When new anime are announced, it can be easy to forget that they existed as a manga for years. One great example is Inuyasha, which premiered as a manga in 1996 before getting an anime in 2000. It’s smart for some manga to wait on their anime adaptations to allow studios to have enough material to translate instead of making up filler content.
Best Anime Not Based On Manga
The majority of anime are based on a manga series, but these series are the exception; they either began as anime or are adapted from other media.
These 2010-era manga did not wait long for anime, which is fine despite long waits between seasons. At least, readers have plenty to read, and these examples are among the decade’s best stories.
10 Hi Score Girl
Remembering The Classics
Hi Score Girl
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- 2018 - 2019-00-00
WHERE TO WATCH
Hi Score Girl is the perfect manga or anime to start for fans nostalgic for 90s arcade games. The manga began in 2010 via its creator Rensuke Oshikiri, and ended in 2018, which was the same year the anime started. The story follows two characters, mostly Haruo and Akira, who bonded as kids and then teens in the 90s arcade scene. There are some great mentions like Street Fighter, Final Fight, and Puzzle Bobble, all of which are used in unique ways to tell a slice-of-life story, and the manga takes its time building things up.
9 Tokyo Ghoul
A Dark, Reluctant Hero
Tokyo Ghoul
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- 2014 - 2014-00-00
- Network
- Tokyo MX
Tokyo Ghoul is one of the most grim series in recent history that may cause readers to feel ill. The series started in 2011 thanks to the creator, Sui Ishida, who ended it in 2014. The anime also started in 2014, but that’s not where things ended, as there have been sequels and spinoffs from Ishida since. The story takes place in modern Japan, wherein the main character, Ken, gets infected with a demonic disease, gains powers, but also craves flesh in return.
8 Mob Psycho 100
One And Only Mob
Mob Psycho 100
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- 2016 - 2022
- Network
- Tokyo MX
Mob Psycho 100 began in 2012 under the mangaka known as One, who also created One-Punch Man. This comedy action series ran until 2017, and a year before that, the anime debuted in 2016, which is all wrapped up now too. The story follows an innocently naive student, Mob, who is one of the most gifted psychics around. However, he doesn’t know that, which causes him to get into sticky situations, including ghosts and other physics all who think they are the top brass.
7 The Heroic Legend Of Arslan
Reclaiming The Throne
The Heroic Legend Of Arslan
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- 2015 - 2016-00-00
- Network
- TBS, MBS
- Directors
- Hidehiko Kadota, Matsuo Asami, Fumio Maezono
The Heroic Legend of Arslan is a well-known work in Japan, having started in 1986 as a novel series by Yoshiki Tanaka, who ended it in 2017. This work then began being adapted into a manga in 2013 and is still ongoing, unlike the short-lived 2015 anime.
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This is a list of atypical adventure manga that readers might never have heard of, but that are great reads.
Hiromu Arakawa is behind this station, who most may know from Fullmetal Alchemist. The Heroic Legend of Arslan is a simple story of a young prince, Arslan, losing his home and a dedicated group of soldiers who are trying to train him to take it back as the rightful king.
6 My Hero Academia
Japan’s Answer To Marvel
My Hero Academia
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- 2016 - 2025-00-00
- Network
- TBS, MBS, Nippon TV
My Hero Academia was Kohei Horikoshi’s brainchild, which began in 2014 and ended in 2024. The anime started in 2016, which is why there are big gaps in-between seasons to allow the anime team to get new material without having to add too much filler. 2014 was the perfect time to create a superhero manga in Japan, seeing as how the MCU and superhero movies in the West were thriving in the 2010s. My Hero Academia is a bit like the X-Men comics, specifically, starring a bunch of young students in training to one day become great heroes for their communities.
5 Fire Force
Burning Down The House
Fire Force
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- July 5, 2019
WHERE TO WATCH
- Network
- TBS, MBS, CBC, Tulip Television, BSN, tys, NBC, HBC, RKK, i-Television, SBS, IBC, BSS, MRO, OBS, TUF, RSK, TUY, tbc, RKB, SBC, KUTV, RBC, UTY, RCC, MRT, atv, MBC
Fire Force was created by Atsushi Ohkubo in 2015, and ended in 2022. Fire Force, and its accompanying 2019 anime, follows a group of supernatural firefighters who fight evil flame monsters slightly in the future. Every hero can control fire in a different way, from igniting their feet to creating fine swords of flame. For those interested in more from this mangaka, Ohkubo also created Soul Eater, another great manga/anime concept with flashy character designs and action
4 Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba
Stylish Sword Fights
Demon Slayer
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- April 6, 2019
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is one of the most popular anime right now, which also started in 2019, like Fire Force. Before all that, the manga started in 2016 via Koyoharu Gotouge, and it ended in 2020. For as popular as Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is, it’s a relatively quick read that the anime is still trying to catch up to. It’s set in feudal Japan, wherein gifted swordsmen, who can enchant their blades with elements like fire, fight back demons across the nation in stylish combat.
3 Dr. Stone
Piecing The World Back Together
Dr. Stone
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- July 5, 2019
Dr. Stone was created by Riichiro Inagaki in 2017, who seemingly had a vision and concluded it in 2022. The anime began in 2019, like so many others, and catapulted Dr. Stone’s popularity as well it should since it’s a cool idea.
8 Anime You Didn't Know Have Manga Prequels
For fans interested in learning more about the worlds of their favorite anime, it's worth checking out some prequel stories that didn't make it to TV.
The story is set thousands of years in the future, after everyone on Earth turned to stone. Some pockets of humanity are waking up, and it’s up to the protagonist, Senku, to rebuild society because of his genius brain.
2 Jujutsu Kaisen
Don’t Let Your Curse Define You
Jujutsu Kaisen
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- October 3, 2020
Gege Akutami started Jujutsu Kaisen in 2018, which just ended its run in 2024. The anime began in 2020 and is still getting episodes to complete the full list of arcs. It’s a typical Shonen story wherein young teens learn to cast magic using curses to fight back demons and evil sorcerers. The themes are similar, but it’s still enjoyable thanks to the twists it introduces throughout, along with the character Gojo, who is just a treat.
1 Spy X Family
Not A Nuclear Family
Spy x Family
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- 2022 - 2025-00-00
Finally, let’s end things with the wholesome series that is Spy X Family. It began in 2019 via Tatsuya Endo and is still ongoing along with the 2022 anime. It follows two adult spies who team up and try to live a platonic life together, uncover. While they didn’t dream of ever being parents, they play their roles epically. Spy X Family is mostly a comedy series, but one that is adorable, heartwarming, and thrilling at times too.
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