Anime speeches can be some of the most emotional moments in the entire series. They often feature a single character speaking to dozens, if not hundreds, of other characters at once, bringing their friends together in a moment of pure bravery. Some speeches are much smaller in scale, but leave an equally large impact on the people who hear them. No matter the nature of the speech, it’s always fun to watch a character give a several-minute speech to explain their ideals.
Great anime speeches vary in their purpose. Some are used to encourage troops, others to reveal hidden truths, but all are incredibly meaningful. Speeches like Tanya’s Tanya the Evil highlight how insanely committed your characters are to their cause. Speeches like Erwin Smith’s Attack on Titan also show a courageous level of commitment, and are so irrationally excitingfans can’t help but watch them over and over again, whether in the series itself or on YouTube.
10
Tanya takes on God
Episode 12 in The Saga of Tanya the Wicked
- Cast
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Aoi Yuki, Saori Hayami, Daiki Hamano, Hochu Otsuka, Nobuo Tobita
- Release date
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January 6, 2017
- Seasons
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1
- Creator(s)
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Carlos Zen
Tanya is one of the most unbalanced characters in the anime. In her previous life, she was a normal Japanese salaryman. After being killed by a disgruntled co-worker, she blasphemes God, saying that she wouldn’t want to believe in such an idiotic creator, even if he were real. Well, it turns out that Being X is very real, and was so frustrated by the salaryman’s righteous indignation that he reincarnated him in the body of young Tanya von Degurechaff.
Tanya is a one-man walking army. She is capable of killing dozens of soldiers alone in an instant. She is the leader of her troops on the battlefield, and outside of that, she gives them one of the best and most unhinged speeches in anime. She tells her soldiers to turn their backs on God and take his place on the battlefield. It’s a speech so insane that his troops can barely believe what they hearbut they believe in Tanya more than any metaphysical being, so they side with her immediately.
9
Reigen has no power
Episode 12 of Mob Psico 100 III
Reigen is one of the best-written characters in anime history. He’s a real person in a world with unreal powers. He is also a swindler, more than willing to lie use the people around you for your own benefit. Rather than remain in a morally gray area, Reigen admits his lie at the end of Psycho mafia 100 to save his precious student Mob. It’s a move completely in line and out of line with Reigen’s character, as he’s leaving his lying ways behind if it means saving Mob.
Instead of trying to dominate Mob when his student was inadvertently destroying the city, Reigen lets his guard down. He does the opposite of what most people would do in this situation and shows his truest, weakest self. He tells Mob who he really is and apologizes profusely for lying to Mob.
8
Yoshikage Kira is completely normal
Episode 22 of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is unbreakable
Yoshikage Kira is one of the best villains in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. While most of the series’ villains have broader ambitions of world domination, Kira is one of the few villains whose goals are much more modest. He is a sociopath willing to kill as many people as necessary to protect his identity and continue living the life he chooses. At a time similar to Patrick Bateman’s iconic speech in American PsychoKira tells Shigechi exactly who he is.
He goes on a 2 minute speech that seems more like a ChatGPT response than anything else. It’s robotic, dull and a complete lie. It seems like he himself doesn’t even believe what he’s saying, but he sincerely hopes that Shigechi does. It’s a great speech that perfectly highlights how crazy Kira really is. It’s a brutal moment for Shigechi too, as Kira kills him shortly after in an attempt to keep his crazy identity undercover.
7
Gaara rallies the troops
Episode #261 in Naruto: Shippuuden
The Fourth Great Shinobi War was almost over before it began. Before each of the Ninja Villages had a common enemy in Akatsuki, they were each other’s enemies, and grudges don’t disappear so easily. When everyone met at Vila Oculta da Areia, things didn’t go very well. Old grudges were reigniting and it looked like Akatsuki would win the war easily.
The leader of the Hidden Sand, the young Kazekage Gaara, put an end to all the fighting with one of the best speeches in the series.
He tells his troops about his own experience with hate and his enemies. While he spent his youth submerged in rage, it was his enemy, Naruto, who pulled him out. Naruto recognized Gaara’s pain and compared it to his own, and even cried over the torment Gaara had to go through. It is a humble, honest and sincere speech which unites the Allied Shinobi Forces once and for all.
6
Bocchi’s speech to herself
Episode 8 of Bocchi the Rock!
Bocchi the Rock! was a surprise big hit of the 2022 anime season. Before it was animated, the manga it’s based on wasn’t even translated into English. It gained a lot of popularity for a number of reasons, none more so than the main character, Bocchi, herself. Hitori Gotoh, better known as Bocchi, is not your typical “cute girl who makes music”. Although she is absolutely adorable, that’s just a part of her character. She is also incredibly anxious, socially awkward, and an excellent guitarist.
When your band is giving a lackluster performance, a switch flips in your head. She decides she’s done being mediocre and gives herself a small but powerful pep talk that finally sees her break out of her cage. Bocchi then destroys his guitar, leaving even his bandmates confused as to where his crushing skill comes from. It’s the best moment of the series, not only because of Bocchi’s incredible skills, but also because her ability to come out of her shell when her friends need her most.
5
Eren sees the ocean
Episode 59 of Attack on Titan
When they were kids, Armin always told Eren about the ‘sea’. None of them really knew what it was, as they had spent their entire lives surrounded by Wall Maria, but they were still excited about it. When the Exploration Troops finally reached the ocean, everyone was overjoyed. Everyone except Eren. He had already seen the sea in his father’s memories and in his own. He has not only seen the ocean, but he saw the horrors beyond that.
It’s one of the first moments in the series that solidifies Eren as one of the anime’s darkest characters. While his friends are having fun playing in the water, he has seen The Rumbling. The same sea he sees in front of him is the same one in his future memories, confirming that the memories are true. He realizes how dark the future is going to get, while his friends can’t seem to understand him, starting their separation that once again leads to The Rumbling.
4
Rem’s speech to Subaru
Episode 18 of Re:Zerp – Starting life in another world
Natsuki Subaru is one of the most tragic characters in the anime. When most other characters are transported to a new world, they gain a cool new power, friends who support them on their journey, or a harem of characters to enjoy. Subaru got none of the above and instead got an incredibly bittersweet power in Return by Death. He can return to life at a predetermined time, but only after suffering one of the Re:Zero brutal deaths.
After several horrific and desperate deaths, Subaru is mentally weakened. He tells Rem that he is tired of this life and wants to run away with her. Although she likes the idea and even gives a speech about the potential of their life together, she stops him. She tells him that she loves him exactly as he is, and if he left now, he wouldn’t be the man she fell in love with. It’s a profound and moving talk about true love and identity.
3
Goku is the Hope of the Universe
Episode 96 of Dragon Ball Z
Goku’s first transformation into his Super Saiyan form is as legendary as the Super Saiyans themselves. Frieza had just dominated Goku and all his friends in battle, but Goku was able to hit him with a Spirit Bomb to try and turn the tables. Even though the Spirit Bomb is technically considered Goku’s strongest attack, it is his least consistent, as Frieza survives and ends up killing Krillin in the process. It’s the catalyst Goku needs to reach his strongest form in the series.
Frieza can’t believe what he sees and questions Goku about what he has become. In an iconic speech, Goku tells Frieza that he is “The Hope of the Universe”. He goes on to say that he is the incarnation of everyone who wanted to face the tyrant. He is the embodiment of their strength and will, and now it’s time for them to get their revenge.
2
The Ideal Man of Darkness
Episode 14 of KonoSuba: God’s blessing on this wonderful world!
KonoSuba is the funniest isekai series. It features a mostly useless cast of main characters who somehow manage to achieve success time and time again. The funniest and most unbalanced character in the group is Lalatina Ford Dustiness, better known as the Crusader Darkness. Calling Darkness a pervert would be an understatement. She is one of the most perverted characters in the anime, which is incredibly ironic considering how she looks nothing like a typical old pervert like Master Roshi.
When she is about to marry a nobleman, she cannot bear it. She leaves the wedding with her friends Aqua and Kazuma and proceeds to tell them about her ideal man. While most women’s ideal man may be tall, handsome, and perhaps even kind, Darkness’s is anything but. She goes on to describe one of the worst men of all time with nothing but a smile on her face. It’s an insane speech that suits her character perfectly, and it’s also one of the funniest speeches in the anime.
1
The anger of Erwin’s soldiers
Episode 53 of Attack on Titan
Erwin Smith’s speech to his Scout Regiment is nothing short of iconic. It’s a speech that has been watched on YouTube millions of times in English and Japanese, and it’s easy to see why. Erwin Smith was already a pretty cool character in Attack on Titan, but this speech solidified his position as one of the coolest characters in anime. When the Beast Titan traps the Survey Corps, his death is only a matter of time.
Erwin Smith makes the heroic choice to charge directly into the Beast Titan’s line of fire, sacrificing almost all of his troops but giving Levi the chance to kill the ape. He bravely tells his troops that they, in no uncertain terms, are about to die. Some of them are having a hard time finding meaning in this suicide, but Erwin reassures them and tells them that this is not their responsibility. Your allies will find value in your kills. He was right, as his sacrifice allowed Levi to capture the Beast Titan and finally turn the tide of the war.