History Main / ArcHero

[[folder:Films -- Animated]]
* ''Franchise/{{Cars}}'':
** ''WesternAnimation/Cars1'': Lightning [=McQueen=] is the protagonist, but the three cars that play a huge role in his CharacterDevelopment are Doc Hudson, Tow Mater, and Sally Carrera.
** ''WesternAnimation/Cars2'': Tow Mater takes over the role as TheHero, as he is put on a spy mission accompanied by Finn [=McMissile=] and Holly Shiftwell.
** ''WesternAnimation/Cars3'': [=McQueen=] is once against the protagonist, but a fateful crash and the possibly of ending his racing career to younger cars puts him on a path where he meets Cruz Ramirez, a trainer at the Rust-Eze Racing Center who ultimately becomes his mentee and successor. The film also introduces Smokey, Doc's old crew chief who puts [=McQueen=] and Cruz into rigorous, unorthodox training in hopes of finding new, clever ways to defeat Jackson Storm.
* ''Franchise/FindingNemo'':
** ''WesternAnimation/FindingNemo'': Dory is the {{Deuteragonist}} accompanying Marlin as he searches through the ocean to find Nemo. For Nemo's arc, he has the Tank Gang in helping him adjust the fish tank life and ultimately escape P. Sherman's Dentist Office.
** ''WesternAnimation/FindingDory'': Hank is the {{Deuteragonist}} accompanying Dory as she goes through the Marine Life Institute to find her parents. The side plot has Marlin and Nemo accompanying each other in hopes of finding Dory.
* ''Franchise/ToyStory'':
** ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory1'': The BaitAndSwitch reveal of Sid's toys being tragic tortured beings become this, as they help Woody and Buzz escape Sid's house by coming to life just enough to spook the troubled kid.
** ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory2'': The rest of Woody's roundup gang (with the exception of Stinky Pete) are given the big introductory spotlight, but Rex, Slinky, Hamm, and Mr. Potato Head are given more prominent roles here as they try to save Woody from Al's Toy Barn.
** ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory3'': There's the DwindlingParty of Andy's toys being limited to Woody, Buzz, Jessie, Bullseye, the Alien trio, the Potato Heads, Rex, Slinky, and Hamm. However, this movie also prominently features Molly's Barbie (who allies with Andy's toys), the Chatter Telephone that helps Andy's toys escape, as well as Bonnie's toys (who end up living with Andy's toys at the film's conclusion).
** ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory4'': Two of the toys share the spotlight just as much as Woody does: Forky, a new toy created by Bonnie who ends up becoming her favorite, and Bo Peep, Woody's LoveInterest who has ADayInTheLimelight as the {{Deuteragonist}}.
[[/folder]]

** Season 3: Muichiro Tokito and Mitsuri Kanroji are the Hashiras that cross paths with the Kamado siblings in the Swordsmith Village Arc. After making a few minor appearances here and there in the first season, Genya Shinazugawa emerges as a major ally to Tanjiro.

** The Unwavering Resolve Arc (season 1 in the anime) is more about Tanjiro Kamado's rise to becoming a Demon Slayer, Nezuko Kamado adjusting her new life as a demon, and meeting series' mains Zenitsu Agatsuma and Inosuke Hashibira. However, some of the other major characters have their moments to shine in certain sub-arcs.
*** Giyu Tomioka is the Hashira that appears most prominently, first appearing in the Final Selection Arc where he recognized Nezuko's resistance to her demon instinct, in addition to persuading Sakonji Urokodaki to train Tanjiro, and later (in the Natagumo Mountain Arc) being the one to finish off Rui.

*** Shinobu Kocho also appears prominently in the first anime season, and plays a major role in Tanjiro's, Zenitsu's, and Inosuke's rehabilitation alongside Kanoe Tsuyuri and Aoi Kanzaki.

* ''Franchise/DemonSlayerKimetsuNoYaiba'':

** Eren Yeager is still very important here, but The ''Royal Government Arc'' puts Levi Ackerman and Historia Reiss in the spotlight. This is particularly evident with their relatives being the {{Arc Villain}}s in the story (Levi's Kenny Ackerman, Historia's Rod Reiss) and their backstories being shed to light. As a matter of fact, the arc's climax has Levi and Kenny's epic clash in the Reiss Underground chapel, followed by Historia being ultimately the one to land the fishing blow on Rod's 120m Abnormal Titan form and be crowned Queen of the Walls.
** The ''Marley Arc'' flips the viewer perspective of Marley being front and center of the story (with Eldia portrayed as the antagonists), so naturally, Reiner Braun becomes the protagonist, followed by Zeke Yeager, Pieck Finger, Porco Galliard, Gabi Braun, Falco Grice, and Theo Magath sharing the spotlight. Eren still gets his moments here and there though.
** The ''War for Paradis'' arc has Eren going through a BigBadSlippage as he becomes the symbolic leader of the jingoistic Yeagerists and becomes the FinalBoss by unleashing the Rumbling. The rest of Eren's now-former friends that oppose him (Armin, Mikasa, Jean, Connie, Reiner, Annie, Levi, Hange, Falco, Onyankapon), alongside his other adversaries (Gabi, Pieck, Magath) become the heroes of the story.

* ''Franchise/SuperMario''

** ''WesternAnimation/FindingDory'': Hank is the {{Deuteragonist}} accompanying Dory as she goes through the Marine Life Institute to find her parents.

** ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory3'': There's the DwindlingParty of Andy's toys being limited to Woody, Buzz, Jessie, Bullseye, the Alien trio, the Potato Heads, Rex, Slinky, and Hamm. However, this movie also prominently features Molly's Barbie (who allies with Andy's toys), as well as Bonnie's toys (who end up living with Andy's toys at the film's conclusion).

* ''Franchise/Cars'':

** ''WesternAnimation/Cars3'': [=McQueen=] is once against the protagonist, but a fateful crash and the possibly of ending his racing career to younger cars puts him on a path where he meets Cruz Ramirez, a trainer at the Rust-Eze racing center who ultimately becomes his mentee and successor. The film also introduces Smokey, Doc's old crew chief who puts [=McQueen=] and Cruz into rigorous, unorthodox training in hopes of finding new, clever ways to defeat Jackson Storm.

* ''Creator/{{Pixar}}'':
** ''Franchise/ToyStory'':
*** ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory1'': The BaitAndSwitch reveal of Sid's toys being tragic tortured beings become this, as they help Woody and Buzz escape Sid's house by coming to life just enough to spook the troubled kid.
*** ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory2'': The rest of Woody's roundup gang (with the exception of Stinky Pete) are given the big introductory spotlight, but Rex, Slinky, Hamm, and Mr. Potato Head are given more prominent roles here as they try to save Woody from Al's Toy Barn.
*** ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory3'': There's the DwindlingParty of Andy's toys being limited to Woody, Buzz, Jessie, Bullseye, the Alien trio, the Potato Heads, Rex, Slinky, and Hamm. However, this movie also prominently features Molly's Barbie (who allies with Andy's toys), as well as Bonnie's toys (who end up living with Andy's toys at the film's conclusion).
*** ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory4'': Two of the toys share the spotlight just as much as Woody does: Forky, a new toy created by Bonnie who ends up becoming her favorite, and Bo Peep, Woody's LoveInterest who has ADayInTheLimelight as the {{Deuteragonist}}.

** Eren Yeager is still very important here, but The ''Royal Government Arc'' puts Levi Ackerman and Historia Reiss in the spotlight. This is particularly evident with their relatives being the {{Arc Villain}}s in the story (Levi's Kenny Ackerman, Historia's Rod Reiss) and their backstories being shed to light. As a matter of fact, the arc's climax has Levi and Kenny's epic clash in the Reiss Underground chapel, followed by Historia being ultimately the one to land the fishing blow on Rod's 120mm Abnormal Titan form and be crowned Queen of the Walls.
** The ''Marley Arc'' flips the viewer perspective of Marley being front and center of the story (with Eldia portrayed as the antagonists), so naturally, Reiner Braun becomes the protagonist, followed by Zeke, Pieck, Porco, Gabi, and Falco sharing the spotlight. Eren still gets his moments here and there though.
** The ''War for Paradis'' arc has Eren going through a BigBadSlippage as he becomes the symbolic leader of the jingoistic Yeagerists and becomes the BigBad and FinalBoss by unleashing the Rumbling. The rest of Eren's now-former friends that oppose him (Armin, Mikasa, Jean, Connie, Reiner, Annie, Levi, Hange) become the heroes of the story.

** ''VideoGame/NewSuperLuigiU'' puts Luigi at front and center of the game, to the point where ''Nabbit'' replaces Mario for the entirety.

** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRun'' and ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWonder'' has Daisy joining the protagonists in their quest to stop Bowser.
* On the ''Franchise/DonkeyKong'' side of things:
** ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCounty'' introduced the modern Donkey Kong, while also bringing in Diddy Kong as his sidekick.

** ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongTropicalFreeze'' has Cranky Kong (yes, the ''original'' Donkey Kong) finally getting out of his hut to help Donkey, Diddy, and Dixie Kong save Donkey Kong Island from the Snowmads.

* ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong'' made Mario famous. ''VideoGame/MarioBros'' gave him a brother named Luigi for two player mode. [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros The rest is history.]]

** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy'': Brought Rosalina and Luma as the force opposing Bowser throughout the galaxy, and personifying/granting Mario the new gameplay mechanics of everything from his all-purpose Spin Move, to shooting Star Bits, to the Launch Stars and other environment features throughout the levels. [[VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy2 The sequel]] also brought Lubba as the pilot of Starship Mario, the new world map/HubLevel hybrid system.

* ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels'': Season 2 adds Ashoka Tano to the cast as a BigGood type figure leading Kanan and Ezra to contrast the new BigBad ArcVillain Darth Vader leading the Inquisitors. She also has history with him as his former apprentice.

* ''Creator/SonicTeam'' has done this throughout the ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'' franchise, to the point you could almost subtitle them based on the Arc Hero.

** ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006'': Sonic, Shadow and Silver. Shadow is targeted by Mephilles the Dark who seeks to corrupt Shadow against humanity, while Silver is trying to prevent his BadFuture from coming to pass.

In Videogames, an Arc Hero [[GameplayAndStoryIntegration might also something to do with new gameplay mechanics]]. Sometimes even if the new mechanic is just multiplayer.

* With the exception of Book I, ''VideoGame/FireEmblemHeroes'' introduces a new heroine who serves as a major protagonist for that book. Book II has Fjorm, Book III has Eir, Book IV has Peony, Book V has Reginn and Book VI has Ash.

** Liu Kang is the main hero from ''VideoGame/MortalKombat1'' to ''VideoGame/MortalKombat4''.

* ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline'' has this dynamic in all of its arcs, usually with Kirito forming an AdventureDuo with someone else in each new virtual world he explores: Asuna in the Aincrad arc, Leafa in the Fairy Dance arc, Sinon in the Phantom Bullet arc, and Eugeo in the first half of the Alicization arc. The only exception is the Mother's Rosario arc, which focuses on Asuna and Yuuki. The same goes for the side stories; Silica serves as Kirito's companion in the Black Swordsman arc, while Lisbeth is this during the Warmth of the Heart arc.

** ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheMinishCap The Minish Cap]]'': Ezlo, the titular Minish Cap, was the [[APupilOfMineUntilHeTurnedToEvil former mentor]] of ArcVillain Vaati and was the character tied to the growing and shrinking mechanics.

** ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanDeadMenTellNoTales'' has Henry Turner, Will and Elizabeth's son, and Carina Smyth, who also become LoveInterests to each other in the midst of their respective personal arcs. Henry recruits Jack to help him find a way to break Will's curse requiring him to captain the Flying Dutch, and they are soon joined by Carina, an astronomer searching for her long-lost father, who turns out to be [[spoiler:Hector Barbossa]].

** ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanDeadMenTellNoTales'' has Henry Turner, Will and Elizabeth's son, and Carina Smyth, who also become LoveInterests to each other in the midst of their respective personal arcs. Henry, now a young man, recruits Jack to help him find a way to break Will's curse requiring him to captain the Flying Dutch, and they are soon joined by Carina, an astronomer searching for her long-lost father, who turns out to be [[spoiler:Hector Barbossa]].

** In ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanOnStrangerTides'', Jack is joined by Angelica, an OldFlame who ropes him into a search for the Fountain of Youth in order to save her father, the legendary pirate [[TheDreaded Blackbeard]]. While her relationship with Blackbeard and romantic history with Jack drives much of the plot, calling her a "hero" may be a stretch, as she's sufficiently morally ambiguous that she's an AntiHero at best.

** ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanDeadMenTellNoTales'' has Henry Turner, Will and Elizabeth's son, and Carina Smyth, who also become LoveInterests to each other in the midst of their respective personal arcs. Henry, now a young man, recruits Jack to help him find a way to break Will's curse requiring him to captain the Flying Dutch, and they are soon joined by Carina, an astronomer searching for her long-lost father, who turns out to [[spoiler:Hector Barbossa]].

* ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'': While Ash is the show's constant protagonist, each new region after Johto switches up the team he travels with -- after Misty and Brock in [[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue Kanto]] and [[VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver Johto]], it's May, Max, and Brock in [[VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire Hoenn]], Brock and Dawn in [[VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl Sinnoh]], Iris and Cilan in [[VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite Unova]], Clemont, Bonnie, and Serena in [[VideoGame/PokemonXAndY Kalos]], Lillie, Kiawe, Mallow, Lana, and Sophocles in [[VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon Alola]], and Go in multiple regions (including [[VideoGame/PokemonSwordAndShield Galar]]). Each new {{Deuteragonist}} has their own arc, personality, and motivations, and more relationships with the natives of each region.