Ranking Every Season of ARROW

The CW’s Arrow recently ended its eight-season run, in the aftermath of the Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover. While not the longest-running superhero show, its legacy is still unparalleled. Not only did it increase the cultural impact of Green Arrow and his supporting cast, but it spawned a shared universe that consists of several ongoing shows. This culminated in Crisis on Infinite Earths, which used the Multiverse to connect countless DC shows and movies spanning decades.

Now, with Oliver Queen‘s story finished, we wanted to look back at Arrow, season-by-season. Of course, not every season is on the same level of quality; some are good, some are great, some are disappointing. The same with almost any show. But as a series overall, Arrow has consistently been a solid take on the character and his mythos.

Below, we rank all eight seasons of Arrow.

(By the way, there will be FULL SPOILERS for the entire series of Arrow below, if anyone hasn’t caught up yet.)

#8: Season Four

In Arrow‘s fourth season, Oliver finally took the name Green Arrow, as he sought to create a new identity in his quest to save the newly renamed Star City. Oliver and his team fight Damien Darhk, head of the organization known as H.I.V.E., as he seeks to destroy most of humanity. Darhk is by far the most fantastical big bad Arrow has had to date, as the character uses magic powers and his motivation is over-the-top.

Overall, Arrow‘s fourth season is the Arrowverse’s greatest misfire to date, in my opinion. Admittedly, it still has some good elements, such as the acting and DC Universe connections (that Constantine crossover was good). However, the storylines and character development are unfocused, while even the action descended into mediocre laziness. Meanwhile, many fans were turned off by creative decisions like the death of Laurel and the focus on the Oliver/Felicity relationship. But perhaps worst of all, this season put so much focus on the supporting characters, it resulted in an unsatisfying and incomplete story arc for Oliver, aka the main character of the show.

#7: Season Three

In Arrow‘s third season, Oliver continues his mission to save Starling City, and he faces his most powerful enemy yet in Ra’s al Ghul. The Demon’s Head is the leader of the League of Assassins, who had been teased countless times on the show beforehand. After defeating him in trial by combat, Ra’s is impressed with Oliver and seeks to make him his heir. Oliver refuses, and he goes to great lengths to defeat Ra’s and save the city again. This season also saw Oliver pursue a relationship with Felicity, while more fantastical elements, such as The Flash and the Lazarus Pit, were featured.

I like this season a lot more than other people do. The story has a lot of plot twists, shocking character reveals, and solid development. The action is pretty good too. However, it still has a few issues. The Oliver/Felicity “will they won’t they” arc, which included a love triangle with Ray Palmer, was just annoying. Also, the season began the show’s focus on its supporting characters over its protagonist, which was more obvious in season four. And finally, some of the Batman similarities did throw me off, primarily Oliver and Nyssa’s wedding.

#6: Season Six

Following the show’s return to form in season five, Arrow continued Oliver and team’s mission. In this season, the team deals with the ramifications of Prometheus’ assault, while multiple new villains enter the picture. First facing off with Cayden James and then Ricardo Diaz, Oliver deals with a lot this season. The pressures of being mayor, allegations of being the Green Arrow, unrest within his team, and learning to become a father. The season ends with Oliver revealing his identity to the world and being imprisoned.

Coming off of season five, it was always going to be tough to top it. But season six does a good job of continuing the story. The drama is still interesting, the action is thrilling, and the show remains committed to its gritty, more realistic tone. Even the Oliver/Felicity pairing was better this season. Additionally, this is the first season without flashbacks every episode, and it’s refreshing to see the show diverge from that format for a while. It has some flaws, like forced conflict within Team Arrow and a slightly underwhelming villain in Cayden James. But ultimately, this was still a solid season.

#5: Season Seven

Coming off the heels of season six, we pick up with Oliver living in prison. The season’s story is split in two. The first half focused on Oliver’s prison life, dealing with past enemies and ending the threat of Ricardo Diaz. The second half sees Oliver after release, as he joins the Star City Police Department (SCPD) and reunites his team. He also deals with the arrival of his half-sister, Emiko, and the villainous group Ninth Circle. And it all concludes with Oliver leaving his life behind at The Monitor’s bidding, setting the stage for the end.

Arrow‘s seventh season is really good. It’s the first season under showrunner Beth Schwartz, and the new energy is obvious. The prison story arc is fascinating, and it’s one of the show’s highest peaks. The second half isn’t quite as compelling, but it still works well. Seeing Oliver operate with his identity public is a refreshing storytelling direction. Also, this season debuted flashforwards, focusing on Oliver’s children and others. While it doesn’t always work, it’s still cool to see the future.

#4: Season Eight

Now, we come to the end of the show. In Arrow‘s eighth and final season, Oliver now works with The Monitor to prepare for the coming Crisis. He joins forces with Diggle, Earth-2 Laurel, and even his future children. The season revisits a lot of past characters and locations from the series’ history. It leads directly into Crisis on Infinite Earths, which sees Oliver dying (twice!), becoming The Spectre, and giving birth to a new Multiverse. The series ends with Oliver’s funeral, a sneak peek at the future, and Oliver and Felicity reuniting in the afterlife.

While not quite the greatest, Arrow‘s last season goes all out. The action, the performances, the character development, and the scale are all incredible. It concludes the series on a highly emotional note, ending Oliver’s story and leaving doors open for his friends and family. Reducing the season to 10 episodes, rather than the usual 22-23, makes it feel more focused. But most of all, it shows just how far Oliver has gone, going from a violent vigilante in his city to savior of the Multiverse. Man, I’m going to miss this show.

#3: Season One

The season that started it all. Arrow‘s first season is a depiction of simpler times, before the arrival of metahumans, time travel, and the Multiverse. It depicts Oliver’s crusade to save Starling City and cleanse it of corruption. As the Hood, Oliver started out as a vigilante who had no issue with killing his enemies. He does whatever it takes to right his father’s wrongs. Oliver’s mission puts him on a collision course with Malcolm Merlyn, who sought to (and succeeded to) wreak havoc in the city with the Undertaking.

Arrow took a few episodes to find its footing, but when it did, it was full speed ahead. The season benefits from great fight choreography, an intriguing storyline, and a great villain in Merlyn. Also, in retrospect, Arrow‘s grounded approach to Oliver Queen and his world feels fresh, considering how fantastical it and all the other shows became. Season one still has a couple issues, such as the soap opera cheese and the obnoxious Oliver/Laurel/Tommy love triangle, but nothing to seriously damage it.

#2: Season Five

Arrow goes full circle in its fifth season, which saw the island flashback storyline catch up to the events of season one. But the present-day storyline was just as influenced by that season. Following Laurel’s death, Oliver returns to the hero vs. killer conflict within him. He creates a new team of vigilantes in Star City, consisting of Mister Terrific, Wild Dog, and even a new Black Canary. The big bad is Prometheus, whose father was killed by Oliver back in season one. Prometheus knows everything about Oliver and his loved ones, and he torments our hero – physically and psychologically. The two take the fight back to Lian Yu.

After a mediocre fourth season, I was reluctant to get excited about season five. But boy, was I proven wrong. Arrow not only returned to form this year, it churned out a season that’s almost its greatest. It was a return to everything that caused fans to fall in love with the show in the first place. The fight choreography is on point, the tone is very dark, and the drama is gripping. Also, Prometheus makes for an outstanding villain, as he steals every scene he’s in and offers new challenges for Oliver.

#1: Season Two

And finally, we have what may be the Arrowverse’s highest peak. After an impressive first season, Arrow season two is a major improvement on just about every single aspect. In this season, Oliver begins his transition from vigilante to hero, now becoming “The Arrow” instead of “The Hood.” Oliver’s past comes back to haunt him when a new villain, Brother Blood, uses the mirakuru drug from Lian Yu in Starling City. The drug is supplied by none other than Slade Wilson, Oliver’s mentor-turned-enemy on the island. Slade orchestrates Oliver’s removal from his company, kills Moira Queen, and leads an army to siege the city. Oliver eventually defeats Slade and imprisons him on Lian Yu.

Needless to say, Arrow‘s second season is just amazing. The fight choreography is better than ever, while the story is gripping and full of twists. One player who really elevates the season is actor Manu Bennett, whose portrayal of Slade Wilson is so perfect. But really, everyone and everything was on top form for season two. This is comic book television at its finest. I can go on all day about how much I love it, but ultimately, it shows just how great superhero shows can be.