There’s a certain level of freedom and bravery when it comes to the anime industry that makes it feel like literally anything is possible. There are some extremely unusual stories that get told in anime that would be impossible to tell in any other medium, and it’s continually exciting to see how the industry continues to evolve. Anime series can run for hundreds of episodes and trigger sprawling franchises where sequel series are the norm.
Direct continuations of classic series still generate tons of anticipation, but there’s also been more of a push toward spin-off series that tackle a certain corner of a preexisting universe through a different lens. Some of these anime spin-offs take especially wild risks, which can result in very surprising projects.
10 Puni Puni Poemy Brilliantly Pokes Fun At The Oversaturated Magical Girl Genre
Excel Saga is one of the most fearless gag anime series of all time, and every episode lampoons a different genre of anime to near-perfection. The ending of Excel Saga teases a fake follow-up, Puni Puni Poemy, which the series actually turns into a reality with an absurdist two-episode spin-off OVA series. Puni Puni Poemy is somehow even more unhinged than its predecessor. It sets its sights primarily on the absurd and heightened nature of magical girl series, yet meshing them together with a lot of mecha staples at the same time.
9 Attack On Titan: Junior High Trades Constant Dread For Slapstick Hilarity
It’s become a strange trend in the anime industry to give some of the most serious series an adorable spin-off series where everyone undergoes a chibi facelift. Attack on Titan has built a revered reputation for itself through its incredible action sequences, inspired storytelling, and extreme character development. There are many angles for an Attack on Titan spin-off, and some OVA series have helped shine a light on overlooked periods of history. What’s completely unexpected is Attack on Titan: Junior High, which presents a younger version of the cast and storytelling that focuses on laughs, not carnage.
8 Thus Spoke Rohan Kishibe Digs Into The Weirder Corners Of The JoJo Universe
Hirohiko Araki’s JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is one of the most versatile long-running series due to the generational approach to storytelling that’s allowed the narrative to span many decades across a wide range of areas. Diamond is Unbreakable is a standout installment of the series, but it’s especially surprising to see how popular the series’ belligerent, egotistical mangaka, Rohan Kishibe, has become.
Rohan has received both an animated and live-action spin-off where he uses his Heaven’s Door Stand to investigate odd individuals. It feels a lot more like mystery and horror than standard JoJo.
7 Cells At Work! Code Black Highlights The Horrors Of The Human Body
Cells at Work! does a surprisingly entertaining job at bringing the inner workings of the human body to life. Anthropomorphizing blood cells and the human body’s organs is nothing new, but Cells at Work! makes it feel fresh. There’s such endless versatility in this premise that several Cells at Work! spin-offs have happened, which narrow in on specific parts of biology. Cells at Work! Code Black turns to the more debilitating and deadly problems that can plague the body, but it presents these conditions like a horror series, rather than the adventure angle of the original series.
6 Angel Links Expands The Corners Of Outlaw Star’s Futuristic Universe
Sometimes spin-offs can build off of such disparate elements, but Angel Links, as strange as it is, feels like a more natural extension of how spin-offs used to operate. Angel Links builds off of Outlaw Star, with the spin-off's characters originating in the installment, "Law and Lawlessness," which could be seen as a backdoor pilot. Angel Links stands out from its space pirate predecessor with a perspective that's so fascinated with the technology and transportation that make up the franchise's larger universe. The lead in Angel Links, Meifon Li, is also a stark contrast from Outlaw Star's Gene Starwind.
5 Mr. Tonegawa: Middle Management Blues Accentuates The Humor Of The Workplace
Huge shifts in tone and style can either doom a spin-off series or catapult them to success. Kaiji: Ultimate Survivor is a suspenseful series that focuses on high-stakes gambling. It occasionally has lighter moments, but it's meant to be a tense experience.
Mr. Tonegawa: Middle Management Blues leans into the opposite extreme with a gag-centric series that almost feels like The Office or Curb Your Enthusiasm. The comedic spin-off unpacks the never-ending juggling act that middle managers must perform to keep both their employees, as well as their boss, content.
4 Soul Eater Not! Pushes Meister Madness Into More Humble Slice Of Life Territory
Soul Eater is one of the more popular series to come out of the past few decades, and its general premise that involves the temperamental relationship between sentient weapons and the meisters that wield them is exceptional. Soul Eater Not! is a 12-episode spin-off prequel series that focuses on the students of the NOT--Normally Overcome Target--class, as opposed to those from the EAT curriculum. The NOT folks don't want to become warriors of justice, but merely contain their powers and not hurt anyone. This pushes Soul Eater Not! into more comedic slice of life territory.
3 Rock Lee & His Ninja Pals Gives New Naruto New Life With A Humorous New POV
Naruto is one of the most prolific anime series of all time, and even now it continues to extend its story through the sequel series, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations. Naruto and its continuations always focus on kinetic ninja action, which is why Rock Lee & His Ninja Pals is such a breath of fresh air. At just over 50 episodes, Rock Lee pushes Naruto into a supporting position and instead focuses on Rock Lee’s light-hearted training efforts. Much like with Attack on Titan: Junior High, the tonal shift in this spin-off is the perfect palette cleanser from the main Naruto canon.
2 Burn The Witch Pushes Bleach’s World To Reverse London’s Witch Society
Bleach is another classic shonen anime series that unfortunately fell victim to unruly stretches of filler. Burn the Witch features very little crossover from Bleach other than the fact that it's set in the same world and makes use of the same powers and magic. The spin-off is set in the Soul Society's Western Branch, in Reverse London, as it follows two determined witches. As it stands, Burn the Witch's anime offerings have only been a movie adaptation, but with more Burn the Witch manga on the way, it'd be highly unlikely for more anime to not follow suit.
1 Super Dragon Ball Heroes Is Glorified Fan Fiction With No Restraint
The Dragon Ball franchise has reached such heights of popularity that any piece of supplemental content is going to receive a ton of attention. Super Dragon Ball Heroes is a promotional spin-off series that is designed to help sell and promote the video game, Dragon Ball Heroes. Much like in the corresponding video game series, Super Dragon Ball Heroes just throws as many popular characters into the mix as possible, even if that means multiple versions of Goku and Vegeta fighting together at once. It’s such a bewildering spectacle to watch since it just throws so much at the audience.