Top 10 Greatest Arcs in Anime

“JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders” (2014-15)
Okay, okay, its only a few episodes long but for gods sake how could we not include Dio freakin’ Brando! After so much searching, so many battles against Stand users, Jotaro and company finally find themselves taking on the Joestar Family’s greatest foe. Unfortunately for them, not only is Dio a vampire, but he possesses arguably the most powerful Stand. This all culminates in a brutal brawl as Jotaro struggles to finish what his ancestor started so many decades ago, a task made infinitely more difficult when faced with the time-stopping power of ZA WARUDO!

“Gintama” (2006-)

While this exceptionally extensive franchise has managed to fine tune the art of parody and satire to a T, it’s worth noting that when Gintoki and the others want to, they end up creating some of the most brutal and exhilarating fight scenes in all of anime. Which is pretty much the reason why this arc manages to stand above its many others. With the Shogun’s life on the line, Gin finally settles the score with his bloodthirsty former comrade Takasugi. Needless to say, they nearly tear each other to pieces in the process, and we couldn’t be happier.

“Yu-Gi-Oh: Duel Monsters” (2000-04)

Goes to show that with the right amount of tension, pacing and crazy characters even a children’s card game can be epic! With the arrival of the villainous Marik, his Rare Hunters and the insanely awesome Egyptian God Cards, the series takes everything great about the duelist kingdom arc and took it to new heights. With a shadow game around every turn, plenty of unfortunate duellists losing their souls, the much-anticipated rematch between Yugi and Kaiba, as well as an intriguing antagonist, this was Duel Monsters at its finest.

“Rurouni Kenshin” (1996-98)

Two words; Makoto Shishio. The perfect foil to the remorseful Kenshin, the second Man Slayer was just what the series needed. Over time we were introduced to the pair’s differing ideologies on killing, love and life itself, all leading up to their destined fight, and boy oh boy does it not disappoint. Not only are the action scenes something to boast about, especially for a classic series, but the conclusion only solidifies why these two are icons. Now if only we could forget about season three.

“Yu Yu Hakusho” (1992-94)

Who doesn’t love a tournament arc? While various anime have managed to produce some stellar battles in this format, its fair to say that they’re all just chasing the shadow left behind by this demonic slugfest. As the death matches escalate, our favourite Spirit Detective and his allies find themselves engaging in everything from a good ol’ round of fisticuffs on a knife’s edge, all the way to a final bout with the near invulnerable Toguro. The boys all get a chance to shine here, with Hiei showing off the power of the Dragon of the Darkness Flame, Yusuke unlocking his true potential, even Kuwabara gets his own macho speech!

“Naruto: Shippuden” (2007-17)

Fuelled by vengeance, motivated by the desire to erase suffering, the knuckle-headed ninja and the leader of the Akatsuki were similar in more ways than they would have liked to admit. After decimating the Hidden Leaf Village, Pain and his Six Paths take on Naruto in a battle to decide the fate of the ninja world. Not only is the fight as explosive as you would have expected, but managed to make great use of the emotional tension left over from Jiraya’s death. Symbolic and action-packed, this was a clear example of this series at its best.

“Hunter x Hunter” (2011-14)

While you could easily say that everything that happened with the Phantom Troupe was more eventful, what made this arc so gratifying was its meditation on character. Not just for Gon, but regarding the series’ ultimate villain Meruem. As dark reflections of one another, this arc chronicled how the young Hunter and the King of the Ants came face to face with the cruelty of the world as well as where they stand as individuals. The short answer being as immeasurable engines of destruction. While the action may be limited, the fact the series contains the awesomeness that is Meruem vs. Netero and Gon vs. Pitou more than makes up for it.

“Bleach” (2004-12)

You have to give it to Bleach, it certainly went out of it’s way with it’s first major story arc and presented us with the perfect introduction to the militarised life that was Soul Society. As he desperately tries to save his friend Rukia from execution, Ichigo finds himself branding his blade against the combined might of the Gotei 13. From Ichigo’s fights with Kenpachi and Byakuya, all the way to the surprising reveal at the end, the fact there are too many awesome moments in this arc to count solidifies the “Soul Society” as one of anime’s best arcs.

“One Piece” (1999-)

Considering that this series is so good even some of the filler arcs shine, we really struggled to pin just one down, but eventually we had to relent and go with the time the Straw Hats declared war on the whole world. In order to save the life of fellow crewmate Robin, Luffy and the others end up facing off against the World Government’s deadliest assassins. As you might expect, the fight scenes here are off the chain!

Before we reveal our number one pick, here are a few honourable mentions.

Magnostadt
“Magi” series (2012-16)

Winter Cup
“Kuroko’s Basketball” (2012-15)

Grand Magic Games
“Fairy Tail” (2009-16)

“Dragon Ball Z” (1989-96)
The events on Planet Namek are what made this series the juggernaut that it is, primarily due to the actions of a certain tyrannical alien overlord. Where do we start? The Namekian massacre, the battle against the Ginyu Force, Vegeta’s lament, Goku turning into a Super Saiyan, some of the greatest moments in Dragon Ball are full on display here. Of course, we can’t dismiss the sheer magnetism of Frieza’s villainous charm. Who can forget about his marathon long battle with Goku on a dying planet or his untimely demise at his own hand? No matter the highs and lows that came after, to many this will always stand as the pinnacle.