5 Shonen Anime Remakes That Are Considered Absolute Masterpieces

The shonen demographic is the most prominent category in anime, providing several standout titles over the years. It is home to some of the greatest classics to ever grace the medium, but many of these series were adapted at a time with inferior production technology and other significant structural constraints.

As a result, a lot of these titles have ended up outdated, leading to a clamor for fresh reimaginings. Some remakes are graciously welcomed, while others are deemed unnecessary due to the satisfactory quality of the first adaptation. In the case of the latter, fans fear their beloved series’ reputations may be tarnished, preferring them to be left alone completely.

Others are widely regarded as necessary, bringing brand-new styles and higher-quality animation fit for modern times. Current techniques are vastly superior to those of many years ago, meaning there is at least one department that will always see improvement. Remakes could also be justified if original adaptations ran beyond the source material and featured anime-original endings.

While the older versions may have been enjoyable even with their non-canon conclusions, fans would still love to see adaptations end as the authors intended. Remakes give certain titles a second shot at perfection, and as evidenced by the series on this list, they can result in undeniable masterpieces if done right.

Rurouni Kenshin (2023)

Rurouni Kenshin is one of anime’s most storied classics, premiering in 1996 and running for 94 episodes. Set in early Meiji-era Japan, it centers on a wandering samurai with an easygoing personality named Himura Kenshin. Despite his kind nature, he has a dark past and was formerly known as Hitokiri Battosai, the most dangerous assassin of the Bakumatsu period.

He has spent his time since the war traveling all over the country, having vowed to never kill again as he is haunted by the sheer amount of blood on his hands. To this end, he wields a sakaboto, a reverse-bladed sword that allows him to employ his expert swordsmanship when necessary without fatal consequences.

The 1996 anime is famed for its masterful soundtrack and covers the main story up to the Kyoto arc, which is widely regarded as the greatest arc of the series. Beyond that point, it is filled with filler and few relevant developments. In general, it has a heavy slice-of-life vibe for a large part of its run.

The remake, released in 2023, adapts the manga much more faithfully and is being released seasonally. The second season premiered in 2024 and adapted the first half of the Kyoto arc to perfection. The third season has been announced and is set to adapt the second half, though an exact date is yet to be released.

Dororo (2019)

Dororo is one of the earliest anime series to ever air on television, premiering in 1969 and running for 26 episodes. It was adapted from the iconic manga of the same name and created by the great Osamu Tezuka, a legendary figure who is widely regarded as the Godfather of manga.

It follows a young man named Hyakkimaru, missing several body parts due to a pact his father made with multiple demons before he was born. As a result of this severe deformity at birth, Hyakkimaru was abandoned and left to die in a river. Luckily, he was later discovered and provided with multiple prostheses to help him live.

He was subsequently taught how to fight, and after growing up, he traversed the land aiming to slay the demons in order to recover his lost body parts. On his journey, he is joined by the titular young orphan Dororo, and the two form a deep bond across their shared experiences.

The remake notably changes a few key points from the manga, such as taking away Hyakkimaru’s sight and hearing at the start. Premiering in 2019, and as expected of an adaptation coming five decades after the original, it features stunningly better animation and production in general. It also adopts more modern character designs while preserving the atmosphere of feudal Japan.

Devilman Crybaby

Devilman Crybaby is the modern reimagining of Go Nagai’s iconic Devilman franchise, which originated with the 1972 manga and TV series. It premiered in 2018 and was produced in celebration of the author’s 50th anniversary as a creator. It was produced by Science Saru and ran for 10 episodes as an Original Net Animation (ONA).

The 1972 anime was produced alongside the manga but was tweaked for younger audiences. It stars a demon named Devilman sent to Earth by the Demon Lord Zennon to pave the way for an invasion. He possesses a teenager named Akira Fudo to achieve his goals, but ends up falling in love with his host’s adoptive sister, Miki Makimura.

This leads him to betray his demon heritage and instead fight to protect humanity from his invading kin. Devilman Crybaby properly adapts the story and serves as a much more uninhibited version. It details Akira’s possession by the demon Amon, where Akira retains control but gains the power to transform into the extremely powerful Devilman.

Despite his new monstrous nature, it focuses on Akira’s determination to protect people even amidst the public rejection of devils. It details Ryo Asuka’s betrayal and the tragedy that ensues at the end of the story. It features explicit displays of gore and many other mature themes that help the anime stay true to the original vision.

Hunter X Hunter (2011)

Hunter x Hunter is a massive series that got its first anime adaptation in 1999. The story centers on a young boy named Gon, in search of his father, who is a world-famous Hunter. He is joined by trusted friends on his adventures and faces several pivotal experiences that test his simplistic worldview.

It ran for 62 episodes and was followed by three OVAs that continued the story. The first covered the climax of the Yorknew City arc, while the remaining two covered the Greed Island arc. They brought the total number of episodes to 92, but by then the adaptation caught up to the manga and came to an end.

The 2011 anime served as a fresh start for the series, produced by Madhouse and covering all arcs included in the original. It also covered the Chimera Ant arc with great success, as it is still renowned today as one of the best shonen arcs ever. It concluded its run with the 13th Hunter Chairman Election arc, totaling 148 episodes.

By this point, the remake had also caught up to the manga, though instead of releasing filler episodes as other series often do, production came to a complete halt. This was largely due to the author, Yoshihiro Togashi’s health complications, as the manga has gone on to experience several extended hiatuses.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is the remake of the first adaptation of Hiromu Arakawa’s hit manga Fullmetal Alchemist. Both anime were received extremely well, but Brotherhood elevated the narrative to heights that placed the series firmly among anime’s all-time greats. The story follows Edward and Alphonse Elric, brothers severely traumatized by the dark nature of alchemy.

Within the series, it is a supernatural power that allows its users to reshape matter using transmutation circles. It is famously bound by the Law of Equivalent Exchange, which strictly forbids human transmutation. However, the brothers still attempted to resurrect their deceased mother, and as a result, Edward lost two limbs and was only able to salvage Alphonse’s soul.

The first anime aired in 2003 and ran for 51 episodes, adapting the manga faithfully up until halfway. From there on, it took an entirely new direction after catching up to the source material. It created several major plot developments completely from scratch and ultimately concluded with a definitive anime-original ending.

Brotherhood premiered in 2009 and finished alongside the original manga in 2010, serving as a completely faithful adaptation. It ran for 64 episodes and was handled by studio Bones just like the first series. It represents a final product that reflects Arakawa’s true intention for the series, and is arguably the greatest anime remake ever.

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  Maxey Whitehead

  Alphonse Elric

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  Vic Mignogna

  Edward Elric