When an anime ends, fans can be left with a variety of emotions. Sometimes, the show will have a happy ending for its characters and wrap things up perfectly in the story so that fans are left satisfied. Others might have a sad ending, but the feeling of completion is still there. Then there are some that will leave an opening for the series to continue.
In contrast, there are some shows that had amazing endings, but, for some reason, kept going. A sequel series can be successful and even be better than the original series if done correctly. However, there are some shows that keep going despite having a great ending, which can often leave fans wondering why.
10 Sword Art Online
The first season of Sword Art Online took the anime world by storm when it came out thanks to its amazing stories and characters. Kirito, though overpowered, was a pretty likable protagonist and Asuna was a strong female protagonist fighting at his side. When the second season came out, it flipped the script on Asuna. Instead of being the tough warrior that fans had grown to know and love, she became a damsel-in-distress character who simply waited for Kirito to save her.
Since then, the series has become more known for Kirito being a character that fans don’t know if they should love or hate. He is the main character, but it sometimes feels like there’s nothing that can beat him, which leaves his character with very little room for development. All other characters, including Asuna, now feel minor because of Kirito’s screen time and don’t get the chance to develop on their own.
9 Eureka Seven
As one of the best mecha anime shows,Eureka Seven had the perfect blend of adventure, romance, and the mecha elements that fans know and love. It had an excellent story and characters that are some of the best in the anime world. After 50 episodes, the show was complete and the ending was very well-written and, for the most part, left fans feeling happy with how everything turned out for the main characters.
When Eureka Seven: AO was released, fans were excited to see what would come next, but that excitement turned sour pretty quickly for most. AO has received mixed to negative reviews because the characters weren’t really memorable and the story wasn’t as strong as the first series. Overall, most fans tend to dismiss the sequel series because of this, which makes AO feel irrelevant.
8 Mobile Suit Gundam SEED
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED is one the best anime series to come out in the early 2000s and one of the best shows in the Gundam series. There was more than enough action, drama, romance, and tragedy that, after 50 episodes, it was good to see that the world was finally at peace. Of course, Kira and the others would continue to work to maintain peace, but, overall, the show ended on a positive note.
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny is a sequel series that takes place two years after the events of the original. While the series wasn’t terrible, it felt like some of the things accomplished in the first series were undone and the returning characters were a little overshadowed by the new main character, Shinn Asuka. A sequel really wasn’t needed after going through 50 episodes in the first series.
7 FLCL
For it only being six episodes long, FLCL is iconic because of the overall wackiness, silliness, and unusual plot. After watching it, viewers know that six episodes is more than enough for this series because of how hilariously intense and extra everything in this show is. However, two sequel series, FLCL Progressive and FLCL Alternative, came out in 2018 and continued to follow Haruko on her journey.
Sadly, neither of the sequels quite have the same magic that drew fans in with the original series. This is one series that really didn’t need sequels because, after all, the craziness that happened in FLCL is more than enough to keep fans talking about even now.
6 Steins;Gate
Steins;Gate was a pretty intense show and is one the best psychological thriller anime out there. Time travel can be a bit confusing and it’s easy to get it wrong, but this is one show that manages to get it spot on. The anime series ended on a pretty good note and it seemed like everything was fine.
The Steins;Gate movie is a sequel to the series, and is actually a pretty good movie in its own right. It did make some fans wonder why it was created, though, since the show had a good ending and a sequel wasn’t needed. Regardless, both the show and movie are pretty great and a must-watch for fans of the genre.
5 Yu-Gi-Oh!
Yu-Gi-Oh! has been around for a long time and has had many spin-offs over the years, some of which are pretty good. The ending of the original Yu-Gi-Oh! showed Yami Yugi/Atem going to the afterlife while Yugi and the others move on with their lives. Some of them were even mentioned in the sequel series, Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, and shown to be successful duelists. The movie Yu-Gi-Oh! The Dark Side of Dimensions came in 2016 and put Yugi and the gang back in the spotlight.
The Dark Side of Dimensions is pretty good and it was nice to see the characters again, but it did not do any favors to Seto Kaiba’s character. Fans already knew he was obsessed with defeating Atem in a duel, but the movie showed him taking this obsession to new and somewhat ridiculous levels. With that, plus a villain who is really hard to feel sorry for, the movie is entertaining but not really needed.
4 Dragon Ball Z
The Dragon Ball series is one the longest-running anime series of all time. Dragon Ball Z proved to be a very successful sequel series and is arguably better than Dragon Ball. It had great character development, good storylines, iconic villains, and some of the best fights in anime history. The ending was great and fans were happy to see their favorite heroes living a good life. Then, Dragon Ball GT came out and reversed everything that DBZ had done.
From changing Goku back into a child and more or less ignoring characters like Vegeta, Gohan, and Piccolo until the very end, GT did not sit well with fans. Luckily Dragon Ball Super has since come out and reversed the damage GT did to the series, with better storylines, awesome new characters, and more epic fights. However, if Dragon Ball Z had been the final series, it would’ve been good too since it ended perfectly.
3 Fushigi Yuugi
Fushigi Yuugi is a great reverse harem show that wasn’t afraid to kill off some of its main characters as it went on. Most of the Suzaku Warriors went down fighting and taking their enemies with them, and only Miaka, Tamahome, Chichiri, and Tatsuki survived. After losing their friends and fighting against the Seriyuu Warriors, it seemed like they were done fighting and Miaka and Tamahome could live together in Miaka’s world.
However, the OVA series happened and Tamahome was forced back into the book, but somehow was already reincarnated in Miaka’s world as Taka Sukunami. Taka didn’t have Tamahome’s memories, so the second part of the OVA focused on getting them back. After the OVA series, it seemed like Taka/Tamahome and Miaka could finally live in peace, but Fushigi Yuugi Eikoden proved otherwise. The end of Eikoden finally showed Miaka and Taka living happily together, but the OVA series and Eikoden just didn’t seem necessary.
2 Inuyasha
It was frustrating to watch Inuyasha and Kagome’s relationship move extremely slowly, and even left their friends irritated with them at times. However, it was nice to see them get together at the end of the series. Kagome went back to her world to finish high school and graduate, then went back to the past to be with Inuyasha. Miroku and Sango are married and have three kids together. The sequel series, Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon, showed fans the children of the heroes after the Inuyasha series.
However, Yashahime ruined the perfect ending and showed that Inuyasha and Kagome weren’t even there to raise their own daughter (not their fault though). What really left a lot of fans scratching their heads was the relationship that developed between Sesshomaru and Rin. She was a child when they met and was left in Kaede’s care at the end of the Inuyasha series, but a lot of fans were blindsided that Rin grew up and became Sesshomaru’s wife.
1 Naruto Shippuden
The Naruto series is definitely popular for a variety of reasons and the show itself went on for about ten years. After the final episode, fans were happy to see that Naruto made his dreams of becoming Hokage come true, along with having a family with Hinata Hyuga. Sasuke is on the path of redemption and marries Sakura, having a child with her as well. Everyone had their perfect happy ending after fighting for so long.
Then, the Boruto series came out almost immediately after Naruto, or at least it feels like it, anyway. The show is not bad at all, but it’s left some wondering if a sequel was really needed. It crumbled the feeling that everyone in Naruto doesn't have a happy ending and has even killed off some important characters. Plus, it doesn’t help that a lot of the new characters just aren’t as strongly written as the Naruto characters were and that returning characters now seem to be weaker in general.