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An anime rescue arc typically portrays a rescue mission launched when someone like a family member, or a very important person, like a President or Prime Minister, is kidnapped or held hostage. In such cases, the heroes usually need to move quickly before a certain timeframe, or else the hostages die or the villain executes some other heinous plan involving the heroes' loved ones. Furthermore, there's also usually a big fight with the main villain at the end.
Not every anime rescue arc goes smoothly or fully according to plan. Sometimes heroes die in the attempt, and sometimes, the villain is a sore loser and attempts to kill everyone. The former is seen in Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders and the latter was evident in All for One's rampage in the Hideout Raid Arc of My Hero Academia.
Whatever the case may be, fans can usually expect anime rescue arcs to go hard on the action, character development, and potential romance if a love interest is involved.
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Disclaimer: The following article will contain spoilers for all the anime, and anime rescue arcs covered. All opinions are exclusive to the author.
Several of the greatest anime rescue arcs of all time
1) Sasuke Retrieval Arc (Naruto)
A subversion of the typical anime rescue arc tropes is the Sasuke Retrieval Arc from Naruto. Sasuke left to join Orochimaru of his own free will, yet Naruto and others saw that as a mistake, since Orochimaru was known to use people and discard them like trash. Sasuke sought revenge against Itachi above all else, which caused him to cast aside his friends in Team 7 and try to kill them.
This anime rescue arc is considered iconic because it involves several different iconic fight scenes: Shikamaru's team all fighting the Sound Four, Rock Lee (and later Gaara) fighting Kimmimaro, and the first Naruto vs. Sasuke fight at the Final Valley. It was a great showing of each person's abilities.
Though the mission failed, as Sasuke was able to limp away from the fight with Naruto, the deaths of the Sound Four and Kimmimaro deprived Orochimaru of potential hosts and spies. The Sand Siblings showing up also saved the lives of Shikamaru's team, and the event pushed Naruto and others to train harder.
2) Stardust Crusaders (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure)
It's not every day that an entire volume of an anime counts as an anime rescue arc, but Jojo's Bizarre Adventure makes it work. Jotaro Kujo's mother, Holly, is dying due to a Stand manifesting within her, forced upon her by the reborn vampire Dio. Together with the titular Stardust Crusaders, Jotaro journies to Egypt to kill Dio and rescue his mother.
Stardust Crusaders is the longest story arc of the entirety of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, spanning over 150 manga chapters and 48 anime episodes. It's so big, that the anime split it into two 24-episode seasons. As for why it's considered one of the greats in terms of anime rescue arcs, it's because of the premiere of Stands and the popularity of the characters.
The arc feels like an adventure, going from Japan to Egypt with Holly's fate hanging in the balance. Despite the success of this venture, it wasn't without cost. Half the Stardust Crusaders, specifically Advol, Kakyoin, and Iggy, die in the final parts of the arc, but they don't die in vain as Dio is killed permanently and Holly makes a full recovery.
3) Duelist Kingdom (Yu-Gi-Oh!)
Most anime rescue arcs involve only one person in danger. The Duelist Kingdom arc in the original Yu-Gi-Oh! anime involves four. After losing a duel to Maximillion Pegasus, owing to the Millennium Eye allowing Pegasus to cheat via mind reading, Yugi Moto and friends are forced to head to the Duelist Kingdom to rescue several different people from Pegasus' grasp.
The people in danger are:
- Yugi's grandfather, Solomon Moto, who had his soul stolen by Pegasus after a rigged game against Yugi.
- Seto Kaiba's younger brother, Mokuba Kaiba, who was kidnapped by Pegasus to force Seto to duel him. His soul gets taken later by Pegasus.
- Seto Kaiba, whose soul is stolen by Pegasus after losing a duel against him.
- Joey Wheeler's sister, Serenity Wheeler, who is in danger of permanently losing her eyesight. Joey is at the Duelist Kingdom to use the prize money to afford surgery for her.
Although there are bumps along the way, including Seto attempting to force Yugi to kill him and Yugi and Joey having to duel each other, the Duelist Kingdom arc stands as a successful anime rescue arc as the heroes triumph and everyone is saved. The arc also has repercussions throughout the series, starting Seto's redemption and the mystery of the Pharoh's identity.
4) Zoldyck Family arc (Hunter x Hunter)
Hunter x Hunter's Zoldyck Family arc fits a traditional anime rescue arc, with Killua Zoldyck being kidnapped and held by his own family in their labyrinthine mansion. Gon and their friends have to go rescue him, being subject to many perils, tricks, and challenges along the way.
What separates this anime rescue arc from others is how the situation resolves itself. Despite Gon and his friends going through increasingly difficult obstacles and fights, Killua's story with his family is what takes priority. What makes it interesting is how Killua ends up rescuing himself from the situation, or more accurately, is let go.
There's no massive fight with the main villain of the arc at the end, and the only huge problems are the family ones that Killua has to resolve on his own. While Gon and the others are waylaid at every turn, Killua leaves with them after a serious heart-to-heart with his father about what he wants to be and swearing not to betray his friends.
5) The Soul Society arc (Bleach)
Ichigo Kurosaki being beaten to within an inch of his life by Byakuya closed off the introductory arc of Bleach and began what's considered Bleach's best arc before the Thousand Year Blood War started. The Soul Society arc fits all the hallmarks of an anime rescue arc, with plenty of reasons why it's seen as great.
The first reason is the scenario itself: Rukia gets taken back to Soul Society to be executed, which to Ichigo is a kidnapping and hostage crisis. The villains are set up as those that believe in, or are bound by shinigami law like Renji or Byakuya, and they all stand between Ichigo rescuing Rukia.
The events of the arc not only save Rukia from execution, but likewise give way to the true villain of Bleach: Aizen. Aizen's attempt to kill Rukia is fortunately cut short, but the fact that everything was part of Aizen's plans makes everyone quickly forget Rukia's crimes and start tracking him down.
6) The Shibuya Incident (Jujutsu Kaisen)
Jujutsu Kaisen's Shibuya Incident arc is another seemingly straightforward rescue mission that goes completely awry thanks to circumstances, tricks, and traps beyond the heroes' control. What started as a hostage crisis with Shibuya citizens being held at Shibuya Station would change jujutsu society forever.
The plot is that several thousand people found themselves trapped in the Shibuya Underground on Halloween, all with the same request: send Satoru Gojo to save them. Gojo goes in, only to find a trap waiting for him set by the Disaster Curses. Despite killing Hananmi and destroying thousands of mutated humans in little over 5 minutes, Gojo was captured and sealed in a prison realm.
The Shibuya Incident then became a two-part mission: destroy all the barriers that had been set up, and save Satoru Gojo. The first part succeeded, as all the barriers keeping people hostage were destroyed. The second part was a failure owing to Sukuna being unleashed, the heroes being overwhelmed, and Kenjaku unleashing millions of curses.
7) The Entertainment District Arc (Demon Slayer)
A more covert anime rescue arc was Demon Slayer's Entertainment District arc. After the twisted, dream-induced craziness that was the Mugen Train arc, the Entertainment District Arc felt more grounded by contrast. Even though this arc would result in a district being destroyed, it still counted as a success.
Several people went missing in the entertainment district of Yoshiwara, Tokyo, including the Sound Hashira Tengen Uzui's three wives. Tengen recruited Tanjiro, Nezuko, Inosuke, and Zenitsu to accompany him in rescuing them and possibly killing a demon they had been gathering intelligence on.
While the fights get bombastic enough to destroy the entire district at the end, the five do manage to rescue the kidnapped women and slay the two demons. This arc shows Nezuko's powers continuing to increase, how the heroes have grown since they started, and how the demons are getting increasingly tougher.
8) The D-Reaper Arc (Digimon: Tamers)
The Digimon franchise has had several rescue missions launched, but the D-Reaper Arc is notable for being a rather harrowing mission in Digimon Tamers. While Digimon Tamers didn't involve the Digital World aspect as much as the first two series did, it makes a hard comeback when the D-Reaper kidnaps Jeri Katou.
Following Leomon's death at the hands of the newly evolved Beelzebumon, Jeri sank into depression, which allowed the D-Reaper to kidnap her and replicate her body. The arc deals with themes of intense guilt, redemption, and depression all at once, while trying to stop a truly evil villain that leeches off negative emotions.
This anime rescue arc serves as the finale to Digimon Tamers and is a dark arc to an already dark series. It involves looks into depression, and genocidal thoughts that the D-Reaper put into Jeri's head. It's also a rather bittersweet finale, as though Jeri is saved and the D-Reaper is defeated, the Digimon are all forced to return to The Digital World.
9) The Hideout Raid arc (My Hero Academia)
The Hideout Raid Arc in My Hero Academia has all the hallmarks of an anime rescue arc: two people kidnapped - one to be experimented on in Ragdoll's case, and the other asked to join the League of Villains or used as a bargaining chip in Bakugo's case. This triggers a massive rescue operation involving Pro Heroes and students alike, and a huge battle with the main villain at the end.
After formulating a haphazard plan with his classmates, Deku, Momo, Kirishima, Tenya, and Todoroki started tracking Nomu thanks to a device Momo created. This led them to one of the warehouses where Nomu was being produced just in time for the Pro Hero and police raid on the villain hideout to start.
What followed was a chaotic fight between the Pro Heroes and League of Villains that was swiftly interrupted by the arrival of All for One. While Bakugo and Ragdoll are both rescued, this anime rescue arc saw All Might fight All For One and win at the cost of being unable to fight again. This impacted My Hero Academia's story significantly, with All Might having to be replaced and things going downhill for the heroes in the aftermath.
10) Enies Lobby (One Piece)
One Piece has plenty of arcs that center around rescuing someone. Some, like Luffy's failed attempt to rescue Ace at Marineford, have a huge impact on the series and lead to a time skip. Enies Lobby is a fondly remembered anime rescue arc for many One Piece fans, so much so that it deserved an entry over Marineford.
Nico Robin wanted to die rather than be used or seen as a burden, as revealed in this arc. The Straw Hats all unleash new techniques like Luffy's Gear 2 and 3, Zoro's Nine Sword Style, and Nami's Perfect Clima-Tact.
Beyond this, several other memorable moments happen in this arc. Robin's "I want to Live!" speech happens here, the entire Straw Hat Crew are all declared enemies of the World Government after declaring war on them, and the Going Merry is destroyed at the end of the arc. The rescue too is successful.
11) Kazekage Rescue Arc (Naruto)
The Sasuke Retrieval Arc may have been a turning point in Naruto's story, but the Kazekage Rescue Arc fits the idea of an anime rescue arc better and has a lot of impact on the audience and the story. It's the first arc showing the post-time skip world, showing how much Naruto and Sakura, in particular, have grown, and how big a threat the Akatsuki were.
After a tremendous fight scene where the new Kazekage, Gaara, saves the Hidden Sand village from being nuked, he is kidnapped by Deidara and Sasori of the Akatsuki. From there, the Sand reaches out to the Hidden Leaf for aid. In this arc, the combined team of Team Kakashi, Team Guy, Temari, and Lady Chiyo had to fight through multiple barriers, clones, and the aforementioned Sasori and Deidara.
The fights helped sell the Akatsuki as a threat, requiring more than one person to vanquish. Highlights include Lady Chiyo's sacrifice to revive Gaara, Sakura fighting Sasori and helping to kill him, the debut of the Kamui technique, and the reveal of the Akatsuki's plans that helped set the stage for the remainder of Naruto: Shippuden.
12) The Saiyan Saga (Dragon Ball Z)
The very first arc of Dragon Ball Z started as a rescue mission. When Goku's brother, Raditz, kidnapped Goku's son, Gohan, it was up to Goku and his then rival-nemesis Piccolo to rescue him. Though the fight against Raditz was relatively short and resulted in Gohan being rescued, it also resulted in Goku's death.
As if Raditz wasn't enough of a problem, his dying warning about Vegeta and Nappa put everyone on edge and forced Goku to roam Snake Way and train with King Kai. After a year, the Z fighters were nearly all wiped out, Nappa was killed, Vegeta was sent running, and everyone had to journey to Planet Namek to revive the dead.
This anime rescue arc involves a lot of death that sets the stage for the rest of the series: the journey to Namek started after Piccolo died, Dr. Gero's robots gained data from Goku vs. Vegeta to construct Cell, Vegeta's character arc began when he was defeated, Gohan slowly became the deuteragonist following Goku's death, and more.
13) Royal Government Arc (Attack on Titan)
Attack on Titan has its fair share of anime rescue arcs, from the Clash of Titans arc, when Eren got kidnapped by Bertholdt and Reiner, to the Royal Government Arc, which saw Historia and Eren kidnapped by Kenny and Rob Reiss. The latter arc fundamentally changes the course of the series.
The Scouts find themselves on the run after discovering that Christa is Historia Reiss and therefore the rightful ruler of Paradis. Rob Reiss hires Kenny Ackerman and his gunslinger gang to kidnap Eren and Historia, which succeeds when the Scouts are ambushed and are forced to rescue the two.
The Royal Government Arc is not only the rescue of Eren and Historia, but all of Paradis from the tyrannical and secretive rule of the Church of the Walls. It results in Rob Reiss dead, Kenny dead, and the people of Paradis waking up to the truth. It also includes a lot of great action scenes like Kenny vs. Levi, and sets the stage for the final arc.
14) Rescue Yukina Arc (Yu Yu Hakusho)
Anime rescue arcs usually tend to span at least 10 episodes, if not more. Yu Yu Hakusho's Rescue Yukina Arc is barely four episodes but still has an impact on the story and Team Urameshi in particular. This arc is where Hiei really begins doing a 180 on being the "dark one" of Team Urameshi, starting to help them out more.
As with the Live Action adaptation, the plot is fairly straightforward for an anime rescue arc: Team Urameshi is summoned by Koenma to rescue a young ice mage named Yukina from a corrupt crime boss named Tarukane. At first, it's just Kuwabara, Yusuke, and Botan infiltrating the hideout, but Kurama and Hiei join in after.
The reason why it's a great anime rescue arc is simple: it premieres Hiei's long-lost sister, shows Kuwabara and Yusuke both defeating Younger Toguro as a way to show how far they came, and has the Toguro brothers premiere earlier than the Dark Tournament. It may only be four episodes, but has multifold repercussions.
15) Farewell, Shinsengumi Arc (Gintama)
Gintama might be seen as a comedic anime, but the Farewell, Shinsengumi Arc breaks the mold for the series. The new shogun Nobu Nobu begins to consolidate his power in the aftermath of the Shogun Assassination arc and the death of Shige Shige, and this spells a problem for everyone involved.
Both Kodou and Matsudaira are sentenced to death after the Shinsengumi are disbanded by Nobu Nobu. This doesn't sit well with Gintoki and the others in the Shinsengumi, and so they venture out to rescue them. The arc is considered one of Gintama's best and a turning point for the series.
As an anime rescue arc, it's considered a very good one owing to the many betrayals that happen in it. A lot of different character arcs and development come to the forefront and cement the series' turn, even killing off a few characters like Isaburo. The Shinsengumi are forced to leave Edo for safety reasons, but the rescue is successful.
To conclude, anime rescue arcs are prevalent mainly in Shonen anime, if this list is any indication. Sometimes an anime rescue arc goes completely sideways, like Jujutsu Kaisen's Shibuya Incident, but they often go about as smoothly as they can, given the circumstances. Many things can impact a rescue like the villain's powers or backup plans, but anime rescue arcs mostly succeed in saving the people they're meant to save.
