Story Tropes: How To Make A Tournament Arc In Shonen Anime And Manga?

[@MonitorComics]

The FIRST 1,000 PEOPLE to use the link will get a 1-month FREE trial of Skillshare: skl.sh/monitorcomics08231

[@shanardsmith218]

My manga has martial arts tournaments. I think it's a great help.

[@MonitorComics]

@@shanardsmith218 I'm glad!! Thanks for watching and good luck with your manga!

[@animanco6833]

tournament arcs will never be tiring. It is the apex moment of any series.

[@MonitorComics]

FACTS

[@Marzdanger]

Completely agree

[@andrewkong2748]

yea i dont think naruto was any better after the chunin exams

[@sirmel11]

Tournament arcs definitely should continue to be used. They're a great way to introduce characters and help the characters grow in a short amount of time. People that are tired of them are definitely looking at things too deeply.

[@MonitorComics]

Agreed!

[@italolxd3128]

Tournament arcs are great. It allows writers to introduce characters without worrying about the plot and plan the future story out based on feedback. They sometimes bring back past characters who show of their new powers so they are sometimes hype as well.

[@MonitorComics]

Very true!!

[@joseruizdiaz9622]

It's definitely not outdated; it's just a matter of refining it, perfecting it, improving it. Adapt it to your story; it's all about being creative, and innovative about it.

[@atomykebonpyre]

I like how JJK puts a twist on the tournament arc that I don't see a lot in the form of the culling games. Instead of a proper structured tournament its more of a battle royale, and the characters are actively opposed to the games and want to put a stop to them but must act within the imposed rules of the game to do so.

[@Ditteauxessay]

This is such a good point

[@PimpDaddyShrek]

I agree, i juat wiah the execution was done better 😢

[@emiliabaran6830]

I personally love tournament arcs. I. EAT IT. UP. EVERY. DAMN. TIME. And like you said, it's a great way to introduce a lot of new and cool characters, powers and relationships. It's fantastic for character development as well. My personal favorites are Heaven's Arena from HxH and The Grand Magic Games from Fairy Tail.

[@MonitorComics]

Great choices!

[@animanco6833]

As someone who love tournament arcs and currently trying to create. This will be helpful. As usual great video and advice.

[@MonitorComics]

That's awesome to hear! Good luck!!

[@inesatt1313]

I always love these! Their possibilities are endless!

[@ItsJustArtemis]

Your videos are always so helpful man . Keep it up🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@MonitorComics]

Happy these can help!! Thanks for taking the time to watch!

[@StoryOfGaiden]

I’m surprised you didn’t mention the trope of the tournament getting interrupted by some villain lol

[@MonitorComics]

True true! I personally don't like that trope, especially when the fight is built up like Vegeta and Goku in the Majin Buu arc. Definitely happens a lot though! I should have mentioned it if I remembered it while scripting lol

[@polygonail1978]

My favorite tournament in all of anime is in YuGiOh ZeXal with the Duel Carnival Arc. Unfortunatelly it doesn't happen in the manga because after the original, all anime versions of YuGiOh have a completely different canon. The fun of early ZeXal was the factions. You got our boy Yuma being in a solo faction, Kaito, Gauche and Dolowa working for Faker and Thomas and Chris working alongside Tron. All of the duels are memorable and the final duel is amazing. I highly recommend you watching ZeXal. The start is alright but once the tournament starts things become peak real fast. All of the duels have a confrontation between 2 factions which makes each of them special. ZeXal is GOATed.

[@robertfitzgibbons2165]

I think it depends on the type of story someone is making for a tournament arc. It works well if the story characters are training to become something or for an event. It works great for a sports related and fantasy stories. I use the tournament arc as the mid point of my stories and the beginning to the climax of the story. For example, I have two stories that have a tournament arc. The first story I am calling Beast Lords, the two main characters are training to become knights of their kindom and the tournament is to test their skills. But during the tournament something goes wrong in one of the events and they are forced to use a power they kept secret to save everyone. Because of their ability they are branded as enemies of their kingdom and have to leave the kingdom for survival. They go to the neighboring kingdom for safety. While there they discover why they have this ability and reconect with family they didn't know existed. The second story I am calling Reborn Kings, the nations of the world come together to celebrate the anniversary for victory against the underworld. The main characters are reincarnations and are trying to find their old comrades that also reincarnated. They all meet during the tournament and fight each other to test their abilities. Towards the end of the tournament, the gods of their world appear and inform everyone of the up coming war against the underworld. The main characters and their comrades identities as the gods champions are revealed. They are then sent on a final test by the gods, to reclaim their old weapons before the war begins.

[@MonitorComics]

Great points! Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts and how you approached adding tournament arcs in practice! Both of those applications sound like they work for different reasons!

[@vainqueurhero8823]

After two years I ask you this 😭 I'm just glad you finally did it.

[@MonitorComics]

Sorry for the wait! Tons of topics on my to do list! I appreciate the suggestion!

[@Guacko]

I'm slowly writing a manga plot for some characters. I've got some ideas and 0 structure, but i know my mc will learn a lot from a tournament arc

[@fraeofficial]

Tournament arcs are a shonen highlight! I love them!

[@MonitorComics]

Same!!

[@hellishot5224]

i was thinking about creating a tournament arc thank you for the information to make it easier!

[@MonitorComics]

Happy to hear that! Good luck!!

[@ShawnTheInvincible]

One of the best arcs ever created for a manga or anime, will never get tired of these

[@MonitorComics]

SAME

[@JushSam]

Tournament arc you didn't bore to watched cuz you love to notice every detailed on the story all cool characters in one place and going each other after another none stop fighting scene Modern manga using this concept record of ragnarok Baki,kengan ashura,blue lock

[@harsyakiarraathallah2222]

the Best Tournament our the Ones with actual Hight Stake. Like the Darl Tournament Saga.

[@project_u_gamer5383]

Good advices ! Thank you

[@azariahspence8551]

Thanks for the video! This is quite helpful!

[@MonitorComics]

I'm glad!

[@Bern_the_tired]

Great video as always, I think it depends on what kind of story it is as what happens in it that determines whether or not a tournament arc is needed

[@MonitorComics]

True! Thanks for taking the time to watch!

[@jda7667]

After seeing this I am a little disappointed that they didn't have a tournament arc in demon slayer

[@MonitorComics]

TRUEE, that would have been fun! They kinda replaced it with the Hashira Training Arc, but it wasn't really a tournament arc. The manga story moved pretty fast so I assume the mangaka just wanted to head towards the conclusion

[@noahmart0124]

Steel ball run is one big tournament arc (and we love it)

[@Ch1pandsalsa]

I’d love to see this guy collab with osp

[@Fl0xzY]

Is it possible to make a video about how to create good conflicts in a shonen anime ?

[@MonitorComics]

Yes! It is on my list!

[@Creative_Welshman]

Hunter x Hunter has the best tournament arcs, simply because Togashi likes to flip the concept on its head like at the end of the Hunters Exam. My series The Victoria Investigations doesn't really have a tournament arc in it but I'll look for ways to incorporate aspects of the tournament arc into the story, find logical places where they would make sense.

[@MonitorComics]

That could be really interesting! Thanks for sharing!

[@carverkain5226]

Gotta show love to the 🐐 question though, any tips for a “who done it” type of tournament? My MC is investigating a gang that uses enslaved ghost for illegal prize fighting bets. Problem is there’s multiple gangs/ kingpins participating. So the MC goes undercover to figure out who’s pulling the strings. I want to have a twist ending, but that’s never been my strength

[@dedrik1461]

Keep at it yo! Sounds like a really interesting concept

[@zoddai5950]

It only depends on the series, but I think tournament arcs are ageless, period.

[@probablyabtsfan1715]

Suddenly I feel so bad lol the tournaments in my story allows any scheme to win including murder😨😨

[@xavi2285]

Can you do a video about how to write a stoic character?

[@KnightReiteRx]

I know most tournament arcs are used to push the Protagonist/Deuteragonist(s) past their limits against allies, but for my story, I'm having it start around chapter 4 (35 paged chapters) to serve as a way to show how much stronger the 2 main fighters in my group are from other basic students, and to have the 2nd main character enter the story. Always disliked tournament arcs for the most part being super formulaic, so I wanna make something that stands out/doesn't follow all the same tropes as other series' takes on them.

[@Czar_Art_]

I’m thinking about doing the main story of my manga a huge tournament with some power system cause my favorite manga arcs was tournament arcs, but I’m not sure if I want to go with that story

[@MonitorComics]

Tournament arcs are always cool! When you think about it, a series like Yu Yu Hakusho was mainly a tournament arc! So it could work!

[@relife3348]

The best tournament I ever read is the Battle angle alita universe tournament arc there is no tournament arc that I have read that is close to being as good as that one.

[@tuber420]

Cell Games really isn't a tournament. It's a King of the Hill bout, and even then, not everyone fights Cell in the end.

[@MightGuy15]

I love tournament arcs, but I do feel like they are a little outdated. Many great titles don’t have them at all and anything you can gain from tournament arcs can just as easily be gained from writing similar to what Jo Jo’s bizarre adventure did, where are you just introduced a bunch of people and made them fight for a prize (be it someone’s bounty, someone’s respect, because they just don’t like the other person, etc) and get essentially the same effect.

[@sirmel11]

I'm just starting to watch this but I don't think the Cell Games is a good example of a tournament. There's one fight and the other side only has one person on it. The Chunin Exams are probably the best tournament arc I've seen. I liked the Hunter Exam a lot too.

[@MonitorComics]

That is true! For Dragonball, there were many tournaments, especially in the og manga, which is why i spent a good amount of time on the World Martial Arts Tournament. I wanted to mention the Cell Games though because it had a few of the most iconic scenes from the series in it!

[@sirmel11]

@@MonitorComics I wish Dragon Ball Super did another tournament like the original series! I didn't like the Tournament of Power.

[@saon_edits]

Me as soon as i see someone talk abt Hajime no ippo in his video: *clicks subscribe button*

[@MonitorComics]

SUCH A GOOD MANGA

[@daylannorman]

I love tournament arcs and it will stay. My is dragon balls tournament of power and record of Ragnarok

[@MonitorComics]

Amazing choices! Thanks for taking the time to share!

[@Axelblaze1022]

My favourite tournament is the 43rd Annual Tōtsuki Autumn Election in food wars. This arc was so good that i thought food wars could become the most iconic shounen animanga in the 2010s(too bad that season 3 and 4 of food wars was mid and decreased the value of the franchise)

[@drquem4279]

Man, Piccolo Daimaoh and Tambourine never participated in a Tenkaichi Budokai. The video is Great but some details are just wrong.

[@bigking2743]

What if I want to make a tournament manga like God of highschool or Kengan Ashura

[@MonitorComics]

It is possible! Shaman King is another example of a series where the entire plot is a tournament arc!

[@polygonail1978]

Glad to see YuGiOh getting some love! One of the most underrated manga of all time. Blame it on 4kids.

[@MonitorComics]

TRUEEE

[@neodeer9338]

6:22 is that Russian ?

[@watchinglearner]

For me, best tournament arcs go to Hunter X Hunter, Yu Yu Hakusho, and Food Wars.

[@MonitorComics]

Great picks! I wish I remembered Food Wars when I was scripting this, the tournaments in that were really fun!

[@cr7hd162]

W but no naruto

[@sykosomatik23]

So much incorrect info about Dragonball... the tenkaichi budokai takes place every 3 years, not 5. Also, grandpa Gohan and Spike the devilman didn't participate in it. They were in Fortuneteller Baba's tournament. And demon King Piccolo didn't participate either... it was Piccolo Jr. who was in it...

[@MonitorComics]

The Grandpa Gohan Match: universal-dragon-ball.fandom.com/wiki/Goku_vs._Grandpa_Gohan The other two I did misremember, but it's not a big deal. No clue why you're triggered over trivial information that doesn't change anything

[@sykosomatik23]

@@MonitorComics I'm just pointing out incorrect information. And the link you posted shows that Grandpa Gohan was in the Fortunteller Baba tournament.

[@Itz_Nirvana07]

I am from 2040 and bro is still Milking, sorry Promoting Skillshare 💀💀💀

[@MonitorComics]

They pay bro, gotta get that bag

[@Itz_Nirvana07]

@@MonitorComics You are like their "Brand Ambassador" dude... But Love you bro ❤❤ I learned so much from you ❤❤ Also pls make a video on "Training arcs" I am struggling with that so much 😢

[@MonitorComics]

@@Itz_Nirvana07 I can definitely add it to the list! Thank you for taking the time to watch my stuff, I'm really glad they can be helpful!!

[@VacuousCat]

Well, Harry Potter used it twice

[@Its-Rolo]

Hunter x hunter doesn’t have tournaments.

[@XonTheOne]

heavens Arena was Boring in the anime

[@polygonail1978]

Glad to see YuGiOh getting some love! One of the most underrated manga of all time. Blame it on 4kids.