best episodes of Arrow poster

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 armed with a bow.

8 Seasons
170 Episodes
Ended
Crime Drama Action & Adventure
Cast & Characters
episode image Lian Yu
9.6/10 (8452 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.

episode image The Climb
9.5/10 (12584 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.

episode image Sacrifice
9.4/10 (8583 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.

episode image Unthinkable
9.4/10 (8027 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.

episode image Three Ghosts
9.2/10 (6607 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.

episode image Seeing Red
9.2/10 (6991 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.

episode image The Slabside Redemption
9.2/10 (3753 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.

episode image Fadeout
9.2/10 (3785 votes)

#8 Fadeout

S8:E10

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

episode image Deathstroke
9.1/10 (5935 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.

episode image Streets of Fire
9.1/10 (5768 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.

episode image What We Leave Behind
9.1/10 (4225 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.

episode image Kapiushon
9.1/10 (4554 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.

episode image Darkness on the Edge of Town
9.0/10 (5795 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.

episode image The Promise
9.0/10 (5723 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.

episode image The Brave and the Bold (II)
9.0/10 (6497 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.

episode image The Scientist
8.9/10 (5753 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.

episode image The Man Under the Hood
8.9/10 (5114 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.

episode image City of Blood
8.9/10 (5350 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.

episode image Broken Arrow
8.9/10 (5212 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.

episode image Invasion! (III)
8.9/10 (5002 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).

episode image Missing
8.9/10 (3514 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.

episode image Inmate 4587
8.9/10 (3705 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.

episode image Starling City
8.9/10 (3254 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.

episode image Legends of Yesterday (II)
8.8/10 (5044 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).

episode image Checkmate
8.8/10 (3431 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.

episode image Elseworlds (II)
8.8/10 (3248 votes)

#26 Elseworlds (II)

S7:E9

With Oliver and Barry still stuck in the other’s bodies, the two get a lead on John Deegan and head to Gotham City with Supergirl to figure out why their reality has changed. While there, they meet the mysterious Kate Kane who provides them with information that leads the group to Arkham Asylum. The crossover starts on The Flash S05E09 Elseworlds (I) and concludes on Supergirl S04E09 Elseworlds (III).

episode image The Odyssey
8.7/10 (5518 votes)

#27 The Odyssey

S1:E14

After Oliver is shot, he turns to a surprising person for help - Felicity. Diggle is stunned when he sees Felicity walk through the front door of the lair dragging a dying Oliver behind her, and the two team up to save Oliver's life. As Oliver hovers between life and death, he flashes back to a seminal event on the island - a daring escape attempt with his new friend Slade Wilson.

episode image The Calm
8.7/10 (6406 votes)

#28 The Calm

S3:E1

With crime at an all time low, Oliver decides to take a break and asks Felicity on a date. However, they're interrupted when a new drug dealer take the name of Count Vertigo and targets the Arrow for death. Meanwhile, Diggle becomes an expectant father and a scientist tries to acquire Queen Consolidated before Oliver can retake his family's business.

episode image Nanda Parbat
8.7/10 (5141 votes)

#29 Nanda Parbat

S3:E15

Thea betrays Malcolm to the League, but Oliver sets out to rescue his lover's killer so that Thea won't suffer the guilt of arranging for a parent's death. In the past, Oliver and the Yamashiros are released from custody, but Amanda Waller has other plans.

episode image Public Enemy
8.7/10 (4747 votes)

#30 Public Enemy

S3:E18

Ra's makes his next move against Oliver by reveling the Arrow's secret identity to Quentin. Left without alternatives, Oliver has no choice but to surrender. Meanwhile, Ray is injured in an attack and Felicity must take a risk to save his life.

episode image Haunted
8.7/10 (4961 votes)

#31 Haunted

S4:E5

When things take a turn for the worse with Sara, Oliver calls in a favor from an old friend who deals in the mystical, John Constantine.

episode image Dark Waters
8.7/10 (4340 votes)

#32 Dark Waters

S4:E9

After the city is attacked again, Oliver makes a bold move against HIVE. Malcolm checks in on Thea and leaves her with a warning. Things take a horrible turn when Damien Darhk retaliates in a brutal manner at Oliver’s mayoral holiday party.

episode image Docket No. 11-19-41-73
8.7/10 (2552 votes)

#33 Docket No. 11-19-41-73

S6:E21

The pressure mounts for Oliver who begins to wonder if he will lose everything in his battle to save Star City. A familiar face returns.

episode image Reset
8.7/10 (2424 votes)

#34 Reset

S8:E6

After being double-crossed by Lyla, Oliver finds himself facing a life or death situation that seems very familiar. Laurel has the opportunity to make amends with the past.

episode image Dead to Rights
8.6/10 (5166 votes)

#35 Dead to Rights

S1:E16

Oliver and Diggle learn that Deadshot is still alive and his next target is Malcom. Malcom invites Tommy to attend a benefit honoring Malcom for his work with Starling City but Tommy refuses to attend. Oliver encourages his friend to mend his relationship with his father while he can. Meanwhile, Oliver struggles to balance his new relationship with McKenna and his duties as Arrow.

episode image The Undertaking
8.6/10 (5149 votes)

#36 The Undertaking

S1:E21

Finding it difficult to mend fences with Tommy and Diggle, Oliver instead focuses on crossing another name off the list. While digging through a crooked accountant's laptop, Felicity discovers a transaction that could help Oliver find Walter. To reconfirm the lead, Oliver gambles that Felicity can be counted on in the field for the first time. In a flashback, Malcolm reveals to Robert Queen and Frank Chen painful details surrounding his wife's murder, and how that shaped his plans for the Glades. Meanwhile, Tommy stuns Laurel with the truth.

episode image League of Assassins
8.6/10 (5169 votes)

#37 League of Assassins

S2:E5

Oliver puts Sara Lance up at the manor and soon discovers that she doesn't want to contact her family... both because she would put them in danger, and because she become a killer since the last time they saw her. Meanwhile, the League of Assassins send men to bring Sara back, alive or dead. And Oliver discovers that Laurel will be sitting second chair for his mother's trial.

episode image Time of Death
8.6/10 (4924 votes)

#38 Time of Death

S2:E14

A master hacker dubbed Clock King coordinates a series of raids on banks in Starling City, and his skills prove a match for Felicity. Meanwhile, Laurel's grudge with Sara continues and on the island, a pilot crashes his plane there and Sara tends to the dying man.

episode image The Fallen
8.6/10 (4916 votes)

#39 The Fallen

S3:E20

Oliver has no choice but to accept Ra's's offer to resurrect Thea. In return, Oliver must become the Heir to the Demon.

episode image This is Your Sword
8.6/10 (4707 votes)

#40 This is Your Sword

S3:E22

Ra's tells Nyssa that she must marry Oliver or face death. Meanwhile, an unexpected ally travels to Starling City to ask Diggle, Felicity, and Laurel to help infiltrate Nanda Parbat. In the past, Maseo and Oliver try to find the cure for Akio before it's too late.

Cast & Chracters

character image Oliver Queen / Green Arrow

Oliver Queen / Green Arrow

Actor: Stephen Amell
character image Rene Ramirez / Wild Dog

Rene Ramirez / Wild Dog

Actor: Rick Gonzalez
character image Mia Smoak / Blackstar

Mia Smoak / Blackstar

Actor: Katherine McNamara
character image John Diggle / Spartan

John Diggle / Spartan

Actor: David Ramsey
character image Laurel Lance / Black Canary

Laurel Lance / Black Canary

Actor: Katie Cassidy
character image Dinah Drake / Black Canary

Dinah Drake / Black Canary

Actor: Juliana Harkavy
character image Connor Hawke

Connor Hawke

Actor: Joseph David-Jones
character image Adult William Clayton

Adult William Clayton

Actor: Ben Lewis

The highest rated episode of Arrow is "Lian Yu" (S5E23) with a rating of 9.60.

This episode received 8,452 votes.


The lowest rated episode is "Schism" (S4E23) with a rating of 5.60.

This episode received 5,829 votes.

The highest rated episode is "Sacrifice" (S1E23) with a rating of 9.40.

This episode received 8,583 votes.


The lowest rated episode is "Burned" (S1E10) with a rating of 7.60.

This episode received 5,238 votes.

The highest rated episode is "Unthinkable" (S2E23) with a rating of 9.40.

This episode received 8,027 votes.


The lowest rated episode is "Birds of Prey" (S2E17) with a rating of 8.00.

This episode received 4,452 votes.

The highest rated episode is "The Climb" (S3E9) with a rating of 9.50.

This episode received 12,584 votes.


The lowest rated episode is "Draw Back Your Bow" (S3E7) with a rating of 7.80.

This episode received 4,413 votes.

The highest rated episode is "Legends of Yesterday (II)" (S4E8) with a rating of 8.80.

This episode received 5,044 votes.


The lowest rated episode is "Schism" (S4E23) with a rating of 5.60.

This episode received 5,829 votes.

The highest rated episode is "Lian Yu" (S5E23) with a rating of 9.60.

This episode received 8,452 votes.


The lowest rated episode is "Spectre of the Gun" (S5E13) with a rating of 7.30.

This episode received 3,205 votes.

The highest rated episode is "Docket No. 11-19-41-73" (S6E21) with a rating of 8.70.

This episode received 2,552 votes.


The lowest rated episode is "Reversal" (S6E4) with a rating of 7.20.

This episode received 2,908 votes.

The highest rated episode is "The Slabside Redemption" (S7E7) with a rating of 9.20.

This episode received 3,753 votes.


The lowest rated episode is "My Name Is Emiko Queen" (S7E10) with a rating of 7.20.

This episode received 2,133 votes.

The highest rated episode is "Fadeout" (S8E10) with a rating of 9.20.

This episode received 3,785 votes.


The lowest rated episode is "Green Arrow & The Canaries" (S8E9) with a rating of 6.80.

This episode received 2,484 votes.

Name Department Job
Ken Shane Directing First Assistant Director
Mark Bunting Directing First Assistant Director
Beth Schwartz Production Executive Producer
Greg Berlanti Production Executive Producer
Marc Guggenheim Production Consulting Producer
Blake Neely Sound Original Music Composer

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