7 Anime Reboots That Could’ve Revived Entire Franchises

Sometimes, no matter how much fans wish for a Reboot, the world of Anime can be cruel and unfair, even for classic, already established franchises with millions of fans. Such is the case of series like Slayers, D.Gray-man, Berserk, or Sorcerous Stabber Orphen. Their reboot was the perfect opportunity to revive the franchise, but sadly, the fans didn't think they were up to the challenge.

This list spotlights some anime franchises that could have been totally refreshed by a decent reboot, but ultimately fell into oblivion since they didn't reach the expectations, or their reboot never saw the light of day.

7 Slayers Evolution-R

Hopefully, Someday We Will See It Shine Again

When we think about classic fantasy anime from the 90's, the first thing that comes to mind is Slayers (Sureiyāzu), an iconic franchise that has seen quite a lot of attempts to refresh it throughout the years. Although, in reality, what it needed the most was a solid reboot that would have kicked it out of the discard pile and thrown it back into the spotlight.

Slayers is not only the perfect example of a great IP that has been awfully mistreated over the years, but also a raw diamond that should have been landed in expert hands and re-released as a full reboot. The good thing is that there's still time, and the story of Lina Inverse and Gaudy might still have a chance to fight for its rightful place among modern anime.

6 D. Gray-man

Another Victim Of Rushed Pacing

The D.Gray-man reboot from 2016 was as promising as it was anticipated for fans all around the world, but alas, it never satisfied its target audience. Like many modern reboots, it lacked the spirit of its original, suffered from rushed pacing (trying to pack a lot of things in only a short frame), and even committed the greatest sin of them all: Recasting all the voice actors.

In the end, fans did what they do best: To vote with their opinion, and D.Gray-man: Hallow was weighted down as a small fry instead of what it should have been originally: The return of one of the greatest anime ever.

5 Shaman King

The Greatest Disappointment Ever Since Berserk

When fans of Shaman King think about the possibility of another reboot, they shudder in fear, more so after the fiasco that landed on their favorite streaming services back in 2021. Another diamond in the raw that suffered from rushed pacing, information too condensed for the audience to truly enjoy.

Without everything that made its original version shine (world-class voice acting, great scores, decent animation), the modern version of this classic became a constant reminder that reboots should be handled carefully, perhaps even more so than new adaptations jumping from manga to anime.

4 Trinity Blood

Desperately Needing New Blood To Take Over

A forgotten jewel of the past, this gothic thriller is packed with action and offers an intriguing twist on the vampirism topic. Trinity Blood is considered by some connoisseurs to be one of the best anime of the genre. This series still has a ton of potential, and it has been more than two decades since the last news we got from it.

A potential reboot was rumored at some point between 2016 and 2018, but these rumors were never confirmed. Sadly, the passing of Sunao Yoshida (the author of the light novel) complicated things greatly, and the lack of original material makes it unattractive for any studios to pick it up.

3 Initial D

A Reboot Could Be Great, But It Might Be A Monumental Challenge

Initial D is one of the greatest racing anime of all time (contesting the top 3 with Speed Racer and Redline), and a personal favorite of most of the fans of street racing. It has received some attention thanks to its OVAs and the live-action project that is going to come out at some point between 2027 and 2028, and even appeared as a cool reference in Forza Horizon 6.

So, why not reboot it? The main issue here is that the original anime is so perfect that changing it could be considered a war crime. Hyperbole aside, it is also true that the newer generations deserve a chance to hear about Shūichi Shigeno's opus magna, either in its manga or anime version. A reboot could place it again in the spotlight, and that could be great for hardcore veteran fans as well.

2 Cowboy Bebop

The Fans Are Willing, But The Creator Is Adamant

If readers believe in miracles, then they should be praying for a Cowboy Bebop reboot as hard as they can. This franchise deserved better, and no matter what most people say, it couldn't just have ended the way it did. Across its 26 episodes, the anime transports us to a unique vision of Humanity's future, with a unique approach to visuals and that lovely jazz vibe everyone praises, and that is magnificent.

Even its live-action pseudo-reboot couldn't do it justice, as its creator so aptly pointed out: "That's clearly not Cowboy Bebop." Fans of this space-faring adventure about misfits and bounty hunters trying to make a living in a dystopian future might have to live the rest of their lives without enjoying more of what could have been a long-lived franchise.

1 The Vision of Escaflowne

Candidate Nº1 For A Reboot

Dragons, Swords, Giant Robots, Psychotic Villains, And An Isekai'd maniacal version of Isaac Newton trying to overtake the universe: That is what comprises this underrated masterpiece from the 90's. The Vision of Escaflowne is and always will be one of the most unique approaches to the Mecha Genres, and it is right there for the taking for any studios with enough courage and skill to reboot it.

There's just no way to deny that this franchise could use a modern version, but the risk of it is accepting that modernizing it could end up ruining it altogether (we've seen too many cases already). The problem with Escaflowne is that it has so much fantasy and mecha content that animating it using "modern methods" could ultimately lead to studios trying to cut costs by using AI, and if we check what that did with series like Failure-Frame, the results could be fuel for nightmares instead of the rebirth of a forgotten masterpiece.