10 Anime That DESTROYED Their Legacy

WatchMojo

From promising beginnings to disastrous downfalls... Join us as we explore the anime series that completely nosedived into infamy! These once-beloved franchises crashed and burned with disappointing sequels, reboots, and reimaginings that left fans heartbroken and legacies tarnished. Which fallen anime star disappointed you the most?

Transcript

00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most promising anime

00:13that completely nosedived into infamy.

00:1910. Sorcerer's Stabber Orphan

00:22While not without its own flaws, the original Sorcerer's Stabber Orphan overcame its limitations

00:28with strong characters and lots of hearts. The same cannot be said for the reboot.

00:38Despite their near-identical story arcs, the 25th anniversary remake substitutes the character-driven

00:44core of the story for a whole lot of lame fight scenes.

00:51The animation is lackluster, the story is stuffed with filler, and the cast is reduced to hollow

00:57caricatures of their former selves. Instead of introducing Orphan to a new generation,

01:02all this remake did was tarnish the name of a beloved classic.

01:06Master's gonna give me so much hell for this. And whenever I do anything that gets them angry,

01:12he always makes me do like 500 squats.

01:159. Shaman King

01:16Seeing an incomplete series finally get a full adaptation is the stuff anime fans dream of.

01:22Sadly, in Shaman King's case, it was more of a nightmare.

01:28Turns out, the original ended right when the manga decided to go off the rails.

01:33As a result, this new and more faithful spin on Shaman King was pretty much doomed from

01:39the start. Since it has noticeably worse animation too, it's not even worth recommending

01:51for the earlier arcs either. It's strange to say, but the perception of Shaman King was

01:56a lot better when it didn't have an ending.

02:038. Mobile Suit Gundam 00

02:06The Movie Awakening of the Trailblazer

02:10Blending mecha carnage with white-knuckled political thrills, the 00 series is often cited

02:16as one of Gundam's very best. So surely the movie followed suit, right? Nope.

02:22The villain of this flick is Aliens.

02:27The hard left turn into high sci-fi strips the series of its compelling identity. All that's

02:33left behind is a cluster of well-animated but overly flashy action sequences. Yes, we all

02:39love seeing a mech tear into an enemy like there's no tomorrow, but without any emotional stakes,

02:45it falls flat.

02:52From a series as lauded as Gundam 00, we expected much, much better.

03:007. Blood Sea

03:02Following in the red-stained footsteps of the Blood franchise, this series definitely spills

03:07enough Scarlet to end its name. However, its name is really the only thing connecting it

03:19to Blood+. Envisioned as a thematic successor instead of a narrative one, Blood Sea features

03:25new characters, new settings, new everything. Fans showed up expecting more of what they already

03:34loved and ended up with a half-baked horror show that just so happened to have the name

03:40Blood in the title. It's not irredeemably bad, but it's not Blood+, either, and viewers

03:46still haven't forgiven them for it.

03:486. The Promised Neverland

03:55From potential old-timer to cautionary tale, no show had as stark a fall from grace as The

04:02Promised Neverland. In contrast to the edge-of-your-seat mind games of Season 1, the follow-up branched

04:09off from the manga in some seriously head-scratching ways, creating a muddled narrative that elicited

04:16more yawns and thrills. But the real culprit is the ending, or rather, the lack of one.

04:35The Promised Neverland concluded its lackluster sophomore year by shoving the rest of the manga

04:40into a single, lifeless montage. That's it. That's the end of the whole show. How did

04:46something so promising go oh so wrong?

04:515. Bakugan Battle Planet

04:55Another day, another reboot, claiming the popularity of a revered property. This time,

05:00the victim is poor Bakugan. In an attempt to cater to a younger audience, this new series

05:05dumbed itself down to the lowest common denominator. The sprawling, high-stakes narrative? Gone!

05:14Along with the character nuance and inspired battles. Don't get us started on those CG

05:19monsters either. It's a real shame new Bakugan fans are stuck with a show that doesn't trust

05:25them to add 2 plus 2, let alone following any sort of engaging narrative. There's no ability

05:33card in the whole deck, capable of saving Bakugan's reputation now.

05:384. Berserk

05:44Almost 20 years after its last weekly series ended on the cliffhanger of all cliffhangers,

05:50Berserk fans rejoiced when they heard they were finally getting a continuation. Then, all

05:55excitement promptly turned to anxiety when they heard it would be full 3D.

06:06Berserk's story is hard-hitting no matter the visuals, but still, it's hard to buy into

06:10Guts' journey when every action scene and dramatic proclamation looks so janky.

06:16These days, it's hard to recommend Berserk to new fans knowing full well this is the follow-up

06:26they have to look forward to. Just read the manga.

06:293. Kemono Friends

06:43Maybe it's because no one expected greatness from a show about anthropomorphised zoo animals,

06:48but Kemono Friends ended up as the surprising breakout anime of 2017.

06:54It's adorable characters and ongoing mysteries had viewers hooked, but then came behind the scenes

07:04meddling. The series director was fired between seasons, a fact that was very noticeable when

07:10the second batch began rolling out. Episodes consisted of characters standing around looking cute for

07:2120 minutes while the story went absolutely nowhere. Essentially, Kemono Friends turned into the

07:27exact same shallow garbage people thought it would be from the start.

07:312. Fulikuli Progressive and Fulikuli Alternative

07:41Trust us, you'll be turning this show off faster than you can say cash grab. It all swims obvious

07:47attempts at capitalizing on Fulikuli's enduring appeal only succeeded in giving us some of the most

07:53pitiful sequels in anime history. Neither progressive or alternative capture the spirit of the original.

08:03Rather, they double down on its flashiest elements, creating a pair of shows that feel shamefully empty.

08:10They simply don't say anything.

08:22Well, besides, our producers wanted more money. It's devastating to know something as quietly beautiful

08:29as Fulikuli is going to be forever attached to such stinkers. And don't get us started on grunge.

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08:591. Eureka 7 High Evolution

09:02Lord, when will people learn to let Eureka 7 rest in peace?

09:07The anime sequel already had more than its fair share of issues, but they're nitpicks compared to

09:14High Evolution. For one, calling it a film series is pretty generous considering significant chunks of

09:21the movies are just badly stitched together episodes of the original series. Not only that,

09:31but the new content only serves to rob fan favorites of their happy endings in order to subject them to

09:37more needless torment. Despite the marketing, these movies are not for new fans, or old ones for that

09:47matter. Really, it feels like these were made by someone who actively dislikes Eureka 7, and we all

09:53know who that is. What anime sequel are you most upset about? Let us know in those comments below.

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