Rivalry between the main characters of the show is something every anime fan roots for. Regardless of the genre, the audience lives for the intense rivalry between the two opposites, who are neither enemies nor friends but push each other to achieve the closest better version of themselves. Almost every single anime showcases an iconic battle between two rivals and the fictional world is swarming with such legendary anime rivalries.

If there’s one thing that is most commonly implied across all genres of anime is – rivalries, as it makes a part of anime storytelling fascinating and integral. Nearly every anime features the main protagonist trying to get along with its rival. These characters are obsessed with being better than the other, whether it’s a battle of intelligence or a battle of strength and pride.

And, in today’s article, we’ll take a look at some of the most interesting and exciting anime rivalries in all of anime history. So, without any further ado let’s get started.

10. Spike/Vicious – Cowboy Bebop

Even best friends can become rivals by just a spark of betrayal or love. The rivalry between former partners Spike and Vicious is something like that who were once close as brothers but turned into bitter enemies. The two were the perfect team while working for the Red Dragon Syndicate, but things changed when Julia entered the picture.

Julia was initially the girlfriend of Vicious but later she shifted towards Spike. Although, it’s not sure whether the rivalry began because of love or power but it surely started after Julia’s interference. Throughout the series, Spike and Vicious clashed several times over and the rivalry came to a tragic end when Spike took the life of his former ally and friend in a final duel.

9. Asta/Yuno – Black Clover

Asta and Yuno were both raised in the same orphanage and were quite close however, Yuno was one of the most blessed children in terms of power that their village had ever seen, while Asta was born with no magical talent. Despite the outrageous difference in ability, Asta always considered Yuno his rival and looked up to him. He worked harder to become as strong as possible.

Initially, Yuno never gave much attention to Asta but the tension between them began to develop when Asta received his anti-magic grimoire and became so physically powerful that even a talented wizard like Yuno felt inferior. From time to time, Asta and Yuno have locked horns and have also fought alongside in crucial battles. They are genuine brothers and rivals who both have a shot at becoming Wizard King.

8. Sanji/Zoro – One Piece

Pretty difficult to describe the kind of relationship between Zoro and Sanji. Although they travel along together, and follow the orders of the same captain, they just don’t like each other’s company. Their rivalry can be considered as one of the most hilarious anime rivalries as whenever these two are on screen, one thing is sure and that is – constant verbal and physical arguing between them.

Both are ultimately strong at their own level and have a lot of respect for each other as well but they just don’t go together well. They sometimes agree on certain things as well, but mostly they don’t and that starts the chain of persistent fights. At the end of the day, it all just comes down to the two of them pushing themselves to get stronger.

7. Midoriya/Bakugo – My Hero Academia

The plotting of My Hero Academia is loosely based on anime rivalries and most of the characters in it goes through the same stuff, whether it’s between All Might and Endeavour or Class 1-A and Class 1-B or Heroes and League of Villains. Between all these ongoing rivalries, there is nothing more cool and exciting than the heated clash between Izuku Midoriya and Katsuki Bakugo.

Midoriya and Bakugo are friends since childhood, and Izuku has always looked up to Bakugo. Being quirkless, he always admired Bakugo’s quirk and skills, and desired to be like him. So when Deku surpassed him with his inherited quirk, it sparked the fire of a rivalry between the two, one that continues to this day as they compete and challenge each other.

6. Ash/Gary – Pokémon

The world of Pokémon is amazingly beautiful but the classic rivalry between Ash and Gary is something called “legendary” which spans across several media. Ash Ketchum’s rivalry with Gary crosses over between the games and the anime. These two are clashing since the very beginning of the franchise and it all started with Ash’s sort of mentor, Professor Oak.

Gary is the grandson of Professor Oak, and he’s somewhat of an arrogant and egotistical Trainer. Gary always loved to make fun of Ash by bragging about how far behind Ash was compared to him. His arrogant attitude is part of why Ash seeks to put him in his place through Pokémon battles, and he settled their rivalry at the Silver Conference where Ash got the better of Gary.

5. Yugi/Kaiba – Yu-Gi-Oh!

Yugi Moto and Seto Kaiba have faced each other in dozens of Duel Monster matches. While each series features equally balanced anime rivalries, these two have something of a one-sided rivalry. Before meeting Yugi, Kaiba regarded himself as the best Duelist ever but Yugi’s alter ego repeatedly bests him in duels, and the two developed a keen rivalry.

Kaiba’s first loss against Yugi led him to become obsessed with surpassing him, while Yugi bears no grudges whatsoever towards Kaiba. That said, the two clash quite a bit because of their opposing personalities and dueling philosophies, and since they have a healthy sense of competition towards each other, they meet in duels quite often.

4. JoJo/Dio – JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure has the iconic rivalry of the entire Joestar Family versus Dio Brando. The whole storyline of the series is based upon the rivalry between these two factions. Dio started all this commotion by making himself the model son whilst secretly making the first JoJo, Jonathan Joestar’s life a living hell. He did all sorts of things which eventually led to a fight that saw Dio gain vampire powers and the rest is history.

This rivalry completely changed the course of the series or would be better to say changed everything in the JoJo universe. Not only did it give rise to a prolonged clash between Dio and other heirs of the Joestar family, but it also caused several consequences. Thanks to the efforts of Jotaro which finally put a stamp on this never-ending rivalry.

3. Naruto/Sasuke – Naruto

In the entirety of Naruto anime, the rivalry between Naruto and Sasuke was one of the biggest and most explosive anime rivalries of all time. They became rivals very early on in the series, though it was sort of one-sided at first. It all started on the first day at school as, unlike other children, they never tried to hang out with each other.

The constant show-off between them led to tough competition in the later stages of their adulthood. In the beginning, it was just playing around, but at a point, they eventually became enemies after Sasuke left the village. Other than the iconic kiss between the characters, the frequent clashing of Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha can be seen all over the series.

2. Light/L – Death Note

Nothing is more interesting than the battle of two brilliant minds fighting to seek justice. The clash of intelligence just tends to get more serious and thrilling that it blows everyone else’s mind which is why the struggle between L and Light Yagami is still remembered to date. This particular rivalry is the only one in this list which isn’t categorized based on strength, just the mind game.

As the crimes of Light alias Kira started to rise, L came as an unknown detective and tried to solve the case on his own. The police hired him to stop Kira and this sparked the rivalry between Light and L. As the series progressed, the rivalry between L and Light unfolded into a battle of wits that eventually ended in L’s death, with Light having the last laugh.

1. Goku/Vegeta – Dragon Ball

Doesn’t matter how many new and legendary anime rivalries come & go but no one can take the place of the legacy Goku and Vegeta have created over time. These two characters came face-to-face for the first time in Dragon Ball Z in which the fight was favored on Goku’s side. With his defeat, Vegeta became obsessed with the idea of surpassing the low-class Saiyan at any cost.

Although, he never really did but this gave birth to a life-long rivalry and the two became the perfect training tools for each other; always looking to surpass one another, and eventually going on to actually spar with each other to get stronger. Even their children, Goten and Trunks, possess a friendly yet fierce rivalry inherited from their fathers.

Which one of the following anime rivalries is your favorite? Feel free to comment down your thoughts and make sure to recommend some other iconic rivalries like the ones listed above, also don’t forget to share this article with your fellow otaku friends.

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