The most iconic anime power up scenes

Anime power up scenes are a staple of the genre. No great battle really becomes great without a hero or a villain breaking through their limits. In some cases, the powering up scene is even more memorable than the fight it is a part of. A great scene gets the audience hyped for the next stage of a battle or the future implications, or can terrify with a show of force. These are the kinds of scenes we scramble to rewatch on their own just to recapture the moment of excitement, and below are some of the most iconic of the bunch.

Believe in miracles (Warp Digivolve, Digimon Adventure)

Digimon Adventure upends its defeat of vampiric big bad Myotismon (Vamdemon in Japanese) by immediately reviving him in a new and massive form. Desperate for a solution, the Digi-Destined attempt to decipher a mysterious prophecy and come to a shocking conclusion. Tai and Matt (Yamato) ask their siblings’ angelic Digimon to blast them with their arrows to create a miracle. While the end result is ultimately another of Digimon’s various transformation sequences, there’s a real intensity to the moment.

No one involved is truly confident and it seems just as likely the two heroes are about to die for a dumb idea. Thankfully for the human world, instead Agumon and Gabumon get the first Mega level forms in the series, accompanied by an evolution sequence that sees the two blasting through their previous forms. It’s an extremely hype moment and in retrospect very economical rather than stacking transformation sequences for half an episode. 

Watch Digimon Adventure on Hulu.

The fourth tail (Four-Tail Cloak, Naruto Shippuden)

For a majority of Naruto, the Nine-Tailed Fox was just as much a threat as a source of power. That was never more clear than when Naruto’s anger reached a boiling point and his tailed cloak began to grow tails. Juxtaposed with a flashback of absolute legend Jiraya explaining that he nearly died in a similar situation, we see in real time a visual representation of his fears. Naruto’s skin begins to peel away and the exposed blood boils within the chakra cloak.

The end result is a monsterous version of Naruto, coated in flowing blood and crawling on all fours. On the one hand, it’s an incredibly strong power up, as Naruto would go on to give Orochimaru a heavy smackdown. On the other hand, it’s Naruto in the form he was most afraid of becoming, more an enraged fox spirit than human. The end result is equally scary and exciting.

Watch Naruto Shippuden on Crunchyroll.

”Ban…kai!” (Tensa Zangetsu, Bleach)

Bleach has had its fair share of power up scenes, but the reveal of Ichigo’s Bankai that stands out the most for how much less flashy it is. Ichigo has spent the entire Soul Society arc trying to reach the power level of the Captains, especially the one that previously defeated him — Byakuya Kuchiki. Finally facing the man for the fate of Byakuya’s sister, Ichigo moves to reveal just how far he’s come. Given all the build up, the anime knows exactly how to slow things down. The music slows down, Ichigo stretches out Zangetsu in defiance, and a big blast of energy and wind passes through to kick up dust.

The scene drags the reveal of what Ichigo’s bankai looks like, which helps sell the surprising reveal that instead of being an even bigger sword, Tensa Zangetsu is a slim katana. The reveal is a reversal of expectations but makes perfect sense for the context of Ichigo’s powers. Masakazu Morita‘s iconic delivery of these lines, especially the full breath between the syllables of “bankai,” is to this day still one of the most iconic lines in shonen fandom.

Watch Bleach on Hulu.

They grow up so fast (Adult Gon, Hunter x Hunter)

Hunter x Hunter’s Chimera Ant arc is one of the most legendary in the genre for a reason. Unlike many contemporaries, the series’ protagonist never even meets the big bad. That’s because Gon is pushed to his limits long before that point. He’s overwhelmed by the disregard the Ants, particularly Neferpitou, show to other living beings. In a moment, he channels his Nen in such a way that matures his body to adulthood and max out his strength.

It’s cool on its own, but the Madhouse adaptation of the anime elevates this sequence to one of the greats. As Gon’s body changes, his character model becomes covered in black and white flickering animation. The way the team does it highlights how unnerving the transformation is, to the point where the impression is that this new character model came from an entirely different series. Yet, it is produced and scored excellently.

Watch Hunter x Hunter on Crunchyroll and Netflix.

Golden hour (Gold Experience Requiem, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind)

One of the best things about Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure as a series is how close to the wire the conflicts can get. Golden Wind showcases just how close things can get. After a long battle for the Stand Arrow against gang boss Diavolo has pushed Giorno Giovanna and his friends to the limit; but he managed to get ahold of the arrow. In an attempt to get a leg up on Diavolo’s ridiculous Stand, he pierces his own, Gold Experience, with the arrow.

Instead of powering up, Giorno collapses. It is a shocking “all is lost” moment that queues up Diavolo attempting to finish Giorno off, only for another reversal. Gold Experience cracks away and absorbs the arrow to take on its Requiem form. The Stand levitates itself and Giorno above Diavolo, who is struggling to follow the situation in disbelief. The drastic form change of the Stand menaces above Diavolo and queues up the end of the fight with great symbolism: now, Giorno is the one in charge.

Watch Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind on Crunchyroll and Netflix.

Epiphany (Chimera Shadow Garden, Jujutsu Kaisen)

A fun thing about Jujutsu Kaisen is that sometimes all it takes to power up is losing a lot of blood. That’s what happens to Megumi after getting hit so hard against a wall by a curse he blacks out. Once he wakes up though, he realizes exactly how to manifest a rudimentary version of his domain: Chimera Shadow Garden. The moment pushes him over the edge, in a mix of euphoria and mania.

Megumi’s twisted laughter is instantly iconic, equally terrifying and exciting as he tries to turn the tables on a curse manifesting around a Sukuna finger. What follows is Megumi throwing his absolute all into his domain while he bleeds out, in the hopes that he can hit enough times to get a true opening. Within seconds, he gets that opening. Unlike other entries on this list, the sequence covers the entire fight. Even so, Jujutsu Kaisen captures the exact desperation needed to justify it. 

Watch Jujutsu Kaisen on Crunchyroll and Hulu.

“Who the hell do you think we are?” (Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, Gurren Lagann)

Gurren Lagann has a simple method of powering up: build a bigger robot. That holds true to the very end of the series. Escaping from a bout of cosmic despair, Gurren Lagann leaps back into reality. The rest of Team Dai-Gurren shoots from the drills shot out in defiance. Stunning the Anti-Spiral, Simon gives his defiant speech as Lagann runs through its various evolutions. Then, surrounding itself with its friends, it bursts through to reveal a robot larger than galaxies.

Covered in faces and piloted by the entire cast, including folks who otherwise didn’t pilot, the Japanese title card for the series appears as it shares this beast’s name. While this power up is the shortest on the list by far, it’s absolutely bonkers in scale and one of the biggest hype builders. This scene on its own can sell the entire series to someone. Yes, the film version does go to an even bigger robot, but in fairness let’s only count the series version!

Watch Gurren Lagann on Crunchyroll and Hulu.

The Rumbling Begins (The Founding Titan, Attack on Titan)

There’s plenty of digital ink spilled about the later reveals of Attack on Titan, both in support and critical of its swerves. Despite controversy, the well overdue depiction of Eren unleashing the Founding Titan on the world is striking. A horrific skeletal fusion with the Attack Titan, Eren towers over even the other Titans. This transformation is coupled with the unleashing of the Titans sealed within the great walls of Paradis.

As if the imagery isn’t enough, Eren then fills the heads of Ymir’s subjects to declare his genocidal intent. It’s a truly nightmarish event for everyone trying to stand between Eren and his desire to burn the rest of humanity down. The entire scene is kind of a reverse power up — the protagonist is showing off a grand power, but we actually don’t want him to have it.

Watch Attack on Titan on Crunchyroll.

Total freedom (Gear 5, One Piece)

From the moment the truth of Luffy’s Devil Fruit was revealed, all eyes were on the One Piece anime. Could the long running weekly anime step up to the lofty task? Yes, and far beyond. Luffy reaching Gear 5 gets nearly an entire episode dedicated to just showing off. Using the very ground as a trampoline, Luffy and the animators explore the potential that Gear 5 offers together for a while. Then, Luffy gets back in the fight, dragging Kaido back up to the roof and gives him the Elmer Fudd treatment.

To top it all off is a count up to the reveal of Gear 5 in text, cutting back to multiple scenes of the other Gears to highlight how hard Luffy worked to get here, ending on a fully animated recreation of the corresponding chapter’s final page. Music is also a huge factor in this scene, as we get a new suite integrating the “Drums of Liberation” that integrates Luffy’s heartbeat. It’s a great translation of the manga that also elevates every aspect of the sequence; highlighting the power of translating manga to anime.

Watch One Piece on Crunchyroll, Hulu, and Netflix.

The first of many (Super Saiyan, Dragon Ball Z)

In many ways, the world of anime was changed forever after this moment. With his friends killed or defeated by Frieza, Goku’s rage begins to get the better of him. He can no longer finish sentences as the normally fun loving hero is overwhelmed. Lightning strikes all over as the sense that something is about to happen comes over Frieza. Then, the gold hair starts to slip in between the frames of Goku’s face. This teases out the reveal, really bringing up the hype.

The music swells, and then that’s it – Super Saiyan for the first time. It’s surprisingly sparse in retrospect, but given that all of Dragon Ball Z to this point is in service of getting to this moment, it makes sense to just let viewers take it in. The scene is tense, exciting, and deceptively simple. This is the power up scene by which all others are judged.

Watch Dragon Ball Z on Crunchyroll.