In the world of Soul Eater, the world’s last line of defense against horrific monsters rest on the hands of the Weapon Meisters and the Demon Weapons of the Death Weapon Meister Academy. Trained under the guidance of Death himself, Meister Maka Albarn and her partner Soul Evans aim to become the best in their respective roles. Unfortunately, threats in the form of Witches such as Medusa Gorgon threaten the stability of the entire world, forcing Maka and her classmates to intervene.
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Despite Soul Eater arcs being interspersed throughout their years in the Academy, their antagonists slowly unravel the true nature of the DWMA and the world around them. While each Soul Eater arc has its fair share of laughs and commendable action sequences, certain stories just stand out from the rest.
10 The Witch’s Research (Chapters 66-69)
Since Medusa and Crona’s disappearance in the Castle arc, intelligence reports of their sightings in Africa bring Spartoi to the continent. Their attempts to locate the pair aren’t put to their advantage, however, as The Witch’s Research arc has Medusa study the efficiency of the Black Clown bodyguard she’s created for Crona. Where Research shines is during Black Star’s fight with the antagonist.
Although Medusa is unamused at Black Star’s boring melee offense against Crona’s obviously enhanced defenses, the character’s rage amid bloodstained knuckles is a brutally honest take the previous arc’s revelations. In the arc’s short chapters, Black Star confronts Crona about their betrayal of Maka, something that enrages him further when Medusa’s renewed brainwashing forces Crona to forget about the protagonist.
9 The Clown (Chapters 41-44)
While The Clown is set up as an interlude arc prior to Castle, its events in the shonen manga serve as integral foundations of certain plot elements. While Black Star and Tsubaki train in using the Uncanny Sword technique, Maka and Soul come face to face with an entity known only as the Clown.
Unlike the other monsters they’ve faced, however, the Clown has the same Madness Wavelength as the Kishin Asura, himself. This arc also reveals that DWMA Kim Diehl is actually a Witch, setting up subplots between other minor characters in Castle as well as the events of spinoff Soul Eater NOT!
8 Demon Sword (Chapters 4-6)
Despite happening early in the manga, the Demon Sword arc demonstrates Soul Eater author Atsushi Okubo’s talent in delivering an impressive fight scene while also introducing an interesting rival character. This three-chapter arc in the shonen manga finally pits the eager Maka against a suitable threat in the form of the rather meek Crona.
Tensions immediately rise in this encounter, particularly when Maka realizes that Crona and Ragnarok have been united as Weapon and Meister. An air of mystery fills the air when Maka’s mentor Franken Stein and father Sprit Albarn have to intervene. After all, how powerful was the Crona threat for Death’s trusted confidants to step in?
7 Salvage (Chapters 72-81)
When Death the Kid gets imprisoned in the Book of Eibon during the Castle arc, a distraught Death organizes his rescue during the Salvage arc. This explores the Soul Eater characters’ attempts in overcoming the challenges of the Book’s chapters, each of which representing a Deadly Sin.
Fans love Salvage for two major reasons. Firstly, the arc explores protagonists Soul and Maka’s relationship with themselves and their classmates, with a strengthened relationship managing to defeat one of Arachne’s most powerful and vengeful heralds. Secondly, the jolly Black Star is forced to fight a Madness-enhanced Death the Kid, giving fans one of the most-awaited match-ups in the series.
6 War On The Moon (Chapters 91-103)
Although technically divided by the 3-chapter Witches’ Trial arc, the War on the Moon storyline marks the penultimate part of the Soul Eater manga much in the same was the Fourth Great Ninja War arc in the Naruto series. As Death’s greatest Death Scythes fight Asura on the Moon, protagonist Maka and her Spartoi teammates debate whether to follow the kill order against their friend.
The series uses this arc to settle scores in action-packed subplots before dabbling into the manga’s finale. Fighting Asura’s forces leads Franken Stein and Marie Mjolnir to confront their friend’s killer, while Death the Kid tries to seek the help of Witches in a diplomatic interlude. Lastly, a confrontation between Maka, Black Star, and Crona leads into the series’ climax.
5 Operation Baba Yaga Castle (Chapters 45-60)
When Crona and other persons of interest fall in the hands of Arachne Gorgon, Death organizes a special DWMA task force in charge of storming the Witch’s headquarters. In a surprise move in the Operation Capture Baba Yaga Castle arc, Medusa Gorgon herself is given command of this very team. However, where Castle shines is how growing suspicions about Medusa’s potential betrayal are juxtaposed with jaw-dropping fight scenes.
Early on in the arc, Black Star and Tsubaki Nakatsukasa settle their score with the swordsman Mifune. Meanwhile, the arc reaches its apex as an intense battle with Arachne will have Maka and Medusa unite to defeat her. The rest of the DWMA’s agents in the arc manage to showcase their abilities in one form or another, serving as a decent way of introducing their eventual induction into the Spartoi Team.
4 A Fight To The Death At The Big Bash (Chapters 16-23)
The chapters of A Fight to the Death at the Big Bash detail the last-ditch effort of the C-Group (Maka/Soul, Death the Kid/Thompson Sisters, Black Star/Tsubaki) to stop Medusa’s plans of resurrecting the Kishin Asura. And while they get help in the form of their mentor Franken Stein and Maka’s father Spirit Albarn, the threats before them seem too powerful for their own good.
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While technically only a quarter of the entire supernatural shonen manga, this arc demonstrates a prelude arc done right. Stein and Spirit’s attempts to outwit the powerful Medusa prove the more mature Death Weapons fight at an entirely different caliber than the younger C-Group. Meanwhile, Maka’s fight with Crona start their unexpected friendship. Most importantly, this arc implies a much deeper plot afoot when Death reunites with Asura.
3 Uncanny Sword (Chapters 7-9)
Although introduced as a rather timid kunoichi, Tsubaki Nakatsukasa shows there’s more to her than just being the shy opposite of her Meister Black Star’s outgoing personality. In the Uncanny Sword arc, Tsubaki is tasked with hunting her older brother, Masamune Nakatsukasa, and stop him from becoming an all-powerful Kishin.
However, what’s supposed to be an arc built for a Tsubaki upgrade extends into one of the best character development sequences in the shonen series. Tsubaki coming to terms with her talent as a Multi-Form Weapon and dealing with her brother’s jealousy of her skill reveals her as a rather tragic character. To see this level of characterization so early in the manga is a hint of how multi-dimensional the cast can become across the series.
2 Mad Blood (Chapters 82-88)
While Death the Kid attempts to confront his father about his stay in the Book of Eibon, the Mad Blood arc also details how an ongoing battle between Crona and Death Scythes in Moscow. With the conflict triggering the Black Blood injury in Soul Evans, Maka’s partner succumbs to Madness once more.
Despite the rather short span of this manga arc, Mad Blood in the shonen series earned the admiration of fans specifically for its treatment of Soul’s character development. The confrontation between the temptations of Little Ogre and Soul’s search for his identity reach a much-needed conclusion, especially after Soul’s promotion to Death Scythe.
1 Dark Side Of The Moon (Chapters 104-113)
The series pulls all stops during the Dark Side of the Moon, with this Soul Eater arc ending the storyline by bringing everything to a full circle. While Crona absorbs Asura to become a world-destroying power, Maka destroys her friend’s reliance on madness with the strength of a familiar bond, courtesy of using her father Spirit as her Death Scythe. However, the real final battle begins when Asura regains control over Crona.
Facing the wrath of a seemingly omnipotent god, Soul Eater forces its characters to unburden themselves with the shackles of their limitations. Death the Kid comes to terms with his destiny as a Shinigami, Maka and Soul finally use their inner darkness, and a final exchange with Crona seals Asura’s fate. Despite its shortcomings as a finale, Maka’s prevailing message of overcoming one’s fears makes for a suitable series ending.
Soul Eater
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