It is no secret that anime is often created to help sell manga, light novels, or just merch in general. It is like a 12-episode promotional commercial to help get you hooked on characters and invested in the plot. It is why you see so many anime series that only adapt fractions of the source material, never to be heard of again. Either it wasn’t received well or it didn’t boost sales enough.
But not always!
Creativity is dying, but never dead. Sometimes anime studios dare to make an original creation that has no light novel or manga to dictate its story. However, these original anime series always end up in a very Schrodinger’s Box place when it comes to their conclusion.
As they are original stories with no source material, they are both finished and unfinished. A series could end with a cliffhanger and never be picked up again, and that is how the story was meant to end because there is no source material saying otherwise.
Then you have series like, for example, Psycho-Pass. The series could have and perhaps should have ended with its very strong first season that told an interesting story to a satisfying conclusion. Yet, they made two more seasons and a series of movies in that world, because it is technically an open-ended detective story – there is always another case and another cop to solve it.
If you are looking for “complete” original anime with no source material, I’ve gathered a list. I went through 4,500+ entries in the MyAnimeList database (I saw Ex-Arm and where the ratings end o_o), clicking on everything reasonably well-known enough and that I didn’t already know had source material.
I can say that, from what have seen on this list – which is a decent portion, but not all – these stories end pretty conclusively, but again, original anime stories with no source material can end in an open-ended way just in case the studio thinks they might be able to pick it up later.
As a note, any series that do have manga or light novels – as many of the below do – had those written based on the anime, not the other way around.
Complete Original Anime With No Source Material
***** 2/20/2026 ***** The “Does It Have Manga/Novel Adaption?” column is a new addition, and is presently a Work in Progress. Please be patient as I fill in the contents as I have spare moments of time.
| Series | Does It Have Manga/Novel Adaptions? |
| 5 Centimeters Per Second | Novel and manga both wildly expand upon the story with new inner monologue, character focus, and—in the manga’s case—additional context for the ending. The One More Side novels examine the story from different perspectives. |
| 91 Days | Adapted to 2 Novels, does include new content in its three novel-original chapters and an additional epilogue for the story. |
| AICO: Incarnation | Three-volume manga adapts the anime. |
| Akiba Maid War (Akiba Meido Sensou) | Has a 6-chapter 4-koma manga that is just jokes. |
| Akudama Drive | Nine-volume manga adapts the anime story, but does offer a lot more details on the various characters and their individual stories. |
| Aldnoah Zero | |
| A Lull in the Sea (Nagi no Asu kara) | |
| Angel Beats | |
| Anila to Cocora | No manga or novel adaption. |
| Animegataris | No manga or novel adaption. |
| AnoHana – The Flower We Saw That Day (Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai.) | |
| A Place Further Than The Universe (Sora yori mo Tooi Basho) | |
| Apocalypse Hotel | Single volume manga is just comedic skits. |
| Appare-Ranman | Three-volume manga adapts the anime. |
| Aquarion | |
| Argento Soma | |
| Arjuna | |
| Astro Note | No manga or novel adaption. |
| Ayaka | |
| Bakuten | Two-volume manga adapts the anime. |
| Bang Brave Bang Bravern | |
| Basquash | |
| BBK/BRNK | |
| Blassreiter | |
| Blood+ | |
| Blue Gender | |
| BNA – Brand New Animal | BNA Zero: The Animals That Can’t Be Brand New novel is a prequel about Shiro. The single volume manga tells stories set in between events of various episodes of the anime, so it is more of a companion than a continuation. |
| Bucchigiri!? | |
| Bucchigire Bakumatsu Bad Boys | |
| Buddy Complex | |
| Buddy Daddies | No novel or manga adaption. |
| Bullet / Bullet | |
| C-Control : The Money of Soul and Possibility | |
| Candy Boy | |
| Cardfight! Vanguard | |
| Carole & Tuesday | |
| Case File nº221: Kabukicho | |
| Casshern Sins | |
| Charlotte | |
| Classic Stars | |
| Classicaloid | |
| Classroom Crisis | |
| Cluster Edge | |
| Code Geass | |
| Comet Lucifer | |
| Concrete Revolutio | |
| Cosmic Princess Kaguya | The novel adapts the movie story and, while the manga also adapts the same story, it tones down the yuri as the manga artist is homophobic. |
| Cowboy Bebop | Red Planet Requiem novel is a Spike and Vicious prequel. The titular manga manga is a collection of side stories. The Shooting Star manga is an alternate universe story using the characters. |
| Coyote Ragtime Show | |
| Cross Ange | |
| Cute High Earth Defense Club | |
| Darker Than Black | |
| Darling in the Franxx | The manga has differences throughout and fully diverges into manga-original story at Chapter 37. This divergence corresponds to anime episode 19/20. |
| Death Parade | |
| Deca-Dence | |
| Delusional Monthly Magazine (Gekkan Mousou Kagaku) | |
| Dennou Coil | |
| Dog Days | |
| DIY – Do It Yourself | |
| Dragonaut – The Resonance | |
| Duel Masters | |
| Dusk Beyond the End of the World (Towa no Yuugure) | |
| Eden of the East (Higashi no Eden) | |
| Endride | |
| Engage Kiss | |
| Ergo Proxy | |
| Escaflowne | |
| Eternal Boys | |
| Eureka Seven | |
| Extreme Hearts | |
| Fafner Exodus | |
| Fairy Gone | |
| Fanfare of Adolescence (Gunjou no Fanfare) | |
| Fena: Pirate Princess (Kaizoku Oujo) | |
| FLCL | |
| Flip Flappers | |
| Food for the Soul (Hibi wa Sugiredo Meshi Umashi) | |
| Fractale | |
| Free | |
| Future Kid Takara | |
| Gad Guard | |
| Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet (Suisei no Gargantia) | |
| Gatchaman Crowds | |
| Ghost Hound (Shinreigari) | |
| Giant Beasts of Ars (Ars no Kyojuu) | |
| Gibiate | |
| Girlish Number | |
| Girls Band Cry | |
| Girls Und Panzer | |
| Glasslip | |
| Granbelm | |
| Great Pretender | |
| Ground Defense Force Mao-chan | |
| Guilty Crown | |
| Gunbuster | |
| Gun X Sword | |
| Hamatora | |
| Hanasaku Iroha | |
| Heat Guy J | |
| Hell Girl (Jigoku Shoujo) | |
| Heroic Age | |
| High School Fleet | |
| Highspeed Etoile | |
| Himawari | |
| Housing Complex C (C Danchi) | |
| Id: Invaded | |
| IGPX – Immortal Grand Prix | |
| Infinite Ryvius | |
| Izetta: The Last Witch (Shuumatsu no Izetta) | |
| Jellyfish Can’t Swim at Night (Yoru no Kurage wa Oyogenai) | |
| Joran: The Princess of Snow and Blood | |
| Just Because | |
| JX3: Chivalrous Hero Shen Jianxin (Jian Wang 3: Xia Gan Yi Dan Shen Jianxin) | |
| K | |
| Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress (Koutetsujou no Kabaneri) | |
| Kado: The Right Answer (Seikaisuru Kado) | |
| Kagewani | |
| Kaiba | |
| Kaina of the Great Snow Sea (Ooyukiumi no Kaina) | |
| Kaleido Star | |
| Kamichu | |
| Kamierabi Godd.app | |
| Kawagoe Boys Sing | |
| Kemonozume | |
| Kemurikusa | |
| Kill la Kill | |
| Kiznaiver | |
| Kochoki – Young Nobunaga | |
| Koupen-chan | |
| Kurau Phantom Memory | |
| Kuromukuro | |
| Kyousougiga | |
| Lagrange: The Flower of Rin-ne | |
| Last Exile | |
| Lazarus | |
| Le Chevailer d’Eon | |
| Link Click | |
| Listeners | |
| Little Witch Academia | |
| Lonely Hero (Gu Xiong) | |
| Love Flops (Renai Flops) | |
| Love Through a Prism (Prism Rondo) | |
| Lycoris Recoil | The manga adapts the anime so far, but it is still ongoing. The novels are cute Chisato and Takina slice of life moments. |
| Macross | |
| Madlax | |
| Maebashi Witches | |
| Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi (Abenobashi Mahou Shoutengai) | Has two manga. The two-volume Satoru Akahori has manga-original sub-plots, but the same story. The one-volume Kenji Tsuruta, I can’t find, but the volume blurb (in Japanese) alleges it is different from the anime in small ways. |
| Martian Successor Nadesico | |
| Mawaru Penguindrum | |
| Mayonaka Punch | |
| Mecha Ude: Mechanical Arms | |
| Meiji Gekken 1874 | |
| Metallic Rouge | |
| Michiko and Hatchin | |
| Milky Subway: The Galactic Limited Express | |
| Miru: Paths to My Future (Miru: Watashi no Mirai) | |
| Mnemosyne | Allegedly both a single novel and a single volume manga, but I can find neither. |
| Mobile Suit Gundam (all of it, though it has many companion manga) | … We’ll tackle this in a post all it’s own, because it will be lengthy. Coming soon™ |
| Momentary Lily | |
| Mononoke | |
| Moonrise | |
| Narenare – Cheer for You | |
| Necronomico and the Cosmic Horror Show | |
| Negative Positive Angler | |
| Neon Genesis Evangelion | The manga is best described as “similar, but different” in how it explores the story. Worth a read, but not a continuation of the story. |
| NieA Under 7 | |
| Night Raid 1931 | |
| Ninja Kamui | |
| Noein | |
| Noir | |
| Now and Then, Here and There (Ima, Soko ni Iru Boku) | |
| Number24 | |
| Occult Academy (Seikimatsu Occult Gakuin) | |
| Odd Taxi | |
| Onmyo Kaiten Re:Birth Verse | |
| Osomatsu-san | |
| Otogizoushi | |
| Our Rainy Protocol (Bokura no Ame-iro Protocol) | |
| Overtake | |
| Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt | |
| Paranoia Agent | Adapted to a single novel, but I can’t find it. |
| Patlabor | |
| Phi Brain | |
| Planet With | |
| Plastic Memories | |
| Please Teacher (Onegai Teacher) | |
| Please Twins (Onegai Twins) | |
| Pretty Cure (all of It) | … We’ll tackle this in a post all it’s own, because it will be lengthy. Coming soon™ |
| Princession Orchestra | |
| Princess Principal | |
| Psycho-Pass | |
| Puella Magi Madoka Magica | |
| Punch Line | |
| RahXephon | |
| Rampo Kitan: Game of Laplace | No direct manga or light novels, but this entire series was a re-imagining of author Edogawa Ranpo’s gruesome horror mystery short stories. |
| Re-Main | |
| Re:Creators | |
| Release the Spyce | |
| Revenger | |
| Revolutionary Girl Utena (Shoujo Kakumei Utena) | |
| Revue Starlight | |
| Robihachi | |
| S.Cry.Ed | |
| Sakura Quest | |
| Samurai Champloo | |
| Samurai Flamenco | |
| Sarazanmai | |
| Scared Seven | |
| Seiren | |
| Sekko Boys | |
| Serial Experiments Lain | |
| Shigofumi | |
| Shinobi no Ittoki | |
| Shirobako | |
| Showa Monogatari | |
| Simoun | |
| Sirius the Jaeger | |
| SI-VIS: The Sound of Heroes | |
| Skate-Leading Stars | |
| Sonny Boy | No novel or manga adaption. |
| Sorairo Utility | |
| So Ra No Wo To | |
| Space Battleship Yamato (Uchuu Senkan Yamato) | |
| Space Dandy | |
| Space Patrol Luluco (Uchuu Patrol Luluco) | |
| Speed Grapher | |
| SSSS.Gridman | |
| Stars Align | |
| Strike Witches | |
| Symphogear | |
| Tada-kun Never Falls in Love (Tada-kun wa Koi wo Shinai) | |
| Tamako Market | |
| Tari Tari | |
| Tenchi Muyo | |
| Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagaan | |
| Terror in Resonance (Zankyou no Terror) | |
| Texhnolyze | |
| Tiger and Bunny | |
| The Day I Became a God (Kamisama ni Natta Hi) | Two volume manga adapts the anime. |
| The Gymnastics Samurai (Taisou Zamurai) | No novel or manga adaption. |
| The Legend of Super Normal City Kashiwa Z (Chou Futsuu Toshi Kashiwa Densetsu Z) | |
| The Lenticulars | |
| The Lost Village (Mayoiga) | |
| The Marginal Service | No novel or manga adaption. |
| The Mars Daybreak (Kenran Butou Sai: The Mars Daybreak) | |
| The Rolling Girls | |
| The Way of Pon (Pon no Michi) | |
| To Be Hero X | |
| Tokyo 24th Ward (Tokyo 24-ku) | |
| Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 | No novel or manga adaption. |
| Train to The End of The World (Shuumatsu Train Doko e Iku?) | |
| Tsuki ga Kirei | |
| Tsuritama | |
| Turkey | |
| Tweeny Witches | |
| Uninhabited Planet Survive (Mujin Wakusei Survive) | |
| Valkyrie Drive: Mermaid | |
| Valvrave the Liberator (Kakumeiki Valvrave) | |
| Vandread | |
| Vividred Operation | |
| Vivid Strike | |
| Vivy: Fluorite Eye’s Song | |
| Waiting in Summer (Ano Natsu de Matteru) | |
| Warlords of Sigrdrifa (Senyoku no Sigrdrifa) | |
| Wish Upon the Pleiades (Houkago no Pleiades) | |
| Witch Hunter Robin | No novel or manga adaption. |
| Wolf’s Rain | |
| Wonder Egg Priority | No manga or novel adaption, sadly. |
| World Conquest Zvezda Plot (Sekai Seifuku: Bouryaku no Zvezda) | |
| X’amd | |
| Yamishibai | Single volume manga adapts select episodes from the first season, with one manga-original story at the end. |
| Yuki Yuna is a Hero (Yuuki Yuuna wa Yuusha de Aru) | |
| Yurei Deco | Has a web manga on Line that is ongoing, but I’m region-locked from looking at it. |
| Yuri Bear Storm (Yuri Kuma Arashi) | |
| Yuri on Ice | |
| Zenshuu | |
| Zettai Shounen | |
| Zombieland Saga |
Did I miss one? Leave a comment! I did my best, but these lists will never be perfect.
Tada Never Falls in Love is missing here.
Indeed it was! And no no longer.
Thank you for taking the time to tell me
I don’t know if you go back and update stuff in situations like this, but Link Click has been confirmed to get a third season, so it’s not actually complete.
Love Through a Prism
Added! Thank you for taking the time to let me know.