For a time, superhero comics were the only ones people knew about. However, times have changed considerably. These days comics like Sandman can be a consistent top-seller, to say nothing of a book like The Walking Dead. These books are starting to break through in pop culture as much as superheroes have.
Still there’s one thing most indie comics don’t have: their own anime series. While superheroes have delved into the world of anime multiple times in the past through things like the Batman: Gotham Knights project or the Marvel Anime seasonal shows, their indie counterparts are far behind. But there are plenty of comics that could easily make that transition.
10 Blackbird's Magical Battles Are Perfect For Anime
Created by Sam Humphries and Jen Bartel, Blackbird was published by Image Comics in 2019. The series follows Nina Rodriguez, who knows magic is real but can’t find anyone who will acknowledge what she knows to be true. One day, she’s confronted by a dangerous magical creature, this exchange leads her to learning more about the magic cabals in her city.
Not only would Blackbird be amazing as an anime, that’s probably the main medium it would thrive in. Half of its appeal are the beautiful colors and character designs, something anime has the best chance of capturing.
9 Radiant Black Turns Its Protagonist Into A Super Sentai Character
Kyle Higgins went from writing BOOM! Studios’ Power Rangers to creating an original version of Power Rangers on his own. Radiant Black is an original series from Kyle Higgins and Marcelo Costa about a down on his luck writer named Nathan Burnett forced to move back in with his parents.
On a night out, Nathan runs into the ethereal, cosmic Radiant that transforms him into Radiant Black, giving him a chance to make his life mean something. Anime has already shown it can do a good Super Sentai series with stories like Tiger & Bunny, Samurai Flamenco, and Active Raid. It wouldn’t be difficult for them to make this work as well.
8 Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye Is Full Of Touching Character Moments And Giant Robot Fights
Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye might be a problem these days because IDW no longer owns the rights to the comic. But it's still one of the greatest comics of the 2010s, bar none. The series focuses on a group of Cybertronians who all pile aboard the Lost Light in the hopes of finding the Knights of Cybertron to gain their guidance.
Though MTMTE is part of a larger universe, it’s also largely standalone as it relies on mostly lesser-known characters. It builds up its own Transformers universe that’s character-centric, though there are plenty of giant robot battles for action lovers.
7 Battle Chasers Was Heavily Inspired By Anime To Begin With
Battle Chasers already feels like it belongs in the anime world. Many other manga went through an experience where the anime caught up to the manga's storyline because the creator fell behind. Battle Chasers launched when Joe Madueira was at the top of his game, and was a massive success despite its short run. The comic included work from Munier Sharrieff, Adam Warren, Tom McWeeney, Jason Martin Vince Russel, Vince Russel, and Scott Williams.
Though it’s set in its own universe, it relies on a D&D-esque party who are hunting down a group of villains they accidentally released from prison. The series could easily support a pair of short OVA series adapting the comic and the game, Battle Chasers: Nightwar.
6 Ninjak Combines Super Spies With Martial Arts And Ninja Action
There’s plenty to like about a universe that combines ninja action with modern-day espionage. The Valiant Universe comics changes Ninjak's identity to the master spy Colin King. King became Ninjak to get revenge for his father, another spy who was killed on a mission.
As ridiculous an idea as Ninjak (Mark Moretti and Joe Quesada) is, the entire story would make sense in an anime series. Especially considering the series eventually explains that the character’s name isn’t Ninjak, but rather NINJA-K, and King has to battle against some of the older ninja who also aced the Ninja Program.
5 Gen13 Combines Teenage Drama With Superheroics
The super-team Gen13 feels like a team that should have been more popular than it was. The series was created by a super-star creative team in Jim Lee, Brandon Choi, and J. Scott Campbell, and had a more than respectable run throughout the ‘90s and 2000s. Unfortunately, the series never got bigger than the comics it started with.
A group of teens who were experimented on, granted superpowers, and forced to go on the run from the government feels tailor-made for a shonen-style action series. The series even had an anime parody at one point in the miniseries Magical Drama Queen Roxy from Adam Warren. The show’s half-way to being an anime already.
4 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Often Plays Out Like A Battle Shonen
The TMNT comics, created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, were already just one big anime reference as it is. They’re anthropomorphized Turtles who fight against ninja and aliens from other worlds. Add in a Jinchuriki or two, and it might feel like a Naruto rip-off.
The series has everything needed to be a battle shonen, especially considering how the 2003 TMNT series showed the Turtles could deal with everything from monster attacks to alien invasions. Plus, the Turtles already were an anime in the late ‘90s, though it was only for a brief time as an OVA.
3 Mech Cadet Yu Features A Giant Robot Controlled By Ash Ketchum
Mech Cadet Yu, crafted by Greg Pak and Takeshi Miyazawa, takes place in a universe where alien robots inexplicably form a connection with young kids. The young kids are usually graduates from a special school known as the Sky Corps Academy.
Here, the giant robot connected with a young boy named Stanford, who worked alongside his mom as a Janitor before. This miniseries is essentially what would happen if Ash Ketchum got his own giant robot. It would likely turn into a hit both in America and Japan.
2 Gold Diggers Is Packed With Anime References And Humor
Gold Digger is the original American anime. Created by Fred Perry and Wes Hartman, debuting in 1992 from Antarctic Press, the series follows Gina Diggers, a super-genius who aims to explore her wild and crazy world.
This is one of the longest running independent comics, with a very clear anime inspiration from the beginning. Gold Digger might feel like it's too out of place for an anime, with it being a reference every other page. Still, parody and referential humor can make an anime into a hit — just ask Gintama.
1 X-O Manowar Combines Super-Intelligent Armor With Time Travel
Valiant’s X-O Manowar, created by Jim Shooter and Bob Layton, is exactly the kind of comic that could be turned into a top tier action series. Though it’s a little too cynical to be a shonen anime, it would fit right in alongside series like Vinland Saga. The protagonist, Aric, is a barbarian in the distant past whose army is captured by an alien race.
Aric breaks out of the alien’s ship and steals a powerful suit of armor that just happens to work for him and makes it back to Earth. When he gets there, however, hundreds of years have passed. This is exactly the sort of high concept that anime loves, and it’s got enough impressive fight scenes to capture action lovers.