A very large percentage of anime adaptations will pull their material from a manga series, though there are certainly examples of anime originals and anime based on light novels that populate the landscape. Series such as My Hero Academia, Demon Slayer, Jujutsu Kaisen, and more have given some serious sales boosts as a result of being brought to the small screen. While there are countless examples of new anime series confirmed for this year, there are many manga that are worth checking out despite the fact that they have yet to receive anime adaptations.
Anime and manga have had an amazing track record in Japan over the years, but they have seen a surge all over the world as technology is able to connect more readers and viewers with content. North America specifically saw a major spike in manga sales as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, with many readers looking to pass the time during various quarantines. Surprisingly, sales have lessened little in the face of pandemic restrictions easing and the West continues to be prime consumers for all things anime and manga. Should some of these mentioned manga series receive television series, we would imagine sales will see a serious uptick.
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With this being said, let’s start listing off the biggest and best manga around that have yet to receive an anime series.
Sakamoto Days
Sakamoto Days features a protagonist who doesn’t quite look like your standard shonen hero like Luffy, Goku, Naruto, or Deku. Rather, it focuses on an older convenience store owner who harbors a dark secret, he was once one of the world’s greatest assassins. Ironically enough, the series also has a character with telepathy much like Spy x Family, adding some extra spice into the equation. First premiering in 2020, there have been rumors than an anime adaptation is on the way, but nothing has been confirmed and this makes for a manga well worthy checking out in the mean time.
DanDaDan
What happens when a ghost hunter and an alien enthusiast learn that both not only exist, but have given them strange new abilities? You get DandaDan. It’s almost criminal that this hasn’t received an anime adaptation as of yet considering the high octane, supernatural action held within its page. Created by Yukinobu Tatsu in 2021, the manga series focuses on Momo and Ken, with the former loving ghosts and the latter loving aliens but receiving the opposite powers of what they were expecting. Jam-packed with humor and action, DandaDan is dying for an anime series.
Vagabond
Vagabond is one of those legendary series that has yet to receive any sort of anime adaptation, probably because it seems impossible to adapt the work of Takehiko Inoue. First debuting in 1998, the series has been on hiatus for quite some time but an ending was created by the mangaka responsible for the series in case the manga doesn’t come to its grand finale. Following the story of Musashi Miyamoto, a samurai looking to become the strongest in the world, the series’ story and stunning artwork have made it a fan favorite.
20th Century Boys
Naoki Urasawa has made a name for himself as a manga creator with the likes of Monster and Pluto, with the former already receiving an anime adaptation and the latter aiming to get its own later this year. One of his biggest has yet to hit the scene in 20th Century Boys, a series the focuses on a group of childhood friends who are coming to grips with the idea that one of their friends might just bring about the end of the world. First debuting in 1999, the manga came to an end in 2006 and is primed to hit the anime world.
Fire Punch
Before there was Chainsaw Man, there was Fire Punch. Created by the author responsible for birthing Denji and his world of devils into the world, Tatsuki Fujimoto weaved this tale back in 2016 that followed a protagonist who had wild regenerative powers, which came with a heavy cost. With his village destroyed, the protagonist named Agni soon learns that his healing factor saves him from the fires that killed his home, but keeps him in a state of perpetual flame as a result.
What is your favorite manga that has yet to receive an anime series? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.
