There are narrative reasons for this that have been in place long before anime existed as a medium.

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Quite often, time skips are used to show characters growing up or completing their training.

Left to right: EVA Unit 01 sprinting in a city, Super Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, looming over the universe, Gundam RX-78-2 swinging its red beam sword

Here are the time skips in anime that were the most meaningful.

When Dragon Ball Z starts, five years have passed since we last saw Goku and his friends.

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A collage of Johan Liebert and Eren Yeager.

An older, wiser Simon has to get the gang back together to fight off this galaxy-ending threat.

The show is meant for adults, with dark themes dominating its runtime.

The story begins in 1990, extending all the way to the imagined future of 2055.

(From Left to Right) A collage of images featuring Lelouche from Code Geass, Tohru from Fruits Basket, Edward from Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, and Eren from Attack on Titan.

Because its two protagonists are immortal, Mnemosyne manages to convey a sense of deja vu in every episode.

Yes, we see the irony: one of thelongest-running animemade one of the best pacing decisions.

They were evil, but they had a reason for it.

Split image of characters from Code Geass, Death Note and Attack on Titan.

Yet L always had a contingency plan, even for his own death.

In the event that he died, he had programmed a digital message informing a few trusted allies.

After years with no update, his message from beyond the grave finally reaches two of his proteges.

Dragon ball super, Re:Zero, Steins;gate

They are the ones to finally take Kira down.

In fact, Lelouch and the people around him seem completely different.

As it turns out, the entire thing was an illusion rendered by his father.

Chi-Chi confronts Goku in Dragon Ball Z.

Lelouch had been living a confused life for an entire year, forgetting his purpose.

He manages to break the illusion eventually.

2Clannad: After Story

Clannad is an achingly sad anime, and its characters aren’t perfect.

Simon and Kamina from Gurren Lagann look at each other fondly.

Tomoya got married just out of high school, and he became a widower far too soon.

Rather than taking care of his child, Tomoya runs away from his grief.

His daughter is raised by her grandparents in a loving but regimented home.

Rin confronts Kouki in Mnemosyne.

After Season 3 ends on a poignant note, the opening of the fourth season is a shock.

You might think it’s an entirely different show at first.

Not only do the characters look completely different, but theyarecompletely different.

Monkey D. Luffy smiling in the beginning of One Piece.

Light fleeing the police after being shot multiple times in Death Note.

Lelouch stands with his mask in Code Geass.

A picture showing Tomoya Okazaki and his wife Nagisa holding their daughter Ushio in Clannad.

Eren being beheaded by Mikasa in Attack on Titan.