While anime is more popular now than ever, the truth is, anime has had an influence on American cartoons for decades now. The presence of series like Voltron and G-Force and even Star Blazers has been affecting influencing cartoons for years. It’s no wonder there have been so many great “American anime” series to pop up in that time.
That said, not every anime-inspired American cartoon went on to great success. Some of them, despite being quality series with passionate fanbases, ended long before the fans or creators thought they would. Whether it was because of poor ratings or not enough toys sold, these series never got to finish telling their stories their way.
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (2002) Lost Out Due To Poor Ratings
Promo image for the 2003 He-Man and the Masters of the Universe cartoon.Image via Mattel
Long before the 1980s was a permanent part of pop culture, there was the ’80s boom of the early 2000s. Franchises like Transformers, G.I. Joe, and more saw a resurgence, including He-Man. Originally one of the most popular ’80s franchises, He-Man had vanished by the early ’90s and was well on its way to being forgotten for good when the series suddenly made a reappearance thanks to Cartoon Network and Toonami.
The new series was known as He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, and was a new reboot of the entire universe. Once again, Prince Adam is the lazy, spoiled heir to the throne of Eternia, only to be forced to transform into He-Man at the behest of Castle Grayskull’s Sorceress. While the basic plot was similar, there was a bigger focus on developing all the supporting cast members and their backstories.
The series ran for two seasons, but only the first season ran for the usual 26 episodes. The second season, Masters of the Universe vs. The Snake Men, ran just thirteen episodes. Unfortunately, it was the usual issue of flagging toy sales that got the series canceled. It was especially unfortunate though, as this He-Man was finally offering a more mature writing style that could be enjoyed by original fans and kids alike.
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Fantastic Four: World’s Greatest Heroes Was Never A Priority On Cartoon Network
The Fantastic Four from Fantastic Four: World’s Greatest HeroesImage via Marvel Studios
In the mid 2000s, Marvel was having a blast re-interpreting all of their biggest characters for a new generation. The films were a major help, but they also had cartoons like Spectacular Spider-Man, X-Men Evolution, and Fantastic Four: World’s Greatest Heroes. Fresh off a new film in 2005, Marvel made sure there was a cartoon for kids to check out.
With anime having an explosion in popularity thanks to Toonami, it made sense that World’s Greatest Heroes offered a stylized look to fit in among the most popular series of the era. It also made sure to include as many elements of the Fantastic Four comics as possible, including some of the Fantastic Four’s biggest supervillains. It was a series that was full of potential even in its first season, and was in a position where it could’ve only improved over time.
However, despite their resurgence in popularity, Fantastic Four: World’s Greatest Heroes didn’t feel like a priority when it was picked up by Cartoon Network in 2006. Cartoon Network aired episodes wildly out of order, and had massive gaps between each one. In fact, the series never completely aired until it went to Nicktoons in 2009.
Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Came To A Quick End By Nickelodeon
Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cast all posing togetherImage via Nickelodeon
Though they’d already rebooted The Turtles in 2012, Nickelodeon decided to reinvent the characters a second time just after the end of their previous series. This time, they went with a radically different version of the team, one that took a bit of time to catch on with fans. Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was an anime-inspired version of the series, courtesy of creators Ant Ward and Andy Suriano.
The biggest change for this new series is the Turtles are no longer identical aside from their choice of weapons and colored headbands. This time, each turtle is based on a different turtle species, resulting in different looks for the characters. More than that, the series embraces the mystical elements occasionally found in prior series, having the Turtles outright seek out special ninja powers to help them fight against the Foot Clan.
Rise of the TMNT was a different look for the franchise, but that was necessary after two other successful versions in the 2000s and 2010s. Thanks to its anime inspirations, the series might have had the best fight scenes of any Turtles adaptation. However, after just two seasons, Nickelodeon decided to cancel it, leaving Netflix to finish the story off with a feature-length film in 2022.
Megas XLR Was A Cult Favorite But Never Very Popular
Image by Warner Bros. Discovery
At one point, Megas XLR was one of the most beloved cartoons on the internet. However, being popular online doesn’t always translate to being popular with the core audience. Originally debuting as a Cartoon Cartoon, the series was a rare example from that show of an action-focused toon. Though it was a comedy, the love of both video games and mecha anime was clear in every scene.
The series took place in New Jersey, where a pair of slackers just happened to discover a giant robot from the distant future. With the robot missing a head, “Coop” uses his mechanic skills to place his muscle car on top as the head, and relies on piloting advice from the time-traveling freedom fighter, Kiva Andru. Together, they battle against aliens from the future, protecting the Earth one battle at a time.
Megas XLR was one of the most creative ideas from the early 2000s, being anime-inspired without feeling like a rip-off. The series even got a space on Toonami in 2004, which should have been more than enough to keep the series going. Unfortunately, the show never quite caught on with kids, and was canceled after just twenty-six episodes.
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Exosquad Was Popular But Moved Around Far Too Often
Lieutenant JT Marsh and Sergeant Alec DeLeon in their exo suits getting ready for battle in ExosquadImage via Universal Cartoon Studios
Exosquad was one of the most underrated cartoons of the ’90s. At a time when anime was barely known and most cartoons were just an excuse to advertise toys, the series was bold enough to do something different. Admittedly, it was also still advertising toys, but the toys fit into the series far better than other cartoons.
The series takes place in the 22nd century, where humanity has successfully begun colonizing other planets. However, to do so required the creation of an entirely new race, the Neosapiens, who humanity took for granted as mindless labor.
When the Neosapiens rise up in revolt, they quickly begin decimating humanity’s armies and conquering their societies. With the Neosapiens wielding greater natural strength than humanity, Earthlings are only able to fight back with the aid of powerful technology known as exoframes.
Exosquad was a brilliant piece of science-fiction that offered ongoing plots and a challenging narrative. It also had some amazing toys, as each character came with their own custom exoframes. The series was actually fairly popular, but network interference caused it to be consistently moved to time slots that couldn’t sustain ratings, leading to the series being canceled.
Thundercats (2011) Was Canceled As Cartoon Network Changed Priorities
Lion-O and Cheetara speaking with Wilykit and Wilykat from the TV series ThunderCats (2011)Image via Cartoon Network
Originally a fairly popular cartoon in the 1980s, Thundercats vanished from television for years without any sequels or remakes materializing. The best the original series got was airing in reruns on Toonami, until 2011 came along. Warner Bros. Animation and Studio 4°C both teamed up to produce a brand-new Thundercats series that merged Western storytelling with Japanese animation.
The new series simplified the storyline considerably, while adding to the lore. Rather than the heroes moving to Third Earth, the show takes place there from the beginning, and focuses on an ongoing war between The Cats and a Lizard army. When Mumm-Ra grants the Lizards special technology, the Cats’ society falls, with many of them enslaved while only a handful of Thunderians remain free.
Among that group is young Lion-O, who still retains the Sword of Omens, and aims to reclaim his lands by defeating Mumm-Ra.Thundercats was one of the best series on Cartoon Network in 2011, and it was originally planned for a full 52-episode run. Far more plot-driven than the original series, it was full of potential. However, when Cartoon Network shifted from action cartoons to only wanting comedy series on their network, Thundercats was one series among several that was canceled.