Mostanime, as with stories of any medium, usually take a while to find their footing. When a story is first getting off the ground, it will take a while for the writer to have a good idea of what they want to do, and because of that, the early stories will typically be far rougher in quality compared to what comes after them.
It’s natural for an anime to take a while to find its footing, and sometimes, that’s a bigger blessing than people might think. There are many times when the early parts of an anime will be so rough that they run the risk of completely turning a person away, andsome anime start so rough that a single good arc was necessary to save their entire stories. A few anime, in particular, stand out for having arcs like that, and overall, it’s easy to see how they each would have failed if not for said arcs.
The Mount Natagumo arc is the penultimate arc of season 1 of Ufotable’sDemon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. Tanjiro, now informally in a team with the cowardly Zenitsu and the boisterous Inosuke, is given his latest assignment to assist fellow Demon Slayers in an operation on Mount Natagumo. Naturally, the mission isn’t easy in the slightest, as Tanjiro and his friends are forced into a battle with a group of demons stronger than anything Tanjiro had encountered up to that point, including his first true encounter with one of Muzan’s elite Kizuki.
Not only was the Mount Natagumo arc the arc that finally let Tanjiro shine by giving him Zenitsu and Inosuke as foils, both of whom were greatly developed, as well, butthe debut of the Hinokami Kagura stands out as the greatest scene inDemon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaibanot just for its animation, but for how the music and overall direction work to emphasize every emotional beat. The Mount Natagumo arc turnedDemon Slayerfrom a run-of-the-mill anime into a modern legend, and it’s never looked back since.
Battle Tendencyis the second part of David Production’sJoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. 50 years afterPhantom Bloodand the death of Jonathan Joestar, Jonathan’s grandson, the brash and eccentric Joseph Joestar, is forced into his own vampire-related conflict, one that goes back to the origins of the evil Stone Mask and puts the world at risk to a degree Dio could never have even dreamed of. To combat the new threat, Joseph must make new allies and take his Hamon powers to even greater heights, but even then, it will take more than power for Joseph to save the day.
Phantom Bloodis often seen as a poor introduction toJoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, but not only didBattle Tendency’s longer length allow for better pacing thanPhantom Blood, butit was withBattle TendencythatJoJo’s Bizarre Adventurepenchant for creative battles truly came out through the further expansion of Hamon and the bizarre abilities of the Pillar Men. Add in the surprising amount of depth given to Joseph Joestar’s character both on his own and as a foil to Jonathan, and it’s easy to seeBattle Tendencyas whenJoJo’s Bizarre Adventurefinally began to come into its own.
The Arlong Park arcis the fifth arc in Toei Animation’sOne Piece. After Nami’s sudden betrayal, Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates, now joined by Sanji, travel to Nami’s hometown where they discover that she’s secretly been working for Arlong, the toughest pirate in the East Blue. Everyone except Luffy is ready to write Nami off as a traitor, but as it turns out, the truth behind it all is far more tragic than anyone could have imagined, and at the end of it all, Luffy finally makes his first true step toward becoming the Pirate King.
Even so early into its run,One Piecenever shied away from emotional storytelling, butthe Arlong Park was when it became clear how greatOne Piece’s writing was with how well it sold Nami’s backstory and the Straw Hat Pirates coming together as a family. The emotional beats of the Arlong Park arc laid the groundwork for what would become some ofOne Piece’s biggest staples, with the arc still regarded as one of the best arcs in all ofOne Piece, and overall, that paved the way for it to become the biggest anime franchise of all time.
The Dark Tournament arcis the second arc in Studio Pierrot’sYu Yu Hakusho. Following an encounter with the powerful Toguro brothers, Yusuke and his friends are forced to compete in the Dark Tournament, a deadly fighting tournament for demons where they run the risk of death in every fight, and with the stakes as high as they are, Yusuke and his friends will need to find ways to surpass their limits at every turn if they want to survive to the end, even if doing so ends up costing Yusuke one of his closest friends.
Not only did the Dark Tournament arc introduce a large number of entertaining allies and enemies for Yusuke and his friends to fight, whether they were one-off characters or eventual parts of the supporting cast, butYu Yu Hakusho’s Dark Tournament arc took the series to incredible new heights not only with amazing fight scenes, but with a surprising amount of emotional depth to its fights, as well, especially when it came time for the final fight against Toguro. It’s the anime’s most iconic arc, and it’s what helped it go from a standardshonenanime to an all-time classic.
The Soul Society arc is the second major story arc of Studio Pierrot’sBleach. Following Rukia’s arrest for turning Ichigo into a substitute Soul Reaper, Ichigo and his friends, with Orihime and Chad recently gaining spiritual powers of their own, must travel to Soul Society and save Rukia before she’s executed. Their quest to do so forced them into one battle against powerful Soul Reapers after another, including Rukia’s brother, Byakuya Kuchiki, and at the end of it all, both sides are permanently changed by the reveal of the true perpetrator behind Rukia’s incarceration.
WhileBleachwas always entertaining, the episodic nature of the Substitute Soul Reaper arc did make it feel a bit directionless, but fortunately,Bleach’s Soul Society archelped refine the series by providing a central narrative to get attached to, all with great fights with constant escalation accompanying everything. The Soul Society arc was whenBleachfinally showed off the kind of story it wanted to be, and the series was all the better for it.
Episode #8 of Studio Trigger’sTengen Toppa Gurren Lagannintroduced a major shift in thestatus quowhen Kamina, the anime’s ostensible lead, was suddenly killed. Everyone tried to move on and continue the fight against the Spiral Army, but the loss of Kamina was impossible to ignore, and Simon, filled with guilt over the situation, took things the hardest to the point of self-destruction, only being saved after meeting a mysterious girl named Nia. Eventually, Simon regained his resolve and then some, and from there, he could lead Team Dai Gurren to the final battle against the Spiral King.
As tragic as Kamina’s death was, it allowed for Simon’s arc of coming into his own to truly take off, and once that got going,Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, with Simon firmly established as its hero, had the means to greatly advance its story in terms of both writing and action that paved the way for some of the greatest moments in the anime. Kamina’s survival would have only limited the story, and with his death and how everyone had to grow from it,Gurren Lagannhad the means to evolve in the phenomenal anime it’s known as decades later.
The Tournament saga is the second major story arc in Toei Animation’sDragon Ball. With the Dragon Balls going into hibernation for a year, Goku decides to return to Master Roshi and formally become his martial arts disciple. Goku is soon joined by Krillin, a former monk who goes from a scheming rival to Goku’s best friend, and the two are soon tasked with testing their strength in the World Martial Arts Tournament, a tournament where the best fighters in the world gather to compete for the title of the strongest martial artist under the heavens.
After the Emperor Pilaf saga, it was unclear whatDragon Ballhad to offer now that it had already shown what happens when someone gathers the Dragon Balls, but fortunately,Dragon Ball’s Tournament saga firmly established its identity as one of the best anime at balancing great comedy with martial arts action, and that’s been the franchise’s go-to strategy for success for 40 years and counting.Dragon Ball’s manga might have even been canceledif it weren’t for the Tournament saga, and as such, there’s no clearer example of ananime arc so good that it saved the entire show.
