5 Problems in Anime Training Arcs That Need to Be Addressed

anime training arc problems dragon ball goku
Credit: Bird Studio/Shueisha, Fuji Television, Toei Animation

anime training arc problems dragon ball goku
Credit: Bird Studio/Shueisha, Fuji Television, Toei Animation

Training arcs in anime are the calm before the storm, where characters take their time learning techniques and building muscles. It is vital to the character's development, but these anime training arcs have several recurring problems that need to be addressed as soon as possible.

From unrealistic time frames to repetitiveness, fans are getting tired of anime training arcs, going so far as to skip them whenever they're about to start.

  1. They Are either Too Long or Too Short

    A lot of anime, especially shonen titles such as Dragon Ball and Naruto drag out their training arcs for several episodes, which throws off the show's general pacing and may turn off viewers.

    Conversely, there are anime series that rush the training of their characters, rendering their development utterly unrealistic.

    The pacing of these training arcs needs to be balanced by anime creators, or else they risk either dragging or rushing the character's development in the series.

  2. They Are Repetitive and Unoriginal

    It's rare for an anime to have a unique training arc since most of them opt to recycle tropes that have been overused for the last few years.

    Nothing has been done to make them look new, giving a sense of redundancy to the viewers.

    An example of this would be an anime training arc in which the protagonist trains under a strict mentor, such as Yusuke Urameshi and Genkai in Yu Yu Hakusho.

    Another example is when the main character achieves a breakthrough in the last moment, such as in the case of Naruto.

    It's hard to come up with a new and exciting training arc, but it's better to experiment rather than overuse character tropes.

  3. There Is Too Much Flashback and Montage

    Flashbacks are important in anime because they provide more context and emotional depth to the characters.

    However, too many flashbacks in anime, particularly in training arcs, dilutes the impact of the current storyline.

    Their frequent and poorly timed use of flashbacks breaks the immersion of viewers and drags down the story as well as the character's development.

    In sports anime, Slam Dunk is known to show one flashback after the other, resulting in the series becoming a meme for fans.

  4. They Neglect Side Characters

    The main protagonist is often the character who's at the heart of these training arcs. They undergo special training, receive or inherit special powers, and, in some cases, beat their mentors.

    While they're out improving themselves, side characters are neglected, and the plot fails to provide more detail on their training and development.

    Once the training arc is done, these side characters will also flex their new abilities, and viewers will be at a loss because they don't understand what happened to them.

    For example, My Hero Academia has several supporting characters who have limited exposure or opportunities to shine in the series.

  5. They Provide Excessive Character Development

    Some anime have problems powering up their characters, resulting in power-scaling inconsistencies that lead to the protagonist becoming too powerful quickly.

    Worse, they fail to detail the character's development, confusing the viewers about how the protagonist can do this or do that against their opponents.

    One particular example is Prince of Tennis, where the characters can suddenly use special abilities to defeat their opponents even though there isn't enough emphasis on the training they previously had.

What do you think about anime training arcs in general? Let us know in the comments below, and follow us on Facebook for all the latest anime news, lists, articles, and more!