10 Iconic Anime Arcs That Would’ve Been Movies If They Were Made in 2025
There is a growing trend for anime series to not just get feature-length movies, but use canon arcs to make those films. This is different than the non-canon movies for the shonen “big three,” and it’s even different than My Hero Academia‘s canon tie-in movies. Anime such as Demon Slayer and Chainsaw Man are integrating canon movies into their chronology, such as Infinity Castle and Reze Arc, and now fans wonder which other anime arcs can get — or should have gotten — this treatment.
Plenty of short and exciting story arcs in older anime would have been ripe for anime movies if their respective studios had opted for this approach. Ideally, an arc is just a handful of episodes long and is a relatively self-contained story to create a proper cinematic experience. Those arcs also have outstanding action, character growth, or drama to give the arc some muscle, and those are all good reasons why ten particular arcs should have made it into theaters.
Bleach’s Fullbring Arc is the Story of How Ichigo Recovered His Powers
Among all the canon Bleach arcs, only the Fullbring Arc is the proper length and style for an anime movie. The others are much too long and aren’t focused enough to make for a proper movie or even film trilogy, not even the well-paced Thousand-Year Blood War Arc. By comparison, Bleach‘s Fullbring arc is short, focused, and has a great duality between Ichigo Kurosaki and his friend turned nemesis, Kugo Ginjo.
In general, movies work best when there is a singular protagonist facing a singular villain, with some exceptions. Bleach‘s Fullbring Arc delivers, following Ichigo as he fights his way to regaining his spiritual powers while learning about and then fighting Xcution. It helps how Kugo has a tragic end as the first substitute Soul Reaper, giving this would-be movie some solid emotional closure.
One-Punch Man’s The Alien Conquerors Arc Revolved Around the Menace of Warlord Boros
Most of the story arcs in One-Punch Man are too short or too subversive to make for a great anime film, but the Alien Conquerors Arc may be an exception. This is the first “serious” arc in all of One-Punch Man, complete with Saitama’s first halfway proper challenge while also delivering some titanic stakes. Aliens have arrived and are laying siege to Japan, and only the top-ranked heroes like Saitama and Tatsumaki can stop them. Such an elevator pitch is ideal for an anime movie.
This is also one of the few cases where an anime arc should actually add material rather than trim the fluff to fit into a typical movie runtime. The Alien Conquerors Arc is only a few episodes long, so if it became a movie, the producers could add or expand upon the fights to thrill audiences that much more and bulk up the runtime in all the right ways. And of course, Saitama’s showdown with Boros would hit twice as hard in theaters, rather than on the small screen.
Spy x Family’s Cruise Adventure Arc Would Have Rivaled the Code White Movie
The Spy x Family franchise does have a move already, that being the non-canon Code White film, but this comedic shonen adventure can do more. If studio MAPPA saw fit to, they could have and arguably should have made the Cruise Adventure Arc an anime movie. It may lack the epic scale of Code White, but this arc makes up for it in other and quite meaningful ways.
The scale and action of the Cruise Adventure Arc are good enough for a movie, and of course, it helps how this arc is more or less a self-contained adventure. Aside from the spy action and fresh setting, the Cruise Adventure Arc also benefits from some strong emotional layers as Yor Forger questions her balance of her assassin work vs her beloved found family. Good anime movies need a clearly defined emotional core, and Yor’s inner dilemma would deliver on that front.
Naruto’s Konoha Crush Arc Would Make a Thrilling Action Movie With Some Trimming
This particular story arc might be better off as a pair of anime movies back to back, since the Konoha Crush Arc has more episodes than most other arcs that would make good movies. Trimming and streamlining the content would be a must, given how studio Pierrot tended to draw things out in the original anime’s episodes. If this arc came out today, lean and mean storytelling like in Infinity Castle or Reze Arc would be a must.
As for the story itself, Naruto‘s Konoha Crush Arc is prime movie material, since it’s a clearly defined phase of Naruto’s adventure that leaps right off the Chunin Exam Arc right before it. It’s no trouble for anime movies to use previous episodes as a springboard, and as for the ending, the Konoha Crush Arc has a strong and clearly defined conclusion to make for a satisfying watch in theaters. Above all, this arc has some of the finest fights and emotional stakes in the original Naruto anime, including Gaara’s jinchuriki showdown and redemption.
Dr. Stone’s Stone Wars Arc Pitted Senku Against His Worst Enemy of the Time
The Dr. Stone anime isn’t liable to actually get any anime movies at this rate, since studio TMS Entertainment is on track to finish the story in the third cour of Season 4. Looking back, a few arcs would be ideal for anime movies, such as any phase of the Treasure Island adventure or the Stone Wars Arc. The latter formed Season 2 of the anime, but it would have hit harder in theaters. And of course, the Stone Wars Arc is self-contained enough to properly work as a cohesive film.
Scientist hero Senku Ishigami faced his first true war in the Stone Wars Arc, hence the name, with Senku needing technology and teamwork to face the superior numbers and strength of Tsukasa’s Empire of Might. The emotional stakes delivered, with Tsukasa wanting to make a world free of corrupt adults while also seeking to protect his little sister Mirai, and the action does its part, including Senku ramming a steam-powered battle tank into Tsukasa’s primitive fortress.
In terms of stakes and an epic feeling, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood fans would want the Promised Day to be an anime movie, but that arc is too long and chaotic for that. The anime was right to portray the final battle in episode format, but other arcs such as the Briggs Arc are a different matter. This particular arc is reasonably self-contained, allowing the would-be movie to have some proper focus.
Given the unique setting of Ft. Briggs and the powerful presence of Major-General Olivier Armstrong, a Briggs Arc movie would feel cohesive and distinctive. There, Edward and Alphonse Elric would battle the homunculus Sloth in an exciting on-screen battler that might be expanded for the movie’s sake. It would be more memorable than the actual Fullmetal Alchemist anime movies, which are non-canon and don’t exactly feel like essential viewing.
My Hero Academia’s Shie Hassaikai Arc Was Held Together By Overhaul’s Scene-Stealing Presence
As things are now, My Hero Academia occupies the middle ground between fluff spinoff movies and films like Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc. That’s because My Hero Academia‘s movies are canon spinoffs that fit reasonably well into the anime’s chronology without being absolutely essential to watch. But if My Hero Academia did take the Chainsaw Man route, then it would make a movie out of the Shie Hassaikai Arc.
This was the exciting, relatively self-contained arc that launched My Hero Academia‘s fourth anime season with such a bang. Like other movie-worthy arcs, the Shie Hassaikai Arc has clearly defined physical and emotional stakes — in this case, Deku and Mirio felt personally obligated to rescue Eri after they realized she was Overhaul’s tormented prisoner. It helps how this arc has outstanding fights, mainly Deku’s and Mirio’s clashes with Overhaul to save the day. Deku’s showdown with Overhaul at 100% power rivals anything fans saw in the four actual My Hero Academia movies.
Oshi no Ko’s Tokyo Blade Arc Would Feel More Impactful and Artistic in Movie Format
It’s not just action and adventure anime that would make for great movies in the theaters. The darkly subversive drama Oshi no Ko also could have made a fantastic movie, mainly out of its Tokyo Blade Arc. In a way, the Prologue: Childhood Arc would also make a solid movie, but the mega-length debut episode is effectively an anime movie already. So, that leaves the Tokyo Blade Arc as a self-contained adventure worthy of being a film.
The Tokyo Blade arc did feel a tad weak in the Oshi no Ko anime, but there are ways to fix this. As a movie, this arc could expand on Kana Arima’s and Akane Kurokawa’s personal arcs while trimming back the personal woes of manga author Abiko Samejima. While Abiko does have a role to play, the meat of the matter is Kana’s and Akan’s multi-layered rivalry as they prepare to put on a show with the Tokyo Blade stage play. It’s fun watching movies about performers, and the Tokyo Blade Arc would deliver on that front as a movie.
Berserk’s Conviction Arc Would Make a Terrific Movie to Eclipse the 2016 Anime
Unfortunately, the 2016 Berserk anime was a disaster on many fronts. It had odd pacing and clunky visuals that made the whole thing feel like a far cry from author Kentaro Miura’s original manga. Fans don’t have much hope for a truly amazing Berserk anime, but this franchise does have room for movies, and that is what the 2016 anime should have done.
The Conviction Arc is ripe for movies, seeing how it’s self-contained, brutal, and is just the right length for a film. That arc could welcome back Berserk fans after they saw the 1997 Berserk anime, and stellar production values would have made this movie a real treat. No animation can truly equal what Mr. Miura drew, but a well-made movie of the Conviction Arc could have at least come close. Content-wise, this is the ideal arc for a new Berserk movie, given the epic showdown of Guts vs Father Mozgus and Luca’s personal arc.
One Piece’s Long Ring Long Land Arc Would Be a Better Movie Than Half the Real One Piece Movies
Like the rest of the shonen “big three,” the One Piece anime does have a handful of movies to its name. However, these are spinoffs at most, and even the best of them don’t quite equal what Demon Slayer and Chainsaw Man did with their own theatrical releases. Most of One Piece‘s canon arcs are much too long for movies, but the Long Ring Long Land Arc is a little different. It may feel like filler, but a theatrical release would make it feel more fun than not.
Releasing the Long Ring Long Land arc as a novelty movie with stellar animation and unique stakes would no doubt help boost this arc’s iffy reputation. It still wouldn’t be peak One Piece by any means, yet the Long Ring Long Land Arc would feel twice as powerful with top-tier animation and the epic feeling of being in a theater. What is more, many of the best anime movies are rather dark in nature, so having a light and outrageous film like this would make for a refreshing change of pace.
