Top 25 All Time Favourite Battle Scenes

Hi, just to apologise for the delay. There had been so much going on at the last minute so I had left it too late to finish it time. Sorry about that, but I hope you appreciate the effort I have put into this long overdue top 25 list. Anyway, enjoy!

 

Having been inspired by the battle scene in Avengers: Endgame (yes you know the one), I decided its time to take a look at my personal favourite battle scenes in different forms of media. We've had so many great battles being put to screen whether it be through film, TV or video games. Many of them are set on the grandest scale possible and the scale can be so grand that it could never ever be topped. So this list is dedicated to those battle scenes. You all know the rules I apply to these lists by now, the most obvious one being that the battle scenes have to be from a video game, film or TV show that I have watched and/or played. Plus for it to count on this list, it has to be on a grand scale of sorts and I have already done one on boss battles already. Plus as usual, one battle scene per franchise where possible. So grab your guns, swords, axes and whatever else as we put the maximum effort into these battles:

And for obvious reasons, be ready for some spoilers and all entries will have still images to avoid any copyright issues.

25 - Sozin's Comet (Avatar: The Last Airbender)

I think we can all agree that when Avatar: The Last Airbender came onto Nickelodeon, it was arguably the first NickToon that could be taken seriously. But of course its not all serious as it is meant to be light hearted as well. So the four part finale to the series is considered the best set of episodes in the series. Not only is the battle on a grand scale, but the animation makes it all the more intense with every character playing their parts. We got Zuko and Katara taking on Azula, Sokka and his friend Toph and his lover Suki trying to destroy a Fire Nation Airship armada and Iroh trying to liberate the city of Ba Sing Se with the Order of the White Lotus. All this while Aang struggles maintain his non violent ways and his relucantce to kill the Fire Lord Ozai which he must take down or this whole fight that has had 3 seasons building up to it, will be all for nothing. It is a truly epic battle with some of the show's best visuals and a story that has all the main heroes and villains playing a part in this truly epic battle. A worthy finale to such a great NickToon.

24 - Voltron-Atlas VS Honerva (Voltron: Legendary Defender)

There has been backlash over the LGBT material seen in Voltron: Legendary Defender which has led many people to dislike the final season. But personally, I couldn't really care about the backlash. The series is widely known as being another anime inspired show about how a group of unlikely young people come together to defend the galaxy with some robotic lions that when formed together, they form the titular Voltron. On top of that, there has been a lot of great battles with spectacular visuals in the show. The one for me that takes the cake is the very last one at the end because it is quite the intense battle. Honerva attempts to destroy all realities as revenge for what happened to her son. So Voltron springs into action, but the sheer power that Honerva possessed wasn't enough for them to take her on. So the ship known as Atlas merges with Voltron and with some help from all known life in the galaxy as well as the Voltron Coalition, they gain enough power to be able to fight her. It is a truly epic battle done with some great visuals and with a satisfying ending to go with it. It is great.

23 - Ed VS Father (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)

Don't worry, not all of these are final battles in a series (though most of them are). So Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood gives us the their best and most intense battle on a grand scale in the form of the Fullmetal Alchemist himself Ed Elric battling the series main antagonist Father who is one of the few villains to succeed in his plan; the plan being about becoming the ultimate being. A being that has a human body, is immortal and becomes the new god of the world. All at the price of sacrificing the Xerxes population and all of the alchemic power in the universe. So yeah when the odds are that high, you are bound to be given one heck of a good fight. The best things about it is that to begin with, everyone is throwing everything they have got to stop him, only to realise that Father has become so powerful that nothing actually hits him. That is until his energy is down long enough for the heroes and their allies to deliver some fatal blows. Eventually Father is defeated and Ed manages to reunite Alphonse with his body (something of which was never resolved in the first anime adaptation), thus bringing what has been a truly great anime to a close. The fight is probably the most intense anime fight outside of Dragon Ball Z (and the like) that has ever been made and it is so great and worth all the wait. Its great.

22 - The Battle for Balance (Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: World of Light)

So I know I said that I wouldn't put any boss fights in this due to them having their own list. But you got to admit that some of them are really on a grand scale. So in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate in the World of Light mode, gamers are tasked with fighting beings known as spirits in an attempt to save the fighters and all known Nintendo and third party beings before battling two beings (who are both counterparts of one another) at war. The beings being Galeem (who is all for wiping out all life in eternal light) and Dharkon (who is all for wiping out life by drowning it in eternal darkness). While both their final boss fights are considered one ended and non canon, a third option allows the fighters to fight both of them in an attempt to restore balance. The fight itself begins with the fighters going up a moving side scrolling stage, battling many of their respective armies of spirits. Then they battle the bosses based on iconic Nintendo and third party characters that they have previously fought such as Giga Bowser, Ganon and Dracula. All ending with the third phase in which you battle and defeat both beings while they try to defeat one another. It is an epic battle with all those phases in place and its probably even more intense should players be brave enough to go in it on the hardest difficulty. Of all crossover battles I have played, this would be among the best ones. It is grand and intense even for a Nintendo game. Its really good.

21 - Hopper the Loser (A Bug's Life)

Although technically not a battle scene per say, it's one of the few times in a Pixar film with an action sequence set on a seemingly grand scale. So if you were to compare A Bug's Life to The Walking Dead, then you would see that Hopper and Negan share a lot of similarities. Both want something from the people they are trying to threaten or intimidate and have their own respective forces. Hopper wants food while Negan wants half of what each community has both in exchange for protection of the communities from the world's monsters. But with Hopper, he would rather threaten to kill than actually kill anything whereas Negan would kill only one individual to prove his point. But both of them know that their respective groups are vastly outnumbered and realise that if the communities figured this out, there goes their way of life as Hopper would say. But in the end, both would have to endure a mutiny from the communities. In A Bug's Life, Flik plan to use the bird despite some objections, ends up being the start of the mutiny and he soon reveals the truth about Hopper and thus making him the sad and pathetic loser that he calls the ants. Inspired by his words, the ants and the circus bugs turn on him and what follows is an attempted circus act, a flying chase and a rescue with the climax being with the real bird. It is a lot of fun, very action packed and at the time, it was a technical achievement for Pixar once again.

20 - The Naval Battles (Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag)

Its hard to single out a battle seen in this video game because almost every naval battle is on a grand scale. I think this game managed to allow Ubisoft to work out the most interactive way to battle with ships and they managed to figure it out with an overwhelming positive response. You get to use cannons, mortars and so on as you battle ships, destroy forts and so much more while also battling the elements of the vast ocean. Truly a lot of fun and I just wish there were more games like this (and believe me there are).

19 - Battle of the Huns on Snowy Mountains (Mulan)

So many of you may not know this, but throughout the Disney Renaissance, Pixar gave Disney's Animation department (now known as Walt Disney Animation Studios) a thing called CAPS which is used to create 3D scenes as it were to traditional animation. Such times where it has been used include the famous ballroom scene in Beauty and the Beast, practically all tree surfing and climbing scenes that take up the action scenes in Tarzan, the Hydra beast in Hercules and of course this scene from Mulan in which the titular protagonist uses a cannon to fire at a mountain and take out most of the Huns in the process. When you see the Huns coming down the mountain, I'm always excited because it just looks so great to watch. The snow coming down as well just makes this great. But I think the best part about it should be the rescue in which out of the three seemingly comic relief soldiers, Chien Po is the one that saves Mulan, Shang and the horse. It is an incredible film to watch and just be in awe of. A shame that the sequel is a suck fest and chances are that the live action remake may not be all that great (though credit to Disney for actually casting a Chinese actress to play Mulan) so really this must be the best one of the three and this battle is so great.

18 - Amazons VS Atlanteans (Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox)

So at a time where all hope is seemingly lost, the heroes go to battle. So in the Flashpoint universe, Atlantis and Themyscira are at war and Aquaman has made a doosday device that uses the power of Captain Atom which will bring destruction if used. As such with the battle in the UK taking place, Flash and the Flashpoint Batman and Cyborg join up with the local resistance in taking down both sides with Cyborg taking on Aquaman and Captain Thunder (otherwise known as Shazam) taking on Wonder Woman with both being very blood thirsty. Its an intense battle (and one that spread some controversy in certain moments) and one made even more so with the arrival of the Reverse-Flash. Its probably the most violent and intense that DC have ever been (probably even more than the comic it was based on), but it is really good I must say.

17 - Sanctuary! (The Hunchback of Notre Dame)

We all know that The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a very dark film. Perhaps the darkest film Disney have ever done. So it may come as no surprise that the final battle would be one that sees Quasimodo freeing himself from the chains (thus showing his impressive strength) and saving Esmeralda from being burned and declaring Sanctuary in Notre Dame. What follows is the Gypsies uniting with the residents in an attempt to overpower Frollo and his men. It is a truly intense and dark battle that shows just how dark the film is even though Disney went to great lengths to ensure a rating suitable for families. Yet I still believe this should be rated higher. Maybe in the live action remake they will give it a far more suitable rating to match its dark and mature tones, but we will have to wait and see. Though I will say that Josh Gad is a good choice for Quasimodo and Disney should seriously consider him for the role.

16 - The Spider-People VS Kingpin's Forces (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse)

Arguably one of the best superhero films in recent times and with it came a great final battle. So Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse plays on the idea of there being more than one Spider-person and with them being thrown into a world where Peter Parker is no longer around, its best to say that it can be pretty scary. So Kingpin makes an effort to enact his plans to bring his loved ones back, but from an alternate universe. What follows is a truly epic battle between him and his forces, an African American Spider-Man, an overweight Spider-Man, a hooded female Spider-Woman, an anime Spider-Woman and her robot and a Spider-Pig but not the one you are thinking of. You can practically see all sorts of things coming out from the super collider as this battle unfolds. But I guess the biggest and best thing about it is when reality is almost destroyed and Miles stands up to Kingpin before sending him flying. It is truly epic, well animated and fun with a bit of old school comedy from the pig.

15 - Justice Forever VS Toxic Mega Cunts (Kick-Ass 2)

I find Matthew Vaughn to be a good director who is all about fast paced action and violence with the blood gore or rather blink and you miss it blood and gore. He has also made a few films based on Mark Miller's work as well as at least one Marvel film and one film from a DC imprint. Although I think all his films are pretty good despite some controversy surrounding them, the final battle in Kick-Ass 2 is one that many actually wanted over a mafia shootout in the first film. You got a group of armature or realistic heroes and villains who all come together for a grand beatdown. What follows is Hit-Girl taking on a Russian super solider and Kick-Ass himself taking on probably the only villain to actually have swear words in his name. Its fun, brutal, epic and pretty darn violent too. Its a shame we haven't had any more films, but there is a good comic series which I guess will have to do.

14 - Angel and Butterman VS The NWA (Hot Fuzz)

When you enter a village that doesn't seem all too right, you know something is up. Of course that's what Sargent Nicholas Angel discovers all too soon and teams up with PC Danny Butterman to bring an end to the regime of the village folk. First there is a grand shootout on the streets followed by a shooting gallery styled shootout in the pub. Then a ramming time with a brawl at the supermarket and finally all ending in a big fight within a small model village. That's a lot of fighting and action to take in, but given that this is supposed to be a satire on action films and actual police work, its OK (the real police even give the film credit for showing the paperwork part that is often overlooked in films). A great action sequence from a great action film overall. Though we probably may not see Simon Pegg and Nick Frost do this kind of action again. But you never know.

13 - The United LEGO Forces VS Lord Business (The Lego Movie)

Having seen all the LEGO films that have been released in the cinema so far, I have noticed that every single one of them ends with some kind of big fight. In the Batman one, it was a battle against Joker and the pop culture villains before the pair of them work to save Gotham. In the Ninjago one, it was the ninjas against Garmagon's army before dealing with the cat. And in the most recent one, it was a spaceship battle in which the heroes battle veloceraptors in an attempt to save Emmett from Rex. But I think out of all of them, I like the very first one in which Emmett is having an encounter with the man upstairs and his son. While everyone else is fighting Lord Buisness and his forces with a variety of weapons and vehicles such as a fire truck mech, planes made out of an ice cream van and a garbage truck. But the best one of course is Emmett's construction mech. Its one battle that lets the imagination run wild and it ends with a pretty heartfelt and meaningful speech by Emmett and being special, not being the bad guy and having the power to change everything. For Chris Pratt's first starring role in a film (closely followed by being Star-Lord in a certain Marvel film), it was one of his best roles even though its just a voice. Well animated and a great battle overall. Just a shame that it didn't win any Oscars.

12 - Simba VS Scar (The Lion King)

I love this film. Its my number one all time favourite film and this final scene in it is one reason why I love it so much. So towards the end of The Lion King, Simba comes to accept that his destiny is to be king and must overthrow his uncle Scar in order to do that. With help from Nala, Timon and Pumbaa, he is able to do just that. He confronts Scar and although hostile at first with bringing up the past, Scar eventually confesses to everyone that he killed Mufasa. What follows is the lionesses, Timon, Pumbaa, Zazu and Rafiki battling all the hyenas as Simba uses a peaceful way to sort Scar out; telling him the exact same thing Scar told him all those years ago "Run away and never return". Then we get the best part of the fight which is the slow motion fight between the two lions. To be honest although at the time villains were known to be defeated every time, we all knew Scar would not fight well against Simba as he is more known for his intelligence over combat. Whereas Simba despite spending most of his life thinking of hakuna matata, inherited his father's combat skills. It is a truly spectacular fight to witness and to think that most of Disney's animators thought this would flop and instead focused on Pocahontas, boy were they wrong. Not seen the live action one yet, but I hope to soon (though I highly doubt it will top this film).

11 - Alexandria United (The Walking Dead)

In the world of The Walking Dead, there has been many fights. Most against walkers and some against the likes of the Governor, Negan and Alpha. But for me, what really is the best one of the lot is one that becomes the mid-season finale of season 6. Basically this first half is focused largely on Rick and his travelling companions coming to accept their roles in the community of Alexandria as they take on multiple threats of all shapes and sizes; the largest of which is a nearby massive horde of walkers. Although luring them away to a nearby quarry seems to succeed, Alexandria soon gets invaded by them and try and survive. Although the odds are seemingly against them, I have to really like this battle particularly because its the first instance where Rick's group and Alexandria actually come together and fight to defend their community and its done in such a way that its hard to imagine how they could all survive such an attack. And yet, the majority of them survived the onslaught unaware of the danger that a group that call themselves the Saviors are just around the corner. Of all their battles and all their survival tactics, this fight to survive must be their biggest one yet and one where you really do feel like part of this family that the actors keep calling the fandom. Love it.

10 - To'hajiilee (Breaking Bad)

Although perhaps not as big or as grand as some of the other battles here, it is however one where Heisenberg is at an all time worse state of mind. At this point in the series, Hank has figured out who Heisenberg really is and together with his DEA partner Gomez, they find and confront Walter (with help from Jesse) and arrest him with Walter having the mindset of preferring being sent to prison over having Hank and Gomez killed. But the latter is what happens in the end as Walter originally calls a hit onto Jesse and his accomplices, but soon doesn't want it as its his brother in-law. The hit goes ahead anyway in which a large gunfight takes place and in the end, Hank and Gomez are killed leaving Walter to come to terms with everything that went down and runs away into hiding before coming back months later to finish what he started (or rather avenge the death of his brother in law). Although an obviously tragic event, its the one battle where Heisenberg feels defeated in its aftermath and its pretty emotional to watch. Sure it may not be grand or big, but its still a tough watch to sit through knowing that this drug lord will be out of business and arrested eventually.

9 - The Living VS The Dead (Game of Thrones)

Sure almost everyone hates Game of Thrones now that the series is over and perhaps had one of the worst endings it could ever have. But you have to admit that there have been many grand and epic battles in this series. Personally I have always enjoyed the Battle of the B******s as that is a pretty epic and grand one. But to be honest, having to battle the dead led by the Night King seems to be a more pressing battle to endure. I mean sure the whole point of the series was all about who would take the Iron Throne at the end, but the Night King is still a more pressing issue as it affects all living beings in this world. It is a truly epic battle of sorts and one that has been building up to for quite some time in the show. Its not going to please everyone which was guaranteed to happen when the final season aired, but the last season at least tries to give us the ending we all want. The Night King battle certainly was quite something even though logic was nonexistent (mostly) so I really can't fault it. Its as good as it gets.

8 - The 300 VS The Persians (300)

When it comes to Zach Snyder, his films tend to be more about getting in some cool shots and lots of slow motion and very rarely focuses on story. But with 300, its kind of different as the story is just as good as the shots that are taken. In fact it was this very film that put Snyder on the map and became a director for Warner Brothers in which he became involved with a number of DC projects as well as at least one animated film and at least one all female film. So towards the end of 300, the 300 Spartans are fighting Persians of all shapes and sizes and it gets to a point where the shots become great, but the odds are seemingly against the 300 as more Persians come into play. But before Leonidas and his Spartans are killed, he gets the last laugh by throwing a spear at Xerxes who has claimed that he is a god while this act manages to show that he is mortal like the rest of us. So yes even when the odds are against the heroes, their legacy would have a lasting effect on their enemies. It is a great film and a great battle that is epic, bloody and just a lot of fun (plus there is plenty of flesh for the ladies too).

7 - Hogwarts VS Lord Voldemort (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2)

You know, having spent ten years growing up with the Harry Potter films, I always knew that it would come down to one final fight against Lord Voldemort. So in the two Deathly Hallows films (though interestingly this would be the first two part story to start this trend), Harry with his friends Ron and Hermonie set out to find and destroy the Horcruxes that make up Voldemort's soul having learnt of their existence in the previous film. Eventually having managed to destroy a few of them, the rest were within Hogwarts so the trio find a way in and go about finding those last few Horcruxes while the school work with the remaining members of the Order of the Phoenix to fend off Voldemort's forces. Eventually Harry realises that the connection his scar has to Voldemort in which he feels pain whenever he is near him, overall makes him an unintentional Horcrux and tricks his arch nemesis into killing him to destroy the Horcrux within. Then as Voldemort starts to claim victory and following a heartfelt speech by a courage driven Neville, Harry reawakens and the fight resumes. With Nagini the snake being the final Horcrux, Neville delivers the final blow to it with Godric Griffindor's sword, thus allowing Harry to destroy Voldemort once and for all. Then what follows is the heroes recovering from their injuries, the Elder Wand gets destroyed, Harry and Ginny get married and have kids, Ron and Hermione get married and have kids and Harry becomes an auror destined to find Voldemort's remaining followers and end his reign once and for all. For the final fight, it is fantastic. It puts all the characters in their biggest and most intense battle yet and you know it was going to happen with Hogwarts being destroyed eventually. I personally felt that it was always going to come down to that if nothing else. Anyway its a great battle and a great end to an otherwise bloody brilliant series of films based on a great series of books that were meant to be aimed for children, but oh well.

6 - The Battle of Beruna (Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe)

Although the Narnia films only ever went as far as three films (most likely due to disputes with Disney and Walden Media at the time), they were all pretty good to some extent. The first one I consider the best of the three because it adapts a familiar story and does a very good take on it. So towards the end of the film is a big battle between The White Witch and the Pevensie children and let's just say its a pretty epic battle featuring lots of fantasy elements, mythological creatures and a resurrection of sorts (though it ends grossly with the lion Aslan consuming the White Witch). A pretty simple and straight forward battle, but its something great to watch. Plus Santa Claus is somewhere in there as well so it is a bit silly too.

5 - The Battle of Falkirk (Braveheart)

Throughout the film Braveheart, there are tons of battles that see William Wallace wanting to get Scotland its freedom. However in one particular battle in the film in which the English are personally led by King Edward Longshanks, Wallace gains the upper hand for a while. That is until he realises that two clans have been bribed by the king and thus is forced to retreat to fight another day. I guess you could say that this is just one of those battles in which the hero loses and I got to say, it is a well executed battle. Starts off good, then just bad and then really bad (well for the Scottish that is). But still a great film regardless.

4 - The United Galaxy VS The Reapers (Mass Effect 3)

The original trilogy of Mass Effect games were all building up to the invasion of the Reapers; said to be an ancient and technologically advanced species who arrive every million of years (or something like that) to harvest on all beings in the universe. So of course Commander Shepard isn't too happy about this and tries to persuade people that they are a genuine threat. But of course at first no one really believes Shepard and it then becomes a classic "I told you so" moment. Mass Effect 3 is largely all about Shepard uniting the galaxy against the Reapers, using whatever resources and allies he has gained thus far and will gain in this game. And depending on the military strength the player gains, its either going to be a grand and epic battle or a pretty pathetic one. The actual battle in space is huge on a grand scale and it is a shame that we don't see much of it as well as not seeing our own allies taking part. But it is what it is and its still a pretty darn epic battle for survival of the galaxy. At least for sci-fi battles, it really is a big fight, but not necessarily a hard one to beat though.

3 - The Final Battle for Middle-Earth (Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King)

I know technically its called the Battle of Pelennor Fields, but to be honest it is considered the final battle for Middle-Earth. So in all the Middle-Earth films (well maybe expect one or two), there is at least one big battle. For me, the one that takes the cake is this one. Unlike Helm's Deep which was just to save one little nation within Middle-Earth, this really is the battle for Middle-Earth in which almost every known being (good or evil) is taking part and giving us an incredible battle with all the heroes having a kick-a** moment each. But even after its done, the battle is then bought to Sauron's front door as the heroes desperately try to distract him long enough to help Bilbo and Samwise get into Mount Doom with a not so helpful but more hostile Gollum. It brings the saga that it now is to a satisfactory conclusion (or conclusions given the amount of endings it has) and its one of the best fantasy based fights ever assembled. Speaking of which...

2 - Avengers VS 2014 Thanos (Avengers: Endgame)

Yeah you knew that I had to put this one in. Having been the one to inspire this list in the first place, it was a no brainer. So the heroes of the MCU have fought a whole host of villains with Thanos being their most dangerous foe yet. So during the Time Heist, 2014 Nebula manages to gain the memories of her future self and in doing so, Thanos becomes aware of the Time Heist and with some help, makes it his goal to gain the Infinity Stones and change his original plan for balance to making a new universe in his image. This causes the surviving heroes to take him on and then later on, everyone else in a truly grand and epic battle that will probably never be beaten or done again any time soon. I mean you have the Avengers, the Guardians of the Galaxy, the people of Asgard and Wakanda, the Ravagers, the Sorcerers and so much more. It really doesn't get any better than that for Marvel with nerds everywhere crying for joy with this pretty big fight. It does however end on a sad but satisfactory note, but its OK. Excelsior indeed!

1 - The Fall of Death Star II (Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi)

If I were to pick something else that isn't Star Wars, then this list wouldn't happen. So I went for this one particularly because for a long time, it was the end of Star Wars and it was a battle that took place in three different areas. One on Endor in which the Ewoks work with the rebels in bringing down the shield generator. Another in space in which a group led by Lando Calrissian attempt to enter the Death Star II to bring it down but later get ambushed by Empire forces. And another within the Death Star II in which Luke battles both Darth Vader and Darth Sidious to go about bringing balance to the force. It is the best of the bunch I have to say. It may not be as impressive as some of the others on this list given the time it was released. But if you really think about the best fight, it can only be one seen in Star Wars.

So that is my list. Feel free to leave a comment below about your favourite fights and other things I hope. And hopefully the next won't be too far away.