It's not uncommon for anime to be based on western inspirations. Heidi, Girl of the Alps and even The Adventures of Tom Sawyer come to mind, but those are based on novels. Anime based on comic books are quite rare. But when they do exist, they tend to act as bridges for audiences of both mediums of entertainment and literature.
Though, the result is not always for the best. It's often hard to translate cultural norms and nuances into another lens that a certain far-off audience will appreciate without making the source material lose too much of its identity. But these following anime managed, and are now more or less solid bridges for two fandoms.
10 Marvel Future Avengers
- Release year: 2017
- Number of episodes: 26
It was only a matter of time before Marvel's superheroes invaded the shores of Japan with their landslide appeal. So in 2017, during the height of the Avengers films hype, Marvel Future Avengers aired. It finished around January and told a separate story instead of an MCU tie-in.
This time around, a young and relatable self-insert template boy named Makoto gains some superpowers due to an experiment. So the Avengers gathered Makoto and others like him and dubbed them the Future Avengers. Mostly, it's just a good excuse for the protagonist to fight alongside heavyweights such as Thor, Hulk, Iron Man, and Captain America.
9 Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers
- Release year: 2014
- Number of episodes: 51
But even before Marvel Future Avengers came into the picture and reinvented the superheroes for the Japanese audience, there was Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers already. It follows a pretty similar premise; a group of teenagers discovers some disks that contain superheroes and supervillains.
Turns out Loki imprisoned all the Marvel metahumans on these disks in an attempt to take over the world. So it's up to the teenagers to summon the Avengers (as though it was a collectible card game) to stop Loki and his evil plans.
8 Iron Man
- Release year: 2010
- Number of episodes: 12
Iron Man was already way ahead of the other Avengers members since he got his anime in 2010 which was also animated by Studio Madhouse nonetheless. And despite the mass appeal of the 2008 Iron Man film, the Iron Man anime doesn't seem to be a tie-in to the MCU films.
Instead, it takes place in a different storyline where Tony Stark visited Japan. But his business trip was cut short after a combat mecha organization named Zodiac started crashing into his parties and ventures. Other than Iron Man, Wolverine also makes a cameo appearance here as a fan-favorite in Japan.
7 Blade
- Release year: 2011
- Number of episodes: 12
There's no shortage of anime about vampires in Japan. So, they might as well bring in one of the most conflicted and popular vampire slayers in fiction, Blade. In his titular anime, Blade, Blade goes to Japan for a mission where he has to track down Deacon Frost.
It's more personal since Frost was responsible for Blade's mother's death. But to get to Frost, Blade has to wade through the muck, namely Frost's own vampire organization and henchmen. Despite the cool animation, a lot of Marvel fans were somewhat disappointed with the reuse of old characters.
6 Ninja Batman
- Release year: 2018
- Number of episodes: 1 (movie)
Of course, DC didn't want to be late to the party; so it arrived in style with animation, which is arguably its strongest suit outside of comic books. And given that it has to be related to Japan, they animated Ninja Batman, which is a "what-if" story that explores Batman as a ninja in feudal Japan.
The premise alone is enough of a reason to recommend it to anyone. Sure enough, the Joker also had to be there, and he had a head start of two years. This allowed the Joker to rise to power and eventually become a dominant warlord.
5 Wolverine
- Release year: 2011
- Number of episodes: 12
Wolverine in the comic books already had plenty of reasons to go to Japan. A lot of his good stories outside the X-Men involve family and girlfriends in Japan. In the 2011 Wolverine anime, the titular Marvel hero is out chasing a girlfriend who has disappeared in Tokyo.
And since it's Wolverine, there's a mutant conspiracy and plan involved, along with an old and powerful magnate named Shingen who's obsessed with Logan's immortality. The anime faithfully follows the comic book storyline and canon where Wolverine or Logan is poised to be Shingen's father-in-law.
4 X-Men
- Release year: 2011
- Number of episodes: 12
Since Wolverine proved to be quite a decent hit, and he already has a better mass appeal compared to the Avengers, bringing in the rest of the X-Men was already a promising venture. So soon after the Wolverine anime, the X-Men anime of 2011 followed, and it included the most popular characters.
They needed a reason to go to Japan and that came in the form of Charles Xavier calling for an X-Men gathering in order to pursue a kidnapped mutant named Hisako (better known as Armor). They soon got more than they bargained for after discovering that Hisako's kidnapper was a power-hungry cult.
3 Cannon Busters
- Release year: 2019
- Number of episodes: 12
Cannon Busters is one of the latest anime that was adapted from a comic book series. But unlike the other titles here, its prime inspiration is not a mainstream comic book, but rather, an indie series from LeSean Thomas. The anime adaptation is an endearing story about a friendship droid or robot named SAM who goes on an adventure to rescue his friend, an heir to a powerful kingdom.
Joining SAM are a discarded maintenance robot and a wild bandit. Their dysfunctional party and ragtag group is all the hope that's left for a kingdom that's under siege. Those looking for something that's generally new will find it here.
2 Batman: Gotham Knight
- Release year: 2008
- Number of episodes: 6
Those who could recall Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy might notice that there's quite a big Batman activity gap between the films, most notably between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. Hence, Batman: Gotham Knight bridges that gap. It's a direct tie-in to The Dark Knight film.
Gotham Knight is a short series of six episodes each detailing what Batman has been up to after saving the city from Ra's Al-Ghul. He went on a tussle with Deadshot, wrestled with his trauma, tried out new technology, and even shook down some crime organizations. He was on his way to winning all of Gotham until the Joker arrived in The Dark Knight.
1 Witchblade
- Release year: 2006
- Number of episodes: 24
Witchblade was quite a pleasant and underrated surprise that took a significantly different approach compared to its comic book source but came out somewhat intact with the spirit of its source material. It's also about women who come in close contact with the Witchblade, an ancient weapon that turns women into scantily-clad superheroes.
But despite the obvious ecchi fan service, Witchblade has its hearty drama and motherhood moments as the hero, Masane Amaha, tries to juggle taking care of her daughter with her destructive, newfound powers. There's a good balance of story, action, and character development here, making it not just a well-made comic book adaptation, but also a good anime in general.