Fans might notice, when reading the corresponding manga of their favorite anime, that the main characters don’t do as much as their animated counterparts. Other times, it’s the other way around. A fan might read the manga first and will be surprised to learn that a minor character is much more prominent in the anime.
There are many reasons for this. Writers might have given a character a larger role in the anime to pad out the story. A minor character who proved popular might get a larger role in the anime adaptation to help flesh them out. Sometimes, the character might be an anime-original who’s shoehorned into the ongoing manga while trying not to disrupt the original intended story.
10 Attack On Titan: Levi Proved So Popular He Ended Up Getting His Own Spin-Off
Levi Ackerman became such a popular character within Attack On Titan that casual fans might be surprised to learn he’s just a supporting character. However, he still has a larger role in the anime than the manga. As a prominent member of the Survey Corps, his larger role also allows for more action scenes. His backstory and abandonment issues are also given more detail in the anime. In fact, Levi’s prominence had an influential effect on the manga – he later got a manga and visual novel spin-off, Attack on Titan: No Regrets, told from his perspective.
9 Fullmetal Alchemist: The 2003 Anime Gave Lust Her Own Character Arc
In the 2003 anime adaptation of Fullmetal Alchemist, Lust survived the story much longer than her manga counterpart, who died somewhat early on, especially considering that other homunculi survived into the final arc. She was even given a story arc about her wanting to gain a human soul. The 2003 anime seemed to have a habit of keeping characters, like Basque Grand and Shou Tucker, alive longer than the manga did.
8 Sailor Moon: Even The Series Creator Was Surprised At How The Anime Expanded On The Sailor Starlights
In Sailor Stars, the final arc of Sailor Moon, three new Sailor Senshi are introduced: the Sailor Starlights, who are searching for their long-lost princess and are the alter-egos of the idol group, The Three Lights.
That said, they were intended to be minor characters, yet were given a larger role in the anime adaptation. For comparison’s sake, they are killed off mid-way through the story arc in the manga, whereas they’re one of the few characters to survive towards the end with Sailor Moon in the anime. Allegedly, even series creator Naoko Takeuchi was surprised at the larger role they were given.
7 Cardcaptor Sakura: Syaoran Li Got His Own Supporting Cast In The Anime
By the final arc of the Cardcaptor Sakura manga, Syaoran Li was already given a more prominent role, but the anime adaptation was way ahead of the manga. In addition to getting episodes focusing on him, he was also given various supporting characters, such as his cousin Meiling and an old family retainer. Even his mother and sisters had a brief appearance in the movie.
The Nelvana English dub had planned on portraying him and Sakura as co-stars early on in an attempt to make the series more gender-neutral, even cutting episodes without him. However, the romantic tension between him and Sakura was also downplayed, ironically decreasing his role considerably.
6 Ultra Maniac: Maya Only Gets Mentioned In The Epilogue
In the Ultra Maniac anime, young witches compete to become princess of the Magic Kingdom and the prince’s bride. Nina’s former childhood friend and main rival, Maya, serves as an antagonist throughout the story, although it is revealed that her backstory with the prince is more complicated than it seems. The whole bridal competition subplot doesn’t appear in the manga, however, and Maya isn’t seen at all, although she is mentioned as being Nina’s roommate.
5 Revolutionary Girl Utena: Nanami Is Only A Photograph In The Manga
Fans of the Revolutionary Girl Utena anime remember Nanami, Touga’s sister, as a cross between a jealous popular girl and the series’ comic relief. Despite this, she only appears in a photo in the manga. She had less of a presence in the movie, where she briefly appeared as a cow. Fans of the manga have also noted that Juri takes on a similar role to Nanami in the manga, being a shallow rival to Utena, while having a more pleasant personality in the anime.
4 School-Live!: Taroumaru Died In The Chapter He Appeared In But Became The Anime’s Mascot Character
In the School-Live! manga, Taroumaru, a Shiba Inu puppy, was a posthumous character that only appeared in a flashback. His role was pretty much just to show that animals could be infected by the zombie threat.
In the anime, he is given a much larger role, effectively becoming the pet and mascot for the School Life Club. Unfortunately, he ultimately doesn’t survive this time around either, but still managed to live far longer than his manga counterpart, complete with a much longer storyline.
3 Ghost Sweeper Mikami: Kenki-Kun Became The Narrator In The Anime
In the Ghost Sweeper Mikami manga, Kenki-kun, a toy-like device, is used by the heroine to detect spiritual power. Presumably an inanimate, albeit powerful, object in the manga, the anime portrayed the character as the narrator who breaks the fourth wall, explains things to the audience, and introduces the episode titles.
2 Urusei Yatsura: Lum’s Stormtroopers Didn’t Even Have A Consistent Number In The Manga
In Urusei Yatsura, Lum’s Stormtroopers were classmates and rivals of Ataru who were in love with Lum. In the manga, they weren’t really individuals, to the point of them fluctuating between four and five members.
In the anime, they were fleshed out and given nicknames: “Megane,” “Chibi,” “Kakugari,” and “Perm,” with Megane especially serving as a supporting character. For comparison’s sake, the group disappeared after 11 chapters in the manga, but stayed until the final episode of the anime, in addition to appearing in the OVAs and movies. They even cameoed with Ataru as punks in Hanyo no Yashahime.
1 Yu-Gi-Oh!: Miho Nosaka Got Turned Into A Main Character In The Toei Anime
In the Toei anime adaptation of the early Yu-Gi-Oh! chapters, Miho Nosaka, a minor character who appeared in one chapter, was given a much larger role as a core member of Yugi’s friend group.
Her lack of presence in the original manga, however, was her eventual undoing, as she is no longer a main character by the “Duel Monsters” series. Since the Toei series wasn’t officially released outside of Japan and the later anime was released before the manga in the West, Western fans probably aren’t too familiar with Miho.
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