The Best Sequel Manga That Do It Better Than Dragon Ball Super

Akira Toriyama began creating the Dragon Ball manga in 1984, featuring a brief jump forward in time before delving into a tournament storyline where the main characters were older. This transition is what fans recognize as Dragon Ball Z from 1989, a series that continued until 1995 in the manga and 1996 in the anime. The manga’s creation played a significant role in shaping one of the most impactful anime productions ever made.

Over numerous decades, the enthusiasm from fans was so immense that Toriyama ultimately produced another sequel titled “Dragon Ball Super“, available both as a manga and an anime. It’s worth noting that Dragon Ball isn’t the sole manga to spawn a follow-up series. Some could even claim that these successors executed the concept more effectively for one significant reason: they passed the torch, allowing fresh perspectives and ideas to emerge.

7. .hack//Legend Of The Twilight

A Manga Sequel To A Game

Directors: Koichi Mashimo, Koji Sawai
Studio: Bee Train
Released: January 8, 2003
Episodes: 12

The “The Matrix” series encompasses a variety of media that are interconnected. One of these is the anime titled “.hack//Sign,” which debuted in 2002. This was followed by a quartet of role-playing games (RPGs) for PlayStation 2, developed by CyberConnect2 and named “.hack//Infection” as the first installment. Each game came with an episode of “.hack//Liminality,” another anime series. Compared to other media in the franchise, “.hack//Legend of the Twilight” is more of a sequel to the games, taking place a few years after, although its manga chapters began publishing slightly before the release of the games.

The story initially emerged as a manga, later transforming into an anime in 2003. One remarkable aspect of this sequel is that two siblings – Shugo and Rena – were fortunate winners of a competition, enabling them to assume the roles of Kite and BlackRose, iconic characters from the PlayStation 2 games. This lighter-toned journey served almost as a nostalgic send-off for the initial chapter of the .hack series.

6. Boruto: Naruto Next Generations

I Like My Boruto With Fries

Boruto: Naruto Next Generations serves as a continuation of the Naruto series, featuring Boruto, who is Naruto’s son. The Naruto manga debuted in 1999 and concluded in 2014, with Boruto making its appearance on the scene two years later, in 2016. While the Naruto anime adaptation has ended, the anime and manga for Boruto: Naruto Next Generations are still being produced.

This story takes place far into the future where Naruto has risen to become the Hokage in the Leaf Village. He’s also parenting his son with Hinata by his side. Other familiar faces from the legacy of the village are present, and their children have joined the ninja ranks too. This tale centers around the new generation of shinobi, but don’t worry – the older characters are still active, just not quite dominating the scene as Goku does.

5. Burn The Witch

Branching Out To The UK

Burn the Witch can be seen as a sequel to Bleach, despite not being immediately obvious from its cover, due to it featuring Tite Kubo’s unique art style. Unlike the original series that started in 2001 and ended in 2016, Burn the Witch is a standalone manga that debuted in 2018. Instead of focusing on Shinigami within Japan, this story unfolds in an alternative Soul Society setting based in the UK.

In a dimension contrasting our own London, dubbed as ‘Reverse London’, I’ve observed a group of enigmatic figures, perhaps witches, who meticulously monitor dragons. This intriguing storyline feels like the next chapter in the expansive universe that was first introduced in the ‘Bleach’ series. Though it doesn’t necessarily expand upon the original manga as a sequel per se, its unique premise is certainly captivating and worth exploring further by creators in media.

4. Four Knights Of The Apocalypse

A Final Fantasy Adventure

The series titled “Four Knights of the Apocalypse” serves as a follow-up to the earlier work, “The Seven Deadly Sins,” focusing on several characters from the initial ensemble. The original series, which started in 2012 and concluded in 2020, was subsequently followed by “Four Knights of the Apocalypse” beginning in 2021. One captivating aspect of this manga and anime adaptation is that the main team consists of four powerful warriors, lending a more dramatic and fantastical feel akin to an exaggerated version of a Final Fantasy animated series.

In this rephrased version, let’s explore:

The central character, Percival, carries an enigmatic past, making him intriguing, much like in classic manga narratives. Lancelot is the offspring of Ban and Elaine, Tristan is Meliodas and Elizabeth’s son, while Gawain is Arthur Pendragon’s niece. This engaging ensemble may rival the original storyline in excitement and could potentially be easier to understand for readers.

3. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure

Through The Ages

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure stands out as a remarkable series because the manga was initially published in 1987, while the first full-length anime adaptation didn’t come until 2012. Despite this gap, both versions of the story are still being produced today. One of the unique aspects of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is that each story arc is self-contained and follows different generations of characters separated by years or even decades. Sometimes these stories interconnect directly with one another.

In simpler terms, the fourth storyline, Diamond is Unbreakable, has elements of a murder mystery, while the sixth and most recent anime adaptation, Stone Ocean, unfolds within a prison setting. The manga has now reached its ninth arc, titled JoJoLands. Despite all these stories falling under the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure brand, each one is published as a separate volume with distinct titles, which makes them work well as individual sequels.

2. Shaman King: Flowers

Spiritual Guidance

Director: Takeshi Furuta
Studio: Bridge
Released: January 10, 2024
Episodes: 13

The story, titled ‘Shaman King: Flowers,’ is the initial direct continuation of the original ‘Shaman King,’ which focuses on Hana, the son of Yoh and Anna. The original series ran from 1998 to 2004, but there were some spinoffs that followed. After a gap of several years, ‘Shaman King: Flowers’ was published in 2012 as the first full sequel.

Shaman King primarily revolved around a massive tournament storyline, while Shaman King: Flowers offered a more leisurely exploration of the realm of shamans, much like Burn the Witch expanded the universe of Bleach. The manga concluded in 2014, but it was followed by another series, Shaman King: The Super Star, which began in 2018 and ended in 2024. However, there’s no anime for the latter yet. In contrast, an anime adaptation of Shaman King: Flowers has been released.

1. Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon

The Past And Present Unite Again

As a bystander, I’ve noticed that Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon is a continuation of Inuyasha, a series that initially aired from 1996 to 2008. Interestingly, the anime adaptation for Yashahime premiered in 2020, while the manga version started in 2021 and ran longer than the anime, concluding in 2025.

The story revolves around Towa, the child who was once separated from her sister Setsuna and is the offspring of Sesshomaru and Rin. Originally, she was lost in time and found herself in modern times, where she formed a new family. As fate would have it, she eventually returned to feudal Japan and was reunited with her long-lost sister. Together, they embarked on a journey of learning demon hunting, which offered an intriguing premise. The narrative leans more towards action than romance, similar to the series Inuyasha.

2025-09-04 18:21