Part of what’s helped make anime such a versatile and evergreen medium of entertainment is that it’s able to engage in so many genres of storytelling and feature characters and ideas that feel like they’d be impossible anywhere else. There are all sorts of reasons why an anime series will connect with audiences, but a crucial factor is to end on a high note with a strong ending that can be both satisfying and leave fans wanting more.

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A satisfying conclusion can make it a much riskier endeavor to deliver a sequel series or film, but it’s not always a doomed prospect, and some of these follow-ups actually surpass the originals.

10 Sailor Moon S Introduces New Friends & More Mature Storytelling

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Sailor Moon is a foundational anime series, and it's still an important relic within the shojo and magical girl genres. Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon S is the third iteration of the anime, following Sailor Moon R, and it brings the characters into substantially more serious territory. The Death Busters are fantastic villains, and Sailor Moon S also introduces Sailor Uranus and Neptune, who are now two of the most beloved characters in the franchise. It’s a satisfying continuation of the story that doesn’t retread old material and adds a legitimate sense of urgency to Sailor Moon’s mission at hand.

9 Love Hina Again Concludes Keitaro’s Awkward Journey Of The Heart

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Love Hina is one of the best harem series to come around, and there's a definite sweetness that's present that can be lacking in many others. Love Hina looks at Keitaro's dream to become a prestigious Toudai student and negotiate the complex hormone-fueled living situation that he's in.

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Love Hina doesn't get any sense of closure, so Love Hina Again gets to act as the big finish. The three-episode OVA series diverges from the manga and features Keitaro at a crucial crossroads and him finally embracing his complicated romantic feelings. It's the ending that the original anime deserved.

8 Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon Tells The Next Generation Of The InuYasha Story

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InuYasha doesn’t always get its due as a shonen series. It contains lovable characters and some unique demon designs, but the action is typically lacking, and it eventually embraces that the series’ strong suit is character development and romance. Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon centers on the three children of InuYasha’s central characters, who are a considerably peppy group of girls. Yashahime caters more to a female demographic and uses that to its strength, which ultimately makes it a better series. Yashahime is still running, but it looks like it won’t drag on for as long as InuYasha did either.

7 Char's Counterattack Is A Fitting Conclusion To The Original Gundam Saga

Anime Chars Counterattack

The Mobile Suit Gundam franchise is one of the most popular mecha properties in the world, and there are dozens of different series that tell stories from different corners of the Gundam universe. There are now many different canons and timelines in the franchise, but the original Universal Century timeline and Amuro Ray’s feud against Char Aznable still hold up as the best. This growing war gets told through several series, but Char’s Counterattack is the beautiful payoff of it all. It shows how far these characters have come and what the ultimate fallout will be.

6 Dragon Ball Z Takes Goku Into Adulthood & A New Stage Of Power

Goku and Gohan from Dragon Ball Z.

There have been a few sequels in the Dragon Ball franchise at this point, but none are more natural than Dragon Ball Z.

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Dragon Ball Z works so well because it gets to fully focus on Goku’s adult years, a larger scope of enemies, and an evolution of many of the ideas that the original series introduces. Dragon Ball Z definitely prioritizes action over comedy, but this shift is present throughout the later half of Dragon Ball so it’s hardly awkward. Dragon Ball Z respects what comes before it, but also helps it evolve.

5 Lupin III Part IV Features The Greatest Mix Of Stories & Inspiration

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Lupin III is one of the longest-running series in Japan, and it’s become a pillar of pop culture that’s gotten to help auteurs find their voices and evolve with the changing sensibilities of the anime industry. Each Lupin III series follows a similar formula, but Lupin III Part IV features a nice incorporation of modern technology and crimes that allow the anime to feel new again. Part IV also finds the perfect approach for serialization where storylines don’t drag or end too quickly to matter.

4 Mr. Osomatsu Brings Back The Matsuno Sextuplets As Hopeless Teenagers

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Mr. Osomatsu is one of the better examples of an older anime property that returns with modern sensibilities and a fresh take on this old idea. Osomatsu-kun was an anime during the ‘60s and ‘80s, but Mr. Osomatsu ages up the central sextuplets and makes them the focus rather than supporting players. Mr. Osomatsu is a chaotic gag anime series that truly can’t be predicted, but it’s a brilliant way to bring back a series and make it more relevant and memorable than its predecessor.

3 Full Metal Panic! Invisible Victory Lights A Fire Under Its Hero

A mecha is encountered in Full Metal Panic! Invisible Victory

Full Metal Panic! is a curious mix of mecha staples, wartime politics, and slice-of-life high school drama. A high school girl becomes the subject of protection by a secret anti-terrorist organization, and there are four separate Full Metal Panic! series, but the latest one, Invisible Victory, feels like the biggest surprise. Full Metal Panic! Invisible Victory comes nearly 15 years after the previous series, but it doesn't miss a beat. It throws Sousuke into unprecedented danger since he needs to retrieve his target from the enemy and finds himself outside of his usual comfort zone.

2 JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable Finds A New Hero In Josuke

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Hirohiko Araki’s JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is one of the more unusual shonen series since it continues to tell an ongoing larger narrative, but the separate arcs can sometimes function independently or as sequels to previous chapters. The transition from Part 3 to Part 4, Diamond is Unbreakable feels like the most drastic. There’s a new slice-of-life aspect to the series and a gorgeous new art style. Josuke Higashkita is a very distinct new protagonist, but it also features an elderly Joseph Joestar, which makes it feel even more like a sequel.

1 Higurashi: When They Cry - GOU Pushes A Creepy Narrative To Challenging New Places

Satoko lost in the nether realm in Higurashi: When They Cry - Gou

The Higurashi: When They Cry franchise has been around for a few decades, and it stands out among the crowd with its cute art design and seemingly sweet characters, despite the disturbing psychological horror that’s in play. Several Higurashi anime have come along, all of which look at a bizarre time loop and a dangerous and mysterious virus. Initially, Higurashi: When They Cry - GOU advertised itself with the suffix, “New,” and the impression it’s a reboot. It’s gradually revealed that this is something very different that’s more complex than ever before and a gripping dissection of the anime’s principles.

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