5 shonen anime arcs that lived up to the hype (& 5 that were extremely disappointing)

Shonen anime arcs are a major part of the vast and diverse world of animated storytelling, as they greatly contribute to the overall success of the anime industry. Moreover, it also creates several memorable moments for the anime fans, who treasure these shonen anime arcs as the pinnacle of storytelling.

That said, there are often those shonen anime arcs that fail to live up to the hype, and end up disappointing fans patiently waiting for their release. This certainly is pretty common in the anime world, since it's a given that not all anime arcs will be equally great.

With that said, let us look at 5 shonen anime arcs that lived up to the hype, and 5 that were massive disappointments.

Disclaimer: This list is ranked in no particular order and contains the writer's opinions. Readers' discretion is advised.

5 shonen anime arcs that lived up to the hype

1) Shogun Assassination arc (Gintama)

The Shogun Assassination arc is one of the best shonen anime arcs (image via Bandai Namco Pictures)

Gintama, a comedy anime famous for its reputation of being serious when it wants to, brought to life one of the best shonen anime arcs of all time by adapting the long-awaited Shogun Assassination arc to the screens.

The Shogun Assassination arc is still hailed by many as one of the best anime arcs of all time. The events that transpired in this arc forever changed the course of the series, while also featuring the legendary showdown between Sakata Gintoki and Shinsuke Takasugi, the fallout of which had severe consequences for the characters of the series.

2) Return to Shiganshina arc (Attack on Titan)

Levi Ackerman as seen in the anime (image via WIT Studio)

Taking place in Attack on Titan season 3 part 2, the Return to Shiganshina arc consists of several unforgettable moments and some of the best fights in the entirety of the series. Despite featuring the deaths of several beloved characters, this arc marked humanity's first victory against the Titans and featured events that completely changed the entire course of the series.

The most memorable moment of this arc came when the Survey Corps, with Eren and humanity's strongest soldier, Levi, by their side, confronted the large army of Titans led by Zeke. Additionally, the brutal and epic showdown between Zeke and Levi was also one of the many reasons why the Return to Shiganshina arc is considered to be one of the best shonen anime arcs of all time.

3) The Shibuya Incident arc (Jujutsu Kaisen)

The Shibuya Incident is one of the greatest shonen anime arcs (image via MAPPA)

Following the adaptation of the highly-anticipated yet dreaded Shibuya Incident arc in Jujutsu Kaisen season 2, the narrative of the entire series took a dark and drastic turn. This arc witnessed death and destruction on an unprecedented level, as the entire city of Shibuya fell victim to the horrifying battles that literally burned the entire place down, leading to the deaths of thousands of innocent civilians.

Fans all over the world praised MAPPA animators for their hard work and dedication in bringing the Shibuya arc to life. It was a complete deviation from the cheerful and relatively hopeful vibes of the first season of the Jujutsu Kaisen anime, as it brought about several massive changes in the Jujutsu society as well.

4) Chimera Ant arc (Hunter x Hunter)

Meruem as seen in the anime (image via Madhouse)

The Chimera Ant arc is both the longest and the best arc of the Hunter x Hunter series. It quite literally brought about an impending sense of doom for the characters, as humanity seemed to be heading towards extinction following the awakening of the Chimera Ant King, Meruem.

During the arc, it was stated that the power levels of the Chimera Ants were ridiculously high, even dwarfing that of the protagonists' by a pretty huge margin. After Meruem defeated the strongest Hunter alive, it seemed like all hope was lost for humanity. That said, the arc concluded with the protagonists surprisingly emerging victorious against the monstrous creatures, despite suffering massive losses on their end.

5) Paranormal Liberation War arc (My Hero Academia)

The Paranormal Liberation War arc is one of the most memorable shonen anime arcs (image via Bones)

Despite being weighed down by a rather underwhelming fifth season, the sixth season of the My Hero Academia anime managed to turn things around by adapting one of the most hyped-up arcs of the series, i.e. the Paranormal Liberation War arc.

As Tomura Shigaraki managed to get hold of an enormous amount of power, courtesy of All For One, the stakes were at an all-time high as the Pro Heroes faced off against the League of Villains in an epic clash that forever changed the world.

This arc is highly regarded by the fans as the best arc of the series so far, as it not only ended with the Heroes suffering a devastating defeat for the very first time, but also showcased the heartbreaking fallout of the war, and the effect it had on the Hero society.

Also read: Are Tenko Shimura and Tomura Shigaraki the same person?

5 shonen anime arcs that highly disappointed the fans

1) The Final arc (Death Note)

Light's death was extremely underwhelming in Death Note (image via Madhouse)

Death Note is hailed as one of the best anime series ever created, and for good reason. The battle of wits between Light and L is still considered to be one of the most engaging rivalries in the world of anime.

However, ever since L met his end at the hands of Light, a lot of fans lost interest in the series. Additionally, the final arc saw Light kick the bucket in a pretty underwhelming fashion, which became another reason for fans' resentment towards the final arc of Death Note.

2) Bount arc (Bleach)

Bleach's Bount arc is one of the most boring shonen anime arcs (image via Pierrot)

The Bount arc of the renowned Bleach anime was met with universal criticism and disappointment, as it became one of the most hated shonen anime arcs.

This arc introduced the Bounts, a race of artificially created humans who possess immortality and powers through their consumption of human souls. However, Bleach completely dropped the ball with this arc, seeing as to how it is nothing more than 40 episodes of bad filler. Furthermore, the villains were rather uninteresting and lacked any form of individuality and originality.

3) Eclipse Celestial Spirits arc (Fairy Tail)

Gray Fullbuster as seen in the anime (image via Satelight, A-1 Pictures)

Considering that the Fairy Tail anime consists of about 328 episodes, a few filler arcs here and there are to be expected. That said, no filler arc was as pointless as the Eclipse Celestial Spirits arc, which certainly had the potential to be good due to an interesting premise.

However, it missed the mark quite miserably due to its focus on unnecessary and some rather uninteresting things, particularly the infamous dance-off scene.

4) Tenchi Bridge Mission arc (Naruto: Shippuden)

Sasuke as seen in the anime (image via Pierrot)

The Tenchi Bridge Mission arc of Naruto: Shippuden is in general, considered one of the most boring and unnecessary arcs of the series. It saw Team 7 arriving at the Tenchi Bridge to find Sasuke, alongside new characters like Sai and Yamato.

However, this arc was riddled with several issues, with poor pacing and the questionable reception of the new characters being some of the main ones. It's safe to say that this arc isn't exactly held in high regard by the fanbase.

5) The Garlic Jr. Saga (Dragon Ball Z)

The Garlic Jr. Saga is deemed to be one of the worst shonen anime arcs (image via Toei Animation)

Dragon Ball Z's Garlic Jr. Saga came directly after the Frieza Saga, which meant that fans had to sit through this arc before they got to know about Goku's fate, following the destruction of Namek.

Considering that this arc was meant to be a filler arc due to the unavailability of sufficient source material at the time, to say that it was met with criticism and disappointment would be an understatement. As such, the Garlic Jr. Saga remains one of the most hated shonen anime arcs of all time.

Final thoughts

As evident from this list, there have been several shonen anime arcs that have uplifted the world of anime, while there have also been those that heavily disappointed the viewers. However, that's not to say that there aren't people who enjoy the latter as well since it is all but a matter of opinion among the fanbase.

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