10 Anime Sequels Fans Wish Were Never Made

Anime, like any media, is never immune to unnecessary sequels; even if an anime has what should be a natural stopping point, whether it’s because people want to keep profiting off of it or because the creators don’t know when to stop, there’s always a chance a story will just keep going, even if it isn’t completely warranted.

Granted, there are many times when sequels are welcome additions to their franchises, but unfortunately, it’s far too common for sequels to fail so spectacularly in one way or another that fans will question why they were even created. Anime is especially bad about that, and when looking at a few sequels in particular, it’s easy to see why.

10) Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V

Studio Gallop’s Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V is the fifth installment in the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime franchise. Aspiring Dueltainer Yuya Sakaki shocks the world when he obtains a new type of monster called Pendulum Monsters, and it ends up sending him and his friends on a path that puts the fate of the entire multiverse in their hands.

Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V started strong with a unique premise and fun tributes to Yu-Gi-Oh!’s legacy, but with its inconsistent tone, poorly developed characters, and a tedious final arc with a nonsensical ending, Arc-V lost nearly all goodwill by the end of its run. Many people consider Arc-V to be the worst Yu-Gi-Oh! series, and overall, it’s easy to see why.

9) Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS

Seven Arcs’ Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS is the third installment in the Lyrical Nanoha franchise. 10 years after A’s, Nanoha and her friends, now senior agents in the Time-Space Administration Bureau, are leading a group of rookies in the newly-formed Riot Force 6, and it isn’t long before they’re involved in a major conspiracy that threatens the entire universe.

Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS lost much of the franchise’s appeal by aging Nanoha and her friends into adults, and it was made worse by then sidelining them in favor of new characters of varying appeal and a tedious and largely boring story. Opinions on StrikerS have improved in recent years, but unfortunately, that doesn’t make it any less divisive.

8) Code Geass R2

Code Geass R2 is the name of the second season of Sunrise’s Code Geass. A year after the Black Knight’s failed rebellion, Japan is suffering under Britannian rule more than ever, so when Lelouch reclaims his role as Zero and rebuilds the Black Knights, he’ll have an even bigger fight ahead of him to create a peaceful world for Nunnally.

Not only did R2 increase the anime’s fanservice to a distracting degree, but the series was also plagued with poor character development and contrived plot twists that led to one of the most divisive anime endings of the 2000s. The Code Geass film trilogy kick-started a new continuity to fix those issues, but it doesn’t make R2 any less disappointing.

7) Eureka Seven Hi-Evolution

Bones Film’s Eureka Seven Hi-Evolution is a film trilogy based on the original Eureka Seven anime. While initially presented as a simple reimagining of the anime, the films soon develop into an original plot that’s not only darker than the original anime, but also serves as a finale for the franchise as a whole.

Not only is Eureka Seven Hi-Evolution often needlessly dark, but with much of that centered around deconstructing the original anime for an often hard-to-follow story, it’s hard to find anything good about it. Hi-Evolution strikes a clear parallel to Rebuild of Evangelion, but while Rebuild was a celebration of its franchise, Hi-Evolution seems only to have disdain for it.

6) Boruto: Naruto Next Generations

Studio Pierrot’s Boruto: Naruto Next Generations is the direct sequel to the iconic Naruto anime. Years after Naruto Uzumaki saved the world and became Hokage, Naruto’s son, Boruto, has started his own journey as a ninja, and despite the world being in a new era of peace, Boruto’s journey is poised to become even more dangerous than his father’s.

With its poor pacing and controversial handling of old and new characters, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations has always struggled to justify its existence, and even after a decade, that hasn’t changed in the slightest. Much of the hate levied at Boruto is overblown, but unfortunately, it’s far too easy to see why people dislike it so much.

5) Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope’s Peak High School

Lerche’s Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope’s Peak High School is the grand finale of Danganronpa’s original story. The series is split into two alternating stories: Future Arc, which saw Naegi and the Future Foundation thrown into another death game, and Despair Arc, which served as an origin story for the Remnants of Despair and the plot as a whole.

Between wasting old and new characters alike, retconning major plot points from the games, and a final act with a nonsensical and contrived ending, Danganronpa 3 is an all-around terrible finale that completely spits on everything good about the series, and the only reason it isn’t more hated is that its immediate follow-up, Danganronpa V3, was somehow even more controversial.

4) Higurashi When They Cry — Gou

Passione’s Higurashi When They Cry — Gou is the latest entry into the Higurashi franchise. After seemingly earning her happy ending, Rika Furude suddenly finds herself back in the loop of the Hinamizawa murders, and with her running out of time loops, she doesn’t have long to find the one responsible and set things right.

Not only are Gou and its direct sequel, Sotsu, filled with gratuitous gore, even by Higurashi’s standards, but between its slow pacing and the utterly contrived reasoning for the villain’s plot, the series is an all-around inferior sequel that never justifies its existence. It’s hardly the first Higurashi sequel, but it’s the first one to feel so disingenuous.

3) Psycho-Pass 2

Tatsunoko Production’s Psycho-Pass 2 is the direct follow-up to the original Psycho-Pass anime. Over a year after the first series, a more mature Akane Tsunemori is leading Division One in Kogami’s absence, and her leadership is fully put to the test when they have to solve a series of murders relating to the mysterious Kamui.

While Psycho-Pass was praised for its clever writing, Psycho-Pass 2 dumbs everything down into a generic action story, even when it’s inconsistent with pre-established lore, and the result is almost a series that’s almost a parody of itself. The franchise has miraculously recovered in the years to follow, but Psycho-Pass 2 will always be a stain on the franchise’s legacy.

2) The Promised Neverland Season 2

Season 2 of CloverWorks’ The Promised Neverland picked up right where season 1 left off, with Emma and Ray successfully leading their friends in their escape from Grace Field House. From there, everyone headed into the wilderness to find the mysterious William Minerva for help, and their quest to do so slowly revealed all the hidden secrets of their reality.

Not only did The Promised Neverland season 2 cut out the manga’s iconic Goldy Pond arc, but with its poor pacing and contrived storytelling, it’s an all-around inferior take on the manga in every regard. The Promised Neverland was once one of the biggest anime around, but after season 2, it’s become nothing but a joke.

1) Dragon Ball GT

Toei Animation’s Dragon Ball GT is the first sequel to the original Dragon Ball story. Five years after Dragon Ball Z, Goku is turned into a child by the powerful Black Star Dragon Balls, and now he has to travel the universe with Trunks and his granddaughter, Pan, to recollect them before their magic destroys the Earth in one year.

With its poor pacing and visuals, inconsistent tone, and an aesthetic that feels far removed from Dragon Ball’s identity, Dragon Ball GT has always been an infamous part of the franchise, with Super Saiyan 4 Goku being the only thing fans agree on liking. 

People were writing Dragon Ball GT off as non-canon even before Dragon Ball Super, and with that in mind, there’s no better contender for the most divisive anime sequel.

All Of These Great Anime Have Been Waiting On Sequel Series For Far Too Long