In 1997, Studio Deen adapted the manga into a 12-episode anime television series which was broadcast in Japan from January 9 to March 27, 1997 on TV Tokyo.

[2] Eat-Man is a series of short, episodic stories about an "explorer" (a type of mercenary) named Bolt Crank who has the ability to eat virtually anything and then, at will, reproduce from his body the objects he's consumed.

However, his cynical personality and his "always get the job done" attitude can make him seem like a very cold and dark character but, in the end, he always finds a way to do the right thing.

The series was very loosely based on the manga featuring Bolt Crank, voiced by Masashi Ebara, as the main character and keeping the fictional currency of Lido.

The following year a second 12-episode series, Eat Man '98 was released, once again animated by Studio Deen and with Ebara reprising his role as Bolt Crank, but under new direction by Toshifumi Kawase.

The magic crystal that appeared in the opening, the glass monoliths, the ever-floating ship known as "LAVION", and the afterlife dream in the 11th episode was never explained, creating a very bizarre and abstract atmosphere.

An Anime News Network review called the series very quirky and interesting and praised Yuki Kajiura's music.

[3] Due to the fans' dissatisfaction, a new season was released as Eatman '98 one year after, where most of the episodes were directly based on stories from the manga.