a tournament.
The UA Sports Festival is a tradition of Heroes College, in which students demonstrate their skills in intense and various disputes.
The highlight of the arch is the clash between Izuku Midoriya and Shoto Todoroki, which ends with a surprising ending.
Naruto – Exame Chunin
The story of the young Ninja that brings within itself the powerful nine -tailed fox is one of the most loved series of all time. And, like any good job of Shonen JumpObviously, he would have a surprising tournament throughout the plot.
This is exactly what happens in the Chunin exam. This Arc combines test knockout, survival test and, of course, many fights with the most diverse styles and Ninja techniques.
The iconic battle between Rock Lee and Gaara is one of the most memorable moments of the anime and the exam represents a real turning point in the construction of the ninja universe of “Naruto”.
Fiamma di Recca – Satsujin Ura Butō tournament
Flame of Recco (1997) / Credit: Studio Pierrot (dissemination)
Recco Hanabishi is a teenager who dreams of becoming a ninja. After saving a mysterious girl, she discovers she has the power to control the flames, a legacy of the Hokage clan, destroyed centuries ago. Together they find themselves involved in a war against warriors who use Madōgu, magical weapons with special skills.
The highlight of the story is the Ura Butsujin Tournament, a deadly competition between teams of fighters with supernatural powers. Recco and his friends face an intense and emotional fight.
A jewel of the 90s in the best “Yu Yu Hakusho” style.
Kengan Ashura – Kengan Annihilation Tournament
The disputes among large companies are resolved through illegal combat known as Kengan matches, in which entrepreneurs take on fighters to represent them.
The protagonist is Tokita Ohma, nicknamed “Ashura”, a mysterious and ruthless fighter who enters this underground world at the service of the Nogi group. His goal is simple: to demonstrate his strength in front of the most powerful warriors in Japan in Kengan’s annihilation tournament. The prize? Control of the Kengan Association influential.
The tournament brings together the best fighters in the world in the rules without rules, with intense, realistic and violent battles, full of martial arts techniques. One of the most brutal and electrifying tournaments of souls.
Hajime on Ippo – All Japan Rookie King Tournament
This is the first large saga of the Hajime series on Ippo, which presents the Makunuchi Hippo trip to the boxing world.
It all starts when Ippo, a shy young man, is saved by Mamoru Takamura, a professional boxer. Inspired, he decides to join the boxing to find out “what it means to be strong”.
Each struggle of this tournament is a great test of overcoming, with detailed techniques, realistic fights and a lot of emotion.
Yu-gi-oh! – Battle City
The peak of the classical series of “Yu-gi-Oh!” It happens in Battle City, where the duel of the monsters reaches a new level with the arrival of the legendary letters of the Egyptian gods: Slifer, the celestial dragon, obelisk, the tormenting and the winged dragon of RA.
The bad Marik comes into play with his surprising aspect and a dark personality, using the power of a millennium artifact to manipulate the tournament in search of revenge and power.
Yugi, Joey and Kaiba recite in epic duels, full of unexpected curves, untreated monsters and mental strategies.
Sciaman King (2021) – Shaman combat tournament
In “Shaman King”, everything revolves around the Shaman Fight, a millennial tournament that brings together shamans from all over the world to decide who the new king of the shamans will be: the one who can merge with the great spirit and model the future of humanity.
Unlike other souls who use the tournament as an isolated arch, here is the backbone of the entire plot. The tournament presents a huge variety of fighters with unique styles, unusual partner spirits and powers ranging from ancestral swords to elemental forces.
The clash between Yoh and his twin brother Hao is one of the most emblematic of souls.
Fighter Mobile G Gundam – Gundam Fight
Unlike the other series of “Gundam”, “G Gundam” presents an intergalactic tournament in which the nations of the earth send their best pilots to gigantic robot duels. The winning nation earns the right to govern the universe for the next four years.
The protagonist is Domon Kasshu, a martial artist who represents Japan after his family has been involved in a complex political plot.
The series is full of the best elements of the battle anime Shonen: team of friends with various powers, transformations, legendary masters (such as the iconic master Asia and mysterious Schwarz Bruder) and epic battles with each new episode.
Dragon Ball – 23rd martial arts tournament
The “Dragon Ball” franchise is known for its iconic tournaments, ranging from the first martial arts clashes to dangerous cell games and the Great Power Tournament in Dragon Ball Super. But the 23rd martial arts tournament is a real watershed in the franchise.
This arch marks Goku’s transition from childhood to adulthood and presents one of the most memorable duels of the entire series: Goku vs. Small (son of the fearsome small DaiMaoh).
The tournament brings together some of the most surprising characters of the classical phase, such as Kuririn, Yamcha, Tenshinhan, Padre Tao Father and other legendary warriors.
Yu Yu Hakusho – Dark Tournament
Yu Yu Hakusho (1992)/ Credit: Studio Pierrot (dissemination)
Perhaps the most loved tournament among fans of souls. In “Yu Yu Hakusho”, Yusuke Urameshi and his team – Kuwabara, Kurama, Hiei and Mysterous Masked – make demonic opponents on an island isolated during the brutal darkness tournament.
The championship is promoted by the millionaires of the underworld and the Warriors’ Warriors teams in fatal combat, with flexible rules and twisted struggles. The arch is full of surprising moments, such as the evolution of the protagonist, the sacrifices of the companions and the exciting revelations on the past of the characters.
The climax against the brothers Toguro is one of the highlights not only of the series, but of the whole history of the fighting souls.
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