With reboots of older anime like Fruits Basket, Devilman (better known now as Devilman Crybaby), and Shaman King proving to be successes, more and more older shows are being rebooted. This has not only given them new life with better animation and a narrative that follows the manga more closely but it’s also introduced them to a wider audience. Furthermore, it's given older audiences a chance to see their favorite shows with overall better quality.
But there are still a lot of anime shows that could use a reboot for a variety of reasons. Some ended abruptly, others deviated from their respective manga source, and some were great but could use a reboot just to be upgraded to better animation.
10 Yu Yu Hakusho
Yu Yu Hakusho is a series that is near and dear to the hearts of its longtime fans. A reboot with modern animation would not only be a nice refreshment but also be a great chance to introduce it to new fans. The fourth and final season of the show rushed the plot of the Demon World Tournament arc and there was so much to tell that anime-only fans never got to see. While it wasn’t the worst final season to a show, Yu Yu Hakusho definitely deserves better.
It could also be a great chance to follow the manga story a little more closely since a lot of it was cut out. The intro arc in the manga was quite different compared to the intro arc in the anime, and Yusuke had to put in a lot more work to get his body back.
9 Elfen Lied
While Elfen Lied set the standard when it comes to horror anime, anime-only fans might be shocked to learn that the manga is a lot more gruesome and different. The show not only deviated quite a bit from the source material, but it barely scratched the surface of the overall story. Though it’s common for some, if not most, anime to do this, very few are successful in pulling off a great show.
However, this is a classic case in which the manga is a lot better in every aspect. A reboot would be a great chance to actually show the real story and make this show even more iconic because of how grim and violent it really is.
8 The Vision Of Escaflowne
An isekai anime that managed to be the perfect blend of romance, fantasy, and mecha. It’s a pretty tough job to pull it off, but The Vision of Escaflowne pulled it off when it came out in the mid-90s. Though it wasn’t very popular in Japan when it was released, it was popular worldwide and one of the best anime shows of its time. It’s only 26 episodes long, but The Vision of Escaflowne manages to have great character development and a compelling story.
It doesn’t really need the full reboot treatment, but an upgrade in animation quality would be nice. It could also give it a chance to further explore and develop the supporting characters and their relationships if it wants to go on longer than 26 episodes. The supporting characters got a pretty good amount of screentime, but they weren’t fully developed when compared to Hitomi and Van.
7 Ouran High School Host Club
This anime is one of the best comedy reverse harem, but a reboot is definitely needed and deserved. Though it could benefit from a second season, a reboot would upgrade the animation quality and give a fresh start. Ouran High School Host Club has 18 volumes worth of material for the anime to go off of, but the original anime only went up to volume 8. However, it wasn’t fully animated and only included bits of it. Plus, the manga has a lot more character development that didn’t make it into the anime.
A reboot could show the full story and give fans the ending they all want to see.
6 Record Of Lodoss War
The isekai genre has pretty much taken over the sword and sorcery/fantasy genre, but a reboot of Record of Lodoss War could take the fantasy genre back to its simpler roots. The show itself is almost like watching a role-playing game’s plot play out on its own since the group of characters are different classes (like warriors, mages, thieves, etc.), and races (Deedlit is an elf and Ghim is a dwarf) do travel together for the most part. However, there are times when a few of them go off and do their own quest.
Record of Lodoss War has everything that fans could want in a fantasy anime but without all of the isekai tropes. Since it’s based on a series of novels and not a manga, a reboot would be perfect to further add more details since the original anime was only 13 episodes long. Plus, it even has a sequel series called Record of Lodoss War: Chronicles of the Heroic Knight to keep it going for a bit longer and could benefit from a reboot as well.
5 Silent Mobius
An anime that has sci-fi, romance, drama, fantasy, and action but didn’t do the best job of meshing it well together. It had too much going on for it, and a reboot could make it work with better writing and extended runtime to more than 26 episodes. Silent Mobius has a great group of characters, which are all strong and powerful women, and a good story to go off of. It just needs some tweaking to make it better and an upgrade in animation quality.
Plus, it could be a chance to redeem the character Lum Cheng, who was a divisive character among Silent Mobius fans. She wasn’t in the movies and added to the television series, but her character left most fans wondering if she was meant to be a breath of fresh air or annoying.
4 Android Kikaider The Animation, AKA Kikaider
An anime that came out in the early 2000s that got a little lost in the lineup against bigger and more iconic shows like Cowboy Bebop and Naruto. Though only 13 episodes long, Kikaider managed to have a compelling story and great character development for its main hero, Jiro. He’s an android that has been tasked to protect his creator’s children but also wants to learn more about being human since his circuit allows him to feel emotions and have a conscience.
Though it sounds like a simple story, Kikaider manages to add more layers that keep it from being too rudimentary. A reboot would be great to get this underrated gem back on the map. Even if the animation is just upgraded, it would still be a worthwhile watch, but it could also benefit from more episodes.
3 Soul Eater
While Soul Eater did a pretty good job bringing most of the manga to life, it could really use a reboot. The ending of the anime has been somewhat of a blight on the series because it was so rushed that it ruined an otherwise great show. Plus, the manga went on beyond what the anime covered; a reboot could fix this.
A good anime should be remembered for being great from start to finish, so Soul Eater deserves another chance. It could right all the wrongs and do a better job of telling the manga’s story.
2 Deadman Wonderland
This is one anime that started off strong but lost its steam as it went on. It suffered from its length, which is 12 episodes and didn’t do the manga justice overall. The characters weren’t properly fleshed out, the story was rushed and crammed too much story in the episodes, yet somehow didn’t resolve anything. Deadman Wonderland had the potential to be great, but it was never realized.
Rebooting this anime could realize that potential. It would greatly benefit from slower pacing so the story and characters can properly develop by following its manga and not deviating too much from it.
1 Berserk
If there is one anime that absolutely deserves and needs a reboot, it’s Berserk. It is arguably one of the best mangas of all time, and the 1997 series and the Golden Age Arc trilogy did a fantastic job of bringing it to life. However, neither of them completed the story, and the 2016 series has tainted the image of Berserk with its poor animation and overall quality in dialogue, story, editing, and so many other things. Compared to the 2016 series, the 1997 series outdoes it in everything, even with its outdated animation.
With Kentaro Miura’s (the writer and creator) passing, his best and most well-known work deserves to have a reboot that gets it right. It has everything it needs, from amazing characters to a great story, and just needs an anime that can match its greatness.