Anyone who thinks blood is thicker than water hasn't watched enough anime. The style is loaded with familial brawls, some of which are among the best anime final fights of all time. Because the adversaries share a genetic bond, their issues usually run deeper than the immediate moment, which makes most anime sibling fights feel especially vicious.
In Naruto, Sasuke's attempt to exact revenge on his brother Itachi is incredibly memorable. The pair's final encounter features notably stunning choreography and gorgeous animation, and the potent mixture of love and hatred that exists between the brothers elevates the moment to a new level.
Inuyasha Vs. Sesshomaru - 'Inuyasha'
Inuyasha and Sesshomaru do not get along, and their issues have little to do with their differing personalities. Inuyasha is half-demon, half-human, which causes the pure-blooded Sesshomaru to view him as genetically inferior. The brothers' relationship worsens after their father decides to give each of them a sword; Inuyasha gets the more powerful blade, which enrages the proud Sesshomaru.
During the pair's most dramatic clash, Sesshomaru attempts to take possession of Inuyasha's sword and inadvertently buries Kagome in poison. However, Inuyasha's pledge to defend Kagome unlocks his sword's latent abilities, as it was originally crafted to protect humans (like Inuyasha's mother). This allows Inuyasha to finish the fight and defeat his brother.
Sasuke Uchiha Vs. Itachi Uchiha - 'Naruto'
For most of Naruto, viewers anxiously await the final confrontation between Sasuke Uchiha and his brother Itachi. When Sasuke was a child, Itachi took out the rest of their family, and the hero spends a good portion of the series plotting his revenge. Their face-off is a long time coming, and when the two finally go blow for blow, the fight is amazingly intense. The battle showcases everything Sasuke has learned since his days at Ninja Academy, and both fighters are brimming with empathetic emotion.
The fight concludes with Itachi's losing his life, but it isn't really over until Sasuke learns the truth. While Itachi did slay their family, he was made to do so by the Konoha government. His actions prevented civil conflict and saved Sasuke's life. Had Sasuke known his brother was a victim of state-sanctioned manipulation, he never would have slain him.
Vash The Stampede Vs. Knives Millions - 'Trigun'
Vash and his twin brother Knives are Plants, humanoid creatures who are cultivated like resources, then cruelly discarded when their usefulness subsides. Understandably, neither brother is particularly thrilled about this, but Knives takes his reaction to another level. Hungry for vengeance, Knives decides he wants to wipe out the human race.
Since Vash still cares about humanity, he finds Knives' plan drastically cruel, which places the siblings on opposite sides of a difficult impasse. The brothers engage in a massive battle that leaves both gravely injured. After the fight concludes, Knives' fate has left a mystery.
Olivier Armstrong Vs. Alex Armstrong - 'Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood'
When Olivier Armstrong returns home, she tries to pressure her elderly father into retiring, so she can take control of the family's affairs. Her father refuses, as he allegedly intended for her brother Alex to succeed him. To settle things fairly, the patriarch asks his children to fight over responsibility.
The resulting fight could have been dramatic, but instead, it's played for laughs, which makes it incredibly memorable. While Olivier and Alex throw each other into walls, the rest of the family calmly packs for a vacation to Xing.
Olivier is the victor, but this assumedly means she's the one who has to pay for the damage their father's house incurred.
Akame Vs. Kurome - 'Akame Ga Kill!'
As a young child, Akame is separated from her sister Kurome so they can both learn to stand on their own as strong warriors. The girls eventually become swords for hire but end up working for opposing factions - Akame sides with the Night Raid, and Kurome with the Jaegers. This all leads up to a sword fight of epic proportions.
To maintain her energy, Kurome is dependent on performance-enhancing substances, so she isn't able to match her sister's skills when the effects start to wear off. The fight is ultimately stopped by Wave, another Jaeger member who declares his love for Kurome and suggests they defect together. Kurome agrees to leave the Jaegers behind, and the sisters are able to reconnect on friendly terms later in the series.
Ryuko Matoi Vs. Satsuki Kiryuin - 'Kill La Kill'
Satsuki Kiryuin is president of the tyrannical student council at Honnōji Academy, an organization that manages the quality of life concerns for everyone in town. Ryuko Matoi has made it her mission to take Satsuki down, but to accomplish this feat, she has to go through an intense series of tournament-style fights.
When they finally meet on the field, the two sisters (who are at the time unaware of their relation) wreck each other using a combination of hand-to-hand combat, sword fighting techniques, and superhuman moves made possible by the Life Fibers infused in their sentient school uniforms.
Rin Okumura Vs. Yukio Okumura - 'Blue Exorcist'
Yukio and Rin Okumura have a historically tense relationship, but things come to head when their foster father Fujimoto perishes in a confusing, demonic possession-related manner. Yukio doesn't know exactly what happened to his dad, so he assumes Rin is responsible and subsequently draws a sidearm on him.
Contrary to Yukio's presumption, Rin loves his family, so his brother's accusation hurts him deeply. Rin refuses to fight Yukio and tries to appeal to their brotherly connection. Unfortunately, Yukio isn't interested in reasoning with his sibling and promptly fires at Rin, ending the fight.
Kagura Vs. Kamui - 'Gintama'
At first, Kagura is a happy-go-lucky girl who spends her days picking her nose and eating pickled seaweed. However, her carefree attitude sours when her older brother Kamui makes an appearance. Ever since a young Kagura tried to stop Kamui from slaying their father, the two have been bitter enemies. The moment Kamui shows his face on the show, the duo begin to beat the living daylights out of each other, and their fight could easily end with a fatality.
The skirmish resolves little, and it's the first of many, as the siblings are a long way from being on good terms.
Goku Vs. Raditz - 'Dragon Ball Z'
The fight between Goku and his Saiyan brother Raditz doesn't last long, but it's pretty important to the series canon. Until Raditz shows up to beat the stuffing out of his brother, viewers know very little about Goku's origin story. Initially, Raditz wants Goku to help him conquer other planets. When Goku is decidedly against his brother's plan, Raditz takes Gohan in an effort to make the hero give in to the aggressive streak that runs in his DNA.
In the end, Goku does get pretty vicious, but not in the way Raditz had hoped. To save his son, Goku teams up with Piccolo, and the two quickly slay Raditz.
Mob Kageyama Vs. Ritsu Kageyama - 'Mob Psycho 100'
Despite his incredible psychic powers, Mob Kageyama just wants to be a normal middle school student. In contrast to this, Mob's younger brother Ritsu lacks any special abilities but desperately craves them. Ritsu is terrified of Mob's potentially uncontrollable abilities, but he's simultaneously burning with jealousy, as he hopes to one day develop powers of his own. When Ritsu's latent abilities appear, his turbulent emotions get the better of him, and he starts manipulating his classmates and hurting people.
Eventually, Ritsu is roped into underworld activity and ends up in an alleyway fight. Mob shows up to stop his brother, and for the first time, the two pit their psychic and physical abilities against each other. However, neither brother really wants to hurt the other, so the showdown quickly shifts into a discussion about Ritsu's formerly hidden feelings.
Natsu Vs. Zeref - 'Fairy Tail'
In the final battle between Natsu and Zeref, it takes using END's power to finally defeat Zeref once and for all. Even as Zeref enters his Fairy Heart form, Natsu overpowers him with END and his Fire Dragon King Mode. Although Natsu is badly injured and burnt, he takes the victory while Zeref lies on the floor unable to move. Not only does this fight bring a conclusion to the series' final arc, but it also provides an emotional end between the two brothers' feud. Before Natsu walks out of the guildhall to see his friends, he bids farewell to his big brother one last time.
Lelouch Lamperouge Vs. Nunnally Lamperouge - 'Code Geass'
Since Lelouch Lamperouge is actively fighting his family, the Royal Britannian Empire, many of the important fights in Code Geass involve siblings. Early in the series, Lelouch slays his half-brother Clovis, and he later condemns his well-meaning half-sister, Euphemia, to a particularly vicious end. While Lelouch is more than happy to slay his half-siblings, things are different when it comes to Nunnally, his biological sister for whom he cares deeply. He never intended to fight her, but when she tries to stop him from obtaining the Damocles Key, he has no other choice.
Lelouch uses his Geass power to force Nunnally into giving the key up. In the past, he would not have treated her so brutally, but with his end goal in sight, his morals are put on hold.
Kenshiro Vs. Raoh - 'Fist Of The North Star'
For modern fans used to flashy animation techniques, Kenshiro's fight with Raoh might seem a bit lacklustre. The scene does not rely on special effects, and the characters' movements aren't especially fluid. However, the voice acting is amazing, and the story behind the brothers' dispute makes the fight worth watching.
Musou Tensei, the ultimate technique in the Fist of the North Star universe, is activated when a person experiences self-consuming misery. Kenshiro manages to unlock this incredible power, and his brother Raoh wants to do the same. To achieve his goal, Raoh decides to slay Kenshiro's fiance Yuria, as he also harbours feelings for her.
Before Raoh can finish the job, Yuria tells him she has a terminal disease. Raoh takes pity on her but tricks Kenshiro into believing she's gone to lure him into a fight. From there, the two martial arts masters slug it out, and when Raoh realizes he can't win, he transfers his life essence to Yuria, then passes with dignity.
Shinra Vs. Sho - 'Fire Force'
The tension between Shinra and Sho finally reach their breaking point when Sho denies the fact that he has a mother. Shinra is enraged and they start duelling. Although it's a brutal fight, Shinra is committed to bringing back his little brother and takes his beatings. He helps Sho recall his lost memories of them as a family which leads to Sho crying and embracing Shinra. While this fight is amazing because of its incredible choreography and animation, it's also quite moving as Shinra proves he deeply cares for his brother.
Shou Marufuji Vs. Ryou Marufuji - 'Yu-Gi-Oh! GX'
For most of his life, Shou Marufuji (known as Syrus Truesdale in the dub) has dreamed of proving himself to his older brother Ryou (Zane). In true Yu-Gi-Oh! fashion, Shou can only accomplish his dreams by beating his brother in a card game. For years, Ryou refuses to duel Shou, as he says his little brother isn't skilled enough to be a worthy opponent. When the siblings finally square off, the resulting duel is nothing like what Shou had hoped for.
By this point, Ryou has been fired from his job as a professional duelist and has taken solace in illicit cage matches where the loser gets electrocuted. While Shou manages to hold his own for a while, his brother eventually stomps him, then abruptly leaves the arena. Even though the duel is fought with playing cards, the end result is still emotionally devastating.
Baki Vs. Jack - 'Baki'
Because they're both Hamas, the two brothers resolve to fight without holding back. Although Jack views Baki as a rival, this fight proves that he has nothing but love and respect for his half-brother. It's an extremely brutal match that leaves Jack vomiting painfully. But when Baki emerges as the victor, Jack demonstrates true sportsmanship by helping a tired Baki raise the winner's belt.
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