Sometimes, even the best older anime benefit from a little bit of polish, and the best anime remakes can bring new life to these older properties. Whether they are telling the story over again from the beginning or kickstarting a brand-new continuity, they provide a fresh look at some of the classics. If they’re lucky, they might even become the definitive anime adaptation of a manga.
The best remakes and reboots bring something new and fun to the table. This can be anything from a more refined art style and improved animation to a new story, or a continuation of the manga’s as-of-yet unadapted story. Most importantly, it both excites fans of the original and introduces new fans to a property that they may have otherwise overlooked.
10 Trigun Stampede (2023)
The latest reboot of a classic to hit the small screens, Trigun Stampede started the year off with a bang. It takes inspiration from Yasuhiro Nightow’s original manga and its 1998 anime adaptation and introduces brand-new takes on the story of Vash the Stampede and his struggle to find his place among humanity. Trigun Stampede introduces computer animation to show off the barrenness and beauty alike of Noman’s Land as well as Vash’s inhuman powers.
Related: Trigun Stampede Finale Review: A Perfectly Explosive Ending
The biggest change to the story, other than shuffling the timeline of events around, is putting Vash’s relationship with his much crueler brother Knives front and center. As alien Plants, a species used by humans for energy, the twins disagree violently on how to treat humanity. While Knives wants to wipe them out and create a paradise for Plants, Vash is determined to help them all coexist and refuses to allow anyone to kill. The result is a reboot that adds a lot, even for fans of the 1998 classic.
9 JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure (2012)
When Phantom Blood hit the scene in 2012, it was a smash hit in a fandom that had only the 1993 OVAs to look to for animated content. While the OVAs only adapted Stardust Crusaders, the show proper is steadily working its way through each part of the manga. Every adaptation better adapts JoJo’s iconic high-energy battles and striking visuals. Though the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure anime is rumored to end with Part 6, everything it’s animated so far has been well received by fans and newcomers alike.
In addition, Part 6 included an in-universe reboot as well. Pucci’s ultimate plan to achieve Heaven, which is very nearly completed, involves resetting the world’s timeline and creating a new continuity, erasing the one fans were following this whole time. Should Part 7, Steel Ball Run, receive an animated adaptation, it will technically also count as a reboot of the series as well.
8 DEVILMAN Crybaby (2018)
Go Nagai’s manga Devilman was shocking and subversive upon its original 1972 release. The intense and graphic supernatural horror spawned several adaptations, including films, OVAs, and the original 1970s anime. Audiences couldn’t get enough of the superpowered Akira Fudo and his fight to rid the Earth of demonic invaders.
As the success of DEVILMAN Crybaby proved, they still can’t. The iconic animation style of Masaaki Yuasa, of Inu-Oh and The Tatami Galaxy fame, matches the energy of the franchise perfectly and brought the director considerable international recognition. Crybaby reinvigorated interest in the franchise and introduced audiences to new and interesting takes on classic characters.
7 Dororo (2019)
Osamu Tezuka is responsible for many manga titles that remain influential today, such as Astro Boy and Black Jack. His historical fantasy manga Dororo received an anime adaptation in 1969. This show was one of the first entries of World Masterpiece Theater, a series most famous for airing anime adaptations of classic literature.
On its fiftieth anniversary, the anime got a fresh new remake. Its sharp, sleek designs lose the softness of Tezuka’s classic style, but makes up for it with fast-paced action scenes and a tighter story. It also lends more depth to some of the main characters, such as Tahomaru, who is given more complex feelings towards his estranged, cursed older brother Hyakkimaru.
6 The Heroic Legend Of Arslan (2015)
Prince Arslan has gone through many adaptations since his origin in the Persian epic poem, “Amir Arsalan-e Namdar.” From Yoshiki Tanaka and Yoshitaka Amano’s 1980s fantasy novels, to their manga adaptations, to the nineties OVA and films, to video games and audio dramas, there’s plenty of his story to explore. His most recent iteration comes from Hiromu Arakawa, creator of Fullmetal Alchemist and Silver Spoon.
In the 2015 anime adaptation of Arakawa’s manga, soft-spoken but determined Arslan proves to be one of the best princes in anime. When a neighboring country invades his kingdom of Pars, Arslan must go on the run and find the strength to fight back. Though his cruel father Andragoras will never accept him, Arslan’s people soon recognize his kindness and devotion to them.
5 Ushio And Tora (2015 – 2016)
When Ushio Aotsuki is tasked with cleaning out his family’s shrine, he has no idea it will change his life. He frees a tigerlike youkai from his imprisonment and, finding himself able to control him, names him Tora. The two must learn to work together to tackle the stream of other youkai that Ushio accidentally set loose as well.
Ushio and Tora fans believe it should also have a live-action film adaptation as well. But they were impressed by the anime’s reboot. Its 39 episodes don’t always follow the original manga as closely as the 10-episode OVA did, but the art and storytelling style both retain the nostalgic nineties feel that shonen audiences appreciate.
4 Hellsing Ultimate (2006)
2002’s original Hellsing anime is excellent Halloween fare. Based on Kouta Hirano’s 1997 manga, it centers around Britain’s Royal Order of Protestant Knights: better known as the Hellsing Organization. Led by the cold and determined Integra Hellsing and her vampiric devotee Alucard, Hellsing fights every night to protect humanity from the undead and demonic.
Ultimate is an interesting form of remake. It’s a case in which the OVAs that focus on specific parts of canon came after the full-length series. Ultimate has since eclipsed the original anime in popularity for its sharp increase in animation quality and closer adherence to the manga’s plot.
3 Fruits Basket (2019)
The original 2001 adaptation of Natsuki Takaya’s incredibly successful manga was one of the most popular fantasy shoujo anime of all time. Orphaned high schooler Tohru Honda moves in with her mysterious classmate Yuki Sohma and his cousins, and discovers that the family is under a shapeshifting curse. As she fights to free them, her friendship also encourages the cursed Sohmas to change as people as well.
However, the manga’s story continued well past the first anime’s filler ending, only concluding in 2006. For years fans worldwide clamored for a full adaptation and finally got their wish in 2019. With returning voice actors and improved animation quality, the reboot adapts the manga’s story from beginning to end, and even includes a spin-off movie about Tohru’s parents.
2 Hunter X Hunter (2011)
With Yoshihiro Togashi’s manga still ongoing and far from finished, it’s debatable whether a beginning-to-end adaptation of Hunter x Hunter will ever be possible. However, fans still have two lengthy anime adaptations to choose from. A 62-episode anime aired from 1999 to 2001, and a reboot began airing ten years later, making it to 148 episodes.
Related: Hunter X Hunter’s Creator Confirms The Series’ Return (Again)
2011 adapts far more of the manga’s plot, adhering closely to it. Its bright and energetic art and animation style contrasts sharply with the 1999 anime’s cooler tones. In addition, the 1999 anime stops right before the Chimera Ant Arc, while the reboot depicts both that famously horrifying arc and the following Election Arc in all their glory.
1 Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (2009)
When the first anime adaptation of Hiromu Arakawa’s manga came out in 2004, the manga was still ongoing. As it was lacking in material to animate, it incorporated several filler episodes and an entirely original ending that remains controversial among fans today. With the manga concluding in 2010, the anime was now able to follow along and adapt the entire story.
Related: How Fullmetal Alchemist and Brotherhood Are Different
It’s one of the must-see anime for beginners for good reason. The Elric brothers’ quest to restore their bodies after a failed attempt to resurrect their mother ends up dragging them into a deep-rooted plot to end the world. In addition to an epic story, the show boasts lovable characters and some of the coolest fight scenes in shounen anime.
Reboots and remakes are typically intended to improve upon the original anime or manga. However, they are at the same time very often the products of love for the source material. Old fans can enjoy a fresh take on a favorite, while introducing new fans to something they may not have otherwise known about. The best anime remakes and reboots can really make the old new again.
