Unveiling the Ultimate Anime Adaptations of American Franchises

Numerous well-liked American cartoons have openly and proudly taken inspiration from anime. Adored cartoons such as Teen Titans and Avatar: The Last Airbender have incorporated elements from the anime industry, including their art styles, character archetypes, and storytelling techniques.

In the 21st century, thanks to the widespread influence of popular culture, the dynamic has shifted, and Japanese studios are now influenced by American franchises, resulting in anime adaptations of renowned American works. Throughout the years, both comic books and video games have served as sources of inspiration for remarkable anime creations that are definitely worth exploring.

10 Star Wars: Visions

Classic Japanese samurai films heavily influenced George Lucas during the early drafts of the original Star Wars. Japanese animators and filmmakers now have the opportunity to honor the impact of Star Wars on their own creations with Visions. This anthology consists of several standalone animated short films produced by multiple studios, each showcasing their unique art styles and storytelling techniques. Visions brings a fresh and stylish perspective to the expansive Star Wars universe. While most of the shorts maintain an intense tone, a few stories within the anthology offer lighthearted moments to provide a pleasant break. Star Wars: Visions can be streamed on Disney+.

9 Batman Ninja

The concept of Batman Ninja is incredibly straightforward and appealing. Batman, a beloved superhero, paired with ninjas, an iconic element of popular culture, makes for a perfect match. The film shines in its commitment to its premise, fully embracing anime tropes and benefiting from its sleek animation.

Batman Ninja takes well-known comic book characters and places them in outlandish yet captivating scenarios, expertly executed. You can watch Batman Ninja on Max, as well as rent or buy it digitally through Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV.

8 Starship Troopers

Starship Troopers: Traitor of Mars/Sony Pictures

There have been three adaptations of Starship Troopers produced in Japan. The first is an unauthorized adaptation of Robert A. Heinlein's original novel in 1988, which predates Paul Verhoeven's live-action adaptation by nine years. The second is a CGI movie called Starship Troopers: Invasion, released in 2012, and its sequel Traitor of Mars in 2017. These sequels were intended to follow the events of the live-action Starship Troopers.

In the 1988 anime, the powered armor from the original novels is depicted as miniature mecha, reminiscent of Gundam. Additionally, the anime prominently features a soundtrack of 80s pop music that doesn't always seem suitable for the on-screen events. On the other hand, Invasion and Traitor of Mars, although not as highly regarded as the original live-action movie, bring a fresh perspective to the franchise through their use of CGI. The 1988 anime has not been officially released outside of Japan, while Invasion and Traitor of Mars can be digitally rented or purchased on platforms like Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV.

7 Tales from Earthsea

Tales from Earthsea/Studio Ghibli

Ursula K. LeGuin, one of the most beloved Fantasy authors of all time, and Studio Ghibli, one of the most beloved animation houses, may seem like a perfect combination. However, Tales from Earthsea has stirred controversy since its release. The audience's reaction seems to be closely linked to their familiarity with the original novels.

LeGuin herself considered it an adequate movie but was disappointed by the numerous changes made to the plot and theme of the original Earthsea stories. This was likely due to the movie combining elements from various Earthsea novels, rather than adapting a single one. Nonetheless, Tales from Earthsea excels in art direction and features an amazing soundtrack. Although it may not faithfully adapt the source material, it remains an epic Fantasy story. Tales from Earthsea is now available for streaming on Netflix.

6 Cyberpunk: Edgerunners

CD Projekt RED developed Cyberpunk 2077, a video game based on the American tabletop game Cyberpunk that was initially released in 1988. Edgerunners, an anime adaptation of Cyberpunk 2077, captures the essence of Night City with its distinctive art style, offering artistic elements that are exclusive to this medium.

Simultaneously, Edgerunners pays tribute to the early days of the cyberpunk genre, presenting a technologically-driven heist story reminiscent of Neuromancer, the novel that played a significant role in popularizing the genre. While honoring genre conventions, Edgerunners sets itself apart through its unique and unforgettable anime art style. You can now stream Cyberpunk: Edgerunners on Netflix.

5 Marvel Anime

Marvel Anime is an anthology miniseries that showcases popular characters like Iron Man, Wolverine, the X-Men, and Blade, as they are transported to Japan. While Wolverine is a prominent figure in all four series, starring in one and making guest appearances in the others, each series is mostly independent and has its own unique storyline within the Marvel Anime universe. One of the highlights of the series is its captivating art style, where the anime animation perfectly enhances the larger-than-life Marvel heroes, making their action and superpowers truly spectacular. You can stream all four Marvel anime series on Apple TV.

4 Witchblade

Witchblade/Gonzo.

Derived from Top Cow Productions' long-running comic book, Witchblade, the 2006 anime serves as the second television adaptation. The initial adaptation, aired in 2001 and broadcasted for two seasons on TNT, focused on live-action. Apart from featuring the central artifact, there exists no immediate correlation between the live-action series and the anime.

The anime version follows Masane Amaha, an unwilling wielder of Witchblade, as she navigates through a dystopian Tokyo. Reluctantly thrown into a secretive conspiracy, she must confront unforeseen challenges. Amidst the extravagant action and captivating fan service, Witchblade effectively conveys a profound message concerning parenthood and the unbreakable bonds of family. Fans can catch Witchblade on the streaming platform, Crunchyroll.

3 Halo Legends

Halo Legends is a multi-studio anthology of short movies, similar to Star Wars: Visions. It is the result of 343 Industries allowing anime studios to freely adapt the Halo universe. Although it may seem unusual to choose anime as the medium for a Halo anthology, considering that the Xbox brand is not particularly popular in Japan, this decision turned out to be successful. The studios were given artistic freedom, resulting in a collection of short films that are diverse in both style and theme, yet connected through the recognizable visual elements of the Halo universe. Legends not only expands upon the Halo universe in interesting ways, but also offers a fresh and distinct anime aesthetic which adds a unique touch to the grounded and gritty world of Halo. If you're interested, you can stream Halo Legends on Tubi.

2 Powerpuff Girls Z

Powerpuff Girls Z is a reimagining of the original Powerpuff Girls cartoon from the late 90s to the early 2000s. The show transforms the iconic trio into magical girls, similar to Sailor Moon, while staying true to the essence of the original series and honoring the superhero and sentai genres deeply rooted in Japanese Pop Culture.

Although Powerpuff Girls Z introduces some changes to the original storyline, such as making the girls older, unrelated to each other, and humans with acquired superpowers instead of being created in a lab, the core villains remain mostly the same. These villains undergo minor stylistic and conceptual alterations to align with the conventions of the Japanese superhero genre. While there has been controversy among fans of the original, Powerpuff Girls Z stands as a solid and entertaining Magical Girl show in its own right.

1 G.I. Joe: Sigma 6

G.I. Joe: Sigma 6/Gonzo & Hasbro Studios.

A co-production was created to promote the new line of G.I. Joe toys in 2005, called Sigma 6, which aimed to reimagine G.I. Joe for the modern era. These toys stood out for their larger size and increased flexibility compared to previous G.I. Joe lines. However, the accompanying show took a bold visual and stylistic departure from previous iterations of G.I. Joe, which proved to be controversial among fans.

Despite this controversy, Sigma 6 successfully captured the established tone of the franchise. It embraced a playful and exaggerated atmosphere, with characters delivering amusing pun-based one-liners throughout the dialogue. As a result, it offers an abundance of unintentional comedy that can be easily enjoyed. G.I. Joe: Sigma 6 is currently available for streaming on the official G.I. Joe YouTube channel.

With the immense global impact of contemporary Pop Culture and the increase in cross-cultural cooperation, the influence of global elements on media has become more prominent than ever. In a similar vein, while American cartoons draw inspiration from anime, Japanese studios are incorporating American influences and reinventing well-known narratives to produce exceptional anime that leaves a lasting impression.