10 Most Unnecessary Anime Remakes Of All Time

Remakes can be a great way to introduce older anime to a new audience, but they often tell the same story with updated visuals, a different speed, or a new style. This guide explores anime remakes, detailing what changes were made, which animation studios were involved, and how the new versions were marketed. We’ll cover things like changes in format, how the remakes were released, and how closely they followed the original series. Our aim is to give you a clear understanding of what each remake tried to achieve and how it compares to the anime you already know and love.

‘Sailor Moon Crystal’ (2014–2016)

This new animated series, created by Toei Animation, was designed to be a more faithful adaptation of Naoko Takeuchi’s original manga compared to the previous TV show. It initially premiered online before airing on television, and used a simpler animation style and updated character designs to resemble the artwork in the manga. As the series continued, the animation became more consistent thanks to changes in the production team and improvements to the visuals. The storyline revisited familiar events for fans who had followed the story for a long time.

‘Dragon Ball Z Kai’ (2009–2015)

Toei Animation revisited ‘Dragon Ball Z’ by updating the video, completely re-recording the audio, and trimming down the number of episodes. They cut out a lot of the less important scenes to more closely follow the original manga. The music and sound effects were also updated, and some content was changed to meet current broadcasting guidelines. The main story remains the same, but the new version moves at a quicker pace.

‘Rurouni Kenshin’ (2023–2024)

Liden Films has reimagined ‘Rurouni Kenshin’ with updated animation and a fresh cast, starting the story over from the beginning. The new series retells the initial story arcs, keeping the same world, characters, and major battles. The direction focuses on clear visuals and historical accuracy, while preserving the fight choreography that fans already love. This version was created for streaming audiences worldwide, bringing a well-known story to a new platform.

‘Shaman King’ (2021)

Bridge’s new version retold the manga’s story from beginning to end, following the same tournament format and characters as the original. While updating the visuals with brighter colors and digital effects, the remake stayed true to the core storyline. Each episode closely followed a chapter of the manga, ensuring a faithful adaptation. Fans will recognize all the key moments and results from the previous TV series.

‘Trigun Stampede’ (2023)

Studio Orange gave the classic anime ‘Trigun’ a modern makeover with completely computer-generated animation and a fresh start to its story and characters. While keeping the heart of the original – like the hero’s commitment to peace and the desert landscape – the remake presented information in a more organized way. The action sequences were redesigned using dynamic camera work and CG, offering a new look to well-known battles. Even with these changes, the remake still told the same core story and reached the same conclusions as previous versions.

‘Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac’ (2019–2024)

This new computer-animated series, supported by Netflix, retells the story of the Bronze Saints, showing how they first came together, their initial fights, and their special moves. While the episodes move quickly and make a few small changes to the characters, they keep the core ideas about the Saints’ armor and the tournament setting. The animation focuses on visually impressive armor changes and explosive battles, sacrificing some of the detailed artwork of the original. The story itself covers ground that long-time fans are already familiar with from previous versions.

‘Urusei Yatsura’ (2022–2024)

David Production revisited a classic romantic comedy, updating it with beautiful animation and vibrant colors. While the remake highlighted memorable jokes and characters, it didn’t move beyond the familiar storyline. The voice acting and music gave the series a fresh feel, but it still kept the same energetic school setting and premise of alien visitors. Ultimately, the show replayed jokes and moments that dedicated fans already knew well.

‘Kino’s Journey -the Beautiful World- the Animated Series’ (2017)

The new series of episodes included both previously shown stories and brand new ones, revisiting familiar locations from the light novels. While the animation team and voice actors changed, the show maintained its structure of short, self-contained stories focused on travel. Many of the episodes covered similar lessons and ideas as the first adaptation, though a few fresh tales were added to the mix.

‘Bastard!! -Heavy Metal, Dark Fantasy-‘ (2022–2024)

Liden Films created this Netflix series, retelling the original dark fantasy story with updated visuals and a release strategy for streaming platforms. The character designs remained true to the source material, featuring the familiar heavy armor, magical incantations, and rock-influenced names that fans loved. The series was released in parts, and each section covered the same major events – battles, fights, and changes in power – as the original story. While the speed of the story and the sound effects were improved, the key plot points were very similar to previous adaptations.

‘Spriggan’ (2022)

As a big fan, I was really excited to see David Production tackle this series! They updated the look with some cool CG for the action sequences and gave everything a more modern feel with the tech. Honestly, the episodes felt very familiar – lots of missions centered around hunting down powerful weapons and intense special ops battles, which is exactly what I loved about the original. While it didn’t really dive deeper into the story’s overall lore, it delivered the same thrilling experience I was hoping for. It felt like a really solid, action-packed update that captured the spirit of what made me fall in love with it in the first place.

Let us know your thoughts! Tell us in the comments which remakes you believe didn’t offer much improvement over the original versions.

2025-11-22 03:47