12 Underrated Anime Arcs That Are Better Than You Remember

What most people remember about Inuyasha is the rivalry between the titular character and his brother, Sesshoumaru, and said character's complicated romance with Kagome. Many of the other plot arcs are, unfortunately, overlooked. The Band of Seven arc involves a group of dangerous mercenaries who are put to death for being far too interested in the whole murder thing. Naraku, the anime's main villain, brings them back to life to distract anyone who might try to attack him while he regenerates his own damaged body. What's interesting about the Band of Seven arc is that each member boasts a different personality and motivation for being part of the group. Bankotsu, the leader, sees the group as a family who would never betray him, while Mukotsu blindly hates women because they find him unappealing. Not only do these members all present unique personalities, they also present a serious challenge for Inuyasha and his friends as well as a needed break from the main action.

Oración Seis operates as a Dark Guild, meaning it doesn't abide by the rules typically laid out for guilds and is generally regarded as a criminal organization. When they try to get their hands on an outlandishly powerful and destructive magical item called Nirvana, it's up to the Fairy Tail guild to stop them. To accomplish this, they team up with several others guilds, including Lamia Scale, Blue Pegasus and Cait Shelter. Watching the main characters work to accomplish something on a larger scale rather than with their guild alone offers an interesting change of pace, and it's part of what makes this underrated arc so appealing to watch.

Despite My Hero Academia's high ratings, not every part of it gets the attention it deserves. The Unforeseen Simulation Joint arc actually depicts the first major encounter with the villains of the series, but because it happens less dramatically than future encounters, it's often overlooked. During this arc, viewers not only get to see many of the kids' powers in action, but also each side's mental state in sharp relief. The main villain introduces himself as a directionless agent of chaos with a desire to hurt people for the fun of it, while hinting that actually, there's more to him than that. Viewers also receive greater insight into the trainee heroes. Who will actually stand and fight? Who will run away? Who will come up with strategies, and who will rush in screaming? The chaotic, gritty nature of this arc makes it feel real, and ups the excitement of the second season.

The 13th Hunter Chairman Election arc falls to the wayside compared to other Hunter X Hunter storylines, perhaps because it occurs later on in a long series. Viewership inevitably drops off as longer shows wear on, regardless of quality. The arc, involving an official election to decide on a chairman, introduces some of the anime's most fascinating figures, including the protagonist's father, Ging, who up until this point had been estranged from his son. It also gives viewers more information about the Zoldyck family, including the heretofore unknown Alluka, whose powers can grant wishes for terrible prices. This truly fascinating arc is well worth any Hunter X Hunter fan's time.

Rarely recognized as one of the greatest One Piece arcs, Thriller Bark still offers much more than your typical arc. The Straw Hats get their shadows stolen while visiting the titular island, and the arc follows their frantic attempts to get those shadows back before it's too late. Haunted creatures ranging from ghosts to zombies appear in this arc, as does a soon-to-be-permanent member of the Straw Hat crew, a nine-foot skeleton named Brook.

The Mother's Rosario arc of Sword Art Online II unfolds unlike anything else in the series. It focuses less on Kirito, and it features only a few good fight scenes. However, what it does have is some seriously fascinating ideas about the possibilities of virtual reality and its uses. In this arc, an experimental technology called the Medicuboid appears. The Medicuboid eases the dying process by placing people with terminal illnesses in a virtual world. Yuuki Konno, who befriends Asuna in the virtual world, is actually dying of HIV/AIDS. Not only is the friendship between the two girls heartfelt and sad, it provides a fascinating example of virtual reality being used for a purpose other than entertainment.

In the case of Gintama, any story arc showcasing more than Toushirou's mayonnaise addiction and/or Sougo's murder fetish comes as a welcome reprieve. Still, the Okita Mitsuba arc, which significantly deepens both characters, is often overlooked. Mitsuba Okita is Sougo's older sister, as well as Hijikata's love interest. In this arc, she is engaged to a businessman who turns out to be an evil, abusive man who only wants to marry her in order to gain control of the Shinsengumi, an police organization her brother belongs to. The stress of being with this man worsens Mitsuba's pulmonary illness and makes her miserable in general, so Hijikata and Sougo team up to kill him. Sadly, Mitsuba doesn't have much time to live afterward, and the arc ends with Hijikata sitting on a hospital rooftop, mourning her death.

Fullbringers, humans who can manipulate the spiritual energy inside of other, are the children of people attacked by Hollows prior to their birth. That grants them Hollow-like abilities. Bleach's Fullbringer arc is overshadowed by the Aizen arc, which features one of Bleach's best villains. That said, the Fullbringers arc introduces a new type of foe and also offers some serious pathos in the episodes when Ichigo ends up isolated from his friends. Powerless and alone, Ichigo is portrayed in a way viewers haven't quite seen before, a quality that sets the Fullbringers cycle apart from the rest of Bleach.

CLANNAD is best remembered for the devastatingly sad romance between Nagisa and Tomoya, but it boasts plenty of equally engaging arcs for viewers to enjoy. One of the finest examples is the Misae arc, which follows the dorm mother at the Hikarizaka Private High School dormitory. When enrolled in high school, Misae Sagara meets a boy named Katsuki Shima, who claims he can grant her any wish. Katsuki wants to grant a wish for Misae as thanks for her encouraging him to recover while he's in the hospital. Misae isn't interested, but she eventually develop feelings for him. Sadly, the relationship cannot proceed, because Katsuki died a long time ago. This version of Katsuki is actually a cat in human form, who Katsuki entrusts with the task of properly thanking Misae. When she finally chooses a wish, it's for Katsuki to stay with her – so the wish-granting cat does just that, and settles into a life as her pet cat. It's a genuinely sweet arc that will make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. While it won't make you cry as hard as what happens to Ushio, you may shed a tear or two.

The second half of Death Note often gets maligned as not being as good as the first, primarily because L is no longer there to act as Light's rival. However, the second arc does feature some seriously good parts. The part where Mello kidnaps Light's sister is particularly noteworthy, because Light is faced with a genuine dilemma: what's more important, protecting his loved ones, or continuing to hide his identity as Kira? Another fascinating addition is the introduction of Teru Mikami, another Death Note user whose rigid, fanatical personality magnifies Light's increasingly demented worldview – and his sakujo-gasms are nothing if not memorable.

Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's remains an underrated anime in general, but even 5D's fans usually ignore the Jaeger arc. The Jaeger arc includes a handful of episodes where viewers learn the backstory of Jaeger, the little clown man who works for Rex Godwin. Up until this arc, Jaeger could be easily written off as an annoying lackey who hates people from Satellite with unusual vitriol. In this arc, you learn how he worked with Godwin not because he wanted to help him take over the world, but because he needed money to support his family, who dealt with bankruptcy after their circus failed. Not only does this arc help humanize an initially shallow character, it actually broadens the world a little bit. Up until this mini-arc, the only people who experience hardship seem to be from Satellite. In this arc, Jack and Jaeger – former enemies from very different worlds – actually bond over growing up so poor that cup ramen was a treat.

The Garlic Jr. Saga is sandwiched between the Frieza Saga and the Trunks Saga – both of which are crucial to Dragon Ball Z's overall plot. While the Garlic Jr. Saga ends up not being quite so critical, it still manages to offer a tense and engaging storyline. Garlic Jr., the arc's antagonist, wants revenge on Gohan, who at age four defeated him during Dragon Ball Z: Dead Zone. To accomplish this, he and the Spice Boys (yes, that's their name, and no, it's not a Spice Girls reference) track down the Black Water Mist, a substance with the power to transform everyone on Earth into demons. Whatever you think of this particular arc, it's hard to argue that the stakes aren't high or at the very least ridiculously entertaining.