Summary
Anime war arcs offer tense and exciting battles, but their real value lies in character development and exploration of the nature of war. The best war serials demonstrate the complexities of war, featuring heroes fighting against seemingly insurmountable odds and facing heartbreaking losses. From Akame Ga Kill to One Piece, these anime depict war with stunning visuals, epic battles, and thought-provoking stories that captivate viewers.
As grim as it may seem, some The best arcs in anime and manga history are all about war. Anime has seen many brutal depictions of violence, but it’s especially much more interesting to see a multi-episode story about war. In many of these wars, it’s easy to tell who the bad guys are and who the good guys are, but many of the best fights in anime don’t depict either side as evil, instead showing that war is intrinsically bad. distant.
More than just epic battles, what makes war story lines so engaging is how far they push anime characters. Watching the series’ main characters find a way to escape danger and realize the true nature of war has given anime fans some of the best examples of character development. The best anime war arcs develop character and plot while giving fans some incredible action.
10 Revolutionary Army vs Empire
Akame Ga Kill
After years of torment under cruel and corrupt imperial leadership, Akame Ga Kill’s Revolutionary Army finally launched a full-scale war after many smaller-scale battles. They have a massive, nearly impenetrable wall in front of them to conquer- Esdeath, the vicious battle-loving general who incites rebellions just to bring them down. With a kill count of 400K, Esdeath took down many soldiers but luckily Night Raid was on the Army’s side. After many heartbreaking deaths like Tatsumi’s, the Army emerged victorious and took down Esdeath and the empire’s leaders.
9 Magnostadt Arc
magician
The second half of Magi’s Magnostadt arc saw a three-way split between Magnostadt, the Reim Empire, and the Kou Empire. Initially a war between Magnostadt and Reim, Alladin fought hard to de-escalate the fighting in order to stop the plans of Al-Thamen, the man responsible for the war and the apocalypse. Although the war was short-lived, Al-Thamen granted their wish and revived Father, a disaster that could destroy them all. As the world was in danger, many elites from empires around the world including Sinbad and his Seven Seas Alliance appeared. The ships’ use of epic Djinn weapons solidifying Magi as more than just a regular fantasy series.
The 8 thousand year bloody war
Bleach
Bleach’s Quincies return after 1000 years to take revenge on Soul Society for slaughtering them. The first attack was a heavy loss for the Shinigami as they lost many men and worst of all, their captain Yamamoto. Ichigo was completely defeated, and as reality knocked him and the others to their weaknesses, they practiced and trained. The second attack is more even and with Ichigo stronger than ever, he confronts Yhwach and ends the violent war. This installment featured some stunning visuals, fan-favorite power-ups, and some incredible battles that mesmerized viewers. Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War is one of the best revival anime For good reason. The third season of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War is airing and excitement is at an all-time high.
7 Request no
Geass Code
Lelouch’s genius plan of Code Geass was to end all wars and usher in an era of peace, Lelouch deposed his father and became emperor of Brittania. He saw what war was like and wished to end it, and used his power to do so. He cooperated with Suzaku to take over the world so that he would be seen as a villain, and then asked Suzaku to kill him to unite the world against a common threat. Geass Code has one of anime’s most unique war arcs because it broke many common stereotypes in the genre. The main character is the ‘villain’ and the villain. However, his goal came true as the world witnessed peace for a very long time.
6 The fight for paradise
Attack the giant
The return of the Attack on Titan’s Scouts after the attack on Marley was a mess, as there was a coup while Marley, led by Reiner, launched a counterattack. Reiner and his men are trying to stop Eren’s plan to activate the Rumble and kill billions of people. Meanwhile, Mikasa, Armin and the gang are trying to convince Eren that his plan is wrong. Unfortunately, those plans failed in one Brutal twists in anime history. The war has extremely suspenseful moments that make viewers restless. The end of Attack on Titan will soon come with the release of the final episode and fans will find out what fate awaits Eren and the rest of the cast in the series.
5 Occult Liberation War
My Hero Academy
With information from Hawks, the 2nd ranked hero of My Hero Academia, the heroes launched an all-out war against the Liberation Army who wanted to destroy Japanese society. The heroes rushed in before Shigaraki could awaken and for a moment it seemed like they had succeeded with minimal damage, but all hell broke loose less when Shigaraki awoke. Many heroes were murdered in a matter of seconds and after a brutal fight involving top heroes, Shigaraki managed to escape. The first part of My Hero Academia season 6 is definitely the high point of the series so far and makes 2022 a year to remember.
4 Chimera Ants
Hunter X Hunter
While the Chimera Ant Arc isn’t the clearest definition of a war arc, it fits the description – humanity has sent its best warriors to fight against an invading species. This season saw the head of the Hunter Association finally taken down, along with other hyped characters like the Zoldyck family’s best and strongest. There’s plenty of action, but what sets the Chimera Ant arc apart from all the others is the character development, for better like Meruem’s or worse like in Gon’s case. Hunter x Hunter’s Chimera Ant arc is one of the most famous shounen arcs ever because of its incredible action and profound themes.
3 Invading alliances
Kingdom
The State of Qin became increasingly aggressive as it sought to conquer all other countries and unify China. The remaining 5 countries paid attention and joined forces to destroy the Qin country before being swallowed one by one. With the 540K army, Qin’s only hope was the giant wall of Kankoku Pass and fighting against the approaching invaders there. With all of Qin’s best generals, the battle is underway. Kingdoms is all about war, but this special is the best as fans get to see the heroes face a near-impossible task. From multiple victories on multiple fronts to the rescue of Yotanwa’s army, the Alliance Invasion arc pushed the series to incredible heights.
2 The Fourth Shinobi World War
Naruto Shippuden
The culmination of hundreds of episodes, Naruto’s Fourth Shinobi World War saw unparalleled losses but also enormous benefits to the world. This was the first time all the lands put aside their grievances over the destruction of Madara and Akatsuki. This installment makes sure to give many characters their moment, from Gaara uniting the army to Darui leading thousands and defeating legendary ninjas. The battle had many twists and turns, such as the Hokage’s resurrection which made this part very interesting. It is arguably the best installment in the series and is hard to come by any other installment. The Fourth Shinobi World War is often considered one of Naruto’s best storylines, and given the epic scale of the story, it’s easy to see why.
1 Marineford
A piece
The The best war arc in anime is still One Piece’s Marineford, a war between the Navy and the Whitebeard Pirates. The pirates’ top commander, Portgas D. Ace was captured by the Navy and executed. Breaking out of Impel Down, Luffy rushes in to save his brother before he is executed. The fight featured some of the most powerful characters in one place such as the Admiral, the Warlord, and later Blackbeard and Shanks. From Ace’s heartbreaking death to Shanks’ rugged appearance, Marineford perfectly portrays war.
Every war arc in the anime and manga is intense to watch, with many bringing fans to tears. Many people won’t understand what war is really like, but these anime do their best to simulate the true scale and horror of such a chaotic event. There are other great depictions of war in anime that fans should definitely check out, but Best war arc in anime and manga stand taller than the rest.