Some anime series are able to hit the ground running, and spend years in the spotlight putting out high-quality productions with consistency. These are often the most acclaimed titles in the industry, and still very few are able to stay on-top without losing much, if any, momentum in the process.
However,other shows aren’t quite able to manage such feats. Whether it is because they’ve become far too successful to let them die, or those writing the stories simply lost sight of what made them so special to begin with, some anime series should have ended far sooner.
The 2012 dystopian cyberpunk anime seriesPsycho-Passdelivered a thought-provoking detective story inspired by some of the most popular works the genre has to offer, and its original 22-episode run quickly became a fan-favorite. Packing in meaningful character development while exploring psychological themes,Psycho-Passseemed destined to become a one-season classic.
However, subsequent sequels and spin-offs all but abandoned those original themes, and instead prioritized action and pointlessly convoluted plot threads while dulling the impact of the original series. The latest installment in the series was released in 2023, and there’s been no official news regarding a potential season four.
Tokyo Ghoularrived on the scene in 2014 and immediately won over large portions of the anime community. Appearing set to become one of the industry’s next-gen smash-hit titles alongside the likes ofAttack on Titan,the series immediately shot itself in the foot with its second season, and hasn’t really ever recovered.
The subsequentTokyo Ghoul:rethen released, which was built upon developments that exclusively took place in the manga, leaving fans confused about what they were seeing.
For some unknown reason, studio Pierrot moved away fromTokyo Ghoul’s source material entirely in its second season, eventually bringing the anime to its own original conclusion separate from the manga. The subsequentTokyo Ghoul:rethen released, which was built upon developments that exclusively took place in the manga, leaving fans confused about what they were seeing.
Fans are still calling for a faithful remakeover a decade on fromTokyo Ghoul’s anime conclusion.
Fairy Tailwas one of the biggest names in anime for a time during the early to mid-2010s. The series rose to popularity largely due to its engaging narrative and strong characters, but it was never truly without its issues. Nevertheless, despite pacing issues even in its earliest sections, there was a charm toFairy Tailthat kept viewers coming back for more.
By its end, however,that charm wasn’t quite as effective as it was years earlier. Its later arcs started to become somewhat repetitive and were drawn out over long stretches of rather sleepy episodes. A large portion of its own fan base had walked away by the time the nearly 350-episode series reached its resting point.
One Pieceis one of the most popularWeekly Shōnen Jumpadaptations in history, and it continues to enjoy seemingly endless success almost three decades after its premiere. Everything from its world building to its characters remains top-notch,but the series is simply too long.
Long-time fans or those who grew up alongsideOne Piecewouldn’t take much issue with getting more of it, but no general anime fan who isn’t already invested in some way is likely to commit to nearly 1,200 episodes of any show. Even skipping any and all filler would result in a 300-plus hour runtime.
The upcoming remake by Wit Studiomight attract new fans, but the original anime series is just too long for the average viewer.
There was a time whenRent-A-Girlfriendwas widely considered to be an exciting new rom-com series. Those days have largely passed, and there are now fans begging for the series to finally come to an end. Now in its fourth season, there’s been little to no character growth to speak of, and whatever romance the series offersisn’t really anything to feel good about.
Its source material now spans over 350 chapters, and still hasn’t offered much development in the characters themselves or in the relationships they share. For a series that’s been ongoing as long asRent-A-Girlfriendhas,nothing of note has really ever happened.
The originalEureka Sevenanime series has garnered quite a bit of praise over the two decades since its initial premiere, and it’s incredibly deserving. The series features visually impressive mecha action, an engaging narrative and characters, and writing by Dai Sato, who also contributed to titles likeCowboy BebopandGhost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex.
Eureka Sevencame to a satisfying enough conclusion, but later returned with a number of sequels and spin-off series and movies. Some questions that remained from the original series are answered in later entries, but compared to what came before,recent follow-ups have largely lackedEureka Seven’s magic.
Naruto, likeOne Piece, is one of the most beloved anime and manga franchises ever, and though it reached a conclusion years ago, fans continue to celebrate the series decades on from its debut. However, its original anime adaptation is a bit of a different story.
TheNarutoandNaruto: Shippudenanime series didn’t come to a bad conclusion—rather, the series stretched itself out withan abundance of filler materialthat didn’t add all that much to its main overarching narrative. Combined, the two shows come in at just over 700 episodes, a number that would be significantly lower without all the filler.
Premiering back in 1996,Case Closed, better known asDetective Conan, is one of the few shows that can rivalOne Piecein its length, and it’s alsoone of the most successful anime and manga franchises ever. However, more than a thousand episodes later, it seems the overarching plot has been all but lost.
Protagonist Shinichi Kudo, who adopts the pseudonym Conan Edogawa, was turned into a child by the Black Organization decades ago, and despite all the crimes he’s solved, he’s yet to make much progress towards returning to his normal age. Considering just how popular the series remains,he may just be too profitable to ever solve the series' biggest puzzle.
The Promised Neverlandis arguably anime’s saddest case of a series just dropping the ball. After a highly acclaimed and wildly successful first season in 2019, fans couldn’t wait to see what awaited the children beyond the walls of the orphanage. By the time season two concluded, however, most fans wished they could forget what they saw.
Instead of spreading the source material across a larger number of episodes, CloverWorks used its second season to speed towards a largely incoherent and incredibly unsatisfying ending that cut major sections from the original manga. It isn’t so much thatThe Promised Neverlandshould have ended sooner,rather it should have ended properly.
The Seven Deadly Sinswas one of the most popular anime franchises of the 2010s, and still boasts a considerable following years after its final season aired. However, by the time its fourth season rolled around in 2021, large portions of that following had already stepped away from the series.
Unlike other shows, which have kept much of their quality but have simply gone on too long,The Seven Deadly Sinslimped to the finish line. Following the conclusion of the 10 Commandments arc in its second season, the series meandered and stumbled along without much direction until it finally concluded years later.
Everything from its narrative to its visual quality took a nose dive as time went on, leading to an underwhelming final act.
