10 Best Anime Abridged Series That You Should Watching Update 04/2024

best anime abridged series

Even though they were shortened, some series were so brilliant that they eventually replaced the originals and helped establish a following. Those are the ten I’ve got!

One of the most distinctive and beloved aspects of anime fandom is the practice of abridging well-known works of fiction. These spoofs are some of the most detailed love letters anime fans have ever written in appreciation of their favorite episodes.

If you’ve already seen the original show, you’ll know what to expect when you watch an abridged series. Over the course of several seasons of an abbreviated show, the original material was so brilliant that it finally overtook it and defined the fanbase.

10. EvAbridged Compressed The First Rebuild Of Evangelion Movie

Rebuild of Evangelion

You Are (Not) Alone: Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone is the first Rebuild of Evangelion chapter that recounts the anime’s first six episodes. Gigguk’s four-part EvAbridged is the hilarious solution for Evangelion veterans who don’t want to watch more of the same. The first Rebuild is abridged, but everyone is an idiot and Rei is snarky.

In spite of EvAbridged being a typical abbreviated series, it has one of the best voice casts you’ll find online for abridged shows. Exhibit A: EvAbridged is a great illustration of how old jokes can still be funny if they’re delivered with flair and edited to perfection.

9. Sailor Moon Abridged Made Fun Of The Anime’s Bad Dubs

Even though Sailor Moon is a cult favorite, it isn’t immune to criticism or serious errors in its storytelling. Cliques were a problem in the original Japanese anime but a joke in the English adaptation. Megami33 and her team used these two blunders to great advantage in Sailor Moon Abridged, in which the Sailor Scouts’ hysteria is amplified even more.

Sailor Moon Abbreviated was one of the rare abridged spoofs in the early 2000s and even now to reach 50 or more episodes. Some of the jokes in Sailor Moon Abridged are just for the purpose of it, and some of the references are outdated. Despite this, the humor of the situation is unaffected.

8. Hellsing Ultimate Abridged Is A Time Capsule Of Edgy Humor

Hellsing Ultimate Abridged

Team Four Star’s abbreviated version of Hellsing Ultimate is a perfect example of how edgelords of the ’00s have become synonymous with Hellsing Ultimate. Even though the conflict between Alucard and Millennium is the same, Hellsing Ultimate Abridged adds a fresh layer of edginess and deranged characters that made the OVAs look mild in comparison.

Some of the series’ earlier jokes did not age well because they relied on out-of-date references or were simply too infantile. Over time, the writing became more sophisticated and focused on constructing hilarious set-ups rather than the easy pickings. One reason some fans prefer this satire to the more serious OVAs is its self-aware comedy.

7. Dragon Ball Z Abridged Cemented Team Four Star’s Legacy

One of the best fan-made shortened series ever is Dragon Ball Z Abridged. For the first time in the series’ long and illustrious history, Dragon Ball Z Abridged featured experienced abridged voice actors and was not just another parody. Here, Team Four Star reimagined the Saiyan saga as a space-hopping sitcom rather than a martial arts epic.

Fan-favorite character Son Goku has his biggest battles and inside jokes condensed into one convenient package in Dragon Ball Z Abridged, which was essentially Dragon Ball Z Kai before it was even released. Though their main spoof was cancelled owing to constant copyright issues, Team Four Star went on to produce original works and continue the series in Dragon ShortZ.

6. None Piece Rewrote One Piece Into An Ultraviolent Pirate Saga

One Piece

As great a pirate epic as it is, One Piece is so long in both manga and anime formats that it can be intimidating to start. Because PurpleEyesWTF’s None Piece exists, we can all be thankful for that. Ten episodes long, None Piece transforms Monkey D. Luffy into an erratic, 45-year-old Scottish pirate on the run for making internet parodies.. You have to see it to believe it, this frenetic parody.

Similarly wild reinterpretations have been applied to the rest of the Straw Hat gang, and their mad escapades nearly always devolve into comedic carnage. In addition to cross-overs with abbreviated versions of Code Geass and Soul Eater, None Piece also has crossovers that the original One Piece lacks.

5. 50% OFF Turns Free! Into An Delinquent Anime

Free! is fairly self-aware on its own, but Octopimp’s condensed series 50 percent OFF cranks it up to eleven. Takes the anime’s character development to its wildest lengths (particularly the ship tease). It’s common for anime fans to refer to Nagisa as “Thugisa” or “Haru-Makoto” because of the sexual tension between the two characters.

All 19 of 50 percent OFF’s episodes are under three minutes long, yet most abbreviated anime feature episodes that are over 30 minutes long. 50 percent OFF is a fast-paced comedy about noisy punks addicted to swimming pools, whereas Free! is a swimming anime about camaraderie.

4. Sword Art Online Abridged Made Kirito Tolerable

SWORD ART ONLINE ALTERNATIVE - GUN GALE ONLINE

Sword Art Online isn’t the worst anime ever made, but it’s become a joke because it’s a power fantasy for gamers that’s too obvious. Sword Art Online Abridged was the only way some viewers were able to bear it. This is one of the more recent abbreviated series, but it exceeds expectations and demonstrates how much the comedy niche has progressed in the last decade.

With two big changes: Kirito is an unabashed jerk and the titular VR MMORPG a sewer of internet hate, Something Witty Entertainment’s satire stays true to the anime’s fundamental narrative but with two key changes: Abridged Kirito is more pleasant than the original version of Sword Art Online’s self-important themes and tones.

3. Code MENT Abridges Abridged Series

In contrast to the political thriller Code Geass, Code MENT (short for “abridgment”) is a madcap onslaught of non-sequitur gags and weird editing that verges on the absurd. In addition to that, it’s also a lot of fun. It’s possible PurpleEyesWTF never intended Code MENT to be taken as a parody of other anime parodies, but if so, it shows.

There is a strange quality to the show’s humor that makes it stand out more than the standard reference-heavy online satire. Code MENT, on the other hand, has so little in common with the original that it stands alone as a worthwhile side project for fans of Lelouch or Zero. An entirely new meaning was given to the term “soup” by Code MENT.

2. Yu-Gi-Oh! The Abridged Series Made Abridged Anime Cool

Yu-Gi-Oh

A list of the best-shortened series would be incomplete without including the original. Developed in 2006 by LittleKuriboh, Yu-Gi-Oh! The Abridged Series paved the way for all anime spoofs and forever changed fandom entertainment. Aside from being a cultural touchstone and a source of indelible quotations, this spoof outdid the original in a variety of ways.

Duel Monsters’ plot contrivances were turned into jokes and plot points in this parody of the so-bad it’s excellent Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters. The Abridged Series replaced Duel Monsters in people’s thoughts since it was easier and more funnier than viewing all 224 episodes of the full anime. These improvements were so game-changing.

1. Ghost Stories Is The Only Official Abridged Series

Because it was approved by the anime’s original producers, the abbreviated series of Ghost Stories is one of a kind. ADV Films dubbed Ghost Stories two years before Yu-Gi-Oh! was abbreviated on the condition that the plot’s fundamentals remained intact; everything else was permitted. As a result, the official English dub of Ghost Stories is one of the funniest recordings ever made.

With much of the speech replaced by crude jokes and pop culture allusions in the ADV dub, a gang from their hometown were still solving eerie mysteries. So many people preferred the irreverently funny dub that the more text-accurate localization was actively avoided by anime fans.