What is this genre all about? In our terms, a proxy battle is a battle where humans use creatures/robots to do the fighting for them, either by commanding those creatures/robots or by simply evolving them/changing them into battle mode. Often the training aspect is also involved, or in some cases the proxies are nothing more than holographic representatives of some other variation of competition (like for example a card game). While many popular shounen anime fit under this category, it's not limited to shounen anime.
We present you the list of Proxy Battles anime you should watch right now.
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Top 20 Proxy Battles anime you should watch right now. [2025 List]
- 20. JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken: Diamond wa Kudakenai
- 19. Pocket Monsters
- 18. Yu☆Gi☆Oh!: Duel Monsters GX
- 17. Pocket Monsters (2023)
- 16. JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken: Stardust Crusaders 2nd Season
- 15. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind
- 14. Yu☆Gi☆Oh! Duel Monsters
- 13. JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken: Stone Ocean Part 3
- 12. JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken: Stardust Crusaders
- 11. JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken: Stone Ocean Part 2
- 10. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean
- 9. Pocket Monsters (2019)
- 8. Machine-Doll wa Kizutsukanai
- 7. Pokemon Diamond & Pearl
- 6. Digimon Adventure
- 5. Pokemon Best Wishes!
- 4. Yu☆Gi☆Oh!
- 3. Pokemon: The Origin
- 2. Digimon Tamers
- 1. Pokemon the Movie XY&Z: Volcanion to Karakuri no Magearna
20. JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken: Diamond wa Kudakenai
The year is 1999. Morioh, a normally quiet and peaceful town, has recently become a hotbed of strange activity. Joutarou Kuujou, now a marine biologist, heads to the mysterious town to meet Jousuke Higashikata. While the two may seem like strangers at first, Jousuke is actually the illegitimate child of Joutarou's grandfather, Joseph Joestar. When they meet, Joutarou realizes that he may have more in common with Jousuke than just a blood relation.
Along with the mild-mannered Kouichi Hirose and the boisterous Okuyasu Nijimura, the group dedicates themselves to investigating recent disappearances and other suspicious occurrences within Morioh. Aided by the power of Stands, the four men will encounter danger at every street corner, as it is up to them to unravel the town's secrets, before another occurs.
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable has finished airing and it has 39 Episodes. It is also Known as: ジョジョの奇妙な冒険 ダイヤモンドは砕けない, JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken Part 4: Diamond wa Kudakenai, Diamond is not Crash
19. Pocket Monsters
Pokemon are peculiar creatures with a vast array of different abilities and appearances; many people, known as Pokemon trainers, capture and train them, often with the intent of battling others. Young Satoshi has not only dreamed of becoming a Pokemon trainer but also a "Pokemon Master," and on the arrival of his 10th birthday, he finally has a chance to make that dream a reality. Unfortunately for him, all three Pokemon available to beginning trainers have already been claimed and only Pikachu, a rebellious Electric type Pokemon, remains. However, this chance encounter would mark the start of a lifelong friendship and an epic adventure!
Setting off on a journey to become the very best, Satoshi and Pikachu travel across beautiful, sprawling regions with their friends Kasumi, a Water type trainer, and Takeshi, a Rock type trainer. But danger lurks around every corner. The infamous Team Rocket is always nearby, seeking to steal powerful Pokemon through nefarious schemes. It'll be up to Satoshi and his friends to thwart their efforts as he also strives to earn the eight Pokemon Gym Badges he'll need to challenge the Pokemon League, and eventually claim the title of Pokemon Master.
Pokémon has finished airing and it has 276 Episodes. It is also Known as: ポケットモンスター, Pocket Monsters, Indigo League, Adventures on the Orange Islands, The Johto Journeys, Johto League Champions, Master Quest
18. Yu☆Gi☆Oh!: Duel Monsters GX
Duel Academy, one of the most prestigious schools in Duel Monster's history. There students learn the fundamentals of becoming not just duelists, but large business owners.
Yuki Judai is a new student with only one thing on his mind, to become the next King Of Games. Judai meets several friends, teachers, and even enemies at the large Dueling school. There he'll have to face off against several different Dorms to become number one duelist. Slifer Red, Ra Yellow, and Obelisk Blue are the three dorms. Will Judai be able to pass all of them?
Based on Kazuki Takahashi's world famous anime and manga Yu-Gi-Oh!.
Yu-Gi-Oh! GX has finished airing and it has 180 Episodes. It is also Known as: 遊☆戯☆王 デュエルモンスターズ GX, Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, Yugioh GX, Yu-Gi-Oh! Genex, Yugioh Genex, Yu-Gi-Oh!: Duel Monsters GX, Yugioh: Duel Monsters GX, Yu-Gi-Oh!: Duel Monsters Genex, Yugioh: Duel Monsters Genex, Game King of Duel Monsters GX
17. Pocket Monsters (2023)
A new dream and adventure set throughout the entire Pokémon world unfolds in a brand new Pokémon-series following a girl named Riko and a boy named Roy.
Pokémon Horizons: The Series is currently airing and will have Episodes. It is also Known as: ポケットモンスター (2023), Pocket Monsters (2023)
16. JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken: Stardust Crusaders 2nd Season
Joutarou Kuujou and his allies have finally made it to Egypt, where the immortal Dio awaits. Upon their arrival, the group gains a new comrade: Iggy, a mutt who wields the Stand "The Fool." It's not all good news however, as standing in their path is a new group of Stand users who serve Dio, each with a Stand representative of an ancient Egyptian god. As their final battle approaches, it is a race against time to break Joutarou's mother free from her curse and end Dio's reign of terror over the Joestar family once and for all.
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders - Battle in Egypt has finished airing and it has 24 Episodes. It is also Known as: ジョジョの奇妙な冒険 スターダストクルセイダース, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 3, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders - Egypt Arc
15. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind
Naples, 2001. Giorno Giovanna is a small-time crook with one big dream—to become a "Gang-Star." No ordinary thief, Giorno has a connection to the remarkable Joestar bloodline, and possesses a Stand named Gold Experience. His dream starts to become reality when he meets Bruno Buccellati, a mobster from the gang Passione and a fellow Stand user himself. Realizing that they share similar ideals, and both disagree with the gang's harmful affairs, Giorno reveals his goal to Bruno: with Bruno's help, he will reform Passione by overthrowing the boss.
As Giorno becomes a member of Passione, and is inducted into Bruno's squad, he discovers that it is no simple gang; its numbers are teeming with Stand users. Now confronted by other squads of differing loyalties and unpredictable caliber, their goal to change the gang from the inside out will be a tough one. Taking on these adversaries, Giorno attempts to rise through the ranks and inch closer to the boss, a man who is shrouded in mystery.
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind has finished airing and it has 39 Episodes. It is also Known as: JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken: Ougon no Kaze, ジョジョの奇妙な冒険 黄金の風, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure Part 5: Golden Wind, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 5: Vento Aureo
14. Yu☆Gi☆Oh! Duel Monsters
Legend says that the enigmatic Millennium Puzzle will grant one wish to whoever deciphers its ancient secrets. Upon solving it, high school student Yuugi Mutou unleashes "another Yuugi," a peculiar presence contained inside. Now, whenever he is faced with a dilemma, this mysterious alter ego makes an appearance and aids him in his troubles.
Wishing to unravel the mystery behind this strange spirit, Yuugi and his companions find themselves competing with several opponents in "Duel Monsters," a challenging card game used by people seeking to steal the Millennium Puzzle in a desperate attempt to harness the great power within. As the questions pile on, it is not long before they figure out that there is more than pride on the line in these duels.
Yu-Gi-Oh! has finished airing and it has 224 Episodes. It is also Known as: 遊☆戯☆王 デュエルモンスターズ, Yugioh, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Yu-Gi-Oh!: Duel Monsters, Yugioh: Duel Monsters, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters, Yuu Gi Ou!
13. JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken: Stone Ocean Part 3
After finally escaping the confines of Green Dolphin Street Jail, Jolyne Cujoh—alongside her companions Ermes Costello and Emporio Alniño—pursues the villainous priest Enrico Pucci across the state of Florida. Jolyne's allies, Weather Report, and Narciso Anasui, struggle to catch up with her in order to help bring an end to Pucci's plot. As both parties pursue the priest, they must battle against Pucci's band of enemy Stand users.
While Jolyne's comrades fight for their lives, Pucci races to the Kennedy Space Center. There he hopes to enact his ultimate goal, one he believes God has entrusted to him. He aims to fulfill the will of the Joestars' blood enemy Dio Brando and—by robbing humanity of free will and making them slaves to fate—to create a world where all humans are blissfully happy.
Unable to rely on the aid of her comatose father Jotaro, Jolyne must weaponize all she has learned in prison to confront Pucci in a climactic battle while the world itself hangs in the balance.
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean Part 3 has finished airing and it has 14 Episodes. It is also Known as: ジョジョの奇妙な冒険 ストーンオーシャン 3クール, JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken: Stone Ocean Part 3
12. JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken: Stardust Crusaders
Years after an ancient evil was salvaged from the depths of the sea, Joutarou Kuujou sits peacefully within a Japanese jail cell. He's committed no crime yet demands he not be released, believing he's been possessed by an evil spirit capable of harming those around him. Concerned for her son, Holly Kuujou asks her father, Joseph Joestar, to convince Joutarou to leave the prison. Joseph informs his grandson that the "evil spirit" is in fact something called a "Stand," the physical manifestation of one's fighting spirit which can adopt a variety of deadly forms. After a fiery brawl with Joseph's friend Mohammed Avdol, Joutarou is forced out of his cell and begins learning how to control the power of his Stand.
However, when a Stand awakens within Holly and threatens to consume her in 50 days, Joutarou, his grandfather, and their allies must seek out and destroy the immortal vampire responsible for her condition. They must travel halfway across the world to Cairo, Egypt and along the way, do battle with ferocious Stand users set on thwarting them. If Joutarou and his allies fail in their mission, humanity is destined for a grim fate.
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders has finished airing and it has 24 Episodes. It is also Known as: ジョジョの奇妙な冒険 スターダストクルセイダース, Dai San Bu Kujo Jotaro: Mirai e no Isan, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 3
11. JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken: Stone Ocean Part 2
Thrown into solitary confinement after a daring rescue attempt, Jolyne Cujoh fights to uncover the sinister plot of Whitesnake, an enemy Stand whose mysterious wielder remains unknown to her.
Whitesnake's user is actually Enrico Pucci, priest and chaplain of Green Dolphin Street Prison. Pucci shares a deep connection with a villain who once plagued the Joestar bloodline, making his feud with Jolyne and her father, Jotaro, a personal one. Intent on executing the master plan of his deceased friend, Pucci uses the prison and its inmates to fulfill his nefarious schemes.
Assisted by fellow prisoners, like Ermes Costello and Foo Fighters, Jolyne battles several enemy Stand users. As the ramifications of Pucci's plot spread beyond the confines of the prison and begin to threaten the rest of the world, Jolyne embraces her family lineage and risks her life to put an end to evil.
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean Part 2 has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: ジョジョの奇妙な冒険 ストーンオーシャン 2クール, JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken: Stone Ocean Part 2
10. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean
Conspiring forces frame Jolyne Cujoh for a reckless crime, landing her in the infamous Green Dolphin Street Jail. Much like her father Jotaro, Jolyne is brash, brave, and just; she rails against her unfair sentence and quickly discovers the sinister circumstances that led to her incarceration.
A gift from her absent father grants Jolyne the power of Stone Free, a supernatural ability known as a Stand that allows her to unravel her body into string. Jolyne uses Stone Free to battle her way through the prison, recruiting new allies—Hermes Costello and Foo Fighters—to assist in her investigation. Together, the fearless women fight to uncover the menace behind White Snake, an enemy Stand responsible for the increasingly dangerous prisoners who are after Jolyne's life.
Through Jolyne, the Joestar lineage confronts the legacy of its one true enemy. Jolyne and her friends race to stop a disastrous plot and put an end to a culminating evil.
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken: Stone Ocean, ジョジョの奇妙な冒険 ストーンオーシャン, JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken: Sutōn Ōshan, Jojo part 6
9. Pocket Monsters (2019)
Pokémon Trainer Satoshi has a new plan: see the world! But first, he and his partner Pikachu are headed to the opening of the Sakuragi Institute, a research facility dedicated to uncovering the mysteries of Pokémon in every region. Satoshi meets Gou, another boy with boundless curiosity about Pokémon, and both are overjoyed when Professor Sakuragi asks them to become official research fellows. With Satoshi as determined as ever to become a Pokémon Master, and Gou aiming to catch one of every Pokémon (including the Mythical Mew), our heroes are in for adventure and excitement as they explore the wide world of Pokémon!
Pokémon Journeys: The Series has finished airing and it has 136 Episodes. It is also Known as: ポケットモンスター, Pokemon (Shin Series)
8. Machine-Doll wa Kizutsukanai
The Walpurgis Royal Academy of Machinart was founded alongside the development of "Machinart," machine magic capable of giving life and intelligence to mechanical dolls subsequently called as "automaton." Its aim: train skilled puppeteers to control the automatons, as militaries across the globe have begun incorporating Machinart into their armies.
After miserably failing the academy's entrance exams, Raishin Akabane and his humanoid automaton Yaya must defeat one of the top one hundred students to earn the right to take part in the Evening Party, a fight for supremacy between puppeteers using their automatons. The last one standing is bestowed the title of "Wiseman" and granted access to the powerful forbidden arts.
Thus, Raishin challenges Charlotte Belew and her automaton Sigmund to a duel, but before they even begin, Sigmund is attacked by other students. After saving his opponents from their assaulters, Raishin cancels the duel but is forced to search for a new way to gain access to the Party. Driven by the tragedies of his past, Raishin fights alongside Yaya to rise to the top and claim the title of Wiseman.
Unbreakable Machine-Doll has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: 機巧少女〈マシンドール〉は傷つかない, Machine Girl wa Kizutsukanai, Kikou Shoujo wa Kizutsukanai
7. Pokemon Diamond & Pearl
After defeating Pyramid King Jindai and declining the offer to be a Frontier Brain, Satoshi sets off to travel through the far away land of Sinnoh. Once he gets there, he meets up with Hikari, a local trainer from the region, and they decide to travel together.
Pokemon Diamond & Pearl has finished airing and it has 191 Episodes. It is also Known as: ポケットモンスター ダイヤモンド&パール, Pocket Monsters: Diamond & Pearl, Diamond and Pearl, DP: Battle Dimension, DP: Galactic Battles, DP: Sinnoh League Victors
6. Digimon Adventure
When a group of kids head out for summer camp, they don't expect it to snow in the middle of July. Out of nowhere, the kids receive strange devices which transport them to a very different world to begin their Digimon Adventure! Led by the plucky Taichi Yagami, the seven children must now survive in a realm far from home, filled with monsters and devoid of other humans.
Luckily, they're not alone: each child is paired off with a companion digital monster called a Digimon. Together, the children and their new friends must overcome their insecurities, discover their inner strengths, and evolve into stronger fighters - literally.
A force of evil is spreading through the Digital World, corrupting all the Digimon. The DigiDestined have arrived and it’s up to them to save the Digital World, if they ever want to see their home world again.
Digimon: Digital Monsters has finished airing and it has 54 Episodes. It is also Known as: デジモンアドベンチャー, Digimon Adventure 01
5. Pokemon Best Wishes!
As with both the Advanced Generation and Diamond & Pearl series before it, the Best Wishes! series begins with only Satoshi, headed off to the Isshu region, located far away from Kanto, Johto, Houen, and Sinnoh, with his Pikachu. After he meets up with the new trainer and rival Shooty and the region's Professor Araragi, he gains traveling companions in Iris, a girl from a town known for its Dragon Pokémon, and Dent, Pokémon Connoisseur and the Grass Pokémon specialist of the three Sanyou City Gym Leaders.
Pokemon: Black & White has finished airing and it has 84 Episodes. It is also Known as: ポケットモンスターベストウイッシュ, Pocket Monsters: Best Wishes!, Black & White, BW: Rival Destinies
4. Yu☆Gi☆Oh!
Yuugi is a somewhat frail young boy who happens to be a big fan of gaming of any kind. But when he solves an ancient egyptian puzzle he is granted all the powers of darkness. Now when confronted with danger and injustice, he transforms into a much darker and dangerous form, and proceeds to dish out the justice and punishment for those who so richly deserve it.
Yu☆Gi☆Oh! has finished airing and it has 27 Episodes. It is also Known as: 遊☆戯☆王, King of Games, Yu-Gi-Oh! First Series, Yu-Gi-Oh! Serie Zero, Yugi-Oh, Yuugiou, Yu-Gi-Oh Season 0, Yugioh, Yuu Gi Ou!, Yu-Gi-Oh!
3. Pokemon: The Origin
Pokémon are marvelous creatures that come in a variety of types and sizes, with abilities, powers, and personalities as diverse as they are numerous. Doctor Yukinari Ookido has dedicated his life to studying these fascinating beings, that can be caught, trained, traded, and battled against each other. There's only so much he can do from his lab though. With this in mind, Ookido entrusts two young boys with a Pokémon of their own and a computerized encyclopedia to catalog them. One of them, Green, is brash, passionate, slightly arrogant, and Doctor Ookido's own nephew. The other boy, Red, is equally passionate, and filled with a wide-eyed, mildly naive sense of wonder.Pokémon: The Origin follows Red in his journey through the region of Kanto in his attempt to complete his "Pokédex" by capturing and cataloging all the Pokémon that exist. Along the way he'll discover there's more to himself and his goals than he originally thought. Red will have to put both himself and his Pokémon to the test in special Gyms whose leaders are steps along the way to the Pokémon League, in order to challenge the Elite Four and become a Pokémon League Champion.
Aside from his goals to become a Champion, Red has other problems brewing. There are others who capture and train Pokémon for more sinister reasons, with the infamous criminal organization Team Rocket being one of them. If Red can defeat them, fellow trainers, his rival Green, and wild Pokémon all through Kanto, he just may fulfill his own dream, and Doctor Ookido's as well.
Pokémon: Origins has finished airing and it has 4 Episodes. It is also Known as: ポケットモンスター THE ORIGIN, Pokémon: The Origin, Pokemon: The Origin, Pokemon: Origins, Pocket Monsters: The Origin
2. Digimon Tamers
Digimon Tamers takes place in a world where the popular Digimon franchise is all the rage, consisting of a cartoon, video games, and the trading card game. Takato Matsuda is a huge Digimon fan that's particularly obsessed with the card game, and constantly daydreams about the universe therein. One day, he finds a mysterious blue card, which he slides through a scanner toy to use in the popular battle game. His toy suddenly glows and transforms into a Digivice, and Takato's fan-made design, Guilmon, materialises in front of him. Thrilled by the prospect of having a real-life Digimon, Takato embraces his new partner, and his adventures as a Digimon Tamer begin.
Takato quickly discovers that being a Digimon Tamer is not all fun and games—in reality, it's much more dangerous than the card games he's accustomed to. Wild Digimon have begun to appear all across Japan, causing rampages that result in chaos and mayhem. Armed with his Digivice, which can scan trading cards to strengthen Guilmon, Takato and his new partner set out to combat the rogue Digimon. They are tasked with protecting the world from Digimon attacks, whilst a mysterious organization determined to eliminate all Digimon and their Tamers lurks in the shadows...
Digimon Tamers has finished airing and it has 51 Episodes. It is also Known as: デジモンテイマーズ, Digimon: Digital Monsters 03
1. Pokemon the Movie XY&Z: Volcanion to Karakuri no Magearna
A mysterious force binds Ash to the Mythical Pokémon Volcanion when it falls from the sky. Volcanion can't get away, and Ash is dragged along as it continues on its mission. They arrive in a city of cogs and gears, where a corrupt minister has stolen the ultimate invention: the Artificial Pokémon Magearna, created 500 years ago. The minister plans to use Magearna's mysterious power to take control of the mechanical kingdom.
Pokemon the Movie: Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel has finished airing and it has 1 Episodes. It is also Known as: ポケモン・ザ・ムービーXY＆Z「ボルケニオンと機巧（からくり）のマギアナ」, Pokemon Movie 19
