Top 10 Anime That Keep Breaking the Internet
Script written by Jonathan Alexander
#10: “JoJo's Bizarre Adventure” (2012-)
Top 20 JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Battles
You can practically feel it in the air when a new season of “Jojo’s” is airing. Or, should we say, see it on your social media feed. The show’s tendency to be a bit, well, bizarre, has earned it one of the most loyal fan followings on the internet. Whenever a new episode drops, they get to work spreading the fun with an endless array of memes, remixes, edits, and more. It’s so widespread that, even if you don’t watch the show, you’ll feel like you have. By now, you don’t even have to keep up with the anime calendar anymore. When “Jojo’s” starts to air, you’ll know.
#9: “Pokémon” (1997-)
How Pokémon Became a Global Phenomenon: Anime
After a thousand episodes of trying to catch them all, Ash finally became a Champion in 2019. Given how long it took, saying fans were ecstatic would be an understatement. And yet, somehow, that was just the beginning. After claiming the Alola League, Ash went on to win in the entire World Coronation Series, bringing “Pokémon” to a height of popularity it hadn’t seen in decades. Then, in a victory lap of sorts, the series made headlines one last time by announcing Ash’s departure from the show. It was a long and bumpy journey, but there’s no denying that Ash’s tenure on “Pokémon” went out on one hell of a high note.
#8: “Naruto: Shippuden” (2007-17) & “Boruto: Naruto Next Generations” (2017-23)
Top 10 Naruto Shippuden Fight Scenes
Whether you were a fan or not, it felt like everyone in the whole anime community tuned in to see the end of “Naruto: Shippuden.” Mainly because it featured the long-awaited fight between Naruto and Sasuke. It’s hard to compete with the culmination of fifteen years of storytelling, but against all odds, “Boruto” has kept that momentum going. For example, the last push against Momoshiki had fans practically foaming at the mouth. A hundred and fifty episodes after that, the reveal of Naruto’s Baryon Mode did the same. These guys may not be as spry as they used to be, but clearly, they can still bring it when needed.
#7: “My Hero Academia” (2016-)
Top 20 My Hero Academia Quirks
Deku is the name of a hero! But, ironically, he tends to excite his fanbase more than save them. Don’t worry, that’s a good thing. After all, seeing Deku activate infinite 100% versus Overhaul was worth the hype, and then some. Deku’s not the only hero taking the world by storm, though. All Might’s got his share of legendary moments, too. Even though “My Hero” hasn’t always been at the top of its game, there’s no denying how many people lost their minds watching the United States of Smash. If the show’s fantastic war arc proved anything, it’s that “My Hero Academia” hasn’t retired from duty just yet.
#6: “Chainsaw Man” (2022-)
Top 10 Chainsaw Man Moments
For months upon months, people just couldn’t get enough of Denji and his devilish ways. And that was before “Chainsaw Man” even aired! That’s right, the show’s trailer alone had social media positively chomping at the bit. You can only imagine the fanfare once it actually started to roll out. Each week revved up a new wave of fan chatter, especially the episodes that had tragic deaths or bloody fights. Spoiler: that’s most of them. There’s a very precious amount of anime that have ever come out of the gate as hot as “Chainsaw Man.”Although, for the sake of forum traffic everywhere, that’s probably a good thing.
#5: “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba” (2019-)
Top 10 Demon Slayer: Mugen Train Moments
For most of its first season, “Demon Slayer” was the little battle shonen that could. Then, came episode 19. Just like that, “Demon Slayer” went from a hit show into a bonafide phenomenon. You want proof? How about the fact that the sequel film, “Mugen Train,” became the highest-grossing Japanese film of all time. Despite that insanely high bar, the show’s small-screen efforts haven’t slowed down one bit. Whether Tanjiro’s slaying demons in the Entertainment District or the Swordsmith Village, you can bet it’ll have people talking. And posting. And reposting. Really, the only way to avoid it is to just stay off the web altogether.
#4: “Dragon Ball Super” (2015-18)
Top 10 Dragon Ball Super Super Hero Moments
What’s “Dragon Ball” without some epic battles for the fate of the world? Nothing, that’s what. “Super” understood the assignment, and delivered some internet-smashing moments with fights against Hit and Fused Zamasu. And yet, they were nothing compared to the silver-haired transformation that came in the Tournament of Power. Its name was Ultra Instinct. Almost immediately, servers melted, forums crashed, and entire social media pages went down. The most impressive part, though, is that “Super” did it all over again with its insane finale. The reaction to the Tournament of Power was unlike anything the anime scene had ever witnessed before, proving that Goku’s power level really is unmatched.
#3: “Attack on Titan” (2013-23)
Top 20 Attack on Titan Moments
In 2013, Eren Yeager picked up his ODM gear, and the anime landscape hasn’t been the same since. “Attack on Titan” broke into the mainstream in a way few shows ever have, or will. Even more staggering, it stayed at the heart of the pop-culture zeitgeist for the entirety of its decade-long run. Since “Attack on Titan’s” intricate narrative encouraged fan speculation, each episode left a Titan-sized hole of rampant theorycrafting in its wake. The fervid anticipation reached a boiling point during the final season, where new installments routinely trended all across the web. You could say that, in his attempts to slay Titans, Eren Yeager became one of the whole anime industry.
#2: “Jujutsu Kaisen” (2020-)
Top 10 Jujutsu Kaisen Fights
At this point, you have two options. Catch up with “Jujutsu Kaisen,” or get spoiled. With this kind of popularity, there’s no in-between. Then again, what else would you expect from fight scenes this cool? In fact, the entire Shibuya Incident arc was basically a weekly outage waiting to happen. But, it’s not all from curses and clobbering. Occasionally, something as small as Nanami being a badass would make the internet all hot and heavy. If “JJK” can turn a side character into an overnight sensation, it’s no wonder their climactic episodes set the world on fire. Apparently, going viral is just part of the “Jujutsu Kaisen” experience.
#1: “One Piece” (1999-)
Top 10 Anime Beatdowns That Broke the Internet
Over the years, Luffy’s sailed through high and low tide, and always came out the other end as beloved as ever. But, man, the Wano arc is just something else. Ever since Kaido reared his ugly head, “One Piece” has consistently delivered some of its best episodes to date. And viewers are absolutely eating it up. The unprecedented demand culminated with the debut of Gear 5, a watershed moment that pretty much speaks for itself. Luffy’s new form crashed the anime streaming site, Crunchyroll, not just once, but twice. All in the span of one week, too! These days, there’s only three constants left in life: death, taxes, and “One Piece” making headlines.
What’s been your favorite internet-breaking anime moment? Let us know in the comments below!
