10 Best Anime That Were Canceled Too Soon

May 30, 2024, 9 p.m.

Movies

10 Best Anime That Were Canceled Too Soon

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Summary Many great anime get canceled before finishing their story, leading to unsatisfying endings.

Some anime are forced to end on original endings while their stories finish in the manga.

Other anime simply have massive cliffhangers, despite never intending to follow them up.

While many anime have a problem with going on for far longer than they need to, just as many have a problem with being far too short than need be. Anime will sometimes end either before the source material can be fully adapted or so abruptly that there isn’t time to tell the story the writers wanted, leaving many anime with largely unsatisfying endings that can spoil the entire series.

Far too many great anime have had the misfortune of being canceled, and that’s especially unfortunate for a select few. Many anime with great stories and creative visuals were canceled before they could finish their stories, and for adaptations, their cancellations forced them to use original endings that completely ruined what people loved about their anime.

Sometimes, a cancellation is just a matter of waiting for a studio to be ready to put out new content, but for some anime, it makes more sense to just assume they’re done for good, no matter how hard that may be.

10 It’s You Guys’ Fault I’m Not Popular Never Got to Move Past Cringe Comedy

Anime series by Silver Link; Based on the manga by Nico Tanigawa

Silver Link’s No Matter How I Look at It, It’s You Guys’ Fault I’m Not Popular stars Tomoko Kuroki, a girl who goes into high school thinking that she can use her knowledge of dating sims to become the most popular girl in school. Predictably, her knowledge is completely worthless in real life, and she quickly becomes an antisocial loner spouting misanthropic diatribes at her peers while forcing herself through one humiliating experience after another.

While It’s You Guys’ Fault I’m Not Popular became famous for its use of cringe comedy, but after a few years, the manga switched gears to a more typical, if not still cynical, slice-of-life story that saw Tomoko become happier and make friends, all of which was constructed perfectly naturally. Unfortunately, No Matter How I Look at It, It’s You Guys’ Fault I’m Not Popular’s anime ended while it was still pure cringe comedy, and with how niche a series it was, to begin with, it’s unlikely to ever come back and show people what really made it a hit.

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9 Silver Spoon Showed How Versatile Fullmetal Alchemist’s Creator Could Be

Anime series by A-1 Pictures; Based on the manga by Hiromu Arakawa

Silver Spoon (2013) Writers Hiromu Arakawa Penciler(s) Hiromu Arakawa Inker(s) Hiromu Arakawa Publisher(s) Yen Press

A-1 Pictures’ Silver Spoon stars Yuugo Hachiken, a city boy who enrolls in the agricultural school Ezono after failing to get into the elite high school of his choice. While Hachiken thought Ezono would be easy and a nice relief from years of strenuous studying, he’s quick to discover how much work goes into the life of a farmer, and while it takes longer, he also comes to realize that farming might have been exactly what he was looking for in life.

Silver Spoon was the second major series by Fullmetal Alchemist’s Hiromu Arakawa, and it’s of similarly high quality. Through a combination of Hirakawa’s personal experiences and writing talent, Silver Spoon excellently combined stellar character writing with an entertainingly educational look into farming, and with the great direction of the anime to go along with that, Silver Spoon showed just how great Arakawa could be in any genre. The anime only ran for two seasons, however, and with that only covering the beginning of the story, fans have been left with no way to finish it aside from reading the manga.

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8 Sket Dance Only Adapted a Fraction Of What Made It a Cult Classic

Anime series by Tatsunoko Production; Based on the manga by Kenta Shinohara

Tatsunoko Production’s Sket Dance is a comedy series centered around the Sket Dan, a trio of high schoolers who dedicate their time to assisting people with their problems, no matter how big or small they may be. The Sket Dan consists of Bossun, the childish leader who can hyperfocus on anything while wearing his goggles, Himeko, a former delinquent with a girly side to her, and Switch, a tech-savvy nerd who only speaks through his computer, and despite how eccentric the three of them are, they’re often the normal ones in a school filled to the brim with bizarre characters.

Sket Dance maintains a notable cult following over a decade after its ending, and it’s easy to see why. Between its hilarious parody stylings and character-driven comedy and occasional moments of genuine heart and drama, Sket Dance was one of the best slice-of-life stories to come out of Weekly Shonen Jump, and the stellar direction of the anime only served to further enhance that idea. The anime never adapted some of the best storylines, however, and with the manga never being licensed in English, there’s unfortunately no way for people to finish such a classic series.

7 Rave Master Ended Right Before It Started to Truly Become Great

Anime series by Studio Deen; Based on the manga by Hiro Mashima

Rave Master Cast Yuri Lowenthal , Michelle Ruff , Mona Marshall , Doug Erholtz , Tom Kenny , Doug Stone , Bob Glouberman Release Date October 13, 2001 Seasons 2 Franchise(s) Rave Master Writers Nobuaki Kishima , Hiro Mashima Directors Takashi Watanabe Main Genre Fantasy Creator(s) Hiro Mashima Expand

Studio Deen’s Rave Master takes place 50 years after the titular Rave Master saved the world from destruction with the power of the five Rave stones, with four out of five of them being scattered across the world in the aftermath. In the present day, a terrorist organization called Demon Card is bringing new evil to the world with the power of magic weapons called Dark Brings, and it’s up to the new Rave Master, Haru Glory, to travel across the world to find the Rave stones and save the world from destruction.

While Hiro Mashima is best known for creating Fairy Tail and Edens Zero, Rave Master is probably his best work, despite also being his first. The writing in Rave Master has a level of craft and maturity that’s often absent from Hiro Mashima’s later works, and while it wasn’t perfect, the anime did a great job of adapting that into animation. Unfortunately, the anime ended right before the point where the story would truly come into its own, and with Rave Master being largely forgotten in favor of Mashima’s other works, it’s unlikely to ever see a continuation.

6 No Game No Life Was an Isekai Anime Unlike Any Other

Anime series by Madhouse; Based on the light novel by Yuu Kamiya

No Game No Life Where to Watch *Availability in US stream

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buy Not available Not available Not available Cast Yoshitsugu Matsuoka , Ai Kayano Release Date April 9, 2014 Seasons 1 Directors Atsuko Ishizuka

Madhouse’s No Game No Life is centered around Sora and Shiro, two reclusive gamers collectively known as Blank and are regarded as the best gamers in the world. After beating someone claiming to be a God in a game of chess, Sora and Shiro find themselves transported to Disboard, a mystical realm where 16 races settle their disputes with elaborate and dangerous games. Immanity, Disboard’s equivalent to humans, is the lowest-ranked race in Disboard, and as such, the duo of Blank throw their lot in with them and show the other races why they’re the best gamers there are.

No Game No Life is one of the most famous cases of a great anime being unceremoniously canceled. No Game No Life was a major hit thanks to its unique premise, colorful cast, and equally colorful art and animation, but despite its popularity, the only extra material it’s received over the past decade has been a prequel film in 2017. No Game No Life never receiving new content while anime older than it do has become something of a joke among fans, but that doesn’t make its lack of a second season any less disappointing.

5 Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury Was Too Short & Too Rushed

Anime series by Sunrise; Directed by Hiroshi Kobayashi & Ryō Andō

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury is the latest mainline series from Sunrise’s iconic Gundam franchise. In year 122 of the Ad Stella timeline, tensions between the Spacians of the colonies and the Earthians of a desolate Earth are at an all-time high, but Suletta Mercury, an awkward Mobile Suit pilot from Mercury, just wants to go to school and make friends for the first time in her life. All of that is quickly complicated, however, by terrorist plots, a mysterious connection to the deadly Gundams, and her surprise engagement to the resident princess of the academy.

It came as a shock when it was revealed that Witch from Mercury would only have 24 episodes, and unfortunately, people were right to be concerned. Despite its gorgeous animation and having the franchise's first female lead, Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury’s second half is incredibly rushed with its story and character arcs and resolves very little by the finale, and it’s to the point that it’s easy to assume the writers didn’t plan on it being so short. A show as groundbreaking as Witch from Mercury deserved a longer run, but unfortunately, that won’t be happening anytime soon.

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4 Slam Dunk Is One of Anime’s Most Iconic Sports Stories That Never Truly Finished

Anime series by Toei Animation; Based on the manga by Takehiko Inoue

Slam Dunk Cast Hisao Egawa , Eriko Hara , Akiko Hiramatsu , Yukimasa Kishino , Takeshi Kusao , Hikaru Midorikawa , Toshiyuki Morikawa , Tomomichi Nishimura , Ryôtarô Okiayu , Yoku Shioya , Hideyuki Tanaka Release Date October 6, 1993 Seasons 1 Franchise(s) Slam Dunk Writers Nobuaki Kishima , Yoshiyuki Suga Directors Nobutaka Nishizawa Main Genre Sports Creator(s) Takehiko Inoue Streaming Service(s) Crunchyroll Expand

Toei Animation’s Slam Dunk stars Hanamichi Sakuragi, a delinquent high schooler who lies about being a genius at basketball to impress a girl, despite Sakuragi having never so much as touched a basketball in his life before. Nevertheless, Sakuragi works his way onto his school’s basketball team, and not only does there end up being some truth to his claims of being a genius, but Sakuragi slowly begins to love the sport more than he ever thought he would.

Slam Dunk is one of the most iconic anime franchises from the 1990s, but even it couldn’t avoid cancellation. Like many anime from that period, Slam Dunk was plagued with filler and bad pacing, and after a few years, the Slam Dunk anime ended on an unceremonious filler arc without its final arc ever being animated. It took 30 years for the final story of the final arc to be animated via the CG film The First Slam Dunk, but that still leaves a lot of the manga unaccounted for, something that’s incredibly odd for such an iconic franchise.

3 Magi: The Labyrinth Of Magic Ended on the Biggest Cliffhanger Possible

Anime series by A-1 Pictures; Based on the manga by Shinobu Ohtaka

Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic (2012) Cast Erica Mendez , Erik Scott Kimerer , Cristina Valenzuela , Matthew Mercer , Lucien Dodge , Darrel Guilbeau , Stephanie Sheh Release Date October 7, 2012 Seasons 2 Streaming Service(s) Crunchyroll Franchise(s) Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic Writers Hiroyuki Yoshino Directors Koji Masunari , Naotaka Hayashi Main Genre Fantasy Creator(s) Shinobu Ohtaka Expand

A-1 Pictures’ Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic takes place in an Arabian Night-inspired world where people challenge mysterious and deadly dungeons to obtain enough wealth and power to become major players in the world overnight. Among the people challenging dungeons is the duo of Aladdin and Alibaba, and while the two of them initially just wanted to go on adventures and see the world, they soon find themselves involved in conspiracies political and magical alike that all tie into the fate of their entire universe.

Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic was a truly standout anime of the 2010s. The series quickly struck a chord with fans and critics alike thanks to its engaging cast and intricate worldbuilding, and the manga is held in similarly high regard. Despite the praise, though, Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic ended unceremoniously after two seasons on a major cliffhanger, one that should have preceded some of the biggest plot twists and reveals in the entire story. It’s unknown why the anime ended so abruptly, and with over a decade having gone by, it’s unlikely to ever see a continuation.

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2 Zatch Bell! Has One of Anime’s Most Infamous Original Endings

Anime series by Toei Animation; Based on the manga by Makoto Raiku

Zatch Bell! Cast debi derryberry , jason spisak , Richard Steven Horvitz , Jeff Nimoy , Dave Wittenberg , Melissa Fahn Release Date April 6, 2003 Seasons 3 Franchise(s) Zatch Bell! Writers Akatsuki Yamatoya , Hiroshi Hashimoto Directors Tetsuharu Nakamura , Yukio Kaizawa Main Genre Action Creator(s) Makoto Raiku Expand

Toei Animation’s Zatch Bell!, also known as Konjiki no Gash!!, stars Kiyomaro Takamine, an arrogant genius who, one day, meets Zatch Bell, an amnesiac young boy sent to Kiyomaro by his father to help him make friends. As it turns out, though, Zatch is one of 100 demons fighting in a battle to determine the next king of the demon realm, and coincidentally, Kiyomaro is the human who has to work with Zatch and call upon his lightning magic to fight anyone who comes after them.

While Zatch Bell! didn’t always have the best art or animation, the action, characters, and writing that was both comedic and heartfelt still made it a great anime to watch in the 2000s. Unfortunately, the final arc of the Zatch Bell! anime infamously rewrote almost the entire story and gave the show an original ending, all of which ruined the anime as a whole. Zatch Bell! has regained a lot of relevancy thanks to its new sequel, Zatch Bell! 2, so its anime might get a reboot one day, but that, of course, is all purely hypothetical.

1 The Melancholy Of Haruhi Suzumiya Didn’t Deserve to End the Way It Did

Anime series by Kyoto Animation; Based on the light novel by Nagaru Tanigawa

One of the best anime to come out of Kyoto Animation, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya stars the sarcastic slacker Kyon who finds himself drawn to the eccentric Haruhi Suzumiya and forced into the SOS Brigade, a club of her own design dedicated to uncovering supernatural oddities. To Kyon’s surprise, the other club members are each one of the oddities Haruhi is looking for, as all of them have gathered to observe Haruhi’s godlike powers and keep her from accidentally destroying the world, something that Haruhi, much to Kyon’s annoyance, must be kept in the dark about at all times.

Between its clever writing, engaging cast, and the always incredible direction of Kyoto Animation, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya was once seen as the most popular anime in the world. All of that makes it all the more surprising that The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya abruptly ended in 2010 when it was still a major juggernaut. The film worked as an ending, but it still left multiple books unadapted and multiple storylines unfinished. Haruhi is one of the best anime from Kyoto Animation, and as such, it’s easily one of the best anime that were canceled too soon.