The passage of time can be a cruel thing for many anime titles. Different trends, an increase in competition, and hype culture can diminish a show's popularity. The ebb and flow of popular anime happens all the time, with seasonal works falling out of favor when the new darling appears. This does not mean that the shows are bad, but they do not have the staying power of classics.
This is clearest with shonen anime. As the most popular and prolific demographic in the medium, shonen anime cycle out shows constantly. Last year's most talked about shonen title might become irrelevant in four years. Not every show can become Bleach, Attack on Titan, My Hero Academia, or One Piece. There are anime that have their time in the spotlight then slowly bow as the curtains are drawn.
Updated on February 25th, 2023 by Sarah Martin: Shonen anime has become largely seasonal, resulting in an oversaturation of titles in the demographic. Though many classic series will always be remembered, most of the modern titles just won't have any lasting impact. Shows like Jujutsu Kaisen, Chainsaw Man, and Blue Lock will be remembered for ages to come, but we've added a few more of shonen's most forgettable modern series that won't be graced with the same praise years from now.
12 Blue Exorcist (2017)
Blue Exorcist could have been a memorable series, but there was a long gap between the first and second seasons. Plus, it didn't stay faithful to the content in the manga and ran with its own storyline, which even some anime-only viewers felt didn't make any sense. Rin Okumura is the most interesting part of the show, but even he's a bit of an acquired taste because the rest of the cast is rather bland.
Rin is fiery, determined, and headstrong. Most of the other characters are just in the background and there to support Rin. However, this is largely because of how the anime adaptation handled the original story. The manga may go down in history, but the Blue Exorcist anime is simply forgettable.
11 Shinobi No Ittoki (2022)
Shinobi No Ittoki was already outshined by some of the Fall 2022 season's more popular releases like Chainsaw Man, Spy X Family's second cour, My Hero Academia's sixth season, and Blue Lock's premiere. However, it still could have had the potential to be a breakout hit like Bocchi The Rock!. Unfortunately, most of the cast is pretty forgettable, and the protagonist is bland. The whole plot is rather uncanny as well, and it's a bit hard to believe that Ittoki had no idea he was destined to be a revered ninja until one fateful day.
The most interesting character in the series is Kousetsu, but that's mainly because of her cool character design. Many fans barely even remember watching Shinobi No Ittoki while it was airing. Given the nature of seasonal shonen anime, this one will get lost in the shadows of bigger, better series.
10 That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime (2018)
By the late 2010s, the isekai genre took hold of the anime demographic. Shows like Re:Zero and No Game No Life provided a lot of momentum for the genre, setting up many modern staples. However, the next wave of isekai anime needed to keep the formula fresh or else it would stagnate.
That is where That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime comes in. The anime has a lighter tone than works like Sword Art Online, but also incorporates more RPG elements into its story. This approach makes it a memorable show, but isekai anime have a quick shelf life. A new show is bound to overshadow it in a few years.
9 Horimiya (2021)
Horimiya is unequivocally one of the most successful modern romances anime has had. It's only behind the Fruits Basket remake when it comes to popularity. However, its merits are uneven, and it will eventually succumb to its own shortcomings.
Miyamura's growth as a character is lovely to see, but Hori's personality only becomes more toxic as the show goes on. It comes to a point where the viewers might doubt how healthy the relationship actually is. It also does not help that the supporting cast is not as interesting, even when screen time is allocated to them.
8 Dr. Stone (2019)
The newest generation of Weekly Shonen Jump anime has firmly established itself as the new normal. Dr. Stone is one of those shows, infusing the shonen spirit into the sciences. The character designs from manga artist Boichi gives the show a bold and distinct look, setting it apart from other shonen anime.
However, the fanfare for the series is bound to die down. While popular, it has not captured the zeitgeist as much as other Weekly Shonen Jump anime like My Hero Academia or Demon Slayer. If those titles are comparable to what Naruto and Bleach were a decade ago, then Dr. Stone is closer to being the Toriko of its generation.
7 Fire Force (2019)
Fire Force does not try to be anything more than what it is: a simple and fun show. The fight scenes are flashy, the character designs are cute, and the humor has its moments. Its popularity is not unwarranted, but it is hard to believe that it is sustainable. Despite all of its charm, the characters in the show are not household names.
The more damning issue is that Fire Force is less remarkable than its predecessor in every way. If an anime like Soul Eater, which has better art direction, stronger character writing, punchier designs, and a more novel premise eventually dropped out of popularity, then Fire Force will not fare any better.
6 A Silent Voice (2017)
Longevity for an anime film is hard to achieve. It is even harder for movies that are not produced by Studio Ghibli to withstand the passage of time. The rare exceptions are movies with colossal impact on the medium like Your Name. While A Silent Voice has a compelling story full of remorse and growth, its impression on anime is not strong enough to stick.
Even anime films that were once heralded as genre-defining like The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya eventually faded away. The film needed to break out of the normal anime circles to guarantee its continued popularity. While A Silent Voice's light still shines bright, it grows weaker with each year.
5 To Your Eternity (2021)
To Your Eternity is a show the lives and dies off the strength of its tragedies. Its opening episode establishes the story beats with death as its central theme. Each different story involves dying to some extent, which can be very affecting, but is also very predictable. Viewers learn to expect character deaths as part of the plot, while the anime expects it to still deliver emotional impact.
This dynamic weakens the impression a show can have. The initial refreshing atmosphere of To Your Eternity is the reason its rise happened, so stagnating this element will hurt its reputation in the long run. The show has moments of strong emotional drama, but that might not be enough to entice viewers in a few years.
4 Tokyo Revenger (2021)
Tokyo Revenger is the reason why delinquent anime is back. The show and its manga are some of the most popular works of the last few years. It combines time travel stories with high school gang fights. It has a wide array of colorful characters with different approaches to being in a gang. Unlike older delinquent anime, its appeal can reach anime fans from different demographics.
However, its manga has a notoriously bad final stretch of chapters. This will create a ripple effect that will harm the reputation of the anime. Once the anime adapts the ending, the audience will remember it more for that rather than the journey.
3 Your Lie In April (2014)
Your Lie in April is the latest show to truly capitalize on tragic romances. It establishes its main couple before making one of their deaths inevitable. The stress that induces in the audience is partially responsible for its lasting memory. Some might label its emotional beats as manipulative, especially with how strong the author's presence is, but it is effective.
This is the same path that shows like Clannad: Afterstory and Angel Beats took. It leads to a lot of buzz when the show comes out, but it is a replicable story that will be overshadowed the moment another anime does the same.
2 Rent-A-Girlfriend (2019)
There was a point when Rent-A-Girlfriend was the most promising harem anime since Bakemonogatari. Kazuya was a pathetic main character, but his faults were nuanced enough to be strangely compelling. All potential love interests had distinct personalities and appeals.
It had an arc that was surprisingly personal and intimate. All the good will the show accrued was thrown away by the manga's later arcs. Once they enter the pool area, they never leave and it becomes painful for fans. Once the anime adapts this section of the story, its reputation will never recover.
1 Komi Can't Communicate (2021)
There is a long chain of romantic comedy anime that are bolstered to prominence because of the female lead's appeal. Komi Can't Communicate is one of the most blatant modern examples of this trend. Tadano is barely a character. He is the generic male romcom lead whose most defining feature is being as average as they come. The whole show is propped up by Komi's presence.
While the anime is fairly popular, all it would take to replace it is another shonen romcom with a cute female lead. Anime like this thrive off the hype that comes with a romcom's newness. Once the show stops feeling fresh, it will die down.