It’s hard to believe that 10 years ago today, I first posted my Justice League of Anime artwork on DeviantArt. I still remember going through the struggle, painting it in Photoshop and trying to get the characters looking on model while keeping true to the spirit of the original artwork from the Justice League TV series. It took a long time, but the result was worth it because the response I got was incredible. Since then, I’ve seen it spread out all around the Internet and I’m happy that it has sparked so many great comments and conversations about these classic characters and what it would be like if they were all in a shared universe. I still think about it today!

Of course, along the way, there have been a few comments about the characters I picked, with some people not understanding my motivations and not recognizing all the characters or thinking that some of them are too obscure. I’ve explained many times why I chose these characters, but basically I went with the most timeless characters possible, each from a different creator, who could exist at the same time in and form a diverse team together. I didn’t just want to do a drawing of some popular characters, I wanted to create a “what if” scenario that could spark people’s imaginations. And I wanted them all to have earned their place as important parts of anime history. After all, there’s plenty of art of whatever new and popular thing kids are into these days. I wanted to give the classics a chance to shine together.

So with that in mind, I thought it would be interesting to look at what new things have been done these characters in the past 10 years to keep them around in the public eye and make their stories available to fans outside of Japan.

Goku: This should kind of go without saying, but there has been plenty of new Dragonball content. New movies, video games,  t-shirts, home video releases, video games, figures, and other merchandise. And obviously, there’s a whole new TV series that started in 2015! Looks like Dragonball is going strong and there is plenty more on the way!

Lupin: Pretty much an evergreen franchise, but things have really picked up over the past 10 years. There have 7 TV specials since 2008, a live action movie in 2014, and a wave of new movies and TV series since 2012. In the US, he’s even been on TV! Plus, more and more classic content has been made available on DVD and streaming.

Sailor Moon: All the Sailor Moon manga has been released in English starting in 2011. The original anime has gotten DVD and Blu Ray releases since 2014. A new anime series, Sailor Moon Crystal, started in 2014, and new official merchandise can be found pretty easily.

Cutie Honey: The original 70’s anime was released on DVD in 2013. There was a new live action movie in 2016. There is new manga, and the original 70’s manga is going to be published in English in July 2018! The new anime, Cutie Honey Universe, has just started recently at the time I’m writing this, and the design on Honey looks a lot like the one I drew!

Captain Harlock: The 70’s anime has been available streaming on various sites for a long time, and was released on DVD in 2013. Captain Harlock SSX was released on DVD in 2017, as was the film Arcadia of my Youth. Other related things like the Galaxy Express 999 movie and Cosmo Warrior Zero are on DVD too. There was the CG movie in 2013. And finally, the English release of the classic manga begins in May 2018!

Astro Boy: The English version of the original manga has been re-released in omnibus format. There was the CG movie in 2009. The prequel manga Atom: The Beginning got an anime version in 2017, and the famous manga Pluto is said to be getting an anime adaption as well. It seems there has been a lot of talk about other Astro Boy projects, like a reboot anime series and a live action movie, so we’ll see what else materializes.

Cyborg 009: The film 009 Re:Cyborg was released in 2012 and is on home video. Cyborg 009 VS Devilman (AWESOME) is on Netflix as of April 2016, as is the new series Cyborg 009: Call of Justice, released in 2017. And in the best news ever, the 2001 anime series is getting a complete DVD and Blu Ray release some time in the future!

Judging from all of that, I’d say that none of these characters are too obscure. They are all probably more famous around the world now than they were when I first made this artwork! I chose these characters not just because of their classic status, but because they have stood the test of time. I think they continue to do so. They are still famous, relevant, and popular in their own ways. In fact, I’d say that today, they are thriving! I never needed justification in my choices, but if I ever did, there it is.

So what’s next? Should I make some new artwork with these characters? Maybe someday. I have ideas I might like to explore. Should I add more characters to the League? I’m not taking suggestions, but I’ve thought about it. Maybe if it reaches 5000 +favs before the end of the year, I will see what I can do.

As it stands, it’s certainly the most popular, most widely seen, most discussed thing I’ve ever made, and I’m still immensely proud of it, even after all this time. Maybe that’s not saying much, and of course I want to aim higher with my own original ideas, but for now, I’ll take it. I wanted to say thank you to everyone who liked it and who has left their comments and posted their thoughts on what it would be like if this were a real show. I still wish it was!

Sayonara.