Jujutsu Kaisen simply blew fans away when the Shibuya Incident Arc dominated Season 2 of the anime. This arc is known for its terrifying plot twists and brutal deaths to turn Yuji Itadori's world upside down, much more than the events of Season 1 did. That's because Season 1's arcs were violent but also generally hopeful, while the Shibuya Incident Arc killed off many heroes and left Yuji a miserable wreck in the wake of Ryomen Sukuna's rampage. It was a great anime arc, but some arcs still have that beat.
In many cases, these anime arcs do what the Shibuya Incident Arc did, but even better. For example, character deaths hit even harder than Kento's demise or Nobara's near death because the characters killed had more development up until then, and/or died in more memorable ways. The stronger arcs also featured even more creative action sequences, more resonant character moments, or maybe some cooler plot twists to really make anime viewers sit up and pay attention.
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Bleach's Thousand-Year Blood War Arc is one of Shonen's best endgame arcs
Ichigo learned the truth about his heritage when the universe fell apart
All three members of the classic Shonen “big three” have the story is stronger than Jujutsu Kaisens own Shibuya Incident Arc, which may come as no surprise. Modern anime such as Jujutsu Kaisen and Demon Slayer are all impressive, but they cannot easily surpass the titans of yesteryear. IN Whitens case, it has the amazing Soul Society Arc and the final Thousand-Year Blood War Arc. The latter story arc is easier to compare to the Shibuya Incident Arc, as it feels more similar.
Whitens final arc was the story's bloodiest of all, with the heroes wearing frighteningly thin plot armor when the Quincy Empire arrived. More than a few heroes died or lost their powers to build tension and end certain personal arcs, such as Unohana's sacrifice when fighting Kenpachi. Whitens characters spent a lot more time building up than Jujutsu Kaisentheir own, so it mattered more when they died or lost their powers. On top of that, this arc wowed fans with the stunning revelation that Ichigo's mother was a Quincy, linking Ichigo to his mortal enemies.
Dragon Ball Z's Frieza Saga featured one of the best battles between heroes and villains of all time
Goku lasted longer than Namek himself did
The beloved anime Dragon Ball Z still casts a long shadow over the shonen action sphere, and some of its story arcs still compete well with today's own stories. It is true Dragon Ball feels a bit simplistic or cyclical at times, but there's no denying its power when firing on all cylinders. That is, when Dragon Ball pushing its formulaic ideas to the max, the end results can even surpass today's more refined anime like Jujutsu Kaisen.
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This is how the Frieza Saga ends, as part of the larger Namek Saga, even more impressive than the bloody and shocking Shibuya Incident Arc. For good reason, Yuji Itadori felt overwhelmed in the Shibuya Incident Arc, but fans enjoy it more when a pretend hero Goku makes a brave final stand against evil. As the massive stakes reached their peak, Goku stared down Frieza and battled him to the end of Namek and beyond, deftly making history with his Super Saiyan transformation.
My Hero Academia's Final War Arc saw most villains redeemed or destroyed
Even Stain took the side of the heroes
Of all the new gen anime, it has the best arcs without a doubt My Hero Academia. This shonen title mixes the rich superhero genre with powerful emotional arcs and thought-provoking themes time and time again, with the Final War Arc being a prime example of this. Deku shocked My Hero Academia viewers when he sacrificed One For All to defeat Tomura, a move heroes like Yuji might not have had the courage to pull off. Deku went full circle when he became Quirkless again, and it felt epic rather than sad.
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During the last war, My Hero Academias villains were the stars along with the heroes, something the Shibuya Incident Arc didn't do in Jujutsu Kaisen. Stain partially redeemed himself to support All Might, which may have fans split 50/50 on whether Stain is actually a cool anti-hero or not. The conclusion of Himiko Toga's personal arc as she fought Ochaco was also incredible, using the Sad Man's Death Parade before giving her life to save the girl who understood her more than anyone.
One Piece's Marineford Arc shocked fans with more deaths than Kento's or Nobara's
Luffy failed, but he still held on to hope
Monkey D. Luffy usually saved the day in the first handful of story arcs One Piecebut sooner or later this colorful pirate anime needed to humble or even break him with a true defeat. That's exactly what happened in the Marineford Arc, when Luffy failed to save his brother Ace from the wrath of Akainu's Mag-Mag Fruit. Such a moment of despair shook the anime world and challenged Luffy to overcome his grief while appreciating his team more than ever.
One Piece's Marineford Arc also featured a fantastic mix of everyone's Devil Fruits, ships and fighting styles as multiple parties clashed. Many shonen arcs make an effort to involve all relevant characters at the time, incl Jujutsu Kaisenits own Shibuya Incident Arc, but the Marineford Arc packs a punch in that regard. This arc also had a better villain glow-up than Kenjaku's, with Blackbeard grabbing Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit while doing Naruto fans wonder exactly how he did it and who else's fruit he might steal in the future.
Vinland Saga's war arc deconstructed violence in a way that Jujutsu Kaisen could not
Thorfinn didn't need curses to learn a hard lesson about fighting
Shonen action anime that Jujutsu Kaisen and the original Big Three tend to portray violence as a grim necessity to save the world or redeem villains. The heroes fight so that they and their friends can live in peace after their enemies are defeated, but Vinland Saga's War Arc questions all of this in a big way. Even the concept of having enemies at all is challenged in ways that Thorfinn learned a little too late after Asekladd's death.
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Yuji Itadori suffered immensely in the Shibuya Incident Arc because he and his friends lost some important fights, while Thorfinn Karlsefni “lost” because he was wrong to fight at all. It's deeper than anything else Jujutsu Kaisen have done so far, with Vinland Saga deconstructs the idea of violence defined by Viking raids. Thorfinn tried so hard to accomplish something with revenge, but it was just the evil prelude to his true growth – the kind of growth Yuji can't even imagine.
Naruto's Chunin Exam Arc showed great growth for the characters
Orochimaru's scheme tied everything
Naruto is the last member of the beloved Big Three to have at least one arc better than Jujutsu Kaisens Shibuya Incident Arc. The Chunin Exam Arc is another “everyone comes together” arc to set the stage for very different battles, while greatly expanding the character roster and jutsu battle system to make it happen. Jujutsu Kaisen has some richly varied cursing techniques, but Naruto's Chunin Exam Arc alone has better variety, from extreme taijutsu to puppet jutsu to Mind Transfer Technique.
Besides having better battles than the Shibuya Incident Arc, NarutoThe Chunin Exam Arc had better plot threads and personal moments, such as the creeping sense of dread as Orochimaru plotted in the shadows before Operation Konoha Crush. Most of all, fans were blown away by what they saw in Sakura vs Ino, Hinata vs Neji, and most of all, Rock Lee vs Gaara.
Jujutsu Kaisen
- Release date
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October 3, 2020
- Network
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TBS, MBS, CBC, Tulip Television, BSN, tys, NBC, HBC, RKK, i-Television, SBS, IBC, BSS, MRO, OBS, TUF, RSK, TUY, tbc, RKB, SBC, KUTV, RBC, UTY, RCC, MRT, atv, MBC
- Directors
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Ryohei Takeshita, Masataka Akai, Chie Nishizawa, Daisuke Tsukushi, Tomomi Kamiya, Kakushi Ifuku, Ken Takahashi
- Author
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Hiroshi Seko
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Yuichi Nakamura
Satoru Gojo
