It’s a tale as old as time: something is created many people love, but it’s cancelled before the story can reach any sort of conclusion. This has been a recurring theme through much of modern media, from favourite TV series to gaming franchises, there’s always that one gem that gets called off to early, leaving fans wishing for more.
The same very much applies to the world of anime, but due to how many different shows have been released over the years, it tends to be even more prevalent here than in other industries. With all that in mind, these are some of the most popular anime shows that got cancelled too early.
Fruits Basket
This show gained huge popularity around 20 years ago, and at the time was considered the best of its kind. The show revolved around Tohru Honda, a girl that learns of the Soma family, who are possessed by the animals of the Chinese zodiac. The show ran for a total of one season before it was cancelled by the creator of the original manga, who didn’t like how the season ended. It was a brilliant show that many fans remain !!br0ken!!
Slam Dunk
Released in the 1990’s, this show gained most of its popularity in Europe and Asia, and it ran for a total of 101 epidote before it was cancelled. Packed with characters with most of the focus on the dynamics between team members of a basketball team, it was an action-packed anime that had a huge audience. It was cancelled right at the Nationals arc, which was meant to be the defining arc of the series, which saw the two main rivals battle it out amongst each other. Needless to say, the cancellation was not well received, leaving countless fans without any kind of conclusion to the story.
Baccano!
Regarded as one of the greatest cult hits of all time, Baccano was unique in that it told its stories from multiple points of view, but also because the story took place during the Prohibition era in the United States. The stories started seemingly unrelated, but would later end up merging into a singular, larger narrative with a few supernatural elements. Despite the brilliant reviews that the show received, it was not that popular among fans, who didn’t quite take to the style of storytelling, and it was eventually cancelled after 16 episodes, which is why so many people these days prefer more reliable entertainment like fun slots games.
Bleach
We’ve all heard of Bleach, one of the most popular anime shows of all time, spanning almost 400 episodes and garnering a legion of millions of fans from across the world. Running from 2004 to 2012, Bleach followed the adventures of a teenager named Ichigo Kurosaki after joining the Soul Reapers, who were tasked with protecting humanity from supernatural threats. While it held on for a long time as among the world’s favourite shows, it’s low ratings and viewership eventually forced the producers to cut production right before the final story arc.