10 anime arcs where the strongest character was taken out of the story

Often in an anime arc, the main protagonist or strongest character will save everyone else when they're in crisis. The villain will be defeated, the hostages freed, and the day saved. The main character is usually the strongest, so everyone knows they're in good hands.

But that doesn't last in many anime arcs. Sometimes the strongest character can be waylaid or stalled, sometimes they're dead or suffering from a virus that keeps them out of action. Whatever the case may be, the fact remains that plenty of anime like Jujutsu Kaisen or Dragon Ball Z have anime arcs where the strongest character is out of action.

This can change the story drastically. From the heroes having to band together to the villains nearly winning, many things happen in anime arcs where the strongest character is absent.

Disclaimer: The following article will contain major spoilers for all anime listed. All opinions are exclusive to the author.

10 anime arcs where the strongest character disappears and leads to major changes

1) Ramona Flowers: Ace Detective (Scott Pilgrim Takes off)

Ramona's detective story anime arc encompasses the entire show (Image via Science Saru)

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off asks a very important question as part of its entire anime arc: What happens when Scott disappears from the story? The answer is that Ramona Flowers takes over the story, with her and the rest of the cast taking center stage. The resulting story is one of closure for many of the characters, particularly the Evil Exes.

Everyone gets a better showing, from humanizing the Exes to Ramona understanding that running at the first sign of trouble isn't good. Knives Chau came to understand that Scott was a bad boyfriend and that she could do better, and even joined Scott's band. Others included Julie falling in love with Gideon and Matthew Patel becoming a musical sensation.

Everyone living their best lives in this anime arc (Image via Science Saru)

This meshes better with the comics than the movie did, as the movie flattened the story into Scott vs.The Evil Exes. Although the anime arc is missing several characters, it makes sense that some like Scott's ex, Lisa Miller, wouldn't show up when Scott is absent from the story. It also gives more time to Ramona than the movie did, letting the audience see her perspective.

While Scott does reappear, it's only in the last two episodes, and he learns his lesson early about being a better person. Fighting one's extremely toxic future self tends to beat the point into one's head. Scott's vanishing resulted in a therapeutic experience for many of the characters vs. the year-long problems that resulted from him not facing his issues in the comics.

2) The Hero Society collapses (My Hero Academia: Hideout Raid arc to Dark Hero arc)

My Hero Academia's hideout raid anime arc (Image via Studio Bones)

The Hero Society in My Hero Academia had a lot of faults, but All Might being The Symbol of Peace wasn't one of them. As a whole, the emergence of Quirks and the superhuman society was a net positive for a long time. Unfortunately, when one person is put on that big of a pedestal it becomes hard to maintain.

All Might's retirement following the Hideout Raid arc changed everything. While Class 1-A and the pros were able to stop Overhaul, Mirio lost the use of his Quirk and Sir Nighteye died. Endeavor struggled as an unpopular replacement. The Villains, meanwhile, managed to regroup and bolster their numbers by absorbing the Meta Liberation Army into their ranks and gaining Gigantomachia's allegiance.

Several negatives of All Might's retirement throughout My Hero Academia (Image via Studio Bones)

The raid on the Paranormal Liberation Army's compound in the anime arc The Paranormal Liberation War was successful in arresting thousands of the assembled villains. Unfortunately, the heroes were caught between Shigaraki being possessed by All for One and the aftermath of Gigantomachia’s rampage through several cities to reach the battlefield, and suffered tremendous losses.

The death of 19 heroes and several hundred civilians, the destruction of several cities, and the subsequent mass breakout of criminals from Tartarus led to the heroes being overwhelmed. Many opted to retire, but others like Class 1-A persevered. Even when Japan went to hell, the heroes of Class 1-A and the remaining pros, including All Might, pressed on into The Final War to stop All for One.

3) The Dragon Team steps up (Dragon Ball Z: The Android Saga)

Dragon Ball Z's Android Saga anime arc: Goku's ordeal (Image via Toei Animation)

Although the Dragon Team stepped up when Goku was otherwise occupied or dead, as in the Saiyan and Namek sagas, it was usually to stall for time until Goku arrived. This usually resulted in many deaths in the Saiyan saga, or barely hanging on in the Namek saga. This was the status quo for Dragon Ball Z until the Android Saga changed everything.

In the Android Saga anime arc, Goku is sick with a heart virus for most of the arc and is bedridden while battling it, thanks to Future Trunks' medicine. This forces the Dragon Team to go all out and they ensure Future Trunks' nightmare future doesn't come to pass. It results in the least bloody Dragon Ball Z arc, as only Future Trunks and Goku die at the end of the arc.

The Dragon Team steps up in this anime arc (Image via Toei Animation)

Several effects occurred as a result of Goku being out of the fight in this anime arc:

Gohan achieved Super Saiyan 2, killed Cell, and was practically the protagonist before the Buu Saga.
Vegeta became a Super Saiyan and killed Android 19, decided to raise Trunks, and quit fighting for years.
Yamcha survived getting pierced in the chest by Android 20 when he was previously killed by a Saibaman, and survived to see the end of the arc.
Tien held off Semi-Perfect Cell with repeated Tri-Beams when he got killed by Nappa easily before and also survived the arc.
Future Trunks was able to go back to his future and kill the androids and Cell in his time, likewise preventing Majin Buu's revival by killing Dabura and Babidi between Z and Super.
Androids 17 and 18 would both become better people after their revival, already not being as sadistic or cruel as in Trunks' future, with 18 marrying Krillin and 17 becoming a park ranger.
Piccolo fused with Kami and was able to go one-on-one with Android 17 and Imperfect Cell.
Dende was appointed Guardian of Earth and upgraded Shenron to grant three wishes.
Krillin wasn't beaten down by the androids, survived Cell, and married 18 afterward when he was priorly beaten to a pulp in the Saiyan Saga and killed in the Namek Saga.
Goku remained dead for years until late in the Buu saga.

This saga was a status quo breaker for Dragon Ball Z. The Dragon Team had to fend for themselves and did so as best they could. Even when Goku recovered, most of his time was spent training with Gohan in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. This helped to boost everyone else's character development and skills and resulted in a tenser story.

4) Yuji Itadori: Fugitive (Jujutsu Kaisen: The Shibuya Incident)

Jujutsu Kaisen’s Yuji Itadori had a target on his back ever since he consumed Sukuna’s finger to save Megumi from a cursed spirit. The Jujutsu higher-ups declared him a liability and target of execution, especially after Sukuna briefly took control of him. Only Satoru Gojo's words convinced them to not execute Yuji.

Even with that, however, Yoshinobu Gakuganji still conspired to have Yuji killed during the Kyoto Goodwill Event arc. The real tipping point was The Shibuya Incident, which had disastrous consequences for everyone. It was already hellish having many people trapped in the Shibuya underground, being consumed or turned into curses. The situation worsened when Gojo was sealed.

The anime arc that changed Jujutsu Kaisen (Image via Studio MAPPA)

Put simply: everyone lost except Kenjaku. Many of the older Jujutsu Sorcerors like Nanami and Naobito Zenin died, as did a lot of the assistant managers. Mechamaru died against Mahito, Nobara was put into a near-death state, Yuji's body was hijacked by Sukuna, and all the Disaster Spirits died including Jogo and Mahito.

Kenjaku released millions of curse spirits into Tokyo, resulting in it being declared a no man's land. In the aftermath, Yuji's stay of execution expired and he was chased by Yuta Okkotsu, the Zenin clan was wiped out by Maki, and Kenjaku's Culling Game began. While Gojo would eventually return, it would be a duel resulting in his death against Sukuna.

5) The Near Third Impact (Rebuild of Evangelion 3: You Can (Not) Redo)

The First and Second Impacts irrecoverably changed the Earth in Neon Genesis Evangelion. The First Impact seeded the Earth with life, that being humans, by complete accident since Lillith didn't intend to land on Earth. The Second melted the Antarctic ice caps, killing 2 billion people, and shifted the Earth's rotational axis to permanently alter the seasons and geography.

In Evangelion 2.0: You Can (Not) Advance, Shinji Ikari inadvertently starts the Third Impact by desperately trying to save Rei from The Tenth Angel. Meanwhile, Unit-01 continued evolving and started The Third Impact with a massive cross-shaped wave. Kaworu's timely arrival prevented it temporarily, but Rebuild of Evangelion 3: You Can (Not) Redo showed the mindboggling effects.

The Third Impact's impact in this anime arc (Image via Studio Khara)

The seas turned red and most of humanity vanished or died. Left behind were massive headless Evangelion bodies known as the Failures of Infinity. Shinji was sealed inside Eva Unit-01 for 14 years, orbiting Earth in a Tesseract, and was rescued by Mari and Asuka.

While many of the details of the missing 14 years aren't shown onscreen, there are context clues and dialogues to give an idea of what happened. NERV had a civil war that resulted in WLLE's foundation, Ryoji Kaji sacrificed himself to prevent the Third Impact from completing, Asuka lost an eye, and the remainder of humanity had to live in specialized communities as seen in Evangelion 3+1: Thrice Upon A Time.

6) The Black Knights decimated (Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion: R2)

Lelouch ambushed and captured in this anime arc (Image via Bandai Namco Filmworks)

The Brittanian Empire had been mercilessly slaughtering and annexing nations and people for years. Any resistance put up was quickly stomped out, especially in Japan aka Area 11. This changed when Lelouch Lamprouge (real name Lelouch vi Britannia) accidentally came across CC in a tube and was granted the power of Geass, and assumed the identity of Zero.

Under Zero's guidance, the Black Knights went from a fledging resistance to a full-blown army. While on the cusp of a victory during the first assault on the Tokyo Settlement, Lelouch was ambushed and captured by Suzaku and brought before Emperor Charles in defeat.

The Black Knights routed and reborn (Image via Bandai Namco Filmworks)

Lelouch's subsequent brainwashing and capture concluded Code Geass' first anime arc and left him out of the story for a year. During that time skip, the Black Knights' numbers dwindled to only a handful of people. Without Lelouch's cunning and strategic mind, Britannia effectively took control of Japan again.

It took well over a year until the Black Knights could locate and rescue Lelouch. In the interim, Nunally was made Viceroy of Area 11 and tried to reestablish the Special Exclusion Zone. Lelouch and the smaller crew of Black Knights were forced to flee to the Chinese Federation. It took some time to regroup, but the Black Knights would eventually return to Japan in force.

7) Everyone turns on Boruto (Boruto: Naruto the Next Generations: Omnipotence Arc to Two Blue Vortex's Boruto's Return arc)

The prelude anime arc to the conflict (Image via Studio Pierrot/Shueisha)

Boruto Uzumaki and his father Naruto didn't have the greatest relationship at the start of Boruto: Naruto the Next Generations. The two were constantly at odds, with Naruto being far too busy to get involved in his kids' lives. The aftermath of the Versus Momoshiki anime arc began changing their relationship, with Boruto beginning to respect Naruto more and Naruto spending more time with his family.

The addition of Kawaki following the battle against Kara and Isshiki Otsutsuki seemed to make things better. Boruto, Naruto, and Kawaki got along swimmingly, even with Kawaki's issues stemming from his abusive childhood making him distant and seemingly angry all the time.

Roles are reversed and time skips in the manga/anime arc (Image via Shueisha)

The simmering problems with Kawaki began to come to a boil during the Omnipotence arc. Kawaki decided the only thing he hated more than his Karma was the Ōtsutsuki in general. He thought Boruto was eventually going to be possessed by Momoshiki and tried to eliminate him. He sealed Naruto and Hinata away to prevent their interference, saying he'd gladly die after he achieved his goal.

Boruto's first part ended with Ada's Omnipotence activating and swapping everyone's memories of Kawaki's history with Boruto's. This made Boruto an outlaw. For well over three years, Boruto was forced on the run and had to dodge his former friends and family. Although having returned to help the village, Boruto and Kawaki have yet to fight and Naruto and Hinata are still sealed away.

8) The world nearly ends due to climate catastrophe (Pokémon the Movie 2: The Power of One)

The Legendary Birds, captured and clashing in this anime arc (Image via OLM, inc)

Upsetting nature's balance never works out in humanity's favor. This is especially true when the weather and seasons are controlled by massive birds as in Pokémon. The Legendary Birds Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres are normally balanced out by Lugia. They went into a frenzy when a Pokémon collector named Lawrence the Third set out to capture them.

This doesn't prove wise, as capturing them severely disrupts the entire world's climate. Among the climate catastrophes that occur are snow storms in summer in Pallet Town, tropical areas freezing over, sudden extreme storms on calm seas, and massive lightning storms. The climate imbalance is so severe that, according to a prophecy Lawrence is following to capture Lugia, it will end the world.

All the insane weather resulting from this anime arc (Image via OLM Inc)

The result is a race against time to play Lugia's song to calm the birds and aid Lugia. Lugia at first is overwhelmed by the combined Legendary Birds until Tracey, Misty, Ash, and Melody get all three Legendary Treasures to Shamouti Island's shrine and play Lugia's song to boost his power.

Lugia's song ends up aiding Lugia in calming the birds and ending the storms, powering Lugia up to disrupt the currents that were altering the climate and seeing the legendary birds home. Lugia would've been able to handle the situation if Lawrence hadn't insisted on capturing it.

9) The timeline for Stone Ocean changes (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean)

Jotaro incapacitated and returned in this anime arc (Image via David Production)

Time travel and timeline changes are major catastrophic elements in time travel media like Doctor Who, Back to the Future, and Steins;Gate. Jojo's Bizarre Adventure invoking timeline changes seem far too bizarre for many fans, even with fantastical things like vampires, Hamon/Ripple, and Stands.

In Stone Ocean, the villainous Father Enrico Pucci was obsessed with reaching "Heaven", thanks to becoming a fanatical follower of Dio's. Pucci's Stand, Whitesnake, stole Jotaro Kujo's memory DISC and Stand DISC and effectively rendered him comatose for the majority of Stone Ocean.

Timeline changes in this anime arc (Image via David Production)

That being said, Jolyne's group battled Pucci from the Stone Ocean Prison to Cape Canaveral. Pucci's Stand evolved to become Made in Heaven. As the "ultimate Stand", it allowed him to accelerate time and recreate the universe. The one person he couldn't catch or kill during the climactic battle was Emporio Alnino.

Emperio then used Weather Report's abilities to defeat the villain. The world reset into a new universe. As far as this new universe is concerned, the events of Stone Ocean are erased and Jolyne and company survive to see a new dawn. Father Pucci being erased changed things, as did Jotaro being comatose for the majority of Stone Ocean's story.

10) Light becomes nearly unstoppable (Death Note: Part 2)

The main draw to many fans of Death Note was the conflict between detective L. Lawliet and student-turned-killer Light Yagami. The cat-and-mouse game they played included Light outsmarting and killing FBI Agents, especially FBI Agent Naomi Misora, infiltrating the Kira task force, having to deal with a second Kira, and so on.

Even having a second Kira in Misa and having a problem with a third in Higuchi proved very dangerous, forcing Light to erase parts of his memory. The long and short of the events are that Misa regained her memories, made the Shinigami Eye deal with Rem, and Light had Misa start killing people as Kira again and had Rem kill L and Watari.

The aftereffects of L’s death throughout this anime arc (Image via Studio Madhouse)

When L finally died, Light was able to reign supreme while cloaked from suspicion by the Kira Investigation Team. Light's judgments using Ryuk grew fiercer, with entire nations altering laws to suit Kira's whims during the anime arc Death Note Part II. With none being left to oppose him, Light had won.

Although Light would eventually be fully exposed as Kira and die a slow death, agonizing in the manga and peaceful in the anime, it took Near and Mello some time to do so. L's death changed everything, letting Light have a taste of godhood. But like all mortals that think themselves gods, Light's arrogance grew too large and he was felled because of it.

Much of these anime arcs involve the strongest character vanishing and the aftereffects. Sometimes the strongest character is the main protagonist as in Goku in Dragon Ball Z. Sometimes the strongest character is the mentor as in Gojo in Jujutsu Kaisen.

Regardless of what they are in the story, these anime arcs often involve some kind of aftereffect on the heroes, the people, or the world when their strongest character is taken from them. Sometimes it's a chance for other characters to step up, other times it's a prelude to a major shift in the status quo.

The audience's reaction is certainly the same, everyone misses the strongest person and wants them back in some future anime arc.