Over the past few decades, anime has become incredibly mainstream, and obviously a lot of anime series that came out a long time ago are not up to the standard of modern anime. Many series that are still popular in 2026 have rather dated adaptations, and these brilliant stories definitely deserve new adaptations. New anime adaptations can fix a variety of their issues, ranging from animation issues and pacing issues to incomplete stories. It could also simply be a way to expose the series to new fans.
With many iconic series receiving remakes, there are some great anime that more than deserve their own remake, with some of them already having confirmed remakes, such as One Piece.
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Naruto
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Original release date: 2002
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Protagonist: Naruto Uzumaki
Naruto is one of the most legendary manga and anime series of all time. The story of this manga follows Naruto Uzumaki and it's a pretty exciting ninja story that everyone, anime fan or not, has heard of. The Naruto anime started in 2002 and ended in 2014. Undeniably, Naruto is now about to make an anime remake more than ever before. After all, other major shonen hit One Piece is currently still ongoing but also getting a remake.
The quality of the Naruto anime still holds up even now in 2026 when it comes to animation, but the original series has a lot of filler and a modern adaptation could elevate this work. With Naruto's large fanbase, this can only be a huge success.
Berserk
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Original release date: 1997
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Main character: Guts
Berserk is one of the most famous manga series of all time. Although its manga is incredibly popular, it has never been properly adapted into an anime although some attempts were made. As such, even now in 2026, Berserk still doesn't have an impressive anime adaptation, which is quite disappointing when you look at its exciting history.
There are quite a few reasons why Berserk doesn't have a good anime adaptation, one being Kentaro Miura's extremely intricate art style. Even so, Berserk deserves more than a modern adaptation. While an anime could never capture the essence of Berserk as well as the manga, it's still worth a try.
Dragon Ball
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Original release date: 1986
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Protagonist: Goku
Dragon Ball is known as the father of shonen and this is because it has influenced many works that came after it, such as One Piece, Naruto and Bleach, among others. Even in 2026, Dragon Ball is still getting a lot of new projects. Recently, Dragon Ball Daima was animated, and in the future fans can expect Dragon Ball Super: The Galactic Patrol to deliver new content.
While all of these projects are exciting, fans also want to see remakes of the already animated Dragon Ball series. For example, the original Dragon Ball series with the adventures of the kid Goku is quite outdated, and with how popular Dragon Ball is today, a modern remake of some of its older parts can only be a huge success.
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Yu Yu Hakusho
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Original release date: 1992
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Protagonist: Yusuke Urameshi
Togashi is a legendary mangaka, and while most fans these days know him for his work on Hunter x Hunter, his original hit series Yu Yu Hakusho. Yu Yu Hakushohowever, is now quite outdated, and most fans have moved on from the story due to it not getting any new content for a long time now.
As is the case with many older manga series, it deserves its own modern remake. Yu Yu Hakusho would be a perfect series to remake as it would revive the story and introduce it to younger anime fans. A remake of the show could also be perfect for Hunter x Hunter fans who are waiting for their own anime return.
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One Piece
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Original release date: 1999
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Protagonist: Monkey D. Luffy
One Piece is the best-selling manga in the entire world, and currently still has an ongoing anime adaptation by Toei Animation. With that said, One Piece already has a confirmed remake in the works, and it definitely needs one despite its ongoing anime. That's because the early parts of One Piece are quite outdated now.
Most of all, the entire One Piece anime struggles with terrible pacing and a lot of deviations from the source material. It must also be said that in many arcs the animation is subpar. The Wit Studio remake remains without a release date, but fans are still quite excited to see the new version of the iconic manga by Eiichiro Oda.
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Claymore
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Original release date: 2007
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Protagonist: Clare
Claymore is the shonen version of Berserk, and needless to say, it's one of the most popular manga series of all time. While Claymore's manga is phenomenal, it suffered from a subpar anime adaptation. Not only was the anime adaptation itself poor in comparison to its incredible source material, but the series also never completed the story of the manga.
When the Claymore anime aired, the manga was still ongoing. When the anime caught up with the manga, it simply stopped. As such, much of the story of Claymore remains untold in the anime. A Claymore remake could fix all this and give the story a proper ending with more modern animation.
Tokyo Ghoul
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Original release date: 2011
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Protagonist: Ken Kaneki
In the 2010s Tokyo Ghoul was one of the most popular anime series. Its first season was incredible. But everything that followed it was a terrible attempt to rewrite and deviate from the story of the manga. It's definitely a series in dire need of a modern remake, especially considering its quality.
That being said, any remake for the Tokyo Ghoul anime should stay true to the source material if it wants to succeed and not fail where the first adaptation did. Ken Kaneki's gory story can reach the same popularity levels as Isayama's Attack on Titan if done right.
Inuyasha
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Original release date: 2000
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Protagonist: Inuyasha
In recent years Rumiko Takahashi, a legendary Mangaka, has had many of her works remade. Notably, fans have recently seen Ranma 1/2 get a modern remake and it keeps getting new anime seasons.
Thanks to the remake, Ranma 1/2 got a real boost in popularity after being a forgotten manga series for quite some time. Rumiko Takahashi's most popular works, Inuyashaalso deserves an anime remake for similar reasons. Inuyasha is one of the most popular isekai stories of all time, and it's a show that's still talked about even now in 2026. With a modern remake, the series could get a fresh start and gain a new and younger fan base.
