Top 10 Best Abridged Anime Series
You ever watch an anime and think, "This could really use more sarcasm, way fewer filler episodes, and someone yelling about muffins for no reason"? That's what abridged series are for. They take your favorite (or least favorite) shows and twist them into comedy gold, cutting the fluff and cranking up the absurdity.
Abridged anime isn't just parody. It's a chaotic remix of story, voice acting, and pop culture references all smashed into bite-sized episodes with the energy of a meme convention on Red Bull. And when done right? It's funnier than it has any right to be. These projects aren't official, but the talent and time behind the best ones could rival legit studios. They're passion projects, comedy experiments, and sometimes surprisingly better written than the source material.
Now's your chance to shout into the void (or just click a button) and let everyone know which abridged anime series absolutely nailed it.
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Dragon Ball Z Abridged
This series makes Freeza's, Vegeta's, and Cell's personalities better than the dubbed ones. Piccolo's fusion tech in this series is more impressive than the fusion dance or Potaras. Nail and Kami were even talking in his head.
And the OST when Gohan turns Super Saiyan 2 for the first time was incredible, even in the Father-Son Kamehameha scene.
I wish TFS would continue the Buu arc and even Super.
The ending of the Cell games has made the series so much more amazing than it ever has been! Like, Goku was actually smart at the end!?! Who could have called that out! No one, because we all thought he was dumb as crap!
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Sword Art Online Abridged
I honestly believe that the abridged version of SAO is the actual series. SWE basically just took every flaw of SAO and turned the series into an even better one.
Now, Kayaba has an actual reason for why he created the game! Kirito has more character! That guild that Kirito joined made more sense!
I suggest you drop the original series and go watch this one instead, even if you enjoyed the original. Trust me, you'll love this one even more!
I believe this deserves to be number one, and by far. Not only is the humor spot on (that alone would have at least put it in the top 5), but it fixes the logical inconsistencies of the show and creates a great story.
The abridged series actually brought me to tears at one point, something the original never really did for me. In fact, I felt nothing for any of the original characters. Not only is it a great abridged series, it's an amazing show in general with fleshed out and developed characters and a much more believable storyline than the original product.
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Yu-Gi-Oh! The Abridged Series
Yu-Gi-Oh! Abridged is great! I love how they use actual dialogue from the English show to make fun of 4Kids Entertainment (because 4Kids sucks), and they use it to make the plot or events funnier!
I was laughing so hard at episode 25 when Téa sang "Something There" from Beauty and the Beast. When it was Yami's turn to sing, he made the song so much funnier! Yu-Gi-Oh! is life, and so is its own abridged series.
Fun Fact: Yu-Gi-Oh! The Abridged Series was the first ever abridged series, beginning in 2006.
Fun jokes that are entertaining from the beginning and callbacks that make them even funnier! I tried watching many different abridged series, but none of them could reach that level of humor right from the get-go!
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50% Off
Octopimp and SparkyTheAndroid take the best comedy, humor, and zaniness from Free! Iwatobi Swim Club, and then amplify it by a factor of twelve, leaving a magnificent result that has to be experienced firsthand by any abridging fan.
I love this abridged series. I tried searching for other abridged series, but none were as good as this. This is just gold!
Yes! You can watch 50% Off thinking of it as its own show. It's based on Free! and is just a joy. It's 100% funny, and Nagisa is everyone's favorite character.
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Naruto: The Abridged Series
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Danganronpa Abridged Thing
Extremely creative with its content and wisecracks, this hilarious take on the Danganronpa animation lasted only about half of the actual series but still left the viewers bashing their heads and fists against their desks laughing.
The abridged voicing is well done, and the characters themselves are a little too true to their individual backgrounds or hilariously updated for the viewers' amusement. Overall, a funny abridged series worth watching if you're a fan of the Danganronpa franchise.
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Hellsing Ultimate Abridged
This should be #1 on this list. It isn't long for a finished 10-episode abridged series, but it's the funniest damn abridged series with the best voice acting I think I've ever heard!
This will always be by far my favorite, with SAO abridged and Code MENT being close behind. It evolves so much from the first to the last episode, and the characters are all hilarious. And it's not afraid to keep serious moments serious.
I love most of the others on this list, especially Sword Art Online Abridged, but this one is just so perfect. It was my first abridged series, and it's still my favorite!
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Code MENT
The quintessential one-man series, Code MENT takes Code Geass to levels of brilliant comical insanity that only a mind like PurpleEyesWTF could conceive. I would rate it higher, but sadly I can't find the button. There's only soup.
The soup skit came from here, so it is automatically amazing. But really though, you should watch it.
This needs to be higher up. Top 5 at least.
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Pokémon 'Bridged
The greatest reboot of a series ever! Episode #1 has become my de facto YouTube video I ask my sons to watch with me to celebrate "It's my birthday?" - Bob Goliath, The Hamlet of Selden, Long Island, USA.
"Venomoth has evolved into Golbat to confuse our enemy!" - Koga (Pokemon 'Bridged)
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A Slap on Titan
The humor is priceless in this abridged series. I highly recommend watching it. Sarge's epic rant segment is a classic.
What, I actually have to justify this objective fact? Just watch it. How is this not in the top 10?
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Dr. Stone Abridged
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That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Abridged
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Noragami Abridged
"Uh... Kofuku's not here right now."
"I can hear her yelling at the plants."
"GROW, YOU LITTLE F***ERS! I didn't kill all those cats and grind them into fertilizer just so you'd shrivel up and die on me!"
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The Seven Deadly Schmucks
This is personally one of my favorites. I would like it to be higher up on this list.
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Akame ga Kill Abridged
Waiting patiently for the next episode.
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Seraph of the End Abridged
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Sonic F
Obviously a parody of Sonic X, this is pretty good depending on your taste in comedy.
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Magi: The Abridged Series of Magic
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Fairy Tail Abridged
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Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works Abridged
Criminally underrated. Not only is the humor on point, but the sheer knowledge of the source material added into this abridged series is awe-inspiring. I have learned so much more about the Fate universe and the mythological figures within it just from watching this series, all while being more entertained than I could possibly imagine.
Warning though, you may want to watch the original anime first because they make heavy references to the plot twist at the end of the series, building up to the reveal much better than the original material.
The dialogue is super snappy and the editing is superb. The voice cast is incredible too. Everything about it feels so professional. Very glad to have found this series.
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Kuroko no Basket Abridged (KNBA)
This series only has one episode so far, but I still love it.
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Bleach (S) Abridged
You can't watch Ichigo's showdown with his inner hollow in this abridged series and not think that this series is brilliant.
The sheer effort put into the abridged movies is astounding. Forty minutes plus for the Diamond Dust Rebellion, and the entire abridged movie is both hilarious and badass at the same time!
Honestly, this is my second favorite abridged series, and it deserves so much more love. The writing is fantastic, and the entire thing just gets better as it goes on. The voices are great, and the pacing is fantastic as well.
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None Piece
Quick, concise, and extremely hilarious, None Piece completely turns the original One Piece characters upside down and their stories inside out. Every second is packed with insane comedy that you'll miss if you blink too long.
Outstanding abridged series by PurpleEyesWTF.
Hahahaha "I am all rubber before you ask yes yes it is." That made me laugh. Luffy's voice was funny. Great jokes and some weird ones too, but great series except there's only 9 episodes.
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Mega Man Abridged Warriors
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Death Note Abridged Series (kpts4tv)
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EvAbridged
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Mirai Nikki: An Abridged Series
A seriously underrated and unknown series that deserves so much more attention. It's really good!