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 receives 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 perform jobs for the mafia and the police that no one else can.

"Gangsta" was quite popular upon its debut and continues to have a dedicated fan base that maintains hope for a second season. It's highly unlikely 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; they also have to deal with the ramifications of total societal collapse as deranged, morally destitute survivors.

Both the "Highschool of the Dead" manga and anime were well-received and very popular. Unfortunately, the series was left unfinished after the death of its screenwriter, 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 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 concluded properly, the same cannot be said for the anime, which only lasted one season. The anime wasn't officially canceled, but it wasn't renewed for another season, so it's stuck in 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 of 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 Mamodo World and was one of one hundred children sent to Earth to fight for the right to become King of the Mamodo.

Although "Konjiki no Gash Bell!!!" was very popular in Japan, with a 150-episode run, it wasn't popular enough to have a finale. When the manga's popularity reached its peak, the series was canceled and never received 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 framed for the horrific act and sent to Deadman Wonderland, a prison that doubles as a theme park.

While the Deadman Wonderland anime features excellent animation, it rushed through many plot points and completely removed important characters from the story. This didn't sit well with manga fans, and even those who hadn't read the manga disliked 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 as the series was coming to an end, Kinema Citrus only produced 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 government privileges. The series balances Sakura's optimism with the Code:Breakers' pessimism, 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 you can get. The series centered on the adventures of the Knight Sabers, a group of mercenaries who used powered exoskeletons to fight robots gone rogue. It had a healthy dose of cyberpunk and rock & roll.

Bubblegum Crisis was well-received by fans and critics, 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 that seems unlikely to 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 received an anime adaptation in 2015, based on a more recent manga adaptation. 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 Arabic mythology, the story was different enough from most shonen anime to stand out amid 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"'s popularity was great enough that a spin-off anime centered on Sinbad, one of the series' cast members, was created. However, neither series managed to reach a proper conclusion, as both ended long before the manga's conclusion.

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 ultimately coalesce to create a much larger story about alchemy, survival, and immortality.

Although "Baccano!" received rave reviews, the series was underrated by many fans who perhaps disliked the out-of-sequence storytelling. Regardless, "Baccano!" was canceled after just 16 episodes, leaving many plot threads unresolved.