Top 10 Anime Scenes Where The Studio Forgot They Have a Budget

Probably one of the biggest genres there is in the medium, the anime genre offers titles that have grown into masterpieces over the years. However, despite being consistently good, we felt the animation studios and animators were drawn to certain scenes more than others – reflected heavily in how they seem overbudget.

Without any more chit-chat, let’s jump into some of the best animated scenes and fights from the genre and how they pushed the boundaries of being “under a budget”. Here are, in our opinion, some of the best animated scenes from anime that made us feel that the budget was thrown out the window when these were created.

1 Naruto & Sasuke vs. Momoshiki – Boruto: Naruto Next Generation

If you ask us, we feel that this was Naruto, Naruto: Shippuden, and Boruto: Naruto Next Generations at their peak animation altogether. Two legendary Shinobi – Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha – decades past their prime, throw down with a god-tier Momoshiki Otsutsuki in a sequence that looks like it belongs in a theatrical film, and not a TV anime.

The animation team layers in liquid-smooth 3D camera pans, hand-drawn chakra effects that ripple like actual energy, and a final Rasengan/Chidori combo so fluid it borders on photorealistic motion capture. And it gets even better once the Susanoo-armored Kurama comes out – so much to watch, and so little space to explain.

2 Roronoa Zoro vs. King – One Piece

Toei Animation has spent years being criticized for budget-saving stills and recap padding – which makes the Onigashima duel between Roronoa Zoro and Kaido’s Lunarian commander King feel like a deliberate, glorious overcorrection. The studio brought in top sakuga animators for this sequence in the best shonen anime series of all time, and it shows in every frame: full-body sword choreography with real follow-through, dynamic camera angles that swoop and tilt mid-clash.

Zoro’s repeated near-deaths and comebacks are sold entirely through movement and weight rather than dialogue – it’s Toei Animation’s finally cashing in on decades of goodwill with one spectacular sequence.

3 Sung Jinwoo vs. Baran – Solo Leveling

A-1 Pictures treats this final dungeon-level showdown like a AAA game cinematic – Jinwoo’s shadow army erupts across the screen in particle-dense waves, his blade work rendered with crisp 3D-assisted choreography that never loses hand-drawn texture, and Baran’s monstrous true form gets just as much loving detail as the hero.

Camera work swoops and tilts like a Hollywood action set piece, and the color grading alone looks expensive. Honestly, people often consider his fight with Beru as the pinnacle of the anime’s animation; we feel like this was the scene that convinced skeptics that Solo Leveling wasn’t just riding manhwa hype – it had the production chops to back it up.

4 Frieren’s Duel With Her Clone – Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End

Rather than a chaotic spectacle, this fight is eerily elegant – two identical elf mages trading magic in a hushed, snow-dusted clearing, and every spell circle rendered with intricate detail in Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End. The stillness between attacks is just as deliberate as the bursts of magic themselves, and the subtle facial animation selling Frieren’s internal conflict is its own quiet flex.

This idea was a good one from the creators, and it only felt good because of how masterfully the animation was executed. It was less “explosions everywhere” and more “we hired someone to make restraint look this beautiful.”

5 Ryomen Sukuna vs. Mahoraga – Jujutsu Kaisen

Compared to the other entries on this list, this was the shortest in terms of duration, but that didn’t stop Studio MAPPA from highlighting two of the strongest curses in the Jujutsu Kaisen anime series. MAPPA essentially declared war on its own budget sheet – Mahoraga’s wheel grinding through adaptations and Sukuna’s dismantling of a being literally built to counter everything – it was everything we didn’t ask for but got rewarded with.

The sequence was so layered with effects, particle work, and fluid 3D camera movement that it became an instant Sakuga animation legend before the episode even finished airing. The shockwaves alone look like they cost more than some studios’ entire cour.

6 Shinra vs. Sho Kusakabe – Fire Force

The clash between the two brothers in Fire Force – Shinra and Sho Kusababe – was a statement made by David Production to anyone who ever doubted their animation prowess. The brothers wreathed in flames and feathers traded blows through collapsing architecture, their adrenaline-fueled speed rendered with rapid-cut, high-frame-rate choreography that never sacrifices clarity for chaos.

Flame trails curl and dissipate with real physical weight, and the emotional gut-punch of brother-versus-brother is matched by visuals that refuse to phone in a single frame. It felt like pure chaos, but the most beautiful version of it, which told a longing story that needed to be heard.

7 Deku vs. Overhaul – My Hero Academia

The My Hero Academia series is already a highly praised shonen anime series for its masterful and polished animation throughout the series at the hands of the famous Studio Bones Inc. – but then they went ahead and overdid themselves in that department in Season 4. With extremely high emotional stakes, Deku, with Eri on his back, fought against Overhaul.

We could feel it: Bones threw hand-drawn fluidity at a fight that could’ve easily leaned on shortcuts. Deku vs. Overhaul is Studio Bones Inc. at its peak – Eri’s awakening moment, backed by absolutely committed animation work, gives it an emotional lift that propels it above the series’ usual standard. The animation blended masterfully to portray Deku shredding his goofiness and entering rage mode.

8 Monkey D. Garp Unleashing His Galaxy Impact Punch – One Piece

This one is less a “fight” than a single moment stretched into a full event; Monkey D. Garp’s Haki-empowered Galaxy Impact Punch from the shonen anime giant One Piece – delivered with the kind of mythic buildup usually reserved for final boss attacks – gets the screen-filling, perspective-shattering treatment.

Don’t mistake it for a casual punch with Haki infusion; it’s more like a nuclear bomb – that destroyed half of Blackbeard’s Island upon impact. It’s one old man’s fist treated like a season-finale set piece – and the production team clearly seemed to understand the character’s legendary status was worth the extra animation budget it took to sell that scale.

9 Goku vs. Jiren – Dragon Ball Super

In a franchise that’s all about battles and fights, why do you think this one particular fight stood out so much? Goku’s Ultra Instinct clash with Jiren in Dragon Ball Super‘s Tournament of Power breaks from the series’s habit of static power-up shots and instead delivers genuinely fluid, full-body 3D-camera choreography.

The animation is so dense with speed lines and impact frames that the fight became an instant anime fan-favorite sakuga moment, endlessly clipped and slowed down online. It’s Toei Animation’s loud statement proving it can still go all-in when the moment demands it.

10 Saber vs. Berserker – Fate/stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works

Let’s be real, this is not a regular studio we are discussing here: this is Ufotable, who created the Fate/stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works anime title. Saber’s Excalibur-charged duel against the mindless, endlessly regenerating Berserker is a relentless barrage of sparks, shattered stone, and lightning-fast blade clashes, all rendered with a fluidity and lighting polish that felt genuinely shocking when it aired.

Moonlight catching steel mid-swing, particle effects trailing every strike, and a soundtrack swelling in perfect sync with the choreography – it’s “just a sword fight” elevated into one of the most technically dazzling battles of its era.

SCENE(S)	ANIME TITLE	IMDb RATINGS (as of June 19, 2026)
Naruto & Sasuke vs. Momoshiki	Boruto: Naruto Next Generations	6.3/10
Roronoa Zoro vs. King	One Piece	9/10
Sung Jinwoo vs. Baran	Solo Leveling	8.5/10
Frieren’s Duel With Her Clone	Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End	8.9/10
Ryomen Sukuna vs. Mahoraga	Jujutsu Kaisen	8.5/10
Shinra vs. Sho Kusakabe	Fire Force	7.6/10
Deku vs. Overhaul	My Hero Academia	8.2/10
Monkey D. Garp Unleashing His Galaxy Impact Punch	One Piece	9/10
Goku vs. Jiren	Dragon Ball Super	8.3/10
Saber vs. Berserker	Fate/stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works	8/10

What are your thoughts on our list of anime scenes that felt over budget? We’d love to hear your top picks and opinions in the comments below.