It’s always awesome to see two anime characters – or two groups of anime characters – join forces. Each side brings their own strength to the table, but there’s also a ton of potential for conflict. With that in mind, we’re counting down some of the greatest anime alliances in history.
Some of the best anime team-ups are between characters who are already loyal to one another, but haven’t really had the chance to fight together. Tanjiro and Nezuko adore each other, but Nezuko doesn’t fight much. When they have to confront Rui, that changes. Other alliances are between sworn enemies who come together because they have no other choice – who would have thought that Goku and Frieza would ever join forces? But it’s not always begrudging – sometimes former enemies realize that they actually have the same goals, like when Lio and Galo finally start to understand each other, and who their enemy truly is.
1. Itadori And Todo – ‘Jujutsu Kaisen’
Before Hanami’s invasion of Tokyo Jujutsu High, Itadori and Todo are on opposite sides. They’re trying to best each other in a competition, and Todo and his team have been secretly ordered to destroy Itadori permanently. But with a curse on the loose, they have no choice but to put the contest aside and work together. Luckily, they like each other well enough and would rather be friends than enemies.
By combining Itadori’s Black Flash with Todo’s Boogie Woogie, they make an exceptional team. But it’s not until Gojo steps in with his Hollow Technique: Purple that Hanami is forced to flee.
2. Luffy And Law – ‘One Piece’
At first, it doesn’t seem like Luffy and Law are going to get along – Law even tells Smoker that he’s going to slay Luffy. However, Law later asks Luffy to form an alliance so that they can help each other take down Kaido, one of the Four Emperors.
Law, Luffy, and their respective crews are all powerful pirates, but none of them are strong enough to take Kaido down alone. To Law, the alliance is more of a business decision, but once it’s made, Luffy considers the Heart Pirates to be his personal friends.
3. Armstrong And Curtis – ‘Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood’
Sometimes all you need for a good alliance is mutual respect for one another’s muscles. When Izumi and Sig Curtis are called in to help deal with the homunculus Sloth, Alex Armstrong is immediately enamored with Sig’s burly body and impeccable strength.
After a flex-off, the two begin working in sync to beat Sloth. It’s one of the funnier moments of the series, but it still manages to be exciting, too.
4. The Jura Tempest Federation – ‘That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime’
Rimuru Tempest’s greatest strength isn’t his ability to absorb other people’s powers and use them for himself – although that’s certainly impressive. No, his greatest strength is his ability to bring people together. Whether it’s ogres, orcs, star wolves, or lizard people, he finds a way to get everyone on board with his plans.
While he’s not sure what he’s doing initially, he eventually creates a cooperative alliance called the Jura Tempest Federation, which is essentially a small nation composed of himself and groups he’s persuaded to join him. They aim to defend themselves from enemies, and to work together to create a comfortable life.
5. Gon, Killua, And Hisoka – ‘Hunter x Hunter’
Depending on the circumstaces, Hisoka can be Gon’s enemy, or he can be a powerful ally. Though Hisoka ultimately hopes to destroy the young hunter, he wants him to be strong enough to be worth the effort – which means keeping him alive in the meantime.
He ends up joining Killua and Gon in an expectedly exciting game of dodgeball on Soufrabi Island. Their opponents are pirates, and if they’re able to defeat them, they’ll get a rare item. Gon and Killua are strong, but they would have had a hard time without Hisoka and his Bungee Gum.
6. Senku And Tsukasa – ‘Dr. Stone’
For most of Dr. Stone, Senku and Tsukasa are bitter enemies – Senku wants to restore the world of technology to its former glory, while Tsukasa wants to remake the world into one populated only by kids and teenagers in the hopes of undoing the evil that existed before. He sees technology as destructive.
But when Tsukasa realizes that Senku can revive his formerly comatose sister and keep her alive afterwards using technology, he changes his mind. But this means dealing with Hyoga, who isn’t going to go along with his former boss’ change of heart so easily. The two have to work together to defeat him using a combination of Tsukasa’s strength and Senku’s intelligence.
7. Tanjiro And Nezuko – ‘Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba’
Throughout the majority of Demon Slayer, Nezuko Kamado is safely ensconced in the box that Tanjiro carries around. Though she’s a powerful demon, she doesn’t usually fight – that’s Tanjiro’s job. But when the two of them face Rui, they form an alliance that proves that they should have been working together more often.
Using Nezuko’s Burning Blood and Tanjiro’s Hinokami Kagura, they not only defeat Rui, but also show him what real love between family members looks like.
8. Inuyasha And Sesshomaru – ‘Inuyasha’
At first, Sesshomaru and Inuyasha hate each other so much that every time they see each other, they start fighting. Sesshomaru can’t stand that his brother is half-human, nor can he tolerate inheriting what he thinks is the lesser of their father’s swords. Meanwhile, Inuyasha hates being discriminated against.
Sesshomaru hates Inuyasha so much that he teams up with Naraku to try and destroy him. But he eventually realizes that that alliance is not worth it. Naraku is a terrible person whom Sesshomaru can’t respect, especially after he kidnaps Rin, the human child Sesshomaru has been looking after. He eventually decides to work with Inuyasha to destroy Naraku. It’s tough for the brothers to work together after all of that rancor, but their fight also helps them forge a new, more respectful relationship.
9. The Allied Shinobi Forces – ‘Naruto’
Madara, Obito, the Akatsuki, and the various shinobi that have been revived to help with the Infinite Tsukuyomi plan are far too strong for any one person – or even any one nation’s army – to deal with. That’s why, despite years of conflict and bad blood, the Five Shinobi Nations decide to form a temporary alliance in order to prevent Madara from plunging humanity into an infinite genjutsu.
Afterwards, relations between Konoha and the rest of the world signficantly improve.