Top 10 Best Anime With No Source Material

Many anime are usually adapted from manga or light novels, or even manhwa and webtoons. Some are adapted from video games or visual novels. Others are based on existing stories such as movie series or books.

Here I wish to compile a list of anime with no source material whatsoever for y'all to vote on. You are free to add any anime I may have missed, but be sure it has absolutely no source material at all before adding it.

Let's see what everyone's favorite original anime with no prior material are.

The Top Ten

  1. Cowboy Bebop

    Cowboy Bebop is a Japanese anime television series that premiered in 1998 and was produced by the animation studio Sunrise. The series was directed by Shinichirō Watanabe, written by Keiko Nobumoto, and featured character designs by Toshihiro Kawamoto and mechanical designs by Kimitoshi Yamane. The music... read more

    First created in April of 1998 with no source material before it.

  2. Code Geass

    Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion, often referred to simply as Code Geass, is a Japanese anime series created by Sunrise. It was directed by Gorō Taniguchi and written by Ichirō Ōkouchi, with original character designs by the manga artist group Clamp. The series debuted in 2006 and is known for its... read more

    This includes R2 as well. Both of Code Geass's main seasons weren't adapted from any previous source.

  3. Neon Genesis Evangelion

    Neon Genesis Evangelion, commonly referred to as Evangelion or Eva, is a Japanese animated television series produced by Gainax and Tatsunoko Production. It was directed by Hideaki Anno and originally aired in Japan from October 1995 to March 1996. The series is known for its psychological depth, complex... read more

    Created in October of 1995, completely original with no existing material prior to its creation.

  4. Serial Experiments Lain

    Serial Experiments Lain is a Japanese anime series directed by Ryūtarō Nakamura. The characters were designed by Yoshitoshi ABe, the script was written by Chiaki J. Konaka, and production was overseen by Yasuyuki Ueda of Triangle Staff. The show originally aired on TV Tokyo from July to September 1998.... read more

    A short, one-hit wonder originally conceived in July of 1998.

  5. Gurren Lagann

    Gurren Lagann, known in Japan as Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, is an anime series produced by Gainax in collaboration with Aniplex and Konami. It was directed by Hiroyuki Imaishi and written by Kazuki Nakashima. The show originally aired in 2007 and gained acclaim for its energetic style and ambitious... read more

    There was no source material prior to when this was created in April of 2007.

  6. FLCL

    An OVA of 6 episodes made as a sort of fan-hobby animation, not based on anything else in particular.

    This was a fever dream. The South Park reference was especially surreal.

  7. Darker than Black

    Darker than Black, known in Japan as Darker than Black: The Black Contractor, is an anime television series created, directed, and written by Tensai Okamura, and animated by Bones. The original series aired in 2007 with 26 episodes and achieved significant commercial success. It was followed in 2009... read more

    Another anime project by Studio Bones that was created on its own, without any prior source.

    This anime isn't only original, it is sometimes meta on anime and otaku culture at times!

    Oh man, this anime was fire back in the day.

  8. Samurai Champloo

    Samurai Champloo is a Japanese anime series developed by the animation studio Manglobe. The series is set in an alternate version of Edo-era Japan that features anachronistic elements, including a strong hip hop influence in its soundtrack and themes. It follows the journey of Mugen, a wild and unpredictable... read more

    Created by some of the same staff (including director Watanabe) who worked on the other originally created anime, Cowboy Bebop. Like Cowboy Bebop, it has no source material before it.

    This is one of the most badass anime ever.

  9. Psycho-Pass

    Psycho-Pass is an anime television series produced by Production I.G. It was directed by Naoyoshi Shiotani and Katsuyuki Motohiro and written by Gen Urobuchi. The series is set in a dystopian future where a person's mental state and criminal intent can be measured by a system called the Sibyl System... read more

    Though the inspiration for this anime is clearly seen in past science-fiction stories like Minority Report and Blade Runner, it doesn't have any direct source material.

  10. Paranoia Agent

    Paranoia Agent is a Japanese anime television series created by director Satoshi Kon and produced by Madhouse. The story follows a series of mysterious assaults in Musashino, Tokyo, carried out by a juvenile attacker known as Lil' Slugger. The show delves into themes of mass hysteria, psychological trauma... read more

    An originally created anime from auteur director Satoshi Kon.

    11. The Newcomers
  11. ?

    Angel Beats!

  12. ?

    Futari wa Pretty Cure

    Though it is essentially made as a love letter to mahou shojo anime and manga, it isn't from any specific manga itself. A manga counterpart was released shortly after this anime, though.

    13. The Contenders

  13. Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt

    Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt (Japanese: パンティ＆ストッキングwithガーターベルト, Hepburn: Panti ando Sutokkingu wizu Gātāberuto) is a Japanese anime television series produced by Gainax. The series aired from October to December 2010 on BS Nittele and features a distinct animation style inspired by American cartoons... read more

    This anime was created as a sort of joke. Not based off any particular source material, just created as pure comedy on its own.

  14. Kill la Kill

    Kill la Kill is a Japanese anime television series produced by Studio Trigger. The story follows Ryuko Matoi, a transfer student who enters a mysterious high school while searching for her father's killer. The series is known for its dynamic animation, intense battles, and unique clothing-based power... read more

    Notorious for being released on the same exact day as its manga counterpart on October 4, 2013, Kill la Kill technically qualifies for this list.

  15. Puella Magi Madoka Magica

    Though it had a few manga shortly after, the anime was actually created first in January of 2011 with no prior material before that.

  16. Wolf's Rain

    Wolf's Rain is a Japanese anime television series created by writer Keiko Nobumoto and produced by Studio Bones. It originally aired in Japan in 2003 and became well-known for its unique storytelling and atmospheric music by Yoko Kanno. The series was later released internationally and has maintained... read more

    The manga's release is pretty close to the anime, being published only a month after the anime aired in January of 2003, but the anime was still first nonetheless.

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