With Japanese animation having a chokehold on international audiences, especially in America, it was inevitable for Hollywood to adapt many of these stories into a big-budget feature film or show. Many of these adaptations feature some sort of star power, like Samuel L. Jackson or Nicolas Cage, which was a selling point for reaching mainstream audiences.

Many of these adaptations sank or floated as they tried to replicate the animation’s limitless potential for creativity. We will take a look and rank all Hollywood adaptations, which can range from faithfully following the source material to completely reworking what the original series stood for.

2014

1/5

The original Kite follows Sawa, an orphaned teenage girl whose detective father and mother were killed. Akai, Sawa’s former partner, adopts her and uses her as an assassin to rid the city of criminals.

Many elements were understandably changed in the live-action adaptation, as many of the explicit scenes from the OVA were too graphic despite adding context and motivation for the characters.

Overall, the adaptation was nothing special and felt uninspired. The only positive quality is the fact that the masses can digest this story as the original can be a rough watch.

2009

Dragon Ball isone of, if not, the best anime/mangaever released. The story follows a boy named Goku, who lives alone in the wilderness while ignorant of the rest of the world. Once Bulma, a teenage genius, meets Goku, she makes him aware of the Dragon Balls and their purpose. Both join together and set off on an adventure to find all seven balls to make a wish.

Dragon Ball Evolution creates an almost original story compared to the source material. Goku is 18 years old and a high schooler. After meeting Bulma, the story follows some of the story beats in the manga, like running into Yamcha and training with Roshi.

While cheesy, Evolution does provide a campy story that doesn’t take itself too seriously. There is some fun to be had while watching its absurdity.

1991

2/5

Bio-Booster Armor Guyver follows the story of a Japanese high-schooler who accidentally bonds with a symbiotic mechanical suit called the Guyver. His endurance, durability, and combat enhance in the suit while he fights the Zoinoids.

The first anime adaptation to be produced in the country, The Guyver is set in America and follows a high-schooler, Sean Barker. Most of the story beats are the same but add Mark Hamill’s character, Max Reed.

This film pioneered American anime adaptations, which were also heavily inspired by the popular Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. The monster suits are still impressive to this day.

1995

A martial artist surviving in a Mad Max-esque world. Kenshiro can use a special fighting technique that can instantly kill his opponents by hitting their pressure points. He is on a mission to find the man who betrayed him and the love of his life.

Fist of The North Star does a great job of adapting the first arc of the series. While the acting is cheesy, the practical effects make up for it as bodies morph and explode as Kenshiro uses his abilities.

Although the setting is a generic desert post-apocalyptic landscape, many of the characters have decent performances, such as a young Dante Bosco, who plays Bat.

2.5/5

Created by Osamu Tezuka, the god of manga. The story follows a failed robot named Atom, who is abandoned in a circus and eventually found by Professor Ochanomizu, who crafts him into a fighting robot.

In 2009, Astro Boy was released as an animated movie with a huge star-studded cast, including Nicolas Cage and Kristen Bell. The movie emulated a Pixar or Dreamworks movie, and it was loosely based on the original manga. It focuses on a basic “good vs. evil” storyline, which worked perfectly for a great family-friendly movie with a lot of fun set pieces and action.

1994

A sequel to The Guyver, Dark Hero continues one year later from the defeat of the Cronos Corporation. Sean now uses his suit to fight crime in the city of Los Angeles.

Dark Hero has better choreographies and great use of its practical effects through its gore scenes. Dark Hero is also more faithful to the original manga, and it starred David Hayter, who would be the original voice of Solid Snake from the Metal Gear series.

2017

3/5

This is a classic anime that follows a cyborg named Motoko Kusanagi, who serves in a cybernetic police force. Her body is mostly made out of cybernetic prosthetics, which aid her during her missions of taking down other criminal cyborgs.

In the 2017 live-action movie, Scarlet Johanson plays a version of the character named Mira Killian, who has a similar origin but with the addition of showing the death of her parents becoming a sort of motivation against criminals.

Many scenes are shot by shot from the anime, but with realistic physics and breathtaking visuals that added a new take on the anime.

A Japanese high school prodigy, Light Yagami, stumbles across a magic notebook with the power to kill. He then meets a Shinigami named Ryuk, an angel of death and owner of said notebook. Light takes it upon himself to rid this world of all scum and criminals. This purge catches the eye of a well-known detective named L, who vows to capture him.

In the live-action version, many elements are changed, almost as if it were another story in the same series. Although not well received, Death Note has stunning cinematography and an outstanding performance by Willem Dafoe as Ryuk.

2021

An anime that peaked the genre in the 90s, Cowboy Bebop oozed a cool jazz aesthetic, highlighted by its well-choreographed fight scenes. The story follows a rag-tag group of space bounty hunters set in the far future of 2071.

The Netflix series follows the episodic nature of the anime but has differences, such as how characters are met and some of their motivations. While panned by many die-hard Bebop fans, the show is impressive for great acting, set pieces, and costume design.

4/5

All You Need Is Kill is a light novel that was eventually turned into a manga by Shonen Jump. The story follows a recruit of the United Defense Force, Keiji Kiriya, who dies in battle quickly. He is suddenly brought back from death and then he dies again. This repeats, in a loop, and each time he gains combat experience to fight against the alien invading his land.

Although given a different name, Edge of Tomorrow follows the same concept as All You Need Is Kill, as Tom Cruise’s William Cage follows the same mission as Keiji. The action scenes are dynamic and well done, as expected from a Tom Cruise film.

While regular viewers don’t realize Edge of Tomorrow is based on an anime, the story and action make it a great Sci-fi movie.