Every great manga series must end with a strong, impactful story arc to serve as payoff for all the buildup from earlier story arcs. For some popular manga, like Berserk and One Piece, the ending remains to be seen. For others, like Sweat and Soap and Fairy Tail, the manga had weak or forgettable endings. That’s why manga readers love a series with a solid final arc to entertain them and leave a lasting impression.

Different genres and stories will call for different things in their final arcs, from a thought-provoking open ending to a cathartic “happily ever after” or even one last shocking twist to keep readers guessing until the very last page. Some of the best final arcs are controversial among fans with unwanted developments, but even those controversial moments don’t stop certain final arcs from ranking among the industry’s best.

10

Mashle: Magic and Muscles’ Ending Might Be Too Happy for Some Fans

Mash Proved Everyone Wrong About Muggles

The final arc for the Mashle: Magic and Muscles manga ranks last among the best final arcs in manga because, in the eyes of some fans, its ending is actually too clean. When a manga like Mashle has societal commentary and suggests its entire world must change, it’s perhaps a little too convenient to have every problem resolved once the hero wins the final battle and everyone is happy.

Still, no one will argue Mash Burnedead, the himbo hero, made a great show of defeating Innocent Zero and his allies, including some incredibly well-drawn action sequences packed with detail. It’s not on the same level as One-Punch Man‘s best work, but both series take readers by surprise as comedy series with a 100% serious commitment to stunning visuals to make the action pop.

Mashle, Vol. 1:

WRITER

Hajime Komoto

Artist

Hajime Komoto

Letterer

Nova Skipper, Eve Grandt

Publisher

Viz Media

9

Uzumaki Creeped Readers Out With a Strange & Open Ending

Junji Ito Rarely Provides Simple Answers

Although the recent anime for Junji Ito’s Uzumaki underwhelmed many viewers, the original manga remains an iconic work of Ito’s and is a must-read for any fan of horror manga. That includes the ending, which is typically open-ended, mysterious, and unsettling, since it actually ruins the scary fun if the antagonistic forces explain themselves in the end.

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Part of the horror in Ito’s works is how the villain or antagonistic force is not fully explained, and might not even be defeated at all. Such storytelling, such as the eerie ending of Uzumaki, reinforces the idea of the universe being too strange and powerful for humanity to comprehend. It creates a sense of tension and uneasiness as the horror creeps in, and when Uzumaki‘s protagonists end up in the heart of the spiral world, there are only more questions — as they should be.

Uzumaki

Author

Junji Ito

Artist

Junji Ito

Release Date

January 19, 1998

8

Alice in Borderland Had a Few Final Rug Pulls in Store For Readers

Arisu Played the World’s Tensest Croquet Game

Some readers may have found the final ending of the Alice in Borderland manga a bit underwhelming, or might say it ruined its own setup with a relatively simple conclusion. Then again, shocking surprises and disorienting turns of events are the staples of Alice in Borderland, all while challenging readers to interpret or merely ask where reality ends and imagination begins.

The Squid Game-style death games in Alice in Borderland kept the suspense and mysteries taut, only for the final arc to explain everything with a shocking reveal — that was a blatant lie, as Mira admitted. The full reality of Borderland and its games remained enigmatic, to the point Ryohei Arisu might wonder if that world existed at all. Manga readers who like a cerebral, messy ending to a story are bound to like what Alice in Borderland has in store, as opposed to neat, “riding off into the sunset” endings.

Alice in Borderland Vol. 1

WRITER

Haro Aso

Artist

Haro Aso

Publisher

Viz Media

Price

19.99 (Paperback)

7

Naruto Shippuden’s Fourth Great Shinobi War Featured the Best Battles in Naruto History

Obito Was Redeemed and Team 7 Reunited

If it weren’t for the controversial last-minute appearance of Kaguya Otsutsuki and the slightly excessive length, the final arc in Naruto‘s manga might have been the best of all time. Instead, it simply ranks among the best while being outclassed by a few ending arcs with better pacing and more consistent narratives about who and what the villains actually are.

Naruto‘s final arc may have been too much of a good thing, but it delivered on many fronts, from bringing the power creep to its delightful apex to showing off the bizarre power of the Ten-Tails, not to mention seeing the five Kage team up against villains like Madara Uchiha. This huge final arc also had emotionally cathartic moments to keep the manga’s heart going strong, such as Team 7’s reunion and Obito’s redemption.

Naruto

Author

Masashi Kishimoto

Artist

Masashi Kishimoto

Release Date

September 21, 1999

6

Mahou Sensei Negima!’s Final Arc Showed the Girls of Class 3-A Fighting at Their Best

Negi’s Isekai Adventure Ended With a Terrific Bang

The ending of Mahou Sensei Negima! is another final arc that could have been even stronger, but sabotaged itself slightly with some iffy creative decisions. The main flaw is how Asuna Kagarazaka’s final sacrifice was made moot almost immediately when Evangeline bailed her out of being a living sacrifice, which felt like a cheap move for the sake of keeping the main cast together, no matter what.

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That aside, however, the final arc of Negima! is a classic shonen manga climax, combining the apocalyptic near-destruction of the magical world, the fun isekai vibes, the intense action when Negi Springfield is battling his enemies, and the fact, so many heroes came together to fight. By that point, many of Negi’s students had become incredible fighters in their own ways, and they all made a good show of things when the stakes reached their peak.

5

Chainsaw Man’s Control Devil Arc Made Denji Pay the Price For Victory

Denji Couldn’t Stop Losing the People He Cared About

Time and again, the Chainsaw Man manga made it clear no matter how many fights Denji won or how much he gained, the cruel universe would set him back with painful defeats and agonizing personal losses. Such was the case as the Public Safety saga in the subversive Chainsaw Man manga, with its final arc pitting Denji against his beloved boss, Makima.

That final arc of the saga put Denji in a lose-lose situation, forced to either submit to the Control Devil’s selfish plans or destroy her and thus destroy his faint hope of love and happiness. Denji ended up destroying Makima, but it felt like a hollow victory, and that’s one reason Denji feels so listless and apathetic in the Academy Saga. Such a grim tone, one fitting Chainsaw Man perfectly, makes this the middle-best final arc in any manga series or saga.

Chainsaw Man

Author

Tatsuki Fujimoto

Artist

Tatsuki Fujimoto

Release Date

December 3, 2018

4

Demon Slayer Ended With Immense Bloodshed and Weary Relief

Muzan’s Downfall Came at a Heartbreaking Price

The final arc of Demon Slayer revived one of this manga’s most daring trends: killing off its heroes to boost the tension and maximize the stakes. The whole point is how challenging and risky it is to fight demons, with the Demon Slayer Corps being he underdogs for centuries, and that was why so many heroes died in the manga’s final arc. A clean, easy victory would have insulted the heroes who died fighting in earlier arcs, such as Kyojuro Rengoku.

Demon Slayer pushed its bloody narrative to the limit with some daring creative decisions, such as having Tanjiro Kamado himself temporarily become a demon, a moment of horrifying irony in the fight against Muzan Kibutsuji the demon king. Many other heroes died as well at the hands of Muzan or the Upper Moons, which is how it should have been, and that made the survivors’ fate that much more relieving to see.

Demon Slayer

Author

Koyoharu Gotouge

Artist

Koyoharu Gotouge

Release Date

February 15, 2016

3

Bleach’s Thousand-Year Blood War Arc Wrapped Many Character Arcs

Ichigo Saved the Universe After He Embraced His True Powers

Plenty of manga fans were not pleased with how rushed the last few chapters of Bleach were, and they didn’t all like the official romantic pairings, either. In the long run, though, the final arc of Bleach‘s manga was an excellent climax and send-off for the series on many levels. For example, the Thousand-Year Blood War arc did a marvelous job wrapping up many of the Soul Reapers’ personal arcs, from the truth of Captain Unohana to Byakuya and Rukia coming together as brother and sister against Äs Nödt.

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Bleach‘s final story arc also did well to up the stakes after a climactic battle with Sosuke Aizen the villain, with Yhwach threatening the universe in new ways and for surprisingly interesting reasons, as the Quincy tribe fought that final war for survival. This arc also provided a game-changing moment of release and peace for its hero, with Ichigo learning the full truth of his mother and thus letting go of his grief.

Bleach

Author

Tite Kubo

Artist

Tite Kubo

Release Date

August 7, 2001

2

Attack on Titan’s Final Arc Sparked Controversy But Also Had Undeniably Great Action

Eren Died So the World Could Learn to Find Peace

Attack on Titan‘s ending is another one that stirred up some controversy among fans, but even if that ending wasn’t exactly what some readers wanted, the manga ended on a memorable and strong note, as did the anime version. Eren Yeager reached his epic climax as a homemade super-villain, threatening the entire world to teach everyone the horror of war with the rumbling.

Eren’s act of apocalyptic evil was in the name of Eldian nationalism, but it actually brought out the best in his friends, like Mikasa and Armin, which made Eren a strangely positive force, too. Various enemies came together to fight for the world’s sake, which included Reiner Braun and other Marley Warriors, giving Attack on Titan an awe-inspiring and final twist after a long series of twists and turns in the manga.

Attack On Titan

Author

Hajime Isayama

Artist

Hajime Isayama

Release Date

September 9, 2009

Everyone Came Together as Edward Saved Amestris From Father’s Apotheosis

Fullmetal Alchemist has the best ending in manga not because it had one big gimmick or shock at the end, but simply because it did so many things well all at once. The final arc chronicled the events of the Promised Day, with Father the homunculus aiming to become a new god at the expense of everyone else. That called for all kinds of incredible twists, from Father’s giant ritual to Roy opening the Portal of Truth to the army of soldier dolls swarming in Central.

Best of all, it was the humble protagonist, Edward Elric, who kept that outrageous premise grounded with his warm humanity. He did that first by beating Father out of existence, then by giving up his alchemy to restore Alphonse’s body. After so much action, conspiracy, and horror, it was refreshing for one heroic teenager to remind everyone how simple acts of human bravery and kindness are the greatest forces in the universe.

Fullmetal Alchemist

Author

Hiromu Arakawa

Artist

Hiromu Arakawa

Release Date

July 12, 2001