5 anime series that did justice to their inspirations (& 5 that look like cheap copies)

Anime series, mostly sourced from manga series, always have an inspiration behind their making. While sometimes the authors publicly unveil their inspiration and give them their due credit, sometimes the inspirations are left as a mystery even though they are obvious in the eyes of the fandom.

Hidden or disclosed inspiration, some anime series take the cake as projects that did justice to their inspirations, whether story-wise or animation-wise. However, some projects fumble and are considered cheap copies that are hardly paid attention. This article will touch on both aspects and give five of the best examples from each.

Disclaimer: Any opinions expressed in this article solely belong to the author.

Deca Dence (Attack on Titan) and 4 other anime series that did justice to their inspirations

1) Deca Dence (Attack on Titan)

Natsume as seen in the anime (Image via NUT)

From the creators of Death Parade comes Deca Dence, which could be considered a Sci-Fi take on the generational anime series Attack on Titan. Deca Dence features humans who hide from monsters titled Gadoll (Titans) inside an enclosed area called the Deca-Dence (Walls) and only the fighters titled the Gears (Survey Corps) venture into the open to fight the monsters.

Although Deca Dence does follow a pudgy CGI animation, which was also an issue in the starting seasons of Attack on Titan, it is indeed an anime series that does justice to its speculated inspiration.

2) Jojo's Bizarre Adventure (Fist of the North Star)

Dio as seen in the anime (Image via David Productions)

With both series being hardly a few years apart in serialization, Jojo's Bizarre Adventures and The Fist of the North Star share an uncanny resemblance when it comes to character designs.

Although no anime/manga series inspired Jojo's Bizarre Adventure— it was inspired by a popular novel series— Fist of the North Star could be one of the starting inspirations for Hirohiko Araki, which can also be seen in both series' anime adaptations. This makes Jojo's Bizarre Adventures an anime series that does justice to its inspiration.

3) Kaiju no. 8 (Ultraman)

Kafka as seen in the anime (Image via Production I.G)

The author of Kaiju no 8 officially unveiled that he was inspired by the live-action series Ultraman, where Kaiju are the villains. The anime series, of the same name, could also be considered an inspiration as long as the narrative is concerned because both share the same storyline.

Based on this, Kaiju no 8 outdid its source because it added more depth to the plotline of a normal Ultraman episode and introduced more innovative Kaiju designs, becoming an anime series that not only did justice to its inspiration but might have also outdone it in some ways.

4) Jujutsu Kaisen (Bleach, Hunter x Hunter, and Neon Genesis Evangelion)

Itadori Yuji as seen in the anime (Image via MAPPA)

The Guinness World Record holder series was officially inspired by some classic anime series like Bleach, Hunter x Hunter, and Neon Genesis Evangelion. Although the specifics weren't revealed, the main inspiration Gege Akutami took from these series could be for his series' protagonist, Itadori Yuji.

Itadori Yuji is consistent (like Gon from Hunter X Hunter) and cherishes his friendship (like Ichigo from Bleach), but when met with failure, he also goes into depression (Shinji from Neon Genesis Evangelion), making him the perfect package of a protagonist. The inspirations could also be seen plotwise, making Jujutsu Kaisen an anime series that does justice to its inspirations.

5) Demon Slayer (Naruto, Jojo's Bizarre Adventures, and Bleach)

Tanjiro as seen in the anime (Image via Ufotable)

Demon Slayer was disclosed by the author to be inspired by three shounen giants: Bleach, Jojo's Bizarre Adventures, and Naruto, with the third being the biggest influence. Just like Naruto, the fandom could see how each character of Demon Slayer was constructed to feel others' pain, with the biggest example being the protagonist Kamado Tanjiro.

The other inspirations could be more for the development of characters and plot development, but Demon Slayer is one of the anime series that did justice to all its inspirations.

Kamikatsu (Konosuba) and 4 other anime series that look like cheap copies

1) Guilty Crown (Code Geass)

Inori as seen in the anime (Image via Production I.G)

With both series being anime original series, Guilty Crown and Code Geass followed similar protagonists, Shuu and Lelouch, who had self-sacrificing personalities. Moreover, both of them were emerging Mecha genre series.

However, the former fumbled in executing its plotline and protagonist, and was followed by a disappointing climax, becoming an anime series that although not officially inspired by Code Geass, became a cheap copy of it.

2) Fairy Tail (One Piece)

Natsu as seen in the anime (Image via J.C. Staff)

Fairy Tail and One Piece are shounen giants of the anime and manga, industry, and most fans speculate that the former could be inspired by the latter, based on how many similarities their characters have, with the spotlight being the similarity between Gildarts and Shanks. Moreover, their plot progression was also similar.

However, even though Fairy Tail was nowhere near a flop series, its plotline lacked depth, when compared to its speculated inspiration. Moreover, Fairy Tail centered the entire series around friendship, which was the reason why it became a cheap copy of One Piece.

3) Charlotte (Clannad and other Jun Maeda projects)

Yu Otosaka as seen in the anime (Image via P.A.Works)

Jun Maeda is one of the most famed Japanese writers in the anime industry, best known for his series like Clannad and Angel Beats. Following the same drama element in Charlotte, Jun Maeda was hoping to deliver another masterpiece.

However, the series had a weak start with terrible pacing and fumbled hard with its edgy climax. This could be because the author dwelled in genres that he wasn't familiar with, which led to the fandom branding Charlotte as one of the anime series that was a cheap copy of its inspiration.

4) Darling in the Franxx (Neon Genesis Evangelion)

Zero Two as seen in the anime (Image via TRIGGER & CloverWorks)

Darling in the Franxx is an anime series speculated to be inspired by classic mecha series like Neon Genesis Evangelion. Be it its narrative— orphans driving giant robots for the sake of mankind— or depressing themes, the former series is heavily inspired by the latter.

However, even though both of them had questionable endings, Darling in the Franxx took the cake for the worst one out of the two, accompanied by a slow start and becoming a cheap copy of its inspiration.

5) Kamikatsu (Konosuba)

Yukito and Mitama as seen in the anime (Image via Studio Palette)

Kamikatsu is based on a manga series written by the same person who was the script writer for some episodes of Konosuba season 1. This led to the plotline of Kamikatsu having similarities with Konosuba, such as their protagonists (Yukito and Kazuma) following 'useless' goddesses (Mitama and Aqua) in an isekai world.

However, even though Konosuba could be an inspiration for Kamikatsu, the latter series was a lost cause from the start because it majorly focused on Ecchi. So the majority of characters had no depth, leading to it becoming a cheap copy of Konosuba.

Final thoughts

The purpose of this article is not to downgrade any anime series because every series, as a standalone, is still the best on its own. However, when compared to their inspirations, be it officially or speculated from their looks, these anime series either look like good successors or successors that just copied the concept and lacked in other departments.