16 Epic crossover anime showdowns we’d love to see go down

Ever wondered just how epic a battle would be if two characters from across different animes collided? Well, wonder no longer because here is the comprehensive list of 16 best cross-anime showdowns of all time that we’d love to see happen!

1) Goku (Dragon Ball) vs. Yusuke Aremashi (YuYu Hakusho)

We all know that the second Goku grows up, he becomes way too powerful for almost any anime character outside of Dragon Ball Z. Luckily, Goku was a lot more manageable as a kid, so his “amazing” martial arts (he lost to an old guy named Jackie Chun) and “nerfed” Kamehameha would really by tested against Yusuke Aremashi, who himself struggles with being able to control his energy attacks. Besides, both died and came back to life so, who knows? Maybe they even knew each other at some point in the afterlife.

2) Naruto Uzumaki (Naruto) vs InuYasha (InuYasha)

Both Naruto and InuYasha have a connection with the spirit world, and they both use it to great effect to manipulate the elements around them so they can basically destroy the competition. Of course, they’re both also short-tempered and quick to get into a fight, meaning they don’t even need to be thrown into the ring; just have them casually bump into each other at the vegetable market and they will destroy the place in just a few minutes.

3) L (Death Note) vs. Jimmy Kudo (Case Closed)

Since both these guys are detectives, they won’t necessarily be fighting each other. Instead, this will be a battle of wits as they both try to capture the same perp. Strictly on terms of coolness, L has this hands-down. Of course, Jimmy also knows how to multitask, seeing as how he caught many people while L spent an entire series just trying to catch one guy…and failed. Actually, why is L so great again?

4) Hikaru Shindo (Hikaru No Go) vs. Akagi Shigeru (Akagi) vs Yugi Muto (Yu-Gi-Oh)

A kid who is guided by an ancient spirits and becomes the king of board games versus a kid who is guided by an ancient spirit and becomes the king of card games. Strictly in terms of supernatural backing, Hikaru and Yugi have this beat. Unfortunately for them, Akagi Shigeru is the king of any game, meaning he knows how to adapt like nobody else. Whether its street racing, mahjong or a fistfight, Akagi has never lost. Let’s see if he can quickly figure out how to play Go or summon the Blue Eyes White Dragon.

5) Jin (Samurai Champloo) vs Himura Kenshin (Ruroni Kenshin)

Both Jin and Kenshin are the kind of swordsmen that look perfectly harmless one minute but are willing to cut you the next. Strictly in terms of skill, both are incredibly gifted with a blade, but Jin seems to have more discipline in his life, which may just help him edge out over Kenshin, who uses a lot of slang and is kind of a vagabond. Still, Kenshin does have a deep-seated sense of honor, so if he starts the battle, he will finish it.

6) The Light Music Club (K-On) vs BLAST (Nana) vs Kauro/Sentaro (Kids on the Slope)

The ultimate battle of the bands. The Light Music Club, as their own new member pointed out, is “not very good at all.” That’s why they play light music. BLAST is incredibly talented, but they’ve never been able to even get noticed outside of random bars, and they’re already adults at this point. Kauro and Sentaro are easy-going and don’t seem to have many grand ambitions for the stage, but they’re both incredibly talented at the very difficult art of jazz. To judge who won, we have to count concert tickets for each.

7) Vash The Stampede (Trigun) vs Spike Spiegel (Cowboy Bebop)

Both Vash and Spike are vagrants that wander the land, both have very high prices on their head, and both usually end up costing someone their life every time they cross paths with them. So just imagine if we gave all the world’s bounty hunters, cops and thugs a break by letting them kill each other? Of course, as the Bernardelli Insurance Society knows, damages from the fight will drive premiums through the roof.

8) Charizard (Pokemon) vs Greymon (Digimon)

Yes, Charizard is severely lacking in the kind of firepower needed to beat Greymon; his flamethrower won’t even phase the giant dinosaur. However, there is one difference between Pokemon and Digimon that could really help: when Digimon get tired, they devolve into their smaller forms. So, if Charizard can fly around long enough and dodge enough of Greymon’s attacks, he’ll be having roasted Agumon for lunch.

9) Android 18 (Dragon Ball Z) vs Motogo Kusanagi (Ghost in the Shell)

Probably the two coolest female-looking androids in the history of anime, Dr. Gero’s Android 18 and Captain Motogo Kusanagi are not really evenly matched in the start of the series; I mean, Dr. Gero designed his creations to match up with Super Saiyans, so 18 has got this in the bag. However, there have been numerous times when Motogo could strike without much problem, like when Cell is trying to find 18 and she can’t use energy, or when she’s human. Yeah, the second she can’t fire super blasts from her hands, Motogo’s got this.

10) Sena Kobayakawa (Eyeshield 21) vs Hanamichi Sakuragi (Slam Dunk)

Yes, they’re in two different sports, but there is still a way the two could give each other a lot of trouble. Hanamichi is very difficult to get past because he has such excellent reflexes, so just imagine what would happen when Sena would use the Devil Bat Ghost: he would get caught. Besides, Hanamichi is about three feet taller than Sena, so he has an undeniable reach advantage. However, if they were playing basketball, Sena is so quick—and so used to running on gigantic football fields—that he could always steal the ball and cross the small court in microseconds, so who knows if Hanamichi will even have the time to grab him?

11) Ippo Makunochi (Hajime No Ippo) vs Kid Muscle (Ultimate Muscle) vs Kenichi (Kenichi the Mightiest Disciple)

The ultimate three-way wrestling match: three child prodigies from three different disciplines of fighting. We have the boxer with the killer right hook in Ippo, the pro-wrestling wunderkind in Kid Muscle, and the underrated martial artist in Kenichi. Just imagine all three of them trying to fight each other; there would be fists and broken bones everywhere. One ring can’t handle all this awesome.

12) Ichigo Kurasagi (Bleach) vs Yoh Asakura (Shaman King)

One is a shinigami that has a connection to the dead world; the other is a shaman with a connection to the spirit world. Both have learned how to hone their energy to unleash fantastic attacks. Ichigo, of course, is the better swordsman and athlete overall, but Yoh is part of an ancient bloodline of shamans, and if they ever sense he’s in danger, ages of experience with magic will kick in. Survival for both is not guaranteed.

13) D (Vampire Hunter D) vs Saya Otonashi (Blood+)

On the one hand, you have a half-human, half-vampire creature that specializes in killing his own kind. One the other, you have a young girl that doesn’t know about her past but really knows her way around a sword. And because she too spends her time hunting mystical creatures, both Saya and D would essentially want to kill each other the first chance they get. Considering how both are so evenly balanced and fun to watch, we should let them.

14) Go Mifune (Speed Racer) vs. Takumi Fujiwara (Initial D)

Two different types of racers, but both experts in their respective fields. Go is classically trained and an expert on the racetrack. Takumi, on the other hand, is king of the streets and all about making it drift. It will be interesting to see if they can adapt to each other’s styles, meaning the race would have to take place across a long stretch of road, where both of their driving styles are equally tested.

15) Sakura Kinomoto (Cardcaptor Sakura) vs Usagi Tsukino (Sailor Moon)

The two protagonists that defined what anime superficially aimed at girls were supposed to look like, Sakura and Usagi are both pretty well matched as long as Sakura doesn’t end up summoning the more serious cards. Of course, Usagi also has several very powerful soldier friends to help her, so Sakura may have to do exactly that to win. And, even then, she’s just a kid so she doesn’t exactly know how to handle the battlefield like the Sailor Moon squad.

16) Science Ninja Team Gatchaman (Gatchaman) vs. NERV (Neon Genesis Evangelion

Both teams of science, both looking to defeat evil and discover answers to the universe’s questions. Although it would make for an interesting battle to see the two fight from their machines, in which case NERV’s budget and numbers may just bring them victory, but this was never a battle of guns. Instead, it is a battle of who can advance further in science to save their world. Actually, forget fighting; if they work together, they could save even more.