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The Best Episodes of Arrow

Every episode of Arrow ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Arrow!

Binge this in 4d 23h•Peaking at 9.6/10

Spoiled billionaire playboy Oliver Queen is missing and presumed dead when his yacht is lost at sea. He returns five years later a changed man, determined to clean up the city as a hooded vigilante

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
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    Arrow Season 5 Episode 23 - Lian Yu
    9.6/10(8778 votes)

    #1 - Lian Yu

    S5:E23

    Oliver assembles a group of unlikely allies - Slade, Nyssa, Merlyn and Digger Harkness - to engage in an epic battle against Chase and his army.

    Director:Jesse Warn
    Writers:Marc Guggenheim, Wendy Mericle

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  2. Arrow Season 3 Episode 9 - The Climb
    9.5/10(12815 votes)

    #2 - The Climb

    S3:E9

    Ra's al Ghul sends Nyssa and her lieutenant to Starling City to inform Oliver that the League will kill 50 people a day until Sara's murderer is turned over to them. With time running out, Oliver finally identifies the killer... and realizes that he can never turn them over for execution. Meanwhile, Ray shows Felicity his new project.

    Director:Thor Freudenthal
    Writers:Jake Coburn, Keto Shimizu

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  3. Arrow Season 1 Episode 23 - Sacrifice
    9.4/10(8834 votes)

    #3 - Sacrifice

    S1:E23

    Oliver and Diggle race to stop the Dark Archer from unleashing his vengeance on The Glades. However, they run into a roadblock after Detective Lance picks up Felicity for questioning. Tommy and Oliver's already tumultuous relationship takes a turn for the worse after Oliver makes a confession about Laurel. After hearing of the danger in The Glades, Thea races to find Roy, inadvertently putting herself directly in the line of fire for Malcolm's devious plan. On the island, Oliver, Slade and Shado are locked in a life-or-death struggle against Fyers as his missiles lock on a full Ferris Air jetliner.

    Director:David Barrett
    Writer:Unknown

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  4. Arrow Season 2 Episode 23 - Unthinkable
    9.4/10(8243 votes)

    #4 - Unthinkable

    S2:E23

    As Oliver's face off with Slade escalates, his resolve to the no-kill rule is tested. Especially as Slade targets the woman Oliver loves.

    Director:John Behring
    Writer:Unknown

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  5. Arrow Season 2 Episode 9 - Three Ghosts
    9.2/10(6805 votes)

    #5 - Three Ghosts

    S2:E9

    After covering from a near-fatal drug overdose, Oliver begins hallucinating people from his past. Believing he's a liability, Oliver gives the information he has on Cyrus Gold to Quentin... which results in the deaths of several police officers. Meanwhile, Brother Blood captures Roy and uses him as a test subject for his new serum. In the past on the island, Ivo gives Oliver an impossible choice to make.

    Director:John Behring
    Writers:Andrew Kreisberg, Greg Berlanti

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  6. Arrow Season 2 Episode 20 - Seeing Red
    9.2/10(7173 votes)

    #6 - Seeing Red

    S2:E20

    The Mirakuru sends Roy into an uncontrollable rage and he unleashes on the city. Oliver realizes the Mirakuru has taken over Roy completely and must figure out a way to stop him.

    Director:Douglas Aarniokoski
    Writers:Wendy Mericle, Beth Schwartz

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    The 20 WORST Episodes of Arrow

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  7. Arrow Season 7 Episode 7 - The Slabside Redemption
    9.2/10(3895 votes)

    #7 - The Slabside Redemption

    S7:E7

    Oliver makes a choice that will affect his entire life, as well as the lives of everyone he cares about.

    Director:James Bamford
    Writers:Rebecca Bellotto, Jill Blankenship

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  8. Arrow Season 8 Episode 10 - Fadeout
    9.2/10(3935 votes)

    #8 - Fadeout

    S8:E10

    After eight seasons, and the launch of countless superheroes, the series wraps up the story of the Green Arrow.

    Director:James Bamford
    Writers:Marc Guggenheim, Beth Schwartz

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  9. Arrow Season 2 Episode 18 - Deathstroke
    9.1/10(6116 votes)

    #9 - Deathstroke

    S2:E18

    Sara and Roy become prisoners at the Slade and the only one who is able to save them is Oliver Queen.

    Director:Guy Norman Bee
    Writers:Marc Guggenheim, Drew Z. Greenberg

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  10. Arrow Season 2 Episode 22 - Streets of Fire
    9.1/10(5948 votes)

    #10 - Streets of Fire

    S2:E22

    Oliver rallies his team as Slade's soldiers attack the city. Felicity gets a call from S.T.A.R. Labs with game-changing news and Thea comes face-to-face with her father.

    Director:Nick Copus
    Writers:Jake Coburn, Ben Sokolowski

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  11. Arrow Season 5 Episode 9 - What We Leave Behind
    9.1/10(4348 votes)

    #11 - What We Leave Behind

    S5:E9

    After Prometheus attacks Curtis, Oliver realizes Prometheus knows all of Team Arrow’s secret identities and is planning to come for them one by one. Felicity and Detective Malone discover a clue that links Prometheus to Oliver’s past.

    Director:Antonio Negret
    Writers:Wendy Mericle, Beth Schwartz

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  12. Arrow Season 5 Episode 17 - Kapiushon
    9.1/10(4702 votes)

    #12 - Kapiushon

    S5:E17

    Prometheus goes to extreme lengths to destroy Oliver. In flashbacks, Oliver's violent tendencies come to a head in a confrontation with Anatoly.

    Director:Kevin Tancharoen
    Writers:Emilio Ortega Aldrich, Brian Ford Sullivan

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  13. Arrow Season 1 Episode 22 - Darkness on the Edge of Town
    9.0/10(6005 votes)

    #13 - Darkness on the Edge of Town

    S1:E22

    With the Undertaking days away, Malcolm dons his black hood to conclude business with seismologist Dr. Brion Markov and his team. Oliver and Moira entertain a number of surprise - and mostly unwelcome - visitors. Hooded confrontations at home and the Meryln Global Group reveal dark secrets. Meanwhile, Roy and Thea are still looking out for a hero. Laurel makes a decision after Tommy's revelation. In a flashback to the island, Oliver, Slade and Shado struggle to prevent Fyers from shooting a Ferris Air jet out of the sky. Paul Blackthorne and David Ramsey also star.

    Director:John Behring
    Writers:Wendy Mericle, Drew Z. Greenberg

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  14. Arrow Season 2 Episode 15 - The Promise
    9.0/10(5902 votes)

    #14 - The Promise

    S2:E15

    In the present, Slade visits Oliver and makes his intentions clear. Five years earlier, Slade, Sara, and Oliver launch their assault on the Amazo, but things go wrong when Slade learns that Oliver was responsible for Shado's death.

    Director:Glen Winter
    Writers:Jake Coburn, Ben Sokolowski

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  15. Arrow Season 3 Episode 8 - The Brave and the Bold (II)
    9.0/10(6668 votes)

    #15 - The Brave and the Bold (II)

    S3:E8

    A crossover event that began on "The Flash" concludes with Oliver teaming with the Flash to stop a boomerang-wielding killer who plants five bombs in the city that are set to explode at the same time.

    Director:Jesse Warn
    Writer:Unknown

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  16. Arrow Season 2 Episode 8 - The Scientist
    8.9/10(5946 votes)

    #16 - The Scientist

    S2:E8

    When a superhumanly strong thief robs a Queen Consolidated warehouse, Central City police scientist Barry Allen comes to Starling City to investigate the case. However, despite his close working relationship with Felicity, Oliver suspects that there's more to the young scientist than meets the eye. Meanwhile, Sin asks Roy to help investigate the disappearance of a friend. In the past, Oliver, Shado, and Sara try to get Slade to the submarine so they can use the serum to save his life.

    Director:Michael Schultz
    Writers:Andrew Kreisberg, Greg Berlanti

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  17. Arrow Season 2 Episode 19 - The Man Under the Hood
    8.9/10(5282 votes)

    #17 - The Man Under the Hood

    S2:E19

    When Oliver and his team destroy Slade's centrifuge, he attacks them as Deathstroke to get what he needs to find a replacement. Meanwhile, Laurel ponders what to do with Slade's information, and Oliver tries to convince Thea to help him protect their finances from Isabel.

    Director:Jesse Warn
    Writer:Unknown

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  18. Arrow Season 2 Episode 21 - City of Blood
    8.9/10(5513 votes)

    #18 - City of Blood

    S2:E21

    After the death of someone close to him, Oliver decides to give himself up to Slade rather than risk further bloodshed on his friends and family. Meanwhile, Laurel renews her investigation into Sebastian Blood, and Slade makes his final plans to unleash his Mirakuru-enhanced army on Starling City.

    Director:Michael Schultz
    Writer:Holly Harold

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  19. Arrow Season 3 Episode 19 - Broken Arrow
    8.9/10(5366 votes)

    #19 - Broken Arrow

    S3:E19

    After Roy confesses that he's the Arrow, Oliver is forced to lie low as Quentin continues his quest to prove that Oliver is the real Arrow. Meanwhile, a metahuman kills two bank guards and Oliver is forced to turn to Ray--as the Atom--for help.

    Director:Douglas Aarniokoski
    Writer:Unknown

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  20. Arrow Season 5 Episode 8 - Invasion! (III)
    8.9/10(5134 votes)

    #20 - Invasion! (III)

    S5:E8

    Oliver wakes up to a life where he never got on The Queen’s Gambit. Robert and Moira Queen are alive and well. Laurel is his loving fiancée and their wedding is imminent. Everything seems perfect, but Oliver starts to notice small imperfections that make him question this new reality. Meanwhile, Felicity and the recruits take on a new threat with help from The Flash and Supergirl. The crossover starts on Supergirl S02E08 Medusa (I) and The Flash S03E08 Invasion! (II). It continues on DC's Legends of Tomorrow S02E07 Invasion! (IV).

    Director:James Bamford
    Writer:Unknown

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  21. Arrow Season 5 Episode 22 - Missing
    8.9/10(3627 votes)

    #21 - Missing

    S5:E22

    Black Siren returns to give Chase help; Felicity plans a birthday party for Oliver; Lance is angry with Rene for missing the custody hearing about his daughter.

    Director:Mairzee Almas
    Writers:Oscar Balderrama, Speed Weed

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  22. Arrow Season 7 Episode 1 - Inmate 4587
    8.9/10(3834 votes)

    #22 - Inmate 4587

    S7:E1

    Following Oliver’s shocking decision to turn himself over to the FBI and reveal his identity as the Green Arrow to the public, Oliver has spent the past five months in Slabside Maximum Security Prison. Determined to keep a low profile to shorten his sentence for the sake of his family, Oliver is tested when he runs into old foes. Meanwhile, Diggle and Dinah have taken on new jobs and left their costumes behind but not everyone is following suit. With her focus on William, Felicity tries to start over but when someone from her past resurfaces, things become complicated.

    Director:James Bamford
    Writers:Beth Schwartz, Oscar Balderrama

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  23. Arrow Season 8 Episode 1 - Starling City
    8.9/10(3371 votes)

    #23 - Starling City

    S8:E1

    Oliver returns to Starling City on Earth-2, where he encounters familiar faces while trying to decipher the Monitor's mission. Meanwhile, Mia and William's team clash with a new foe.

    Director:James Bamford
    Writers:Marc Guggenheim, Beth Schwartz

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  24. Arrow Season 4 Episode 8 - Legends of Yesterday (II)
    8.8/10(5196 votes)

    #24 - Legends of Yesterday (II)

    S4:E8

    Oliver and Barry Allen take Kendra Saunders and Carter Hall to a remote location to keep them hidden from Vandal Savage while they figure out how to defeat him. Malcolm arranges a meeting between Vandal, Green Arrow and The Flash that doesn’t go as planned. Meanwhile, Felicity, Thea, Diggle and Laurel work with Team Flash to come up with a weapon powerful enough to destroy Vandal Savage. The crossover starts on The Flash S02E08 Legends of Today (I).

    Director:Thor Freudenthal
    Writer:Unknown

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  25. Arrow Season 5 Episode 16 - Checkmate
    8.8/10(3543 votes)

    #25 - Checkmate

    S5:E16

    Oliver gets closer to the truth about Prometheus. Meanwhile, Helix refuses to continue helping Felicity until she does a favor for them.

    Director:Ken Shane
    Writers:Beth Schwartz, Sarah Tarkoff

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Best Episodes Summary

"Lian Yu" is the best rated episode of "Arrow". It scored 9.6/10 based on 8778 votes. Directed by Jesse Warn and written by Marc Guggenheim, Wendy Mericle, it aired on 5/24/2017. This episode scored 0.1 points higher than the second highest rated, "The Climb".