9 Amazing Anime Attacks That Were Used Once & Immediately Forgotten

In action anime, characters often develop special moves and then use them consistently to achieve reliable results – think of famous techniques like Yusuke’s Rei Gun, Deku’s Full Cowl, or Goku’s Kamehameha. However, some impressive fighting moves are surprisingly only used once and then forgotten.

It’s obvious characters won’t repeat moves after they’ve been defeated – like Rengoku not using his strongest attacks after his death, or Kimimaro never fully showing his curse seal. What’s more interesting is looking at characters who did something amazing only once. This often happens because they haven’t had another fight, or an injury prevents them from using the move again.

Shinji’s Bankai Is Cool But Too Situational to Use Often

In the anime Bleach, characters frequently use their shikai and bankai abilities. Captain Byakuya Kuchiki, for example, often utilizes the different forms of his zanpakuto, Senbonzakura. In contrast, Captain Shinji Hirako, a Visored who leads squad 5, rarely uses his own. While he’s used the shikai form of Sakanade occasionally, he’s only ever released his bankai once.

I remember when Shinji finally got to really unleash his unusual Bankai. It was incredible – he managed to turn a whole group of Quincies against each other by messing with their ability to tell friend from foe. But he hasn’t used it since, and it’s easy to see why. His Bankai doesn’t work well when he’s facing just one opponent, and it’s too dangerous to use around allies. So, it ended up being a one-time thing. Even when things got really tough for the Soul Reapers, everyone seemed to forget about Shinji’s Bankai altogether.

Water Luffy Was Only Effective Against Sir Crocodile

Many anime fighting moves become obsolete because they’re only effective against specific opponents, making them impractical for regular battles. In One Piece, the technique ‘Water Luffy’ is a good example of this. While clever at the time, it showcased Luffy’s resourcefulness and was one of the first instances of One Piece characters finding a way to overcome the immense power of Logia-type Devil Fruits, such as the Sand-Sand Fruit.

Luffy’s initial battle with Sir Crocodile in the Alabasta Arc didn’t go well, but their second fight was different thanks to a barrel of water Luffy brought with him. While it didn’t guarantee a win, the water-enhanced ‘Water Luffy’ gave him a much better chance and actually saved his life during another assassination attempt by Crocodile. Ultimately, Luffy defeated Crocodile by using his own blood instead of water to power up his attacks.

Jogo’s Domain Expansion Was Used Just Once, and Not Even Successfully

In Jujutsu Kaisen, Domain Expansion is frequently a powerful, game-changing technique for sorcerers, and even curses. It’s meant to be a fighter’s strongest attack, taking inspiration from the powerful bankai releases in Bleach. However, Domain Expansion isn’t always successful, and Jogo, a curse with volcanic powers, can attest to that – he’s only attempted it once, and wasn’t even able to complete it.

Jogo attempted to activate his powerful Domain Expansion, a technique based on volcanoes, during his battles with Satoru Gojo and Yuji Itadori, believing he had a good chance of winning. However, Satoru’s Infinity ability blocked it, leading to Jogo’s defeat. After that, Jogo avoided fully unleashing his Domain Expansion, and he didn’t even try when fighting Ryomen Sukuna, clearly hesitant after his previous failure.

Zero Hand Is Powerful But Requires Days of Meditation to Use

The Nen combat system in Hunter x Hunter is so engaging because it encourages inventive and unconventional strategies. While based on six core styles, Nen abilities can manifest in incredibly diverse ways – from smoke and lightning to substances like gum, or even concepts like compound interest. This sets it apart from typical power-focused action anime. However, there was one instance – Isaac Netero’s use of Zero Hand – where pure strength was the deciding factor.

Fans of Hunter x Hunter will likely remember Isaac’s battle with Netero, a classic example of a powerful, experienced fighter. Isaac, known for his dedication, spent days in meditation and unleashed his incredible Zero Hand technique using a unique formation. Despite its power, it wasn’t enough to defeat Meruem. Isaac hasn’t used the move since, and Hunter x Hunter fans don’t expect him to anytime soon.

United States of Smash Was All Might’s Farewell to One For All

Deku did use a comparable move – United States of World Smash – in the third My Hero Academia movie, but it relied on kicks and a fully powered Full Cowl. The original United States of Smash, however, was a massive punch delivered by All Might during a critical moment when he was losing his physical strength and struggling to defeat All For One.

With the last of his One For All power and sheer determination, All Might managed to defeat All For One. Though a bit dramatic, the effort successfully turned the battle around and allowed him to retire the power he’d used for so long. It was a fitting end, bringing together all of his signature moves, each named after an American city or state.

Vegeta’s Final Crash Deserved a Bigger Spotlight

The Dragon Ball series has tons of special moves and transformations, and characters often reuse their favorites. With so much fighting in the show, it’s natural to see moves like the Kamehameha and Super Saiyan Blue again and again. However, there are a few techniques, like the Final Crash, that characters haven’t used in a long time and seem to have forgotten.

I remember watching Vegeta use this attack, called Final Crash, against Reecome during the Namek Saga. Honestly, even for Dragon Ball Z, it was a really direct, almost reckless way to fight. The surprising part? It didn’t even finish Reecome off! He took some damage, but survived. Vegeta hasn’t used it since. It’s worth noting that it’s similar to his Final Flash, but Final Flash is much more powerful and is considered a completely separate technique.

Dio Brando Didn’t use His Ice Attack Again

Throughout JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, many Stands reappear, and certain non-Stand abilities, like Hamon, are also used multiple times. A notable example is Dio Brando’s fighting style in Phantom Blood, which included the surprising ability to generate ice. He used this to try and overwhelm Jonathan Joestar during their final battle, but ultimately, it wasn’t enough to save him from being completely defeated.

Dio’s ice ability wasn’t used again in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure because he became a disembodied head by the end of the first part, Phantom Blood. Later, in Stardust Crusaders, Dio preferred using his Stand, The World, and seemed to have either forgotten or abandoned his earlier vampire powers, including the ice attack. However, if fans were hoping to see more ice-based abilities, the Stand user Pet Shop, with his Stand Horus, delivered similar attacks.

Rifles Are Surprisingly Effective Against Pure Titans, But They’re Rarely Used

The fighting in Attack on Titan wasn’t always about special powers. Early in the series, the heroes didn’t have many Titan abilities, so soldiers like Armin Arlert had to rely on standard weapons like rifles. Armin understood rifles couldn’t destroy Titans, but they could at least temporarily hinder them.

A memorable and clever moment in Attack on Titan occurred when Armin’s plan was successfully executed. Soldiers fired their rifles to temporarily blind the Titans, creating an opening for others to strike at their weak spots. While it was a brilliant strategy, the characters later relied less on it as more powerful weapons like Thunder Spears and the Titan Shifters became available.

Roy’s Left Hand Snaps Could Have Showed Up Again

Throughout Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, certain abilities appear repeatedly. For example, Greed consistently uses his Ultimate Shield, and Roy Mustang always performs alchemy using finger snaps with his right hand. Later, during the Promised Day, Roy begins using his left hand as well. This allows him to vaporize moisture within specific parts of the body, like eyes and tongues.

Roy only used his quick, snapping attacks once, during his fight with Envy. After that, he never used them again. There were a couple of times later where he could have, but he was forced to use human transmutation, which cost him his sight. From then on, Roy relied on standard alchemy using hand claps, and the snapping attacks were never seen or mentioned again.

2025-10-24 00:14