In the world of anime, an "OVA" is an "original video animation" released directly in home releases. Sometimes, the acronym is switched up to "OAV," or "original animation video," and "OAD," once DVDs became more popular than videos. It's not unheard of for a popular anime series to have OVAs. Sometimes, they were created to test the waters before creating the show. Other times, the OVAs are the spin-offs meant to follow-up to the original series. There are even times OVAs are released to promote an ongoing series.
International versions of a popular anime might even use the OVAs as another season or special, depending on how much material they have to work with. It helps that sometimes, a series would end up entirely released directly to video in one country, meaning the OVAs don't stand out like they use to.
10 The Ancient Magus' Bride Has A Three Episode Prequel
Before its proper anime release, The Ancient Magus' Bride actually had a three-episode OVA that served as something of a prequel for the anime series. Despite what the name "OVA" implies, these episodes even had something of a theatrical release, as well as being released with volumes of the manga. Notably, the first episode came out over a year before the anime premeired, while the third episode came out only a month before the anime series did.
Focusing on Chise, the OVA focuses heavily on a story from her past, particularly involving the mysterious books, “Spring Will Be Missed” and "The Lonely Little Star."
9 Black Butler Has A Two Episode Sequel
As mentioned, not all OVAs are prequels; often they are sequels to the original series. The original Black Butler anime was followed up by a two-episode OVA, which was even given a cinematic release.
Known as the "Book of Murder," it was an adaptation of the series' original "Phantomhive Manor Murders" arc, in which Ciel's loyalty is tested, multiple murders occur at a banquet, and the characters even get a visit from a "novice writer" known as Arthur Conan Doyle, presumably before creating Sherlock Holmes.
8 JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Had An OVA That Was Released in 1993
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, before getting a TV series, had an OVA back in 1993, which was an adaptation of Stardust Crusaders, which would eventually be adapted into the second season of the TV anime.
The series also has the OVA, Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan, which itself was based on one-shots focusing around Rohan Kishibe. In keeping with the theme of the one-shots, they OVA was also released out of order. The OVA also had different releases. Some episodes came in bundles of promotional DVDs and some had cinematic releases.
7 My Hero Academia Has Two OVAs, The First Being Based On A One-Shot From The Manga
My Hero Academia has at least two OVAs under its belt. The first is All Might: Rising The Animation, which itself is based on the "All Might Rising" one-shot from the manga.
The second, My Hero Academia - Training of the Dead, focuses on Class 1A in UA encountering four students from a rival school during their survival training.
6 Devilman Had A OVA Released in 1987 That Was Considered A More Faithful Adaptation
The original 70s anime version of Devilman is starkly different from the manga, most notably in that the original main character, Akira, actually dies at the start of the story and has his identity taken by a demon. In 1987, a more faithful retelling of the manga would end up being adapted through an OVA: Devilman: The Birth.
It would eventually be followed by the sequel, Devilman: The Demon Bird, the non-canon spin-off, CB Chara Go Nagai World, which recast the characters as chibis, and the continuation, Amon: The Apocalypse of Devilman. Eventually, the franchise would get an "ONA," or "original net animation," in Netflix's Devilman Crybaby.
5 Cyborg 009 Used Its OVA As A Crossover Event Between Itself And Devilman
Sometimes, an OVA is used for crossover events between anime characters. In 2015, three-episode OVA, Cyborg 009 VS Devilman, was released, using characters from the two titular anime.
The Cyborg 009 cast initially finds themselves in conflict with Devilman, believing him to be working with the terrorist organization, Black Ghost. The ongoing story includes a team of rival cyborgs and demons attacking Tokyo.
4 Wedding Peach Uses Its OVA As A Quasi Second Season
After Wedding Peach finished its main story, an OVA series, dubbed Wedding Peach DX, was released a few months later. In some foreign releases, these episodes were treated as a second season to the series.
The OVA mostly consisted of four stories, usually focused on the holidays, including Christmas and Valentine's Day episodes. Serving as a sequel to the original series, it was explained that the girls had asked for their memories of being Love Angels, as well as the memories of their boyfriends, to be erased. However, they are reawakened once the Devils return to cause trouble. A new love interest for introduced for Salvia/Scarlet, taking the place of Dean Butler from the manga.
3 Tenchi Muyo! Started With An OVA
Before becoming an anime series on television, the Tenchi Muyo! series actually started with an OVA, Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki, which lasted six episodes. In fact, a seventh episode, a second OVA, and a stand-alone special were released before the 1995 anime series. Even its manga incarnation, which predated the anime, was originally based on the OVA series.
In fact, the series would end up having a few OVA series over the years, with a fourth one released in 2017 and a fifth one announced in 2019. Added to this, the series also has had a few OVA spin-offs, such as Magical Girl Pretty Sammy, which recasts the character Sasami as a magical girl.
2 The SoulTaker's OVAs Revolve Around The Character Of Komugi
The anime series, The SoulTaker, revolves around a young boy, Kyosuke Date, who was stabbed in the chest by his mother and returns from the dead with the ability to transform into the mutant being known as the SoulTake. He also learns that he has a twin sister and searches for her. Along the way, he is aided by Komugi, a mutant nurse who betrayed the Hospital, an organization out to get him, out of love for him.
A few spin-off OVAs have been made revolving around Komugi, most notably the series, Nurse Witch Komugi, a comedy series which parodies the original anime. It later spawned a sequel OVA series, a manga, and a remake anime, Nurse Witch Komugi R.
1 Fancy Lala Has Its Origins In An OVA
The magical girl series, Fancy Lala, actually has its origins in an OVA, Harbor Light Story Fashion Lala Yori, although its story revolves around completely different characters. The original story, a parody of Cinderella, involves a young girl named Miho who lives with her aunt and cousins, who own a dress shop and use her as a delivery girl. After her aunt destroys a dress she intended to enter in an upcoming dance contest, two fairies take pity on her and transform her into the blonde idol, "Fashion Lala," so she can enter herself.
By the time the project became an anime series, around ten years later, Miho now uses her alter-ego to become a pop singer, similar to the anime series, Creamy Mami, and her powers now come from a magic sketchbook and two stuffed dinosaurs, based on the fairies from the original pilot. In another interesting change, Miho has blue hair when she transforms in the anime, but naturally had blue hair in the OVA.