10 Anime Arcs That Take Place Within a Day, Ranked Shortest to Longest

Even while anime arcs might last for several seasons, some of the most compelling narratives take place in a single day.

Things get crazy quickly when you try to fit all that drama, action, and character development into one day. Characters are forced to make snap decisions that alter everything because of these condensed timelines. The greatest anime storylines demonstrate that telling a memorable tale doesn't require weeks or months.

In order of length, these ten well-known anime arcs take place in a single day.

10. Dragon Ball Super: Tournament of Power

One of those anime arcs where the stakes are really high is the Tournament of Power. In a royal rumble, eighty fighters from eight universes compete. If you lose, your entire universe is erased. Although it spans dozens of episodes for viewers, the entire event occurs in just 48 minutes of in-universe time.

During this arc, Goku unlocks Ultra Instinct. Vegeta also receives a power-up. Android 17 emerges as the MVP and wishes for the return of all deleted universes. The Null Realm, a place devoid of time and physical laws, is where the competition takes place. Because of that, fighters could go all out without fear of collateral damage. Like children at a gladiatorial fight, Zeno and Future Zeno observe from above.

9. The Invasion of the Palace in Hunter × Hunter

Although the Palace Invasion is the culmination of the Chimera Ant arc, it isn't strictly speaking its own arc. These anime arcs are known for being slow burns, and the palace raid is the payoff. Although the entire attack on the Chimera Ant King's palace takes place in a matter of hours, the anime spans it across several episodes with narration that breaks down at every turn.

Netero and Meruem engage in an epic battle. One of the saddest scenes in the series is still Gon's transformation into a dark, overpowered person against Pitou. The invasion begins at night and concludes before daybreak. Characters like Shoot, Morel, and Killua are engaged in simultaneous conflicts. During these episodes, the narrator's voice virtually takes on a life of its own.

8. The USJ Incident in My Hero Academia

The actual threat in the My Hero Academia anime begins with the USJ Incident. The League of Villains interrupts Class 1-A's rescue training at the Unforeseen Simulation Joint. For the first time, pupils are put in real-life or-death scenarios as the entire attack takes place over several hours.

While a creature known as Nomu battles All Might, Shigaraki and Kurogiri spearhead the attack. Students are dispersed throughout the facility's many zones. To save his class, Aizawa battles a number of enemies. When All Might shows up, he must go above and beyond in order to vanquish Nomu. By the conclusion, everyone understands that villains are becoming more audacious. Heroes must adapt swiftly, as demonstrated by these anime arcs that cram action into constrained timelines.

7. The Shibuya Incident in Jujutsu Kaisen

The Shibuya Incident occurs on Halloween night and continues until the early hours of the morning. To entice Gojo Satoru, Pseudo-Geto's crew erects barricades around Shibuya and traps citizens. They are ultimately successful in sealing him in the Prison Realm.

Jogo, Choso, Mahito, and other curses battle jujutsu sorcerers all night long. Nanami passes away. Nobara sustains serious injuries. Sukuna destroys a significant portion of the city after taking control of Yuji's body. Tokyo is in rubble by daybreak, and thousands have died. The entire series is affected by these anime arcs. When Gojo Satoru is sealed, the power balance is entirely altered.

6. Demon Slayer's Entertainment District Arc

The Entertainment District Arc's culmination takes place in Yoshiwara over the course of one night. Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke enter the brothels where Tengen Uzui's wives vanished by posing as ladies. They learn that the Upper Moon demons Gyutaro and Daki are in charge of the region.

Everyone is pushed to their limits against the siblings. Tengen loses both an eye and an arm. Tanjiro comes dangerously close to death several times. Throughout the battle, Nezuko's demonic abilities change. The demons are vanquished when morning finally arrives, but at great cost. Because there is no time for pauses, fast-paced anime arcs like this one keep you on edge.

5. Naruto Shippuden's Pain Assault

Konoha is attacked by Pain in the afternoon, and the conflict continues until dusk. While looking for Naruto, the Six Paths of Pain level the majority of the village. Fighting the Deva Path, Kakashi dies. Pain uses Shinra Tensei to nuke the village, killing hundreds of residents.

When Naruto arrives, he uses Sage Mode to battle all six bodies. Eventually, he locates Nagato, the actual body that controls Pain. After speaking with Nagato, Naruto talks-no-jutsu him to bring all of the attack victims back to life. These anime arcs in which the protagonist emerges as a hero are consistently fulfilling. When Naruto returns, the village welcomes him as a hero.

4. The Demon Slayer Mugen Train Arc

The entire Mugen Train Arc occurs during one nighttime train travel. To look into demon activities, Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke board the train with Flame Hashira Kyojuro Rengoku. Everyone is sent to sleep as their dreams are invaded by Lower Moon One, Enmu.

Upper Moon Three Akaza emerges following the defeat of Enmu. To save the others, Rengoku battles Akaza, but at daybreak, he succumbs to his wounds. During the fight with Enmu, the train crashes. The efforts of the demon slayers allowed more than 200 passengers to survive. When emotional anime arcs occur so quickly and conclude with such irreversible loss, they have a different impact.

3. The One Piece Marineford War Arc

Another long single-day event on this list is the Marineford War. Ace is on the execution platform at the beginning, and Shanks puts an end to the conflict at the end. To save Ace, Whitebeard and his allies battle the Warlords and Marines.

Luffy crashes the war after escaping Impel Down. He fights with Whitebeard's men after unleashing Conqueror's Haki. After being set free, Ace dies defending Luffy from Akainu. Despite suffering hundreds of wounds, Whitebeard continues to battle till his death. Whitebeard's Devil Fruit power is stolen by Blackbeard. To put an end to the fighting, Shanks shows up.

2. Broly Arc in Dragon Ball Super

Beginning with Frieza's troops discovering Broly on Planet Vampa, the Broly film takes place over the course of about a day. It's delightfully petty for a galactic tyrant, but Frieza wants the Dragon Balls to wish to be five centimeters higher. Bulma wishes she were five years younger as well.

Broly battles Vegeta first, followed by Goku, both of whom are defeated. In order to stop him, they eventually merge into Gogeta. Although Broly's terrible past is depicted in flashbacks throughout the film, all of the current events take place in a single day. While some anime arcs employ time jumps, this one continues to progress. Gogeta and Broly's last fight is so fierce that it transcends dimensions.

1. Return to Shiganshina in Attack on Titan

The Return to Shiganshina takes place over the course of an extremely lengthy day. To reclaim Wall Maria, the Survey Corps comes at first light. After sealing the hole in the wall, they confront the Armored Titan, Colossal Titan, and Beast Titan.

In an attempt to kill the Beast Titan, Erwin leads the recruits. Levi defeats the Beast Titan, but Zeke escapes. The Titan serum saves Armin after he gives his life to stop the Colossal Titan. They had won by dusk, but the majority of their warriors had been lost. The reality of the world is revealed upon arriving at Eren's basement. Anime arcs with a lot of action that take place over the course of a day make you feel worn out, much like the characters.

The Reasons These Anime Arcs Are So Successful

Multi-day stories cannot match the urgency created by condensed anime arcs. Characters are unable to withdraw or take breaks to make plans. There is no time for second chances; therefore, every choice matters. From beginning to end, there is a lot of tension.

Power scaling is even more evident in these time-limited anime arcs. Everyone's strength and endurance can be directly compared when they battle on the same day. It's obvious who has gas left in their tank and who is straining to keep going.

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Conclusion

The best part, though? These anime arcs demonstrate how everything can change in a single day.

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