Best War Arcs In Shonen Anime

Everyone loves a good war arc in shonen anime. This is usually a culmination of events that leads to a huge battle where the protagonists and their friends try to vanquish evil and survive to celebrate with the ones they love at the end.

It should be noted that the term ‘war’ is used somewhat loosely, considering wars tend to take time, sometimes years, and involves eye-watering logistics, manpower, and so on. So, in the context of shonen anime, war is more akin to a huge battle that involves most of the characters in the story and leads to a definitive conclusion.

Spoiler Warning – This article will contain spoilers for all the shows featured.

11

One Week War (How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom)

Kazuya Was Able To Show Off His Talents Very Early On

10

When Kazuya Souma is thrust into another world to be a hero, he does anything but and instead insists on being a hero by helping out an ailing economy. The One Week War was the arc to close out the first season and is a proper definition of a war.

Kazuya’s expertise in dealing with the threat of the Amidonian army was very impressive as he was able to lead his new kingdom to victory. There was action aplenty, and the depiction of war, while not as grim as in some other shows, was also quite realistic.

9

Revolutionary Army vs The Empire (Akame Ga Kill)

A Bloody End To A Nasty Tyranny

Akame Ga Kill’s original ending was a tad controversial as it deviated comepletely from the manga, but it still served up a pretty interesting battle. With all the skirmishes that had gone down, it was now time for the Revolutionary Army, powered by Night Raid, to take down the corrupt Empire.

The battles were fierce and in classic Akame Ga Kill style, there were a lot of deaths to important characters. This was part of the controversy as Tatsumi and Leone’s deaths did not sit well with everyone.

8

Alvarez War Arc (Fairy Tail)

Natsu And Co Had To Rely On The Powers Of Friendship Once Again

Fairy Tail had its fair share of big battles in its over 300-episode run, but none bigger than the battle against the Alvarez empire. Not only did the Alvarez empire have the almighty Spriggan 12, they were also led by none other than Zeref himself.

The battles in this arc were heart-wrenching including the one featuring Gajeel and Bloodman, Grey & Juvia against Invel. It also saw the intense battle with Irene Belserion against her daughter, Erza. In all, the arc was a mash-up of everything fans loved about Fairy Tail leading to a grand conclusion.

7

Zero Requiem (Code Geass)

Lelouch’s Unrivaled Brilliance Is On Full Display

Code Geass is revered as an anime classic and is an original show that had the freedom to spread its wings. Code Geass had always been brilliant, but the final war arc, where Lelouch activates his ‘Zero Requiem’ plan was a spectacle to behold.

It had it all: mecha battles, heartwrenching moments, brilliant military strategy, and a shocking finale as Lelouch’s ultimate plan is realized. While Lelouch went out, he did it in style, cementing his status as one of anime’s greatest geniuses.

6

War For Paradis (Attack On Titan)

The Final Stand For The Destiny Of Paradis Cost Several Lives

The final arc of Attack On Titan was pretty controversial as was the very end of the show. However, it will still go down as one of the greatest shows in the modern era of anime.

The war for Paradis was a grisly battle for survival as Mikasa and Armin still try to reason with Eren who has at this point embraced his role as a villain and is planning to activate the ‘Rumbling’, a cataclysmic event that is to bring the world to its knees.

5

Paranormal Liberation War Arc (My Hero Academia)

My Hero Academia Turned Dark At This Point

My Hero Academia started life as a darling to all anime fans who loved the first few arcs, but someone along the line, it seems a lot of people lost interest. But MHA remained a good show that really reached a new height with the Paranormal Liberation War Arc.

This was a battle between the Heroes and the Paranormal Liberation Army, a group that wanted to overturn the status quo. The battle was long and harsh and included some epic battles like the one against Gigantomachia and Dabi’s trump card that almost ruined the entire hero society.

4

The Chimera Ant Arc (Hunter X Hunter)

It Introduced One Of Anime’s Great Villains

The Chimera Ant arc of Hunter X Hunter is an amazing arc that started out innocuously before ballooning into a fight of epic proportions. The Chimera Ants were ready to destroy humanity and had at its head Meruem, one of the greatest anime villains around.

It was also the arc where Kite was killed and Gon went to a very dark place while destroying Pitou. It also featured an incredible fight between Netero and Meruem and the tragic end of the Ant King.

3

The 4th Shinobi War (Naruto: Shippuden)

An Almighty Climax Brings Together The Strongest Shinobi

One of the biggest war arcs in any anime period is the Shinobi War arc from Naruto where the allied forces of the shinobi take on the Akatsuki. It saw the revival of several warriors and the introduction of series villain— Madara.

The narrative slowly building up to the war is part of what makes it brilliant and the satisfying pay-off from all that fighting is what makes it such a great arc. Fights were stunning, and it didn’t skint on the emotional character moments that brought people to the show in the first place.

2

Thousand Year Blood War Arc (Bleach)

The Wait Was More Than Worth It

Bleach ended its run of 366 episodes in 2012 and then came back in glorious form 10 years later in 2022. The return of Bleach was met with great excitement and fans were not disappointed as it opened with one of the story’s greatest conflicts— The Thousand Year Blood War.

For a show that had been relatively tame beforehand, the TYBW came with a slew of deaths to fan favorites including Captain Yamamoto and so many others. The Quincies were also a worthy opponent with some memorable foes. The conflict is yet to reach a conclusion in the anime, but it is sure to go down as one of the greats.

1

Marineford (One Piece)

The Most Defining Moment Of This Epic Story

As far as war arcs go, few compare to the sheer scale, weight, and consequences of the Marineford arc from One Piece. With Luffy determined to save his brother Ace, he does the unthinkable— he stormed Marineford, home to the pirates’ enemy, the marines.

There, Luffy has to fight some of the strongest characters of the series while also dealing with the impending arrival of Whitebeard, Blackbeard’s betrayal, and so much more. The end of the conflict has one of One Piece’s most emotional moments, and at the end of the battle while nothing was resolved, it paved the way for the new great age of pirates.