Fans were eagerly awaiting the 2026 release of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run, but the new season on Netflix hasn’t been well-received. While Netflix confirmed more episodes are coming later this year, they haven’t announced a specific date. Given the strong reaction to this adaptation of Hirohiko Araki’s popular series, we thought it would be a good time to look back at other anime that faced similar problems.
Let’s clarify how we’re ranking these anime. We’re not judging the shows themselves, but how much their delays affected the anime world overall. We’re also focusing on original series, not sequels or continuations – for example, we won’t be including both Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball Super on this list. Thankfully (or unfortunately!), many anime have experienced significant delays, giving us a lot to choose from.
7.) Tiger & Bunny
Superhero anime aren’t common outside of My Hero Academia, but Tiger & Bunny was a great addition for fans of the genre. Although the show was popular when it first came out in 2011, it wasn’t until 2022 – eleven years later – that a second season finally arrived, leading many to think it would never continue. Now, with a live-action version on the way, Tiger & Bunny has clearly made a lasting impact on the anime world, even with the long wait for its conclusion.
6.) The Devil is a Part-Timer!
The Devil is a Part-Timer began as a light novel in 2011, with a humorous premise: the ruler of the underworld ends up working at a fast-food restaurant similar to McDonald’s. The anime adaptation, which premiered in 2013, was immediately popular, but fans waited nearly a decade for a second season. Now that the original light novels and manga are complete, the second season has finished the story, although the long wait was a point of contention for many viewers.
5.) Zom 100: Bucket List of The Dead
Even though it didn’t have as long of a gap between episodes as shows like Tiger & Bunny and The Devil is a Part-Timer, Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead still deserves a spot on this list, likely due to how recently it aired. The comedy anime about zombies did have several months between some episodes, especially those finishing the first season. Now that the first season has been a success – and a live-action movie has been released – fans are hoping a second season will be announced soon. Since the manga is still being published, hopefully we won’t have to wait a decade to see Akira Tendo’s story continue on screen.
4.) Gate
Fans were surprised and excited when a sequel to the anime Gate was announced. The original series, based on a manga that began in 2011, aired twenty-four episodes and many thought that was the complete story. However, Gate: Tides of Conflict is now scheduled for release in 2027. Given the show’s premise—a conflict between mystical creatures and Earth’s military—the announcement generated a lot of buzz within the anime community, even though the first season premiered over a decade ago.
3.) Bleach
For a long time, Bleach was incredibly popular, considered one of the three biggest manga series in Shonen Jump. However, despite its success, both the manga and anime faced cancellation. Many fans worried the story of Ichigo and the Soul Society would never be fully animated. Thankfully, Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War brought the series back after a long hiatus, giving it the proper ending it deserved. The final part of the anime adaptation will be released later this year, and while it’s likely this will be the last we see of Ichigo and his friends, it’s been a fantastic return.
2.) JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean
The issues with the release of Steel Ball Run stem from how the previous JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure season was handled. For most of the anime’s run, new episodes came out weekly, and fans affectionately called these days “JoJo Fridays.” However, this consistent schedule stopped with the Jolyne Cujoh arc, which was released in batches on Netflix with long gaps – sometimes months or even a year – between episodes. This frustrated many fans who felt it didn’t do justice to the story, and they worried that Steel Ball Run would suffer the same fate.
1.) Attack on Titan
Without a doubt, Attack on Titan had the most drawn-out release schedule of any anime on this list. The series, following Eren Jaeger and the Survey Corps, had significant gaps between seasons. Wit Studio animated the first three seasons, and MAPPA took over for the fourth and final one. Despite its immediate success, the final season proved controversial due to its fragmented release. Like previous seasons, it took years to complete, broken up into multiple parts, and ultimately concluded with the somewhat oddly named Attack on Titan The Final Chapters Special 1 & 2. Even now, Attack on Titan’s release schedule is more talked about than that of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure.
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2026-04-07 23:41