The anime industry is growing each year, and that success has birthed plenty of growing pains. From wage disputes to scheduling issues, the sector is going through hurdles right now, and that doesn’t even touch upon how fierce the competition gets between shows. If you don’t hook fans within an episode or two, even the best show ideas are left dead in the water. And now, the anime fandom is calling out which shows did it best with their first arcs.
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Over on Twitter, the big poll got underway after netizens were asked which anime or manga series have the best opening arc. It was there fans opened up about their top picks, and some of them were easy to see coming.
For instance, newer shows like Vinland Saga and The Promised Neverland are praised frequently for their first arcs. The latter may have let its anime go downhill, but during season one, fans were hooked on Emma and her horrifying home. And as you can see in the slides below, fans were also quick to shout out longtime favorites like Naruto for its first arc.
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Series such as Berserk and Hunter x Hunter earned a lot of love from this poll, after all. Even though their shows are older than others, they still reel in fans to this day thanks to their high-stakes debuts. And in that same vein, other classics like Dragon Ball Z are still relevant because their first arcs are intriguing enough to make fans want more.
What do you think about these picks? Did your choice make the cut…? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.