Most anime are based off of popular manga, though some early anime drew inspiration from Disney and popular American television shows. Anime slowly rose to popularity in countries outside of Japan, and today, there are anime that have become money-making properties. The Naruto, Sailor Moon, and Dragon Ball series have all achieved fame all across the world.

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Japan has shown some interest in adapting comics from other countries into anime, but those tend not to do as well as Japanese-created stories. It would be easy to drawn inspiration from comic books to create unique anime. Anime could reach an even larger overseas audience by adapting stories that originated outside of Japan.

10 The Boys: The Gritty Heroes & Their Mature Antics Would Be Right At Home In Anime

The Boys Team

The Boys is a comic series written by Garth Ennis with art from Darick Robertson. It was originally published through Wildstorm, and has since been exposed to a mainstream audience thanks to the well-received live-action adaptation available through Amazon's streaming service.

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The comic takes place in a world of troubled superheroes that aren't quite as good-hearted as the typical comic book hero. A small group associated with the CIA try to hold the world's corrupt heroes accountable. The grittiness of the story could suitably be adapted into anime, and could probably take things even further than the Amazon show has.

9 Deadly Class: A School For Villains Already Sounds Like An Anime Premise

A comic panel highlighting the core cast of the Deadly Class comics

Deadly Class was written by Rick Remender and features artwork from Wes Craig and Jason Wordie. The comic was released through Image Comics and was also turned into a short-lived television show that aired on Syfy.

The comic is set in a boarding school in San Francisco where crime families from around the world send their children to become trained assassins. The story revolves around an orphan named Mario Lopez Arguello who was accepted into the school but treated as an outcast.

8 Assassin's Creed: The Rumored Netflix Series Should Go The Anime Route

assassins-creed-comics

The Assassin's Creed comics began being released in 2015, having been inspired by the popular video game franchise that elegantly blends history with mythology. Netflix is rumored to be filming a series based within the Assassin's Creed universe.

The comics tend to follow two concurrent storylines: One set in the past and another set in the modern day. The various story arcs from the comics are all set in different times and places. It would be relatively easy to adapt the comics into an anime, having each season set in a different time and place.

7 The Dollhouse Family: The Comic Would Fit Well Into The Anime Horror Genre

Horror Comics

The Dollhouse Family was written by M.R. Carey with art by Peter Gross. The horror themed comic features the story of a little girl, Alice, being given a twisted dollhouse. The family in the dollhouse wants to keep the little girl forever.

Alice originally liked the magic dollhouse and the family, as her own family wasn't as warm and loving. However, she soon begins to realize just how dangerous the dollhouse family really is. No matter what she does, she never seems to be able to fully escape them.

6 Blacksad: The Noir Detective Series Would Make A Great Mystery-Based Anime

Blacksad is a European comic book released in North America by Dark Horse Comics. The comic was written by Juan Diaz Canales with art by Juanjo Guarnido, and was originally published in French. It was also adapted into a video game in 2019 for multiple platforms.

The comic draws inspiration from noir films and is set in 1950s America. John Blacksad is a cynical private investigator who often has to get to the bottom of whatever mystery he finds himself in the middle of.

5 Blade: The Vicious Vampire Hunter Already Seems Like An Anime Anti-Hero

blade

Blade is a vampire hunter from Marvel Comics, created by Marv Wolfman along with Gene Colan. Blade has powers that tend to give him the upper hand in a fight. He has previously been animated, but the short-lived show only lasted a season.

A full-length anime, fully exploring the character and his story, would be amazing. Since the character is about to be added to the MCU, he will certainly see a rise in popularity. The tough, no-nonsense vampire hunter would be just as interesting on the small screen.

4 The Sandman: The Tragic Hero Could Tell An Achingly Beautiful Anime Story

DC-Digital-Sandman

The Sandman is a comic book written by Neil Gaiman and drawn by various artists. It was initially released under Vertigo Comics, an imprint of DC. The comic revolves around Morpheus, also known as Dream.

Morpheus was held hostage for 70 years before managing to escape. He embarks on a mission of revenge, with his story being more of a tragedy. The popularity of the series has led to a number of spinoff comics that could also be incorporated into an anime.

3 Dark Nights - Metal: The Batman Who Laughs Would Be A Great Anime Villain

The Batman Who Laughs in the rain from DC Comics

Dark Nights: Metal tells the dark story of an evil group of Batman invading the main universe. The story was written by Scott Snyder and features art from Greg Capullo, Jonathan Glapion, and FCO Plascencia.

RELATED: 10 Heavy Metal Genres Referenced In Dark Knights: Metal

The Justice League are forced to fight against several Batman, all lead by the Batman Who Laughs. In subsequent comic books, the Batman Who Laughs makes numerous reappearances. The character would make an amazing anime villain in a series that would obviously incorporate darker elements.

2 Power Rangers: It Already Has Its Roots In Classic Anime Franchises

lord drakkon

The American Power Rangers was based on/used footage from the Japanese Super Sentai franchise. In 2015, a comic spin-off of Mighty Morphin Power Ranger began publication. With all that in mind, incorporating the comic into an anime would bring it full circle and back to its original Japanese roots.

The comic has expanded on the original story, and adapting comic exclusive stories of such a popular franchise would no doubt make for an excellent anime. With Power Rangers already heavily influenced by Voltron and other mecha/super robot franchises, an anime adaptation isn't hard to envision.

1 X-Men: The Team Already Had A Brief Flirtation With Anime

Friendship and teamwork have become important elements in anime. That would definitely be a plus in an anime adaptation of the X-Men. The various fan-favorite X-Men would work well as an anime. The X-Men have previously appeared in short anime series, but they would do well in a more fleshed-out anime series.

A lengthy X-Men anime would be a huge success. With decades of source material to work with, the anime could adapt a variety of stories. The show could go on for years. Since the comics have been adapted into manga, Japan is already familiar with the famous comic team and would no doubt be pumped for an anime that draws from both the manga and the team's comic book history.

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