T5W#77-Top 5 Arrowverse Characters Who Need Their Own Anime

 Something I love just as much as Anime right now is the CW TV Arrowverse.  What is this you may ask?  This little universe was established back in 2012 with the debut of Arrow on the CW.  The series about a darker edged Green Arrow was a huge hit, so huge it has spawned a universe around it.  The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow took up spots on it’s same network and this year, Supergirl has joined as an unofficial spin off (since it’s done by the same people but started on a different network…details).  And I freaking love it all, misteps and some annoying characters and all.  Since I love this little world as much as I do Anime, why haven’t I asked this question yet: Which Arrowverse Characters deserve their own Anime spin off?  Well I’m here to answer that today on T5W with my list of Top 5 Arrowverse Characters Who Need Their Own Anime.  Im going to go a bit against the norm and focus on the characters who are not the Arrowverse Trinity, aka Green Arrow, The Flash and Supergirl…because I feel that would just be unfair to go right to them.  There are too many characters in this universe that deserve just as much if not a little more focus than the big three, as much as I adore them all.  So with that said, please don’t hate me for excluding them, let’s get too it.

 

#5-Malcom Merlyn Origins

One of the first big bads of the Arrowverse was Malcom Merlyn and to this day he remains a constant adversary of both the Green Arrow and the Legends of Tomorrow.  Played brilliantly by the always awesome Captain Jack Harkness, John Barrowman himself, doesn’t hurt his cred much either.  As cool as it is to watch him face off with the various heroes (and sometimes villains), how cool would it be to go back and see the rise of Merlyn as he went from philanthropist to cold hearted assassin.  I imagine a lot of Ninja Scroll level bloodshed could be involved since he technically is a ninja.  There is a comic book prequel out there, written by Barrownman if im not mistaken.  However this is one journey I think would look really cool in Anime form.

 

#4-Birds of Prey

Ok so…this isn’t really a thing in the Arrowverse and it kind of needs to be.  Although in this case, given the fates of certain characters it would need to be an alternate universe story…unless they do something really stupid (I wouldn’t put it past them). I think of this as an idea because of my Funko Pop Collection and having Felicty Smoak aka Overwatch next to Sara Lance as Black Canary and Thea Queen as Speedy.  If that doesn’t scream Star City Birds of Prey, I don’t know what does.  And you know Anime can hardly shy away from a bad ass team of sexy femme fatales who kick ass and look good in the process.  Just look at Black Lagoon and what Revy and Roberta can do?  Apply that to this Trinity of hotties and you’ve got a (hopeful) recipe for Anime success.

 

#3-Rip Hunter: Time Master

He looks like he’s The Doctor from Doctor Who, an irony not lost on me since Arthur Darvill was on Doctor Who for a long time and his dress style matches the Time Lord.  But there’s a lot more to the story of Rip Hunter the Time Master than we’ve yet to discover. A prequel is in order and with Anime, the sky is no limit on imagination or budget.  Want to plop him in the middle of a huge space war? Done.  Want to see brawls of mind bending physics?  Easy.  Want a chance to see every era of human history in Anime form? Duh.  I haven’t seen a lot of Time Travel themed Anime so this could be a fun experiment to pursue. 

 

#2-Suicide Squad 

The Suicide Squad was something to get excited about in Arrow.  Their first runthrough was fine but the second disappointed and right after that, the movie was announced.  This meant anything having to do with the Suicide Squad had to be unceremoniously axed to avoid confusion…that’s stupid but that’s an argument for another time and place.  Having seen Assault on Arkham, I know that the Suicide Squad can work as a balls to the wall Anime adaptation.  And what better candidates to have on the team than two former Spartacus starring characters sitting on an island off the coast of China?  Deathstroke and Captain Boomerang are not just two of the best recurring villains on Arrow but they’re also two of the more frequently seen members of the Suicide Squad in the comics.  What better way to rectify what was forced on the Arrowverse than having them team up with the likes of Deadshot (provided he isn’t dead or like Birds of Prey this might have to be an alterverse series), Harley Quinn (yes she had a brief voice cameo in an episode of Arrow so she’s totally cannon) and King Shark (cause frak me he looks cool), and having them go on a blood filled, language laden rampage whenever a mission goes sideways from the first second?  The Suicide Squad are a hot commodity right now thanks to the success of last years movie (financially anyway).  An Anime spin off could capitalize on that success and maybe give the Suicide Squad a proper showing.

 

#1-Sara Lance: The Canary Chronicles

 

Sara isn’t just my favorite heroine in the Arrowverse, yes more than Supergirl, she’s also got one of the more endearing stories to tell.  We’ve seen her origins as a party girl that lead to her becoming an assassin that lead to death and rebirth and a quest to find her own way again.  If that doesn’t scream it’s a Kenshin Himura style journey I don’t know what does.  Sara’s got a good thing being the leader of the Legends of Tomorrow right now.  But who’s to say a little Anime journey wouldn’t make things a bit more interesting.  It could fill some gaps in her story and even see her act as both Black and White Canary’s.  Plus there’s Sara’s lethal bad ass fighting style and the fact that she’s got enough sex appeal to attract both guys and gals (she’s won the hearts of Oliver Queen, Nyssa Al Guhl, Leonard Snart, Queen Victoria…just to name a few on both sides).  Sara’s a strong character, a definite example of the next generation of female protagonist…and if it’s one thing Anime can definitely get right in spades it’s bad ass female heroines.