Makunouchi Ippo was just a wimpy high school kid who never had much aspiration. He works with his mother in their fishing boat rental shop just to make ends meet, and anticipates that’s where he’ll be even after graduation. One day, after getting tormented by his school’s bully, Ippo comes across a giant of a man practicing his boxing technique. This chance encounter with up-and-coming middleweight champion Takamura Mamoru leads Ippo to pursue his own boxing career and alter the course of his life! Has Megalo Box got you revved up for some boxing action? Hajime no Ippo is the definitive boxing classic. It’s the earnest underdog story of little weakling Ippo becoming one of the strongest men in Japan, focusing more on the pure boxing technique involved. You get some really killer boxing action animated to perfection, making it the perfect side-watch while waiting for new episodes of Megalo Box week to week. Plus, it’s a mammoth of a series. In addition to the 75 episodes of the original anime, you’ve got two sequel anime that cover an additional 51 episodes in total, a movie, and an OVA. You’re not going to blow through this in a weekend if you want something lengthier in an anime like Megalo Box.

Joe Yabuki doesn’t have much going for him. He lives in poverty and as a result has some real anger issues. The only way he can work through them is to punch out whoever is nearby. Unfortunately though, that may also be the end of poor Joe Yabuki, as this gets him into a fight with a local gang. Somehow, though, using his own intuition and grit, he manages to beat them, drawing the eyes of the once famous boxing coach Danpei Tange, who’s fallen on hard times. Danpei wants to train Joe to focus his aggression into boxing, which sends Joe on his own journey of discovering his self-worth. Reading this list, you’re probably already aware that Megalo Box is the 50th anniversary product for Ashita no Joe. However, if you’ve never seen Ashita no Joe, you may wonder how that is. The character names and even basic story seem totally different. This is because Megalo Box is less of a steampunk retelling of Ashita no Joe and more about capturing the mood and themes of the original story. Joe Yabuki was considered an icon of the working class back when Ashita no Joe came out in 1970, as it was one of the first times an anime had depicted the problems of those who were really struggling. Megalo Box encapsulates that same idea with its world depiction of the 1% in contrast with the destitution that Joe lives in.

Dan JD loves basketball, but is disgusted with the BFD league. His poor sister found herself permanently crippled as a result of it, and now he wants revenge. This doesn’t go quite according to plan, as when Dan JD attempts to interrupt an official game, he simultaneous destroys a lot of property and shows off how good he is at the game to boot. As a result, not only did Dan JD ignite interest in the sport due to the mystery he created around the “Dunk Mask” identity he created for his invasion, he’s now found himself in massive debt to the BFD league to pay them off. And, of course, the only way he knows how is to play some BFD. You gotta admit: part of what drew your attention to Megalo Box was the unique combination of sports anime with sci-fi technology. Much of the appeal of Basquash is similar: it’s a sports story about mechs playing basketball and envisioning just how that would work! But, also like Megalo Box, its main sport serves as an allegory for modern day: BFD is just another way to give people the illusion that they can break out of their social status while in reality they find themselves enslaved to the league. Dan JD’s situation is a bit more on the nose than Junk Dog’s, but no less insightful.

Spike Spiegel works as an interstellar bounty hunter along with his partner Jet Black. Together, they travel the solar system in search of work while struggling to make ends meet. Along the way, they get some new members to join their crew, like the femme fatale Faye Valentine and their tech girl Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Trivusky IV (or Ed). They’ve all got their own history, but they’ll try to work together and catch whoever comes their way. Do you love the sci-fi dystopia overtones of Megalo Box? Does the aimless attitude of Junk Dog speak to you, but wish he didn’t have to be the star of a sports anime? Cowboy Bebop may be exactly what you’re looking for, with the writers of Megalo Box possibly cribbing some notes from Sunrise’s masterpiece. Spike is a wandering soul at heart with no real direction after escaping a life of crime. Fans of Junk Dog’s journey to fight on his own terms will immediately take to Spike’s plight in Cowboy Bebop. All the while, you’ll notice similar stylistic choices in the atmosphere, with glimpses into the glamorous high life in the world of Cowboy Bebop in conjunction with the terrible conditions of anywhere not inside a casino or amusement park.

Natsunosuke Bonda isn’t a particularly notable pitcher. He works as a middle relief when they need someone to fill in for their star players or if they need a left-hander to play the numbers. However, that doesn’t deter Bonda! All he wants is what everyone working in pro sports wants: fame and fortune. Right now, his salary is stuck at around 18,000,000¥ (around $150,000), but some day he wants to boost that so he never has to worry about working again! He’s only got a limited time in baseball, after all. Megalo Box, at its heart, is all about Junk Dog’s desire to escape his current position in life. Strangely, even though it’s more of a comedy, Gurazeni addresses this very issue. Professional sports exist as an equal opportunity ground for anyone born into a low social class to move up in the world via their athleticism. This is the core struggle that drives Bonda in Gurazeni. Even if he’s doing fine for himself now, he never knows how things are going to turn out down the road. However, this is the exact mindset that all his opponents are up against as well. It’s a kill or be killed world, not unlike Megalo Box.

While Hanma Baki wants to live up to his father’s legacy of becoming a great fighter, his mother has other plans. She desperately wants to make some cash from his hard work and starts paying for combat lessons as early as when Baki turns 3 years old. Baki trains hard for 10 years before going off on his own, and learns a harsh truth about his pop. Hanma Yujiro is actually a nasty, awful human being who regards human life as expendable. Baki, completely disillusioned, challenges his dad and loses without even landing a scratch. Now, Baki sets out to train across the world with one sole intention: ending the career of his father. Look, we know that one of the things you have to love about Megalo Box is the raw, intense action. That’s just about Grappler Baki in a nutshell. The overall narrative is secondary to just shoving in whatever insane and graphic combat scenario the writers want to put Baki through next. Sometimes it’s almost outlandish how ridiculous and unbelievable the fights in Grappler Baki can get. But hey, if you’re willing to buy into Gearless Joe taking a cyborg punch to the face without protection and coming out on top in the end, you’ll be fine. It’s not about believability, it’s about how brutal and insane these battles can get.

The story of Steins;Gate is one of science fiction where an inventor, a cosplay enthusiast and a tsundere neuroscientist come face to face with the realities of time travel and a conspiracy to control the world all from a flat in Akihabara. Okabe is a self-proclaimed mad scientist and operates the “Future Gadget Research Establishment” lab in a loft in Akihabara. He spends most of his time inventing useless gadgets and diving into conspiracy theories in internet chatrooms. He does at times seem a bit of a Chunibyou despite being a full-fledged adult. Mayuri is a childhood friend of Okabe and doesn’t seem to be on the same academic level as her friend. She has a friendly personality and optimistic outlook. She loves the stars and sometimes can be found reaching her hand out to the sky in what she calls the “Stardust Shakehand.” The behavior can happen in the middle of a conversation as she zones out and reaches for the stars. Despite seeming to be completely detached from reality and completely self-involved, Okabe cares about his friends and especially Mayuri. The two have been together for years and know each other on very deep level. We see this expressed by the way he accepts her for who she is and even says she is a member of his lab, even though she isn’t a scientist and doesn’t understand most of what is discussed in the lab. Okabe doesn’t even question when she zones out and reaches for the sky. He wants to protect her and look out for her. The relationship they have is one of deep love and understanding evidenced by the way she is always there for Okabe even if he is less than nice at times and has a tendency to be arrogant and pigheaded. Okabe and Mayuri have a deep love that seems to transcend a physical relationship. We also know their relationship will never change because she isn’t assertive and we know that his heart belongs to someone else.

The Holy Empire of Britannia rules most of the world with its military might and this includes Japan. A hallmark of the Imperial rule is stripping the country and its people of their names, making Japan Area 11 and the people that live there 11s and not true citizens of the empire -- only a ruled people. Lelouch Lamperouge is an exiled prince of Britannia who lives a quiet life in Area 11 under an alias. He is caught up a rebellion when he is gifted the power of a Geass, “the power of kings,” by a mysterious girl named C.C. He can order anyone to obey him even if it means their death. The limit of the power is it can only be used on a person once. He uses this power to aid the rebellion against the empire in hopes of deposing the Emperor, his father, and reshaping the world. The hidden prince Lelouch is an average student at Ashford Academy where he is a member of the student council. He lives in a home on the campus with his younger sister Nunnally as they are technically wards of the Ashford family. Lelouch is a brilliant strategic thinker who is often thinking multiple moves ahead, a skill he proves time and time again hustling chess. He is, however, wearing a mask. A deep-seated resentment of his father and the empire are just beneath the surface. He spends hours concocting a cold, ruthless plan that will let him eventually destroy his father and the empire. Kallen a.k.a. Karen Kouzuki is a member of a prestigious family, attends Ashford Academy and is a member the student council along with Lelouch. She, like Lelouch, wears a mask at school as well. She pretends to be a frail and demure girl at school. Kallen also harbors resentment for the empire despite being a member of the upper class; she considers herself Japanese, not an 11. She is secretly a member of the resistance and often goes on missions conducting guerilla raids against imperial forces. The relationship between Kallen and Lelouch seems to be a close one, yet, at arm’s length. She becomes one of his top lieutenants and military confidants. Kallen and Lelouch even share their dreams for the world they are trying to make. Kallen, though she understands Lelouch’s drive and trusts his logic and plan to the end with unwavering faith, doesn’t always agree with his cold and calculated ways. Lelouch on the other hand is detached. He only had two people in his life he actually cared about deeply and that would be his mother and sister (his feelings change as the show goes on). Lelouch may care for people but the concept of love seems foreign to him. He admires Kallen and respects her for her willingness and commitment to their cause but may not even be capable of more emotionally. We think in many ways you could describe him as a sociopath, a person usually defined by having a lack of empathy or conscience. So, Kallen is probably better off keeping things professional and platonic.

It is 1983 and the world has both a cold war going on between the Warsaw Pact and NATO and a real war between monstrous alien invaders and all of human civilization. The alien life forms are called the BETA (Beings of Extra Terrestrial Origin and Adversary). The Eastern Bloc countries have been on the front lines fighting them. The future of humanity is looking pretty grim as the BETA slowly push back humanity’s best, overrunning city and after city. The use of conventional weapons and the latest in technology called Tactual Surface Fighter (TSF), large humanoid robots, are fully employed to fight back against the BETA. The East German 666th TSF squad must fight to defend their country from the BETA, the paranoia of the East German Secret Police and a coup by the Secret Police to take control of the government. Captain Irisdina Bernhard is the command officer of the 666th TFS Squadron. She is a decorated officer and earned her and her squad’s reputation on the battlefield. Irisdian is one of those officers that inspire confidence in her men by leading from the front. A cloud hangs over her as some think she is a secret police spy, having supposedly killed her brother in exchange for her own life. Irisdian believes in the East German state and most of all in the People’s Army. She also lives in a constant state of alert as she is ready to sortie at any time. Second Lieutenant Theodor Eberbach of the 666th is one of Irisdina’s best pilots and a close-quarters combat expert. He has a special hate for the Secret Police after they killed his family while they tried to escape to West Germany. He was captured and tortured and eventually released. Theodor has problems with fitting into the team as he has serious trust issues and prefers to fight by himself and not as part of a unit. Irisdina and Theodor both have rough personalities and aren’t always trusting of other’s motives, but they do have a mutual respect for each other. You watch that respect grow over time. The relationship between the two grows from merely Captain and Lieutenant to shared interests, respect and admiration. The two live in a time of constant war where the casualty rate is extremely high and most missions are suicide missions. The two probably find each other attractive and available, yet they don’t form that more intimate bond. The bond they share is of a common cause and a shared trust; they will either achieve it or die trying. Irisdina and Theodor share a soldier’s bond formed in a war for survival.

Blazers can materialize weapons from their souls and are sought after as soldiers and security personal throughout the world. A good portion of the Blazers attend Kouryou Academy High School to prefect their unique abilities. The school requires each student to pair with another as part of a lifelong partnership. The theory is that only by working as part of a pair can they obtain an ultimate state of power called Absolute Duo. Julie Sigtuna is a quiet, demure student from a northern European country. The other girls at the school think she looks like a doll with her petite stature, pale skin and trademark bells she wears in her hair. She calls forth Twin Blades and attacks with swiftness. Julie wants to avenge her father’s death and to do that she needs to find a partner and refine her power. Tooru Kokone is a Blazer whose power is a shield, an unheard of defensive blaze. He, like Julie, has a traumatic past; when he was a child an unknown assailant killed all the children in the dojo where he trained. Tooru never wants to be unable to protect someone again which is likely the reason for his defensive blaze. He is an average student and very responsible. Tooru takes his role as a part of a Duo seriously. He sees something in Julie that he sees in himself. The couple spends most of their time together in and outside of class. Tooru and Julie also room together. Julie often finds her way into Tooru’s bed where she curls up, calling him father in her sleep. Tooru was first shocked at this behavior but became accustomed to it. He begins to take on a paternal role with Julie, seeing her more as a daughter or someone to be protected than a love interest. We see his love interest role in Lilith Bristol, another student. The devotion and love between Julie and Tooru is one that transcends romance, it is one of family.

The idea of a world where crime almost never happens sounds like a utopia. Yet, a government run in concert with the Sibyl System, a cybernetic system that measures a person’s latent criminal potential, may not be all it’s cracked up to be. If you think the wrong thing it can mean reeducation or immediate termination. We find out that when the system was activated anyone who spoke out against it or was deemed undesirable was deported, e.g. journalists, political groups and teachers. The system was sold as a way to guarantee safety and lower crime but it was in fact the creation of a totalitarian Japan. Enforcement is handled by the Sibyl enforcers, a group of regular officers and enslaved persons who have the ability to think like criminals so they either work for the system or are put to death. Shina Kougami is an enforcer. He is also forced to be an enforcer because of his “high criminal mentality.” Kougami is also a very skilled detective and closes cases quickly. He does his job efficiently and executes it with no outward thought or bias. We do find he has suspicion about the Sibyl system. Akane Tsunemori is too smart for the job she has and the world she lives in. She is highly intelligent and could have had any job she wanted, yet she chose to work for Sibyl. Akane is a little naïve to the harsh realities of criminal justice under the Sibyl system at the beginning. She, with her own sense of justice, begins to see the flaws in the system and decides to find a way to challenge it from within. The two do start their relationship with a rather contentious act. She stuns him with her service weapon on their first mission. He plays the role of senpai, trying to guide her into the life she’s chosen. At times she may be horrified by the job but he makes her face those realities because he wants to prepare her to lead. He grows to respect her and her outlook and opinions on the justice system. The two have a close bond, not only because they have to trust each other with their lives, but they both seem to have the same dream, they just are going about working toward it differently. Akane and Kougami don’t seem to have an attraction, either, just a deep-seated respect.

(The two would never see each other like that even if Mikasa is nursing a one sided crush) The arrival of the titan centuries ago has forced humanity to live behind massive walls. A titan is a giant humanoid creature that is hard to kill and seems to take pleasure in devouring humans. The walls built by humanity hold the danger at bay and society continues but stagnates in a feudal system. A titian larger than anyone ever recorded peers over the outer wall and pulls down the stones allowing an invasion of the man-eating abominations. The humans flee deeper into their own territory made up of concentric walls hoping that the next wall will keep them safe. Eren Yeager lost his family in the destruction of the Rose Wall and dedicated his life to the eradication of the titans by joining the Survey Corps. The Survey Corps is an elite group of soldiers that journeys outside the wall to combat the titans. Eren took his first two lives as a young man when he came across three men who had murdered a couple and were attempting to capture their daughter, Mikasa. He rescued Mikasa and his parents took her into their family. Eren also discovers after combating the titans he has the ability to transform into a titan and fight them on equal terms. Mikasa is a quiet, stoic girl who doesn’t say much or ask much of others. Mikasa is also a skilled fighter. She is considered one of the best in her unit having killed numerous titans and the only way to kill a titan it to slice out a section at the nape of their neck, so the girl absolutely has skill. Mikasa is also devoted to Eren and always wants to protect her impulsive brother who charges into situations without thinking. The bond between Eren and Mikasa seems to be unbreakable. He was her savior. She in turn endeavors to become his savior. She doesn’t even doubt him when it is revealed that he can transform into a titan. Her mission in life is to protect Eren from himself, others and the titans. Eren wants to protect Mikasa, too. He always stands up for her even though by the time they are in the army she is the far better fighter. We get the hint that Mikasa might have a crush on her adoptive brother but it’s not elaborated on. Eren doesn’t see Mikasa as anything more than a friend and a sister type. His vision since the fall of the Rose Wall is very narrow, too. Eren has one focus: to kill the titans and unravel the mystery of the titan menace; he doesn’t seem to consider romance for a single moment. The two are an amazing fight duo and have complete trust in each other.

Regrets and guilt and the road not taken are all explored in Orange, the story of a group of friends who all receive letters from their future selves. The letters were pleas to stop a friend of theirs named Kakeru from committing suicide. The group of friends centered on handsome and athletic Suwa and quiet and sweet Naho try to find a way to change history and keep their friend with them in the future. Naho is a sophomore in high school; she’s a quiet girl that spends her days with a tight-knit group of friends. She is drawn to her friend Kakeru. The crush she develops blooms into love. Because of the letter from her future self, she knows those feelings will end in heartbreak if she doesn’t act. The quiet girl who was never very confident finds a way to step up and plead with him as a friend to fight his destructive feelings. She fights for him because she not only wants to be there for him as a friend but also because she loves him. Suwa is Naho and Kakeru’s friend. He is a star on the soccer team and popular. He is even Kakeru’s best friend. He also received a letter from himself detailing the events leading up to Kakeru’s suicide. Suwa is determined to not let his friend die. He also knows now that event will devastate Naho. He will also do anything to save Naho that pain, even at the expense of his own happiness. The relationship between Naho and Suwa is one on of deep friendship. Naho and Suwa have known each other for years whereas Kakeru is a transfer student. The small circle of friends they have pre-Kakeru includes three girls and two boys; there’s a delicate balance and no romance amongst them. Naho, given her lack of self-confidence, never considered that one of the guys would want to date her. Of course she was wrong. Suwa had been nursing a crush on sweet Naho for a while when she fell for Kakeru. He, having received a letter of his own from the future, knows that he and Naho are married and have a child. The two of them live a happy life but with the regret of not being able to save their friend. Despite knowing he will end up with the girl of his dreams if he does nothing, Suwa pushes Kakeru and Naho together and works his hardest to secure their happiness while sacrificing his own. He knows given his choice of saving his friend and the love of his life from a life of regret the only relationship they can have is one of friendship. It’s a choice he seems to make easily.

Subaru finds himself in another world after getting killed while making a run to the convenience store. He wakes up in this new fantasy world and promptly is killed by some thugs. Subaru then wakes up again from his previous point of death. He is immortal. He can die an agonizing death, but after he dies he comes back with all the knowledge of the previous timeline. He meets and saves a silver-haired half-elf girl named Emilia. Subaru finds a way into the household of her guardian, Roswaal L. Mathers, and works as a butler of sorts, mainly because he is completely in love with Emilia. He also wants to protect her from the sinister forces gathering in her orbit. The house where Emilia resides has two maids. Rem and Ram are twins, one with pink hair and one with blue hair. The petite meek-looking girls are half ogre. Ram really doesn’t like Subaru. The complete opposite can be said for her sister. Rem, though she warships and respects her twin sister, takes a liking to Subaru. She also only looks defenseless. Rem, as an ogre, can summon incredible strength that left unchecked leads to an intense bloodlust. She also has a way of talking that could be considered as superficially polite. We’ve sometimes heard it called “the retail voice,” the voice a person at the register uses to sound nice and polite even if they don’t think much of the customer. Rem falls hard for Subaru after he saves her, regardless of his mere human strength. Subaru develops feelings for her as well but they never quite cross that threshold into romantic love. A remarkable almost episode-long monologue has Rem pour out her feelings to Subaru. She explains all the ways she loves him and what a calm, peaceful life filled with happiness and children they’d have if they ran away together. Subaru and Rem are friends, they get along and they care for each other both physically and emotionally; to any outsider the story Rem lays out is the most natural course of action. Rem has one person in her way to happiness: Emilia. Subaru is in love with Emilia. He is fixated on the half-elf girl. Subaru can’t see past Emilia to the perfect girl for him. He cruelly will continue to be as close to Rem as he would a lover but without crossing that line, even though she is in love with him and would gladly fill that role. The relationship by definition is platonic but it may not be exactly healthy.

Satoru Fujinuma is a 29-year-old struggling manga artist working as a delivery guy and trying to get his break. He also has the secret ability to rewind time. He calls his gift Revival. He has never jumped very far into the past and has only traveled a few minutes back each time he triggered the Revival. Satoru finds his mother murdered and the police think he did it so he activates his power to solve the mystery. This time the Revival is different as his mind travels back to his elementary school self. Satoru finds a connection between the murder of a classmate and his mother and knows if he can just find the murderer he can save his mother. Kayo is Satoru’s classmate and in the first version of history that is all she is. She is a quiet girl who is found murdered and forgotten. The Revival version shows a different version of her, a version that the adult mind in the body of younger Satoru can see more clearly. Kayo is a quiet girl who shows up late to class and always looks a mess not because she a bad person, but because she is abused. Her mother and her mother’s boyfriend treat her terribly. She is ignored in class by the other kids because she is used to keeping a low profile and tries not to be noticed at home. She is a sweet girl who is simply yearning for someone to show her the smallest bit of kindness. Satoru makes it his mission to include her and find ways to care for her. He wants to give her a fighting chance at life. The two gradually bond as they spend time together and become best friends by elementary school standards. She is suspicious of his kindness at first but gradually accepts and returns his feelings. The two even share an amazing evening in the snow under the stars as he tries to grant her wish of seeing a Christmas tree even though it already February. The level of trust they put in each other is on a very pure level. You could see that one day the two them could grow old together. You see them having a lifetime of memories together. You see all the possibilities they have before them as long as Satoru can change her fate.

A lesson we learn in history is that all empires eventually fade; in our world the empires of Alexander the Great, the Romans, and the British eventually faded. The same is true for the Kativarna in the world of Aldermin on the Sky. The nation filled with corruption and a royal family with waning influence goes to war with the Republic of Kiokia to regain some of its glory. The war doesn’t go well and is simply in a stale mate that is bleeding the countries resources dry. Ikta is a brilliant young man trained in the new philosophy of science. He hates the army, he hates hard work, and he hates the royal family. Itka would rather be sleeping, studying or chasing women. Ikta may not be the strongest or most motivated commander but is able to make up for that with his tactical brilliance. He will also become the savior of the empire, after being drawn into the world of royals, the military and the war when he saves the emperor’s granddaughter. Yatorishino Igsem is Ikta’s opposite in almost every way. She is a ferocious warrior, dedicated soldier, and because of her family’s special place as the swords of the empire she is completely loyal to the royal family. Yatorishino is also Ikta’s best friend. Ikta and Yatorishio meet as children when she was sent to study under Ikta’s father, an unconventional officer exploring the new field of science. The children were forced to fight for survival one night in a mountain cabin. It would become an event in their lives that cemented their trust and love for each other. We see the two as young adults and officers, still the best of friends. The two literally lean on each other, often resting back-to-back sharing their thoughts or a meal. We see after one brutal engagement Yatorishino gets lost in bloodlust. She stands victorious, covered in blood with the bodies of half a dozen men at her feet. Yatorishino seems lost in a trance, unable to let go of her swords until a simple touch of Ikta’s hand on hers lets her relax, drop her swords and collapse from exhaustion. The best example of their bond is her response when Itka asks her, in front of a group of friends, what she would do if the empire she has sworn to serve told her to kill him. “First, I will do everything I can to kill Yatorishino. I’ll rip her soul, grind it to powder, and throw that powder on the flame so that she’ll never be reincarnated. After everything is done the one remaining part, the Igsem part, will kill you.” To further illustrate their incredible bond is Ikta’s response. “Then until the moment two blades sever my neck, I will mourn the loss of my friend.” We believe that this speech is the number one expression of their relationship and the perfect example of the deep and profound love they share.

The major aspect about magic anime has to lie in the possession of magical powers that may or may not be in a world of magic. Why do we say “may not,” exactly? Well, sometimes characters will have to hide the fact that they have powers from mere mortals (like in the world of Harry Potter), but for the most part, many magic anime tend to revolve around beings with great magical power that may even surpass others in the magical world that they live in.

One man from present day Tokyo was murdered and sent to a different world in the body of Tanya Degurechaff, a young girl with extraordinary powers. Tanya challenged “God,” who she deems Being X rather than admitting to the existence of a God, and is constantly battling with Being X. In this new world, Tanya is working towards becoming a high ranking official in the military so that she may have a peaceful life, but Being X is not going to make that dream an easy reality. Youjo Senki is a great magic anime as it features a man from the nonmagical world that is our own who is reincarnated as a girl into a world where magic exists, but not everyone has it. Despite that, Tanya is quite OP in Youjo Senki as she always seems to be able to pull off even the most ridiculous in times of war. Being X is always trying to get Tanya to admit to the existence of a God, which means granting her more powers and forcing her to fight her hardest. In this world that Tanya finds herself in, only the best have magic and Tanya appears to be the best of the best considering she’s a young child who rises the ranks of the military so quickly.

Fiore is a land with many mages and wizards with great magical ability. These mages join together in order to make money and take on missions to survive. These are called guilds, and the strongest amongst them is Fairy Tail, where the strong may not quite mean the most orderly. It is here that a young mage who utilizes celestial gates, Lucy Heartfilia, wishes to go. Along the way, she comes across a strong wizard named Natsu Dragneel and his cat partner, Happy. This unlikely friendship will help lead Lucy to Fairy Tail, but she’ll also be finding her own path to strength with Natsu. Another land full of magic can be seen in Fairy Tail in the shape of Fiore, a world where magic exists in the people and things. Lucy is the main character and she proves to be quite weak for a majority of the anime, but we can see that her magical power grows, although Natsu appears to be inequivocal in that aspect as he seems to only trump every single person and obstacle that comes across his path. People in Fairy Tail are not judged by their magical power (unlike in Black Clover), but great magic does go a long away, especially if you want to fight against evil here.

There’s also another type of anime that falls under the umbrella of magic anime, and it has to be magical girl anime. This is a type of anime in which characters (usually girls) are granted the power to transform into a being with magical powers in order to fight the forces of darkness or something. This is such a popular genre of magic anime that they even parody the magical girl genre with anime like Mahou Shoujo Ore and Cute High Earth Defense Club Love!, but there are very specific anime that come to mind when one says the words “magical girl anime.”

Tsukino Usagi may seem like your usual teenage girl, but she was granted the power to become the celestial soldier, Sailor Moon, after coming across a talking cat named Luna. With these powers, Usagi will fight against even and defend love and justice. However, she’s got a bigger mission as she has to find the Silver Crystal and gather together the other Sailor Guardians that will lead Usagi to the lost princess of the Moon Kingdom. The only thing standing in her way is Queen Beryl, the Dark Kingdom’s queen who wishes to use the Silver Crystal’s power for herself. You absolutely cannot talk about magic anime, and especially not magical girl anime, without mentioning Sailor Moon. Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon is an anime that resonates with many of us and the newest reboot of the series, Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Crystal, made many otaku experience nostalgia. The reboot follows the manga much more closely than the original (which has lots of fillers). Each episode has about 5 minutes of magical girl transformations (we are not kidding) and the girls are constantly utilizing their powers as sailor senshi in order to defeat Queen Beryl and other evil doers who are threatening the earth. If you want a magical girl anime that does not feel cheesy or overdone, you know you will love Sailor Moon, regardless of which series you do end up picking up.

Kaname Madoka and Miki Sayaka start off as your typical school girls, that is until they come across a magical cat-like creature named Kyuubey who grants them the power to become magical girls. Of course, should they choose to become magical girls, they will have one wish granted. The new student, Akemi Homura, is a magical girl and is very adamant about not allowing Madoka or Sayaka to become magical girls. Things may not be as they seem, but who can pass up the opportunity to have their wish granted with no limitations? While Puella Magi Madoka Magica is actually not the first dark magical girl anime, it’s definitely one of the most notable as many deem it being the anime that changed the face of magical girl anime. Starting off with a rather cute facade, Puella quickly decends onto a dark path that has you fearful of what is next to come. You will be deceived by all the cute faces, but not is all as it seems. The creepy animation style suits this anime so well, along with the rather eerie things that go on in the background. If you are not paying attention, you may be thrown off, but this is not going to be the happy and hopefuly magical girl anime that most expect. If you want to see a different type of magical girl anime that is not like Sailor Moon, Mamotte! Lollipop, Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch, or Kamichama Karin, you will want to watch Puella Magi Madoka Magica which will help prove to you that magical girl anime don’t have to be cliche and cutesy.

One of the major important detail to a drama anime has to be in its dynamic plot. This means the plot is continually moving and changing. At first, most drama anime start off rather mundane and ordinary as characters are introduced and backstories are sort of revealed. As the episodes go by, this pace quickly changes and hastens. Characters may no longer seem like the happy go people that they previously seemed to be. Everything undergoes changes, which essentially leads into more drama. If things were continuous, the anime would end up being just your ordinary slice of life or it would start off in complete chaos and end in complete chaos, wouldn’t you agree?

Matsumae Ohana’s mother has suddenly left her behind after running away with a boyfriend. To survive, Ohana turns towards her mother’s mother, a rather cold woman who manages an inn in the countryside. In this new home, Ohana will have to work hard as a maid to earn her place while also unraveling the history of her mother’s past and making new friends at the inn. Hanasaku Iroha appears to be your run of the mill slice of life anime, but if the plot summary didn’t clue you in, there’s a lot more going on beneath the surface than appears. Ohana’s grandmother comes off as this cold and distant woman, but she’s one of the most dynamic characters in Hanasaku Iroha as she evolves and shows a softer, more caring side, especially towards her only granddaughter that she never got to know. Then you see Ohana’s past resurface and she soon learns about how her life came to be. The same can be said about the events that go on around Ohana that revolve around concepts like love that really bring drama into the anime and keeps the story moving. While Hanasaku Iroha is not overly dramatic like some anime, it does show how dynamic plots and characters can really move the story forward and create the drama that we all love.

Okabe Rintarou lives as a mad scientist creating failed gadgets he calls “future gadgets” with his labmates Shiina Mayuri and Hashida Itaru, otherwise known as “Daru.” One day, they somehow manage to create a Phone Microwave that is capable of sending messages to the past, which ultimately alter the timeline. This discovery is about to change the course of time and their lives as they know it, but Rintarou may not be prepared for the repercussions. If you have ever watched anything in the alternate universes, then you must have an idea of how Steins;Gate plays out. Steins;Gate starts off rather slow and mundane with silly characters and a ridiculous idea by Rintarou. Luckily, the plot is a dynamic one as we quickly decend into chaos and drama with the ensuing events that revolve around messing with the alternate timelines. Death, depression, and insanity are just a few things that really drift through the anime towards the end as the timelines become more distorted by everyone else. If you want to know what it means to have a dynamic plot, then you should look towards Steins;Gate whose beginning is quite misleading.

When it comes to drama anime that really stick with you, we think it has to do with the level in which the anime can wrench to tears. In this case, we’re talking about how heartwrenching a drama anime can be. Some anime can be so ridiculously difficult to watch since they reduce you to tears by the mere mention of them. This is caused by the shere amount of story telling elements involved that really up the drama. This may be caused by a death, a tragedy, or a lost love. Either way, the level of drama really increases in this manner, but sometimes, these drama anime really stick with us the most.

As the sequel to Clannad, Clannad: After Story continues the story of Okazaki Tomoya and Furukawa Nagisa, following high school. The two of them get married, but life doesn’t end with a happily ever after. As Tomoya struggles to figure out what is needed to provide for his wife, Nagisa is also coping with her own illness. Their difficulties will test their relationship and the bonds that they created as well as the ones they lost. You cannot think about sad drama anime without thinking about Clannad: After Story, especially if you are looking for a tearjerker like we are. Clannad: After Story follows the events of Clannad, which was more or less happy. In this sequel, though, we see Tomoya and Nagisa fall in even harder times which are only exacerbated by the middle of the anime when tragedy strikes. You will see your favorite characters fall in this downward spiral and relationships with other characters will find their own tragedies. For most people, you will feel your heart breaking as you watch what goes on for each character and think about how these actions have affected their past as well as their present situations. How often do we find that we regret our actions that we’ve taken in fits of emotion? Here, you will find out their repercussions and have your heart break the entire way.

Yadomi Jinta has been reclusive and hiding away from his responsibilities as a student by staying at home and playing video games all day. One day, an apparition appears in the form of his childhood friend, Honma Meiko, who he used to call “Menma.” Menma died many years ago when they were children and is pestering Jinta to grant a wish that she can no longer remember. After a while, Jinta begins to believe Menma, and so, he and his old childhood friends from that time gather together to see if they can grant Menma her wish so that she can rest in peace once and for all. Friendship, past loves, and current regrets, AnoHana has it all. The anime starts off on a rather eerie note with the appearance of Menma, but then we move into the more complex relationships and the sad reality of the past in the subsequent episodes. Since AnoHana is shorter than Clannad: After Story, the drama unfolds a lot faster, but it does so seamlessly, leaving you with more heartache much more quickly. In AnoHana, you’ll get to see the damage that emotions can do for your future and your friendships. There are a lot of regrets and people who deal with self-hate in AnoHana that leads to the tragic ruining of friendship. It may be somewhat short for a drama anime, but we’re sure you will feel a lot of heartache when it comes down to AnoHana.

Hot springs are a staple of Japanese culture and regularly feature on slice-of-life anime. At one point or another, a show's core cast will take a trip to their local inn to spend an evening bathing in the steamy liquid. While hot springs are a common excursion, anime focusing exclusively on the daily happenings of one of these inns are quite rare. Konohana Kitan serves as a unique example. A youthful fox girl with a zest for life, Yuzu joins the crew of a traditional hot spring inn called Konohanatei. Initially, Yuzu's clumsy behavior proves more of an annoyance than anything else, but the fox girl's earnest nature endears her to the other workers. Assisted by a nurturing head attendant and a slew of other quirky foxes, in due time, Yuzu starts to recognize Konohanatei as her new home! Extremely sweet and heartwarming, Konohana Kitan focuses on the daily grind that comes with running a popular hot spring. While there are no humans to be seen, Lerche's anime is very similar to Kakuriyo no Yadomeshi, just with a hot spring replacing the latter's restaurant. Due to the female-only cast, romance is really not part of the equation, but Konohana Kitan's spirit world is beautiful and worth exploring!

Based on Julietta Suzuki's manga with the same name, Kamisama Kiss is a shoujo series that centers around a potential romance between a human high schooler and a spirit fox. Homeless due to her absentee father's massive debt, Nanami Momozono's kind personality continues to shine through despite her predicament. After aiding a man when he is attacked by a dog, she is offered to stay at his home, which happens to be a shrine. As tends to be the case, things are not what they seem and Nanami ends up serving as the town's new god. Kamisama Hajimemashita's main tension arises from Nanami's relationship with her familiar, Tomoe. The spirit fox detests the idea of having to work for a human, but accidentally signs a contract tying him to the high schooler. Constantly at odds, the duo forms a love/hate relationship, as Tomoe cannot seem to decide if he wants to act as Nanami's guardian or romantic partner. While there is only one central couple, many other potential suitors are presented. Kamisama Kiss and Kakuriyo no Yadomeshi both share the common premise of a young human girl working with spirits. In the former's case, Nanami's shrine is located in the human world, but her new position makes her an easy target for demons. Similarly to Aoi and Oodanna's relationship, Nanami and Tomoe need quite a bit of time before they can even start to accept each other.

While Kakuriyo no Yadomeshi sees Aoi literally teleported to a village of demons, Natsume's Book of Friends remains grounded in the human world. Even if the setting might be different, Natsume spends the majority of his time interacting with the supernatural. Similarly to Aoi's backstory, Natsume inherited his grandmother's ability to see yokai and was left with a debt to pay. Unlike Aoi's literal financial commitment, Natsume received his grandmother's Book of Friends. Possessing the names of hundreds of yokai, the owner of the book exhibits control over any demon who happens to be listed on one of the pages. Introverted and subdued, the last thing Natsume wants is to wield this kind of power, as it makes him an easy target for every monster yearning to move up the social ladder. Kakuriyo no Yadomeshi hints at the loneliness resulting from Aoi's special ability, but Natsume Yuujinchou focuses specifically on the eponymous character's struggle to balance these two realities. The anime's lethargic pace and sense of humor should be a perfect match for fans of Kakuriyo no Yadomeshi. Even if Natsume's Book of Friends can occasionally get quite intense, most episodes deal with the protagonist's everyday life rather than some grand adventure.

Certain people are magnets for spirits. Gugure! Kokkuri-san follows Kohina Ichimatsu, a self-proclaimed doll who is addicted to noodles. One random day, Kohina decides to summon Kokkuri-san, a spirit rumored to be able to answer any question. While the incantation proves successful, in recent years, Kokkuri's powers have degraded and he relies on the internet to answer trivia. While she no longer wants him around, Kokkuri becomes concerned over Kohina's insistence that she is a doll and decides to stay around to act like her mother. Gugure! Kokkuri-san is a straight-up comedy! As the human doll, Kohina's deadpan delivery is absolutely hilarious and compliments Kokkuri's obsessive behavior. Similarly to Kakuriyo no Yadomeshi's reverse harem roots, Kohina ends up surrounded by a slew of male spirits desperate for her attention. As the protagonist is quite young, any potential romance is played for laughs, but the anime deals with a human trying to co-exist with yokai. With a couple of exceptions, Gugure! Kokkuri-san's episodes generally take place within Kohina's house. Even if the characters are not employed or dealing directly with the public, most of the humor arises from Kokkuri's attempts to carry out chores. A supernatural anime where the human is the weirdest person in the cast, Gugure! Kokkuri-san should leave viewers rolling on the floor with laughter!

How the mighty have fallen! A conqueror of worlds with plans to add another continent to his collection, Demon Lord Satan marched his vast army onto the land of Ente Isla. Alas, even the best-laid plans often go awry, as Satan is defeated by the heroic Emilia. In a last-ditch effort for survival, Satan escapes to Earth to regroup. Unfortunately, the Demon Lord finds that he is powerless when stuck on a planet that does not believe in magic and, to make matters worse, Emilia seems to have followed him to Earth. As a result, Satan starts a new life as Sadao Maou and joins the ranks of a fast-food restaurant. As the reverse of Kakuriyo no Yadomeshi, Hataraku Maou-sama! sees a demon dropped into the human world with no escape. In some ways, Sadao's yearning to grow his strength serves as the equivalent of Aoi's debt, as both are striving to work their way out of trouble. Aiming to rule Earth by moving up the corporate ladder, Satan believes he could eventually amass enough power to return to his own reality. For the most part, White Fox's anime is a laugh-out-loud comedy with a touch of romance. While we would not go as far as to classify Hataraku Maou-sama! as a harem, Sadao's relationship with Emilia shares quite a bit in common with Aoi and Oodanna's slow-burning romance. In both cases, the girl slowly realizes there is more to the male lead than just their species.

In some ways, Inu x Boku SS is a groundbreaking series that introduced an entirely new personality type. The lonely but vicious protagonist, Ririchiyo Shirakiin, is classified as a tsunshun. After putting on an uninterested front, the girl gets depressed rather than modest. Ririchiyo is merely the tip of the iceberg, as David Production's anime features a fantastic cast of well-developed characters. Petite and rich, Ririchiyo has been protected her entire life. As a result, she has struggled to build any lasting relationships and grew dependant on her family. Wishing to be left alone, the 15-year-old girl moves to Maison de Ayakashi, a high-security apartment complex packed with strange inhabitants. Also, Ririchiyo and everyone else is a yokai. The Secret Service is a group of servants tasked with protecting Maison de Ayakashi's residents. The submissive but well-mannered Soushi Miketsukami is assigned to the resistant Ririchiyo, who tries to shake him off with her usual conceited attitude. Surprisingly, Soushi seems immune to her insults and the young girl soon warms to his company. With comedy and a fair amount of romance, Inu x Boku SS is an emotional journey with a supernatural edge!

It’s the rodent who won’t leave you alone! Rattata is literally the most common Pokémon out there, and will likely be the first critter any aspiring Pokémon master will encounter. Its most defining feature is, of course, its giant buck teeth. These choppers can bite through just about anything, which is good, because Rattata lives on a steady diet of “anything”. This translates into its signature move Hyper Fang, which leaves a nasty mark on any Pokémon trainer who’s not carrying around a potion or two. Rattata serves as everyone’s introduction into the Pokémon world. Any time you’re wandering through long grass, you’re destined to encounter one at least once. Because of that, Rattata fills an important niche in Pokémon. Even if your team is weak and hurting, chances are, you can probably take on a Rattata or two for some quick XP. And who can forget the very first Pokémon they ever caught? For many, that’s ol’ reliable Rattata. Besides, would Youngster Joey’s calls about how awesome his Rattata is be as funny if Rattata weren’t so standard?

Someone call this duck a doctor, because it looks like it’s in terrible pain. It’s that pained stare that defines Psyduck. What’s its problem? Did it have a nightmare? Is it confused? Does it have stomach cramps? No one knows. Don’t upset Psyduck too much though, as behind its pain-filled gaze is a legitimate psychic. It’ll send you flying before you know what hit you. Psyduck largely achieved its popularity through the anime. It served as Misty’s most reliably unreliable teammate, constantly popping out at the most inopportune moments and glaring down any opponent. It was a fun gag, and even now at cons you’ll occasionally hear someone cry out “Psyaiai!” for a quick laugh. But even though you’re laughing at it, you can’t help but pity the poor creature. After all, it doesn’t mean any harm. At least, we think?

Hey what’s that giant furry hill in the middle of the road? It’s none other than Snorlax, the fattest, laziest thing around. Snorlax never opens its eyes, as it exists in a perpetual state of sleep and half-consciousness. When it wakes up, though… hoo boy, stay out of its path. Snorlax is said to wake up only to eat nearly its entire body weight in food before it goes back to bed. That’s no small feat, considering it weighs over 1000 pounds! You can wake it up early with a Pokéflute, but we’re not responsible for any damages that may be caused. It’s that giant belly that makes Snorlax so marketable. From backpacks to life size pillows, that giant gut lends itself to a great deal of uses. And we can’t help but love it, because, really, Snorlax is the Pokémon we all wish we could be. All it does is eat and sleep. Everyone who grew up with Pokémon has at least one time compared themselves to the giant beast when sleeping in on a Saturday morning. It’s the Pokémon we all relate to most. Snorlax’s lasting power is helped by how long it lasted in the competitive game. Only recently has Snorlax fallen out of the top tiers of competitive Pokémon, but it still serves a powerful niche. Somehow Snorlax maintains its strength while only eating and sleeping!

Contrary to its name, Slowpoke isn’t actually the slowest Pokémon out there. It’s not fast, mind you, but there are actually slower ones. However, maybe we should specify we’re solely discussing base stats here, as really, Slowpoke is slow in more ways than one. Apparently, its nervous system is so sluggish that it takes five seconds before it registers any pain. It may not even know what it is. All it does is pop out and stare at its foe with that vacant gaze. So, naturally, Slowpoke is a really fun Pokémon to market. It’s that blank stare, so completely unaware of the world around it that has built up its popularity. The Pokémon Company has actually created a lot of promotional material out of Slowpoke, including one very odd YouTube music video that we’re not really sure what to make of. But that’s probably the point. Slowpoke is a reminder that Pokémon aren’t just about being cute or cool. Sometimes they’re just really weird.

Known as the Balloon Pokémon, Jigglypuff can expand itself to several times its own height! However, that’s not what most people associate with Jigglypuff. That would be its distinctive song that puts everyone to sleep. In the games, this is the first Pokémon anyone could encounter that could put one of your Pokémon to sleep. However, more famously, Jigglypuff would show up in the anime to sing for everyone, get mad when they all fell asleep, and then draw on their faces in a huffy rage. This song really struck a chord with small children, as the lyrics were simple: “Jigglypuff… Jiggly…puff” Jigglypuff’s star has fallen a bit in recent years. Once known as the series’ mascot second only to Pikachu, the “putting everyone to sleep” gag did get a little old after time. That being said, Super Smash Bros. has helped keep Jigglypuff’s legacy alive, as, thankfully, director Masahiro Sakurai hates making cuts to the roster. Because of that, we can never quite forget the pop culture phenomenon that was Jigglypuff, whose famous song was once infamously featured by a would-be contestant on American Idol.

Magikarp started with 2 moves. It could Splash – which does nothing – and it can learn Tackle. In later generations, Magikarp was mercifully granted Flail by Game Freak, which does increased damage based on how much it’s hurt. This is a good move for Magikarp, as the only purpose it can serve on any team is as a meat shield. It’s used in the games as a scam early on, as you can spend 500 Pokédollars to buy one, teaching you the importance of saving your cash. Anime watchers also learned this when Kojirou/James purchased one on the S.S. Anne and bankrupted his team. As a result, Magikarp has become the butt of many a joke due to how worthless it is. The Pokémon Company is apparently in on that gag, as the anime has featured Pikachu famously getting thrashed by a beefy Magikarp during the Diamond & Pearl seasons. This joke has gone so far that a mobile game was developed honoring the pathetic creature called Magikarp Jump. In this game, you’ll fish for Magikarp while other, lesser Pokémon like Manaphy and Dratini swim by. You’ll then raise your partner to participate in jump battles with other trainers. Of course, if you put up with Magikarp for long enough, it’ll evolve into Gyarados. Gyarados is actually quite terrifying. So, you know, maybe ease up on the jokes a bit.

Until Sun & Moon, Mewtwo was the only man-made Pokémon out there. Designed as a clone of Mew, Mewtwo’s strength somehow managed to surpass that of its originator. You only hear of it through hearsay at first, reading stories of its creation at the Cinnabar Mansion. However, after becoming champion, you finally are honored with the chance to challenge Mewtwo. It’s not easy, though, as you’ll have to trek through the Cerulean cave, where some of the very strongest Pokémon are known to lurk. But those daring few will have the chance to catch the strongest Pokémon who ever existed. Mewtwo is the original unbeatable god of Pokémon. With a whopping 154 base special attack, Mewtwo still has a terrifying presence in the competitive scene even today. Mewtwo’s legacy has only increased with age, as it’s been featured in several movies and is often used as a special event Pokémon. Pokémon X and Y even gave it two separate Mega-Evolutions, which was a major plot point in the Pokémon Adventures manga during their X and Y chapters. Even 7 generations in, Mewtwo is a force to be reckoned with and is a mainstay of any team worth their salt. It’s just as fearsome and terrifying as it was 20 years ago.

The strongest Pokémon ever!... according to any 8 year old in the late 90s. Charizard is the final evolution in the Charmander line, and was featured on the box art of Pokémon Red. For many, Charizard was symbolic of the end game of Pokémon. It was the proof of your hard work as a trainer, from your humble beginnings with your little lizard friend to the giant flying dragon who could probably wreck cities if it tried. The Pokémon Origins OVA had Red choose Charmander as his starter, further canonizing it as the “correct” choice in many fans’ eyes. You know the funny thing about Charizard though? It’s not all that strong. Charizard’s perceived power came from poor understanding of the trading card game. After all, Charizard could do 100 damage! That was way more than any other Pokémon card could hit for, and no one could find it! Any savvy TCG player could tell you that Blastoise and Alakazam were actually much easier to set up, but that didn’t matter. It doesn’t help that The Electric Tale of Pikachu manga even featured blood when Ash’s Charizard was biting the neck of Ritchie’s, demonstrating its raw power to our grade school minds. But, you know, maybe it’s okay that people believe Charizard is the best. Because, when it comes down to it, it’s the people’s dragon. Charmander is given to us at the beginning of the game, and evolving it is as easy as leveling it up. It’s the illusion of strength that matters. Charizard will always be YOUR strongest Pokémon.

It’s everyone’s favorite genetically unstable fox! This adorable little guy has not one, not two, but nine total evolutions! Give it an elemental stone to transform it into Flareon, Jolteon, or Vaporeon. Don’t want to force an evolution on it? Spend time and bond with Eevee so it’ll change into Espeon, Umbreon, or Sylveon. Or, hey, if you’re out traveling, you might find some elementally sensitive areas that will evolve Eevee into Glaceon or Leafeon! Eevee has been something of a slow grower for the Pokémon franchise. But every time Game Freak wants to showcase a new mechanic for the games, they’ll grant us a new Eeveelution to incentivize us into trying it out. As a result, this has often placed Eevee into the forefront of the marketing campaigns for each new generation. People have really grown attached to the cute critter and wildly theorize over what new evolution could be in store. Even with the internet spoiling everything for us, Eevee still manages to excite us and represents the vast possibilities within Pokémon.

It’s the electric mouse Pokémon, able to blast thousands of volts of lightning from its cheeks. It’s the star attraction of the Pokémon anime, having been Ash’s forever partner since the very beginning of the series. It’s the star of numerous spinoff titles, and the only non-legendary or starter Pokémon to ever receive its own version of the mainline titles of the games. It’s featured front and center alongside Mario and Link in Super Smash Bros and it was even featured in the advertisements for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. It’s the one and only Pikachu. C’mon, you knew Pikachu had to headline this list. Everyone knows Pikachu. Your grandparents know what a Pikachu is. Even the Pope knows Pikachu. While the popularity of other Pokémon wanes and fades with time, Pikachu remains steady as the face of Pokémon. Up until Sun & Moon, Game Freak wouldn’t even feature Pikachu’s own evolution Raichu in any marketing. Instead, they would just create new ways to buff up Pikachu, from hold items that double its attack stats to cosplay forms that gave it new moves. Pikachu will probably outlast us all, as its fame shows absolutely no signs of ever waning.

Set in the 22nd century in Japan, Psycho-Pass is a futuristic sci-fi anime that follows police officers Akane Tsunemori and Shinya Kogami of the Public Safety Bureau's Criminal Investigation Department. In this future, all citizens have a titular Psycho-Pass which is an official ranking system for their intent to commit crimes that is determined by the Sibyl System. The Sibyl System is supposed to be completely objective and accurate and uses a nationwide network of psionic scanners to monitor the psycho-passes of the entire country to determine stress levels in certain areas, dispatch officers, and effectively run all of Japan with an iron fist. While, originally, the Sibyl System was a fully artificial intelligence, it is revealed in the series that its true nature is not completely computerized, with its core being made up of a series of 247 linked human brains from criminally asymptomatic people. This hive mind is the bulk of what makes the system able to perform its extensive monitoring of citizens, determining criminality along with deciding which jobs they can have, who is elected to public office, and more. While technically not an entirely artificial intelligence, Sybil System's strange nature and importance to Psycho-Pass's story and setting make it one of the most memorable and interesting AI characters in anime.

Adapted from the best-selling manga of the same name by Hiroya Oku, Gantz is one of the most intense anime with graphic depictions of violence, gore, rape, and the darker side of humanity. In the world of Gantz, death is not the end, as teenager Kei Kurono soon finds out. After being hit by a train and summoned into a room by the titular Gantz, he is forced to take part in a series of missions called “the game” where he has to fight against bizarre alien and robot monsters. Depending on how well they do, people participating in the game will earn points which can be used to get better equipment and much more from Gantz. Gantz is very mysterious in the series with seemingly infinite god-like powers. It is revealed that Gantz are actually strange bald men residing within the Black Spheres and the only ones that can completely control the powers of the technology, which appears to be at least partially alien in nature. It is also unclear as to how separated the humanoids and the spheres are from each other but it is revealed that the men inside the Gantz are clones of some unknown person. The Gantz that Kei encounters has a dark and acidic personality, frequently calling him and others bad names and making fun of their performance within the game. Gantz really is an enigma and a very memorable part of this unusual series that lands it our #9 spot on the list.

Mamoru Hosoda's Summer Wars is a light sci-fi film with elements of comedy and drama and a strong theme of family. In Summer Wars, many parts of everyday life are tied to a massive social network called OZ. In OZ, people can explore the virtual world with highly customizable avatars that reflect their personality and can take part in sports, shopping, chat, and other activities. Thanks to OZ's seemingly unbeatable encryption software, many crucial systems are managed through OZ, even things like bank accounts, traffic signals, firefighting, and space satellites. As you might have guessed, things start going quite wrong after OZ's security finally gets compromised. The ultimate culprit is eventually revealed to be a military AI that was released into OZ as a test of its capabilities called Love Machine. By stealing the accounts of OZ users, Love Machine is able to access control of more and more systems and eventually threatens massive destruction by crashing an exploratory spacecraft into the Earth. Love Machine is a great AI character because of their interesting visual design that grows larger and incorporates the look of the various avatars it takes over, its sadistic, creepy personality, and only weakness: its love of playing games.

Bandai's Digimon series spans a wide variety of media ranging from the original Tamagotchi-like virtual pet toys to card and video games, to its probably most well-known anime series. Digimon, or Digital Monsters, are a wide variety of virtual life-forms that exist within an artificial reality called the Digital World. Digimon have different forms and named power levels (such as Rookie, Champion, and Ultimate) that they can change between. Many are intelligent and capable of speech and some form strong bonds with humans as partners. One such bond in the original Digimon Adventure anime series is with Agumon and Taichi “Tai” Yagami after they meet, along with the rest of the main cast, in the Digital World after being transported there by technology called Digivices. Agumon and Tai share many adventures together, fighting evil digimon and ultimately saving the world together. Agumon is a short, orange dinosaur-like digimon with a very brave but laid-back personality and is very fond of jokes. Agumon parallels his partner Tai in being the leader of the group for the digimon and also serves as something of the mascot for the Digimon series as a whole. Agumon's iconic design and lovable personality easily puts him on our list of best AIs in anime. As an added tidbit, we'll mention that the first Digimon Movie and Summer Wars share a very similar plot and were directed by Mamoru Hosoda.

After a huge chunk of the moon is lost in a show of force by a mysterious alien, Earth is scrambling with what to do. Bizarrely, the creature decides to give humanity a chance; he will delay the destruction of the Earth for one year to teach a middle-school class. Referred to as Koro-sensei (meaning unkillable/indestructible teacher), he becomes the teacher of class 3-E of Kunugigaoka Middle School, teaching his students how to improve their combat skills. Assassination Classroom is an eccentric action comedy focusing on the bizarre alien teacher and his equally strange students. Ritsu is one of the members of Koro-sensei's class and one of the most unusual, as she is actually an AI from Norway. “Her” body consists of a rectangular box full of various types of weapons, an advanced 3D printer, and a video screen that displays her face. This appearance and her initial robotic, non-emotive personality is changed drastically after Koro-sensei modifies her with a bigger screen that shows her whole body and a cheerful and friendly attitude that lets her work together with her classmates better. Ritsu is a very fun character that feels surprisingly human despite literally just being an image on a screen on a metal box and one of our top picks for best AI characters in anime!

.hack is a multimedia franchise mainly consisting of several anime series and RPG video games set inside of an MMORPG called The World. .hack//SIGN specifically tells the story of Tsukasa, an amnesiac who wakes up in The World without any knowledge of their life beforehand. The lonely wavemaster cannot log out and explores The World with minimal contact with others in search of answers. Aura is an AI made by genius programmer Harald Hoerwick, the creator of the Fragment, the precursor to The World. She was designed to be “the ultimate AI” by Harald, who based her on the daughter he wished to have with Emma Wielant. In .hack//SIGN, Aura is kept asleep by the malevolent AI Morganna Mode Gone which runs The World after it discovers that Aura's awakening would make her obsolete. Aura is interesting for her unusual backstory, amazing power, and importance to the .hack series as whole. She also appears in .hack//Tasogare no Udewa Densetsu, .hack//Gift, .hack//G.U. Trilogy, .hack//Quantum and on our list at #5!

16-year-old Ledo is a lieutenant of the Galactic Alliance fighting against the Hideauze, a mollusk-like alien force bent on destroying humanity, in the distant future. After an accident in battle, Ledo is thrown into space. He eventually lands on Earth after traveling immensely far, put into the suspended animation-like state of REM Hypnosis Education. He awakens finding himself aboard a fleet of scavenger ships upon a vast ocean. With severely limited social skills, Ledo must learn how to live in this new world and begins to discover the mysteries the world has in store. Ledo is assisted by Chamber, a type of AI called a Pilot Support Enlightenment Interface System, that resides within a large, robotic mech body assigned to Ledo. Chamber was responsible for monitoring Ledo's condition in their travel to the Earth and is considerably more advanced that any other technology on the blue planet. Chamber exhibits a great degree of intelligence and autonomy but has some problems understanding things like emotions and is also fiercely loyal to the ideals of the Galactic Alliance. Interestingly, Chamber's personality begins to change along with Ledo's and by the end of the series appears to have developed full sentience. Chamber snags our #4 spot because it is a well-developed character that experiences change through the series, has strong ideals, and goes beyond what the typical operating system of a mech would be in an anime.

Similarly to .hack//SIGN, Log Horizon deals with people who have become trapped inside a fantasy MMORPG after its latest update prevented them from logging out, but in this case they number around 30,000. Among them is Shiroe, a socially awkward graduate student who has been playing Elder Tale since middle school and has encyclopedic knowledge of all the game's complexities and details. Along with the trapped gamers, the world of Elder Tale is inhabited by monsters and native AI non-player characters called the People of the Land that populate the cities and villages, give quests, and serve as town guards. Strangely, the People of the Land will die permanently if defeated, unlike human Adventurers which respawn. Rundellhous is a brash, flamboyant, and somewhat narcissistic sorcerer . He is one of the People of the Land but idolizes Adventurers and tries his best to act like one but because of his naivety often makes mistakes that give away his true nature. Despite this, Rudy is actually quite competent, a diligent worker trying to improve himself and others, and heroic. After he sacrifices his life to save Choushi Town, Shiroe is able to bring him back through a new world-class spell that makes Rudy into an adventurer. Rundellhous is a fantastic AI character that works extremely hard to achieve his dreams and puts himself above others, ultimately achieving his goals through noble self-sacrifice.

Sword Art Online is yet another “trapped-in-an-MMORPG” anime; this time, the game has the titular name of Sword Art Online, with the world being called Aincrad. SAO also ups the stakes; if you die in the game, you die in real life. Protagonist Kazuto Kirigaya, nicknamed “Kirito,” is a beta-tester for the game and one of the first people to become trapped inside. Along with Asuna Yuuki, a healer and leader of the Knights of the Blood guild, and others, Kirito tries to complete all one hundred levels of the game in order to escape. Yui appears to be a simple, cheerful girl when she is found in the forest by Kirito and Asuna on the 22nd floor of Aincrad. Having lost her memories, she becomes close to Kirito and Asuna when they act like she is their daughter. It is later revealed that Yui is, in fact, an AI originally created as a Mental Health Counseling Program who fell into despair over the years when the death game began because she was unable to help the people she was monitoring. When she sees Kirito and Asuna's happiness together she disobeys her programming to investigate what led to her memory being corrupted. This eventually leads to the development of her own intelligence. Yui is a strong AI character because of her tragic backstory and development into her own self.

Oh boy, yet another MMORPG isekai! When virtual reality game Yggdrasil is set to close, veteran player Momonga decides to see the last minutes of the game that he has spent many hours in, but to his surprise, when the clock strikes midnight on the final day, the game persists and the NPCs seem to have developed personalities of their own far beyond what was present before. The dark, skeletal wizard Momonga takes the name of Ainz Ooal Gown and leads his guild of the same name to try to take over the world and discover why Yggdrasil has persisted and changed. Albedo is one of the chief officers in Ainz Ooal Gown and is the Overseer of the Floor Guardians of the guild's base, the Great Tomb of Nazarick. One of Ainz's final acts was to use his guild administrative privileges to edit Albedo's character history to be “madly in love” with him, leading her to be extremely affectionate toward him and insanely jealous of anyone else that tries to get close. Albedo is quite the looker with shimmering, long black hair, an angelic face, and a voluptuous figure. She typically wears a white dress with a golden spiderweb design necklace and has short, curved horns and large, black-feathered wings protruding from her waist. Albedo is a fascinating character with her own hidden motivations, she is beautiful, calculating, and dangerous, a special treat especially for fans of yandere!

Lupin’s finally getting married! Not to Fujiko, though. He’ll be marrying the beautiful heiress Rebecca Rosselini, and everyone’s invited; even officer Zenigata! However, this being Lupin, there’s much more going on behind the scenes. Zenigata quickly figures out that this is all just a scheme to steal the Royal Crown of Liberty, which is lent out to the women of San Marino on their wedding day. Not everything goes as planned though. Afterwards, it’s all about the various adventures of the Lupin III crew and their attempts at glory. While the story of the gentleman thief is well-known around the world, it somehow missed out on the US. To Japanese fans, though, Ren summoning the spirit of Arsene Lupin works as a well-known symbol of youthful rebellion. However, what introduced Japan to Lupin was the massive popularity of Lupin III, which is about as iconic to anime as Astro Boy and Doraemon. Lupin III Part 4 was a revival of the series to remind people what they loved about it in the first place: the roguish charm of Lupin and the grand heists. Anyone who’s into Persona 5 for the thievery and atmosphere would do well to check out this installment of Lupin III.

Ryuugamine Mikado grew up in a small town, but naturally, he wanted to see more of the world. Inspired by a childhood friend’s invitation, Mikado finally takes his first step and moves to the Ikebukuro district of Tokyo. To his dismay, it’s not that nice of a place in spite of everything he’s seen in anime and manga. Ikebukuro is actually infested with crime. However, nothing compares to the myth surrounding the headless motorcyclist “Black Rider”, which may have more truth to it than anyone could imagine… Anime in the Western world is generally seen as an alternative take on traditional animation. While that’s still true in Japan, being an anime fan is often viewed as being part of a rebellious counter culture. Persona 5 has brought that aspect of anime fandom to the forefront, addressing issues like sexually abusive teachers that everyone knows about but no one wants to talk about. However, Durarara was one of the first modern anime in some time to look at the ills of society, like the rampant gang warfare present in the Ikebukuro district that gets glossed over. Also, much like Persona 5, it makes it a little easier to take in by adding a supernatural element so that the reality isn’t as hard to handle.

The ever venerable Koyomi Araragi has been hard at work preparing for his college exams. However, if the stress of that wasn’t enough, Araragi’s also noticed that his reflection isn’t showing up in the mirror. He’s been afraid of his vampiric side taking over for some time, and now it looks like that’s happening. Araragi looks for help from a master named Yozuru Kagenui, but the diagnosis is grim. Araragi is going to have to make a decision. He can either give up using his vampiric powers ever again to prevent his transition, or he can just accept his inevitable fate. Persona 5 isn’t just known for casting light on unspoken social issues and fun heists. There’s always been a metaphysical bend to the Persona franchise, which, to many, has served as a fun introduction into philosophy. The Monotagari franchise does something very similar, using mythological creatures and relating them to character stories. Really, you could go with the whole franchise as a recommendation, but Tsukimonotagari is a bit more straightforward with its morale quandaries, making it a better transition title before jumping into the entire Monotagari series.

Despite legally being an adult, Nakajima Atsushi still lives at the orphanage he grew up at. Well, at least he used to. There’s been a rash of tiger attacks that no one knows what to make of, so Atsushi ends up taking the blame. He’s been booted out of the only home he’s ever known with no idea where to go next. However, Atsushi isn’t without company for long, as he ends up saving a drowning man by the name of Osamu Dazai. Dazai works as an investigator of the supernatural, and has been looking into the tiger attacks himself. This investigation leads Atsushi into a new life as a paranormal investigator! Part of the charm of Persona comes from its wild depictions of mythical and literary figures. Persona 5 took that a step further by emphasizing the “literary” aspect more, with Ann gaining the powers of Carmen (as in from the opera) and Ryuji from Captain Kidd. Much of the fun of Bungou Stray Dogs taps into that same curiosity, with many recurring characters coming straight from the world of writers. American authors like F. Scott Fitzgerald show up, and sometimes they’re even forced to face their own creations. It’s the natural progression of Persona 5 for those who like seeing modern interpretations of classic literature.

It’s a twisting tale that transcends time and space! First, in 1711, we have a group of alchemists who are studying immortality and learn the consequences of their research. Then, in 1930s Chicago, the legendary transcontinental train Flying Pussyfoot makes its departure. Finally, around the same time in New York, a scientist by the name of Szilard is researching the location of some long forgotten elixirs that are said to hold the power of immorality. All these seemingly unconnected events are connected by Isaac and Miria, two good-hearted people who also happen to be thieves. Persona 5’s music draws a lot of its inspiration from jazz and big band music of the 1930s. Well, if you love Lyn’s jazzy tunes and compositions, go a little further with Baccano, where you don’t just get contemporary re-envisionings of the style, but honest-to-god swing. Of course, the heart of Baccano isn’t just the jazz, but the strange underbelly that lies underneath. It seems like it’s just a simple story of two thieves working together until they uncover a much darker, more sinister plot. We won’t spoil the story of Persona 5 the Animation for those who never played the game, but anyone who has finished the RPG can easily see the similarity there.

Rui, Hitomi, and Ai run the Cat’s Eye café. Unbeknownst to the rest of the world, however, these sisters are secretly art thieves. They aren’t in it for the money, though. Instead, they’re searching for clues regarding the whereabouts of their father, the artist Michael Heintz. They only steal paintings related to Heintz in hopes of finding clues to his location. But there’s one catch; Hitomi is dating Utsumi Toshio, the lead investigator on their case! Cat’s Eye is considered the classic heist anime, and it’s easy to see a lot of parallels between it and Persona 5. Ren living and working in a café during the day is a pretty clear nod to Cat’s Eye, but the similarities go a little deeper than that. Both deal with a thief group where both teams are investigating the circumstances that led them to crime, which resolves with grand revelations. Plus, you get tons of fun 80s-style heists over a lengthy 73 episodes. What’s not to love?

Academy City in Japan is known around the world for having the latest in technology, particularly since more than 75% of its people are students developing their special abilities. Lost among the countless other students is Touma Kamijou, a high school student with the lowest psychic rank of all. Kamijou’s ability itself is unusual as well. Called “Imagine Breaker,” he seems to be able to negate others’ powers. When he meets a girl named Index Librorum Prohibitorum who has memorized all of the forbidden grimoires, Kamijou’s life gets even stranger! Kamijou decides to defend this girl from her pursuers, learning about a new supernatural realm in the process… Though the characters of Dances with the Dragons are a bit older than those of A Certain Magical Index, the sci-fi feel of the magic used is the same in both anime. In both series, the mystical aspect of magic is taken away and given a more scientific, studied portrayal. These two series also blend the unusual nature of this magic into a modern society. As in Dances with the Dragons, A Certain Magical Index focuses on one unusual pair working together. Kamijou and Index may even be a stranger team than that of Gayus and Gigina!

Rin Okumura is a troubled young man, though most of his problems involve staying in school or holding down a job. Everything changes when he discovers that he is actually the son of Satan, a being who has been trying to take over the human world of Assiah. With only his twin brother Yukio left for family after a devastating attack, Rin decides to become an exorcist alongside Yukio. Attending an exorcist cram school posing as an elite academy, Rin will meet many new friends. But how can he keep his secret origins hidden from his comrades? In learning how he can use his gifts against Satan and the demons of the underworld Gehenna, Rin begins his journey that will change how he sees the world forever. Blue Exorcist has the same type of setting that Dances with the Dragons boasts, being a modern world with fantasy and sci-fi blended in. The monsters and demons are an integral part of both worlds, yet most average people do not deal with them at all. A select few, such as the exorcists or the jushikiists, fight off the dangers while most people live in peace. In addition, both anime involve political discussion to some degree. The political decisions of higher-ups affect the lives of those characters fighting on the front lines, even as the main characters struggle with moral decisions.

Humanity lives behind walls, hiding from the threat of the flesh-eating Kabane that dwell outside. To get from sanctuary to sanctuary, people travel by high-speed train, moving supplies and information around the few colonies left standing. Ikoma is one of the engineers that works on these trains, keeping them running smoothly – yet he dreams of the day he can try out his latest invention to destroy the Kabane. Unfortunately for him, his chance may come much sooner than he had expected… Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress is another anime that has a similar setting to Dances with the Dragons. The horrors Ikoma and his comrades have to fight are counterbalanced by scientific technology that creates their weapons and strength. The same is true for Gayus and Gigina, though their weapons are infused with a blend of science and magic. The political aspect is present in Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress as well, with humanity’s leaders often making decisions that lead to their own downfall. Though Koutetsujou no Kabaneri has a bit more horror in it than the calmer Saredo Tsumibito wa Ryuu to Odoru, these two anime both give off a similar vibe overall.

Yato is a lesser deity who dreams of one day being worshipped by millions of people, though he currently functions as a “delivery god.” He has no weapon partner to help him fight, and he does minor chores for others to earn money. But one day, his luck changes when he runs into middle school girl Hiyori Iki. Hiyori tries to save Yato from a car accident, though she ends up getting hit instead. Though she lives, her soul is now able to divert from her body. Hiyori asks Yato to help her return to normal, but she ends up agreeing to help the minor god instead. Finally, Yato’s dream might be closer to being realized! Noragami’s setting is another that is reminiscent of Dances with the Dragons, with a blend of modern city and fantasy mechanics. Dances with the Dragons seems like an alternative reality, where most of society is set in the present but has otherworldly elements. Noragami is much the same, set in a modern day Japan with an unseen world of gods. Both anime have an explanation for these unusual elements that are logical in their own universes. While Dances with the Dragons is more serious than Noragami in many ways, both of these series share the same core setting.

Magic is no longer something that is mystified, as it is taught as a technical skill, a technological achievement. At the First High School, students are taught magic, though they are separated into two groups based on their entrance exam scores. Siblings Tatsuya and Miyuki Shiba are both enrolled in First High School. After taking the exam, Miyuki is accepted in to the high scoring class, while Tatsuya is left in the class of magically inept. Yet Tatsuya is actually quite excellent in magical abilities, although his test scores don’t show that off. Tatsuya truly is irregular in his class… Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei uses idea of magic as a science, something that can be easily quantified and studied, similar to the magic used in Saredo Tsumibito wa Ryuu to Odoru. The settings are a bit different, one being in a school and one in a foreign city, but the modern feeling of both settings is the same. Though Tatsuya doesn’t have a partnership like Gayus and Gigina, he does have the strength to fight that these two characters possess. Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei may be criticized for some elements, but it definitely has an interesting take on magic that we enjoy!

Maka Albarn and her partner Soul Eater Evans are a team, a death meister/weapon pair, striving to become a Death Scythe one day used by Lord Death himself. Along with their other friends, Maka and Soul study at Death Weapon Meister Academy in Death City. To become a Death Scythe, one must defeat 99 evil souls, known as kishin, as well as one witch’s soul. Soul Eater follows Maka, Soul, and their friends as they work toward this goal, while learning more about themselves in the process. And when the sanity of their world becomes endangered, how will these students find courage to fight on? As in Dances with the Dragons, Soul Eater contains a unique blend of seemingly modern society and a fantasy element that makes sense. Though Death City is far away from everything else in the world, when the characters travel to other places, we can see that the rest of the world appears much like our own. And if you’ve been enjoying the hard-hitting action and political discourse in Dances with the Dragons, Soul Eater has these elements as well, especially as the show gets further along!