The best time skips in anime are most commonly found in long-running shonen series, but they are not restricted to such, as a good time skip only requires two things: the creation of a fresh platform for explosive story and character growth, and the compression of less interesting points in time.
Furthermore, a time skip does not need to strictly move in a single direction, or even laterally at that. Series like The Ambition of Oda Nobunaga, will skip backwards in time when a modern high school student finds himself transported to the warring states of the Sengoku period in the 16th century. Then, there are series like Baccano! where the entire premise is to move between narratives and timelines, creating a temporal web of mysteries. Therefore, any anime that displays these qualities and aftermaths of a time skip are worth consideration.
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10 Anime Time Skips That Seriously Took Us by Surprise
Some time skips completely take the viewers by surprise. Either they dont seem it coming or the implementation of it ends up surprising everyone.
10 Gurren Lagann is Told in Two Parts
An original series written by Nakashima Kazuki
The story of Gurren Lagann is bisected by a 7-year time skip that separates the adventures of Team Dai-Gurren by the enemies they face: first, the ruler of the Earth, Lordgenome, and then the real enemy, the Anti-Spirals. The first half of the series follows the iconic mech journey of conquering the surface world. The Spiral King Lordgenome had regulated humans to a subterranean life, and the main characters fight against his tyranny. However, 7 years after the defeat of Lordgenome, the real enemy of the humans are revealed to be the Anti-Spirals, and a more mature Simon and Team Dai-Gurren spearhead the war.
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9 Naruto Leaps Through New Series
Based on the manga by Kishimoto Masashi
The iconic three-year time skip between Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden is one of the most well-known time skips in Shonen anime history. Following the coming-of-age story that is the original Naruto series, Naruto: Shippuden offers an evolved perspective of the narrative. Naruto and his friends have changed, matured, and grown stronger over three years, and some have even developed new philosophies and mindsets. Furthermore, new characters and backstories are given a place in an expanded world. All the conflicts that had been set in Naruto ultimately come to a boil in Naruto: Shippuden, featuring deeper characters, elevated stakes, and fresh visuals.
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8 Assassination Classroom Provides Closure for the Future
Based on the manga by Yuusei Matsui
An anime about education, Assassination Classroom takes the anime school scene to a new level, introducing aliens, military training, and seemingly regular school activities like trips to Kyoto. Following Nagisa, Kaede, and Karma in a class deemed as delinquents and posted in a secluded woodland classroom, the story offers the unexpected twist that their teacher is a super-powered alien who must be killed. Assassination Classroom’s time skip is unique in that it occurs in the last episode, and is a moment of closure. The children taught by Koro-sensei have grown up seven years following his death and showcase the fruits of his teachings despite the class’s adversarial nature.
Watch On Funimation
7 Code Geass Skips Through Time and Memory
Based on the manga by Taniguchi Gorou, Ookouchi Ichirou, and Majiko!
The two seasons of Code Geass are separated by a time skip of one year and a multitude of political and world changes. Protagonist Lelouch vi Britannia is an estranged prince who stumbles upon the power of Geass, granting him the ability to control anyone who looks into his eyes. The first season follows Lelouch’s crusade against colonialism and his own father’s empire, which ultimately fails. Then, the second season opens with an oblivious Lelouch whose memories have been altered. This time skip provides an entirely changed political sphere, and Lelouch is forced through new endeavors, regaining his memories in hopes of avoiding mistakes of the past.
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6 Dr. Stone is Founded on the Longest Time Skip Ever
Based on the manga by Inagaki Riichiro and Boichi
The premise of the hit series, Dr. Stone is that one day, all humans on earth are turned to stone, but boy genius Senku is lucky enough to break out of his petrification and smart enough to revitalize human civilization. The time that passes between the global petrification phenomenon and Senku’s awakening is a whopping 3700 years. Senku is forced to utilize all of his skills and scientific prowess to forge a new humanity, but the further he proceeds, the more mysteries of that fateful day are uncovered. Dr. Stone is unique in that the entire series would not have existed without the initial time skip.
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5 Chihayafuru’s Present is Based on Past Relationships
Based on the manga by Suetsugu Yuki
Chihayafuru is perhaps the farthest from the typical battle shonen series that utilizes time skips, but its unique sports anime-style format and its meaningful extended flashbacks provide a wide platform for the exploration of characters, their relationships, and the game Karuta. The first episode opens in the present but dives into an extended flashback that continues until episode four, representing a time skip into the past, and then back. The flashback is a story in and of itself and provides history for the characters who have developed and will continue to develop as the anime progresses. Throughout three seasons, Chihayafuru gracefully weaves the stories of the past and present together.
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Despite being about an obscure Japanese card game that most non-Japanese readers have never heard of, Chihayafuru is incredibly compelling.
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4 Attack on Titan Introduces New Characters, New Worlds
Based on the manga by Isayama Hajime
Attack on Titan’s much-awaited final season opens with a time skip of four years and groundbreaking changes. Each season of the series has ended with a nail-biting cliffhanger, and the final season capitalizes on the pent-up excitement, introducing new characters, newly discovered lands, fresh backstories, and more. The most surprising change is found in Eren, the protagonist. On the side of narrative, Eren’s outlook has shifted dramatically, and he has defected. On the side of aesthetics, he boasts a matured and chiseled physique that may prove more popular than his evolution into Attack on Titan’s antagonist.
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3 One Piece has the Time Skip that Defines All Time Skips
Based on the manga by Oda Eiichiro
When discussing time skips, the mention of one of the longest-running anime series, One Piece, is unavoidable, as the separation and subsequent reunion of the Straw Hat crew is a defining moment of the whole categorization. As a story focused on friendship and finding connections through opposing authority, family and companionship means everything in One Piece. Following the death of protagonist Luffy’s brother at the War of Marineford, the members of the Straw Hat Pirates are scattered across the world and develop on their own for two years. This period of training provided riveting backstories, upgraded powers, and new paths ahead towards the characters’ final goal.
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2 Saiki K is Stuck in an Unsuspecting Time Loop
Based on the manga by Asou Shuuichi
The Disastrous Life of Saiki K is a gag comedy that follows the overpowered esper Kusuo Saiki as he tries to live a normal life. Saiki’s existence is a singularity, but he only wishes to live comfortably. Fortunately, he has all the psychic powers to do so, from changing human psychology on a global scale, to altering human DNA just so that his pink hair and quick recovery speeds are normalized. However, obstacles for Saiki still exist, such as a meteor that threatens humanity. It is revealed that Saiki has been resetting Earth’s time axis every year due to the impending calamity, introducing this hilarious twist of a time skip.
Watch on Netflix
1 Dragon Ball Z is the King of Time Skips
Based on the manga by Toriyama Akira
The Dragon Ball franchise is littered with theories on the universe, afterlife, time, and more, providing ample space for all types of time skips, especially in Dragon Ball Z. The most notable and perhaps most worthy of nostalgia is the period following Cell’s defeat. The unsuspecting hero Gohan has grown into a teenager and enters into normal society. The time skip leads to a moment of calm in the tumultuous Dragon Ball series, where Gohan can experience the satisfaction of normal life, and the peace that he and his friends created. Although new conflicts arise, Gohan is able to find new friends and forge a renewed conviction to fight evil. All of this means that Dragon Ball Z doesn’t just have the most iconic, it also has the best time skip in anime history.
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