History MacGuffin / AnimeAndManga

** From ''Anime/LupinIIIPartII'', we have episodes where Goemon and Lupin are competing to get an ancient document from police headquarters, which [[spoiler:turns out to be the laws and regulations guide of Japanese policemen... circa 1885 or so]], and another such episode where Goemon is up against his former rival-what-killed-his-master, searching for a secret scroll with the final technique. [[spoiler:Turns out the scroll is blank, and another one of those ''Be Yourself'' metaphor things.]] The series played with the trope at one point -- Lupin is captured by a RichIdiotWithNoDayJob and strapped with a bomb; the guy takes Fujiko hostage as well and sends Lupin to steal a file from the police. The file is the rap sheet for a minor criminal, and none of the heroes can work out why he'd want that. [[spoiler:Turns out the rich guy ''is'' the criminal, with serious plastic surgery]].

* Protoculture from ''Anime/{{Robotech}}''. It's the mysterious energy source that drives Robotechnology. But in terms of storytelling, it exists mostly to [[CutAndPasteTranslation tie together its three component series]] (''Anime/SuperDimensionFortressMacross'', ''Anime/SuperDimensionCavalrySouthernCross'', and ''Anime/GenesisClimberMospeada''); in the originals, all the mecha and ships were powered by your run-of-the-mill nuclear fusion, with the Protoculture themselves being actual sentient {{Precursors}} in the original ''SDF Macross'' instead of just an energy source.

* In ''Manga/DemonSlayerKimetsuNoYaiba'', BigBad Muzan Kibutsuji has spent hundreds of years trying to find blue spider lily flowers, which can be used to make a medicine that will allow demons like himself to withstand sunlight. [[spoiler:Late in the series, the demonified Nezuko Kamado overcomes her weakness to the Sun and thus becomes a LivingMacGuffin. The DistantFinale, set in the modern day, shows that Muzan's quest was AllForNothing -- laboratory analysis proved that blue spider lilies only grow in sunlight and die off after a few days, meaning he could never have obtained them in the first place.]]

* The eponymous flag in, well, ''Anime/{{Flag}}''.

* In a sidestory in the ''Manga/FruitsBasket'' manga, Akito's mother, Ren, and Akito manipulate various people in their family over the possession of a box left behind by Akito's father, Akira. When the box is opened, [[spoiler:it's empty. Akito's caretakers said Akira's soul was in the box, but Akito had long since stopped believing that and just used the mystery surrounding the box to jerk Ren around.]]

* The Red Stone of Aja from ''Anime/JojosBizarreAdventure'' Battle Tendency. When placed in a stone mask, it allows a Pillar Man to transcend their Pillarmanity the same way the stone masks do for humans. The bad guys want it to power up. The heros want it so the villains don't power up. It could easily have been any other powerup.

* In the original ''Franchise/SailorMoon'' anime series, there were what the dub called "Rainbow Jewels", seven gems that would bring about the Silver Crystal. The Dark Kingdom wanted it to gain the power they needed to unleash Queen Metallia, Tuxedo Mask wanted it to help with his memories and the Sailors just wanted to keep them safe. The bad guys get them for all of five seconds before they become the Silver Crystal and end up revealing that Sailor Moon's also the missing Moon Princess.

* The Mew Aqua in ''Manga/TokyoMewMew''.

* The Dokuro Stones from ''Anime/{{Yatterman}}'' would definitely apply.

* The demon tool Brew in ''Manga/SoulEater''. Originally sought out by Shibusen for no clear purpose other than to avoid the other guys getting their hands on it, it was used as a bargaining chip by Medusa. She tricked Arachne into thinking she had the real thing, and gave Brew itself to Shinigami in exchange for information and a deal to bring down Arachnaphobia. The one occasion the [=MacGuffin=] tool itself does something significant, is in a Chekov's Gun-like moment during the Baba Yaga arc. Its [[AmplifierArtifact soul amplification]] ability saves Death the Kid's life. And his left arm. Now placed in Noah's book, it may well turn up again to...be passed around by the cast once more.

* ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'': The entire Orange League episodes are caused by Ash trying to get the mysterious GS Ball to a Pokeball expert named Kurt. No one knows what's in it, and no one can open it. By the end of the Johto League episodes, [[WhatHappenedToTheMouse it's just forgotten]]. In the games, the GS Ball was used to make Celebi appear in the Illex Forest. The GS Ball in the {{anime}} was supposed to be similar to its role in the games, but the producers decided to use Celebi for the movies, leaving that subplot unsolved in hopes that the audience would forget about it. They didn't.

** From ''Anime/LupinIIIRedJacket'', we have episodes where Goemon and Lupin are competing to get an ancient document from police headquarters, which [[spoiler:turns out to be the laws and regulations guide of Japanese policemen... circa 1885 or so]], and another such episode where Goemon is up against his former rival-what-killed-his-master, searching for a secret scroll with the final technique. [[spoiler:Turns out the scroll is blank, and another one of those ''Be Yourself'' metaphor things.]] The series played with the trope at one point -- Lupin is captured by a RichIdiotWithNoDayJob and strapped with a bomb; the guy takes Fujiko hostage as well and sends Lupin to steal a file from the police. The file is the rap sheet for a minor criminal, and none of the heroes can work out why he'd want that. [[spoiler:Turns out the rich guy ''is'' the criminal, with serious plastic surgery]].

* ''Anime/PrincessMononoke'' has ''two'' [=MacGuffins=]. One is the curse on the main character's arm (a ClingyMacGuffin) which he is trying to remove before he dies from the infection, and the other is the Forest Spirit's head, said to grant eternal life to those who own it. Despite both playing prominent roles neither has any functional impact until their relative plots are resolved at the end.
* The Imperial Seal and the Dragon Jade from ''Manga/IkkiTousen''.
* Every single episode of ''Manga/GetBackers'' revolves around one of these. Somewhat [[JustifiedTrope justified]], as the characters retrieve, transport, protect, etc. things for a living.

* In ''Manga/OnePiece'', the titular treasure is a [=MacGuffin=]; nobody knows exactly what it is (or even if it's real), but everyone wants to get their hands on it. This is even more evident in the earlier drafts for the manga called "Romance Dawn", where there was no mention of One Piece, and Luffy was a pirate just for the hell of it.
** Later chapters hint that some living (and recently living) characters know what it is and that when it is discovered it could possibly alter the entire world, though at this point it still qualifies as a [=MacGuffin=].
* The Crystal Flowers from ''Anime/PetitePrincessYucie'', giving the Platinum Princess candidates an excuse to visit each other's worlds.
* In ''Anime/{{Piano}}'', Miu's self-composed piano piece is the [=MacGuffin=]. Theoretically, the entire series is built around it. In actuality, it takes a back seat to the "slice of life" drama that makes up the story. The audience only really gets to hear it in the first episode, and it's just an extract. The series finishes ''just'' as Miu walks on stage to perform it, a source of snarling frustration if the viewer's been wondering just what she's been working on all this time. Still, at least no-one tried to kill her to get their hands on it.
* ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'': The entire Orange League episodes are caused by Ash trying to get the mysterious GS Ball to a Pokeball expert named Kurt. No one knows what's in it, and no one can open it. By the end of the Johto League episodes, [[WhatHappenedToTheMouse it's just forgotten]]. In the games, the GS Ball was used to make Celebi appear in the Illex Forest. The GS Ball in the {{anime}} was supposed to be similar to its role in the games, but the producers decided to use Celebi for the movies, leaving that subplot unsolved in hopes that the audience would forget about it. They didn't.

* In ''Anime/TokyoGodfathers'' by Creator/SatoshiKon the baby, Kiyoko, found by the titular homeless people rests between this and MagneticPlotDevice to the point where the characters start considering the baby to be blessed.

* In ''Anime/WindyTales'', the wind manipulation powers are used mostly as a backdrop for the more SliceOfLife nature of the tales in the title.

* The flashy, expensive sneakers are the primary (and possibly only) motivators for Kirenenko in ''Anime/{{Usavich}}''.
* ''Manga/AirGear'' has the Sky Regalia. It has the ability to control anything that incorporates A-T technology. Because A-Ts really are just small and extremely efficient motors, the technology has been incorporated into almost everything to make it cheaper and more effective. A-T tech has given rise to, among other things, truly massive guns mounted on equally massive platforms, and the Keeper of the Sky Regalia would have control over all of that.

* One of Creator/OsamuTezuka's numerous completely fabricated diseases in ''Manga/BlackJack'' is a disease called '[=MacGuffin=] Syndrome', said to be incurable (or, at least, impossible to heal without a lot of stamina). It was first mentioned as the disease that a character suffers from... take a wild guess at what it's used for.

** Unsurprisingly, it does. [[spoiler: At the very end of the series Crona uses it to seal Asura, and hirself, on the moon.]]
* In a sidestory in the ''Manga/FruitsBasket'' manga, Akito's mother, Ren, and Akito manipulate various people in their family over the possession of a box left behind by Akito's father, Akira. When the box is opened, [[spoiler:it's empty. Akito's caretakers said Akira's soul was in the box, but Akito had long since stopped believing that and just used the mystery surrounding the box to jerk Ren around.]]
* The Shinzaho in ''Manga/FushigiYuugi'' (Takiko's necklace [[spoiler: which originally belonged to Anlu the Oracle]], Suzuno's hand mirror that she brought from the Real World, Yui's earring that she wore [[spoiler: in the summoning of Seiryuu]], and Miaka's ring [[spoiler: and later her and Taka's unborn child]]). Used to summon TheFourGods, especially if (for some reason) the summoning ceremony can't be performed normally. Half the plot is therefore the search for them.

* The Eto Gun from ''Manga/EtCetera''. Very nearly EVERYONE Ming Chao meets is after it.
* Celty's head in ''LightNovel/{{Durarara}}'' is a [=MacGuffin=] that falls in and out of focus, as no one who has it knows quite what to do with it, and Celty herself isn't sure she wants it.
* Protoculture from ''Anime/{{Robotech}}''. It's the mysterious energy source that drives Robotechnology. But in terms of storytelling, it exists mostly to [[CutAndPasteTranslation tie together its three component series]] (''Anime/SuperDimensionFortressMacross'', ''Anime/SuperDimensionCavalrySouthernCross'', and ''Anime/GenesisClimberMospeada''); in the originals, all the mecha and ships were powered by your run-of-the-mill nuclear fusion, with the Protoculture themselves being actual sentient {{Precursors}} in the original ''SDF Macross'' instead of just an energy source.
* The Mew Aqua in ''Manga/TokyoMewMew''.
* In the original ''Franchise/SailorMoon'' anime series, there were what the dub called "Rainbow Jewels", seven gems that would bring about the Silver Crystal. The Dark Kingdom wanted it to gain the power they needed to unleash Queen Metallia, Tuxedo Mask wanted it to help with his memories and the Sailors just wanted to keep them safe. The bad guys get them for all of five seconds before they become the Silver Crystal and end up revealing that Sailor Moon's also the missing Moon Princess.
* ''Manga/FromEroicaWithLove'' is at least partly a spy story, so naturally it's chock full of these. Mostly microfim, but also various objets d'art.
* With the exceptions of ''Anime/FreshPrettyCure'', ''Anime/HeartcatchPrettyCure'' and ''Anime/DokiDokiPrettyCure'', all of the ''Anime/PrettyCure'' series tend to have the girls go after various [=MacGuffins=] of various sizes and states of sentience.
* ''Manga/MysteriousJoker'' has a MacGuffin in each episode that Joker and Hachi are after. The other characters do their best to get in the way, this may be either to prevent the theft or take it for themselves.
* The eponymous flag in, well, ''Anime/{{Flag}}''.
* In ''Manga/TokyoShinobiSquad'', En's scroll is one part of the Cycle of Five Scrolls, a set of the most valued and powerful ninpo arts in the world. He's been hounded by assassins looking to nab it for themselves for ages until he runs into Jin. Jin is also after one of the other four.
* In ''Manga/DemonSlayerKimetsuNoYaiba'', BigBad Muzan Kibutsuji has spent hundreds of years trying to find blue spider lily flowers, which can be used to make a medicine that will allow demons like himself to withstand sunlight. [[spoiler:Late in the series, the demonified Nezuko Kamado overcomes her weakness to the Sun and thus becomes a LivingMacGuffin. The DistantFinale, set in the modern day, shows that Muzan's quest was AllForNothing -- laboratory analysis proved that blue spider lilies only grow in sunlight and die off after a few days, meaning he could never have obtained them in the first place.]]
* In ''Anime/{{Tamagotchi}}! Miracle Friends'', the twins Miraitchi and Clulutchi, as well as the other Tama-Friends, are after special creatures called Dreambakutchis that will help the duo get back to the future where they belong. However, Smartotchi a.k.a. the villain X-Kamen also wants them for his own purposes.

* ''Anime/YuGiOhCapsuleMonsters'' has the golden Duel Armor Yugi and Yami get. Alexander the Great also has one. It allows them to merge with their monsters.

* ''Anime/KaitouJoker'' has a MacGuffin in each episode that Joker and Hachi are after. The other characters do their best to get in the way, this may be either to prevent the theft or take it for themselves.

* ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'':
** The entire Orange League episodes are caused by Ash trying to get the mysterious GS Ball to a Pokeball expert named Kurt. No one knows what's in it, and no one can open it. By the end of the Johto League episodes, [[WhatHappenedToTheMouse it's just forgotten]]. In the games, the GS Ball was used to make Celebi appear in the Illex Forest. The GS Ball in the {{anime}} was supposed to be similar to its role in the games, but the producers decided to use Celebi for the movies, leaving that subplot unsolved in hopes that the audience would forget about it. They didn't.
** Also badges and ribbons to some extent.

** Tthe entire Orange League episodes are caused by Ash trying to get the mysterious GS Ball to a Pokeball expert named Kurt. No one knows what's in it, and no one can open it. By the end of the Johto League episodes, [[WhatHappenedToTheMouse it's just forgotten]]. In the games, the GS Ball was used to make Celebi appear in the Illex Forest. The GS Ball in the {{anime}} was supposed to be similar to its role in the games, but the producers decided to use Celebi for the movies, leaving that subplot unsolved in hopes that the audience would forget about it. They didn't.

** Tthe entire Orange League episodes are caused by Ash trying to get the mysterious GS Ball to a Pokeball expert named Kurt. No one knows what's in it. By the end of the Johto League episodes, [[WhatHappenedToTheMouse it's just forgotten]]. In the games, the GS Ball was used to make Celebi appear in the Illex Forest. However, Celebi has appeared in the anime/[[TheMovie movies]] since then, with no known connection to the GS Ball. They tried throwing it, using a crowbar, electric saws, and a ''laser''. Nothing worked, and it was completely forgotten about later. Chances are, not even the producers really knew what was in it.
*** The GS Ball in the {{anime}} was supposed to be similar to its role in the games, it was supposed to ''contain'' Celebim but the producers decided to use Celebi for the movies, so when they had Ash give the ball to Kurt, the producers left that subplot unsolved in hopes that the audience would forget about it. They didn't.

* The titular Dragonballs in ''Manga/DragonBall'' were originally just an instigator for the story. Goku admitted at the very beginning that he had no plans for a wish and just wanted to see a cool dragon. Bulma was planning to wish for first a lifetime supply of strawberries, then a boyfriend, while Yamcha was going to get rid of his fear of women. The very first wish ended up being just a gag... a pair of woman's panties by Oolong, done to keep Pilaf from using the dragon to conquer the world. Bulma and Yamcha fall in love, not having needed the wishes after all. The second Dragonball hunt was also just Goku looking for his Grandfather's 4-star Dragonball. The necessity to make a specific wish only became important when Tao Pai Pai killed a newfound friend of Goku's while searching for the Dragonballs.
** As the story progressed nearly every BigBad had their plans for the Dragonballs (most wanted to be immortal) but even then the Dragonballs could be replaced with a credit card and the story could still mostly be told, except without a handy ResetButton. It wasn't until ''Anime/DragonBallGT'' that the Dragonballs themselves became a danger to the characters.
** The Dragonballs actually stopped being a [=MacGuffin=] during the Frieza saga in ''Anime/DragonBallZ'', where they have an important instrumental role in the latter part of the plot: first, when the Namek Dragon Balls are used to bring back Piccolo, which not only allows the namekian to join the fight against Frieza, but also prompts the resurrection of the Earth Dragon Balls. These are then used to bring back all the people slain by Frieza and his minions back to life, including the Great Elder (albeit the latter just briefly). This allows the Namek Dragon Balls to be used one last time to evacuate the collapsing planet, except for Goku and Frieza, who stay behind to finish their battle before Namek explodes.
** In the Android and Majin Buu arcs, though, they simply became the series' reset button, the gathering of which was completely glossed over (the characters had become too powerful to ''not'' just fly to where the Dragonballs were and pick them up).
** In the Battle Of Gods Saga in ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'' as well as the movie, they were originally the grand prize for the bingo tournament on Bulma's birthday as she personally collected them for the occasion but following Beerus's arrival and wanting to search for the Super Saiyan God, they use them to ask Shenron about the Super Saiyan God which he helped with the info about how to become one. In the Resurrection of F Saga, the Earth Dragon Balls were used to revive Frieza which kicked off the plot and his revenge for the saga.
** The Super Dragon Balls are this UpToEleven as they are ''planet-sized'', bigger than the Namekian Dragon Balls! They have the power to grant ANY wish and they span out to not just the universe, but both the 6th and 7th Universes! In a DoubleSubversion in the Champa Saga, the conflict is more about between Beerus and Champa, the Gods of Destruction of the 7th and 6th Universes; over the ''ownership of 7th Universe's Earth'' being the [=MacGuffin=] as while it is filled with humanity capable of serving Beerus the tastiest food, the 6th Universe's Earth is devastated with war and humanity's extinction much to Champa's dismay. Which is why the Super Dragon Balls are needed to be able to switch Earths and Champa and Vados already collected six of them so they will be on display for the 5-on-5 tournament between the best warriors of both universes chosen by the gods against each other while the winner gets to keep six of them and look for the final one which Bulma and Jaco begins searching for it. Although because Champa has already been collecting them before even in the Resurrection of F saga, his purpose with them is still unknown.

* In ''Manga/DGrayMan'' both sides of the holy war are actively looking for the heart of Innocence. Nobody knows what it looks like and at this point it hasn't been found yet. Also counts as a [[spoiler:[=Living MacGuffin] now that it has been revealed that it has awakened and thus has a wielder]].

* In ''Manga/DGrayMan'' both sides of the holy war are actively looking for the heart of Innocence. Nobody knows what it looks like and at this point it hasn't been found yet. Also counts as a [[spoiler [=Living MacGuffin] now that it has been revealed that it has awakened and thus has a wielder]].

* In ''Manga/DGrayMan'' both sides of the holy war are actively looking for the heart of Innocence. Nobody knows what it looks like and at this point it hasn't been found yet. Also counts as a [[spoiler [=Living MacGuffin] now that it has been revealed that it has awakened and thus has a wielder.]]

* Protoculture from ''Anime/{{Robotech}}''. It's the mysterious energy source that drives Robotechnology. But in terms of storytelling, it exists mostly to [[CutAndPasteTranslation tie together its three component series]] ''Anime/SuperDimensionFortressMacross'', ''Anime/SuperDimensionCavalrySouthernCross'', and ''Anime/GenesisClimberMospeada''; in the originals, all the mecha and ships were powered by your run-of-the-mill nuclear fusion, with the Protoculture themselves being actual sentient {{Precursors}} instead of just an energy source.

* Protoculture from ''Anime/{{Robotech}}''. It's the mysterious energy source that drives Robotechnology. But in terms of storytelling, it exists mostly to tie together the three component anime series Macross, Southern Cross, and Mospeada. in the original series, all the mecha and ships were powered by your run of the mill nuclear fusion.

** Tthe entire Orange League episodes are caused by Ash trying to get the mysterious GS Ball to a Pokeball expert named Kurt. No one knows what's in it. By the end of the Johto League episodes, [[WhatHappenedToTheMouse it's just forgotten]]. In the games, the GS Ball contained Celebi. However, Celebi has appeared in the anime/[[TheMovie movies]] since then, with no known connection to the GS Ball. They tried throwing it, using a crowbar, electric saws, and a ''laser''. Nothing worked, and it was completely forgotten about later. Chances are, not even the producers really knew what was in it.
*** The GS Ball in the {{anime}} was supposed to be exactly like how it was in the games, but the producers decided to use Celebi for the movies, so when they had Ash give the ball to Kurt, the producers left that subplot unsolved in hopes that the audience would forget about it. They didn't.

** In the Battle Of Gods Saha in 'Anime/DragonBallSuper'' as well as the movie were originally the grand prize for the bingo tournament on Bulma's birthday as she personally collected them for the occasion but following Beerus's arrival and wanting to search for the Super Saiyan God, they use them to ask Shenron about the Super Saiyan God which he helped with the info about how to become one. In the Resurrection of F Saga, the Earth Dragon Balls were used to revive Frieza which kicked off the plot and his revenge for the saga.

** The Super Dragon Balls are this UpToEleven as they are ''planet-sized'', bigger than the Namekian Dragon Balls! They have the power to grant ANY wish and they span out to not just the universe, but both the 6th and 7th Universes! They end up becoming part of the conflict between Beerus and Champa, the Gods of Destruction of the 7th and 6th Universes; over the ownership of 7th Universe's Earth as while it is filled with humanity capable of serving Beerus the tastiest food, the 6th Universe's Earth is devastated with war and humanity's extinction much to Champa's dismay. Champa and Vados already collected six of them and they will be used for the 5-on-5 tournament between the best warriors of both universes against each other. Although because Champa has already been collecting them even in the Resurrection of F saga, his actual motives are still unknown.

* In ''Anime/TokyoGodfathers'' by Creator/SatoshiKon the baby, Kiyoko, found by the titular homeless people rests between this and MagneticPlotDevice to the point where the characters start considering the baby to be blessed. Also she is technically a MacGuffinGirl.

* Protoculture from ''{{Robotech}}''. It's the mysterious energy source that drives Robotechnology. But in terms of storytelling, it exists mostly to tie together the three component anime series Macross, Southern Cross, and Mospeada. in the original series, all the mecha and ships were powered by your run of the mill nuclear fusion.

* ''FromEroicaWithLove'' is at least partly a spy story, so naturally it's chock full of these. Mostly microfim, but also various objets d'art.