Summary
Although many action and shonen anime may seem stale and repetitive to many viewers, the same cannot be said for the numerous characters and personality types ineach non-stop action series. With each unique personality, there is no doubt that things will stay vibrant in whatever series in which they may appear.
Among those personalities, however, one character type that is sure to appearin any action or shonen animeis the character who revels in battle. Regardless of how this love for battle manifests itself, it is clear that these characters can only get their thrills on the battlefield, and fans love them all the more for it.
Number of Episodes
291 episodes
One of Dr. Gero’s many Androids in his repertoire, Android 17’s brash, cocky demeanor toward his opponents duringDragon Ball Z’sAndroid saga certainly earns him a spot on this list. While he was tasked with killing Goku at first, he treated the objective as a mere game and indulged himself intoying around with Piccolo during their fight.
InDragon Ball Super, 17’s demeanor has changed for the better, as he is far more mature and has an island full of animals worth protecting. However, when Goku finds him in an attempt to recruit him into the Tournament of Power, which results in a fight between the two, 17 takes slight offense at Goku holding back, showing some traces of his previous behavior.
328 episodes
As one of the most prominent members of the Fairy Tail guild, there is no question that Natsu has a deep love for getting into fights, even friendly fights with his fellow guild mates. Regardless of how much trouble he gets into, Natsu sees any fight as an opportunity to prove his power, which is not too difficult a featdue to his Fire Dragon Slayer Magic.
Even in times of conflict, Natsu still finds some excitement when fighting mighty enemies, as shown when he is immediately attacked by the Nine Demon Gates of Tartaros upon breaking out of their jail. His signature catchphrase, “I’m all fired up!” can be seen as a surefire sign of his excitement in battle.
24 episodes
Hailing from the rather peaceful Kouga Manjidani Clan, Shougen is rather unusual among his clan due to his spider-like appearance and abilities. In addition,he is also known for his bloodlustand complete disregard for the peace treaty between the Kouga and Iga clans, even stating that there was no way he could get along with someone from the Iga clan.
As a testament to his love for combat, Shougen took his time toying with the Iga ninja Yashamaru with his sticky phlegm abilities and expressed joy at the prospect of fighting four Iga ninjas at once. Unfortunately, this love of combat resulted in his defeat, as he overestimated his abilities after having captured his four opponents in his web, with fatal results.
392 episodes
While his laid-back and lanky appearance may suggest otherwise, Nnoitra is a prideful and bloodthirsty member of the Espada who will stop at nothing to find a worthy opponent to destroy. What makes him all the more dangerous is his lack of hesitation to use dirty tactics on the battlefield, ranging from striking down a defenseless enemy to even using children as human shields.
Underneath all of his pride and unfair battle tactics, however, Nnoitra has a scathing desire to prove himself asthe strongest member of the Espada, a goal he has had since his time as the 8th Espada and due to his inability to defeat his rival Nelliel. His love of battle is so great that he wishes to die standing and drown in his blood at the time of his death, something which is ultimately fulfilled by Eleventh Division Captain Kenpachi Zaraki.
138 episodes (ongoing)
Though the circumstances behindShigaraki Tomura’s great strength and Quirk’s manifestationare extremely tragic, this does nothing to take away from the fact that he relished killing at a young age. The most notable example of this was when he used his Decay Quirk to knowingly murder his father Kotaro, during which he experienced an immense amount of glee.
In the present, Tomura not only gladly commands the League of Villains to wreak havoc upon society, but he has also displayed a particularly cruel streak by mocking his opponents, regardless of whether he has defeated them or not. Although he is content with gratuitous destruction and death, Tomura’s prime target is All Might, whom he wishes to kill to rid society of their beloved Symbol of Peace.
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