13+ Anime That Should Never Be Adapted Into A Live Action Series

Anime live adaptations don’t always work. In fact they don’t work most of the time.

I’ve talked about how anime live adaptations need to die and never come back. But it’s different this time.

While a small minority of shows pull it off, or are more suited to it, there are certain ones that should NEVER be adapted.

The types that are always destined to fail because of the material, content, and elements.

Here it is.

1. Dragon Ball Super

Dragon Ball Super, or any version of Dragon Ball has NO business being adapted into a live action series.

We already seen what happened with that disaster of a Dragon Ball live adaption years ago.

The thing with Dragon Ball as a franchise is:

There’s too many flashy lights
Impossible manoeuvres
Flashy techniques
Face paced action

And other supernatural elements that makes DB a bad choice for live action adaptations.

Taking all that from an anime, and making it realistic will always be a disaster.

That’s just the way it is.

Relevant: If You Love Dragon Ball Super, You Might Love These 7 Anime

2. Magi: Labyrinth Of Magic/Kingdom Of Magic

Magi is another series with a lot of flashy lights, supernatural stuff going on, and somewhat crazy fights going on.

This is more in the 2nd season of the series than the first.

The anime is about “Magi”, a type of chosen person with immense power. And who’s purpose is to choose kings to lead countries.

They’re different to mages as they’re on another level entirely.

Making this anime series a live action series would be a bad choice, and would harm the franchise.

It’s underrated as it is, and this would only make things worse.

3. Slayers

anime series at this point. Made way back in 1995. The series pulled out 5 seasons with the last airing in 2009.

Made by J.C Staff, it influenced the “strong female character” we see in similar anime today, and other aspects.

You can think of it like the female lead version of Dragon Ball Z.

It has:

OP characters and abilities.
Strong magicians and sorcerers.
Characters capable of destroying the planet.

And characters who are strong from episode 1, despite the progress later.

For these reasons, a live action adaptation would be awful. They wouldn’t be able to pull it off well enough.

4. Fairy Tail

Fairy Tail is a lot of things to a lot of people. But one thing that’s universal is its supernatural and magic elements.

It’s what defines Fairy Tail, at least on the surface and the things that happen throughout.

While Fairy Tail isn’t the most dramatic when it comes to “being flashy”, it’s still an anime at the end of the day.

It’s hard to pull off these types of series and make them relevant or stellar enough to take seriously.

I can’t imagine the friendship side of this series looking too good either in a realistic setting.

We don’t need none of that!

5. Redo Of Healer

Redo Of Healer seems like an obvious choice, but it has to be said and it doesn’t qualify for a lot of reasons.

Let’s start with the savagery of the anime.

It’s about Keyaru, a guy who was an innocent teenager, abused, r*ped, tortured, and much worse for years of his life.

His powers were used against him.

Later he finds a way to get revenge against his oppressors, and it gets uglier than you can imagine.

Even if you ignore these elements, the magic, the supernatural, and of course, Ecchi wouldn’t fare too well.

The whole world would burn if it ever stood a chance to be adapted in the first place.

6. Fate Zero

Fate Zero is one of my best magic series of all time. AND best anime series of all time.

It’s an absolute masterpiece of a series, and no other Fate anime comes close to the quality that drips from it.

It’s about servants and masters, and the “holy grail war” they fight together in order to grant their wishes.

Even after so many years, Fate Zero still looks unbelievable for its animation and art, plus fighting scenes.

Seeing a live action adaptation of this series just wouldn’t cut it sharp enough.

The bar is extremely high and could never be reached.

7. Madoka Magica

cute” style.

Ironically it uses cute characters to tell a dark-ish story, and to show the more grim side of being a magical girl.

The world in Madoka Magica just wouldn’t translate very well in a live action adaptation.

One element that definitely wouldn’t be any good is the witches labyrinth. It’s colorful, dark, and strange.

In a realistic setting, this wouldn’t look right. It’s too artistic and too suited to anime alone.

8. The Journey Of Elaina

The Journey Of Elaina, or “Wandering Witch” is where magic and adventure combine. It’s unique for that reason.

Elaina, the MC, wants to go on a journey. Inspired by a writer called Nike. And so after training under a mentor, she makes her way.

While not all episodes are full of action, magic battles, destruction, or anything comparable, it’s still something that wouldn’t look right.

It’s a series with gorgeous visuals no matter what the scenario, and it would only ruin the quality in general if adapted.

9. The Demon Girl Next Door

The Demon Girl Next Door is more of a tame series on the surface. It’s a slice of life/comedy with magic.

It’s about magical girls and demons, and how 2 characters in particular end up being unlikely friends.

But there are aspects to this series that just wouldn’t let it feel as wholesome. And there are other aspects (like the bit of action) that wouldn’t be portrayed right.

A series like Clannad is a better alternative for a live adaptation, but not something like The Demon Girl Next Door.

Relevant: Slice Of Life Anime You Need To Consider

10. Amagi Brilliant Park

Amagi Brilliant Park is a wacky series. It’s a bit nuts, with comedy comparable to something like Kill La Kill or Gurren Lagann.

Different anime all together but still shares that same element.

It’s about an amusement park in danger of shutting down. And how Kanie, the MC, is asked to help prevent that from happening.

You get a lot of business aspects to this series as a result, but tons of magic and crazy comedy thrown in.

I wouldn’t look right being in a realistic setting. I can’t imagine how cringe it would end up.

Post: 15+ Kyoto Animation Series That Stand The Test Of Time

11. No Game No Life

No Game No Life is an Isekai series with a massive following. In fact it’s way up there with SAO and was one of the Isekai that popped as the genre started to stick.

Besides the story, which is between a sister and brother (Sora and Shiro), the stand out feature of this anime is the visuals.

It’s colorful, vivid, bright and cheery. It’s eye candy at its finest.

It looks even better than some anime airing in 2021.

The strategy elements and gaming elements wouldn’t be hard to capture, but the visuals make this anime a no-go for a live adaptation.

It wouldn’t work. They wouldn’t be able to pull it off, not even to an acceptable degree.