What’s a great shonen anime without a bit of rivalry? The clashes between the forces of evil and good adds more depth to the story and develops the hero or anti-hero. But not every rivalry is against a villain and a life or death situation. Sometimes it’s friendly and a way to add comedic relief.
Here are four of my best rivalries that made the anime more interesting and tense!
Light Vs L
Death note is one of the most influential anime ever, and this is largely due to the intellectual battle between Light and L. Light Yagami is your classic anti-hero, an average high school kid who gets more power than he can handle when he finds the death note. A note that grants the holder the power to kill whoever they want by writing their name in the book.
Light eventually goes wild, killing people indiscriminately, and that’s when L, a super detective, vows to catch him. Watching these two intelligent characters clash brings a thrill you may not find in any other anime. Light and L are so evenly matched; it’s like watching two chess masters compete. While rooting for these characters, you might find yourself on the side of evil.
Naruto Vs Sasuke
Naruto doesn’t need too much introduction because I’m sure you’ve watched it. And if you haven’t, why not? Naruto tells the story of a young outcast who wants to become the leader of his village, the Hokage, and prove his worth to the villagers. As a young ninja, he’s paired with Sasuke, a prodigy who looks down on Naruto. Naruto makes it his mission to catch up to Sasuke and possibly surpass him.
Seeing Naruto train extra hard and make goofy mistakes to accomplish this will definitely make you laugh. It will also make you cry in some parts when you see just how much he struggles. Through this rivalry, we see how these two characters and others around them grow.
Naruto is an anime that does everything right. Check it out if you want to laugh, cheer, cry, and get frustrated. Or watch it again just to remind yourself of how perfect it is.
Saitama and Sonic
Moving to more light-hearted manga, One-punch man is one you don’t want to skip. Saitama, the protagonist, is arguably the strongest character in his world. But because of his weak looks, most heroes and enemies look down on him. An enemy who lived to tell the tale, Sonic, has made it his mission to defeat Saitama.
Why? Because Saitama embarrassed him. This is kind of vague, but I don’t want to say give too much away. Let’s just say Sonic’s Ego wasn’t the only thing that got bruised after his “ fight “
Joestar family Vs Dio
Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure makes sure it does everything differently, especially the rivalry. JBA tells the tale of the powerful Joestar family and the abnormal foes they face. Each generation of this family has its unique power and set of enemies. But, there’s one enemy that can’t seem to die, DIO.
Dio was the arch-nemesis of the first Jojo, who lost his life trying to defeat him. But Dio just won’t die or let go of his grudge against the Joestar family. He makes it his mission to kill every member or at least try to. Watch Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure and witness a cross-generational feud against an immortal villain.
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