Akira Toriyama started crafting the Dragon Ball manga in 1984, which would end with a small time skip into a tournament arc wherein most of the lead characters were aged up. This then led directly into the content that anime fans know as Dragon Ball Z in 1989, which would go on until 1995 in the manga and 1996 in the anime. Thanks to the manga, it helped create one of the most influential anime of all time.
Fan support was so big across decades that Toriyama eventually made another sequel, Dragon Ball Super, in both manga and anime form. Dragon Ball is not the only manga in town to get a sequel series, and one could argue that these successors did the idea better for one important reason: passing the torch.
7
.hack//Legend Of The Twilight
A Manga Sequel To A Game
- Directors: Koichi Mashimo, Koji Sawai
- Studio: Bee Train
- Released: January 8, 2003
- Episodes: 12
The .hack franchise is a vast compilation of media that all tie together. .hack//Sign was an anime that premiered in 2002, followed by a quadrilogy of PS2 RPGs from CyberConnect2, beginning with .hack//Infection. Bundled with each game was an episode of .hack//Liminality, another anime. .hack//Legend of the Twilight, more so than the other media, was a direct sequel to the games, set a few years after, even though the manga chapters started coming out slightly before the games.
It began as a manga and was then adapted into an anime in 2003. What was great about this sequel is that two siblings, Shugo and Rena, won a contest to take on the avatars of Kite and BlackRose, the legendary players from the PS2 games. It was a more lighthearted adventure that was almost like a farewell to this first section of the .hack franchise.
6
Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
I Like My Boruto With Fries
Boruto: Naruto Next Generations directly follows the Naruto series, and Boruto is Naruto’s son. Naruto began as a manga in 1999, concluding in 2014, and was followed by Boruto: Naruto Next Generations two years later, in 2016. The Naruto anime adaptation is finished, but Boruto: Naruto Next Generations’ anime and manga are still ongoing.
It’s set in the distant future wherein Naruto has become the Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village, has a son with Hinata, and many other legacy characters are still around with their children too. As the name suggests, it’s about the next generation of ninja. The old characters still do stuff, but it’s not a Goku situation.
5
Burn The Witch
Branching Out To The UK
Burn the Witch
- Release Date
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2020 – 2020
- Network
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Hikari TV
- Directors
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Tatsurô Kawano
Burn the Witch is technically a sequel to Bleach, although one could not tell that from the cover except for the art having Tite Kubo’s distinct art style. Bleach started in 2001, ended in 2016, and Burn the Witch was a one-shot style manga that began in 2018. Instead of following a new group of Shinigami within Japan, Burn the Witch takes place in the UK’s version of the Soul Society.
A band of witches keep track of dragons in a polar opposite dimension called Reverse London. It’s the type of sequel that more media should try out, as it answers questions about the rest of the world within Bleach’s universe. So, while not an expansive manga sequel, it is an interesting concept to note.
4
Four Knights Of The Apocalypse
A Final Fantasy Adventure
Four Knights of the Apocalypse is a sequel to The Seven Deadly Sins, following many of the children from the original cast. The Seven Deadly Sins began in 2012, ended in 2020, and then Four Knights of the Apocalypse have been going strong since 2021. What’s cool about the manga and anime adaptation is that the group is pared down to four chosen warriors, almost like a more over-the-top Final Fantasy anime.
Percival, the main character, has his origins wrapped in a mystery, which is always good in a manga story. Lancelot is the son of Ban and Elaine, Tristan is the son of Meliodas and Elizabeth, and Gawain is the niece of Arthur Pendragon. It’s a good cast that’s just as exciting as the original work and perhaps even a bit easier to follow.
3
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure
Through The Ages
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is a unique example as the manga began in 1987, with the first full anime series that wasn’t an OVA didn’t begin in 2012. Both versions are still ongoing. What’s innovative about JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is that each arc is its own thing, following generations of characters years or even decades apart, which sometimes directly tie into each other.
The fourth arc, Diamond is Unbreakable, is sort of like a murder mystery, while Stone Ocean, the sixth arc and the latest anime adaptation, takes place in a prison. Currently, the manga is up to its ninth arc, The JoJoLands. Whine it does all fall under the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure umbrella, each arc is separated in manga form with different titles, which is why it should work as a sequel example.
2
Shaman King: Flowers
Spiritual Guidance
- Director: Takeshi Furuta
- Studio: Bridge
- Released: January 10, 2024
- Episodes: 13
Shaman King: Flowers is the first direct sequel to Shaman King, which follows the son of Yoh and Anna, Hana. Shaman King began in 1998 and ended shortly after in 2004, but received some spinoffs after. The first full sequel, Shaman King: Flowers, didn’t happen until 2012.
Shaman King followed basically one large tournament arc, and Shaman King: Flowers was more of a relaxed look at the world of spirit mediums as a whole, which helped broaden the setting like Burn the Witch did for Bleach. The manga only lasted until 2014, but there was a further sequel, Shaman King: The Super Star. That started in 2018, ended in 2024, and it has no anime yet, but Shaman King: Flowers has received an anime.
1
Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon
The Past And Present Unite Again
Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon
- Release Date
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2020 – 2021
- Network
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Nippon TV, YTV, Chukyo TV, STV
- Directors
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Akira Toba, Katsuya Oshima, Kento Nakagome, Takashi Mamezuka, Yoji Sato, Ryuta Kawahara, Kento Matsui, Kei Umabiki, Sayaka Oda, Ryo Kodama, Hidekazu Hara, Mariachi Hug Yuk, Lim Ka-hee, Megumi Yamamoto, Tomo Ookubo, Yuki Morita, Sota Yokote
Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon is a sequel to Inuyasha. Inuyasha began in 1996, finished up in 2008, Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon interestingly started as an anime first in 2020. The manga began in 2021 and lasted much longer than the anime, which just wrapped up in 2025.
It followed the daughter of Sesshomaru and Rin, Towa, who was separated from her sister Setsuna, as a child. Towa ended up in the present day, grew up with a new family, and then stumbled back into feudal Japan, wherein she started to learn demon hunting with her long-lost sister, which was a cool idea for starters. Action was more of the focus rather than romance, like in Inuyasha.
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