History Main / MythArc

* ''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).

It is also believed that {{anime}}, which [[UsefulNotes/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.

* The basic goal 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:
** The primary SeriesGoal is various Toa teams trying to reawaken Mata Nui and stop [[BigBad Makuta]]'s schemes. There's also a subplot of the first introduced Toa team (the Toa Mata, later updated to Toa Nuva) discovering their past after suffering from LaserGuidedAmnesia.
*** The 2001-03 Mata Nui saga (titled "The Joy and Deception of Mata Nui" in the UniverseBible) is about protecting the island named Mata Nui from Makuta's underlings, but that not all is what it seems. The main heroes are the Toa Mata/Nuva and the adventurous Matoran villager Takua.
*** 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 and an expanded universe is introduced.

Prior to the rise of streaming in 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.

* 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'' meta-series is all part of the same Myth Arc.]]

* In ''Series/{{Castle}}'', finding who killed Beckett's mother, and the organization behind him.
** The 3XK plotline seems to be a ''second'' myth arc for the show.

* ''Manga/FairyTail'' has 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]].
** Another myth arc is about the dark wizard Zeref, who seems ever closer to bringing chaos about for every arc that passes by.

* ''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. Season 1 was about finding a way to make Earth noticed, while Season 2 was about undermining one of their "partners", and Season 3 deals with metahuman trafficking that plagues the galaxy.

* The entire ''Film/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.

* ''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 [[IncrediblyLamePun 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]].

* 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''.

* 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.

* ''Franchise/Metroid''
** 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.