7 Anime That Fell Off So Quickly Everyone Forgot About Them

It’s no secret that the world of streaming is crowded. Every quarter, tons of new shows appear, offering both sequels to popular anime and completely original content. But while a few series become huge hits, most don’t get much recognition.

Some anime series begin with a lot more buzz than others. Whether they’re based on well-known stories or heavily promoted beforehand, certain shows seem poised for greatness. However, even with all that initial excitement, they often lose momentum quickly and are soon forgotten by most viewers.

God of High School Should Have Been The Next Big Martial Arts Anime

In 2020, God of High School quickly became popular, joining hits like Tower of God and Noblesse. The story centers around Jin Mori, a gifted martial artist who competes in the God of High School tournament. While the tournament offers any wish to the winner, Jin participates simply to challenge and prove his abilities against top-level opponents.

The way God of High School was adapted serves as a reminder that even the best anime studios can make mistakes. MAPPA, the studio behind the adaptation, rushed the story and altered important emotional scenes from the original source material. Ultimately, despite a lot of initial excitement and the series’ popularity, most fans quickly forgot about it after the season finished.

Sakura Wars The Animation Should’ve Been The Return Of A Beloved Series

Sakura Wars was a beloved SEGA game series in Japan that, surprisingly, never officially came to Western audiences. It was unique, blending strategy RPG gameplay with giant robot action and a dating simulator element. The series grew even more popular over time, expanding beyond its original TV show into multiple animated OVAs. It’s also remembered for having one of the most recognizable anime opening themes ever created.

In 2020, SEGA tried to bring back the Sakura Wars franchise with a new game and anime series. Initial excitement quickly faded, however, as fans disliked the changed animation style and the completely new characters. The new versions also lacked the appeal of the originals and felt rushed. Poor game sales sealed the deal, and the brief resurgence of Sakura Wars quickly ended.

Ikebukuro West Gate Park Was Based Off A Popular Live-Action Series

During the 2000s, Ikebukuro West Gate Park was a popular series. It followed Makoto as he investigated the attack and death of a friend, and explored difficult issues in Japanese city life, including youth gangs, the yakuza, and organized crime. Adapted from a long-running book series, an anime version was made, but it didn’t receive much attention when it was released, which was unexpected.

The anime adaptation of Ikebukuro West Gate Park only lasted twelve episodes, which feels disappointing given how popular the original Japanese drama was and that the novels are still being published. It’s a shame the series didn’t get more than one season.

Fans have different ideas about why the adaptation failed. Some feel it was simply too poor quality and lost what made the original series so beloved. Others believe the anime was never going to succeed because modern audiences prefer anime with less realistic settings. Regardless, the adaptation hasn’t been a topic of conversation for a long time.

Shaman King (2021) Was A Shonen Remake That Didn’t Reach The Heights Of The Original

The first Shaman King anime was adapted from a well-known manga by Hiroyuki Takei. It premiered in 2001, during the rise of action-packed “battle shonen” series in the West. Although the anime concluded in 2002, the manga continued for two more years. After years of discussion, animation studio Bridge finally released a remake in 2021.

The new Shaman King remake followed the entire story from start to finish, which is what fans hoped for. However, it had been a long time since the original series was on TV, and its popularity in Western countries had faded. To make matters worse, the remake felt hurried and covered much more of the original manga at a faster pace than the first series.

The Promised Neverland Destroyed Its Own Popularity During Season 2

The Promised Neverland quickly became popular in Weekly Shonen Jump during the late 2010s. It stood out by bringing horror and thriller elements to a shonen manga audience, a combination that wasn’t commonly seen. The story centers around a group of orphans who learn a terrifying truth: children leaving the orphanage aren’t being adopted, but are instead being used as food for demons. Determined to avoid this fate, they plan a daring escape, searching for a place where they can finally be free.

Many fans believed The Promised Neverland had the potential to be a major anime hit of the 2020s. The first season was particularly well-received, thanks to a great adaptation by CloverWorks. Unfortunately, instead of completing the story thoughtfully, the second season felt rushed and crammed the remaining plot points from the manga into a shortened timeframe. This disappointing conclusion caused many viewers to lose interest in the series altogether.

High Card Was Supposed To Be A Global Franchise Hit Like Assassination Classroom

I had a feeling High Card was going to be something big. The creators, Hikaru Muno and Homura Kawamoto, openly talked about wanting it to be a huge hit, not just in Japan, but all over the world. Plus, Studio Hibari, the animation team behind shows like Classroom of the Elite and Assassination Classroom, was involved. They had plans to expand the story beyond just anime, with manga, novels, and other media in the works. Everything pointed to High Card being a real success story.

Becoming hugely popular is surprisingly difficult. While High Card is a really good show and worth watching, it didn’t achieve the same level of success as some other genres, like isekai. To make things harder, the show was released in two parts, spread over two years, which meant people started to forget about it as new, bigger shows came out. Unlike anime that run for many seasons and build a dedicated fanbase, High Card had a strong start but quickly faded after just a few seasons.

RWBY: Ice Queendom is Barely Even Remembered by the Main Anime’s Fandom

The original RWBY series demonstrates how anime has impacted American animation. RWBY is an American web cartoon set in a world where Hunters protect people from dangerous creatures called Grimm. Though inspired by classic fairy tales, RWBY grew into something unique and became a signature series for Rooster Teeth. The anime adaptation, created by the well-known studio SHAFT, was expected to be incredibly popular.

While not a bad show, RWBY: Ice Queendom didn’t become as popular as the original RWBY web series. SHAFT’s animation was actually a step up from the usual RWBY style, but it was overshadowed by other big anime releases. Most fans are currently more interested in the continuing story of the main RWBY series than in seeing more of Ice Queendom.

2026-05-02 05:15