Sometimes, anime only have one season and never get a second season. There are even cases where an anime is canceled mid-season and ends before the season is over.
Here are some anime that were canceled without being completed:
Gangsta
“Gangsta” is an anime that has a lot of potential but falls flat. The story follows two “helpers” Worick and Nicolas who do jobs for the mafia and the police that no one else can do.
“Gangsta” was quite popular during its first run and even went on to have a dedicated fan base, keeping fans hopeful for a second season. But it’s highly unlikely that fans will get a second season, as the first season was abruptly canceled when Manglobe Inc., the studio responsible for producing the “Gangsta” cartoons, filed for bankruptcy, leaving the story unfinished.
Highschool of the Dead
“Highschool of the Dead” follows a group of high school students and their nurse as they try to survive a zombie apocalypse. But zombies aren't the only thing these students have to worry about, as they also have to deal with the consequences of a total societal collapse as crazed survivors with no morals.
Both the manga and anime “Highschool of the Dead” were well received and very popular. Unfortunately, the series was abandoned after the death of screenwriter Daisuke Sato in 2017, so there will be no new material for either the manga or the anime.
Prison School
In “Prison School,” Kiyoshi Fujino and four of his friends find themselves the only boys at Hachimitsu Academy, Tokyo's strictest all-girls academy, after the school decides to start accepting boys. When the boys are caught spying in the school's bathroom area, they are given a choice: spend a month in jail or be expelled.
While the “Prison School” manga could properly end, the same cannot be said for the anime, which only lasted one season. The anime has not been officially canceled, but rather has not been renewed for another season, so it is in limbo and may never premiere.
The Legend of Konjiki!!
“Konjiki no Gash Bell!!” is one of the many forgotten shounen anime of the early 2000s. It follows the adventures of a prickly teenager named Kiyomaru and his friend, Zatch Bell. Zatch comes from another world called the Mamodo World, and is one of one hundred children sent to Earth to fight for the right to become King of the Mamodos.
Although “Konjiki no Gash Bell!!” was a hit in Japan, with a 150 episode run, it was not popular enough to get an ending. The manga was also canceled and never got a proper ending. Zatch and Kiyo defeated the powerful Faudo, but they did not have enough time to win the tournament.
Deadman Wonderland
“Deadman Wonderland” is a perfect example of an anime adaptation gone horribly wrong. After high school student Ganta Igarashi witnesses the murder of his entire class, he is framed for the horrific act and sent to Deadman Wonderland, a prison that doubles as an amusement park.
While the anime “Deadman Wonderland” had great animation, it rushed through many plot points and completely removed important characters from the story. This didn't sit well with fans of the manga, and even those who hadn't read it didn't like the anime. Worse yet, the series was canceled after ending its first season on a cliffhanger that would have set the stage for a second season.
Code: Breaker
“Code: Breaker” is a popular shounen manga that was serialized in Weekly Shonen Magazine for several years before the anime. Although the anime premiered when the series was about to end, it only ran for one season.
“Code: Breaker” tells the story of a young girl named Sakura Sakurakouji, who encounters a group of beings known as the Code: Breakers, assassins with government privileges. The series balances Sakura's optimism with the pessimism of the Code: Breakers, who see their existence as nothing more than a necessity.
Bubblegum Crisis
Inspired by movies like Blade Runner and Terminator, “Bubblegum Crisis” looks like a cartoon from the '80s. The series focuses on the adventures of the Knight Sabers, a group of female mercenaries powered by energy to fight against rogue robots.
“Bubblegum Crisis” was well received by fans and critics, praising its story and characters, but it was canceled due to a contract dispute between the two companies producing the series. Of the planned 13 episodes, only 8 aired before being canceled, leaving fans without any conclusion to the story. The anime needed another season to complete the storyline, but it looks like that will never happen.
Magi: Labyrinth of Magic
“Magi” looked like the next big shounen fighting series when it debuted in 2012. With a unique setting involving Arabian mythology, the story was different enough from most other shounen anime to stand out in a sea of similar series with a classic shounen style.
“Magi” was one of the first shonen anime to adopt a seasonal model, with the first season in 2012 and the second in 2013. The seasonal approach was supposed to allow the manga to advance enough that the series could continue. “Magi” was even popular enough to spawn a spin-off anime centered around Sinbad, one of the series' characters. However, neither anime series was able to reach a proper conclusion, as they both ended long before the manga ended.
Baccano!
“Baccano!” is told from multiple perspectives and is set primarily in the United States during the Prohibition era. It follows many seemingly unrelated events that eventually come together to create a much larger story about alchemy, survival, and immortality.
Although “Baccano!” received very good reviews, the show was poorly received by many fans who may not have liked the non-sequitur storytelling. Regardless, Baccano! was canceled after only 16 episodes, leaving many of its plot threads unresolved.
