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5 Memorable Anime Arcs

Anime Arc

5 Amazing Anime Arcs

Trust me when I say this, I have been around ignorance long enough to know when the stupid is in play and honestly, I have had it enough with people condemning ‘anime’.

Below is the list of 5 story arcs (Anime Arcs) that can surpass your favorite TV show. These storylines displayed the apex of brilliance of the authors where they transcended the boundaries and evolved the show into something of a landmark.

1. Pain’s Assault Anime Arc

Pain Assault Anime Arc Main

Yes. This is #1 of my anime arcs list.

Why? Because I am biased when it comes to Naruto and you can all suck it.

Jokes aside, it deserves it.

Remember the first episode when Naruto flunked the graduation test for the third time and was all gloomy on that swing getting glared at by the villagers with the look of absolute contempt in their eyes?



Now remember the look he got when he saved the entire village from one of the most powerful enemies? That look alone is worth of all the praises.

2 Pain Assault Anime Arc

A stone is doing all the pumping if you didn’t break and ugly-cry like a kid during that episode.

Events that led up to this arc were as brutal as could be and I remember feeling that detestation for the antagonist but at the same time, I sympathized with him. He wasn’t a rebel without a cause. He had one and it was thoroughly justified. The conversations circling around love and hate reeled the viewers in. It was like the author grappled their attention by the throat and didn’t let go.

Everybody died and the entire fandom was thrown into the state of frenzy. I was hyperventilating the entire time myself because there was so much mystery and intrigue, so many unanswered questions and so much havoc that I can scour the whole dictionary and still wouldn’t find the right words to describe that intricate amalgam of emotions.

Pain Assault Anime Arc

Kakashi’s demise, Almighty Push, Naruto’s arrival, the Sage Mode, Hinata’s confession, one tail away from the complete takeover, Minato bringing Naruto back to sanity, final battle, the final confrontation and the list of awesomeness goes on and on.

If you try to look at it objectively, this arc is relatable to a whole new degree given how the world of Shinobi isn’t much different from the present world of ours.

 

2. Enies Lobby Anime Arc

Enies Lobby Anime Arc

Now I binge watched One Piece last year.

Yeah! Believe it.

794 episodes, done! It’s not like I have a life or anything.

It’s been 9 months and this arc still slithers at the back of my head like one insatiable snake.

East Blue Saga was just an introduction; Alabasta Saga was all civil war and coup d’etat, SkypieaSaga was all about the battle with an undefeatable enemy 10,000 meters above the land, but Water 7 Saga, was about the Strawhats rising to prominence in the world.

Pardon me for I am going to write to my heart’s content in this one.

The Saga kicks off with an immediate need to repair the irrevocable damage their ship has taken, which leads to a downright crisis when Strawhats’s money gets stolen and things quickly spiral out of control when they are framed for the assassination attempt on practically the President of the island.

Enies Lobby Anime Arc

This chaos is followed by the reveal of the government spies who are on the covert operation to retrieve the blueprints of one of the ancient weapons. One of the Strawhats, Nico Robin, let herself get apprehended for the sake of her friends and travels to ‘The Eneis Lobby’, one of the most secured government facilities in the One Piece world, with her captors where she awaits her execution. Little does she know that her friends are already on their way to save her.

We enter Eneis Lobby and, pardon my French here because my heart is actually spiking whilst writing this, THE SHIT HITS THE FUCKING FAN.

Enies Lobby Anime Arc

How hyped was the fandom when Luffy revealed Gear2 & 3?

How hyped was the fandom when Usopp burst the flag into flames and declared the war on the World Government?

How hyped was the fandom when Sanji revealed DiableJambe?

How hyped was the fandom when Zoro revealed the 9 Sword Style; Asura?

The battle ensues with a threat hoovering over everybody’s head, The Buster Call. A government code where Warships surround an island and unleash hell upon it in the form of continuous canon fire until everything is rubble and ashes.

This arc is the sheer stroke of genius and a roller coaster ride of emotions that will be chiseled in your memory forever.

Take a bow Oda! Take a bow!

3. Soul Society: The Rescue Story Anime Arc

Rescue Anime Arc

First 3 seasons of Bleach versus any shonen battle anime today, I will bet my money on Bleach, every single time.

This was unlike anything I have ever seen and trust me when I say; nostalgia is not even a factor here. It was just that good.

First season followed more of a procedural format but when this show entered the second season after Ichigo’s encounter with Byakuya, it puffed up like popcorn in a microwave.

Rescue Anime Arc

We got introduced to so many new characters, an entire realm actually. Now combine that with the coming of age art style of Tite Kubo and you get yourself a timeless masterpiece.

Profits practically flooded in. In fact, it became so popular in such a short time that it joined Naruto and One Piece as one of the pillars of the Jump Magazine and together they got dubbed as ‘The Big 3’.

But the editors at Jump somehow managed to screw this one up so bad! That’s a topic for another day.

Rescue Anime Arc

This piece is about the Rescue Arc where the events that went down were unprecedented at that time.Ichigo and Rukia Reunion, Yuruichi reveal, training with Zangetsu, the final battle of Ichigo and Byakuya and at last but definitely not the least, one of the most iconic betrayals in the history. Aizen should be put right beside Benedict Arnold because that’s how good it was.



One of the many reasons why it was such a spectacular display of Kubo’s prowess was that the characters in the show were just as surprised as the readers. Nobody saw it coming and yet it made perfect sense. It wasn’t a cop out; it wasn’t one of those out of the blue things that authors usually come up with to tie the plot together at the end.

NO! It was meticulously planned and staring us right in the face from episode 1 and yet it was perfectly hidden.

That element of surprise caught everyone off-guard and was a perfect build up to what was about to come.

This arc was the conclusion and the beginning at the same time.

 

4. Yorknew City Anime Arc

Yorknew City Anime Arc

Now listen to me before lashing out. There is a reason why this arc is in the list and Chimera Ant Arc isn’t.

So, I have been a little skeptical when I started HxH because a show getting dubbed as HiatusxHiatus is not a regular occurrence. I have been deterred by my friends way too much because of its infamy but few months back, I kind of took the leap of faith and man, was that one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life.

The reason I didn’t go with Chimera Ant Arc is because this was the arc where the world of HxH got turned upside down. We were under the impression that this is one happy adventure anime but we got our perception handed back to us all bruised and beaten up.

Yorknew City Anime Arc

We were still in the middle of fully comprehending the concept of Nen and along came this arc that blasted in our face like a shotgun.

Phantom Troupe was foreshadowed from episode 1 and they lived up to the hype. They came. They saw. They conquered what wasn’t theirs and fled.

We saw the character development of Kurapika that was clearly way more than we anticipated. It had every element of perfectness unlike Chimera Ant Arc where the narration occasionally felt like a snoozefest.

And I don’t think I can conclude this without mentioning one of my favorite soundtracks of all time.

RIOT!!

GO.ABSOLUTELY.CRAZY.

 

5. Shogun Assassination Anime Arc

Main Shogun Assassination Anime Arc

Woah! Would you look at that? How did this end up here? Someone who reeks of mainstream watches Gintama? That’s unheard of. You weren’t expecting that, were you?

Well I am a sucker for good shows.

Gintama is not the palate pleaser; it’s more of a palate cleanser. Not everyone would take a liking to this show and it’s perfectly understandable. I, myself, quit on this show three times before finally giving it a whirl. And let it be known, I have absolutely no regrets whatsoever.

It fluctuates from being the most laid back show ever to being the most violent. There is no in between.

When the first serious arc began after almost 50 filler episodes, my reaction was something like this:-

Shogun Assassination Anime Arc

Yeah! That’s the snapshot from the anime itself.

Now why Shogun Assassination Arc in particular is completely different deal?

Well, to put it simply, because it is the most awesome arc in the series. But also because in this arc, Gintama finally became what we knew it had the potential for. Had the author followed a distinctive storyline devoid of all the humor, it would have gone down as one of the best battle anime in history. But then again, it wouldn’t have been Gintama without all the gags.

At this point in the series, the fandom was practically on its knees begging for Gintoki versus Takasugi and we were finally awarded for our patience, which was virtually a miracle, given how the entire series walked a very tight rope throughout its run.

 

Complaints piled up and the studio had a hard time dealing with the uproar caused by all the adult and toilet humor taken one step too far but hey, all’s well that ends well.

Shogun Assassination Anime Arc

This arc was the ‘Curtains Up’ act to the main storyline and the series is probably heading towards its conclusion.

You may also like: Coco [2017] Movie Review

At the end of the day, Gintama is the F.R.I.E.N.D.S of anime world!

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Shubhankar Sharma

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