Netflix might not have the best track record for producing live-action anime adaptations, but that hasn’t stopped the media giant from trying. The company has produced 17 to date, but its collection includes a rotating catalog from other media giants.
This list is purely alphabetical. If you’re looking for a ranking of the best live-action anime adaptations so far, don’t worry, we’ve got that covered too. Netflix’s original adaptations start this list off, and any of those hosted titles that trade out regularly come at the bottom — but remember, not to take this list as up-to-the-minute! We do our best to keep these articles up to date, but we’re still human. Make sure to double check those titles are still on Netflix before making some popcorn, grabbing your Pocky, and settling in.
All Netflix original live action anime adaptations
Alice in the Borderland
Alice in Borderland is an ongoing Netflix’s adaptation. Season 3 has finally been confirmed, and fans could not be happier. The series follows Arisu, a video game obsessed man who is teleported to a desolate version of Tokyo where he and plenty of others must play dangerous games to survive.
Bleach
Ichigo Kurosaki is just a normal, paranormally blessed teen until he meets the injured “Soul Reaper” Rukia. After she looses her power saving Ichigo and his family, he has no choice but to take up her blade to stave off evil spirits known as “Hollows.” The flick might not have been up to fans’ standard, but the visuals in Bleach still make it a decent ride.
Cowboy Bebop
Cowboy Bebop will might have failed to live up to fan expectations, but that doesn’t mean the single season romp can’t kill some time. The Space-Western follows Spike and his crew of bounty hunting misfits as they make their way through the galaxy hunting down violent criminals. It might bring a dose of nostalgia for any fans of Firefly, but die hard followers of the anime were not impressed.
Death Note
2017’s Death Note kicked off Netflix’s run of bad adaptations. The flim tried to cram too much information into too short of a time slot. The story follows Light Yagami, a despondent teenager who finds a Death Note, a book that will kill anyone whose name is written on the page. Despite the negative reception, a sequel is allegedly in the works.
From Me to You: Kimi ni Todoke
From Me to You aired in 2023, and unlike many of the other entries on this list, it stays surprisingly close to the source material. The coming of age romantic comedy follows Sawako, or “Sadako,” as her classmates call her, an unintentionally scary and gloomy girl. When she befriends Shota Kazehaya, a boy who doesn’t care what others think, her life starts to turn around.
Fullmetal Alchemist
Look, I cant say anything nice about Fullmetal Alchemist. Okay fine, the visuals are decent, and the costuming is there, but the show just lacks the heart of its inspiration. When Edward and Alphose Elric attempt a taboo form of Alchemy, Ed is left maimed and his brother’s body is destroyed. The two search for a way to restore their bodies, but evil forces are at work all around them.
Fullmetal Alchemist: The Revenge of Scar
After their misguided first entry, Netflix returned with The Revenge of Scar. The story continues with the Elric brothers battling the mysterious Scar, a man with a vendetta against State Alchemists. Fans and critics praised the visuals, but yet again, felt the film lacked heart.
Fullmetal Alchemist: The Final Alchemy
The Final Alchemy and The Revenge of Scar were released at the same time, so Netflix never had the chance to pull the plug. The film picks up right wehre The Revenge of Scar left off, and wraps up the trilogy with more CGI than the average DC flick.
The Ingenuity of the Househusband
The Ingenuity of the Househusband is a collection of webshorts centered on a former Yakuza turned homemaker. Kenjiro Tsuda stars as himself, and after playing the role of Tatsu in the inspiration, The Way of the Househusband, he’s got it down pat. The shorts show him conquering daily problems with tough-guy charm and a homemaking perfection even Martha Stewart would be jealous of.
Kakegurui
As far as faithful adaptations go, Kakegurui is one of the best. The live-action is splitting the anime season in half for the sake of coherence — but although aspects are rearranged, the core story beats are alive and well. The prestigious Hyakkaou Private Academy might might seem like the perfect school, but in reality it’s ruled by a vicious hierarchy of gambling-obsessed students. Students play for keeps with not only their money, but the lives and futures of any debtors.
Mob Psycho 100
This mini-series follows Mob, A psychic middle schooler who just wants to live a normal life in a city filled with ghosts and weirdos. Created by ONE, the mastermind behind One-Punch Man, though unfortunately, the adaptation is missing much of the humor that makes ONE’s stories so unforgettable. There’s a reason the fandom has swept this adaptation under the rug.
One Piece
One Piece is, without a doubt, the best adaptation Netflix has made to date. The visuals are stunning, the cast memorable, and the story, though moving at its own pace and hitting different beats, has maintained its heart. Luffy and his band of misfit pirates set sail across the Blue to find the fabled ONE PIECE, in a swashbuckling adventure you just have to see to believe.
Rurouni Kenshin: The Final
Rurouni Kenshin is technically a 5 part movie series, but Netflix only outright own the final 2 films. 1-3 may cycle through their library at any given time due to their deal with Warner Bros, but don’t expect to see them on the site regularly. The Final takes place after the third movie, The Legend Ends. This film adapts the anime’s final arc, and has some intense action as well as beautifully choreographed fights.
Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning
The Beginning goes back to long before Kenshin met Kaoru and made a new life. It’s a much more somber version of the sweet boy fans grew to love, and features some grittier fights. The prequel was meant to be watched once viewers had finished the series, but it really doesn’t matter — either way, you’re going to get hit right in the feels.
Yu Yu Hakusho
Netflix’s latest adaptation, Yu Yu Hakusho learned from its predecessors’ mistakes. The series follows Yusuke Urameshi, a troubled teenaged buy who defies expectation by sacrificing himself to save a child. He’s granted magical abilities and promised a second chance on the condition that he become a Spirit Detective and unravel a plot that goes all the way to the top in both the human and demon worlds. Critics and fans alike have praised the visuals, directing, and most of all, that so-hard-to-master anime tone.
Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead
Zom 100 MC, Akira, is a hopeless youth working a corporate job determined to suck the life out of him. When the zombie apocalypse hits, Akira seizes the day and starts living his best life free of work. It’s silly and lighthearted, and definitely borrows some of the Sharknado franchise’s levity.
Hosted adaptations
Netflix’s catalog of hosted content is constantly shifting, so make sure not to take this list as law. The following titles are on Netflix as of the time of this writing, and we’ll do our best to keep it up to date!
Initial D
2005’s Initial D might have split critics and audiences down the middle, but most fans of the anime agree that it royally screwed the pooch. The film follows a mild mannered tofu delivery driver, Takumi Fujiwara, who has love of late night street racing. The story melds aspects of the story and frustrated fans with its pacing, but delighted audiences with the screaming tires, incredible drifts, and hot-rod action.
Knights of the Zodiac
Knights of the Zodiac hit theaters in 2023, but the film was more of a whisper than a roar. A blend of Greek mythology and martial arts, the story follows the street orphan Seiya, who discovers that his latent abilities are the only thing capable of saving the reincarnation of the goddess Athena.
Rurouni Kenshin
2012’s Rurouni Kenshin is a fictional historical drama that follows Himura Kenshin, a Meiji Era assassin known as the Hitokiri Battōsai. The legendary swordsmen has long since given up on violence and become a wandering samurai but his past will never die. After meeting Kaoru Komiya, a young kendo teacher, the two must defend her home from a man claiming to be the Battōsai. This film is just one of 5, but Netflix is currently borrowing the title from Warner Bros.
