Shonen manga come in many forms. Yet when most people think of shonen manga, they think of battle manga. The best of these battles are often showcased in tournament arcs.
They’ve long become a staple of shonen battle manga. From Dragonball to Jujutsu Kaisen, almost all shonen battle manga feature a tournament in one way or another.
Tournament arcs aren’t so much about plot progression, but about fan favorite characters clashing in battle. They often revolve around such themes as rivalry, friendship, but also character growth.
Tournament arcs come in many forms. Some are traditional, follow a ladder system and offer a grand prize. Others are selections or friendly competitions. There are even manga such as Fate or Kengan Ashura who revolve entirely around a single tournament.
The best tournament arcs in manga, however, are often the highlights of their respective series and the fights are often amongst the most memorable.
While many shonen battle manga feature tournaments, their quality can vary. That’s why I put together a list of the best tournament arcs in manga. For this list, however, I focused on my personal favorites and featured only one arc per manga.
If you’re looking for more recommendations, check out my list of the best shonen manga and the best long manga.
So here we go, the fifteen best tournaments in manga.
Table of Contents
- Kyoto Goodwill Event – Jujutsu Kaisen
- Heavens Arena – Hunter x Hunter
- Corrida Colosseum Tournament – One Piece
- Ragnarok – Record of Ragnarok
- Super Fight Tournament – One Punch Man
- The Holy Grail War – Fate/Stay Night
- Ura Buto Satsujin – Flame of Recca
- Battle City – Yugioh
- Royal Knights Selection – Black Clover
- UA Sports Festival – My Hero Academia
- Maximum Tournament – Baki
- Kengan Annihilation Tournament – Kengan Ashura
- 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament – Dragonball
- Dark Tournament – Yu Yu Hakusho
- Chunin Exam – Naruto
Kyoto Goodwill Event – Jujutsu Kaisen
Jujutsu Kaisen is one of the new big three, and a series enjoyed tremendously.
The Kyoto Goodwill Event is a competition between the students of the Jujutsu schools in Kyoto and Tokyo. As we soon learn, however, the Kyoto school has a hidden agenda. This changes things and what was supposed to be a friendly competition turns into a dire battle.
The Kyoto Goodwill Event isn’t your typical tournament arc. Instead, it’s more of a gripping team battle leading to some amazing fights.
What makes it even more interesting is the appearance of special grade curses in its later half.
While the Kyoto Goodwill arc is often overshadowed by Jujutsu Kaisen’s other arcs, I still consider it amongst the best tournament arcs in manga. It features fantastic fights, introduces the bromance between Yuji and Todo and we finally see how powerful Gojo truly is.
Heavens Arena – Hunter x Hunter
Hunter x Hunter’s official second arc introduces us to the Heavens Arena. It’s a giant tower comprising 251 floors and essentially a giant martial arts tournament in which the winner may climb to higher floors.
Gon and Killua decide to partake in its battles to earn some money.
The Heaves Arena isn’t your typical tournament arc. While we’re showcased some of the earlier fights, most of them happen off screen.
When Gon and Killua reach the 200th floor, however, they encounter an invisible wall they can’t seem to overcome. Even worse, Hisoka’s there and tells them they aren’t ready yet to set foot in that place.
What blocked them was Hisoka’s Nen, namely Hunter x Hunter’s complex system of super powers. And so Gon and Killua learn its intricacies.
Heavens Arena is more a development arc than anything else dedicated to introduce readers to the Nen system. Yet it also offers some fantastic fights, the best of them without a doubt the confrontation between Gon and Hisoka.
While the Heavens Arena arc isn’t amongst Hunter x Hunter’s best arcs, it’s amongst its most important. For this and its fights alone, it deserves to be added to this list of the best tournament arcs in manga.
Corrida Colosseum Tournament – One Piece
I’m not the biggest fan of One Piece. There are few arcs I truly enjoyed, but amongst them is the Corrida Colosseum Tournament.
While it’s only a small part of the Dessrosa arc, I still consider it one of the best tournament arcs in manga. One can’t also deny its importance to the plot. It features a variety of different characters, some returning, some new, but also introduces us to Sabo.
The Corrida Colosseum Tournament is a gladiator-like tournament organized by the Donquixote Family. The winner’s supposed to take home the Mera Mera No Mi, the devil fruit once belonging to Luffy’s brother Ace. Luffy, in disguise, promptly joins the battle to take it back.
It’s a fantastic opening to the Dessrosa arc and for what’s coming later. While Luffy’s a powerhouse and wins most fights easily, there are some that are more serious and interesting.
The greatest part, however, and what makes it one of the best tournament arcs in manga aren’t the fights, but the impact of the tournaments end.
Ragnarok – Record of Ragnarok
Record of Ragnarok is the first manga on this list that centers on a single tournament, one called Ragnarok.
It’s a competition that pits humans against gods in thirteen one-on-one fights to the death.
The tournament’s nothing short of a battle for the fate of humanity. If men lose, they are extinguished. Should they win, they will get to live for another thousand years.
This alone makes Ragnarok a worthy addition to this list of the best tournament arcs in manga.
Interestingly enough, the manga reserves long stretches to introduces us to and tell us the backstory of all its competitors.
While all the fights in this manga are thrilling, some are better than others. The best of them are full of twists, turns and exciting developments, often making their outcome entirely unexpected. The standout amongst all of them, the fight between Jack the Ripper and Hercules.
If you’re a fan of tournament arcs or manga centering on tournaments, read Record of Ragnarok.
Super Fight Tournament – One Punch Man
One Punch Man is a fantastic manga. While it’s considered a gag manga, it comes with some of the best action and art in the entire medium.
All the while, One Punch Man pokes fun at a variety of clichés, tropes and scenarios common in manga.
It was only a matter of time until it would include its very own tournament arc.
Under a false name, and disguised by a wig, Saitama takes part in the tournament. He wants to win the prize many, but also experience some real martial arts.
Knowing Saitama’s power, however, all his fights are over in a heartbeat.
Eventually, he’s pitted against Suiryu, an extremely powerful martial artist. Yet while Suiryu unleashes insane technique after technique, the fight goes exactly as one would expect, but culminating in a result as ridiculous as typical for One Punch Man.
The true final of the arc, however, introduces us to Gouketsu, an extremely powerful monster who crashes the tournament and forces the fighters to either die or become monsters. While some are quick to agree, others, including Suiryu, chose to fight back.
One Punch Man’s Super Fight Tournament has a distinct filler feel to it and doesn’t even shy away showing how underwhelmed Saitama’s by all of it. Yet for Suiryu’s fight against Saitama and consequently Gouketsu alone, it deserves its spot on this list of the best tournament arcs in manga.
The Holy Grail War – Fate/Stay Night
Fate/Stay Night is another manga centering on a single tournament, the Holy Grail War.
It’s a battle royal in which sorcerers summon powerful servants to fight for them. Many of these servants prove to be historical figures or fictional heroes, like Sasaki Kojiro or Merlin. The fights continue until only one sorcerer-servant pair’s left standing. This pair well then be granted the chance to wish upon the Holy Grail.
Shirou Emiya has no talent for sorcery, but when he accidentally summons one of the strongest servants of all, he becomes a participant in the Holy Grail War.
Fate is an amazing manga full of fantastic over-the-top fights. Even more interesting, however, each character, be they sorcerer or servant, has their own motifs and is well developed.
It’s a story full of betrayals, twists, but most of all, stunning fights.
While its story doesn’t always make sense and its lore is quite complicated, Fate/Stay Night is more than worth reading. The Holy Grail War is, without a doubt, amongst the best tournament arcs in manga.
Ura Buto Satsujin – Flame of Recca
Flame of Recca’s an older series, but it’s definitely worth reading for fans of tournament manga.
It centers on the character of Recca Hanabishi who’s got the innate ability to control fire and wants to be a ninja.
He pledges to protect a kind girl named Yanagi Sakoshita, who herself has the power to heal injuries. This soon brings her to the attention of Koran Mori, who’s on a quest for immortality.
Flame of Recca truly shines during its third act, the Ura Buto Satsujin, a tournament organized by no other than Koran Mori in which Recca and his friends are forced to take part.
While Flame of Recca isn’t a bad manga, it truly comes to shine during the Ura Buto Satsujin. During this tournament, our protagonists are pitted against a variety of supernatural and dangerous adversaries.
The battles comprising this tournament arc are nothing short of amazing. They are suspenseful, but also allow each member of the cast to shine in their own way.
While Flame of Recca is an older series, the Ura Buto Satsujin is amazing and one of the best tournament arcs in manga.
Battle City – Yugioh
Yugioh’s a manga that features its fair share of tournaments. While the Duelist Kingdom’s a fan favorite, one can’t deny that the Battle City tournament is by far its best arc.
It’s a city-wide battle royal held by no other than Seto Kaiba. It features battles across the entire city, featuring a variety of different characters, both new and reoccurring.
What makes Battle City so memorable and one of the best tournament arcs in manga’s not only the introduction of the three Egyptian God cards but also its battles.
Battle City features some of the best battles in Yugioh. There’s of course the battle between Yugi and Kaiba, but also the fantastic one between Yugi and Dark Bakura.
The Battle City arc is essentially an evolution of the Duelist Kingdom arc. It features more mystical cards, various new items and traps and, of course, amazing new characters.
Battle City’s not only Yugioh’s greatest arc but also one of the best tournament arcs in manga.
Royal Knights Selection – Black Clover
Black Clover’s another amazing shonen manga. While its story isn’t the deepest, it makes up for it with its amazing battles.
Black Clover features its fair share of tournament-like battles, but the best one of them is the Royal Knights Selection.
To fight the threat of the Eye of Midnight Sun, Wizard King Julius of the Clover Kingdom organizes a tournament. The winners will be declared the official Royal Knights.
In this tournament, the participating Magic Knights are grouped into teams of three. They now must not only protect their respective crystals but also be the last one standing.
It’s an amazing tournament arc full of fantastic battles. What’s even more interesting, however, is to see how characters grow throughout the tournament and how they learn to work together. While Asta stands out as a surprising underdog, the greatest fight is that between Langris and Finral.
The Royal Knights Selection also stands apart from other similar arcs for featuring a wide variety of characters and abilities. Not everyone’s overpowered and not every ability’s purely offensive. It helps to make fights both more gripping and more interesting.
It’s without a doubt amongst the best tournament arcs in manga, culminating in some of the series’ best and most exciting fights.
UA Sports Festival – My Hero Academia
My Hero Academia is one of the most popular modern shonen manga. It’s a typical zero to hero story, but set in a world of superheroes.
While its story is rather typical, it makes up for it by its characters and its amazing battles.
The UA Sports Festival is amongst its best arcs. It’s an annual event held at the UA High School and pits students from different grades against each other in a variety of competitions.
It features not only obstacle courses and team-based battles, but also one-on-one fights between students.
The team-based battles allowed for many of the side-characters to shine, but also showcased how quirks can be used depending on the situation.
The arc’s highlight was, of course, the fight between Midoriya and Todoroki. It’s not only one of the manga’s greatest but also comes with some fantastic character development for Todoroki. We not only learn about his dark backstory but also the reason for the issues he has with his father.
The UA Sports Festival is clearly amongst the best tournament arcs in manga and gives us one of the most amazing and unforgettable fights in all of My Hero Academia.
Maximum Tournament – Baki
Baki’s another manga series full of tournaments. The best of them, however, is the Maximum Tournament.
As one of its earlier arcs, the art isn’t as good as in later installments of the series. The fights, however, are amazing throughout the tournament and amongst the best in the entire series.
The Maximum Tournament introduces us to a variety of characters, many of which should become members of the main cast. Two notable examples are Retsu Kaioh and Jack Hanma, both of which have fantastic fights against Baki.
What makes the Maximum Tournament one of the best tournament arcs in manga is that it’s a pure martial arts tournament. There’s no Ki, no magic and no energy blasts. This being Baki, of course, many of the martial arts techniques are over-the-top and the fights are extremely brutal.
These fights are all unique because each fighter uses different martial arts and techniques.
Overall, the Maximum Tournament is without a doubt one of the best tournament arcs in manga and probably the best in the entirety of Baki.
Kengan Annihilation Tournament – Kengan Ashura
Kengan Ashura’s another manga dedicated to a single tournament.
In the world of Kengan Ashura, all Japanese business deals are decided by martial arts matches. Overseeing those matches is the Kengan Association.
Ohma Tokita becomes a fighter for the Nori group. After a brief introduction, we witness Ohma partaking in a few matches before the Kengan Annihilation Tournament is announced.
Anyone who likes shonen battle manga and tournament arcs will love Kengan Ashura.
The Kengan Annihilation tournament features 32 fighters who all have different motifs, personalities, and fighting styles. Over the course of the manga, we also learn each character’s individual backstory.
The fights in Kengan Ashura are nothing short of amazing, brutal and over-the-top and come with some of the best art in the entire medium. It’s hard to pinpoint a single fight that’s not great.
While the story has its twists and turns, it never strays from the original idea of a giant martial arts tournament.
If you’re a fan of battle shonen and tournament arcs, read Kengan Ashura. The Kengan Annihilation Tournament truly deserves its place on this list of the best tournament arcs in manga.
22nd World Martial Arts Tournament – Dragonball
As the father of modern shonen manga, Dragonball established many of shonen’s most common tropes. While it wasn’t the first manga to feature a tournament arc, it helped popularize them.
Dragonball features a variety of tournaments throughout its long run, but the best by far has to be the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament.
Set shortly after the Red Ribbon arc, it introduces us to two new, major characters, namely Tien Shinhan and Chiaotzu.
The fights in this tournament are amazing and amongst the best in all of Dragonball. Be it Tien vs. Yamcha, Krillin vs. Son Goku or the final which pits Tien against Son Goku. They are all gripping and nothing sort of fantastic.
The 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament can be seen as an evolution of the preceding 21st one. While the 21st features quite a few gag battles, the 22nd felt much more mature and centered much more on fantastic action-packed battles.
Interestingly enough, the sake of the tournament is just that, the tournament and to decide who’s the strongest. Later tournaments, even the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament, all had bigger stakes and were more important to the story. However, the impact of individual fights was often much less felt.
The 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament is one of the best tournament arcs in manga, amongst the best arcs in all of Dragonball and features some of the series’ greatest fights.
Dark Tournament – Yu Yu Hakusho
What’s there to be said about Yu Yu Hakusho’s Dark Tournament? It’s one of the best tournament arcs in manga, if not the best.
It’s a competition organized by rich humans, featuring teams of demons battling against each other. At the end of the tournament, the winning team is granted any wish. The contestants comprise the vilest and most violent demons.
Amongst them, the series’ greatest villain, Toguro.
Yosuke and friends are forced to partake in the tournament by no other than Toguro himself. In each round, they have to fight teams of stronger and stronger enemies before they eventually have to take on Team Toguro.
The Dark Tournament has it all. It features well-written characters, great action, and fantastic fights. Interestingly enough, each single fight in this manga stands apart from the rest, given how unique they are.
We also witness many of the manga’s characters finally unleashing the full extent of their powers. Hiei uses his Dragon of Darkness Flame and Kurama his death plants. Especially Kuwabara shines, and proves once and for all that he’s a force to be reckoned with.
The greatest fight, however, has to be the final between Yosuke and Toguro. With each chapter, we witness as Toguro morphs himself into a stronger and more outlandish version of himself.
The Dark Tournament is truly one of the best tournament arcs in manga, featuring one of the medium’s best villains and some of its greatest fights.
Chunin Exam – Naruto
Naruto’s one of the most popular manga of all time. Almost everyone has heard of the story about the young underdog ninja who wants to become Hokage.
While the series suffered in its later half when it became more reminiscent of Dragonball Z, its earlier parts were absolutely amazing.
The focus was on hidden techniques, hand signs, subtlety, finesse and, of course, ninja arts.
The culmination of all these elements was the Chunin Exam, probably the best tournament arc in manga. It’s an arc that came to define the series.
When Genin want to rise in rank and become Chunin, they have to pass a variety of different challenges. From written exams, to one-on-one fights, and even the survival in the Forest of Death, this arc has it all.
The greatest thing about the arc is its focus on each individual member of the cast. They all get their time to shine. We see their unique techniques, but also learn more about their personalities.
The Chunin Exam also features some of Naruto’s greatest fights, notable the one between Rock Lee and Gaara, but also the ones between Sasuke and Gaara and Naruto and Neji. All of them are nothing short of amazing.
The arc also vastly expands and fleshes out Naruto’s world, sheds more light on the Jinchuriki and introduces us to Orochimaru. It even foreshadows Sasuke’s eventual decision to abandon his village and become a rogue ninja.
The Chunin Exam is an absolutely fantastic arc and the best tournament arc in manga. It’s engaging, full of brilliantly choreographed fights, character-development and introduces some of the manga’s greatest characters.