From Death Note, Bleach, and Full Metal Alchemist, we’ve already seen a number of the world’s most popular anime titles adapted into live-action series and films on Netflix. With many more adaptations on the way, we’ll be keeping track of all of the anime adaptations coming to Netflix in 2022 and beyond.
While there have been many hits and misses with anime adaptations of the years, some of the adaptations Netflix has in the works could be some of the best yet.
Alice in Borderland (Season 2)
Seasons: 2 | Episodes: TBA
Genre: Action, Drama, Mystery | Runtime: 50 Minutes
Cast: Kento Yamazaki, Tao Tsuchiya, Nijirô Murakami, Takanobu Shiohara, Kenji Takagi
Netflix Release Date: December 2022
As far as anime/manga to live-action series goes, Alice in Borderland has easily been one of the most well-received originals on Netflix. The wait for season 2 is long, but we’ve known for some time that the series will return by the end of 2022.
Living a jobless and video-game obsessed life, Ryohei Alice has become bored. During a festival celebration, Ryohei wishes for life in another world, one more exciting than the one he and two friends live in. His wish is granted, and suddenly Ryohei and his two friends, Karube and Segawa, find themselves in a parallel world where the key to survival is by playing games.
Avatar: The Last Airbender (Season 1)
Seasons: 1 | Episodes: 10
Genre: Action, Adventure
Cast: Gordon Cormier, Kiawentiio, Ian Ousley, Daniel Dae Kim, Dallas Liu
Netflix Release Date: TBA
We understand by adding Avatar to this list we’re somewhat cheating, however, the beloved animated series is as close to the West’s take on anime as we’re going to get.
There’s a lot riding on the Netflix live-action adaptation of Avatar. The series is one of the most beloved franchises from the 2000s and is still one of the most popular cartoons watched on Netflix today. The production of the series has already seen its fair share of controversy, but we hope by the time Avatar arrives it’ll be one of the best shows on Netflix.
While Aang, the next Avatar, a mythical being capable of bending all four elements, has been frozen in ice for one hundred years, the Fire Nation invaded the other three elemental nations, the Water Tribes, Earth Kingdom and Air Nomads. Upon thawing, Aang enlists the help of Katara and Sokka, as he must learn to master all four elements and save the world.
One Piece (Season 1)
Seasons: 1 | Episodes: 10
Genre: Action, Adventure | Runtime: TBA
Cast: Iñaki Godoy, Peter Gadiot, Emily Rudd, Mackenyu, Taz Skylar
Netflix Release Date: TBA
Just like Avatar, there is a lot riding on the live-action adaptation of Echiiro Oda’s beloved Pirate odyssey, One Piece.
Any fan worried about the series will be put at ease to learn that Oda is heavily involved in the creation of the series, and many of the creative decisions are run by him first before being put into action. This means unlike many other live-action adaptations of beloved manga and anime, the series will be driven by the creative vision of the manga’s author.
After the execution of the legendary pirate Gol D. Roger, a new age of piracy was inspired by his last words. 24 years later, Monkey D. Luffy, a rookie pirate, has dreams of becoming the next Pirate King, and sets out to find a crew of his own, and search for the fabled treasure, One Piece.
List of Current Anime Adaptations on Netflix
In case you were looking for current anime adaptations on Netflix, you can stream the following titles:
Untitled Pokémon live-action series
Seasons: 1 | Episodes: TBA
Genre: Action, Adventure | Runtime: TBA
Cast: TBA
Netflix Release Date: TBA
If there is one thing that Pokémon Detective Pikachu proved is that there is an appetite for live-action content from the Pokémon franchise.
With nine generations of Pokémon now available, and a vast world with many different regions, the live-action adaptation doesn’t have to limit itself to just the Kanto region. However, according to the synopsis on the IMDb pro page for the series, the series will be an adaptation of the anime, so for the first time in Pokémon history, we’ll get to see Ash in live-action.
The series is still in the very early stages of development, so we’ll be waiting a long time before we ever see the adaptation on Netflix.
Sword Art Online (Season 1)
Seasons: 1 | Episodes: TBA
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi | Runtime: TBA
Cast: TBA
Netflix Release Date: TBA
Sword Art Online has been one of the longest featured anime series on Netflix, and thanks to being in multiple libraries around the world, there are many avid anime fans whose first introduction to the world of anime was through Sword Art Online.
As of yet, there are no announced cast members, however, it has already been reported ahead of time that the series will be led by Asian actors.
There’s a lot of potential for the live-action adaptation to be one of the very best on Netflix.
Kirito, a young beta tester for the revolutionary VR equipment for the video game Sword Art Online finds himself, along with 10,000 other gamers, trapped within the virtual world. The only means of escape is to complete all of the floors of Ironclad, but death in the game means death in real life.
Yu Yu Hakusho (Season 1)
Seasons: 1 | Episodes: TBA
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy | Runtime: TBA
Cast: Takumi Kitamura
Netflix Release Date: TBA
There will be many anime fans unfamiliar with Yu Yu Hakusho, but for older anime fans, the series was one of the stand-out anime of the 1990s.
Fans looking forward to the live-action series will be glad to learn that Netflix is already deep into the production of Yu Yu Hakusho. Filming began on the series in July 2021 in Tokyo, Japan.
Filming has likely ended by now, which means the series should be in the post-production process. There’s currently no word on whether or not the series will arrive on Netflix in 2022, but there’s definitely a decent chance.
Which live-action adaptation are you looking forward to watching on Netflix in 2022 and beyond? Let us know in the comments below.