Kakashi-sensei versus Obito — can they become friends once again or will they die tragically hand in hand?

What is our anime hero or heroine without their ultimate rival? The bad guys can be boring and straightforward, but rivals are downright interesting. They aren’t evil, but they sure hate the main character’s guts! Needless to say, many of us find ourselves liking the hero’s rival better than the hero because they are hilarious and usually quite badass.

The best kind of rival is the kind that slowly warms to our main character and joins his or her side. Whether that rival is won over by the hero’s bright personality or he or she grudgingly accepts the opposing strength in battle, many rivals cannot help but join the winning team eventually. Thank goodness for that, because the central character usually needs a bit of sense knocked into them by a friendly critic.

Read on for my top 5 anime rivals turned allies!

The ninja war has entered its final chapter. What does this battlefield hold for us? Epic action!

Recent anime, and some manga series, have shown that spinoffs of fans favorite series can sometimes be just as enjoyable and entertaining as the originating series.

On that note, I think it would be interesting if animators and story creators pursued these five characters as potential new stars of their own spinoff series.

Grabbing life by the horns, Sasuke charges full speed ahead after making the decision of a lifetime.

“Project J” as it was once known as, has decided to switch its title to “J-Stars Victory Vs.” In addition, a new character has been confirmed for its roster. 

Read on for more.

What lesson will Sasuke learn from this thrilling flashback?

Hashirama was confronted with a tough choice: kill himself or kill Tobirama in order to appease Madara. What would you do?

Indeed, it is sad times when close friends become bitter rivals.

Don’t forget to cast your vote for today’s Sweet 16 match-up — Trafalgar Law (One Piece) vs. Itachi Uchiha (Naruto) — before the poll closes tomorrow at 8 am PT.

Every little vote counts, so please help do your part to send (or prevent from sending) another character into the Elite 8!

Click here to vote now!

We kick the week off with a super Sweet 16 showdown between two of manga’s strongest shonen characters from the past year.

In the First Round, the newest War Lord calmly separated himself from the competition, while the famed ANBU captain was able to swiftly dispose of his opponents.

Who will be the second representative of shonen manga in the Elite 8: Trafalgar Law or Itachi Uchiha? Help decide by voting after the break!

Don’t forget to cast your vote for today’s First Round match-up — Yuko Kanoe vs. Frau Kojiro vs. Itachi Uchiha — before the poll closes tomorrow at 8 am PT.

Every little vote counts, so please help do your part to send (or prevent from sending) another otaku character into the Sweet 16!

Click here to vote now!

Today’s Otaku match-up features a trio of characters who all seem cold on the outside, yet all have varying personalities.

The bubbly and free spirited Yuko Kanoe literally has nothing to lose and will do whatever it takes for victory — and have fun doing it. Anti-social Frau Kojiro is probably uninterested in doing battle, which is why she’ll just build robots to do the fighting for her. And while the honorable Itachi Uchiha could just use the “Doing What Ninjas Do And Secretly Sneak By My Opponents Undetected” Jutsu, he’s the type of person to use his enviable abilities to take his opponents head on.

Which otaku character will be the latest to advance to the Sweet 16? Help decide by voting after the break!

Hashirama and Madara continued to develop a bond.

Like Sasuke and Naruto, Hashirama and Madara seemed to share a friendship rivalry that was really touching.