Top 26 best fantasy anime [2023]

Акира (1988)

2019 г. В результате странного инцидента молодой байкер Тэцуо обретает мощные сверхспособности. Теперь за ним начинают охотиться военные и ученые. Ведь за 30 лет до того мальчик по имени Акира, также наделенный сверхспособностями, стер Токио с лица с Земли, и власть имущие опасаются, что катастрофа повторится снова.

«Акира» считается классическим фантастическим аниме, которое пробудило интерес к этому жанру на Западе. Регулярно входит в топы и лучших анимационных фильмов, и лучшей фантастики. Отличается великолепной детализированной рисовкой, смотрящейся неплохо даже по нынешним временам.

Сверхспособности, как выясняется, это довольно больно

Naruto (2002)

“Moments prior to Naruto Uzumaki’s birth, a huge demon known as the Kyuubi, the Nine-Tailed Fox, attacked Konohagakure, the Hidden Leaf Village, and wreaked havoc. In order to put an end to the Kyuubi’s rampage, the leader of the village, the Fourth Hokage, sacrificed his life and sealed the monstrous beast inside the newborn, Naruto. Years later, despite being shunned because of the Kyuubi inside him, Naruto struggles to find his place in the village and become the Hokage.”

720 episodes of pure and unadulterated ninja goodness, Naruto is an absolute much-watch. Naruto, of eponymous fame, is an absolute delight. Book-dumb but emotionally smart, this boy will wiggle his way into your heart and never leave. He’s just a lonely boy who tries his hardest to be noticed and loved, however possible. But, if sunshine boys are not your cup of tea, this show has so many characters, you could literally pick a random one off the street and wait to get a backstory.

Or, if you’re not in it for the characters, the plot is so dense, but divvied out to viewers in such a masterful way. By the end of it, you’ll have hours of note about various villages, alliances, betrayals, and backstories, but you won’t even have noticed you’d collected them. There’s a reason that Naruto was considered one of the big Shonen Jump three, and from the first episode, when Naruto is beaten down and beaten down and beaten down and continues to get up, the show makes it clear that this is a hero, and you’re going to love watching him—and the others he pulls into his orbit—thrive.

Яблочное зернышко (1988)

Люди и искусственные люди – биороиды – мирно живут в утопическом городе Олимп. Пока не появляется террористическая организация, провозглашающая своей целью освобождение людей от биороиодов. Существует несколько продолжений «Яблочного зернышка», включая полноценный анимационный фильм, вышедший в 2014 году.

Герои “Яблочного зернышка: Дюна Ньют и ее неизменный спутник, киборг Бриарей

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Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (2009)

Not to be confused with the previous version that came out in 2003, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is an anime that faithfully adapts the events in the manga.

Edward and Alphonse Elric, two brothers who are skilled with the power of alchemy, performed the ultimate taboo when they were younger: trying to resurrect their mother. As a result, Edward loses his arm and his leg, and Alphonse loses his whole body, only able to remain on the mortal plane by having his soul forced into an unfeeling suit of armor. The two embark on a journey to find a way to get their bodies back.

This anime has all the things: war, friendship, depression, grief, self-loathing, self-confidence—the list is nigh-exhaustible. In my opinion, it is one of the greatest stories to be told in the modern age (am I biased? Yes.). The cast is lovable, relatable, and human in the most painful and realistic of ways.

Not to mention the actual plot beats—from the boys attempting to bring their mom back to life to Edward’s use of alchemy in the final battle, even the smallest detail becomes important to the overarching storyline. You’ll find yourself teasing out bits of Amestrian lore, tying it to how Xerxes once functioned, and how it might eventually affect cities like Drachma and Creta.

If it sounds like gibberish now, it won’t by the end of the show.

If you’ve somehow missed seeing this anime so far, I highly advise you to secure a chunk of free time (if possible) and get to bingeing. We also included Edward and Winry from FMA in our list of the 50 cutest anime couples.

Also, maybe buy a box of tissues, just in case.

Shingeki no Kyojin/Attack on Titan (2013)

Content Warning: blood, death, violence, gore, talk of euthanization, fantasy-Nazi imagery

This. Show. Has. It. All. A whole civilization trapped inside large walls that are meant to protect them. Giant monsters (Titans) that inexplicably want to murder all the humans in the walls. What’s beyond the walls is a mystery; outside of small, failed, reconnaissance missions the army sometimes goes on, no one ever leaves the walls. They’re safe.

Until the day the fire nation attacked the day a Titan bigger than all others broke the outermost wall and slaughtered almost everyone in the nearest town. Three of the survivors, Eren, Mikasa, and Armin resolve to train up and join the army in order to eradicate all the Titans from the world.

The struggle in this show is . . . real. It has no qualms murdering characters you’ve grown to like, and it also has a true gift of taking everything you thought you knew about this world and tipping it on its side. No matter what you think you might know about Attack on Titan, it surely has a least a dozen plot twists waiting in the wings to keep you guessing about what will come next. Because of this, the show moves quickly, and you’ll find yourself at the end of a season before you remember watching all of it. The fifth and final season is slated to come out Winter 2022, which gives new viewers enough time to catch up and experience Eren, Mikasa, and Armin’s journey towards saving the world.

If you’re not a seasoned anime watcher, Attack on Titan is a great place to start, as we noted in our list of the best anime for beginners.

Dragon Ball

DRAGON BALL Z, 1989-2003. (c) Cartoon Network/ Courtesy: Everett Collection.

“Son Goku is a young boy who lives in the woods all alone—that is, until a girl named Bulma runs into him in her search for a set of magical objects called the “Dragon Balls.” Since the artifacts are said to grant one wish to whoever collects all seven, Bulma hopes to gather them and wish for a perfect boyfriend. To find the Dragon Balls, the two set off on the journey of a lifetime.”

I’m not sure if it’s possible to know of anime and not at least have heard of Dragon Ball; it’s possibly one of the most classic of the classics on this list!

Although Goku may not be . . . the sharpest tool in the shed, his heart is in the right place, and he tries so so hard whenever he puts his mind toward success. Although many episodes might seem more humor than plot, that’s part of the shows charm

Dragon Ball is the type of story that became the benchmark for the shōnen genre: the protagonist has to fight an opponent but they’re not strong enough, so they have to train in increasingly strenuous ways to get enough power to beat the opponent. A tried-and-true method, to be sure, but Dragon Ball spices up the results in such a way that it keeps the story from being stale. And, when you grow to know and love the characters, you can sit down and watch all the episodes across its various sequels and spinoffs.

It’s a gift that keeps on giving.

Yu Yu Hakusho (1992)

Another classic, Yu Yu Hakusho stars another delinquent with a heart of gold and more attitude than the show knows what to do with. Yusuke Urameshi is a fourteen-year-old (what is it with all these teens getting into cool adventures?) delinquent who almost everyone believes is going to amount to nothing. And yet, despite being scorned for most of his life, one day, Yusuke jumps in front of a car to save a little boy and dies.

He’s quickly visited by a Grim Reaper who informs him that it wasn’t his time to die.

Classic.

Through a series of trials and near-failures, Yusuke is then given the chance to be revived, if he agrees to work for the King of the Spirit Realm (the afterlife . . . sort of) as a Spirit Detective. It’ll become his job to chase after any Demons or Spirits who escape from the Spirit Realm and start making trouble in the Human Realm.

Of course, Yusuke remains the same in half-death as he did in life, and his splash of heroics all tend to have a dash of audacity towards the universe. Honestly, he’s a one-of-a-kind character who you can’t help but love: straightforward, brash, and unflinchingly honest to his core. Yusuke provides a type of nobility not seen in many protagonists nowadays, and his uniqueness is refreshing. Not to mention that the rest of his team ends up being filled by two morally gray demons, a human, and a peppy Grim Reaper with blue hair who wears lovely pastel colors.

(It’s like the start of a bad joke, but one that’ll have you cackling all the same).

Sailor Moon (1992/2014)

No fantasy anime list would be complete without Sailor Moon.

Sailor Moon is one of those anime that everyone has heard about; to this day, it acts as a gateway series. But, if you haven’t watched the whole show (either the original 90s version or the more recent 2014 reboot), you’re missing out.

Usagi Tsukino is a normal fourteen-year-old girl who rescues a cat with an odd, moon-shaped scar on its forehead. However, after the rescue, she finds out that the cat can talk, and that the cat is actually an advisor to the Moon Kingdom (exactly what it sounds like: a kingdom on the Moon). She’s been tasked to find the Moon Princess, who was reincarnated without her memories on Earth. Although the viewer will likely put two and two together about who the mysterious, amnesiac Moon Princess is long before the cast does, the show does a great job of allowing you to love the cast and the plot despite its obvious trajectory.

And the characters. Act. Their. Age. (A rarity in anime).

Usagi cries a lot and is afraid of fighting and being injured, similar to most normal fourteen-year-old girls. But despite that, her loyalty to her friends knows no bounds, and it’s her determination to save them all whenever trouble comes to town—even if it’s just because she wants to eat more desserts with her friends post-calamity—that proves to be her true power, rather than her magic. She’s the superhero many of us wanted to be when we were younger, the one who got to fight the villains while still getting to live a semi-normal life.

For many anime-watches, she was and is the dream, and for that reason alone, Sailor Moon sits at the top of this list.

Varied and spanning across decades, this list of the 21 best fantasy anime is sure to give you some fun entertainment if you’re looking for a new show to check out. What do you think—agree? Disagree? Hit us up on Twitter.

Honorable mentions that weren’t quite fantasy enough to make the list: Sword Art Online, Tiger & Bunny, Saiyuki, Hunter x Hunter, and Fruits Basket.

Inuyasha (2000)

“’InuYasha’ follows Kagome Higurashi, a fifteen-year-old girl whose normal life ends when a demon drags her into a cursed well on the grounds of her family’s Shinto shrine. Instead of hitting the bottom of the well, Kagome ends up 500 years in the past during Japan’s violent Sengoku period with the demon’s true target, a wish-granting jewel called the Shikon Jewel, reborn inside of her. After a battle with a revived demon accidentally causes the sacred jewel to shatter, Kagome enlists the help of a young hybrid dog-demon/human named Inuyasha to help her collect the shards and prevent them from falling into the wrong hands.”

Inuyasha is a demon anime series that served as the gateway series for a lot of otaku in the early- to mid-2000s. It’s quirky, funny, semi-informative, and was broadcasted on Toonami, which made it accessible to a wide range of viewers.

The plot of, “find and recover the Shikon Jewel,” while simple, grew increasingly convoluted as more and more characters arrived to help and hinder their mission. Not to mention that Kagome’s determination to periodically return to the modern age in order to keep up with her studies slowed their progress over the nearly-two-hundred-episode series. Still, as Kagome and Inuyasha’s team grew with characters who were affected (positively and negatively, although mostly that latter) by the Shikon Jewel breaking, their antics and hijinks bonded them together as more than companions on a journey.

If you’re looking for an anime that toes the line of a bunch of different genres (romance, comedy, drama, historical, etc.) while still managing to exist beneath the wider “fantasy” umbrella, look no further. That, and you probably unknowingly know one friend who has been quietly waiting for someone to watch this show so they can jump on that nostalgia train.

Эксперименты Лэйн (1998)

Школьница Лэйн получает по электронной почте письмо от умершей подруги. А дальше начинается психоделический трип на 13 серий, где виртуальная реальность смешивается с реальностью, и какая из них реальная, а какая нереальная – это чертовски хороший вопрос. Существует множество толкований «Лэйн» – от того, что застенчивая девочка психологически раскрепостилась, общаясь через интернет, до того, что Лэйн воплощает Японию, «изнасилованную» многолетней американской оккупацией.

Лоли и компьютеры. Это все, что нужно японцам для счастья. По крайней мере, если судить по “Экспериментам Лейн”

Boku no Hero Academia/My Hero Academia (2016)

Another Shonen Jump newbie(ish) that appeared to fill the Big Three hole, Boku no Hero Academia quickly jumped into the metaphorical anime waters, shouting, “I am here!”

In a society where 80% of the world have supernatural powers (think more superheroes, rather than paranormal, although there seems to be room for both), Izuku Midoriya is part of the other 20%: quirkless and, according to society, useless. Despite this and the danger it might pose to him, he wants to be a hero and save people, like his idol, the hero All Might.

Before anyone gets too excited about this being Black Clover in another font, I will include the slight spoiler that Izuku does gain a quirk within the first few episodes (but I won’t tell you how), and it serves to transform his life into a chaotic, dangerous adventure. The narrative explicitly tells you that this is the story detailing how he became the best hero, and, based on how he’s done within the already-aired episodes, it’s clear he’s well on his way.

This show is X-Men meets anime, with yet another varied and colorful cast of characters who all have their own powers, hopes, dreams, and weaknesses. Seeing them grow into the next generation that will protect their world is so inspiring. It’s like this cast has never heard the word no, or if they’ve heard it, they’ve never understood it. If people in the real world were half as determined as this cast of loveable characters, no one would have unfulfilled wishes in their lives.

Yakusoku no Neverland/Promised Neverland

Content Warning: body mutilation

“Surrounded by a forest and a gated entrance, the Grace Field House is inhabited by orphans happily living together as one big family, looked after by their “Mama,” Isabella. Although they are required to take tests daily, the children are free to spend their time as they see fit, usually playing outside, as long as they do not venture too far from the orphanage—a rule they are expected to follow no matter what. However, all good times must come to an end.”

If it wasn’t clear from the description, this is a fantasy with a much darker slant. The children of Grace Field House must find a way to escape once they realize that their beloved Mama is raising them as food for literal demons. The sheer amount of futility in so many of these episodes is almost enough to taint the enjoyment of the show. And yet, Yakusoku no Neverland manages to masterfully toe the line between despair and hope, leaving the viewer sitting on the edge of their seat as they watch Emma, Ray, and Norman struggle for survival.

I found myself crying with each new obstacle the kids encountered, wishing and praying that some stroke of good luck would grant them success. When they failed at anything, I cried, and when they succeeded at one of their goals, I cheered aloud; their losses and gains became my own.

Fortunately, the show is still ongoing, but unfortunately, that means the kids are still suffering. Where the kids will end up and how they’ll manage to carve out a demon-free space remains to be seen, but it’s undeniable that it’s going to be quite an adventure.

Full Moon wo Sagashite/Searching for a Full Moon (2002)

Content Warning: mentions of suicide, depression, discussions of death

Full Moon wo Sagashite is a much older, more poignant show. It ties fantasy with themes of death and hope, following our young protagonist: Mitsuki Koyama. Our cinnamon-roll, twelve-year-old protagonist is an orphan with throat cancer. She lives with her music-hating grandmother, but despite this, Mitsuki wishes to be a singer like her late parents. She also hopes to fulfill a promise with her childhood friend, Eichi, one they both made to pursue their dreams.

Mitsuki’s cancer, however, prevents her from breathing easily and from singing loudly. There is a surgery she can undergo but doing so has a high likelihood of damaging her vocal cords. She refuses to do the surgery, not wanting to risk never being able to sing again.

As if the deck wasn’t already stacked against her, two Shinigami (“death gods”) enter her life and accidentally let slip that she only has a year left to live. When she resolves to chase her dream with her remaining time, they offer her a deal: if she agrees to die without protest at the end of the year, they’ll help her sing so that she can leave the world without regrets; when she agrees, they give her the ability to transform into a sixteen-year-old version of herself, free of illness. Without her illness restraining her, she soon gains a singing contract as the artist, calling herself Full Moon.

Watching this show will remind you that dreams are meant to be chased, no matter how impossible achieving them might seem. You never know when your time might be up, so it’s best to strive toward your goals, no matter the obstacles you have to overcome.

Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic (2012)

“Dispersed around the world, there are several bizarre labyrinths known as “Dungeons,” that are rumored to have been made by Magi, a rare class of magician, to hide incredible treasures. Having spent life in isolation, Aladdin, a kind and young magician, is eager to explore the world upon finally leaving his home behind. He soon becomes friends with the courageous Alibaba Saluja after causing the destruction of a local merchant’s supply cart. In order to pay for the damages, Alibaba suggests that they attempt to conquer the nearest dungeon, taking the first step in an epic adventure that will decide the fate of the world itself.”

If that description didn’t reveal just how fantastical Aladdin’s and Alibaba’s adventure will be, I don’t know what will. Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic is yet another fantasy anime with lore so rich you can do a Wikipedia-deep-dive and not come up for air for at least a few hours. This show also takes the idea of a “colorful cast” and runs with it literally while managing to make them deep, flawed, and extremely human. It also touches upon ideas of subjugation and what it means to choose your own path under your own power.

Aladdin and Alibaba are warm and loving towards themselves and others, and their actions are so wholesome they’ll make you want to do as they do—just in the real world. If you want a show that will send you deep in the feels, this is certainly one to check out.

Dororo (2019)

Content Warning: gore, body horror, prostitution, disturbing images

“Daigo Kagemitsu’s—the greedy samurai lord—land is dying, and he would do anything for power, even renounce Buddha and make a pact with demons. His prayers are answered by twelve demons who grant him the power he desires by aiding his prefecture’s growth, but at a price. When Kagemitsu’s first son is born, the boy has no limbs, no nose, no eyes, no ears, nor even skin—yet still, he lives. This child is disposed of in a river and forgotten. But as luck would have it, he is saved by a medicine man who provides him with prosthetics and weapons, allowing for him to survive and fend for himself. The boy lives and grows, and although he cannot see, hear, or feel anything, he must defeat the demons that took him as sacrifice. With the death of each one, he regains a part of himself that is rightfully his.”

Another one on the darker trend, Dororo is one of Osamu Tezuka’s brainchildren. This story is, despite its content, surprisingly heartwarming. But also terribly, horribly dark. You’d best prepare yourself to see some of the worst aspects of humanity, so much so that you begin to wonder who is truly demonic: the humans or the demons?

But, this is a story of two lost children finding themselves in each other and in their journey together. It tugs at the heartstrings and doesn’t shy away from asking difficult questions: who is really in the wrong and who is in the right? Is the sacrifice of one worth it if it will save the many? Who will you root for, when the success of the protagonist means the death and destruction of an entire nation? What is right and just when a nation is going to war? Having to grapple with these themes and ideas truly puts Dororo in a caliber of its own, making it a necessary addition to a list of best fantasy anime.

One Piece

Certainly the anime with the longest episode count (968 as of this article posting and still ongoing, One Piece is in a caliber all its own. Eiichiro Oda, the creator, has found a formula for taking the most basic ideas and turning them into something magical and original.

Bounty hunter who goes after pirates? Make him a pirate.

Womanizing cook who loves food? Make him a pirate.

Historian with nation-toppling powers? Make her a pirate.

. . . Okay. Perhaps Oda’s plan is to just make everyone a pirate.

And yet, it works, and still manages to keep you guessing where the crew is going to go next. Nothing is too unrealistic for Oda, and if you think this is going to be a pirate show that takes place wholly on the sea, you’re going to be in for a surprise.

Luffy and his crew have no limits and no desire to be anything but themselves, unapologetically. With every action, breath, and conversation, they never change who they are at their core, and for that, they make each other better and stronger, until they’re no longer a crew, but in fact, a family.

This show has the humor, the drama, the angst, the feels. It has everything.

If you turn this show on, buckle up for a wild ride, one that will leave you smiling and crying in equal measure.

See Also: One Piece Treasure Chest Cookie Jar

Nanatsu no Taizai/Seven Deadly Sins (2014)

“In a world similar to the European Middle Ages, the feared yet revered Holy Knights of Britannia use immensely powerful magic to protect the region of Britannia and its kingdoms. However, a small subset of the Knights supposedly betrayed their homeland and turned their blades against their comrades in an attempt to overthrow the ruler of Liones. They were defeated by the Holy Knights, but rumors continued to persist that these legendary knights, called the “Seven Deadly Sins,” were still alive . . .”

The excitement! The intrigue!

An ongoing series, Nanatsu no Taizai is one that just keeps on giving. The story follows Elizabeth, the third princess of Liones, as she tries to find the Sins to ask for their help to protect the Kingdom once again.

The first season teases bits and pieces about the Sins, and each character is unique with a twist on their personalities that keep them from being archetypes. Examples include a brash, immortal fighter who spends his waking moments trying to figure resurrect his dead girlfriend, the fairy king who was banished because he’s a coward and the brawny knight who is strong during the day but wimpy at night.

It’s these small details that make the cast relatable and memorable, drawing you into the story until you’ll never want to leave the world.

Need more? Here are 7 more reasons to watch Seven Deadly Sins on Netflix.

Bleach (2004)

One of the aforementioned Shonen Jump Big Three, Bleach follows Ichigo Kurosaki, a delinquent-looking protagonist with a heart of gold. Ichigo spends his days taking care of his sisters, trying to be a normal high school student, and interacting with the random ghosts that exist around his town.

Completely normal circumstances.

Then, one day, he comes across a strange sight: a girl, dressed in a black Reaper outfit, fighting a vengeful spirit called a Hollow. He rushes in to help and, in the process, finds out she’s a Soul Reaper (a being who interacts with the human world in order to take out Hollows so that they don’t harm humanity). When she gets injured and can no longer fight, Ichigo agrees to take on her Soul Reaper mantle and takes her.

However, Rukia (the Soul Reaper) and Ichigo realize they can’t transfer the powers back, and thus, Ichigo has to take on Rukia’s job while she coaches him through it. She sees potential in him, and she decides she will make sure he doesn’t waste it.

Of course, things don’t stay so even-keel, and Ichigo finds himself pulled into a hundred different directions as he gets entangled in the world Rukia is from, Soul Society. Yet, he doesn’t let the chaotic slant to his life stop him from shaking his core values; watching a protagonist who is so wholly and unapologetically themselves is a not-so-subtle way of telling the viewer that they, themselves, can do the same.

There’s no shame in being yourself. (Unless you’re one of the main characters from the Bounto arc. Sorry, but there’s no hope for any of you.)

Noragami (2014)

Yato is a down-on-his-luck minor deity: no followers, no shrine, and no power. But rather than allowing that to keep him down, Yato puts his name out there—literally. He offers to do any chore, big or small, for the negligible fee of five yen. In the midst of searching for a lost cat (when he said big or small, he wasn’t kidding), he encounters a girl named Hiyori when she pushes him out of the way of a car, taking the hit for him.

Although she’s mostly fine, the impact jarred her soul loose and allowing her to see two parallel worlds: the Near Shore, where regular humans and creatures reside, and the Far Shore, where demons and human souls linger. She finds Yato and gives him five yen to work towards securing her soul back to her body. In his quest to grant her wish, they go through many adventures and are forced to struggle with their friendship, identity, and pasts.

Despite the potential for a grim narrative, Noragami buoys the plot with humor and lighthearted elements that result in unique and entertaining events. This is another show with a generous and colorful cast of side characters, ones who join with Yato’s chaotic pragmaticism and Hiyori’s gentle stability in order to stay with you long after you’ve watched the final episode. And, if you’ve fallen in love with the characters and want more, the manga is still ongoing and proceeds past the events of the anime.