Many anime are adapted from manga, but not all of them cover the entirety of their source material — and even the ones that do aren’t always faithful to it. There are a number of series that alter their manga’s endings or major storylines on the way there. Even hits like Death Note, 2019’s Fruits Basket, and Soul Eater receive their share of complaints for altering their original stories. And some, like Hunter x Hunter, do a good job in spite of having no conclusion to work with — but it can’t be said that they cover the entire manga if the source material remains unfinished.
There are also adaptations that are generally faithful but aren’t completed yet. Even long-running series like One Piece, Bleach, and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure aren’t done covering their manga, though they’re all on the way there. And newer shows like Demon Slayer, Jujutsu Kaisen, and Chainsaw Man tend to be faithful, but they’ll need to keep that up to join the titles on this list. Given cancellations, anime changes, and all the incomplete series out there, it’s exciting to find adaptations that are done with their source material. It’s even more thrilling when they do it justice, or even better, improve on it.
The Naruto anime has a ton of filler, but it never loses sight of its primary goal: to bring Masashi Kishimoto’s story to the screen. With all the additions, it takes longer to get through it. But the adaptation nails the parts of the series that are canon, capturing the heart of Naruto’s journey and providing fans with plenty of great action moments and emotional beats along the way. With online filler guides, the rest is easy enough to sift through. Doing so speeds up the pacing, but some viewers might even enjoy the filler, if only to spend more time with the characters. Naruto is a series where fans should absolutely read the manga and watch the anime. It’s the only one of the Big Three that’s completed its anime run, and it’s a classic, even if it’s a slightly different experience than digging into the source material.
Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z provide relatively faithful adaptations of Akira Toriyama’s manga, and although they extend certain fights and add filler, these details don’t take away from their appeal. For some fans, they actually enhance the experience — and for others, the filler is easy enough to skip without losing out on the most crucial parts of the story. (There’s also Dragon Ball Z Kai, which is lauded as the more faithful take.) There’s a reason the anime is considered such a classic, and while it may not be a 1:1 take on the manga, it’s a worthy one.
Through its main series, OVAs, and films, Gintama manages to adapt the whole story from Hideaki Sorachi’s manga — and do it well. The Gintama anime is at least on par with its source material, and one could even argue it surpasses it. The comedic elements of the story are elevated by the performances in the adaptation, something the manga doesn’t get to benefit from. The series handles even the most challenging aspects of the original story well, and it enhances it. Both the Gintama manga and anime should be experienced, as they’re both that good.
Mob Psycho 100 is a faithful take on ONE’s manga, and it does a stunning job of bringing the story to life on-screen. Mob Psycho 100‘s supernatural coming-of-age story resonates just as well on-screen, but the vibrant visuals and experimental animation take it to new heights. The anime nails the emotional beats and overarching themes of the manga throughout its three seasons, but it delivers its own worthwhile experience as an anime as well. It’s a resounding success, which is a relief given the issues with the adaptation of ONE’s other series, One-Punch Man.
My Hero Academia‘s eight-season run is now complete, and so is its special episode, or “real finale.” Over that timeframe, My Hero Academia fully covers Kōhei Horikoshi’s manga with very little deviation. Almost everything that happens in the anime is pulled straight off the page. The series emphasizes both the pivotal, thrilling moments of Deku’s manga story and the smaller, slower beats. It does an impressive job with both, endearing us to My Hero Academia‘s characters before throwing them into danger. It’s part of what makes the anime so compelling, resulting in it becoming a worldwide hit.
Attack on Titan adapts the entirety of Hajime Isayama over its four seasons, and it’s an anime that actually manages to improve on its manga. Although the manga is a masterpiece, it’s not without flaws — mostly when it comes to pacing and big lore reveals. The Attack on Titan anime irons out those wrinkles without diverging too far from the original story. The introduction of Marley flows more smoothly, but the series keeps its significance intact. It’s what every adaptation should aim for. Attack on Titan knows what to cut, what to keep, and how to maintain its central discussion through it all.
The original Fullmetal Alchemist may pass the manga and go in an entirely different direction, but Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood proves a perfect adaptation. It’s a rare anime remake that’s better than the original, and that’s largely due to its fidelity. Unlike its predecessor, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood had finished source material to work with. It covers all of Hiromu Arakawa’s manga, and it’s just as thrilling, charming, and emotional on-screen as it is on the page. There are slight differences between the manga and Brotherhood, but they’re not enough to detract from the story. Overall, this series sets a high standard for adaptations.
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