Joe-Kage: Personally, I don't see what's so important about a bridge. I mean, come on... First one guy makes a bridge and everybody uses it, they're like: "Woo! Look, a bridge! That's new!" So, like, these other two guys make another bridge, and it's kinda like the first one, but people use it anyway because the other guy is like: "Ooh, their bridge is pretty good too! Check it out!" And then these other three guys are like: "Oh, we're going to make the best bridge ever! We're going to combine our talents and be like oh, look at our bridge, it's totally amazing, ooh." And it's like... turns out really good, and it's like the best one out of all the other bridges. Everybody subscribes to it...
Naruto: Subscribes to it?
Joe-Kage: I mean, uh, everybody crosses it, because it's a bridge. Yeah. And before you know it, everybody and their mother is making a bridge. So there's a bridge, everywhere. Nobody even knows why they're making a bridge anymore. They just want people to cross it. They don't care where they're going. The first guy is like: "I'm gonna go to conventions to promote my bridge." It's like... it's just a bridge. It's not a big deal. Get over it.
Naruto: What's he talking about?
David Bowie: Apparently, bridges.
— Naruto The Abridged Comedy Fandub Spoof Series Show
Naruto: Subscribes to it?
Joe-Kage: I mean, uh, everybody crosses it, because it's a bridge. Yeah. And before you know it, everybody and their mother is making a bridge. So there's a bridge, everywhere. Nobody even knows why they're making a bridge anymore. They just want people to cross it. They don't care where they're going. The first guy is like: "I'm gonna go to conventions to promote my bridge." It's like... it's just a bridge. It's not a big deal. Get over it.
Naruto: What's he talking about?
David Bowie: Apparently, bridges.
— Naruto The Abridged Comedy Fandub Spoof Series Show
Back in 2006, a YouTuber by the name of LittleKuriboh (whose real name is Martin Billany) launched a web series called Yu-Gi-Oh! The Abridged Series, based off the popular anime Yu-Gi-Oh!. The series is an affectionate parody of the original show, which edits and condenses the show into four to eleven minute segments (as implied by the name) while very loosely telling the original story. Featuring a gag dub recorded almost entirely by LittleKuriboh himself, the show makes fun of Yu-Gi-Oh! by pointing out all the absurd plot points…
“For some reason playing a card game has caused me to become severely injured!”
…pointing out how the rules of the card game in the show don’t actually make any sense…
“Ah! Exodia! It’s not possible! No one’s ever been able to summon him!” “Really? Is that because he’s so rare?” “No, it’s because this game makes no sense; nobody can figure out how to do it.”
…and how badly censored the show was in the United States by its American licenser 4Kids.
“Don’t move a muscle or we’ll shoot you with our invisible guns!”
The show was a massive success, and has since become extremely popular among both anime fans and certain sections of the internet, giving rise to such famous memes as “Brooklyn Rage!”, “You’re not even wearing a flag on your head!”, and “Screw the rules, I have money!”.
Its success has since spawned a whole range of imitations, virtually creating an entire new genre of fan-made content. Although initially most Abridged Series were based on anime, over time they have expanded to Western cartoons, movies, and video games. Apart from their basic premise taken from LittleKuriboh’s show, the vast majority of them share certain traits: they make fun of their respective work while also celebrating it, most characters’ personalities are highly exaggerated for comedic effect, the characters are often aware of the fact they are fictional characters and frequently break the fourth wall, and the show makes continual references to other media. As fan works, these show vary widely in quality, and there are far too many of them to ever list. However, the following ones are funny enough to be worth your time.
“For some reason playing a card game has caused me to become severely injured!”
…pointing out how the rules of the card game in the show don’t actually make any sense…
“Ah! Exodia! It’s not possible! No one’s ever been able to summon him!” “Really? Is that because he’s so rare?” “No, it’s because this game makes no sense; nobody can figure out how to do it.”
…and how badly censored the show was in the United States by its American licenser 4Kids.
“Don’t move a muscle or we’ll shoot you with our invisible guns!”
The show was a massive success, and has since become extremely popular among both anime fans and certain sections of the internet, giving rise to such famous memes as “Brooklyn Rage!”, “You’re not even wearing a flag on your head!”, and “Screw the rules, I have money!”.
Its success has since spawned a whole range of imitations, virtually creating an entire new genre of fan-made content. Although initially most Abridged Series were based on anime, over time they have expanded to Western cartoons, movies, and video games. Apart from their basic premise taken from LittleKuriboh’s show, the vast majority of them share certain traits: they make fun of their respective work while also celebrating it, most characters’ personalities are highly exaggerated for comedic effect, the characters are often aware of the fact they are fictional characters and frequently break the fourth wall, and the show makes continual references to other media. As fan works, these show vary widely in quality, and there are far too many of them to ever list. However, the following ones are funny enough to be worth your time.
The original Yu-Gi-Oh! The Abridged Series (YGOTAS) remains my personal favorite, despite the fact that I haven’t watched Yu-Gi-Oh! since I was about nine. LittleKuriboh’s sharp wit, non-stop references to anime and movies, and the show’s extremely self-aware nature make it one of the best parodies ever made. However, LittleKuriboh’s love for the source material means that it never becomes mean-spirited and always stays fun. Whether it features Kaiba screwing the rules because he has money, Florence's plans to take over the world and star in a bad soap opera, or Yami being totally not gay, pointing out how little sense Yu-Gi-Oh! makes never seems to get old.
A self-proclaimed “fan-based parody of a fan-based parody”, Naruto The Abridged Comedy Fandub Spoof Series Show was originally created by LittleKuriboh as an April Fool’s Day joke, as well as to poke fun at an already-existing abridged series of Naruto. Possessing the same sharp wit and self-deprecating humor as YGOTAS, Naruto The Abridged Comedy Fandom Spoof Series Show takes sheer delight in making fun of each and every character and the show’s audience, from Naruto being an unlikeable jerk (and apparently heavy smoker), to Sasuke being a pretentious emo even though he’s by far the most popular character among the fanbase, and how a vocal minority of the fanbase rabidly-hates Sakura for no logical reason. Despite the fact that I’ve only ever seen a hand-full of Naruto’s actual episodes, this is another one of my favorite abridged series.
Attack on Titan Abridged, based off the popular anime series Attack on Titan, is another personal favorite, despite it having only one episode because of disputes with the show’s production company. Unlike Yu-Gi-Oh! and Naruto, Attack on Titan is actually a very dark, violent show, which is why it’s so funny when a montage of people being viciously murdered by Titans is set to elevator music and cheery pop songs. Although I tend to enjoy anime on the darker and more violent end of the spectrum, I always thought that Attack on Titan would be better if it lightened up a bit, and this abridged series is the perfect outlet for that. I was never really a fan of Eren Yeager, but changing him into “Yeager-Bombastic!” gives the show a whole new lease on life.
One of the few abridged series that predates YGOTAS, Evangelion: ReDeath is a retelling of Neon Genesis Evangelion if the series was transformed into a comedic coming of age movie. It follows Ikari Shinji as he tries to figure out what this “nookie” thing that everyone keeps talking about is and, most importantly, how he can acquire some of it. Meanwhile, his father, Gendo the Pimp, is attempting to bring about the apocalypse by playing the Prince song “1999” in the year 2000. Silly to a fault, from having Asuka voiced by an Arnold Schwarzenegger impersonator to having the cast perform Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”, Evangelion: ReDeath is a must-see for any fan of NGE.
As I said, there are literally hundreds of fan-made abridged series, so no matter what anime you might be a fan of there is probably an abridged series of it somewhere. I can’t speak to the quality of all of them, but the best abridged series are funny enough that you can enjoy them even without having seen the original show. No matter what your taste is, there’s an abridged series for you.
As I said, there are literally hundreds of fan-made abridged series, so no matter what anime you might be a fan of there is probably an abridged series of it somewhere. I can’t speak to the quality of all of them, but the best abridged series are funny enough that you can enjoy them even without having seen the original show. No matter what your taste is, there’s an abridged series for you.
This article is part of the Guide to AnimeLand series. Recent articles have covered Fate/Zero, Chihayafuru, and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex.
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