Training arcs are a staple in shonen anime, although they are available in other genre. Training arcs are so belovedーsometimes for their simplicity, and sometimes for their cleverness. They usually display characters growing stronger through struggles and working to defeat a larger opponent.
Although training arcs are a must in shonen, they can be used as a plot device for shojo, seinen, and even magical girl anime. No matter the purpose, they are usually one of the most hyped, and expected, arcs when it comes to watching certain series. Here are 10 of the best training arcs in anime series.
10 Training Camp Arc (Food Wars! Shokugeki No Soma)
Nothing is better than a training arc where it gets straight to the point. In this training arc, it hones-in on one of two of the 92nd Totsuki Generation's events. It is held at the Totsuki Resort.
It is a hellish training camp that puts a divide between those who the head of the camp, Gin Dojima, doesn't agree have potential. If any students don't meet the requirements, then they can be fired by the alumni. No matter if there food doesn't lookーor even smell goodーthis training camp doesn't play.
9 Tokyo Training (Haikyuu!!)
Haikyuu's second season opens up with Karasuno High Boys' Volleyball Club being invited to Nekoma's training camp. This is some good news since they lost Inter-High in the previous season.
Although they are busy practicing throughout the arc, there are also some good times featuring the characters, too.
8 Push Your Body To The Limit (One-Punch Man)
There isn't truly a training arc, per se, in One-Punch Man. However, there was a glimpse at what kind of training Saitama had to do to get the body, and results, that he shows in the franchise.
Becoming the strongest wasn't a small feat, as Saitama told someone just what he did to get so strong. The answer wasn't simple, but a rememberable one: one-hundred push-ups, one-hundred sit-ups, one-hundred squats, and a ten kilometer run every day.
7 The Dark Tournament (Yu Yu Hakusho)
Yoshihiro Togashi is well-versed in tournament and training arcs, and that is displayed expertly in Yu Yu Hakusho's Dark Tournament Arc. It focuses on a martial arts competition between teams of sixteen, with five fighters in each group.
Held on Hanging Neck Island, the main characters compete with each other in a series of brutal battles. At the same time, Yusuke is able to train and push himself to the limit with brutal fights. It's both a training and tournament arc in one.
6 Internships (My Hero Academia)
Although internships are indeed a hassle to people in real life, no one would have expected it to be featured in the unique way that My Hero Academia showed it.
In this training arc, the students of U.A. are enrolled into internships with Pro Hero Agencies. Akin to choosing which college someone wishes to enroll, this is a great opportunity for the students. The only problem is said student must train by using their Quirk to the max, which can cause some interesting outcomes.
5 Two-Year Training (One Piece)
One Piece isn't big on training arcs, despite being one of the big three of shonen anime and manga. However, the series did show a glimpse of it with the Straw Hat Crew deciding it was time they got stronger.
To do this, they part ways and train independently so they won't have to go through as much suffering as they did before. One of the best parts is the homage to the original theme song, We Are! by Hiroshi Kitadani.
4 Mount Myoboku (Naruto)
After Jiraiya's death, Naruto decides to get stronger. With a push from Shikamaru to get him out of his depression, Naruto heads to Mount Myoboku and train to use Sage Mode. Although Jiraiya wasn't able to perfect it, Naruto was able to focus enough to hold the mode as well as collect natural energy instead of chakra.
However, it was not easyーas Naruto had to learn to keep it up and be completely still to gone and use this skill.
3 Assassination Training (Assassination Classroom)
The entire goal of Assassination Classroom is for the students to kill their teacher, Koro-sensei. However, as he is impossible to killーas his name is a pun on "impossible to kill"ーthe students had to think outside the box to do so.
The students of Class 3-E decide to go and train with each other from assassination to knife fighting so they can eventually kill Koro-sensei.
2 Escape Plan (The Promised Neverland)
After Emma and Norman discover they shouldn't stay at the Gracrfield Orphanage, they concoct an escape plan together with Rayーby disguising it as them playing hide-and-seek with the other children.
The way they are able to conceal their plans in this way is one of the most clever things in a training arc.
1 Greed Island (Hunter X Hunter)
The Greed Island arc introduced Biscuit Krueger to Hunter X Hunter. Preferring to be called Bisky, she helped train both Gon and Killua in controlling their Nen.
This was also where Gon was able to master his one move, Jajanken. The way Gon and Killua were trained in different Nen types was also interesting, making it a memorable training arc all around.