Top 10 Great Anime Series That Were ABANDONED

WatchMojo

These gems didn't deserve to be discarded! Join Ashley as we look over amazing anime that haven't been further developed since their debut

Transcript

00:00Welcome to WatchMojo and today we're counting down our picks for the anime series that were

00:15dropped despite the potential for more story or with more material to adapt.

00:21We won't be including any shows that got proper reboots.

00:35In a time when isekai anime are everywhere, it's shocking that one as original as this

00:41never got a season 2.

00:50Step-siblings Sora and Shiro are an unbeatable gaming team who are transported to a world

00:57where everything is decided by games.

01:00With nothing but their wits, this duo plan to climb to the top of their New World's

01:06despite humans being regarded as the weakest of the world's races.

01:19The mind games and unexpected reversals at play are incredibly entertaining.

01:25Some of these games still live in our heads rent-free over a decade later, not to mention

01:30that killer soundtrack.

01:38Sure we got a prequel film, but a life with no game, no life is no life at all.

01:48Sports anime often have trouble maintaining their popularity, particularly if they're

01:52anime originals.

01:54Yuri on Ice sees a young Japanese figure skater competing with a Russian skater who shares

02:00his eponymous name, while at the same time deepening his relationship with his coach,

02:05Victor.

02:14The series made a big mark when it debuted, thanks to its beautiful animation and depiction

02:20of gay romance, both of which everyone was happy to see more of.

02:27However, the planned film never materialized, nor did a season two.

02:35Yuri on Ice was born to make history, and while it already has, we'd love to see it

02:40make more.

02:498.

02:50Reborn

02:51It may not have been one of the big three, but Reborn was still one of the most popular

02:56shounen series of the 2000s.

03:08The story follows Tsuna Sawada, a Japanese high schooler told that he's the heir to

03:13an Italian mafia gang.

03:15Initially hesitant and cowardly, Tsuna, under the guidance of the infant hitman Reborn,

03:22creates a crew of his own that battles against powerful rivals with supernatural abilities.

03:32Unfortunately, the anime ended without adapting the manga's last two arcs that would have

03:40given fans some much-needed closure and answers.

03:44But Reborn fans' dying will-modes weren't enough to save it.

03:527.

03:55iShield 21

03:58Another sports anime that ended before its time, iShield 21 is about Sena, a high school

04:03boy who reluctantly joins his school's American football team, the Devil Bats.

04:15Despite his initial reservations, he soon becomes the team's star running back.

04:20He even has to protect his identity with the titular iShield, pretending to be the team's

04:25assistant so other teams won't try to recruit him.

04:35Although the series did increase the popularity of the sport in Japan, it wasn't enough

04:39to stop the show from being cancelled.

04:42And the Devil Bats never even made it to the Christmas bowl.

04:496.

04:52Drifters

04:54What if various historical figures were dropped into a fantasy world and forced to battle

04:58to save it?

05:00Such is the fantastic premise devised by Hellsing creator, Hirano Kota.

05:11The mash-up of larger-than-life figures from history makes for some surprising, bloody

05:16and often hilarious interactions, both among the famous faces and with the fantasy races

05:22they meet.

05:30While a second season was promised, and a few OVAs were released on DVD, a full-blown

05:35season two seems unlikely, given the manga's sporadic release schedule.

05:39We have our fingers crossed for more OVAs, though.

05:495.

05:50Hajime no Ippo

05:52When it comes to boxing anime, Hajime no Ippo is easily the champion.

06:08The series follows the titular Ippo, a teenage boxer, on his journey to become the best.

06:14Along the way, Ippo's peers and rivals get plenty of development too, with their fights

06:19getting equal attention.

06:29And yet, despite the show's quality, only about half of Hajime no Ippo has been adapted

06:35on screen.

06:36To put that into perspective, when the manga started, the Berlin Wall was still standing.

06:41While some deaths among the main cast and some poor sales may have hurt chances of the

06:46anime continuing, we're hoping it can punch above its weight class to get a continuation.

06:594.

07:03Kaiji

07:04When the eponymous Kaiji finds himself saddled with a debt, he finds himself embroiled in

07:09the world of high-stakes gambling.

07:21Each game he gets involved with masterfully ratchets up the tension and stakes to the

07:26point where you'll be chewing your fingernails with worry yourself.

07:40Kaiji is another anime whose source material has been running for a long time.

07:44Yet, despite the ample material available, and a few spin-offs getting anime of their

07:49own, the series has yet to get another season.

07:52Who do we have to make a wager with to ensure it does?

08:013.

08:07Outlaw Star

08:08This underrated space western classic may not have achieved the same success as contemporaries

08:13like Cowboy Bebop or even Trigun, but it's still a quality show.

08:26The adventures of Gene Starwind and the rest of the crew of The Outlaw Star featured plenty

08:31of humour and flair.

08:42Despite the manga continuing, and there even being a spin-off anime, Outlaw Star tragically

08:47wasn't popular enough in Japan to earn a follow-up.

08:51So despite that tease at the end of the series, we'll probably never see any more adventures.

09:012.

09:04Bakuno

09:05Why this absolute gem of an anime wasn't a bigger hit, we'll never know.

09:21The series follows simultaneous plots of a group of criminals, ne'er-do-wells, and immortals

09:27aboard a train bound for New York City, and flashbacks to a mafia conflict with more immortals

09:33in the Big Apple.

09:38Sure the non-linear narrative can take some getting used to, but each and every character

09:43in this ensemble is entertaining in their own way, and they all bounce off each other

09:49like they're from the films of Quentin Tarantino or Guy Ritchie.

09:53Even the dub is great.

09:55And with the light novels and manga still running, it's not like there isn't more

09:59material.

10:20If you're on your phone, make sure to go into your settings and switch on notifications.

10:251.

10:26Berserk

10:28Look, we know there's been Berserk anime after this one, but let's be honest, they

10:32don't measure up.

10:33They don't even feel like the same show.

10:42A few skipped elements aside, this is still the best adaptation of the dark fantasy masterpiece

10:48we've gotten so far, and it only covers the first two arcs.

11:03It may be decades old at this point, but it perfectly captures the tragic, grim atmosphere

11:09of the life of Guts.

11:10The battles are epic, the music is profoundly moving, and the ending still gives us nightmares.

11:17We can only envy the world where the anime continued with this production team, and hope

11:32that our world gets the continuation or reboot Berserk deserves someday.

11:48Is there an anime deserted by its creators that we left out?

11:52Don't forsake us.

11:53Share your favourites in the comments below.

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