Just like in the manga Katsura Hoshino on which it is based, the anime of “D. Gray-manwas extremely popular when it began airing in 2006. Like “Naruto,” “One Piece,” and other shonen series of the early 2000s, “D.Gray-man” had length on its side and aired for over 100 episodes. Despite its long run, the series ended abruptly, although the manga continued.

Although her fans still remember her fondly, the sudden disappearance of “D.Gray-man” and the poor reception of its re-release caused interest in her to plummet. This wasn't helped by the problems that plagued the production of both the anime and manga. To this day, "D.Gray-man" fans still wonder how the once-popular franchise slowly fell off the radar and was seemingly erased from history.

The sad reality about “D.Gray-man” is that, nowadays, few if any anime fans remember him. Those who remember are old enough to recall when this anime was new and promising, while younger fans can be forgiven for not even knowing what it's about.

Like many popular fantasy anime of its time, “D.Gray-man” had decidedly religious undertones, though its use of Judeo-Christian theology was incredibly loose. “D.Gray-man” was about a group of exorcists called The Black Order, who used an arsenal of mystical weapons powered by “Innocence” to defend the world against the Noah Family. The clan consisted of corrupt reincarnations of the biblical Noah and his followers. Led by the Millennium Earl, they waged war against God and his creations. The Noah Family used Dark Matter to combat the Black Order's Innocence, as well as a means of summoning and controlling demons.

The protagonist of this 19th-century anime was Allen Walker: a teenager recruited into the Black Order who had trouble controlling his own mysterious dark powers. The original anime adapted around 210 chapters of the manga, initially starting with an episodic monster-of-the-week format. Hoshino's striking gothic art style, interesting characters, and detailed action sequences have received critical acclaim. This was reflected in the manga's impressive sales figures. Even after years of relative silence and inactivity, "D.Gray-man" still ranked respectably in nostalgia popularity polls in Japan.

In short, the anime “D.Gray-man” is over, but the manga is not. The first series of "D.Gray-man" ran for 103 episodes across three "phases," or four seasons. After the conclusion of the fourth season, the anime simply stopped. It had a sort of ending, but it left the Black Order's future uncertain. However, it wasn't meant to be the end of the series. In fact, the fourth season ended with Allen rekindling his determination to defeat the still-living Millennium Earl. The abrupt cancellation left fans scratching their heads, especially since the manga still had many chapters to adapt.

The best fans can do now is speculate about the reasons behind "D.Gray-man's" unceremonious ending. The hypothesis most fans agree on is that the anime was canceled due to its poor pacing. The anime already had to create an excessive amount of filler stories so that Hoshino would have more time to create chapters for TMS Entertainment to adapt. While this may seem counterproductive today, it was a common practice among long-running anime adaptations in the 2000s. Unfortunately, some of the fillers in “D.Gray-man” contradicted important events and elements of the manga. Halfway through the anime, there were no seasonal breaks or filler arcs that could undo these irrevocable changes.

Unfortunately, Hoshino has also been forced to suspend her manga on several occasions due to health reasons. On one occasion, he did so after contracting norovirus, and on another, due to a neck injury. His poor health prevented the regular publication of new chapters and delayed the manga's release. Even when "D.Gray-man" resumed regular publication, it changed serialization from Weekly Shonen Jump to the quarterly Jump Square Crown.where it is still (sometimes) published today.

Approximately eight years after its first cancellation, “D.Gray-man” returned in the 2016 sequel, “D.Gray-man Hallow.” Initially suspected of being a reboot, “D.Gray-man Hallow” picked up the story where the original anime ended and continued with a fairly faithful adaptation of the manga. Unfortunately, “D.Gray-man Hallow” had the opposite problem as the first anime.

While the first “D.Gray-man” ran out of material to adapt, “D.Gray-man Hallow” was rushed and compressed many chapters of the manga into a few episodes. It's estimated that each of the series' 13 episodes adapted nearly 10 chapters at once. This resulted in an anime with a terribly rushed pace and a very unsatisfying story. Hoshino, who was initially reluctant to create the sequel, unsurprisingly criticized it. Hoshino's virtual disavowal of "D.Gray-man Hallow&#8221," along with its disappointing ratings and reviews, possibly contributed to its physical releases being abruptly canceled for "various reasons."

Despite this, the manga “D.Gray-man” continued to grow more and more. It even reached a milestone in 2021. The series reached a "story milestone" in the Summer 2021 issue of Jump SQ Rise. Many were, and still are, unsure what this meant for the series, which has had sporadic releases due to Hoshino's aforementioned health issues. Some suspected this meant the series would soon end, while others believed a major arc was coming to an end just in time for a new one to begin.

Even in the current nostalgia-driven anime landscape and in light of blockbuster revivals like “Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War,” it’s highly unlikely that “D.Gray-man” will continue. Besides the lack of popular demand, the production of "D.Gray-man" was very exhausting for everyone involved. Hoshino has expressed no interest in returning to anime and is content to work on his manga with a more relaxed schedule. Meanwhile, TMS Entertainment has turned its attention to better-received adaptations like “Dr. Stone” and “Rent-a-Girlfriend,” so neither party has much incentive to return to the “D.Gray-man” anime.

Perhaps there is no better time than now to restart “D.Gray-man” from scratch. This way, it could be more faithful to the manga. Furthermore, it wouldn't need to rely heavily on filler, and it could even air episodes on a more flexible schedule, similar to what the 2021 remake of "Shaman King" did. It remains to be seen whether that will happen with “D.Gray-man,” as the franchise has in many ways fallen out of the mainstream anime consciousness.

（C）星野桂／集英社・D.Gray-man 製作委員会

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