Weekly Shōnen Jumphas hosted the creations of multiple legendary manga creators, and as the publication’sJump Mangashoportal gears up for the Jump Next Generation Battle Manga Award, four iconic authors were gathered as judges. As part of an effort to introduce a new era of shōnen battle manga, creators across the past several decades were giventhe particular exercise of picking their favorite battles from each other’s work. Tite Kubo (Bleach) joins Gege Akutami (Jujutsu Kaisen), Kohei Horikoshi (My Hero Academia), and Yūki Tabata (Black Clover) to judge and compliment their best fight picks with delightful results.
The best part of these fights, not only because some are genuinely surprising, is how readers can quickly see the rationalization behind each choice among these veteranShonen Jumpcreators.To have one’s work judged by any of these is an exceedingly high honor in the field, with each pick being well-received and appreciated by their respective fandoms. As part of their rotation, Kubo evaluated his pick forJujutsu Kaisen’sbest fight, while Akutami pickedMy Hero Academia, Horikoshi judgedBlack Clover, and Tabata looked overBleach’sfinest moments.
Tite Kubo’s Favorite Jujutsu Kaisen Fight: Maki vs. the Zenin Clan
Chapters #148-150
Given what’s already known about Gege Akutami’s admiration for Tite Kubo andJujutsu Kaisen’sposition as a potentialBleachsuccessor, Kubo judging Akutami’s best battle is an honor in and of itself. Kubo picks Maki’s battle against the Zenin clan, namely Ogi, and the Kukuru and Hei units,a vengeful massacre leading to her fight against the Hei leader, Naoya. It’s an exceptional clash that showcases Maki’s glowup, enhanced by Heavenly Restriction, that’ll surely go near or at the top of “bestJujutsu Kaisenfights” lists the moment it’s animated in season 3.
While making every effort to avoid explanations of complex magic formulas, which is generally considered to be a feature of jujutsu battles, the story follows Akutami’s signature flashbacks that alternate between fact and fiction, followed by a succession of magic formulas that are easy to understand and look good on screen, a series of battles full of gore and scenes that make you envious of the loosening of the jumps, and mountains of corpses.
-Tite Kubo on his favorite Jujutsu Kaisen fight
Kubo excites readers by discussing his reasoning for the choice, citing its exceptional flow and how Akutami creates a comprehensible power system that pays off immensely for Maki in this fight. As Kubo noted, the fights only scale up in excitement while being an incredible sight to behold,with Maki donning her new look, complete with short hair, a sleeveless shirt, and muscular arms. It is an excellently paced and well-executed scaling sequence of fights, with Kubo noting its major payoff inJujutsu Kaisen’sfavor.
The flow leading up to the fight with Naoya is exhilarating and perfect. This is what it means to be in the flow of a writer’s strokes.
However, as Kubo makes his selection, he appreciatesthe creative use of Akutami’s worldbuilding to create a thrilling and definitive moment for Maki Zeninwhile passing the task on to the next author. Akutami, in turn, chooses his favoriteMy Hero Academiafight with delightful results.
Gege Akutami’s Favorite My Hero Academia Fight: Mirko vs. the Nomu (High Ends)
Chapters #260-262
Instead of choosing one of the many great fights featuring Deku or All Might, Gege Akutami’s favoriteMy Hero Academiafight features a relatively newer character at the time, originally introduced in chapter #182. Rumi Usagiyama, aka Rabbit Hero: Mirko, takes on four High Ends by battling the Nomu while demonstrating her immense leg strength in handling multiple opponents.Akutami cites this as Mirko’s quirk, a firm counter against the Nemu.
At this point, Mirko is a character we’ve only seen once, but Mirko’s tenacity and down-to-earth nature as he uses a simple quirk to counter the Nomu, whose powerful quirks keep popping out one after another, immediately drew readers in.
-Gege Akutami on his favorite My Hero Academia fight
As Akutami noted in his comments, the battle also takes place in a transition period betweenMHAstory arcs. This allows Mirko to shine as a character, easing readers into more intense subsequent arcs, from the Endeavor Agency into the Paranormal Liberation War Arcs.
Bakugo Was My Most Hated My Hero Academia Character, But One Season Of The Anime Made Him My Favorite
When I started My Hero Academia, Bakugo Katsuki was my least favorite character, but one moment completely changed my mind about him.
Ultimately,given Akutami’s affinity toward designing taller, muscular women, the initial surprise wears off as Mirko’s moment in this fight becomes a clear choice among the multitude of other possible options. ButMy Hero Academia’screator, Kohei Horikoshi, blows the doors off withan excellent choice for his favoriteBlack Cloverfight.
Kohei Horikoshi’s Favorite Black Clover Fight: Magna Swing vs. Dante Zogratis
Chapters #291-293
One of thebest fights of the entireBlack Cloverseries, Magna’s most brilliant moment in the spotlight, and an indicator of the need for a fifth season,Horikoshi chooses a wild fistfight deathmatch from the Spade Kingdom Raid Arc. It’s a phenomenal and satisfying battle that showcasesBlack Clover’sbeloved characters perfectly, with the Black Bulls, perpetually the underdogs of the Clover Kingdom’s Magic Knights, taking down one of the Spade Kingdom’s Dark Triad. Dante’s underestimation of Magna is fatal as he loses a sense of his limits when Magna levels the playing field.
As the story reaches its climax and the scale of the battles grows, this is a very bitter fight that ends with a fistfight. It represents the underlying theme of Black Clover, the rise of the common man, while also being a very unexpected piece of manga, which feels really good.
-Kohei Horikoshi on his favorite Black Clover fight
Horikoshi’s choice perfectly exemplifies what’s great aboutBlack Clover, with Magna as an example of the series' persistent themes of the common man’s rise, a common occurrence among the Black Bulls but typically done more with Asta in mind. The battle is a furious exchange of blows, with a classicAshita no Joereferencein keeping with its boxing vibe.It ends with a satisfying conclusion for one ofBlack Clover’smost underratedunderdogs.AsBlack Clover’sYūki Tabata chooses his pick for the bestBleachfight, the judges come full circle in this exercise.
Yūki Tabata’s Favorite Bleach Fight: Renji Abarai vs. Byakuya Kuchiki
Chapters #140-144
Few mangaka can craft atmospheric, visual treats as well as Tite Kubo can, and in the case of Renji’s bout to rescue Rukia from her execution, few battles are more heated than this one. Each character activates their Bankai with killer efficiency in this fight. Renji’s Hihiō Zabimaru presents an imposing skeletal snake against Byakuya’s Senbonzakura Kageyoshi, withincredible two-page spreads and tense one-liners throughout. As Renji’s struggle is drawn in parallel to Ichigo’s in this fight, it’s a fabulous and bloody series of chapters and an excellent choice for the best fight inBleach.
The Bankai battle is full of overwhelming tension, speed, and presence!
But it doesn’t end there, as Renji rises up in sync with Ichigo amid overwhelming despair!
-Yūki Tabata on his favorite Bleach fight
Few mangaka can create such a stylish visual extravaganza as Tite Kubo does, with maybe only Tatsuki Fujimoto tapping into similar tableau vibes inChainsaw Man’smost iconic manga panels.Bleach’sinfluence on the manga medium confirms its coveted spot among the Big Threewhile also standing as a shining example for aspiring and future mangaka.
Every move and line from both Renji and Byakuya is so cool that you’ll fall in love with them both!
It’s a battle that pierced my soul during my time as a part-time worker before moving to Tokyo and has never left me.
Tabata is no exception, and on top ofBlack Clover’screating echoingBleach’sin more ways than one, this fight has stayed with Tabata for a long time. As each of these creators list some truly incredible fights in their manga, it’s easy to identify how they strive for similar results in their work. In an exercise sure to please fans while enticing new creators to introduce the next big shōnen battle manga,Shōnen Jump’slegendary mangaka offered plenty of insightful praise for each other’s work.
Shonen Jump
Shonen Jumpis one of Japan’s most successful manga anthology franchises, published by Shueisha. Launched in 1968, it is the source of some of the most beloved and popular anime and manga series, such asOne Piece,Dragon Ball, andNaruto. The franchise has extended into multiple adaptations across various media, including anime, films, video games, and merchandise.
