Anime That Should Have Ended Sooner

Anime is a chance for authors to tell incredible stories, bringing massive worlds to life with engaging characters on a heroic mission. The worlds that mangaka create, brought to life through animation, have endless potential and leave incredibly strong impressions on fans while reshaping the anime community as a whole. Fans rejoice about these shows and watch every episode, wishing for the experience never to end.

While some of the best anime benefit from extensive episode counts, some anime overstay their welcome and run on for too long. Anime that stretch out an already perfect story do more harm than good and lose steam quicker than better-paced series. Here are some anime that should have ended sooner or would have benefited from a shorter run time.

7

Inuyasha

Naraku Overstayed His Welcome

Inuyasha is a beloved series that stands as one of the most influential isekai anime of all time, paving the way for countless series to come. The story revolves around a young girl named Kagome, who finds herself in a version of feudal Japan that is plagued by demons, and has adventures with a half-demon named Inuyasha.

The series followed the mismatched pair as they fought against demons to recover the shards of the Shikon Jewel, which were scattered throughout the country. At the same time, a romantic subplot and a colorful cast of side characters developed. However, the recurring menace of the series, Naraku, became a cliché, as with every final battle, he would escape thanks to poisonous insects. The series also slowed the romantic feelings of the two main characters to a crawl, spanning over one hundred episodes and a full-length animated film.

6

Detective Conan

Will Shinichi Ever Get His Body Back?

Detective Conan, also known as Case Closed, has been a phenomenal series that has spanned several years and is one of the best procedural mystery anime to date. The story follows Shinichi Kudo, a brilliant young teen who is dragged into a dark underworld of corruption after being transformed back into a child. Adopting the name Conan Edogawa, Shinichi uses his genius-level deductive skills to investigate bizarre crimes, expose the criminal organization behind his transformation, and return to his normal self.

With over one thousand episodes to date, there has been little to no progress against the criminal organization in the series, and Shinichi can only return to his normal age temporarily. While the bread and butter of the series is its whimsical adventure, it has seemingly left the plot behind.

5

Darling In The Franxx

An Intense Character-Driven Series Shifted Midway Through

Some series, including Gundam and Evangelion, dominate the Mecha anime world. It takes a striking series to make an impact in and stand out among other giants in the genre. Darling in the Franxx made a huge splash upon its release with a fascinating world, unique mech designs, and complex, well-written characters and relationships. Fans still praise the early beginnings of the series as a perfect narrative, but express their displeasure with the turn halfway through and the ending that fell flat among the community.

The series maintained its flashy action, but the side characters and emotional weight of the show peaked early. While the anime had a run of twelve episodes, the conflict could have been handled halfway through.

4

Takt Op. Destiny

A Science Fiction Rollercoaster Slowed To A Crawl

Takt Op Destiny takes place in a dystopian future where alien invaders called D2s, who are attracted to sound, have forced the world to live in harmony with music. A young pianist, struggling with grief and trauma, is dragged into the war against D2s when he and his adopted family come under attack and are changed forever.

Taakt and his caretaker’s younger sister are gravely injured but transformed into Musicarts, weapons that are powerful against D2s and fight in pairs. The premise and direction of the series begin strongly, but midway through, the character development slows, and the road-trip vibe fades, culminating in a heartbreaking conclusion.

3

Attack On Titan

A Perfect Story Stretched Too Thin

Attack on Titan is easily one of the most incredible stories of the last decade, and will go down in history as one of the greatest anime of all time. The population of a lone island fights to survive behind mighty walls out of fear of the monsters that roam beyond them. During an attack, with the walls failing, Eren Jaeger’s life is changed forever when he and his adopted sister lose everything.

Swearing vengeance, Eren embarks on a path that will change the world. The story of Attack on Titan is the perfect package, featuring action, mystery, thrills, and romance. As the series came to a close, the final season was split into three parts, including an animated film. Many fans consider this to be excessive, as a single-season release would have had a greater impact.

2

Code Geass

A Series That Didn’t Need A Sequel

Code Geass is a culmination of action, drama, mecha, and horror that tells a large-scale story about revenge, morality, grief, and historical discrimination. Lelouche Vi Britania is a banished prince on a mission of revenge against his father over the death of his mother. The Britanian Empire has conquered most of the world, making its capital city in what used to be Japan, and placing the people under strict rule.

Lelouch obtains a supernatural power called Geass, which proves to be the final piece in his plan to overthrow his family’s rule and exact revenge in the process. From start to finish, Code Geass is a masterfully told story. However, the series has had several continuations that include the main character coming back to life, which some fans consider making his initial sacrifice less pivotal.

1

Psycho Pass

A Brilliant Concept That Should Have Stopped At One

Psycho Pass was a truly unique concept, backed by perfect direction and narrative, upon the release of its first season. Set in a distant cyberpunk-esque future where crime is overseen by a highly advanced artificial intelligence called the Sibyl system, people are now arrested based on their brain chemistry, which can determine whether or not they are prone to crime and what type, similar to Minority Report.

The first season of the series was a complete and satisfying story. However, the show received several spin-offs and sequel seasons that lacked the detail and narrative focus that the first season had capitalized on, making the whole thing feel redundant despite its exceptional beginnings.