Best Anime Story Arcs (Ranked)

Shonen Anime is either very intriguing or very badly paced, depending on who you ask. The length and overall dragging on of fights and narratives for weeks at a time is a key genre hazard for shonen bouts, which frequently last several or more episodes.

Even so, long-lasting battles occasionally keep spectators on the edge of their seats. The most thrilling shonen arcs aren’t always the finest, and the thrilling ones aren’t always the best.

But occasionally, even shonen manages to check off both boxes at once through the grace of excellent writing or a fantastic production.

Here’s a table containing the best Anime arcs:

ArcAnime Name
The Hideout RaidMy Hero Academia
Enies LobbyOne Piece
Grace Field House EscapeThe Promised Neverland
The Everlasting Contract Re:Zero
Return to ShinganshinaAttack On Titan
Best Arcs from famous Animes

What is an Arc in Anime?

An arc is a series of checkpoints that signify the conclusion of a single sub-storyline in Anime and Manga.

These are in-depth stories that tell about an event or period that the main character (usually) encounters when things get tough and how they deal with it.

This video covers the Top 10 Greatest Arcs in Anime

The villain in the majority of the shounen series’ story arcs always gets the main protagonists into difficulties.

Leveling up before the main characters encounter the major boss might be seen as a barrier. Of course, this is a broader illustration. A villain or even hardship is not always necessary for a tale arc.

These storylines could also involve the characters working toward a goal, such as overcoming an obstacle, improving their skills, or developing a romance.

Generally speaking, it designates a crucial stage in the characters’ journey. Let’s have a look at some of the best story arcs in the Anime world.

The Hideout Raid Arc (My Hero Academia)

Every hero’s journey has a turning point where the central figure must reevaluate their progress and what is genuinely important to them.

It’s like that for every character involved in the hideout raid narrative. The main objective is to break into the criminals’ lair and rescue the student who was taken hostage earlier in the story arc. 

The twin issues that viewers get to observe from both the teachers’ and the kids’ perspectives make this story arc compelling.

It’s fantastic to rely on All Might, but it can’t go on forever. With or without All Might, the pupils and other teachers all take a position to speak for themselves and engage in combat.

My Hero Academia’s Plot

It is about a dream to become a hero and save people from villains in a world where everybody had superpowers (referred to as Quirks).

Izuku Midoriya is a young person without a quirk who aspires to be a hero. He looks up to the Japanese Super Hero known as “All Might.”

Izuku dreams of becoming a great hero.

He loses hope when he learns he can no longer become a hero.

One day, a villain captures his pal, Bokugo. Midoriya heroically takes the initiative to protect his companion from evil when everyone else hesitates to do so.

All Might awarded Midoriya his Quirk after observing his generosity in helping others.

Midoriya was even assisted by All Might in enrolling in a superhero academy where future superheroes are created.

The journey to becoming a hero and saving the world begins from there.

Because Midoriya was previously so unable to win a fight, Bokugo, another major character, dislikes him.

He struggles with ego and suffers from a severe god complex, which is a major theme in My Hero Academia.

Enies Lobby Arc (One Piece)

The Enies Lobby Arc is the third chapter of the Water 7 Saga and the sixteenth overall in the Manga and Anime series One Piece. 

To save Nico Robin and Franky, the Straw Hats, Sogeking, the Franky Family, and the shipwrights of the Galley-La Company board Rocketman and arrive at Enies Lobby.

However, the World Government’s military, especially its lethal assassin group CP9, stands in their way.

When Sogeking shoots down the World Government’s flag as part of Luffy’s declaration of war against it, a fierce struggle breaks out between the two sides.

The ninth island the Straw Hat Pirates come upon on the Grand Line is Enies Lobby. Since practically all of the Straw Hats gain strength in some form during this arc, it also acts as a point of advancement for each of them.

The Straw Hats bid their cherished ship, the Going Merry, adieu during this storyline.

One Piece’s Plot

Monkey D. Luffy, a young man made of rubber, sets out from the East Blue Sea in search of the legendary treasure known as the One Piece to establish himself as the King of the Pirates.

He is motivated by his childhood hero, the ruthless pirate Red-Haired Shanks.

Luffy saves and befriends a pirate hunter and swordsman named Roronoa Zoro to form his crew, the Straw Hat Pirates, and the two of them go out in pursuit of the titular treasure.

A money-obsessed thief and navigator named Nami, a sniper and compulsive liar named Usopp, and a twisted but gallant cook named Sanji accompany them on their adventure.

They purchase the Going Merry and engage in combat with infamous East Blue pirates on board.

Grace Field House Escape Arc (The Promised Neverland)

Between some of the orphans in Grace Field House and the Grace Field caregivers and devils controlling the Premium Farms, the Escape from Grace Field House is a crucial event.

After Conny’s death, which immediately sparked the escape, Ray, Emma, and Norman devised a plan to flee while gathering several older orphans in Grace Field.

However, their escape plan was rivaled and thwarted by Isabella and Krone, each of whom had their reasons for wanting to stop them.

The first occurrence in the current timeline of The Promised Neverland is The Escape from Grace Field House. It begins in Chapter 1 and ended in Chapter 37 of the Manga. Massacre of Glory Bell Escapees and The Search for Shelter B06-32 come before and after the tragedy, respectively.

The Promised Neverland’s Plot

Emma, an 11-year-old orphan residing in the self-contained Grace Field House orphanage with 37 other children, is pleasant and upbeat.

They enjoy a carefree existence with plenty of food, comfortable beds, sparkling clothes, games, and Isabella’s affection as their “Mom”.

Their education is valued as a crucial component of their growth, and Emma consistently performs well in the required tests alongside her two closest friends, Norman and Ray.

Except for venturing past the boundary wall or gate that separates the residence from the outside world, the orphans are given complete freedom.

Conny is sent away one evening to be “adopted,” but Emma and Norman come after her with her beloved stuffed animal.

They learn the real reason they are here in this gorgeous orphanage—to be reared as demons’ meat—when they find Conny dead at the gate.

Norman is taken away to be “adopted” while Emma and Norman plot to flee Grace Field House with the kids.

Then, deciding to leave half of the younger kids behind, Emma and Ray decide to go with some of their older siblings.

The escapees discover that life outside Grace Field House is dangerous, but under Emma and Ray’s guidance, they decide to go back to release their other siblings and kids from the other Farms.

Demons of different kinds, such as Mujika and Sonju, who assist them in their search, are encountered by them.

Later, Emma, Ray, and Norman reunite and struggle for freedom alongside their allies against the demon queen Legravalima and the human Peter Ratri, who oversees the Farms.

Emma eventually achieves the children’s liberation and re-creates “The Promise,” bringing them all to the human world, but only at the expense of her memories.

The Everlasting Contract (Re:Zero)

Although Groundhog Day isn’t particularly renowned for its suspense, the idea of being stuck in a time loop has the potential to be excruciatingly painful.

Re:Zero expertly transforms this notion into a natural form of fridge-horror purgatory as viewers watch the protagonist fall short of saving his companions or himself in a variety of situations. 

The series of episodes when Subaru keeps dying and resurrecting but can’t figure out what’s killing him and why he can’t escape it are particularly tense.

Eventually, spectators expect horrible death at every turn, just like Subaru did.

Re:Zero’s Plot

NEET Subaru Natsuki is unexpectedly transported to fantastical surroundings.

He is slain shortly after arriving while attempting to aid Emilia, a young half-elf he befriends and who is running to succeed him as king of the Kingdom of Lugunica, only to resurrect hours later.

After experiencing a few deaths, Subaru discovers that he has the ability to change the past.

Subaru settles down as a butler at one of the Roswaal Mathers’ mansions after successfully assisting Emilia.

Subaru uses his abilities to protect Emilia and support her in her to be chosen as the next queen.

He helps his friend although he himself suffers from the pain he experiences every time he dies. He carries the memories of everything that occurred before his power was activated, which is forgotten by everyone but him.

The Everlasting Contract (Re:Zero) is one of the best-ranked Anime arcs.

Return to Shinganshina (Attack On Titan)

Suspense plays a big part in Attack On Titan to keep viewers interested. Even though some characters believe they are immune to death, they don’t believe they are immune to physical or mental harm because the stakes are so high.

Because fans grow accustomed to expecting the worst, the worst should eventually stop being shocking. 

However, the Return to Shinganshina arc, which takes place three seasons into a long-running series, is one of the most trying in Anime history.

The episodes Perfect Game, Hero, and Midnight Sun make up a horrifying mini-arc that culminates in players having to choose between saving Erwin or Armin.

Attack On Titan’s Plot

Attack On Titan is set in a world where people reside in cities that are encircled by giant walls that shield them from Titans, enormous humanoids that consume people seemingly for no apparent reason.

The plot revolves around Eren Jaeger and his childhood friends Mikasa Ackermann and Armin Arlelt, whose lives are irrevocably altered when a Colossal Titan appears, causing their hometown to be destroyed and Eren’s mother to pass away.

Eren’s encounter with a Titan.

Eren, Mikasa, and Armin enlist in the Scout Regiment, an elite unit of troops who engage in Titan combat outside the Walls, swearing to exact revenge and to take back the world from the Titans.

What exactly is training arc anime?

Training arcs are an unavoidable byproduct of anime’s long-term action storytelling. Rather than a single opponent who represents a set level of difficulty, long-running manga, and anime are constantly introducing new adversaries, each of whom must feel more dangerous than the last.

One useful strategy is to view training as a vehicle for personal development rather than just a mechanical endeavor. The best training arcs frequently mirror the nature of their participants in some basic way, as they address not only a physical regimen but also their own emotional deficiencies.

Characters can grow in emotionally important ways by battling their inherent shortcomings, making the acceptance of new physical strength that easier.

What is an anime filler arc?

The term “filler” refers to a tale in an anime that did not appear in the manga.

These are produced as a result of Anime production occasionally outpacing Manga creation. Fillers do not advance the plot and are often of poor aesthetic and narrative quality.

Even though it is part of the anime canon, the unique content, the Filler, is considered as departing from the source canon. It’s considered filler since it rarely drives things forward because it’s spliced in and can’t change anything without interfering with the source canon. A filler, for example, cannot really murder off characters that appear later in the source material.

Conclusion

  • A story arc is a prolonged or ongoing plot line found in narrative media like television, comic books, comic strips, board games, video games, and movies. Several episodes of the television show would be dedicated to the story’s development.
  • The villain in the majority of the shounen series’ story arcs always gets the main protagonists into difficulties.
  • A few of the best-ranked Anime arcs include The Everlasting Contract (Re:Zero), The Hideout Rade Arc (My Hero Academia), and Return to Shinganshina (Attack On Titan).

Other Articles

Click here to view the visual Story version of this article.

Scroll to Top
Skip to content