Animespin-offs are meant to extend the worlds of favorite shows. They can introduce brand new aspects of the universe, or extend the stories of fan-favorite characters. Sometimes, spinoffs can be the only thing to tide fans over until the new season of their favorite show comes out.
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Whileany given main seriescan be great, sometimes the spin-off shows are just as good or even better. Some might only be a few episodes while others have several, but the following spinoff shows are entertaining to watch and can give fans a break from the main series and its issues.
10Attack On Titan: Junior High
This is more of a parody ofAttack on Titan, but it’s pretty hilarious to watch.Attack On Titan: Junior Highputs the charactersin a high schoolm where the Titans dominate humanity by stealing their lunches. Eren, hothead that he is, swears to put an end to all of them. Fans ofAttack on Titanwill enjoy watching this because it’s the complete opposite of the original, which makes it comedy gold.
From Mikasa’s obsessiveness with Eren, Sasha’s gluttony, and Connie being an airhead, the show takes certain traits from characters and amplifies them for nonstop comedy. It’s a nice break from the grimness of the original show.
9Pokemon Origins
For a long time, Ash Ketchum and Pikachu have been the dominant faces of thePokemonanime.Pokemon Origins,however,is about the trainer known as Red. If he looks familiar, it’s because he was the main character used in thePokemon RedandPokemon Bluereleased in the Game Boy days. This spinoff shows Red and his journey from novice to becoming a Pokemon master.
Red is a little bit more serious than Ash, but just as likeable (if not more). His relationship with his Pokemon is just as great and strong. In only four episodes, Red accomplishes as much as Ash does in all his years as a Pokemon trainer.
8Dragon Ball Z: The History Of Trunks
Future Trunks is one of the most popular characters in theDragon Ballseries. This movie shows his history and takes place in a very bleak future. Almost all of the Z Fighters have been wiped out by Androids 17 and 18, and Goku passed away from a heart disease. The only defense the world has is a grown-up Gohan and a young teen Trunks. It’s a grim reality, and makes fans realize that this is how the story would have gone if Trunks hadn’t shown up in the past.
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He hasn’t had an easy life, and it’s easy to see why Future Trunks wants to change it. With no Dragon Balls, there’s no hope of reviving anyone, making his timeline all the more tragic. It’s one of themost emotional storylinesin the series and will make fans grateful that Future Trunks changed everything.
7Cells At Work! Code Black
Unlikethe main series, which takes place in a generally healthy human body, this spinoff takes place in a body with a not-so-healthy lifestyle. AA2153 is a red blood cell excited about starting his new position in the lungs, but quickly finds out that it’s not the ideal place he thought it would be. U-1196 is an overworked white blood cell, whi pushes herself to do her duties even though it takes a toll on her.
These cells go through a lot trying to keep their body alive and functioning, but their human isn’t making their job easy. Fans ofCells at Work!won’t be disappointed with watching this spinoff.
6Digimon Tamers
The main trio of the third installment of theDigimonseries, Takato, Rika, and Henry, have some similarities to previous heroes, but stand out in their own ways. Henry is the calming force, and rarely loses his cool. Takato is very much like Tai and Davis — he’s somewhat of a hothead and cheerful leader, but when he gets angry, his rage seems a little darker than any previous hero’s. Rika, meanwhile, is one of the strongest female characters in the series. Having been independent most of her life, she’s learned to rely on herself.
WhileDigimon AdventureandDigimon Adventure 02are great,Digimon Tamerskicked up some of the dark elements. From child neglect to unresolved trauma, this anime made itself stand out in different ways. Jeri’s slow deteriorating mental health after Leomon’s death was sad and dark, considering this is a show aimed towards kids.
5Magi: Adventure Of Sinbad
Even though it came out afterMagi: The Labyrinth of Magic,Magi: Adventure of Sinbadis the one that most fans talk about. This prequel series is about Sinbad, King of Sindria, and the adventures that describe how he came to earn his rank.
The story shows Sinbad’s life as he grew up in a small village, lost his father to war, and had to tend to his ill mother. After meeting a wandering magi named Yunan, Sinbad leaves to explore the dungeon known as “Baal.” From there, his adventure begins.
4Dragon Ball Z: Bardock – Father Of Goku
Another movie from theDragon Ballseries, this one is about Goku’s father Bardock and his adventures leading up to the destruction of Planet Vegeta. After clearing out a civilization on a planet, a survivor sneaks up on Bardock and imbues him with the power of precognitive foresight, giving Bardock visions of Planet Vegeta’s destruction and Frieza’s betrayal. Determined to make sure these visions don’t come to fruition, Bardock tries to change the future and put an end to Frieza to save the Saiyan race.
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It’s another great movie that gives a little more information on what life was like for a typical Saiyan warrior. It also shows where Goku got a lot of his traits, since he andBardock mirror each other’s actions.Fans know how the story ends, but watching it get to that point makes it all the more tragic and sad.
3Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu
To tide fans over until the second season was completed,Full Metal Panic? Fumoffubroke the dial when it came to comedy. It takes place between the first and second seasons, and shows Kaname just trying to live the normal life of a high school girl. However, Sousuke is still there in all of his overprotectiveness and socially awkward glory to mess it up.
The show has very little to no plot, and almost all of the episodes are standalone stories. It’s a great break from the seriousness of the overall series, especially the second season.
2Tenchi Universe
Tenchi Universeis loosely based on theTenchi Muyo! Ryo-OhkiOVA, and expanded on the story. Tenchi is a high school student that finds his life flipped upside downwhen girls from spacesuddenly fall into his life. With six beautiful girls — a space pirate, a mad scientist, two galaxy officers, and two princesses — living under his roof, Tenchi’s life goes from normal to absurd before he can properly process everything.
There are a few other spinoffs in theTenchiseries, butTenchi Universeremains a staple of it. It took the original OVA series and expanded it, giving more life to the characters and developing the story.
1Yu-Gi-Oh! GX
Yu-Gi-Oh!has remained iconic and one of the best anime shows of all time, butYu-Gi-Oh! GXdeserves credit too. Jaden Yuki, the protagonist, starts off much like Yugi: he’s very optimistic, and believes in himself and his friends to get him through his battles. However, halfway through the series, things takea dark turn, leaving Jaden scarred in the aftermath.
If uncensored,Yu-Gi-Oh!would be a lot darker than what was shown on TV, but even the censored version ofYu-Gi-Oh! GXwas pretty dark. Yugi and Yami are like day and night when together, but they got along with each other and were friendly overall. However, when Jaden’s dark side, the Supreme King, was unleashed, no one was safe — even Jaden’s friends.
