Avatar Is Getting Two More Seasons, So Which Anime Will Netflix Adapt Next?

Well, it's official — Netflix's live-action remake of "Avatar: The Last Airbender" paid off (for the company at least). Avatar Aang (Gordon Cormier) will get to continue mastering the elements, now that "Avatar" has been renewed for seasons 2 and 3.

"Avatar" is just the latest anime (well, anime-inspired series) that Netflix has brought to live-action. On this spectrum, "Avatar" falls below the well-received "One Piece" remake but ahead of the swiftly-canned live-action "Cowboy Bebop" (that even original series creator Shinichirō Watanabe couldn't finish).

Netflix hasn't stopped there. The streamer is letting "Stranger Things" creators the Duffer Brothers take a crack at "Death Note" and has had a live-action "Gundam" movie in development since 2021 (whether it actually sees release, well, take your bets). Other studios are getting into anime properties as well: Lionsgate has recruited "Shang-Chi" director Destin Daniel Cretton to adapt "Naruto" into a live-action movie.

Anime YouTube critic Bennett The Sage has speculated that Netflix is leaning hard into anime adaptations because, as a relatively new studio, it hasn't had decades of time to scoop up other intellectual property like its competitors. Between this and the success of "One Piece" and "Avatar," I can only imagine this live-action anime train will keep going — whether we weebs like it or not.

Here are some anime series that could be on Netflix's radar, listed in order of how well they could work in live-action.

Just beneath "Monster" on the anime realism spectrum is "Vinland Saga." It's a historical epic set in the Viking age. There are a few heightened parts, granted; the historical figure Thorkell the Tall is drawn as around eight feet tall. Then in "Vinland Saga" season 2 (which shifts gears from the vengeance story of season 1 to contemplative atonement and farmwork), the lead Thorfinn dreams of a hellish afterlife where slain Vikings continue fighting as their bodies decay.

Compared to some other anime, though? These flourishes are easily doable in live-action. The costumes and setting of "Vinland Saga" are period-accurate too. So, to adapt "Vinland Saga," just take a page from similar historical epics like "Vikings," "The Last Kingdom," or "The Northman." Recreating the real past is a whole lot easier than trying to cram the square of fantastical penciled drawings into live-action's round peg.

The storytelling of "Vinland Saga" itself fits live-action too. The initial premise — Thorfinn is out to avenge his father Thors by challenging his killer, Askeladd, to a duel — is a great hook; you don't need to be an anime fan to enjoy a revenge story. For better or worse, we here in the West also associate live-action filmmaking with greater "seriousness" than we do animation. The slower pace of "Vinland Saga" season 2 might go down easier for viewers if they aren't expecting the flashy action of an anime while watching.

"Fullmetal Alchemist," one of the most beloved manga out there, follows the Elric brothers, Edward and Alphonse, on their search for the Philosopher's Stone throughout their country Amestris. It has been adapted into both two beloved (but quite different) animes and a (less beloved) trilogy of live-action films.

The films were made in Japan with a native Japanese cast and crew but were distributed in the U.S. by Netflix. Those movies, in how crammed they feel, also prove "Fullmetal Alchemist" is best when told in its original format: as a long-form serialized narrative.

While Netflix hasn't had either "Fullmetal Alchemist" anime streaming on its platform since 2021, it must be aware of how popular the series remains. The series is similar to "Avatar," with elemental magic and the same blend of drama, comedy, action, and adventure. The political commentary, though? That might be too biting for Netflix. In the show's backstory, Amestris waged a genocidal campaign against the brown-skinned Ishvalans (some of the leads, like Colonel Roy Mustang, have that blood staining their hands). The final arc is the heroes leading a revolt against the fascist Amestrian government. In most American blockbusters these days, the revolutionaries are the bad guys (see: Killmonger). 

Looking at just the style, though, could "Fullmetal Alchemist" work as a live-action series? Well, it'll face the same challenges as "One Piece" and "Avatar," in adapting characters and actions that were designed to be animated. I can also easily picture a writers' team trying to transmute the two animes into a whole, whereas I think they work best apart. I wouldn't put it past Netflix to try though, and if they fail? I've got other fantastic versions of "Fullmetal Alchemist" to cherish.

Here's where I tell Netflix, "Don't you dare." "Neon Genesis Evangelion" is my favorite anime of all time and a profound and personal piece of art. Creator Hideaki Anno channeled his depression, loneliness, and career anxiety to tell an allegorical story, mixed together with his nerdy passions for mecha and tokusatsu. "Evangelion" is Anno; as he makes his art, he bares his soul so deeply it's scary. His characters — Shinji Ikari, Asuka Soryu, Misato Katsuragi — are all messed up people, and yet as embarrassing as it is to admit this, I'd be lying if I said I don't feel a deep kinship with them all and their struggles. 

Then there's the matter of medium. The editing of "Evangelion" is the lynchpin of its craft (I'd recommend Willow Maclay's writing on the series over at Mubi for a deeper dive). Frames often look like a kaleidoscope, images swirling together and fading faster than your eye can process them at 24 frames per second. In the series' most surreal moments, the characters will fade away into simple, colorless line art or still drawings. 

There have been attempts at a live-action "Evangelion" before (WETA Workshop whipped up concept art for a canceled film), but the story is beholden to its medium. If Netflix or any other studio tries to turn this profundity into a cash grab, I'll say, "No thanks."