Shounen remains the most popular genre in both anime and manga, and for a good reason. While they might fall into the usual pitfalls of either being too long and drawn out or may lack the complexity of its genre counterparts, they usually provide some of the most beloved moments in the whole medium. Today, we're going to take a look five of the best shounen anime arcs of all time. Some rules first before we continue: we're only focusing on the arcs that were adapted into anime. We'd love to include Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood on this list, but it isn't necessarily broken into distinct arcs, rather acting as one large - and extremely satisfying - saga. There will also be major spoilers for each show.

That said, here's some honorable mentions to kick off the list. The five that made the top are in ranked order. Finally, and most importantly, it's a completely subjective list. However, we've also taken into account popular votes across many message boards, rankings and forums.

Honorable Mentions:
Demon Slayer - Mugen Train Arc
My Hero Academia - U.A. Sports Festival Arc
Yu Yu Hakusho - Dark Tournament Arc
One Piece - Marineford War Arc
Dragon Ball Z - Saiyan Saga

5. Pain Invasion Arc
Naruto Shippuden


Naruto Shippuden was a series of ups and downs, becoming vastly inconsistent between arcs. However, creator Masashi Kishimoto pulled out all the stops for arguably the greatest arc in all of Naruto: the Pain Invasion arc. Pain is immediately introduced as one of the most enigmatic and menacing antagonists of the series, and carries out some absolutely genre-breaking feats in this arc. Particularly, the complete destruction of the Hidden Leaf Village, which was one of the most shocking moments in all of anime and manga. It also took a lot of bold risks, but Kishimoto nailed the scale of the stakes, the severity of the situation, and an ensuing climactic fight that blew our expectations away. It remains Naruto's darkest saga, but also a powerhouse of storytelling.

4. Soul Society Arc
Bleach


Say what you will about the inevitable downward spiral of Bleach's popularity and quality, but it's first major arc brought the heat. The Soul Society arc was the first major arc of the series, and showed creator Tite Kubo at his peak in terms of interweaving an intriguing narrative of deception and mystery amidst Ichigo's desperate attempt to save Rukia from her execution. The fights are spectacular, but it also gave us memorable moments such as Ichigo's bankai reveal, Uryu Ishida versus Mayuri, and the shocking twist of Aizen being the primary antagonist. It was all masterfully put together and expertly paced, and there's no contesting it being the popular vote for Bleach's best arc, and one of the best of all time.

3. Cell Saga
Dragon Ball Z


Dragon Ball Z (and the Dragon Ball series as a whole) is stuffed with fantastic arcs. In our personal opinion, the Cell Saga was the pinnacle of Dragon Ball Z. Introducing us to an incredible villain in Cell (and the build-up of the androids leading into the Cell Games), the entire Cell saga is jam-packed with awe-inspiring moments, great action, and high stakes. It also took the focus away from protagonist Goku and placed it on his son, Gohan, who dominated this saga with his awesome turn into Super Saiyan 2. Vegeta, Trunks and even Tien all had their moments to shine, which is why it makes the Cell saga such a beautiful culmination of Dragon Ball's greatest strengths all rolled into one stellar epic.

2. Enies Lobby Arc
One Piece


The next two spots are pretty interchangeable, but the fact that we had to place One Piece both on this list and honorable mentions tells you all you need to know about the quality of the series' best arcs. The Enies Lobby arc, following the dire Water 7 arc, is shounen perfected. Water 7 spent its time setting up all the stakes, and leading into Enies Lobby, it was a tremendous pay-off that worked on every level. The fights were superb, the narrative beats were wonderfully orchestrated, and the CP9 villains were very intimidating and posed a great challenge for the Straw Hat Pirates. Best of all, this was an arc that allowed both Usopp and Robin to shine - particularly the former, who gets a terrific (and often hilarious) redemption. While you could argue that the Marineford War was the most exciting, Enies Lobby felt like One Piece grew up and into the legendary series as we know it.

1. Chimera Ant Arc
Hunter x Hunter (2011)


We've finally arrived at the king of shounen arcs (at least in part to subjectivity and the general consensus): Hunter x Hunter's magnum opus, the Chimera Ant Arc. At face value, Hunter x Hunter may seem like your typical, light-hearted shounen adventure in a world with crazy powers, crazy villains, and big battles - and for the most part, that's what it actually amounted to, albeit done extremely well.

However, the Chimera Ant Arc proved to be a different beast entirely. Here, the show took one of the most shockingly brutal twists into darkness that I've ever seen in entertainment, complete with an eerie vibe of body horror. The real power behind this arc rears its head in the final battle, which blows all expectations out the water and straps us in for an unpredictable, terrifying and wild ride. it also gives us a sleuth of memorable villains, all deeply layered and complex. Creator Yoshihiro Togashi poured his heart and soul into Hunter x Hunter, making for an outstanding shounen overall, but the Chimera Ant arc was Togashi, against all odds, simply transcending the genre.

What's your favourite shounen arc? Let us know!