The anime industry often does a marvelous job bringing light novels and manga series to life, adding color, music, voice acting, and smooth animation for any fan to enjoy. Some anime series improve upon the original manga’s pacing or visual style, but other times, the anime will actually subtract from the experience.
Some anime do an iffy job portraying the original manga’s characters, so disappointed anime fans can check out the manga to see what those characters are really supposed to be like. Often, the anime tells an incomplete story and gives the characters half-finished story arcs. Or the anime’s visual style robs the viewer of important details about those characters only found in the manga.
10 Guts (Berserk)
Guts is an impressive seinen anime hero from various Berserk anime series and movies, but fans who want to explore his character arc in full detail are better off with Kentaro Miura’s Berserk manga. Guts’ arc is long, complex, and darkly compelling, and the anime series only depicted pieces of it.
Guts’ character arc also includes graphic scenes that simply cannot be included in any Berserk anime, and they explain how trauma played a role in making Guts who he is. That material is not to be taken lightly, but fans who can stomach it will see just how rich Guts’ character arc really is.
9 Negi Springfield (Mahou Sensei Negima!)
The Mahou Sensei Negima! anime is a serious case of the anime only telling part of the original manga’s story, and the characters all suffer for it. Negima!‘s main characters all get highly detailed and fascinating arcs in the manga’s 38 volumes, and the anime doesn’t have nearly enough room for it all.
This means that the young wizard Negi Springfield, among other characters, is just a shell of his real self in the anime. It seems unlikely that Negima! will get a proper anime, so interested fans are encouraged to meet the real Negi Springfield in Ken Akamatsu’s manga.
8 Ken Kaneki (Tokyo Ghoul)
The Tokyo Ghoul anime did include many iconic scenes from Sui Ishida’s original seinen manga, but fans compare the anime poorly to the manga for several reasons. The Tokyo Ghoul anime is known for omitting or rearranging many scenes, which hurt Ken Kaneki’s character arc.
Ken often feels like a mere “edgelord” in the anime, but the Tokyo Ghoul manga handled his arc better and made him feel better-rounded. The same is true for the follow-up series, Tokyo Ghoul :re, which gave Ken and many other characters a full arc and a surprisingly happy ending.
7 Tatsu (The Way Of The Househusband)
The Way of the Househusband is a delightful comedy manga/anime franchise, but the anime did a rough job portraying the original material. The anime was criticized for its low frame rate and minimal animation, which didn’t really bring the character Tatsu to life.
Instead, Tatsu is far more compelling in the Way of the Househusband’s manga, which is well-drawn and goes at a leisurely pace. The manga also draws Tatsu’s face in better detail than the anime, making him more humorously intense than anything the anime can offer.
6 Shoko Komi (Komi Can’t Communicate)
Overall, the Komi Can’t Communicate anime did a fine job bringing the original manga to life, and it ranks among the best high school hijinks anime series out there. For all its strengths, though, the anime still cannot compare to the ongoing source manga.
The manga goes into far more detail about what makes Shoko Komi who she is, and her arc feels better-paced and more rounded out on the pages. The anime is a fine introduction to Komi and her world, while the manga is the definitive experience for Komi and all her friends.
5 Misakai Ayuzawa (Maid-Sama!)
Maid-Sama!’s anime is fairly popular in the shojo anime world with its tough but kind heroine and its quirky male love interest, but like many anime series, Maid-Sama! never finished the job. The anime stopped partway through the manga’s story, so Misaki Ayuzawa’s character arc was left unfinished.
In the Maid-Sama! manga, Misaki had a full character arc as a bitter, pragmatic tsundere who slowly learned to trust and love Takumi Usui. She will also learn to mend ties with her estranged father, and a wonderful epilogue scene will neatly conclude Misaki’s arc the way the author intended.
4 Denji (Chainsaw Man)
The Chainsaw Man anime has done a marvelous job with author Tatsuki Fujimoto’s original work, from the brutal fight scenes to the characters’ bizarre and grim dialogue. Protagonist Denji, or Chainsaw Man, is already one of anime’s best antiheroes, but he’s even better on the manga’s pages.
For now, the Chainsaw Man manga is the full Denji experience, including some essential phases of his character arc and even extra powers as Chainsaw Man. The manga also does a better job drawing Denji’s highly expressive face, adding more emotional impact for humor, horror, and drama.
3 Kenshiro (Fist Of The North Star)
Fist of the North Star is an iconic 1980s shonen manga series that inspired a 100+ episode anime series. That gave the anime enough time to flesh out Kenshiro’s character arc, but the anime’s visuals are distinctly dated, while the manga still looks great.
Kenshiro is more expressive and better detailed in the Fist of the North Star manga, making him feel more impactful and nuanced than anything the anime showed. The manga’s incredible illustrations also make Kenshiro feel tougher, faster, and more elegant than the aging anime ever could.
2 Near (Death Note)
Even if the quiet, white-haired Near was never as memorable or compelling as the genius L Lawliet, at least he was better in the Death Note manga. The anime cut the second story arc short, so the antagonist Near didn’t get a chance to show viewers what he can do.
Near’s modest character arc and tireless investigation were both better in the manga, and that made him feel far more substantial. The manga showed how smart Near really is, which explains how he was able to succeed where L Lawliet had tragically failed.
1 Narumi Momose (Wotakoi)
Narumi Momose is a cheerful deredere from the Wotakoi manga/anime series, and she is a delight in both. Narumi is a closeted otaku who loves pop culture and even draws manga, but only her close friends and co-workers like Hirotaka, Taro, and Hanako fully understand her.
Narumi was wonderful in the anime, but she is even better in the Wotakoi manga, which runs for 11 volumes. That manga showed Narumi at her best and worst, making her feel better balanced as a character, and her hysterical facial expressions look better in the manga.