There are tons of new anime for fans to watch every season, and if fans are lucky, some of those series will continue airing for years after they first premiere. However, dozens of other series get left behind and forgotten, no matter how popular they were during their time.
Many anime fans are familiar with the pain of an anime being on hiatus or canceled. Every year seems to bring new rumors of a beloved series returning, but these rumors inevitably lead to disappointment. Some series are popular enough that fans are still holding out hope for their return, but considering how long it's been since some of these series first aired, it's time for fans to accept that some anime series will never make a return.
Updated on March 17, 2023, by Mayra García: Whether it is a true reboot or a sequel, there are plenty of anime out there that really need to make a comeback. Unfortunately, there are many reasons why this simply won't happen. We have updated this list to expand on this topic. Series like Yuri!!! On ICE and Burn the Witch will forever be fan favorites, but the industry has chosen to leave them behind, to the fans' chagrin.
10 Yuri!!! On ICE
.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=750&dpr=1.5)
Yuri!!! On ICE is one of the most loved sports anime. It's known for helping studio MAPPA get its reputation as a quality animation company. It was easy for fans to fall in love with the story, especially when it came to the relationship between Yuri and Victor.
The downside to MAPPA's success is they've basically abandoned the series that put them on the map. Even though a Yuri!!! On ICE movie is planned, it's been in production hell for years with no updates or changes. At this point, most fans have accepted that Yuri!!! On ICE will never make a return because MAPPA is no longer interested in going back to it.
9 Ouran High School Host Club
The fate of Ouran High School Host Club has been up in the air for so many years that the idea of it returning is a joke among fans. Even the dub voice actors have gotten in on the joke because of how often fans have asked them if the series will be making a return.
Fans may have managed to find humor in the situation, but it's obvious they desperately want this series to make a comeback. With so many series from the early 2000s getting remakes, it makes sense that fans would want Ouran to get the remake treatment as well. However, it's much harder for a shojo series to get a remake or sequel than a shonen one, so fans are going to be stuck waiting, no matter how much they want Ouran to come back.
8 Yona Of The Dawn
Yona of the Dawn is another shojo series that was cut short before it could have a satisfying ending. It may not be as popular as shows like Ouran or Fruits Basket, but it has a dedicated fanbase that is crossing its fingers that someone will be willing to bring this back.
Unfortunately, Yona of the Dawn is one of those shows that's incredibly popular among shojo fans, but practically nobody knows about it outside this niché area. Its popularity has increased in recent years thanks to social media, but considering how little attention it gets out of shojo fandoms, no studio will see a remake of this series as a financial benefit.
7 Beelzebub
Beelzebub is a series that most long-time anime fans remember watching at least once. It was one of the many anime that aired on Toonami, but it didn't gain the same cult following as other more popular series. This is truly unfortunate since Beelzebub is an anime that would benefit from a new season or a reboot.
In fact, fans would love a reboot. Beelzebub has a weird premise, but it's an incredibly funny series with loveable characters, which is why fans of the series believe it's the perfect candidate for this treatment. Unfortunately, without a larger following, this series has no chance of returning.
6 Tsurezure Children
Tsurezure Children is a super cute romance series that seemed to get a lot of attention when it first aired. The series was praised for its story and for having well-written characters, so it made perfect sense for fans to think Tsurezure Children would get a second season.
However, several years have passed, and there's still no sign of a second season for this series. This mainly has to do with the fact that shojo performs more poorly than shonen. Far fewer shojo are made each season, which means many shojo series get dropped. This includes Tsurezure Children.
5 Wotakoi: Love Is Hard For Otaku
.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=750&dpr=1.5)
The internet was obsessed with Wotakoi when it first premiered. In fact, the dance to the intro went viral among the fandom. However, what really made fans obsess over this anime was the story. Unlike most anime, this series follows adults going through their daily lives, but these adults also happen to be huge anime fans.
Wotakoi is incredibly relatable, and it has some of the funniest characters ever. Unfortunately, it's unlikely this series will ever continue. Anime with teen protagonists are way more popular and make studios tons of money. The facts that Wotakoi is romance anime and a series that focuses on adults are two strikes against it.
4 Burn The Witch
Burn the Witch may be a short series, but it's a satisfying return to the Bleach universe, even if this franchise is full of missed opportunities. It added a lot to Bleach's lore, but it also brought something unique to the story that sets it apart from other anime.
Unfortunately for fans who fell in love with this series, it is a short story that isn't meant to have more added to it. Fans may want to see more of these characters and the world, but since Tite Kubo has no intention of continuing Burn the Witch, it will never have a second season.
3 Flying Witch
Flying Witch is an anime that most fans haven't heard of, but everyone should watch. It's an incredibly well-written slice-of-life story about a witch's journey to adulthood that manages to be both funny and charming, as well as weirdly relatable, even with the magic dimension.
Unfortunately, Flying Witch is a rather unknown series that's only popular with anime fans who have seen it. It may deserve a second season, but with its lack of attention in the anime world, it's likely studios wouldn't see a reason to return to this great series.
2 Kamisama Kiss
-3.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=750&dpr=1.5)
Since Fruits Basket has gotten a remake, fans of Kamisama Kiss have been hoping the series would get the same treatment. It's a reverse harem series with a fantastic cast, and it also has a fun take on Japanese lore. This combination makes it a very original anime.
Despite the quality of this series and its similarities to Fruits Basket, it's actually an unknown series in the larger anime community. The original anime handles the manga's content very well, so there isn't a good reason to remake it. While everyone loves a good adaptation, many fans would love to see a reboot, too.
1 Mushishi
Mushishi has several seasons, but the English dub for this series only has one season, and it's unlikely ever to get any other seasons dubbed. Originally, Mushishi was released by Funimation, but the second season of the series is owned by ANIPLEX.
The change in distributor makes it difficult to create a dub, especially if the original cast has contracts with Funimation. This means it's unlikely that ANIPLEX will dub the other seasons, and even if they did, it wouldn't be with the original cast. Fans have to accept that the only way to see Mushishi is by trusting fandubs.