| 1 | A Myth Arc is like a StoryArc, but longer. It spans the entire series. |
| 2 | |
| 3 | The term originated with ''Series/TheXFiles'' (whose writers referred to its alien conspiracy episodes as "mythology episodes", a term which itself has fallen into common usage), though ''Series/BabylonFive'' is probably a better example of an effective Myth Arc. Comparing ''The X-Files'' with ''Babylon 5'' provides an object lesson in the value of knowing where you're headed when you set up a large-scale arc: both series had slow-building (often season-spanning) stories, but ''Babylon 5'' would eventually resolve its stories while ''The X-Files''[='=] overarching plot just got strung along further and further, until — in what's now called TheChrisCarterEffect — its viewers lost confidence that the plots would ever be resolved. |
| 4 | |
| 5 | Prior to the rise of streaming in the 2010s, the trend was to alternate between these plot-advancing mythology stories and more one-off stories (MonsterOfTheWeek or [[BreatherEpisode breather]] episodes), making it easier for new viewers to get into the show and ensuring some short-term gratification while keeping the viewers' interest over the long run. Prior to this, [[SeasonFluidity heavily serialized shows]] like ''Series/{{Heroes}}'' did exist on network television, but they did not become frequent in Western media until streaming services such as Creator/{{Netflix}} and Creator/{{Hulu}} allowed for audiences to more easily engage with such programs without fear of ContinuityLockOut, making it easier for creators to convince studios to let them produce such programming. |
| 6 | |
| 7 | It is also believed that {{anime}}, which [[MediaNotes/TheJapaneseInvasion began reaching overseas popularity during the 1990s]], played a factor in Western cartoons (which traditionally runs on the idea of the ResetButton) starting to display more and more examples of this trope as well, thanks to a lot of popular shows from that part of the animation medium having story arcs running the entirety of their series, which can sometimes span hundreds of episodes, with examples including the ''Anime/{{Macross}}'' and ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'' franchises. |
| 8 | |
| 9 | Also see SeriesGoal and DrivingQuestion, which are two of the major forms that a Myth Arc can take the form of. |
| 10 | ---- |
| 11 | !!Examples: |
| 12 | |
| 13 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 14 | |
| 15 | [[folder:Anime & Manga]] |
| 16 | * Though the plot's objective for ''Manga/AssassinationClassroom'' (kill Koro-sensei and save the world) is spelled out from the get-go, the story is divided into several short, episodic arcs that can stand alone like the ones found in a typical slice-of-life manga. However, there's enough [[TheLawOfConservationOfDetail foreshadowing, continuity, and other little details]] to tie them all together and consistently hint at a greater, overlying mystery which is ultimately revealed in the last quarter of the series. |
| 17 | * The Myth Arc of ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'' deals with finding answers about what the eponymous Titans really are, why the government conspires to maintain the status quo, and finding out what Eren's father left for him to find in his basement. [[spoiler:After, it focuses on an upcoming war for survival against The Empire of Marley and the rest of the world]]. |
| 18 | * The story of ''Manga/BlackClover'' has one regarding the truth of the elves' massacre by the Clover Kingdom, with the Eye of the Midnight Sun attacking the Clover Kingdom out of revenge and gathering magic stones to reincarnate the fallen elf tribe. By the end of the Reincarnation Arc, which finished at Chapter 214, the truth of the genocide is revealed, with the revelation and its fall-out revealing the existence of devils who become the next greater antagonists of the plot. |
| 19 | * ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'': Since the beginning, scattered information suggested the existence of a Myth Arc. However, its true coherence doesn't become clear until the Thousand-Year Blood War Arc. WordOfGod confirmed this final arc is what every other story arc was preparing for. Elements include: Aizen's [[MoralEventHorizon activities]], Urahara's [[TheChessMaster activities]], Soul Society's BlackAndGrayMorality, Yamamoto's rigid sense of justice, the Shinigami-Quincy wars, the fundamental nature of the [[TheHeartless Hollow]] threat, Ichigo's constantly-fluctuating {{shinigami}} development. And so on. |
| 20 | * The modern remake of ''Anime/BubblegumCrisis'', subtitled ''Tokyo: 2040'' significantly differed from its predecessor in having a significantly developed myth arc, as opposed to the prior's tendency towards single episodes and two-parters at most. |
| 21 | * ''Manga/CaseClosed'''s myth arc involves Shinichi looking for a cure after he's force fed a drug that turns him back into a child, and uncovering the mystery of the ones responsible, a secret criminal syndicate known as the Black Organization. |
| 22 | * ''Anime/ElCazadorDeLaBruja'' had a Myth Arc regarding the GovernmentConspiracy called Project Leviathan, of which Ellis was a test subject. It isn't until the final 4-5 episodes that the series abandons its episodic nature to start resolving the Myth Arc. |
| 23 | * ''Anime/CodeGeass'' contains an on-and-off form of Myth Arc revolving around the true nature of the Geass power. This arc begins arguably in the first episode, when Lelouch receives Geass, but the implications of the power are almost always overshadowed by the Britannian/Eleven conflict and Lelouch's search for the truth about his mother's death. The Geass Arc comes into its own later when [[spoiler:Mao appears. Mao [[PowerIncontinence cannot turn off his Geass]], foreshadowing that Lelouch's Geass will also become uncontrollable.]] The Geass Arc effectively ends in Episode 21 of R2, when [[spoiler: Lelouch brings his Geass it to its final permanent binocular form in order to use Geass on the World of C, ultimately destroying the Thought Elevator and killing both Charles and Marianne. Later on, when Lelouch, Suzaku, and C.C. return from the World of C, emerging in the Schneizel Arc, Lelouch finally catches up to all the second-guessing and criticism thrown at him behind his back while he was busy during the Geass arc.]] |
| 24 | * ''Anime/CowboyBebop'', while mostly episodic, has two basic plots running through the whole series: [[spoiler:Faye's search for her past and identity, but most importantly, the full story of Spike's life as a mobster and his lost love, Julia]]. |
| 25 | * ''Anime/SamuraiChamploo'' has the search for the Sunflower Samurai. |
| 26 | * The whole plot of ''Manga/DeathNote'' is all one Myth Arc: [[VillainProtagonist Light]], or Kira, attempting to kill L [[spoiler: and later his successors]] and L attempting to arrest Kira. [[ThePlan Plans]] [[GambitRoulette wrote]] [[GambitPileup this]] [[TheChessmaster manga]]. |
| 27 | * In ''Manga/DGrayMan'', the whole story revolves around the holy war between the Noah family and the wielders of Innocence. The two sides are looking for [[MacGuffin the Heart of Innocence]] to win this 7000 year-long war. Later on other elements are added to the myth arc: [[spoiler: the mystery of the connections between the Millennium Earl, the Fourteenth and Allen]]. |
| 28 | * ''Anime/DenNohCoil'' mostly concerns itself with the daily lives of the children using the titular virtual reality glasses with their various adventures, but the mystery of who 4423 is, why he continues to haunt Yasako's memories, the nature of the Illegals who wander old E-spaces, the legend of the girl Michiko who will appear to grant a wish, and the connection between the two Yukos ties everything together. |
| 29 | * Every season of ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'' has a myth arc, but especially ''Anime/DigimonTamers'' which had the season begin with [[LivingMacGuffin Calumon]]'s arrival into the human world and deeper into the season we find he's [[spoiler:the catalyst for Digimon evolution]]--not that [[{{Foreshadowing}} constant clues]] weren't given throughout the season. |
| 30 | * ''Anime/DokiDokiPrecure'' [[MythArc/DokiDokiPrecure has its own page]]. Unlike the previous ''Pretty Cure'' season, they aren't pure filler episodes and every episode advance the plot a little bit. The whole story is about the four [[spoiler:later five]] Pretty Cures getting stronger and fighting the Selfish Kingdom and the relationship between the TheHeroine and TheDragon. |
| 31 | * ''Manga/DragonBall'' had quite a few. |
| 32 | ** The first were Goku's tail and unexplained powers and the Dragon Balls themselves, which were both introduced in the very first arc, but weren't resolved until Dragon Ball Z. There was another relating to the shared history of Piccolo and Kami, one involving Son Goku's gradual ascension into the mythical [[PhysicalGod Super Saiyan]], and one involving Son Gohan's hidden powers. |
| 33 | ** Also Vegeta's [[CantCatchUp bitter]], one-sided [[TheRival rivalry]] with Goku, and his gradual change from [[HeelFaceTurn villain to anti-hero]]. |
| 34 | * Pretty much the entire first season of ''Anime/EurekaSeven'' is just foreshadowing for the second half of the series and getting to know the characters. |
| 35 | ** Specifically there are quite a few myth arcs in this series: Gekkostate's war with the United Federation, which is related to the conflict between Holland and Dewey Novak, the implied LoveDodecahedron between Renton, Eureka, Holland, and Talho (it's complicated), Dominic's love for Anemone, Anemone's descent into madness as a result of piloting The END, Eureka's [[BodyHorror physical]] and [[CharacterDevelopment emotional]] metamorphosis, and most importantly, the growing relationship between [[OfficialCouple Renton and Eureka]], which is related to the scub coral and their attempts to communicate with mankind. |
| 36 | * ''Manga/FairyTail'' has two. One involves the dragons' disappearance (and the number 7) which it will occasionally throw a tidbit out for. [[spoiler:Until the direct involvement of seven dragons being brought from the past and seven Dragon Slayers fighting them, and later they meet one of them in the present again]]. The other Myth Arc concerns the dark wizard Zeref, who seems ever closer to bringing chaos about for every arc that passes by. |
| 37 | * Despite the first chapters of ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' looking like your usual shonen AdventureTowns, the whole manga is one long and steady Myth Arc, going out of its way to explain how [[spoiler:the homunculi, Father, Hohenheim, the Gate of Truth, Amestris, and the destruction of Xerxes are all intertwined, ultimately leading up to Father's current plan of using the souls in Amestris to summon God.]] The author has actually said the ending for the story was the first thing she came up with, and then worked backwards from there. |
| 38 | * ''Anime/FullmetalAlchemist2003'' eventually reveals that it's about [[spoiler:Dante and her attempts to create a philosopher's stone to permit a BodySurf]]. |
| 39 | * ''Manga/GalaxyExpress999'' is entirely focused on Tetsuro's journey with Maetel to Andromeda, where he'll get a mechanical body and eternal life. Each episode has the eponymous space train stopping on a different planet and Tetsuro and Maetel having many adventures, however there are hints of Maetel having an ulterior motive to travel with Tetsuro, as well as her receiving orders from a mysterious figure. |
| 40 | * ''Literature/HaruhiSuzumiya'' alternates between enthralling plots and (usually) comedic side stories, but generally centers around restoring balance to the ever-changing world thanks to the title character, who must be LockedOutOfTheLoop. (The novels are either a full story divided into chapters, or full off short stories.) |
| 41 | * The main focus of ''Manga/{{Hellsing}}'' is the conflict with [[{{Ghostapo}} Millennium]], a surviving group of ThoseWackyNazis that use special chips to create the artificial vampires that the Hellsing Organization has to deal with in the early chapters, a conflict which escalates further and further, culminating in an epic battle for the fate of London. |
| 42 | * In ''Manga/HunterXHunter'', main character Gon wants to find his dad, which is a driving force behind several of the story arcs. Even when that is not the cause of the arc, it is usually the reason Gon himself gets involved. |
| 43 | ** There's also: |
| 44 | *** Killua's conflict with his older brother Illumi, and his efforts to break free of his family's influence and unlearn the more negative traits of his upbringing. |
| 45 | *** Kurapica's quest to reclaim the stolen eyes of his clan, and kill the people responsible for wiping them out. |
| 46 | *** Hisoka waiting for Gon to be a strong opponent worthy of fighting and possibly killing. |
| 47 | *** The exploration of the dark continent is set up as a new myth arc. |
| 48 | * ''Manga/{{Inuyasha}}'' was about recovering the Shikon jewel shards and killing Naraku. |
| 49 | * ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'', for its first six parts (Part 7 and onward are set in a new continuity), focused on the battle between the Joestar family and [[BigBad Dio Brando]]'s evil (be it himself, his successors, or the {{MacGuffin}}s that gave him his powers). |
| 50 | * ''Franchise/KagerouProject'' has one in the form of the Kagerou Daze/Never-Ending World, [[spoiler:the BigBad who will do anything to live forever]], and how it ties into the backstory of ''every single main character''. While the series (particularly the [[Music/KagerouProject songs]] and [[Anime/MekakucityActors anime]]) is highly episodic and character-focused, every time we're given a glimpse into one of their back-stories, the larger mystery unfolding around them is fleshed out little by little, either through exposition (usually from Kido or Ene), seeing the events happen before us (as with Hibiya and Hiyori) or by [[spoiler:Shintaro's subconscious use of his time-line-spanning PhotographicMemory]]. Due to the large cast and the sheer complexity of the plot, ContinuityLockOut tends to ensue. |
| 51 | * The story of ''Manga/KaijuGirlCaramelise'' is overall just the day-to-day drama and humor that comes from [[CreepyLonerGirl Kuroe Akaishi]] suddenly finding herself in a relationship with [[ChickMagnet Arata Minami]]. However, in between these ''Shoujo'' antics are bits and pieces surrounding the mystery around the reason why Kuroe transforms into a massive dinosaur {{Kaiju}}. |
| 52 | * ''Literature/LegendOfTheGalacticHeroes'' has one of these, covering the final stages of a war between the [[TheEmpire Galactic Empire]] and the [[TheFederation Free Planets Alliance]], with two of the universe's most talented strategists facing off against one another throughout. |
| 53 | * The ''Anime/{{Macross}}'' franchise, in addition to having individual arcs in its shows, possesses several myth arcs that run throughout the ''franchise'', including learning more about the Protoculture and the origins of mankind and the Zentraedi, and finding worlds to replace the seriously damaged Earth. |
| 54 | ** While opinions on it vary between a FairForItsDay CulturalTranslation and a horrible {{Macekre}}, the ''Anime/{{Robotech}}'' franchise born from ''Anime/SuperDimensionFortressMacross'' possesses a somewhat similar but altered Myth Arc involving the Masters and their manipulation of multiple races throughout the galaxy, which culminates in the Earth becoming a shooting gallery for ''several'' interstellar conflicts fighting over Protoculture. Except in ''Robotech'' [[AppliedPhlebotinum Protoculture is a sort of living energy useful for hyperspace travel]], while in ''Macross'' they're an extinct {{Precursor|s}} race. |
| 55 | * ''Anime/{{Madlax}}'' similarly had a NebulousCriminalConspiracy Myth Arc with TheSyndicate of Enfant at its center. The investigation of Enfant completely eclipsed the Mission Of The Week and SliceOfLife routine by episode 10, but it wasn't until episode 18 that all PlotThreads converged into the main plot. |
| 56 | * ''Manga/{{Monster}}'': the goal to capture Johann Liebert, naturally. |
| 57 | ** Also Tenma's quest to understand who Johann is, and Nina's attempt to make sense of her past. |
| 58 | * ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'': The whole story is about how Izuku Midoriya becomes the greatest hero. Many chapters later, its second objective is revealed: to defeat the evil All For One and his successors, who have a long standing conflict with the users of One For All (with Midoriya being the present user); this presumably being how Midoriya accomplishes his first objective. [[spoiler:Future Midoriya as the narrator also clarifies that it is also the story about him and ''all'' of his friends become the greatest heroes as well.]] |
| 59 | * ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' started off with a single, largely free-standing arc; the second arc kicked off a Myth Arc that has dominated the storyline ever since, with more and more getting added and making it even more complicated. Even the events of the first arc later come back. Though from the very beginning, it's always been about Naruto's goal of becoming Hokage. |
| 60 | ** There's also the ninja world dealing with the growing threat of the Akatsuki and their goal of attaining all nine tailed beasts. |
| 61 | ** For most of Part 1, Orochimaru's conflict with the Leaf Village, and his plans for Sasuke. |
| 62 | ** For Part 2, Naruto's attempts to bring Sasuke back to the village and back to the side of good after his FaceHeelTurn. |
| 63 | ** Sasuke's quest to avenge the Uchiha clan. |
| 64 | ** The long and tragic history of the Uchiha clan itself. |
| 65 | ** ''Manga/{{Boruto}}'' [[spoiler: has been building its own myth arc as an extension of the evil plan from the final villain of the original series, starting with Boruto acquiring a mysterious eye power and [[Anime/TheLastNarutoTheMovie Toneri]] having something to do with it, the reveal of the existence of an alternate dimension, [[VaguenessIsComing a looming threat]] related to the Otsutsuki clan, and the plans of the NebulousEvilOrganization known as "Kara".]] |
| 66 | * ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'' has Negi's search for his DisappearedDad. It doesn't really become central until around volume 6, which is naturally [[GeckoEnding where the anime adaptation cut off.]] |
| 67 | * ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' has the war on the Angels, which is later revealed to be a small part of [[spoiler:SEELE's [[AssimilationPlot Human Instrumentality Project]].]] |
| 68 | ** However, the Series never actually explains the real circumstances behind the War with the Angels in the context of the Show itself ([[AllThereInTheManual there are however ancillary materials that clear up the plot]]), leading to the inevitable mindscrew it's infamous for. |
| 69 | * ''Anime/{{Noir}}'', as mentioned above, had a Myth Arc from the very first episode, which covered Mireille and Kirika's investigation of the AncientConspiracy of the "Soldats". At first, the series devoted much of its time to Target Of The Week episodes, but the Myth Arc gradually intensified, eventually completely eclipsing the assassins plot. |
| 70 | * The main Myth Arc of ''Manga/OnePiece'' is Luffy's quest to become the Pirate King, which starts in the first chapter. Another one starting later in the series revolves around the conflicts between the main powers of the world, how the main characters' actions affect the balance, and the secret history of the world (and just how far some will go to keep it that way). |
| 71 | ** Part of the Myth Arc is the titular One Piece, a [[PirateBooty pirate treasure]] left by the late Pirate King Gol D. Roger, which kickstarted the Golden Age of Piracy. While finding it is a major goal of most of the cast (including the heroes), most of the adventure is spent just trying to get through the Grand Line where the One Piece is hidden and the treasure remains a part of the background [[spoiler: until Whitebeard proclaims that the treasure exists with his dying breath, jumpstarting the dreams of a new generation of pirates]]. Later, [[spoiler: the heroes learn about four PlotCoupons that have information that when put together points out the location of the island where the treasure is hidden.]] |
| 72 | * Ash's goal ToBeAMaster in ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries''. [[LongRunner In each and every saga.]] But perhaps because this had no set conclusion and pay-off in sight, starting with Sinnoh, each major saga/series began to have their own Myth Arc that would be resolved by the end: |
| 73 | ** In Sinnoh, the Myth Arc is based around the region's Time-Space Legend featuring Dialga and Palkia, the Legendary Lake Trio Pokémon and their mysterious connection to Ash, Dawn and Brock, and the machinations of Team Galactic as it attempts to use this legend and its Pokémon to create a new world for themselves that will replace the old one. Strangely, despite starting in the first episode (where Dawn catches sight of Mesprit), it concludes in episode 151, leaving 40 episodes still left to go. |
| 74 | ** In Unova, the Myth Arc is based around the legend of the Black Hero and White Hero representing Ideals and Truth respectively, their Pokémon companions Zekrom and Reshiram, the new "chosen ones" Ash (with Pikachu) and N, and Team Plasma attempting to use this legend to advance its plan for world domination. While starting in the first episode, it only resurfaces in episode 64 and the ''Episode N'' story arc near the end of the series. It was supposed to have progressed through more episodes more routinely, but [[RealLifeWritesThePlot some real-life factors got in the way and changed this.]] |
| 75 | ** In Kalos, the Myth Arc is based around the phenomenon of Mega Evolution, its origins and the characters who utilize it in the present day, and Team Flare desiring to use the energy of Mega Evolution and the Legendary Pokémon Zygarde to wipe out most of the world's population and preserve its "beauty". This arc not only progressed through many episodes but also through four "The Strongest Mega Evolution" side-story specials starring Alain (who would later become Ash's friend and rival in the actual anime), and concluded at the very end of the series. |
| 76 | ** In Alola, the Myth Arc is based around the region's ancient mysteries and how they affect Ash and his friends in the present day: mysteries such as Z Crystals, the "Tapu" Guardian Pokémon, the legendary Solgaleo and Lunala, and the Ultra Beasts that come from Ultra Space. |
| 77 | ** Averted in ''Pokemon Journeys'', which ''finally'' gave a conclusion and pay-off to Ash's primary Myth Arc. The closest thing to another one was the Project Mew arc, which centered around Goh, Gary and some new characters researching legendary Pokémon and searching for Mew. |
| 78 | * ''Anime/QueensBlade'' and its sequel ''Queen's Blade Rebellion'', besides the tournament, deals about a single question: ''Who the hell is the Swamp Witch anyways, and why she's so hellbent to destroy the tournament?'' |
| 79 | * ''Anime/RevolutionaryGirlUtena'' is usually divided into either three or four different story arcs, but the entire series is a single story building up to an [[{{Pun}} apocalyptic]] finale, showing how [[spoiler: Akio grooms and manipulates Utena through a specific set of trials, all leading up to the moment where she trusts Anthy enough to let her draw the sword of her heart and stab her in the back with it]]. |
| 80 | * ''Manga/{{Saiyuki}}'' is a Myth Arc inside a Myth Arc. For the entire first series, the only visible arc is the four heroes' quest to reach India, crush the baddies' nefarious scheme, and restore peace and harmony to Tougenkyo. It's not until midway thru the second series that the real Arc--which finally takes main stage in the third series--begins to reveal itself (why are these particular four on the mission? who is the only human in Houtou Castle? and [[spoiler:just how did Sanzo's master really die, and why?]]) |
| 81 | * ''Anime/ShamanKing'' does this when, sometime between the end of Season 1 and the start of Season 3, the focus of the series leaves the Shaman Fight entirely and delves off into exploring Hao's involvement in [[spoiler:his third consecutive Shaman Fight, at each of which he attempted to steal the Great Spirit]], as well as Hao being [[spoiler:Yoh's EvilTwin]]. In fact, the series technically ends before the Shaman King is even decided, with the manga going on an extremely long and sudden SeriesHiatus (the 2001 anime concluded with a vague GeckoEnding). The final issues were published four or five years later. |
| 82 | * ''Literature/{{Slayers}}'' is pretty good at alternating between Myth Arc and filler episodes. While each season will have one story arc spanning it, the three story arcs are intricately connected and form one very long plot. |
| 83 | * ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'' starts off as an episodic action/adventure/mecha series following a small band of rebels fighting the Beastmen, who had driven humanity underground. After a mindblowing plot twist followed by some significant CharacterDevelopment, the series developed into a full-blown war-story. However, after a TimeSkip, it is revealed that the war was nothing more than a tiny part of the whole picture. |
| 84 | * ''Manga/VinlandSaga'' has Thorfinn's dreams of Vinland and the phrase "somewhere not here". |
| 85 | * The overarching plot in ''Manga/YamadaKunAndTheSevenWitches'' is about [[DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife Yamada finding out what kind of person he really is and what he's good for]] -- the individual story arcs come from how he helps witches, recovers lost memories and develops a romance with Shiraishi in the process. |
| 86 | * ''Manga/YuGiOh'' had the history of the Pharaoh, the Millennium Items, and the Shadow Games (Games of Darkness in Japan) that advanced with each StoryArc until its conclusion at the end of the series. |
| 87 | * ''Literature/TheGardenOfSinners'' is heavily myth arc-driven, but half of its chapters/movies are actually mostly self-contained episodes. The mythology arc concerns Shiki's Void Origin and [[BigBad Souren Araya's]] schemes to capture it and consists of the chapters (in chronological order) "Murder Speculation (Part 1)", "Hollow Shrine", "Paradox Spiral", and "Murder Speculation (Part 2)", as well as the original epilogue. The remaining chapters, "Overlooking View", "Lingering Pain", "Oblivion Recorder", and the bonus chapter "Future Gospel", are mostly standalone VillainOfTheWeek entries, even though said villains all eventually turn out to have a connection to Araya (except in the bonus chapter). |
| 88 | [[/folder]] |
| 89 | |
| 90 | [[folder:Audio Plays]] |
| 91 | * ''AudioPlay/BigFinishDoctorWho'' has its own Myth Arcs. |
| 92 | ** For the Eighth Doctor there was anti-time and the Divergent Universe, which stretched from his first Big Finish appearance "Storm Warning" (January 2001) to "The Next Life" (December 2004), the four "seasons" where he was the current Doctor. |
| 93 | ** Then for the later Eighth Doctor stories, from the finale of the New Eighth Doctor Adventures into Dark Eyes, they seem to be tying into the Time War, with events like the Daleks trying to destroy the Time Lords and the Master being resurrected. |
| 94 | ** Before this was the "Dalek Empire" arc, showing the Daleks expanding their Empire and attacking Gallifrey. This leads into the "Dalek Empire" series, showing their attacks on the Milky Way in the 42nd and 67th centuries. |
| 95 | *** Unintentionally Part 2 of Dalek Empire "The Apocalypse Element" where the Daleks attack Gallifrey seems to be part of the Time War. In the Doctor Who 2006 annual RTD claims this may have begun the escalation of events. |
| 96 | * ''Podcast/KakosIndustries'' has the running plot threads concerning the future CEO of the company as Corin Deeth III does his best to keep his new position. Melantha's rival company's pety manipulations, Belladonica's various schemes to kill or seduce him with the aid of her time-displaced cult, Hailey's gradual increase in demonic power, and his grandfather Corin Deeth I's letters sent from the past. There's also the implied disappearance of Corin Deeth II, who has yet to be so much as mentioned despite being the protagonist's father. |
| 97 | [[/folder]] |
| 98 | |
| 99 | [[folder:Comic Books]] |
| 100 | * ''ComicBook/OneHundredBullets'', one that only becomes apparent later on via JigsawPuzzlePlot. |
| 101 | * During the ComicBook/New52 era, ComicBook/{{Aquaman}}'s titles were mostly built around the mystery of just what -- or ''who'' -- sank Atlantis. |
| 102 | * ''ComicBook/{{Bone}}'', often classified as a more comedic ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'', has a myth arc involving the Bones finding a way back home, Thorn's true lineage, the war between Atheia and the Lord of the Locusts, and the [[BigBad Big Bad's]] search for someone in a black shirt with a star on it... |
| 103 | * The current ''ComicBook/{{Deadpool}}'' ongoings seem to be developing a myth arc concerning [[HeroicComedicSociopath Deadpool]] trying to be a better person. No telling how long it will go on for though. |
| 104 | * ''ComicBook/DruidCity'''s main character, Hunter Hastings, refuses to speak about the events that lead to him fleeing Austin, Texas. In each volume, more hints are revealed for his reason, normally through contact with the character Jenean Walker, who does enter the main story until Volume 7. |
| 105 | * Creator/GeoffJohns' entire run on ''ComicBook/GreenLantern'' is one long interconnected storyline spanning across 87 issues, which were connected so strongly that even the ContinuityReboot of the ''ComicBook/{{New 52}}'' couldn't break their momentum. Together, they tell the story of the discovery of the Emotional Spectrum and all of the resultant fallout, including the foundation of eight new Lantern Corps aligned with different emotions (as well as with Death and Life itself), the "War of Light" between the Corps, the battle against the rogue Guardian "[[GreaterScopeVillain Krona]]" (the original custodian of the Emotional Entities), and [[DividedWeFall the fracturing of the Green Lantern Corps]]. All 67 issues of the comic's fourth volume (2005-2011) tell that story, which kept right on going for the first 20 issues of the fifth volume (2011-present) until Johns finally bowed out. Even before the fourth volume began, Johns' limited series ''ComicBook/GreenLanternRebirth'' laid some of the crucial foundations for the MythArc: it reintroduced the classic villains Sinestro and Black Hand, the eventual founders of the [[ComicBook/SinestroCorpsWar Sinestro Corps]] and the [[ComicBook/BlackestNight Black Lantern Corps]], and it finally explained that Parallax (the "yellow impurity") was actually the living [[AnthropomorphicPersonification Emotional Entity]] of Fear--who would eventually turn out to be one of seven such Entities. [[note]] As a final kicker: Johns even revamped Green Lantern's classic origin story to better tie it in with the Emotional Spectrum MythArc, revealing that Atrocitus (founder of the Red Lanterns) was the one who killed Abin Sur, that Parallax's influence led Abin Sur to lose faith in his ring and travel in a spaceship, and that the prophecy of the Blackest Night convinced Abin Sur to travel to Earth to find the future founder of the Black Lanterns. ''Damn''.[[/note]] |
| 106 | * The ''ComicBook/{{Grendel}}'' comics are basically one big Myth Arc detailing the beginnings of a young man who becomes an assassin and eventually telling how, in his basic idea and concept, Grendel conquers the planet. |
| 107 | * ''ComicBook/{{Hellboy}}'''s myth arc (emphasis on "myth") was plotted out almost entirely around 2001 when author Mike Mignola had him leave the BPRD to go WanderingTheEarth. Since then the (now six) books set in that universe have sketched out a grand myth arc spanning the creation of the world to TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt. |
| 108 | * ''ComicBook/JudgeDredd'' has had a myth arc building for much of the comic's run as to whether the Judges' rule is legitimate. This question has been hanging since 1977, but the ''Origins'' story has this bombshell: [[spoiler:Judge Fargo, the first Chief Judge and the one whom Dredd and several others were cloned from, had a MyGodWhatHaveIDone moment when he saw what America was becoming under the Judges, and his last words to Dredd were to tell him that the Judges' rule was wrong, and he had to reverse it.]] |
| 109 | * ''ComicBook/{{Preacher}}'': Jesse, Tulip, and Cassidy's ongoing search for {{God}}. |
| 110 | * ''ComicBook/TheSandman1989'' is a clever example of a Myth Arc in disguise. While the occasional volume may have some development on what would ''seem'' to be an ongoing story (''Season Of Mists'' and ''Brief Lives'') it is not until ''The Kindly Ones'' when we learn that nearly all aspects of the series were parts of [[spoiler:Dream's ongoing [[ThePlan plan]] to evolve himself into a more sympathetic being.]] |
| 111 | * Jason Aaron's run on ''ComicBook/TheMightyThor'' and ''ComicBook/Thor2014'', as well as the crisis crossover ''ComicBook/OriginalSin'' was this. Beginning in September 2012, it ''finally'' culminated in the summer 2019 crossover ''ComicBook/WarOfTheRealms'' and a miniseries about the Future Thor, with the key themes throughout being about the nature of Thor being Worthy - what makes him Worthy, what makes him Unworthy, what makes him a hero... and above all, what makes a Thor. As the ArcWords have it, "There must always be a Thor." And there is, with Thor finally [[spoiler: defeating Malekith with the aid of his past and future selves, and Jane Foster, who was wielding the disintegrating Ultimate Mjolnir, in the process regaining Mjolnir, which he'd [[ReforgedBlade reforged]] with the reignited Mother Storm in the heart of the sun, through sheer force of will, after losing an eye and spending nine days in the sun on Yggdrasil.]] |
| 112 | * ''ComicBook/{{Lucifer}}'' has a more typical one, as events from previous arcs weave into those of the next. |
| 113 | * ''ComicBook/TheTransformersIDW'' comics seem to be setting up a ''double'' Myth Arc. One concerning the Lost Light and its crew's search for [[TheGhost the Knights of Cybertron]] and another one concerning Bumblebee and the other Autobots attempts to maintain peace on Cybertron (it's not going well to say the least). They also appear to be building up to the return of [[BigGood Optimus Prime]]. |
| 114 | * ''ComicBook/{{Transmetropolitan}}'' was once described[[note]]in the "About The Author" section from the first ComicBook/{{Planetary}} trade[[/note]] as a "3000 page graphic novel". |
| 115 | * ''ComicBook/UltimateMarvel'' has the Super Soldier Serum, the attempts to replicate it, and how it's led to a superhuman arms race responsible for creating most of the world's heroes and villains. |
| 116 | * J.H. Williams III and W. Haden Blackman's 24-issue ''ComicBook/{{Batwoman}}'' run deals with Batwoman getting blackmailed by, working for, and then rebelling against the D.E.O., all the while becoming less hard-nosed about her IWorkAlone attitude. |
| 117 | * ''ComicBook/ImmortalHulk'': The One Below All is a threat hinted at in the first few issues and only resolved in the very last. Even when Hulk's attention is taken by an ArcVillain its influence shapes the course of the plot. |
| 118 | [[/folder]] |
| 119 | |
| 120 | [[folder:Fan Works]] |
| 121 | * ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'' has the coming of Thanos and the heroes preparing/being prepared for the Infinity War, with almost every event on the way either being designed to shape them to best be able to match Thanos when he comes, or being used to that end by the series' resident MagnificentBastard and {{Seer|s}} Doctor Strange. |
| 122 | * The ''Fanfic/PonyPOVSeries'' has two myth arcs: |
| 123 | ** [[spoiler:Discord's return]] being built up through [[BreakTheCutie Diamond Tiara's]] actions. |
| 124 | ** The BadFuture established in "[[RevisedEnding Epilogue]]" being built up through {{Vision Quest}}s before the story finally returns to it in the Dark World Series. |
| 125 | * [[Fanfic/RainbowDoubleDashsLunaverse The Lunaverse]] is primarily built around the struggle between the Luna 6 and [[AGodAmI Corona]]; while they face other villains, she's the overall looming threat throughout the series. |
| 126 | * ''Fanfic/ReimaginedEnterprise'': The approaching Earth-Romulan War [[spoiler: up until the last episode of the second season, where it shifts into the ''ongoing'' Earth-Romulan War]]. Would be a spoiler, except, of course, it was established [[Recap/StarTrekS1E14BalanceOfTerror long before the series]] that there was an Earth-Romulan War around this time. |
| 127 | * The ''Fanfic/FacingTheFutureSeries'' has several ongoing story threads that may or may not be connected -- [[ArchEnemy Vlad]] sending ghosts after Danny for unclear reasons, the MysteriousWatcher known as "G" keeping an eye on Danny for his shadowy superiors, and Danny somehow developing both a [[DeadlyUpgrade dangerous]] SuperMode and a PsychicLink with Sam. |
| 128 | * ''Blog/ThePredespairKids'' was initially meant to be a fan prequel to the events of ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc'', but it's since transitioned into its own AlternateUniverse. The current story is now based around the struggle between the students and Ultimate Despair, and if it's possible to stop them and prevent [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt the Tragedy]]. While there are many other story lines going on at the same time, this is the overarching issue that hangs over them all. |
| 129 | * In ''Fanfic/CodeGeassColorlessMemories'' So far one has been hinted and built up in the background of the fic, that seems to relate to Kaguya Sumeragi's family that OSI agent Harald Thompson outright called [[spoiler: The Sumeragi's Legacy]] with it apparently extending all the way back to the Heian period of Japanese history. |
| 130 | * The ''Fanfic/HalloweenUnspectacular'' series has three: |
| 131 | ** The first, nicknamed the Fiddley Canon, connects virtually everything involved in the various individual {{Story Arc}}s from [=HU1=] through [=HU5=]. This includes the {{Reality Warp|er}}ing Fiddley Thing device, sorcery, dragons, Myth/ArthurianLegend, and several other things. |
| 132 | ** The second, running from [=HU6=] to [=HU8=], involves attempts by the [[ThoseWackyNazis Nazi]] [[TheRemnant remnant]] group PURITY to TakeOverTheWorld and [[FinalSolution eliminate]] all superpowered and nonhuman beings. |
| 133 | ** The third, covering [=HU9=] and [=HU10=], is about a mysterious figure setting out to destroy [[AuthorAvatar E350's]] life. |
| 134 | * ''Fanfic/ToHellAndBackArrowverse'': |
| 135 | ** According to the author, the first half of the story is building to Arc V, which marks the halfway point of the story. |
| 136 | ** [[spoiler:Another myth arc involves the mystery time traveler that is implied to be responsible for all the changes to the timeline prior to [[ComicBook/TheFlash Nora Allen]]'s death, including [[ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} Kara]]'s early arrival to Earth, the survival of [[Franchise/{{Batman}} Bruce Wayne]]'s parents, and [[Franchise/WonderWoman Diana]] never leaving Themyscira]]. |
| 137 | * Despite the Main Stories making it a Slice of Life type Idol story also, there are four major ones spanning all across the ''Fanfic/TokimekiPokeLiveAndTwinbee'' series: |
| 138 | ** The "''[[VideoGame/LoveLiveSchoolIdolFestivalAllStars Nijigasaki]] Saga''", which focuses on Hilda White and her friends' journey to become School Idols while also balancing that out with bettering themselves as Pokémon Trainers while also showing various battles between the protagonists and their allies against various villains, Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik being the main recurring villain. |
| 139 | ** The "''[[OriginalGeneration Hinagiku]] Saga''", which focuses on Yoko Catherine Osaka White, Elesis Kashiwagi Kousaka and Margo, with the girls establishing their own Pokémon Trainer's Club inspired by the Nijigasaki Academy Pokémon Trainer's Club some years before while Eggman and other villains continue opposing the heroines and their allies/loved ones. |
| 140 | ** The "''Harmonia Robotnik Saga''", the stories in which the focus is on Natural "N" Harmonia Blair and his struggle to adapt to the real world after defecting from the Eggman Empire with the help of various allies, especially his own heroic team, Eggman Empire White. |
| 141 | ** A major crossover story arc, ''Fanfic/MultidimensionalDarkMasters'', involving the ''[=PokéLive!=]'' and ''[=Wonder DigiIdolmaster=]'' protagonists teaming up to battle the [[Anime/DigimonAdventure Dark]] [[Anime/DigimonAdventureTri Masters]], who are out to merge the Earths of both universes. |
| 142 | [[/folder]] |
| 143 | |
| 144 | [[folder:Films — Animated]] |
| 145 | * ''Franchise/{{Shrek}}'' has the romance between Shrek and Fiona, which is developed further with each film, from meeting and marrying in the [[WesternAnimation/Shrek1 first film]], meeting the in-laws in [[WesternAnimation/Shrek2 the second]], having kids in [[WesternAnimation/ShrekTheThird the third]], to having a mid-life crisis [[spoiler: before finally settling down]] in [[WesternAnimation/ShrekForeverAfter the fourth]]. |
| 146 | [[/folder]] |
| 147 | |
| 148 | [[folder:Films — Live-Action]] |
| 149 | * ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderManSeries'' was ''supposed'' to have one, about The Gentleman assembling the Sinister Six, but the underperformance of ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan2'' led to the series being abruptly CutShort. |
| 150 | * The entire ''Franchise/BackToTheFuture'' trilogy is essentially a three-part story about Marty and Doc Brown trying to undo all the damage their screwing around with time travel has done to the timeline. |
| 151 | * ''Film/TheBourneSeries'' is all about Jason trying to find out his true identity. He ultimately uncovers the truth in ''Film/TheBourneUltimatum'', originally intended to be the GrandFinale. 9 years later, ''Film/JasonBourne'' would revisit the arc by having him learn exactly ''why'' he became an assassin. |
| 152 | * ''Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse'': |
| 153 | ** Franchise/{{Superman}}'s life and growth into TheParagon as well as the ascension of the Justice League with him as GreaterScopeParagon. It was intended to be done over five films, but the franchise's increasingly TroubledProduction due to ExecutiveMeddling following the divisive reception to the Creator/ZackSnyder films (''Film/ManOfSteel'' and ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice'') led to these plans being rather awkwardly scuttled by Creator/WarnerBros and Creator/DCFilms, with the heavy amounts of setup toward it turning into an array of {{Aborted Arc}}s in ''Film/{{Justice League|2017}}''. The release of ''Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague'' restored some of said aborted arcs, but [[SequelHook set up others]] that are unlikely to be follow upon since the aforementioned studios parted ways with Snyder. |
| 154 | ** ComicBook/{{Darkseid}}'s impending arrival on Earth was one of said {{Aborted Arc}}s. He appears in ''Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague'' and readies himself to invade the Earth at the end. There are glimpses of the BadFuture in which he conquers the Earth, which was to be the focus of at least two ''Justice League'' sequels. Superman returns from the dead as well in this version, with a new setup regarding Lois being pregnant. |
| 155 | * The Creator/DanielCraig era of the ''Film/JamesBond'' series (''Film/{{Casino Royale|2006}}'', ''Film/QuantumOfSolace'', ''Film/{{Skyfall}}'', ''Film/{{Spectre}}'', ''Film/NoTimeToDie'') , which follows Bond from the day he got his license to kill and "007" [[YouAreNumberSix code number]] to [[spoiler:his death]], with the loss of [[TheLostLenore Vesper Lynd]] having the biggest impact on his life. |
| 156 | * The entire ''Film/JohnWick'' saga is all about John trying to remove himself from the hitman underworld, but finding himself drawn deeper and deeper in. |
| 157 | * ''Film/KillBill'' Volumes 1 and 2 are all about the Bride's quest for revenge against the Deadly Vipers, and their leader Bill. |
| 158 | * As with the books, ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'' focuses on the War for the One Ring. |
| 159 | ** ''Film/TheHobbit'' trilogy has several: The quest to reclaim Erebor from Smaug, Gandalf's investigation into the happenings at Dol Guldor, and Thorin's rivalry with Azog. |
| 160 | * The Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse currently has two of these, with each of them lasting three phases. |
| 161 | ** The Infinity Saga, encompassing Phases One through Three, focuses on the Infinity Stones--six gems created by the Big Bang, each representing a fundamental aspect of the universe. After the Space Stone (or Tessaract) gained prominence in Phase One, the rest of the stones were slowly introduced in the following phases. These stones were sought out by the Mad Titan Thanos, whose plans finally come to a head in ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'' and ''Film/AvengersEndgame''. This saga lasted twenty-three films over eleven years. |
| 162 | ** The Multiverse Saga, encompassing Phases Four through Six, is about the introduction of TheMultiverse. In ''Series/{{Loki|2021}}'', a chain of events led to the multiverse being released after being confined to a singular timeline, resulting in the exploration of alternate universes in [[WesternAnimation/WhatIf2021 future]] [[Film/SpiderManNoWayHome MCU]] [[Film/DoctorStrangeInTheMultiverseOfMadness properties]]. As of now, this saga is still ongoing, but it's slated to last nineteen films and a handful of TV shows over five years, culminating in ''Avengers: The Kang Dynasty'' and ''Avengers: Secret Wars''. |
| 163 | * ''Film/TheMatrix'' has the war between the humans and the machines. |
| 164 | * The ''Film/ParanormalActivity'' movies have one about the growing power of Toby and the Coven. |
| 165 | * ''Franchise/{{Saw}}'': |
| 166 | ** All of the movies either focus on Jigsaw's increasingly elaborate, and posthumous since his death in ''Film/SawIII'', master plan, or someone else related to it. |
| 167 | ** From the [[Film/SawI first film]] to ''Film/Saw3D'', there's also the following: |
| 168 | *** The fate of Dr. Lawrence Gordon, who is referenced in most films after the first one before his second (and last so far) appearance in ''Saw 3D''. |
| 169 | *** The games seen in the first three films, including the Bathroom, the [[Film/SawII Nerve Gas House]], the [[Film/SawIII Gideon Meatpacking Plant]] and several individual tests, are progressively given more details in the following ones, often in regards to plot twists. ''Film/SawIV'' and ''[[Film/SawV V]]'' in particular added more major events to the Gideon Meatpacking Plant when Rigg and Strahm enter it and witness his final test and Jeff's trial, respectively. |
| 170 | * The ''Film/SpiderManTrilogy'' has the evolution of Peter and Harry's relationship, starting with them being close friends in the first movie, strained in the second, and rivals in the third, ultimately ending with [[spoiler:them reconciling before Harry pulls a HeroicSacrifice to save Peter]]. |
| 171 | * [[Film/XMenFilmSeries The original X-Men trilogy]] focuses on the impending war between humans, the X-Men, and the Brotherhood of Mutants. |
| 172 | [[/folder]] |
| 173 | |
| 174 | [[folder:Literature]] |
| 175 | * ''Literature/The39Clues'' is a myth arc about completing the search for the titular 39 clues. |
| 176 | * ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'' has one with the Yeerks, namely the overarching conflict across the galaxy. It was basically guaranteed that any book narrated by Ax would discuss this slight bit, any book narrated by Marco would have the myth-arc regarding [[spoiler:his mother, Visser One]], and stuff narrated by Tobias would deal with the Hork-Bajir, and the Anti-Morphing Ray arc. The whole series had the myth-arc of the war between Crayak and Ellimist, generally covered in Rachel's narrations. |
| 177 | * A rather notable example in the "hidden epic" of ''Literature/TheCosmere''. So far the only connections between the different worlds are Hoid, parallels between the Shards, and a few other things. However [[WordOfGod Sanderson has stated]] that he plans to have these references form an extra story in conjunction with the main plots of each of his books. |
| 178 | * In ''Literature/DanielFaust'', after the first three books, Daniel is caught up in the First Story, a cosmic cautionary tale that plays out again and again across the multiverse, that typically ends with the entire world being destroyed. Daniel is transplanted into the role of The Thief by The Enemy, who is looking to break free of the story's narrative and destroy all of reality. |
| 179 | * ''Franchise/TheDarkTower'' is, of course, about Roland's journey to the Dark Tower. |
| 180 | * The Literature/{{Deryni}} novels and short stories have interrelated plot arcs that span several centuries. |
| 181 | ** Fraught relations between the kingdoms of Gwynedd and Torenth. A younger son of the Torenthi king invades and conquers Gwynedd; after much suffering and several generations, the old ruling family is restored, but at a high price. Descendants of the Torenthi invaders repeatedly attempt to reclaim Gwynedd over the following centuries, and the claim is ultimately folded back into the Torenthi ruling House of Furstan. |
| 182 | ** Deryni-human relations change dramatically in response to the conquest and restoration. Deryni were open and respected, with established schools teaching the ars magica and Healing in particular. A reactionary segment of human lords spiritual and temporal proclaim Deryni to be anathema to solidify their own power after the restoration. The masses are easily brought to help with the persecution of Deryni, thanks to their lack of sophistication and the efforts of dogmatic churchmen. It literally takes centuries for the right people to come on the scene to openly contest the notion that all Deryni are evil and live to tell the tale--and even then, it's a close-run thing for some of them. |
| 183 | * The various Franchise/DoctorWhoExpandedUniverse novel series have had their own myth arcs. The Literature/DoctorWhoNewAdventures had a myth arc concerning [[spoiler:the Doctor's true identity and the murky origins of the Time Lords]]; the Literature/EighthDoctorAdventures had a myth arc concerning [[spoiler:a future "War in Heaven" between the Time Lords and an unknown enemy, and the implications for the rest of the universe when the Time Lords lose]]. |
| 184 | ** The Franchise/BerniceSummerfield novels and audio dramas each have their own distinct Myth Arc, despite having several episodes in common -- the audio dramas describe [[spoiler: the rise and fall of the Irving Braxiatel]], while the novels concern [[spoiler: the unleashing of a SealedEvilInACan from Dellah University, leading to the Time Lords and the People vanishing from the universe]]. Some attempt is made at ArcWelding into a single series despite their drastically different depictions of the title character. |
| 185 | * ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'' seems to have developed this as of ''Literature/ProvenGuilty'' with the reveal of [[spoiler:the Black Council]]. And after ''Literature/ColdDays'' [[spoiler: with the introduction of [[EldritchAbomination Outsiders]] and [[TheVirus Nemesis]],]] it's definitely [[GoingCosmic Gone Cosmic]]. |
| 186 | ** Even before that there was Harry's war with the Red Court following the events of ''Grave Pearl'' and Harry's dealings with TheFairFolk. The series has dipped its hands into a few arcs. |
| 187 | * Creator/IsaacAsimov's ''Literature/FoundationSeries'': ''Literature/TheFoundationTrilogy'' was initially conceived as ''Literature/TheHistoryOfTheDeclineAndFallOfTheRomanEmpire'', but [[RecycledInSpace taking place on a galactic scale]], and from the perspective of [[RisingEmpire it's replacement empire]]. Psychohistory, [[PrescienceByAnalysis a system of mathematics to predict human behaviour]], forms the basis of the series; the {{Prequel}} novels revolve around its creation, while the {{Sequel}} novels deal with the fundamental flaw in their design. |
| 188 | * ''Literature/HarryPotter'': Every book is about Harry's struggle against Voldemort, in one form or another. The [[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets second book]] ''seemed'' like an oddball, MonsterOfTheWeek episode, until book six [[InnocuouslyImportantEpisode revealed just how well it fit into the overall story]]. |
| 189 | * ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' (although it was originally meant to be one book), as well as many other popular fantasy series. ''Lord of the Rings'' itself is merely the (chronologically) final movement of the greater MythArc that is Franchise/TolkiensLegendarium, concerned with the history of Middle-earth and the struggles of the Free Peoples against the Dark Lords Morgoth and Sauron. |
| 190 | * Creator/StevenErikson's ''Literature/MalazanBookOfTheFallen'': Although there are three rough story arcs spread between the ten books -- commonly called the Genabackis, Seven Cities and Letheras (or Tiste Edur) arcs, after their respective primary geographical settings -- they all interweave and connect to the arc of the Crippled God, which covers several hundred thousand years (mostly in backstory), including dragons, primitive hominids, many many gods and demigods, multiple world-spanning disasters and what ever the heck happened to Mother Dark. The histories of Dessimbelackis' First, the Imass First, the Malazan and Letherii Empires are also mysteries that carry the plot. Dang archaeologists. |
| 191 | * All of the books in Dennis L. [=McKiernan's=] ''Mithgar'' series fit this trope. They might seem unrelated at first (many books are stand-alone and can be read without reading the others) however they all play a part in the culmination of the Myth Arc and the defeating of the BigBad. It's especially impressive considering the books were not written in (in-universe) chronological order. |
| 192 | * ''Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians'' -- the whole series is about preventing the rise of the Titans. |
| 193 | ** The SequelSeries, ''Literature/TheHeroesOfOlympus'', is also a myth arc about uniting the Greek and Roman demigods and keeping Gaea asleep. |
| 194 | * Creator/RobinHobb's ''Literature/RealmOfTheElderlings'' 'verse is split into, at present, four different series which in many ways are self-contained. Together, however, they make up one big Myth Arc about the return of the dragons and the White Prophet's quest. |
| 195 | * ''Literature/ReignOfTheSevenSpellblades'' has the overarching SeriesGoal of main character Oliver Horn's [[spoiler:quest to assassinate the seven professors who murdered his mother]], but this storyline mostly sits and develops in the background. The meat of most volumes is more typical WizardingSchool fare about intramural intrigue and TeenDrama. |
| 196 | * Although most of the individual ''{{Literature/Shannara}}'' stories are relatively self-contained, two notable stories span multiple trilogies and multiple generations: the return of trust in science and the redemption of Grianne Ohmsford. |
| 197 | ** The "Old World Sciences" were twisted to corrupted means by both demons and the hearts of men in late twentieth century, and after nuclear fallout destroys much of the planet, science is disdained as TheMagicComesBack. This lasts from all of the prequels up through the end of ''Literature/TheHeritageOfShannara'', when ancient cyborg abominations are about all the reader sees of the old sciences. ''Literature/TheVoyageOfTheJerleShannara'' trilogy features a more balanced look at science, featuring both the return of flight technologies with airships as a positive but also the AIIsACrapshoot murderous computer Antrax. By the time of the final series, ''Literature/TheFallOfShannara'', a benevolent MadScientist and his weather-changing machine end up being the Four Land's greatest chance for peace on the edge of coming anhiliation. |
| 198 | ** Grianne Ohmsford's arc is a long, twisting, turning journey in and out of the HeelFaceRevolvingDoor. Highlights include serving as the titular antagonist of ''Ilse Witch,'' seeking redemption for her history as a killer in ''Literature/HighDruidOfShannara'' trilogy, and eventually finding peace as a fairy creature... only to be subjected to an UnwantedRevival and being so pissed about it she's ready to raze the world with ThePowerOfHate as soon as she's finished being the NecessarilyEvil in an EnemyMine fight with her demonic would-be rapist in ''Witch Wraith''. [[spoiler: At long last, in ''Literature/TheFallOfShannara'', after lifetimes clinging to life and ultimately saving her distant niece from a murderous foe, the universe finally seems to deem Grianne worthy enough to return to peace and ultimately GoOutWithASmile.]] |
| 199 | * ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' -- the whole series is essentially covered by a story arc dealing with the troubles revolving the Kingdom's throne and who is to be the supreme ruler, and there's still no end in sight. Complicated by the fact that the story is a DeconstructorFleet, and so even familiar Myth Arcs like TheChosenOne or the RightfulKingReturns aren't sure bets. |
| 200 | ** And hidden beneath ''that'' is the coming of [[TheLegionsOfHell the Others]], and the prophecy of The Prince Who Was Promised. |
| 201 | --->''And his shall be the [[TitleDrop song of ice and fire]].'' |
| 202 | * Creator/UmbertoEco's novels (''Literature/TheNameOfTheRose'', ''Literature/FoucaultsPendulum'', ''The Island Of The Day Before'', ''Baudolino'', and ''The Mysterious Flame Of Queen Loana'') supposedly form a Myth Arc, but rather infuriatingly, he ''never said what it was'', and the connections are [[JigsawPuzzlePlot too subtle]] for anybody else to even ''begin'' to guess. |
| 203 | [[/folder]] |
| 204 | |
| 205 | [[folder:Live-Action TV]] |
| 206 | * ''Series/{{Alias}}'' was a otherwise straightforward TuxedoAndMartini spy drama, but also had a show-spanning Myth Arc involving a Creator/LeonardoDaVinci knockoff Renaissance inventor named Milo Rambaldi. |
| 207 | * Originally intended to be an episodic supernatural-mystery-of-the-week series, ''Series/{{Angel}}'' began developing a myth arc of its own with its first season finale, involving Angel and friends being pivotal players in an upcoming apocalypse. |
| 208 | * ''Series/{{Arrow}}'' has the flashbacks to Oliver's "five years in hell" when everyone thought he was dead and he learned the skills that led to him becoming the Hood/Arrow/Green Arrow. This concludes at the end of Season 5, which brings the story [[WhereItAllBegan full circle]] with the final flashback scenes showing him being picked up off of Lian Yu by a fishing boat, as depicted in the very beginning of the series. |
| 209 | * ''Series/BabylonFive'', as mentioned in the article itself, is one of the archetypical Myth Arcs, and often credited/blamed for the proliferation of Myth Arcs in science fiction shows since. |
| 210 | * [[Series/BattlestarGalactica1978 Both]] [[Series/BattlestarGalactica2003 versions]] of ''Battlestar Galactica'' were arc-based, though elements thereof were made up on the fly; in the [[Series/BattlestarGalactica2003 2000s version]], for example, the one-shot character Sam Anders was reintroduced into the arc 15 episodes after his first appearance, and became a recurring character in Season 3, because actress Creator/KateeSackhoff (Starbuck) wanted her character to have a love interest. By season 4 it is fair to say that he has suddenly become absolutely vital to the ongoing (and soon to be ending) arc. |
| 211 | ** Before Sam Anders, another one-shot character who ended up being relatively fundamental to an ongoing plot point of ''Galactica'' is Karl "Helo" Agathon. Originally he was supposed to die abandoned in Caprica during the miniseries. The Powers that Be liked him enough to bring him back to eventually be [[spoiler:the father of the shape of things to come, Hera,]] and occasionally the second in command of Galactica herself. [[spoiler:Also, one of the few who managed to get a truly happy ending...well, if you consider living like a Luddite on the prehistoric savannas of Africa a frakking happy ending.]] |
| 212 | * ''Series/BurnNotice'': Who burned Michael Westen? How can he get un-burned? ''Will'' he get un-burned at all? And who exactly is [[WarForFunAndProfit going about starting wars for the money]]? |
| 213 | * Initially planned for a self-contained six-season overarching story that would be separated into three 'books' (two seasons per book), ''Series/{{Carnivale}}'' was a show that created analogues to Christian mysticism to tell a story about a battle between light and darkness that would usher in the eventual end of days with the conception of nuclear warfare, and was supposed to end with the first nuclear test, and its conclusion was predestined from the show's introduction ("And so it was until the day that a false sun exploded over Trinity, and man forever traded away wonder for reason."). HBO offered showrunner Daniel Knauf an opportunity to tie things up with a movie, but Knauf refused, and instead later released the initial 'Pitch Document', the original show notes on the show's expanding mythos which eventually came to be referred to by fans as the 'Carnivale Bible'. Instead, the first book - and by extension, the show as a whole - ended [[spoiler:with Ben and Jonesy presumed dead, Sofie awakened as [[TheAntichrist the Omega]], Brother Justin seemingly revived, and no real development on the story's relation to nuclear proliferation.]] |
| 214 | * In ''Series/Castle2009'', finding who killed Beckett's mother, and the organization behind him. The 3XK plotline seems to be a ''second'' myth arc for the show. |
| 215 | * The entire run of classic and new series ''Series/DoctorWho'' has a few common threads running through; most notably, the premise of "Doctor who?" has varying surges of interest in different series; the new series has picked up on the mystery behind the Doctor's name again, with [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E9ForestOfTheDead "Forest of the Dead"]] [[spoiler:confirming that he actually ''has'' a real name]]. Whether or not these questions can be classed as arcs probably hinges upon whether they were ever ''intended'' to be answered. |
| 216 | ** With the revival, the production teams of both Creator/RussellTDavies and Creator/StevenMoffat have taken to building up individual [[StoryArc story arcs]] in each season/series that eventually come together to have a huge payoff as the current Doctor's tenure comes to a close. This is done by adding subtle hints, clues, and foreshadowing throughout the episodes on both story arc and myth arc scales: |
| 217 | *** The first four series of the revival eventually coalesce into a Myth Arc in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E17E18TheEndOfTime "The End of Time"]], which draws elements from every preceding series as well as featuring every major recurring character up to that point. |
| 218 | *** Series 5-7 and the specials afterward — the tenure of the Eleventh Doctor — build a Myth Arc of their own based around the relationship between the Doctor and River Song, the Silence, [[spoiler:and the reasoning behind the TARDIS exploding in the Series 5 finale]]. His GrandFinale duet of specials, [[Recap/DoctorWho50thASTheDayOfTheDoctor "The Day of the Doctor"]] and [[Recap/DoctorWho2013CSTheTimeOfTheDoctor "The Time of the Doctor"]], also link back to the Time War arc of Series 1-4, directly resulting from it, and therefore arguably linking together all seven series up to that point. |
| 219 | *** The Twelfth Doctor's myth arc (Series 8-10 plus specials) is completely focused on his CharacterDevelopment, as he reevaluates whether he is "a good man" or not in the wake of all the "cosmic" crises in his life being wrapped up save for [[spoiler: not knowing where his homeworld is]] (an issue resolved in the Series 9 finale). The one constant secondary character through three seasons is his ArchEnemy Missy, whose CharacterDevelopment reflects and contrasts with his. He grows from a coldly PragmaticHero who HatesBeingTouched in Series 8 to a warmer soul hamstrung by a codependent relationship with his companion in Series 9 to perhaps the most empathetic and ''kindest'' incarnation of the Doctor in Series 10. Notably, the following two secondary characters' myth arcs are tied up with his. |
| 220 | *** Starting with the Series 7 premiere [[Recap/DoctorWhoS33E1AsylumOfTheDaleks "Asylum of the Daleks"]], Clara Oswald has a myth arc as she goes from a seemingly "Impossible Girl" to the Doctor's DistaffCounterpart and arguable soulmate. This culminates in the Series 9 finale storyline, in which she [[spoiler:dies... yet goes on to have near-infinite adventures in her last moment of life, with a TARDIS and companion of her own]]. |
| 221 | *** River Song's personal myth arc, which dates back to Series 4's [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E8SilenceInTheLibrary "Silence in the Library"]]/[[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E9ForestOfTheDead "Forest of the Dead"]], is formally concluded with the post-Series 9 ChristmasEpisode [[Recap/DoctorWho2015CSTheHusbandsOfRiverSong "The Husbands of River Song"]], which ends with [[spoiler: her and the Twelfth Doctor having 24 happy years together before she goes to said library, bringing things full circle]]. |
| 222 | ** According to [[http://www.doctorwhotv.co.uk/continuity-of-the-daleks-63003.htm one theory]], the Time War forms a complex web of a myth arc going [[AnachronicOrder back and forth across the series]]. The Doctor [[Recap/DoctorWhoS12E4GenesisOfTheDaleks fails to prevent the creation]] of the Daleks and is earlier unsuccessful at destroying them at an early stage in his [[Recap/DoctorWhoS1E2TheDaleks first encounter]], which leads them to develop space travel and [[Recap/DoctorWhoS2E2TheDalekInvasionOfEarth become an all-conquering armada]]. They then [[Recap/DoctorWhoS4E9TheEvilOfTheDaleks develop a crude form of time travel]] and [[Recap/DoctorWhoS17E1DestinyOfTheDaleks resurrect their creator]] who [[Recap/DoctorWhoS3E4TheDaleksMasterPlan helps them refine it]], which they use to try and [[Recap/DoctorWhoS2E8TheChase defeat the Doctor at an earlier point in his life]] after declaring war against his people. After centuries of fighting and [[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E1Rose countless]] [[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E3TheUnquietDead civilisations]] [[Recap/DoctorWhoS13E1TerrorOfTheZygons lost]], the Doctor defeats the Daleks single-handedly by destroying his home planet, [[spoiler:[[Recap/DoctorWho50thASTheDayOfTheDoctor except not really]]]], resulting in only [[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E6Dalek a few]] [[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E13ThePartingOfTheWays survivors]] falling out of time. A Dalek sect called [[Recap/DoctorWhoS28E13Doomsday the Cult of Skaro]] escaped out of the universe and returned after the war to rebuild the Dalek race. They are defeated, but their last surviving member [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E12TheStolenEarth rescues Davros from the Time War]], but then goes mad and [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E13JourneysEnd engineers the total defeat of the Daleks]]. Only a few survive, but they rebuild their race [[Recap/DoctorWhoS31E3VictoryOfTheDaleks from some of the very first Dalek DNA]] and depart to conquer the universe again. Davros survives and attempts to [[Recap/DoctorWhoS25E1RemembranceOfTheDaleks secure the Time Lords' secret to perfect time travel]], but fails and his home planet is destroyed in the process. |
| 223 | * ''Series/EarthFinalConflict'' was both loved and praised by its fans for its complicated, multidimensional and just way too convoluted arc. The writers were smart enough to make all things vague and open to personal interpretation to avoid an inevitable SeriesContinuityError and mostly let the viewer himself discern right from wrong. |
| 224 | * On ''Series/{{Farscape}}'', Crichton's efforts to return home to Earth, and the attempts by the Peacekeepers and Scarrans to gain access to the wormhole technology he's using to do it. |
| 225 | * ''Series/{{Fringe}}'' started off as a MonsterOfTheWeek show, with some mythology elements seeded in to keep the traditional Creator/JJAbrams crowd interested. Over time, however, the procedural elements have taken a definite backseat to the story arc. While there are still a fair number of episodes with a case of the week, often towards the middle of the season, the Myth Arc still tends to feature prominently in them. |
| 226 | * ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'', unsurprisingly, all boils down to the story of how Ted met his future kids' mother. |
| 227 | * ''Series/TheLegendOfDickAndDom'' has the quest to create the potion and return it to Fyredor. |
| 228 | * The quirky PoliceProcedural ''Series/{{Life|2007}}'' was an example of the mixture idea: while each episode involved solving an individual MysteryOfTheWeek, most episodes would also involve the main character's quest discover who arranged for him to be wrongfully convicted of murder. This story was left largely hanging by the series' abrupt cancellation. While, by the second season's finale, he had learned ''why'' he was framed, he had not learned ''who'' (and since the "why" was the second one claimed in as many seasons, that, too, could have been merely a RedHerring). |
| 229 | * ''Series/TheLordOfTheRingsTheRingsOfPower'' establishes from the first scene that everything is about finding and dealing with Sauron before is too late. |
| 230 | * ''Series/{{Lost}}'' has a Myth Arc built in, though it is a bone of contention as to whether the authors actually knew where they were headed or not. The [[WordOfGod official line from the creators]] is that they knew how they wanted to end the series, and how to direct the plotlines to get there. Now that it is over, debate rages as to whether the last season was a fulfillment of a proper Myth Arc or an AssPull. |
| 231 | ** Unsurprisingly, a number of shows that [[FollowTheLeader tried to cash in on the success of]] ''Series/{{Lost}}'' had them, too: ''Series/{{Invasion}}'', ''Series/{{Threshold}}'', ''Surface'' -- well, we assume they did; they were cancelled before the arcs could develop. |
| 232 | ** More successful were ''Series/TheFortyFourHundred'' and ''Series/{{Heroes}}'', although the former actually predated ''Series/{{Lost}}'' by a good few months. |
| 233 | * ''Series/TheMentalist'' has the mystery of finding out who the serial killer Red John is. |
| 234 | * ''Series/{{Monk}}'': Finding out who murdered Trudy Monk. |
| 235 | * ''Series/OrphanBlack'' goes ''hard'' with the Myth Arc, with the clones of "Project Leda" hunting to find out how and why they exist, while being under constant surveillance and threat of the Dyad Institute. Season 3 complicated this with the introduction of [[spoiler: the male clones of Project Castor.]] |
| 236 | * ''Series/PersonOfInterest'' has a strong Myth Arc surrounding the Machine, the [[AppliedPhlebotinum advanced]] [[SinisterSurveillance surveillance]] [[MagicalComputer supercomputer]] that identifies each episode's VictimOfTheWeek for [[WeHelpTheHelpless the protagonists to help]]. Most episodes flesh out a different aspect, either how it was created (via Finch's flashbacks), what various superpowers will do to obtain or control it (via Reese's flashbacks and several present-day stories) or [[InstantAIJustAddWater just what the Machine has become capable of on its own]]. |
| 237 | * ''Series/RoyalPains'': What's wrong with [=HankMed=]'s mysterious benefactor, Boris? And what exactly was/is Eddie R. Lawson up to? |
| 238 | * ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' had the conflict with the Dominion; although the Dominion wasn't even mentioned for the first season, the claiming of the wormhole to the Gamma Quadrant in the pilot episode sets up this conflict. |
| 239 | * While ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' is also a MonsterOfTheWeek show, the main ongoing plot-driven arc is tied directly into the long-term plans that a demon had for the Winchester family: specifically, Sam and Dean's attempts to figure out what those plans are and to thwart them. (With varying degrees of success. All ''four'' [[spoiler:(five)]] of the Winchesters have had significant NiceJobBreakingItHero moments.) The first couple of seasons almost implied that Sam alone was key to the Myth Arc, but there were hints, such as the anvils dropped in "Faith" and "Houses Of The Holy" or the Yellow-Eyed Demon preferring to spend time breaking down/taunting Dean rather than Sam in both of their major confrontations, that suggested throughout that Dean was pretty important himself. Cue Seasons Four and Five and both brothers are held on an approximately equal level of importance in terms of the Myth Arc and ''neither'' of them wants the job. |
| 240 | ** Somehow, the [[LongRunners four seasons]] that come after the Apocalypse is over manage to combine this trope ''and'' StoryArc by dealing with the fallout of the first five seasons through the use of several larger enemies that come in and make their move, most lasting only one season before being killed off. The writers even go back to previously-dropped plot threads from the first five seasons and expand on them, such as creating another prophet [[spoiler:that isn't [[GodInHumanForm God in disguise]] this time]]. |
| 241 | * ''Series/TerminatorTheSarahConnorChronicles'' had a running Myth Arc regarding the characters preventing Skynet's creation and Judgment Day, though it also focuses on numerous subplots and a lot of personal character development. |
| 242 | * ''Series/TheXFiles'' starts out as a semi-episodic MonsterOfTheWeek style mystery show but over time, it develops an overarching storyline concerning a government conspiracy and possible alien activity. Unfortunately, the arc wasn't resolved by the time of the final episode which ends revealing that all this abduction, conspiracy, alien stuff is linked to a possible full-on [[spoiler: AlienInvasion]]. |
| 243 | * ''Franchise/TheWalkingDeadTelevisionUniverse'': The original series ultimately revolves around the main cast trying to find a safe home that they can survive in and possibly rebuild civilization in a world overrun by the undead. The show ends with the main cast's community becoming a prosperous chapter of a powerful, benevolent multi-state alliance of communities where finally, they can live in peace and with the resources to prepare for any hostile threats. The subsequent sequel shows and spin-offs, ''[[Series/TheWalkingDeadDeadCity Dead City]]'', ''[[Series/TheWalkingDeadDarylDixon Daryl Dixon]]'', as well as prior-released spin-off's like ''[[Series/TheWalkingDeadWorldBeyond World Beyond]]'' and the final season of ''Series/FearTheWalkingDead'' all show that, after over a decade in the apocalypse, the world has similarly been able to see numerous civilizations take firm footholds. Small nomadic groups like what the main cast originally consisted of tend to join the larger civilizations, many of whom are establishing law and order in their territories again. A character in ''Dead City'' makes the prediction that ultimately, the MythArc of the franchise going forward is the clash of the new civilizations in the post-Fall world. |
| 244 | * ''Series/WhiteCollar'': Who is the Man with the Ring? What happened/[[spoiler:who killed]] Kate? And what will become of the music box? |
| 245 | * ''Series/YGwyll'' has the mystery about the abuse that happened at the Pontaryfynach children's home. The mystery stems from the first episode of season one to the final episode of season 3 (and the show as a whole). |
| 246 | [[/folder]] |
| 247 | |
| 248 | [[folder:Multiple Media]] |
| 249 | * The basic summary of ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}'' is the inhabitants of the Matoran Universe uncovering mysteries about their own origin and about their "deities", [[BigGood the Great Spirit]] Mata Nui and the elusive Great Beings. It has a couple broader arcs: |
| 250 | ** The primary SeriesGoal is for various Toa teams to reawaken Mata Nui who has been put to sleep by [[BigBad Makuta]]. There's also a subplot of the first introduced Toa (the Toa Mata, [[MidSeasonUpgrade later upgraded]] to Toa Nuva) discovering their past after suffering from LaserGuidedAmnesia. |
| 251 | *** The 2001-03 Mata Nui saga (titled "The Joy and Deception of Mata Nui" in the UniverseBible) is about protecting the island named after the Great Spirit from Makuta's underlings, but not all is what it seems. The main heroes are the Toa Mata/Nuva and the adventurous Matoran villager Takua. This arc is a literal surface-level introduction setting up the reveal that the true Matoran Universe is under the island. |
| 252 | *** The 2004-05 Metru Nui saga is a {{prequel}} explaining Makuta's turn to evil and how the Matoran abandoned and forgot about Metru Nui and relocated to Mata Nui. The main heroes are the Toa Metru/Hordika team. Organizations like the Brotherhood of Makuta, the Dark Hunters, multiple other Toa groups and an expanded universe are introduced. |
| 253 | *** The 2006-08 Ignition Trilogy continues the present-day story, focusing on the hunt for the Mask of Life to save Mata Nui's life and finally awaken him. Further prequel plots were crammed into flashbacks to detail the origins of the Toa Mata, the Makuta species and the Matoran Universe as a whole. Many new islands and the Order of Mata Nui are introduced. The 2006 Voya Nui arc focuses on the Toa Inika team, who then become the Toa Mahri for the 2007 Mahri Nui arc. This is followed by the return of the Toa Nuva for the final Karda Nui arc in 2008. |
| 254 | ** After Mata Nui's awakening, further stories were planned to explore his origins and the mystery of the Great Beings on the planets Bara Magna and Bota Magna. Due to the series' cancellation, only the 2009-10 Bara Magna saga was completed, in which Mata Nui uncovers the secrets of his creation and takes down Makuta. Details about the Great Beings were shared by the writers in fan correspondence. |
| 255 | * The ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse'' has a long one, spanning 10 years, multiple companies and several mediums. |
| 256 | ** Phase-wise: |
| 257 | *** The arc started with Phase One, with Iron Man, Hulk, Thor and others fighting their own personal battles, but coming together to fight Loki and the Chitauri [[spoiler:lead by Thanos]]. |
| 258 | *** Phase Two brought down SHIELD, fought Malekith, and saved Nova, culminating with fighting Ultron, a creation of Tony Stark gone wrong. |
| 259 | *** Phase Three ends an arc starting in ''The Avengers'' and ending in ''Endgame'', plus others. |
| 260 | ** Arc-wise: |
| 261 | *** The Infinity Stones Arc started in Phase 1's ''[[Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger The First Avenger]]'' (although it retroactively tied into ''Film/IronMan1'') with the Tesseract/Cosmic Cube, eventually shown to be the Space Stone. Phase 2 brought 3 more stones into acknowledgement; confirming Loki's Scepter was one of them in ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'' with two others showing up in ''Film/ThorTheDarkWorld'' and ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy2014''. This arc continues in Phase 3, with another stone subtly brought in via ''Film/DoctorStrange2016'', and ending with the Infinity War. |
| 262 | *** The Avengers Arc starts in Phase 1 with Nick Fury trying to build the team, successfully doing so in the Avengers. The team disbanded at the end, but reformed to take out a Hydra Outpost, and due to Ultron had membership change and start to fracture. These fractures split the team apart fully in ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'', and the effects of this split can be felt throughout Phase 3. |
| 263 | *** The Hydra Arc starts in ''The First Avenger'', cameoing in ''The Avengers'', coming back in ''[[Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier Winter Soldier]]'' and spilling into ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'' The show takes this and runs with it, tying it into its own arcs, such as Coulson's take over of SHIELD, and the Inhumans. |
| 264 | * At its core, ''Franchise/StarWars'' details the rise and fall of various warring factions throughout the Galaxy's history. Various subseries within both the canon and Legends continuities have their own myth arcs as well. |
| 265 | ** The Original Trilogy chronicles the final years of the war between the Rebellion and the Galactic Empire. It also covers Luke's gradual evolution into a Jedi Knight, Han's debt to Jabba, and Darth Vader's gradual redemption. |
| 266 | ** The Prequel Trilogy details the war between The Republic and The Separatist Alliance, Anakin's fall from grace and rise as Darth Vader, and Palpatine's gradual ascension from seemingly benevolent senator to Galactic Emperor. |
| 267 | *** ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'' fills in the gaps between episodes II and III and covers the bulk of the actual war, which was somewhat glossed over in the movies themselves, in addition to fleshing out Anakin and Palpatine's arcs from the trilogy. Other arcs include Ahsoka's desire to prove herself as a Jedi Knight and Obi-Wan's feud with Darth Maul. |
| 268 | ** The Sequel Trilogy covers the war between the Resistance and the First Order. |
| 269 | ** ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels'' has the liberation of Lothal from the tyranny of the Empire. |
| 270 | ** The ''Literature/NewJediOrder'' series is a nineteen-book Myth Arc detailing the apocalyptic war between the New Republic and the [[OutsideContextProblem invading]] [[ScaryDogmaticAliens Yuuzhan Vong]]. |
| 271 | ** ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsResistance'' has Kaz and his allies' efforts to keep The Colossus from falling into the hands of The First Order. |
| 272 | [[/folder]] |
| 273 | |
| 274 | [[folder:Music]] |
| 275 | * Music/{{Aespa}}'s concept is an ongoing narrative in which the members interact with a digital world, allying with their avatars and their guide Naevis to take on their archenemy Black Mamba. |
| 276 | * Music/{{Ayreon}} did this, though not chronologically, with the story of Humanity from Planet Y to 2084. |
| 277 | * Music/FrankZappa did this with his ''music''; he had a massive stockpile of cultural references, injokes, and musical riffs which he repeatedly drew from over his thirty-year career. |
| 278 | * Coheed and Cambria's music is one enormous myth arc. |
| 279 | ** Complete with a tie-in comic book. Written by Claudio Sanchez himself! |
| 280 | * Craig Finn's bands, Lifter Puller and Music/TheHoldSteady both contain myth-arcs of a sort. |
| 281 | * Music/BraveSaintSaturn's three albums all told a single story about a manned mission to Saturn that went awry. |
| 282 | * Music/RhapsodyOfFire tells the tale of the defeat of [[BigBad Nekron]] through most of their albums. |
| 283 | * Music/MarilynManson's late 90s albums, ''Music/AntichristSuperstar, Music/MechanicalAnimals'' and ''Music/HolyWoodInTheShadowOfTheValleyOfDeath'' are a trilogy according to Manson, exploring the relationship between death and fame. What's more, ''Holy Wood'' is apparently the prequel, despite coming last. The themes of gun violence and celebrity culture in America are still returned to periodically in Manson's latter-day albums. |
| 284 | [[/folder]] |
| 285 | |
| 286 | [[folder:Other Sites]] |
| 287 | * ''Website/SCPFoundation'' |
| 288 | ** Pitch Haven, which is made up of, among others, [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-1903 SCP-1903,]] [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-SCP-1913 SCP-1913,]] [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-2746 SCP-2746]] and [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-2999 SCP-2999.]] WordOfGod says that [[spoiler: it's a story about reincarnating [[OurDemonsAreDifferent spirits]] (who just happen to resemble [[BeastMan anthropomorphic animals]]) that were exiled from the Garden Of Eden for an unknown crime, and were punished in ways such as gouging out eyes and severing limbs. Oh, and 682 is the Serpent from the Garden.]] |
| 289 | ** The Bonifay Family, which is made up of three [=SCPs=]: [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-1890 SCP-1890,]] [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-1896 SCP-1896]] and [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-1928 SCP-1928,]] which tell the story of a "Family" of people in TheSavageSouth in the aftermath of a hurricane. |
| 290 | [[/folder]] |
| 291 | |
| 292 | [[folder:Professional Wrestling]] |
| 293 | * Wrestling/{{CHIKARA}} puts a heavy emphasis on continuity, with events from years earlier still affecting what's going on today. In fact, one of the most important matches to CHIKARA's history ''didn't even take place in CHIKARA''. It was Wrestling/MikeQuackenbush defeating Wrestling/ChrisHero at ''IWA Mid-South [[Wrestling/{{TPE}} Ted Petty]] Invitational 2004 Night I'', September 17, 2004. At ''CHIKARA Tag World Grand Prix 2005 Night III'', February 20, 2005, Wrestling/ClaudioCastagnoli and Wrestling/ArikCannon defeated The [=SuperFriends=] (Quack and Hero) in the final when Hero [[FaceHeelTurn turned rudo]] on Quack. Hero mentioned the 2004 match and how Quack had always wanted to make it to the final of a tournament and how he, Hero, took all that away from him. This would be followed by Hero, Castagnoli and Cannon officially naming themselves Wrestling/TheKingsOfWrestling at ''Remain In Light'' on March 18th, who would be ''the'' dominant ''[[{{Heel}} rudos]]'' over the next two years. Then you have everything that followed Quack introducing the [[FinishingMove CHIKARA Special]] at ''Aniversario?'' on May 26, 2007, including the [[ArtifactOfDoom Eye of Tyr]], The [=UnStable=], Wrestling/DieBruderschaftDesKreuzes, Wrestling/TheBatiri and SO MUCH MORE! |
| 294 | [[/folder]] |
| 295 | |
| 296 | [[folder:Video Games]] |
| 297 | * The ''Franchise/AssassinsCreed'' series appears on the surface to be a StealthBasedGame where you play as a badass who murders a lot of people with a fancy knife. Fair enough, but the series also contains a FramingStory that is largely omitted from the advertising: these ancient lives are being relived in the present day first by a man named Desmond Miles and then by a variety of anonymous characters, who are using a device called the Animus to access a VR simulation of GeneticMemory. This comes about as the culmination of a millennia-long SecretWar between the [[UsefulNotes/TheKnightsTemplar Templars]] and [[UsefulNotes/TheHashshashin Assassins]] over the right to control humanity's future. The war is focused on a series of [[MacGuffin artifacts]] left behind by [[{{Precursors}} The Ones Who Came Before]], an ancient civilization that ''created'' humankind before dying in some kind of [[CosyCatastrophe catastrophe]]. Further, said civilization foresaw their doom and left behind messages embedded in these artifacts, as well as a special genetic legacy, all in an attempt to FlingALightIntoTheFuture. Some did so to prevent TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt from happening again, and [[GreaterScopeVillain one]] so to revive herself and conquer the future. All of human history is [[WrittenByTheWinners a carefully crafted lie]] designed to conceal this struggle, as is revealed in cryptic "Truth" puzzles throughout the games, and modern day cutscenes/playable sections has you view/play moments in the modern day part of the war. |
| 298 | * The ''Ben Jorden Paranormal Investigator'' series has one, though it's so well-hidden and integrated into the cases that you probably won't notice it at all until Case 7. |
| 299 | * ''[[VideoGame/BaldursGate Baldur's Gate]]'' revolves around the origins of the protagonist, and the entire nature versus nurture debate. It's revealed in the last instalment [[spoiler: Gorion grabbed the hero instead of Sarevok, despite the two children lying so close to each other]] implying Sarevok and the protagonist aren't so different. |
| 300 | * ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty'': |
| 301 | ** In place for the ''VideoGame/ModernWarfare'' trilogy, about Soap's rise, adventures, [[spoiler:and death]]. The entirety of ''[=CoD=]' will become this if there's the possible ''[[VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOps Black Ops]]''-''Modern Warfare'' crossover hinted at by intel at the end of ''Black Ops''. |
| 302 | ** With the advent of ''[[VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOpsII Black Ops 2]]'' this connection between ''Modern Warfare'' and ''Black Ops'' was proven false. However, the ''Black Ops'' series has its own Myth Arc comprising of ''[[VideoGame/CallOfDutyWorldAtWar World at War]]'', ''Black Ops'', and ''Black Ops 2'' with [[spoiler:Viktor Reznov's life and death]] being the single main entity connecting the three games. |
| 303 | ** ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyZombies'', originally developed by Treyarch, has three arcs to date: The Aether story, and the Chaos story. The former consists of all ''Zombies'' maps released from ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyWorldAtWar'' to the end of ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOpsIII''; ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOpsIV'' introduces the Chaos story, which is explicitly set in another universe and is separate from the Aether storyline, which continues and concludes in ''IV''. The third story is the Dark Aether story, which is a soft reboot of the Aether story. Chaos has unfortunately, for the time being, ended on a cliffhanger due to focus shifting to the Dark Aether story. The Aether story revolves around an endless cycle of death and destruction caused by zombies raised from the dead by eldritch forces with the main protagonist, Edward Richtofen, either aiding or trying to stop the destruction. The Chaos story revolves around a group of adventurers trying to stop an ancient order from taking over the world with zombies, and the Dark Aether story follows on from the end of the Aether as a soft reboot and sequel. |
| 304 | * Although the early ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'' games featured fairly self-contained stories about members of the Belmont clan fighting Dracula, later a millennium-spanning myth arc about Dracula's various lives and deaths was gradually revealed. The arc covers how Dracula rose above mortality to become the vampiric Lord of Darkness in the middle ages and why the Belmonts are sworn to oppose him, how the Belmonts mysteriously vanished during the early 19th century and a roster of other heroes such as the witch Shanoa, and even the son of a character from ''[[Literature/{{Dracula}} the original novel]]'' battled Dracula instead, how the Belmonts triumphantly [[spoiler:returned in 1999 to destroy Dracula for good]], and how Dracula is [[spoiler:reincarnated as a boy who uses the demonic power he was born with to battle others who wish to use it for evil like his past life did]]. |
| 305 | * ''VideoGame/{{Destiny}}'' has advertised that its fundamental premise from 2014-2024, concerning a cosmic conflict between between the metaphysical forces of Light and Darkness that spans the original game through its sequel ''VideoGame/Destiny2'', represents a "Light and Darkness Saga" that will conclude with the release of the expansion ''The Final Shape''. The series will pivot in a new direction from that point onward. |
| 306 | * ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'' mixes this with CanonWelding, which retroactively turns the entire franchise into a Myth Arc. The original series started off on a relatively simplistic premise (a soldier stationed on the moons of Mars gets caught in the middle of an invasion by Hell and ends up having to fight his way out, with the sequel then moving that invasion to Earth and continuing said soldier's war there). The ContinuityReboot that is ''VideoGame/Doom3'' more or less retreads this same premise, albeit in a more grounded way (the Hell invasion is sparked by the work of an insane scientist and the protagonist is more of an ActionSurvivor than the classic series' "Doomguy"). Then came the second reboot in [[VideoGame/Doom2016 2016]] (and more specifically the revelations that came out of its sequel, ''VideoGame/DoomEternal'') that threw everything on its head: [[spoiler:For one thing these continuties ''aren't'' separate. Rather the dimension that is known as "Hell" is actually inteconnected across the entire multiverse and Hell has been allowed to invade these different dimensions at the whim of another dimension known as "Urdak" and its leader the Khan Maykr. As a result of this the superpowered individual only known as "Doom Slayer" is in fact ''the'' Doomguy from the original series of games who got pulled into this interdimensional conflict as a result of the events of ''VideoGame/Doom64'', wherein his decision to stay behind in Hell after the most recent incursion put him in contact with Argent D'Nur -- another reality that experienced a Hell invasion and whose warrior people rescued Doomguy from his endless battle with the legions. From here a long-winded series of events that gave Doom Slayer his powers and transported him to a counterpart Mars much further in the future from his own time period would eventually reveal that Doom Slayer is a counterpart to the king of evil himself who had been invading these realities for eons in a bid to claim souls to convert to Argent Energy -- the very substance that drew Doom Slayer into the battle on Mars originally]]. |
| 307 | * The relatively minor Morrigan/Flemeth plot in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'' and ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'', especially after Flemeth's cryptic remarks in the second game and Morrigan's SequelHook at the end of Witch Hunt, suggest that the entire saga of seemingly unrelated tales is being set up as a massive GambitRoulette war between the two. ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'' and its [=DLCs=] escalate this by introducing [[spoiler:the conflict between Solas/The Dread Wolf Fen'Harel and the Evanuris, the false gods of the elven pantheon (who in reality were incredibly powerful and AxCrazy [[SorcerousOverlord elven mages]]), with Flemeth being a vengeful shard of Mythal, and the mysterious species of Sha-Brytol who serve an even more mysterious species of Titans that might be the source of the worlds Lyrium. ''The Descent'' even implies that the Evanuris and their followers hunted the Titans to near extinction before Solas sealed them away]]. |
| 308 | * ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'': |
| 309 | ** The series built up a decent Myth Arc with two main strands. First is the story of how the world ended up the way it did, and how the Government with its [[CrapsaccharineWorld Crapsaccharine]] Vault experiments became the Enclave which is encountered by the PC in ''VideoGame/Fallout2'' and ''[[VideoGame/Fallout3 3]]'', and had its sticky little fingers in the FEV virus you discover in ''[[VideoGame/Fallout1 1]]''. Beyond that, the story is about how the world is on the road to some kind of recovery -- in every game so far, the world has been slightly more built-up, less sparsely populated and a little less {{crapsack|World}} than the last, and the player can affect this progress; hindering by destroying entire settlements or helping by improving the ones that exist. Each game also gives you the chance to help Harold, who is, if you keep him alive in ''Fallout 3'', pretty much the only way the desert will ever become green again. All of this makes gritty little ''Fallout'' one of the most [[SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism idealistic]] video games out there, in an EarnYourHappyEnding kind of way. |
| 310 | %% The part about "it will be interesting to see what is carried over to New Vegas" was removed, as Examples Are Not Recent. If any Tropers have additions about what was or wasn't carried over to subsequent, feel free to expand upon that point. |
| 311 | ** ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' in particular has a Myth Arc in its DLC involving Ulysses, the original courier who was to deliver the Platinum Chip who has some past history with the Courier. Their final confrontation is the entire point of the DLC ''Lonesome Road''. |
| 312 | *** ''Lonesome Road'' is just the end of the Myth Arc, as Ulysses is mentioned as early as the second town visited in the main game, and mentioned several times after. He follows you around for the majority of the main game, and you follow him for the majority of the DLC. To elaborate: Ulysses and Courier 6 inadvertently cause all of the main plots of the DLC and the main game: Courier 6 is the one responsible for the destruction of the Divide (the setting of ''Lonesome Road''), following which Ulysses travels to Utah and trains the White Legs to destroy New Canaan and the Burned Man (who reappears, along with the White Legs, in ''Honest Hearts''). Ulysses then made his way to the Big MT (setting of ''Old World Blues'') and met with Elijah and Christine, among others, of the Brotherhood of Steel. He then sent the former to the Sierra Madre (where he meets Courier 6, becoming the villain of ''Dead Money'', which takes place in the Sierra Madre). He then talks to the Think Tank of the Big MT and convinces them to remember their history and retake America, thus setting in motion the events of ''Old World Blues''. After all this, he initially signs up to deliver the [[MacGuffin Platinum Chip]] until he notices Courier 6's name next on the list, and has him/her deliver it instead, hoping that it will kill him (which sets in motion the main game's plot: if not for Ulysses, Courier 6 wouldn't have delivered the chip, been ambushed by Benny and the Great Khans, shot in the head, and so on). He then returns to the Divide to, when it becomes clear Courier 6 has survived the delivery, take his revenge (which is the plot of ''Lonesome Road''). |
| 313 | ** Fans have theorized that the series is leading up to a final clash between the ever-expanding New California Republic and the authoritarian technocracy that is the Eastern Brotherhood of Steel. Keeping in line with the themes of [[ArcWords war never changing]], this would likely level the U.S. once more. |
| 314 | * From version 2.0, ''A Realm Reborn'', to version 6.0, ''Endwalker'', ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' follows a long plot about the Ascians and their plans for a rejoining. While each expansion has their own stories, they all tie in with the overarching plot in some form. |
| 315 | * The ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys'' series has a series long arc surrounding the [[WouldHurtAChild tragic incidents]] that happened at [[SuckECheeses Freddy Fazbear's Pizza]], as well as the aftermath that led to the infamous HostileAnimatronics and other incidents elsewhere. |
| 316 | * The story proper of ''VideoGame/GranblueFantasy'' revolves around the heroes' quest to reach Estalucia, the Island of the Astrals, which involves having to find the piece of the Sky Map. However, the Sky Map search is put on hold halfway through the first arc after [[spoiler: the Black Knight is arrested]] and it becomes clear the Erste Empire can't be ignored. After the first arc ends, the Sky Map search continues. |
| 317 | * ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'': |
| 318 | ** First was the "Dark Seeker Saga", running from [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI the first game]] to ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII'', which centers around an elderly Keyblade Master named Xehanort trying to open Kingdom Hearts in an attempt to remake the universe into something greater (under the logic that when Kingdom Hearts was opened after the Keyblade War, the world was renewed even grander than it had been before). Just about every game centers around one incarnation or another of Xehanort trying to accomplish this end, or setting up all of the pieces. The only odd ones out were the mobile game ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsX'' (set many years before the Dark Seeker Saga), the main story of ''Chain of Memories'' (with the remnants of one of Xehanort's incarnations serving as the antagonist of the ''Reverse/Rebirth'' campaign), and ''coded''. |
| 319 | ** ''χ'', however, also seems to have served the purpose of establishing a ''new'' myth arc involving the Master of Masters and his six apprentices, dubbed the Lost Master Arc. This tied back into the first arc by virtue of one of these six apprentices passing down the Master of Masters' Keyblade to his apprentice, and it would eventually wind up in Xehanort's hands, as well as said apprentice eventually being revealed to be [[spoiler:Xigbar]]. |
| 320 | * ''VideoGame/KingsQuestVI'' revealed that all of the {{Evil Sorceror}}s of the series were part of a NebulousEvilOrganization called the Society of the Black Cloak. While this revelation never actually went anywhere, fangames picked up on it, with the Society taking direct action in ''VideoGame/TheSilverLining'', and the AGD remakes of ''VideoGame/KingsQuestII'' and ''VideoGame/KingsQuestIII'' having the events of the game orchestrated by an EvilSorceror (wearing the traditional black cloak) named The Father, who's also implied to be responsible for Graham's illness that kicks off the plot of ''VideoGame/KingsQuestIV''. |
| 321 | * ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'': Nearly every game in the series revolves around the Triforce, and the conflict between Ganon and Link & Zelda. Ganon/Ganondorf remains a singular entity ([[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkBetweenWorlds alternate reality versions aside]]), but each time Ganon(dorf) returns, Link and Zelda will appear to do battle with him. We've had [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime origin]] [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword stories]], [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker ending]] [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild stories]], and everything in-between, but this conflict is ''the'' definitive conflict of the series. |
| 322 | * The ''Franchise/MassEffect'' series is essentially one big story arc concerning the Normandy's battles against the Reapers with a bunch of little subplots and side stories tossed in between, such as the quarian/geth war, Cerberus and their schemes, and the increasing bigotry amongst the various races of the universe. |
| 323 | * ''VideoGame/MetalGear''. Now, about ''Metal Gear'', there's a school of thought that [[Creator/HideoKojima Kojima]] was just making it up and {{retcon}}ning as he went along. Reportedly, he wanted to end the series with ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'', but was pressured into continuing. Taking four whole games on three different consoles to set up and resolve the [[spoiler:Patriots]] arc might be his way of getting revenge, and even after that the overarching story was expanded on through prequels. |
| 324 | * The ''VideoGame/MightAndMagic'' games have individual plots that are quite simple and a much more complex plot that spans the entire series as well alternating with the ''VideoGame/HeroesOfMightAndMagic'' spin-off series. Playing the entire franchise in the fiction's chronological order can be very interesting as all the pieces of the puzzle click together. |
| 325 | ** ''VideoGame/HeroesOfMightAndMagic V'', its addons, and ''VideoGame/DarkMessiah'' together form another Myth Arc. |
| 326 | ** There were exceptions: ''Heroes II'''s expansion were unconnected to the rest (indeed, not even all the campaigns ''in'' the expansion appears to take place in the same world), ''Might and Magic IX'' dropped the thread that had bound ''all'' RPG ''Might and Magic'' games up to then[[note]]there were plans to retroactively correct that, but 3DO's death stopped that[[/note]], and ''Heroes IV''[='s=] expansions were more or less only connected via taking place on the same world as ''Heroes IV'', away from both ''Heroes IV''[='s=] and ''Might and Magic IX''[='s=] settings and stories. |
| 327 | * ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' |
| 328 | ** The 2D ''Metroid'' games follow an arc centered around the titular creaters, from their discovery and use as a weapon, to their extermination, to the discovery of their true purpose, [[spoiler:culminating in the protagonist becoming a Metroid herself.]] WordOfGod has stated ''VideoGame/MetroidDread'' is the finale of this specific arc. |
| 329 | ** The ''VideoGame/MetroidPrimeTrilogy'' follows a story arc centered around the radioactive mutagen known as [[ToxicPhlebotinum Phazon]]: [[VideoGame/MetroidPrime The first game]] introduces Phazon in the dying world of Tallon IV and also showed the downfall of the Chozo civilization and the attempts of the SpacePirates to mine it; [[VideoGame/MetroidPrime2Echoes the second]] showed a planet locked in perpetual dimensional flux due to a Phazon meteor impact; [[VideoGame/MetroidPrime3Corruption the third]] had the SpacePirates launch an all-out war against TheFederation, an act which brought to light the source of all Phazon. |
| 330 | * ''Franchise/TouhouProject'': |
| 331 | ** The games from ''VideoGame/TouhouFuujinrokuMountainOfFaith'' to ''VideoGame/TouhouShinkirouHopelessMasquerade'' is informally dubbed "Kanako Saga", "Religion Arc", or more jokingly "[[MemeticMutation Moriya Shrine Conspiracy]] arc". The other games have mostly standalone plots, but the games in this arc are usually caused by something that happens in a previous game, with each game introducing a new religious faction in Gensokyo. |
| 332 | ** In addition to that, there's also the activities of the Renko and Maribel of the Sealing Club from the music [=CDs=]. Despite being set TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture, they are heavily implied to have some sort of connection to present day Gensokyo. Renko shares a family name with Sumireko Usami, a character from the present and the club's founder, while Maribel bears an ''uncanny'' resemblance to Yukari in appearance, ability, and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking fashion sense]]. |
| 333 | * The ''VideoGame/TrailsSeries'' are organized into arcs that each tell long, but fairly self contained stories grouped by the countries where they take place. Playing each game across the series however, reveals an even more in-depth plot about the overarching threat of [[AncientConspiracy Ouroboros]] attempting to claim the Sept-Terrion artifacts to enact their mysterious "Orpheus Final Plan". There's also a secondary arc concerning the social and technological changes sweeping across the Zemurian continent following the Orbal Revolution and the [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsInTheSky incident in Liberl]]. |
| 334 | * The ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles'' trilogy is also known as the "Klaus Saga," as the worlds of each game deal with the fall-out of [[spoiler:Earth being split in two due to a phase-transfer event triggered by the scientist Klaus using the Trinity Processor drawing power from the Conduit]]. Mostly serving as thematic underscoring and backstory for prominent characters, ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles3FutureRedeemed'' marks the conclusion of the saga by finally bringing it into the forefront while also connecting it directly to the events of ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles3''. [[spoiler:It's also heavily implied in ''Future Redeemed'' that the other ''Xeno'' games -- ''VideoGame/XenobladeChroniclesX'', ''VideoGame/{{Xenosaga}}'', and even ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}'' -- are, at least in BroadStrokes, canon to the Klaus Saga, with concepts and even a few characters from the previous games being referenced. If, as is assumed, the split and eventually re-merged Earth of ''Xenoblade'' is in fact ''Xenosaga'''s [[EarthThatWas Lost Jerusalem]], then the entire ''Xeno'' [[ThematicSeries meta-series]] is all part of the same Myth Arc.]] |
| 335 | [[/folder]] |
| 336 | |
| 337 | [[folder:Visual Novels]] |
| 338 | * The central story arc spanning the entirety of the ''VisualNovel/ShinzaBanshoSeries'' is focused around something called the Pantheon Plan set in motion by the First Heaven, Mithra, and her companions to create a divine army meant to fight a mysterious being known as Naraka that is currently sealed by the divine throne. All the other stories are centered on how each God in the pantheon rose to power, all parts of the grander whole. |
| 339 | [[/folder]] |
| 340 | |
| 341 | [[folder:Webcomics]] |
| 342 | %%* ''The Abominable Charles Christopher'' definitely has one, but it's very well hidden and the whole comic is a JigsawPuzzlePlot. |
| 343 | * ''Webcomic/AbstractGender'': Who experimented on Ryan and Brian and why? Unfortunately, the series ended before this question was answered. |
| 344 | * ''Webcomic/CestLaVie'' where one of the two original protagonists met her "true love" [[http://www.gocomics.com/cestlavie/2003/11/28 three days before]] [[http://www.gocomics.com/cestlavie/2003/11/25 and almost 8 years later,]] still has only had a few cups of espresso with him (other than trying to kill him with a teddy bear). |
| 345 | * ''Webcomic/{{Fatebound}}'' claims in its description to have a single myth centering on the wager between Herot and Ngv. This was introduced in the first story arc, and both characters have been seen acting to influence characters in the current, second arc. |
| 346 | * ''Webcomic/GirlGenius,'' starting with the [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20021111 fourth strip]] and continuing until today -- and likely quite some time into the future as well. |
| 347 | ** ''Girl Genius'' started as a comic book series, so that "fourth strip" is ''actually'' the fourth ''page'' of the first ''issue''. |
| 348 | * Tons in ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'', the early strips are packed with many [[ChekhovsGun clues]] for later arcs. In a more specific sense, Lord Tedd and Tedd's backstory. |
| 349 | ** Somewhat subverted in that the creator admits that he has thrown out much of the earlier foreshadowing as irrelevant to the ever-changing 'current' direction of the strip. |
| 350 | * ''Webcomic/GunnerkriggCourt'' initially seemed to be a series of one-shot stories. However, by chapter 7 it had became apparent that continuity is in full effect and that prior chapters had far-reaching, unforeseen consequences. When asked how much of the comic he plans in advance, Tom Siddell has said he scripts the plot many months in advance, and he knows exactly how the comic will end... but how he'll get from the former to the latter is up in the air. One of the major ones is the shadowy history of the court and Jeanne in specific, the [[TragicMonster vicious and sorrowful]] spirit at the Annan waters; dealing with her and trying to help her has been the catalyst for numerous chapters. |
| 351 | * ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'' has always been influenced by a single enemy, and by Act 6 Intermission 5, it's obvious the Myth Arc is dealing with this enemy, Lord English. |
| 352 | * ''Webcomic/{{Housepets}}'': The mystery of Pete the Gryphon and his freeing (When Grape and Peanut are the primary focus), the Cosmic Game (When King is introduced), its end, and its aftershocks (When Marion is introduced) tie into each other to form one grand storyline. |
| 353 | * ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'', started with [[RPGMechanicsVerse jokes about the]] ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' rules, but soon developped a quite complex myth arc. |
| 354 | ** Xykon was revealed in strip 13, and as of 1041 shows no sign of being resolved any time soon. |
| 355 | * ''Webcomic/{{Shadownova}}''. Things are put in motion from the first page of the first chapter when a bad guy decides to bomb a school, leading to Iris's involvement in the human/everto war and subsequently the plot. |
| 356 | * It may take some time to notice, but ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'' has a slowly building plot winding through most of its stories, All starting with Kevyn's invention of the teraport. |
| 357 | * It takes a while, but ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'''s Myth Arc begins with Oasis and the plans of Hereti-Corp. There are a lot of other smaller arcs in the series, but the Oasis/HC arc has been going on in both the background and foreground for more than a decade. Not only that, but other major arcs, including [[spoiler: K'Z'K and the Dimension of Pain]], are being vowen together with it; if they all become one Myth Arc, it will have been going on (at least retrospectively speaking) practically since the very beginning. |
| 358 | [[/folder]] |
| 359 | |
| 360 | [[folder:Web Original]] |
| 361 | * ''WebVideo/BoardJames'' started out as a simple series of board game reviews, created by Creator/JamesRolfe as a counterpart for the ''WebVideo/AngryVideoGameNerd'', but over time it developed a shocking complex myth arc. To sum up, [[spoiler: Board James is a murderer who was sentenced to death before the first episode. What at first appears to be him playing board games with his friends is actually him wandering through an afterlife which is shaped by his own subconscious. Although he can't remember his previous life, his murderous nature gradually asserts itself and he starts killing his "friends" over and over, sending them into deeper layers of the afterlife until they eventually develop enough self-awareness to realize they can fight back.]] |
| 362 | %%* WebAnimation/BrokenSaints |
| 363 | %%* Main series of ''Chaos Fighters''. |
| 364 | * ''WebVideo/KateModern'', though whether they manage to resolve it before the show ends [[TheChrisCarterEffect remains to be seen]]. |
| 365 | * ''WebVideo/MarbleHornets'' is one big storyline involving Jay's attempts to figure out what happened to Alex, who the Operator is, and how the Masked Men and totheark are linked to him. |
| 366 | * Charles Matthias's ''Literature/MetamorKeep'' stories start out as slice-of-life stories involving mostly anthro rats dealing with [[FantasticRacism prejudice]] and [[WhatHaveIBecome self-loathing]] at the Keep, but starting with his [[http://metamorkeep.com/stories/index.php?author=0&story_arc=4&order=0 Second Cycle,]] all of his characters and subplots become connected to a much more global plot: [[TheCorruption the corruption]] of [[SealedEvilInACan Chateau Marzac]]. |
| 367 | * Some would argue that this is where ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlue'' has progressed towards, primarily involving Project Freelancer. |
| 368 | * ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'' originally started off with Team RWBY fighting against crime lord Roman Torchwick, before learning of an even greater conspiracy involving all of Remnant. From that point onward, RWBY and their allies must assist Ozpin in his [[spoiler:war against the mysterious Salem, as they uncover the truth of Remnant's history and attempt to stay together in spite of the horrors they see.]] |
| 369 | * The major myth arc of ''Literature/{{Worm}}'' focuses on the nature of parahuman powers and [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt an impending apocalypse]]. |
| 370 | [[/folder]] |
| 371 | |
| 372 | [[folder:Western Animation]] |
| 373 | * ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfTheGalaxyRangers'' was one of the first Western animated series to attempt this back in 1986, with an arching Myth Arc about the League's war with the Crown Empire, and several Story Arcs that tied into it, like the kidnapping of Zachary's wife, the botched Supertrooper project (with resulting fallout), and the League's attempt to get the aid of Tarkon. |
| 374 | * ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'' was at first revealed by WordOfGod that it takes place in a [[AfterTheEnd post-apocalyptic]] SugarBowl, but as CerebusSyndrome started kicking in so did ContinuityCreep and now there are multiple [[ApocalypseHow episodes that directly relate to the apocalypse]] as well its effect on the characters; additionally cosmic forces have been hinted on, with the [[PhysicalGod Cosmic Owl]] [[ChekhovsGunman who has made appearances as early as season one]] and [[spoiler: has finally made his proper debut in the season five premiere.]] After the introduction of [[spoiler: TheMultiverse]] it is implied that the cosmic forces will appear again. |
| 375 | * ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'' has the saga of Roger's jewel encrusted golden turd, and how it passes from person to person, [[ArtifactOfDoom corrupting them]] with its power. |
| 376 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Amphibia}}'': Anne's quest to find a way home and [[spoiler:Andreas' plans to conquer Earth.]] |
| 377 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Archer}}'': A recurring mystery throughout the series is the identity of Archer's biological father. |
| 378 | ** The WillTheyOrWontThey dynamic between Archer and Lana has had quite a lot of focus and build up since the beginning. |
| 379 | * ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'': the Avatar mastering Water, Earth, and Fire, and saving the world. |
| 380 | ** While ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' plays with separate story arcs and different villains, they are all interconnected by the consequences of the battles with the villains. Each story arc is also connected by Korra's journey in understanding what it means to be the avatar in a world that does not seem to want the avatar any longer. Finally, the overall arc is about Korra learning about how to be more human as well, balancing her life as both an avatar and human. In Aang's time, it shows how Avatars operate during wartime, while in Korra's time, it shows how Avatar operate during peacetime (or in her case, receiving the inevitable fallout of Aang's decisions, the good and the bad). |
| 381 | * The 2006 revival of ''WesternAnimation/BikerMiceFromMars'' had the main premise of Throttle, Vinnie, and Modo looking for Stoker so that they can use his invention the regenerator to end their planet's drought while fighting off against the Catatonians and Ronaldo Rump, who both want the regenerator for their own evil purposes. By the end of the series, the Catatonians and Ronaldo Rump are defeated for good, and aside from one final conflict between the Nomad Rats, the plan to use the regenerator to end Mars' drought goes off without a hitch, but at the presumed cost of the life of Vinnie's old girlfriend Harley, who wrongfully accused the Biker Mice of abandoning her before finally coming to her senses. |
| 382 | * ''WesternAnimation/BojackHorseman'': Bojack's attempts at [[CareerResurrection reviving his career]] and becoming a better person. |
| 383 | * ''WesternAnimation/CloneHigh'' supposedly had one involving the Secret Board of Shadowy Figures sending the clones off to high school in an attempt to breed a super intelligent clone army. Also Principal Scudworth planned on stealing the clones to create his dream project: Cloney island. Due to the series tragically being CutShort, little progress was made on either. |
| 384 | * Franz Hopper and the history behind Lyoko, X.A.N.A. and the supercomputer is the Myth Arc of Season 2 of ''WesternAnimation/CodeLyoko''. |
| 385 | * ''WesternAnimation/CodenameKidsNextDoor'' has the ongoing conflict between adults and kids. |
| 386 | %%* The point of ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'' -- according to the fans, anyway. Although it's [[ScrewedByTheNetwork hard to tell after season 2]]. |
| 387 | * Disney's ''WesternAnimation/{{Doug}}'' has Doug and Skeeter occasionally visiting Lucky Duck Lake in an attempt to discover if a monster exists in there (a nod to the legendary Loch Ness Monster). The monster itself finally makes an appearance in TheMovie and plays an important role. |
| 388 | * In ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales2017'', the first two seasons dealt with the mystery of [[MissingMom Della Duck]], the first season dealing with what happened to her and the second season dealing with her return and the aftermath of it. |
| 389 | * ''WesternAnimation/ExoSquad'', with its ongoing story of the war spanning the entire solar system between the human [=ExoFleet=] and the Neosapien uprising, has drawn frequent comparisons to ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'' and ''Anime/{{Robotech}}''. |
| 390 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' has three notable ones: [[TheHero Fry's]] role as the [[TheChosenOne savior of the universe]] and what that has to do with him winding up in the future, [[RomanceArc the relationship]] between [[WillTheyOrWontThey him and Leela]], and Leela trying to find out where she came from and whether or not her birth parents are still alive. This is a [[{{Dramedy}} comedy]]. |
| 391 | * ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'' had such an arc, though it didn't come to the forefront until season two.[[note]]Creator Alex Hirsch admitted that the first season was a bit of a test run to see how people would react to the show.[[/note]] The show's first season revolved around learning the secrets of the show before the second season narrowed in on the goal of uncovering the identity of the Author of the Journals and...well, [[spoiler:the series wrapped up with an apocalypse]] if you want to know how things escalated from there... |
| 392 | * ''WesternAnimation/GreenLanternTheAnimatedSeries'' has one despite having only 1 season. Namely, it's about [[EnsembleDarkhorse Razer]] learning to be a better hero. |
| 393 | * ''WesternAnimation/IronManArmoredAdventures'' is a rare superhero cartoon example of where there's a set goal from the very first episode the heroes are trying to obtain, and all the following episodes develop towards that goal in one form or another. |
| 394 | * ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'': The team's efforts to stop Shendu from regaining power. |
| 395 | * ''[[WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague Justice League Unlimited]]'' had the Cadmus arc, which involved quite a bit of ArcWelding from the second season episode "A Better World", as well as two episodes from ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'', which had originally aired ''eight years prior''. The writers hadn't originally planned for it, but were able to make it work spectacularly well. |
| 396 | * ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'': Ron's development with Mystical Monkey Power. |
| 397 | * ''WesternAnimation/LegendsOfChima'': The war between the various tribes over possession of the CHI. |
| 398 | * ''WesternAnimation/MyLifeAsATeenageRobot'': As the title indicates, the story focuses on Jenny trying to balance between living like a normal teenager with her responsibilities as a superhero. |
| 399 | * ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': Season 3 takes the show's OncePerEpisode conceit of the Mane Six ponies, Twilight Sparkle in particular, learning lessons of friendship to Myth Arc level when it is revealed in the season 3 premiere that all of Twilight's lessons were designed to build her up as an alicorn princess of Equestria. |
| 400 | * Zigzagged with ''WesternAnimation/{{Ninjago}}''. For the first two seasons, there is a clear overarching story, specifically, the Ninja's efforts to defeat [[BigBad Lord Garmadon]]. There is also the conflict with Lloyd and the various Snake armies, the emergence of The Overlord, and the prophecy that one of the Ninja will go on to become [[TheChosenOne The Green Ninja]], all of which tie into the aforementioned main plot. However, all of these plot threads are rather neatly tied up by the end of the second season, with very little in the way of loose ends. Originally, this was meant to be the end of the show; it was UnCancelled after a rather unexpected outpouring from fans. Since then, each season has revolved around one specific threat that is dealt with by the season's end, or in the case of Season 8, by the end of the next season. Nevertheless, the show maintains a strong sense of continuity, with the events of each season having long-lasting consequences. |
| 401 | * ''WesternAnimation/OverTheGardenWall'' revolves around Wirt and Gregory's attempts to get back home, while evading both [[BigBad The Beast]] and The Woodsman. There is also the DrivingQuestion of exactly what the Unknown ''is''. |
| 402 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'': The show is mostly a slice of life dark fantasy comedy about a young girl adjusting to life in a magical DeathWorld until the end of season 1, which introduces a SorcerousOverlord who plots to take the heroes' portal to Earth for unknown nefarious purposes. Season 2 then has the majority of the episodes be about the fallout of [[spoiler:Luz destroying the portal]], as well as Belos' further schemes. |
| 403 | * ''WesternAnimation/ThePiratesOfDarkWater'' was doing this back in the early 90s, with the entire series focused on obtaining [[MineralMacGuffin the Thirteen Treasures of Rue]] to stop the titular Dark Water. Sadly, it was before its time and was canceled after only 8 of the 13 treasures had been found. |
| 404 | * ''WesternAnimation/RoswellConspiraciesAliensMythsAndLegends'' has one involving Nick's father's disappearance, but hints of a greater arc begin to show as the series progresses. [[spoiler:It eventually culminates with an AlienInvasion by a race known as the Shadoen, which requires the Aliiance and all the aliens on Earth to work together.]] |
| 405 | * The main premise of ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'' is about the titular character searching for a way to go back to his proper time in the distant past and defeat [[BigBad Aku]] in order to undo the BadFuture the evil being has caused. The [[SamuraiJack/TropesSeason5 2017 revival]] also has its own Myth Arc where Jack has been stuck in the future [[TimeSkip for 50 years]] and has to get himself back to focusing on his goal to vanquish Aku. |
| 406 | * ''Franchise/ScoobyDoo'': |
| 407 | ** ''WesternAnimation/The13GhostsOfScoobyDoo'': The gang's efforts to stop each of the titular ghosts. |
| 408 | ** The mysteries and conspiracies surrounding the original Mystery Crew and the curse of Crystal Cove drives the entirety of ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooMysteryIncorporated''. It follows an episodic structure but each episode drives the main storyline forward in some way. |
| 409 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretSaturdays'' develops a Myth Arc concerning the hunt for [[LivingMacguffin Kur]] and the battle against Argost. The first few seasons alternate between episodic adventures and episodes that furthered the main storyline but the final season largely abandoned this approach and almost all episodes in that season are used to [[WrapItUp tie up all the loose ends]] and set up the GrandFinale. |
| 410 | * ''WesternAnimation/SpartakusAndTheSunBeneathTheSea'' centered around the protagonists' search for a way to keep the titular Sun from dying and destroying the underground civilization of Arcadia. The show lasted only two seasons, and was ended when the heroes eventually discovered the truth behind the Sun and what was needed to save the people of Arcadia. |
| 411 | * ''WesternAnimation/StarVsTheForcesOfEvil'' has the underlying Mewman-Monster conflict that was hinted throughout the first two seasons, before becoming a major plot thread in the third season onwards. |
| 412 | * ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'': The show gradually progressed from seemingly isolated MonsterOfTheWeek adventures towards an interconnected storyline following the first season's MidSeasonTwist, leading to a GenreShift from UrbanFantasy to ScienceFantasy in addition to the story shifting to center on the ramifications of the [[GreatOffscreenWar Great Gem War]] and how Steven can work to resolve the remaining issues that resulted from his mother's actions. |
| 413 | * ''WesternAnimation/SymBionicTitan'' appeared to be this, having little bits of information revealed at a time in non-chronological order, which makes it rather irritating that the complicated plot they got going is being wrapped up hastily in four episodes, due to cancellation. |
| 414 | * ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2012'' has several long-running story threads that last throughout the show's entire five-season run. Circumstances involving the Turtles' origins, the backstory of Splinter and Shredder, April's alien hybrid status and the Kraang's involvement with human history are important story elements the are frequently expanded upon, and because aliens, mysticism and even time travel exist in this universe there are many, ''many'' variables. Furthermore, the stakes grow larger and the layers of the universe are further expanded upon after every season of the show, starting in New York City and eventually going into space. |
| 415 | * ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'': most episodes, especially in the first two seasons, feature the Autobots battling the MonsterOfTheWeek and learning AnAesop, but there's also the ongoing storyline of Megatron returning from his exile (and supposed death) and attempting to conquer Cybertron. Most of Megatron's plans involve the Allspark, an immensely powerful PlotDevice which drives the plot whenever Megatron isn't, and tied directly to the Allspark is the story arc of Sari Sumdac trying to unravel the secrets of her mysterious origins. There's also Optimus Prime and Sentinel Prime's rivalry, which unfolds in the present and through flashbacks across all three seasons. |
| 416 | * ''WesternAnimation/WanderOverYonder'' has two: Firstly, there's Lord Hater's gradual character development from a GalacticConqueror into a more heroic figure, and then there's the efforts to stop Lord Dominator from destroying the galaxy. |
| 417 | * ''WesternAnimation/WinxClub'' has Bloom's origins and the search for her parents. In season 1 she learns she is the princess of the now dead planet Domino and has the mythical Dragon Flame, which is the source of her powers. It takes a backseat during season 2, where she continues to study her past. It takes front stage during season 3, particularly in fighting [[BigBad Valtor]], who fought her parents during the fall of Domino and may know something about their fate. [[spoiler:In the first movie, ''[[TheMovie The Secret of the Lost Kingdom]]'', she manages to revive Domino and reunite with her birth parents. The second movie ''[[TheMovie Magical Adventure]]'', deals with her getting to know her parents while finishing off the Ancestral Witches who destroyed Domino in the first place.]] Afterwards, the myth arc is done and is not part of the plot aside from a few references in seasons 4 and beyond. |
| 418 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBros'': |
| 419 | ** Dr. Venture trying to live up to his father's legacy (despite constant failures) and coming to terms with his HilariouslyAbusiveChildhood at the hands of said father. |
| 420 | ** The Monarch's burning hatred of Dr. Venture, and his efforts to remain his arch-enemy, rising through the ranks of the Guild of Calamitous Intent and going from a joke villain to a genuine threat. |
| 421 | ** Hank and Dean coming to grips with the fact that they're clones, [[spoiler: [[CharacterDevelopment and developing into very different people]] once their father runs out of replacements (and they themselves stop dying)]]. |
| 422 | * ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice2010'' has a running plot thread. It involves the Light: A collection of DC Supervillains with a goal to make Earth a galactic superpower, with a buildup towards a galactic war. Season 1 was about finding a way to make Earth noticed, while Season 2 was about undermining one of their "partners". Season 3 deals with metahuman trafficking that plagues the galaxy as well as where the arc actually started. Season 4 was a bit more abstract, but turns out to be an arc about getting an army or a powerful lieutenant for the 2 future sides of the war to come. |
| 423 | [[/folder]] |
| 424 |
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