10 popular manga series that deserve an anime adaptation

With the Summer 2024 anime season soon about to begin, many manga series are finally set to receive their long-awaited anime adaptations. However, dedicated manga fans would agree that there are several manga series that deserve an anime adaptation before the series that will soon air their first episodes.

While some of these manga series have been released recently, others have been ongoing for quite some time now. Unfortunately, due to undisclosed reasons, these manga have yet to receive an anime adaptation. Thus, here we shall look at 10 popular manga series that deserve their anime adaptations.

Disclaimer: This article may contain spoilers from a variety of manga.

Fire Punch, All You Need is Kill, and 8 other popular manga series that deserve an anime adaptation

1) 20th Century Boys

20th Century Boys Volume 1 cover illustration (Image via Shogakukan)

20th Century Boys, written and illustrated by Naoki Urasawa, is a mystery-science fiction manga series that was serialized between 1999 and 2006 with 36 million copies in circulation. On top of that, the manga series has received several highly acclaimed awards throughout the years.

20th Century Boys manga follows the story of Kenji Endo and his friends, who notice a cult leader set out to destroy the world. However, the acts committed by the leader were the same ones Kenji and his friends had written about and hidden in a time capsule during their childhood.

2) Fire Punch

Agni as seen in Fire Punch (Image via Shueisha)

Fire Punch, written and illustrated by Chainsaw Man creator Tatsuki Fujimoto, is a dark-fantasy manga series that was serialized between April 2016 and January 2018. While the manga series did not win any major awards, fans often praise it, calling it one of Fujimoto's greatest creations besides Chainsaw Man.

Fire Punch follows the story of Agni, a young man with the blessing of regeneration. After his village succumbs to the inextinguishable flames set by Commander Doma, Agni is the only person left alive due to his regeneration. Hence, he embarks on a journey to avenge his sister, who died in the fire.

3) Vagabond

Musashi as seen in Vagabond (Image via Kodansha)

Vagabond, written and illustrated by the creator of Slam Dunk Takehiko Inoue, is a Japanese epic martial arts manga series. It began serialization in 1998 and has gone on an extended hiatus since May 2015. Nevertheless, the manga has been compiled into 37 volumes, with over 82 million copies in circulation.

Vagabond portrays the fictionalized account of the life of Japanese swordsman Musashi Miyamoto, based on the Musashi novel by Eiji Yoshikawa. The story depicts Musashi's life right from the aftermath of the decisive Battle of Sekigahara, during which he was named Takezō Shinmen.

4) Goodbye, Eri

Eri as seen in Goodbye, Eri (Image via Shueisha)

Goodbye Eri, another manga written and illustrated by Chainsaw Man creator Tatsuki Fujimoto, is a Japanese one-shot manga. While the manga did not win any awards, it got nominated for several, including the Harvey Award, the Eisner Award, and others.

Goodbye, Eri follows the story of Yuta Ito, a boy whose terminally ill mother asked him to document the events before her death and compile them as a movie. Following her death, Yuta premiered the movie at his school; however, it was met with a lot of criticism. This pushed Yuta to the point of suicide, which is when a girl named Eri praises his movie, asking him to make another one.

5) Kagurabachi

Chihiro as seen in Kagurabachi (Image via Shueisha)

Kagurabachi, written and illustrated by Takeru Hokazono, is an action manga series that began serialization in September 2023. While the manga wasn't received well locally, it received a lot of praise online from international readers, making the series widely popular.

Kagurabachi follows the story of Chihiro Rokuhira, the son of the late renowned blacksmith Kunishige Rokuhira, the person responsible for making the six enchanted swords. After a gang of sorcerers killed Kunishige to steal the swords, Chihiro wielded the seventh enchanted sword and embarked on a journey forged for revenge.

6) Real

The three protagonists from Real manga (Image via Shueisha)

Real, another manga series written and illustrated by Slam Dunk manga creator Takehiko Inoue is a Japanese wheelchair basketball-themed manga series. It began serialization in October 1999 and has been compiled into 15 manga volumes, with over 16 million copies in circulation. The manga series has also won an Excellence Award at the fifth Japan Media Arts Festival.

Real follows the stories of three characters: Takahashi, Togawa, and Nomiya. Takahashi was once the basketball team captain but was left paraplegic following an accident. Togawa had a bright future as a sprinter but had to get his leg amputated. Lastly, Nomiya cared about a disabled woman because he believed that he was the person responsible for her accident. Fortunately, they found a new direction in life through wheelchair basketball.

7) All You Need is Kill

Keiji as seen in All You Need is Kill (Image via Shueisha)

All You Need is Kill, written by Ryōsuke Takeuchi and illustrated by Death Note manga artist Takeshi Obata, is a science-fiction manga. The story was initially released as a light novel in 2004 and later given a manga adaptation in 2014. Surprisingly, the manga has already received a loosely-based live-action adaptation called Edge of Tomorrow.

All You Need Is Kill follows the story of a soldier named Keiji Kiriya, who, following his death against extraterrestrials, is caught in a time loop. This time loop sees him live the same day repeatedly, allowing him to improve his fighting skills.

8) Akane-banashi

Akane Osaki as seen in Akane-banashi (Image via Shueisha)

Akane-banashi, written by Yuki Suenaga and illustrated by Takamasa Moue, is a comedy-drama manga series. The manga began serialization in February 2022 and has been compiled into 11 volumes. The series has also received several manga award nominations.

Akane-banashi follows the story of Akane Osaki, a girl who wishes to avenge her father. After her father and other students were expelled from Arakawa school, stopping them from obtaining rakugo's highest-rank shin'uchi, Akane trained under her father's master and set out on her journey to become a shin'uchi herself.

9) Gokurakugai

Tao and Almo as seen in Gokurakugai (Image via Shueisha)

Gokurakugai, written and illustrated by Yuto Sano, is a Japanese adventure supernatural manga series. It began serialization in July 2022 and has been compiled into three manga volumes. While the manga has only released 18 chapters, each chapter is long enough to be adapted into a single anime episode.

Gokurakugai follows the story of Tao and Alma, who run a "problem solver" agency together in Gokurakugai, a city populated by humans and beastmen. As the duo investigates uneasy cases, they explore further into the hidden, dark side of the city.

10) Choujin X

Tokio Kurohara as seen in Choujin X (Image via Shueisha)

Choujin X, written and illustrated by Tokyo Ghoul manga creator Sui Ishida, is an action-supernatural manga series. The manga began serialization in May 2021 and has since been releasing manga chapters at an irregular pace. While the manga's latest chapter release is labeled "52.3," the manga has individually had over 70 chapter releases.

Choujin X follows the story of Azuma Higashi and Tokio Kurohara, two friends who are completely opposite of each other. One day, when they were returning home, a Choujin confronts them, threatening to kill them. With no option left, the two decided to become Choujin to defend themselves.