Best Final Arcs In Shonen Manga

Summary

• Western comic heroes have ever-changing continuities, unlike manga which often end definitively.
• Manga endings can be divisive, with rushed or dragged-out conclusions, but some end sweetly.
• Many shōnen manga end on satisfying notes, wrapping up storylines and character arcs effectively.

Western comic heroes have fluid continuities that come and go and come back again depending on their company’s whims. The Superman from 1938 is a different guy from the one in 1988, let alone 2025. But when a manga ends, it ends for good. It might make a comeback years later, like Kinnikuman, or the creator might let others make some side stories for it, but it’s otherwise done and dusted.

Yet it’s hard to give them a good finale, as they can feel rushed, leaving many plot threads still open. Or they can feel dragged out, as their publisher doesn’t want their gravy train to end too soon. But there are plenty of manga, particularly shōnen manga, that end on a sweet, satisfying note with a great final arc.

Warning! Spoilers Ahead!

8

Sket Dance

The Mute Member Of The Team Finds His Voice

• Creator: Kenta Shinohara
• 32 Volumes, 288 Chapters
• Fan Translations only

Sket Dance, aka the series that did that crossover with Gintama one time, was all about the three members of the Sket-dan high school club helping other students and faculty with their problems. No matter how big or small, they’d do what they could for them free of charge. Even so, they had their own issues to handle as well, some of which took more than a pep talk to overcome.

It’s pretty low on the list, as many readers felt it ended too soon, and it left the burgeoning romance of Sket-dan leads Bossun and Himeko off on an ambiguous note. Even so, it doesn’t dampen its strongest moment. Switch, left selectively mute since the death of his brother, gradually comes to terms with his trauma, and learns to trust in himself once more. In doing so, he gets to give the graduation day speech in Bossun’s place and open his heart to others.

7

Yu-Gi-Oh!

Yugi Finally Gets To Duel Against His Alter-Ego

• Creator: Kazuki Takahashi
• 38 Volumes, 343 Chapters
• Available in English via Viz Media’s Shōnen Jump imprint

The premier seller of collectible card games, Yu-Gi-Oh started off pretty dark compared to its anime adaptations, as Yami Yugi’s games would often leave his opponents with worse fates than a Mind Crush. Even so, it still followed Yugi and his friends as they tried to solve the Millennium Puzzle and figure out Yami Yugi’s origins. Usually by taking on owners of the other puzzle pieces in Duel Monsters or other games.

The final “Ceremonial Battle” arc manga pits the regular Yugi against Yami Yugi, who turns out to be the spirit of Pharaoh Atem. If Yugi wins, Atem gets to move on into the afterlife. If Atem wins, he will continue to be a part of Yugi. It’s a fitting finale as, after helping Yugi out against various opponents, their last duel against each other would show whether Yugi was ready to move on without him or not.

6

Assassination Classroom

The Classroom’s Students Graduate And Must Fulfill Their Duty

• Creator: Yusei Matsui
• 21 Volumes, 187 Chapters
• Available in English via Viz Media’s Shōnen Jump imprint

There was only one way Assassination Classroom could end, and the manga spelled it out in its premise. A super-powered octopus-like being, who takes on the name Koro-sensei, teaches a class full of delinquents the arts of assassination to kill him off, or he’ll destroy the planet. Whoever gets to put him down will win ¥10 billion from the Japanese government.

At first, it’s difficult because Koro-sensei is seemingly invincible. But as time goes on, and the students learn more about what and who Koro-sensei is, they can’t bring themselves to finish him off. But they had to do it, or the government would take them out along with their teacher via an orbital laser. The conclusion ties everything up in a bow, but it’s as bittersweet as an ending can get. Especially when Koro-sensei delivers a final roll call before the end.

5

Bakuman

Manga-Making Duo Finally Achieve Their Dreams

• Creators: Tsugumi Ohba (story), Takeshi Obata (art)
• 20 Volumes, 176 Chapters
• Available in English via Viz Media’s Shōnen Jump imprint

Bakuman follows the writer-artist manga duo Akagi and Mashiro as they try to get into the manga-making business. Mashiro is reluctant at first, since his uncle passed away from overworking in the manga business, but then he learned his crush, Miho, plans on becoming a voice actress. In response, Mashiro offers to marry Miho if she gets a role in their series’ anime adaptation. She agrees, on the condition they don’t meet again until then, and stick to texts and phone calls from then on.

It seems like that day may never come, as their strips fail, Akagi suffers writer’s block, and Mashiro gets hospitalized. But by boldly taking a chance on Reversi, a Death Note-meets-Devilman-style strip, everything finally comes together. For the most part, since Miho still has some hurdles to navigate to get the role of Reversi‘s female lead. But eventually, it all works out, giving readers a sweet conclusion after a long series of struggles.

4

Slam Dunk

The Final Game Offers More On The Line Than Gold

• Creator: Takehiko Inoue
• 31 Volumes, 276 Chapters
• Available in English via Viz Media’s Shōnen Jump imprint

In sports stories, it’s a bit of a cliché for the underdogs to win the big one, yet it’s hard to imagine a more fitting finale. It seems a bit dispiriting for the protagonist or leading team to go all the way and lose. That is unless they have a bigger story to tell beyond who gets the gold. Like when Shochiku High took on Sannoh High at the end of Slam Dunk. Their match takes up multiple volumes, as both sides analyze each other’s play styles, and try to take the lead from each other in their game.

It shows how far its protagonist, Sakuragi, has come since his early days as a basketball-hating punk. That and how far he’d go to help his team win, as he risks a spinal injury to put Shohoku ahead. This risk costs them in the long run but helps them prove their worth to Sannoh, and the individual players’ worth as athletes, as Sakuragi aims to recover for more games to come.

3

Ashita no Joe

Boxer Gives His All To Prove Himself

• Creators: Ikki Fujiwara (story), Tetsuya Chiba (art)
• 20 Volumes, 171 Chapters
• Available in English via Kodansha USA’s Vertical Comics imprint

Before Megalo Box and Hajime no Ippo, there was Ashita no Joe. It’s one of Japan’s most iconic sports manga strips, and certainly the most iconic one about boxing. Part of its legend is in its classic underdog story, as Joe Yabuki fights his way out of juvenile detention to become a world-class boxer. The other is in its themes, criticizing the way those in power and wealth abuse others for their entertainment.

But another part of its status comes in its ending, where Joe narrowly earns the right to fight world champion Jose Mendoza, despite being diagnosed with CTE. Mendoza’s manager, Yoko, tries to cancel the match and declare her love, but Joe’s determined to prove his full potential. He lost on points, and may have lost his life (fans have debated the ending for 50+ years). But he gained the moral victory as he forced Mendoza to fight the full 15 rounds, overcame him in the final rounds, and left him a nervous wreck by the end of the bout.

2

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 4: Diamond Is Unbreakable

Serial Killer Gets Their Just Deserts In Life And Death

• Creator: Hirohiko Araki
• 18 Volumes, 174 Chapters
• Available in English via Viz Media

It might be due to Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure having different characters and settings per part, but the series tends to close its parts off pretty well. Even so, its best final arc was arguably the concluding arc of Part 4: Diamond is Unbreakable. Right as Yoshikage Kira thought he secured his new life as Kosaku Kawajiri with his Stand’s “Bites the Dust” ability, he gets outsmarted by his “son” Hayato, gets beaten bloody after a long battle with Josuke, and exposed before all of Morioh as a criminal.

He thinks he could make a comeback by using the “Bites the Dust” ability, but it fails, and he spends his last moments in the same Ghost Alley as his first murder victim, Reimi Sugimoto. He tries to take her place, only to get ripped apart and pulled into the void. The manga tempers the joyous mood by revealing that the relatives of Kira’s victims won’t find closure, since they won’t get to know the truth. But no one else in the town will suffer their fate, and Kira himself will never know peace in the afterlife. A fitting punishment for a particularly vile villain.

The Ultimate Sacrifice Sees Everyone Win Out

• Creator: Hiromu Arakawa
• 27 Volumes, 116 Chapters
• Available in English via Viz Media

When it comes to great final arcs in manga, let alone just shōnen manga, it’d be folly to skip Fullmetal Alchemist. The series is often the go-to example of a finale done right, as its Promised Day arc serves as the culmination of Father’s multi-century-long plan to control the power of God. It nearly works out for him too, as despite the Elric Bros and their friends fighting off Father’s forces, he does briefly attain his full, divine power at the cost of Amestris’ 50 million souls.

But thanks to Van Hohenheim and Scar’s countermeasures, Amestris’ souls are restored, and the Elrics & co. regain their alchemy skills. They’re not done yet though, as the final duel sees the Elrics take some big risks to stop Father for good. At first, it seems like it’d end on a bittersweet note, as Alphonse sacrifices his soul to restore Edward’s arm. But Edward makes a promise to restore Alphonse’s mortal body at the start of the series, and he gives up his alchemy skills to achieve it. It’s a fair price to pay to live happily ever after.