Rescue Arc: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

Usually, the villains of the [[Arc]] want to use the friend for some higher purpose or task, but the hero's rescue effort is motivated solely by a sense of duty and friendship. Since [[The Power of Friendship|friendship always wins out]], this means that the protagonist usually ends up on the victorious side.

 

 

[[Storming the Castle]] is usually the climax to this plot.

See also [[Tournament Arc]] and [[War Arc]].

 

 

== [[Anime]] ==

** Later on, the series actually manages to do a storyline that is both a Rescue Arc and a [[War Arc]]. Luffy storms the World Government's maximum-security prison in order to rescue {{spoiler|his older brother Ace.}} At first it seems like a traditional rescue arc, but it turns out that {{spoiler|Ace isn't even in the prison; his execution is already starting}}. Thus Luffy is forced to {{spoiler|literally drop into the middle of a war zone and join up with Whitebeard's massive armada, who are also trying to storm Marine HQ and save Ace.}}

*** Perhaps the biggest departure from a typical rescue arc is that {{spoiler|the rescue fails. Ace is freed, but is killed shortly afterward.}}

* ''[[Magic Knight Rayearth]]''. [[Subverted Trope|Sort of]].

** Seems like {{spoiler|history is going to repeat itself, as soon as someone figures out that Asuna and Anya have both been captured by Fate.}}

** Ala Rubra also had to rescue {{spoiler|Arika, when the Megalomesembrian senate tried to have her executed.}}

* The reason for Kenshiro's [[Walking the Earth]] in the Southern Cross arc of ''[[Fist of the North Star]]'' was to rescue Yuria from Shin.

** Kenshiro's objective during the later ''Shura'' arc is to rescue Lin from the ''Rasho''.

** And in the Sensui arc, with Kuwabara

* The second half of ''[[Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha]] StrikerS'', which also involved rescuing {{spoiler|Nanoha and Fate's daughter as well as Subaru's sister}} in addition to stopping the [[Big Bad]].

* The Zoldyck family arc in ''[[Hunter X Hunter]]'' is about Gon trying to rescue Killua from his family. However, unlike most Rescue Arcs, the problem is resolved without much violence.

* A good portion of the Phantom Arc of ''[[Fairy Tail]]'' involves rescuing Lucy after she's kidnapped (twice), with the enemy planning to hold her for ransom for her family fortune.

** The next arc starts off like this, but with Erza being... [[Lady of War|Erza]], she doesn't play the role of the distressed damsel for very long.

* The beginning of the second half of ''[[Digimon Tamers]]'', where the Tamers go to the Digital World to rescue [[MacGuffin Girl|Culumon]] after he's taken by the Deva.

* ''[[Flame of Recca]]'' does this twice, both times with [[The Messiah|Yanagi]]. And arguably a third time in the [[Tournament Arc]], because they had to bet Yanagi to enter, and had they lost, she would have been forfeit to the bad guys.

* In the Yellow arc of the [[Pokémon Special]], Red mysteriously vanishes with only his Pikachu returning, so a trainer named Yellow sets out to find him.

** The Emerald arc is a rescue arc as well, though it's not made obvious right away.

* The latter half of the Conviction arc in ''[[Berserk]]'' centers around Guts looking for and rescuing his lover Casca from being executed as a witch by the quasi-Apostle Mozgus.

** [[Berserk]] also has the Griffith rescue arc close to the end of the Golden Age saga. Guts had left the Hawks due to irreconcilable differences between him and Griffith. After Griffith was defeated in their second duel, Griffith, in the throes of [[Heroic BSOD]], paid a visit to Princess Charlotte's bedchamber and had sex with her. This ROYALLY pissed off the King, who had him arrested and sent to the Tower of Rebirth to be put to the torture and had the rest of the Hawks declared outlaw. After the Skull Knight persuades Guts to return, he finds Casca in charge of the Hawks, and together with the Hawks, they head to the Tower of Rebirth to rescue Griffith. The state Guts finds Griffith in sends him into one of the greatest examples of [[Unstoppable Rage]] in the series, as he kills his way through every last Midland guard standing between them and the way out. Unfortunately for everyone, Griffith has grown to hate Guts during the year that he was in the Tower, and this, along with other factors, would ultimately lead to the events of the Eclipse.

** Before that, Team MAR had to save [[The Chick|Snow]] twice. The first time was a minor plot at the beginning of the series and the second time at the end where she gets captured during the semi-finals because of letting her guard down against her opponent.

 

== [[Film]] ==

 

== [[Literature]] ==

* ''[[The Silver Chair]]'' in ''[[The Chronicles of Narnia]]'' series

* ''The Castle of Llyr'' from the ''[[Prydain Chronicles]]'' has Taran and his [[True Companions]] journeying forth to rescue Eilonwy.

* Anything by David Eddings.

 

== [[Video Games]] ==

* All [[Save the Princess]] plots, obviously, by definition.

* ''[[Maniac Mansion]]''.

* ''[[Halo]] 3'' The level "Cortana" is a rescue mission to save the eponymous character.

* ''[[Kingdom Hearts]]''. A lot of people forget that all the [[Save the World|world saving]], [[Sidequest|side questing]] and [[Contemplate Our Navels|philosophizing]] are just byproducts of Sora trying to rescue his friends.

** Second arc occurs when some worshippers of Falzar and Gregar capture Megaman. Cue having to control a friend to storm their shrine and rescue him.

** Third arc occurs when the [[Oddly Small Organization]] sets a trap for Megaman and captures him (again). Cue Megaman losing control to the sealed beast and escaping, with you having to control yet another friend to chase him down and hopefully [[Bright Slap]] him back into control before they find him again.

* Rescuing the princess in ''[[Dragon Quest]]'' is one of the two main jobs you do in the game, but it's subverted that you can totally ignore her. Oops...

 

== [[Web Comics]] ==

* Subverted in [http://bobadventures.comicgenesis.com/d/20090221.html this] ''[[The Inexplicable Adventures of Bob]]'' strip.

* The rescuing of Fumbles in ''[[Goblins]]''.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Index to The Rescue]]

[[Category:Plots]]

[[Category:Rescue Arc]]