10 iconic shonen anime arcs that exceeded everyone's expectations

Shonen anime arcs have always been some of the most iconic in anime history. Arcs like Dragon Ball Z's Cell Saga, Yu Yu Hakusho's Dark Tournament arc, and Bleach's Soul Society arc have been immortalized as some of the best in anime.

Plot decisions, the series' reputation and popularity, production choices, and additional details such as sound design and storyboarding all play crucial roles in elevating an arc to a new realm compared to the original manga material.

However, comparing the manga and its adaptation allows us to identify arcs that have exceeded fans' expectations set by the manga.

Disclaimer- This article contains minor spoilers for the Demon Slayer, One Piece, Jujutsu Kaisen, and Attack on Titan series.

Katana Man, Entertainment District, and 8 other iconic shonen anime arcs

1) Chainsaw Man Katana Man arc

Denji as shown in the anime (Image via MAPPA)

Although the entirety of the Chainsaw Man anime ended up being deemed a bad adaptation by most of its fandom, its production still stands as one of the most cinematic ones to come out in recent days. While this arc in the manga was one of the first moments of actual dread, the sound design used in the anime adaptation, along with the dynamic angles and storyboarding, made the entire arc a cinematic experience that hadn’t been seen in most anime before.

2) Demon Slayer: Entertainment District arc

Tengen as shown in the anime (Image via Ufotable)

Demon Slayer: Entertainment District Arc came out in late 2021 and marked the third season of the anime. Although Tengen’s lifestyle and actions caused a few controversies in the fandom, the final fight and the overall adaptation quality elevated every single panel from the source material.

The final fight between Gyutaro and Tengen and the entire arc is still regarded as one of the best-animated Shonen anime arcs and is held in high regard as a gold standard in animation.

3) Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War

Ichigo as shown in the anime (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Bleach TYBW arc’s anime adaptation was eagerly anticipated by Bleach fans for a very long time, especially due to the scarcity of Bleach-related content after the original anime and the manga’s ending. While the production quality of this Shonen anime arc remains a strong point, the additional scenes and more anime-original content, like Senjumaru’s Bankai, elevated the entire arc to an entirely new level compared to the manga.

4) Hunter x Hunter: Chimera Ant arc

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The Chimera Ant arc has been immortalized as one of the best shonen anime arcs. Although the actual story of the arc along with the world-building and character depth played the biggest part of it, the fight choreography along with the numerous memorable soundtracks managed to elevate the entire arc way above the manga experience.

5) One Piece: Marineford arc

Iconic anime arcs: Marineford arc (Image via Toei Animation)

One Piece's Marineford arc still stands as one of the most impactful shonen anime arcs. Although the entire arc was heavily censored during its adaptation, the amount of anime-original sequences, including Whitebeard's confrontation with the Marines as well as the cinematic adaptation of Luffy falling from the sky to confront the Admirals ended up pushing this shonen anime arc to new heights.

6) Naruto Shippuden: Pain's Assualt arc

Naruto and Sasuke as shown in the anime (Image via Studio Pierrot)

The Pain Invasion arc still stands as one of Naruto’s best arcs due to the story. Many subtle animation changes hugely contribute to its becoming immortalized as one of the best Shonen anime arcs. This arc was the first to deliver a mature and serious take on Naruto, who had just experienced the loss of Jiraiya and had returned to his village after training to obtain Sage Mode.

The numerous simplistic panels with frames that lacked detail, along with the fluid and smooth animation, elevated the already impressive manga arc.

7) Dragon Ball Super: Tournament of Power arc

Iconic shonen anime arcs: The Tournament of Power arc (Image via Toei Animation)

The Dragon Ball Super: Tournament of Power still remains one of the only anime in recent times to have broken the internet multiple times during the airing of the same arc.

Although the arc’s production quality saw lows and highs throughout its run, the final fight between Goku and Jiren reached hype levels similar to actual boxing matches and managed to immortalize this arc as one of the most iconic shonen anime arcs.

8) Attack on Titan: Return to Shiganshina arc

Levi as shown in the anime (Image via Studio WIT)

While the actual plot reveals played a major part in this arc's popularity, the art direction, sound design, and dynamic animation behind the Levi vs. Beast Titan battle ended up elevating this arc to such heights that fans began claiming this was indeed the peak of Attack on Titan and that the story should have ended at this point.

9) Jujutsu Kaisen: Shibuya Incident arc

Iconic shonen anime arcs: The Shibuya Incident arc (Image via MAPPA)

Jujutsu Kaisen's Shibuya Incident arc ended up being one of the most popular of the numerous shonen anime arcs released in recent times. While the overall hype and discussion around the episodes could be matched by anime like Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, the numerous movie references, anime-original content, and innovative paneling made this one of the most hyped and impressive adaptations of a manga in recent times.

10) My Hero Academia: Final War arc

Endeavor as shown in the anime (Image via Studio Bones)

The production issues of My Hero Academia have been a topic of discussion within the fandom ever since the subpar adaptation of the Paranormal Liberation Arc was released.

Although many fans expressed their desires for a higher quality adaptation in later seasons, the announcement of the My Hero Academia: You’re Next movie and its concurrent production with the Final War arc of the anime raised many concerns.

However, the production quality of the Final War arc managed to surpass most of the fandom’s expectations due to its meticulous and accurate adaptation, despite being produced at the same time as the You’re Next movie.

Final thoughts

While the length and actual plot of Shonen anime arcs serve a huge role in their popularity and overall quality, the production including animation, storyboarding, and sound design is what actually helps elevate the overall viewing experience compared to their manga counterparts.