10 Anime Disney XD Should Give a Shot

Disney XD has always had a weird relationship with anime. It was quite a shock way back in 2009 when they announced they were going to air Naruto: Shippuden. To be fair, they did give the show a chance, allowing it to be the only TV-PG show on the network...however, it was simply getting to be too violent for their image, no matter how many edits they made.

Remember when they aired the Lilo and Stitch anime? I do. Four episodes. That's all we got, at a graveyard weekday morning timeslot. (Five were scheduled, but the last was replaced by a rerun of Phineas and Ferb! Enough people watch that c...that's a rant for another time.)

More recently, Doraemon and Yokai Watch have aired to moderate success, opening new doors for Disney XD and anime. Here are my top 10 picks for anime Disney XD should give a shot.




10. Persona 4: The Animation

Licensed by: Sentai Filmworks

Age Rating: TV-14-V

An anime with mysteries and crazy supernatural events involving teenagers, much like fan favorite Gravity Falls. Great adaptation of a great video game.

Cons: Tie-in to an M-rated video game. (Then again, Naruto: Shippuden was a tie-in of sorts to uncut DVDs rated for 16+...) While most of the show could air with only minor edits, one episode does feature the teenage cast quite clearly intoxicated for most of the episode that would be hard to edit around.

Realistic Chance of Airing: Very low, but still worth mentioning.

9. Toriko

Licensed by: FUNimation

Age Rating: TV-14

An off-the-walls shonen from those who brought us Dragon Ball Z and One Piece. Almost guaranteed to be a hit with young boys.

Cons: Only 50 out of 144 episodes were dubbed by FUNimation, likely due to low DVD sales.

Realistic Chance of Airing: Low, though it'd be worth the risk.

8. Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo

Licensed by: S'more Entertainment

Age Rating: TV-PG

One of the craziest anime you'll ever watch. Disney XD in Malaysia has already hopped on the show.

Cons: Used goods from Toonami. (That didn't stop them from rerunning Storm Hawks though.) From a licensor who had no idea what they were doing with anime and would manage to screw up a TV deal somehow.

Realistic Chance of Airing: Low, primarily due to being licensed by S'more Entertainment. If someone like Sentai or Viz were to rescue the show the chance would increase significantly.

7. Tiger & Bunny

Licensed by: Viz Media

Age Rating: TV-14

A great spin on a superhero anime, enjoyable even for those who don't like the mecha genre.

Cons: The main cast all being adults might be a turnoff to Disney XD. 

Realistic Chance of Airing: Low to moderate, depending on what Disney XD decides they wanna try out from Viz.

6. Hikaru no Go

Licensed by: Viz Media

Age Rating: TV-G

Who knew an anime about a board game could be so entertaining? This anime would also require no content edits, which is certainly a plus.

Cons: The premise is a bit of a hard sell.

Realistic Chance of Airing: Low to moderate, depending on what Disney XD decides they wanna try out from Viz.

5. Blue Dragon

Licensed by: Viz Media

Age Rating: TV-14

The first season of this anime aired to moderate success on Toonami in 2008, and was simply pulled for unknown reasons (possibly due to Toonami's fate being realized). The second season has been fully dubbed and aired on foreign kids' channels. Why not give it a shot, XD?

Cons: The first season is used goods.

Realistic Chance of Airing: Moderate, if Disney XD is looking at more shows from Viz.

4. Mega Man Star Force

Licensed by: Viz Media

Age Rating: TV-PG

Toonami made it very clear they were being forced into airing this when they edited twelve episodes of material into a 2-hour film and shoved the series itself onto their Jetstream service. Disney XD might be a better home for it. And if it doesn't work out, they've only got 13 episodes to get through.

Cons: Based off a Nintendo DS game that's been out for almost a decade. Incomplete dub.

Realistic Chance of Airing: Moderate, if Disney XD is looking at more shows from Viz.

3. Fairy Tail

Licensed by: FUNimation

Age Rating: TV-14

Built-in fanbase and at least halfway-decent ratings. Could increase potential to get video games and more merchandise of the series to North America. Not up Toonami's alley due to its length.

Cons: Later episodes have more risque content, and it ties in to a manga which is actually labeled 'ecchi' on MyAnimeList. (However, it still only carries a Teen rating.)

Realistic Chance of Airing: Moderate. Disney XD would be smart to give this show a try.

2. Sgt. Frog

Licensed by: FUNimation

Age Rating: TV-PG

This show has been a hit in Japan and other countries, and has a rocky history with children's TV stations here in America; however, it already has a built-in fanbase of young audiences (go on any message board or forum site for kids/teens, there will be mentions of Sgt. Frog, if not full-blown fan clubs and threads - I was apart of a lot of them). 

Cons: Only 78 out of 358 episodes have been dubbed, but that could easily change if the show is successful on Disney XD.

Realistic Chance of Airing: Low to moderate, but I just want someone to air Sgt. Frog already. It was even the subject of an Answerman column recently.

1. Inazuma Eleven

Licensed by: Nintendo?

Age Rating: TV-Y7

A tie-in game with no anime airing on TV? For shame! And it's been quite a success in other countries. There is absolutely no reason for this not to be airing on Disney XD.

Cons: None.

Realistic Chance of Airing: High. Will probably be coming if/when Yokai Watch goes on hiatus.

---

So, there's my list. And Disney XD, if you are indeed reading this, please bring back Oban Star-Racers, and give Stitch! another chance!

-Golden Geek