It's heartbreaking when an anime is canceled before it can tell its full story, leaving fans with a cliffhanger that will never be resolved. Sometimes, only one season of an anime is made, which ends on a cliffhanger and never gets a second season. Other times, an anime is canceled mid-season and ends without a conclusion..

For better or worse, anime is a business. As frustrating as it may be, it needs to make money or there's no point in continuing. But this left many animes in the lurch and desperate for a proper conclusion.

Gangsta

“Gangsta” was an anime that had a lot of potential, but fell short in execution. The story follows two handymen, Worick and Nicolas, who do jobs for the mafia and the police that no one else can do.

“Gangsta” was quite popular upon its debut and continues to have a dedicated fan base that keeps fans hoping for a second season. It is highly unlikely that fans will get a second season, as the first season was abruptly canceled when Manglobe Inc, the studio responsible for animating “Gangsta,” declared bankruptcy, leaving the story unfinished.

Highschool of the Dead

“Highschool of the Dead” follows a group of high school students and their nurse as they try to survive a zombie apocalypse. But zombies aren’t the only thing the cast has to worry about, as they also have to deal with the ramifications of total societal collapse as deranged, morally deprived survivors.

Both the manga and anime for “Highschool of the Dead” were well-received and very popular. Unfortunately, the series was left unfinished after the death of its writer, Daisuke Sato, in 2017, so there will be no new material for the manga or anime.

Prison School

In “Prison School,” Kiyoshi Fujino and his four friends are the only male students at Hachimitsu Academy, Tokyo’s strictest all-girls academy, after the school decides to start admitting boys. When the boys are caught spying in the school’s bathing area, they are given a choice: spend a month in the school’s prison or be expelled.

While the “Prison School” manga has been properly concluded, the same cannot be said for the anime, which only lasted one season. The anime has not been officially canceled, but it has not been renewed for another season, so it is in a limbo from which it will likely never emerge.

Konjiki no Gash Bell!

“Konjiki no Gash Bell!!!” was one of the many forgotten shonen anime series from the early 2000s. It followed the adventures of a grumpy teenager named Kiyomaru and his young friend, Zatch Bell. Zatch came from an alternate world known as the Mamodo World, and was one of one hundred children sent to Earth to fight for the right to become the King of the Mamodo.

Although “Konjiki no Gash Bell!!!” was very popular in Japan, with a series of 150 episodes, it was not popular enough to have a finale. When the manga’s popularity reached its peak, the series was canceled and never got a proper ending. Zatch and Kiyo defeated the powerful Faudo, but they didn’t make it in time to win the tournament. Unfortunately, there probably won’t be a new series any time soon, although the manga already has a sequel.

Deadman Wonderland

“Deadman Wonderland” is the perfect example of an anime adaptation gone horribly wrong. After high school student Ganta Igarashi witnesses the murder of his entire class, he is accused of the horrific act and sent to Deadman Wonderland, a prison that doubles as a theme park.

While the Deadman Wonderland anime had great animation, it rushed through many plot points and completely removed important characters from the story. This didn't sit well with fans of the manga, and even those who hadn't read the manga didn't enjoy the anime. To make matters worse, the series was canceled after the first season ended with a frustrating cliffhanger that would have made a second season difficult anyway.

Code:Breaker

“Code:Breaker” was a popular shonen manga that ran in Weekly Shonen Magazine for several years before getting an anime. Although the anime premiered just as the series was coming to an end, Kinema Citrus only made one season and never returned to the series.

“Code:Breaker” follows a young girl named Sakura Sakurakouji who meets a group of beings known as Code:Breakers, assassins granted special privileges by the government. The series balances Sakura’s optimism with the pessimism of the Code:Breakers, who see their existence as a mere necessity. While the series is enjoyable to watch, the plot changes too drastically to be worthwhile.

Bubblegum Crisis

Inspired by films like Blade Runner and Terminator, “Bubblegum Crisis” is the most 80s anime there is. The series centered on the adventures of the Knight Sabers, a group of mercenaries who used powered exoskeletons to fight robots that had gone rogue. It had a good dose of cyberpunk and rock & roll.

“Bubblegum Crisis was well-received by fans and critics alike, who praised its story and characters, but it was canceled due to a contractual dispute between the two companies that produced the series. Of the 13 planned episodes, only 8 aired before the cancellation, leaving fans without any conclusion to the story. This anime needed another season, if only to conclude its plot, but it seems unlikely that will happen.

Arslan Senki (The Heroic Legend of Arslan)

“Arslan Senki” is a series of classic novels by Yoshiki Tanaka, creator of “The Legend of the Galactic Heroes.” The series follows a young prince named Arslan who loses his kingdom of Pars after his father’s betrayal. Arslan is forced to flee for his life, gathering an army to reclaim his country from the Lusitanian forces.

Arslan saw an anime adaptation in 2015, based on a more recent adaptation of the manga. At the time, the novel series had not yet been completed. The final novel was published in 2017, two years after the anime began, but the series ended in 2016.

Magi: Labyrinth of Magic

“Magi” seemed like the next big battle shonen series when it launched in 2012. With a unique setting that referenced Arabian mythology, the story was different enough from most shonen anime to stand out amidst a sea of similar series with their classic shonen tropes.

“Magi” was one of the first shonen anime to adopt the seasonal model, with a first season in 2012 and a second season in 2013. The seasonal approach should have allowed the manga to stay ahead of the curve enough to keep the series going. “Magi” was so popular that it was even spun off into a spin-off anime centered around Sinbad, one of the series’ cast members. However, neither series was able to reach a proper conclusion, as both ended well before the manga ended.

Baccano!

If any anime can be considered a “cult hit,” it’s Baccano! The series is told from multiple points of view and is set primarily in the United States during the Prohibition era. It follows many seemingly unconnected events that end up merging to create a much larger story about alchemy, survival, and immortality.

Although “Baccano!” received rave reviews, the series was underrated by many fans who may not have enjoyed the out-of-sequence storytelling. Regardless, “Baccano!” was canceled after just 16 episodes, leaving many plot threads unresolved.