Best War Anime

War never changes. It’s still one of the most expensive activities humanity has come up with. Even anime that depicts war tend to have expensive problems. One can’t make an anime about war but skimp out on the action, after all, and animating large-scale action is costly. Consequently, that’s also likely one of the reasons why war anime are rare. At least, they are rare when compared to other genres that don’t necessitate too many action sequences and spectacular moments.

Many great recommendations in this genre will sate the viewers’ craving for action, strategy, and bloodshed. Of course, the best anime about war doesn’t glorify this act. The best ones of the lot have more human stories that show how wasteful this act is. Many people lose their lives for no reason in the fight for a greater good that is almost always subjective. It can be rather tough to tackle such mature concepts… but the best war anime around does a great job of highlighting this facet, among many others.

Updated October 20, 2024 by Mark Sammut: Except for Bleach: The Thousand-Year Blood War, Fall 2024 does not really have any war anime. However, a series that concluded its second season in Summer 2024 deserves a place in this discussion.

Battle shonen anime like
One Piece
,
Bleach
, and
Naruto
that have war arcs will not be included since they are not representative of the entire series.

28 Lord Marksman And Vanadis

MyAnimeList score: 7.11

An anime set in a fantasy version of Europe, Lord Marksman and Vanadis focuses on the story of a man named Tigrevurmud “Tigre” Vorn, who tries to defend his region only for his army to be completely obliterated by Eleonora “Elen” Viltaria, one of the people of the Vanadis who launched this invasion in the first place. After this defeat, Tigre expects himself to be killed by Elen, only for the War Maiden to rope him into an unlikely alliance instead.

What follows is a decent anime that commits the sin of leaning too heavily into certain anime clichés, with its focus on sexualizing women feeling pretty dated. However, fans who are willing to look past these issues will find themselves enjoying a decent war anime that is more than serviceable.

27 Valvrave The Liberator

MyAnimeList score: 7.12

A mecha anime where galactic nations are at odds with each other, Valvrave the Liberator focuses on the story of Haruto Tokishima. His life is turned upside-down when a fleet from the Dorssia Military Pact Federation (the anime’s version of Space Russia) appears in the neutral territory of Japan and Islands of the Oceanian Republic (JIOR). In doing so, they steal the Valvraves, powerful tools of war that can change the course of battle.

It’s a great mecha anime for fans who love large robots going to town on their enemies. While the trope of a high schooler being important enough to save the world may be tiresome, fans who overlook this will have a great time watching Valvrave the Liberator.

26 Record Of Grancrest War

MyAnimeList score: 7.22

Record of Grancrest War had something interesting going for it. Most viewers loved the first nine episodes for being compelling, if somewhat generic. However, since the series doesn’t follow the light novel all that accurately, some people are bound to have issues with how this series is structured.

However, viewers who check out Record of Grancrest War with an open mind will certainly like what’s on offer here. The pacing can be a bit too fast for most people’s liking, but people who manage to look past this issue will enjoy a fun, underappreciated series. The anime may be simple and rudimentary compared to others that deal with heavier themes, but people who just want to enjoy an easy watch will find this show to be decent.

25 Sengoku Basara: Samurai Kings

MyAnimeList score: 7.32

The warring states era of Japan is rife with epic war stories. The most prominent warlord among them is Oda Nobunaga; his plight to unify Japan under his iron fist is nothing short of violent. That’s what Samurai Kings portrays in its romanticized form.

Except, Nobunaga is treated as some kind of villain here. He’s a warmonger who forces two warring underdog clan leaders to set aside their differences to oppose the oncoming giant who’s after their territory. Viewers can expect large-scale samurai combat and more historically accurate fighting (at least when compared to the vast majority of samurai anime).

24 Aldnoah.Zero

MyAnimeList score: 7.39 (Season 1)

After humanity reaches Mars and finds a powerful technology called Aldnoah there, the world is thrust into a war between the Vers Empire of Mars and the Terrans who stayed back on Earth. The destruction of the moon prompted a shaky ceasefire that was broken when Princess Asseylum Vers Allusia was assassinated on Earth during an effort to strengthen relations between the two nations.

While the story focuses on a high school student who’s tasked with saving the world, it’s not that big a deal once fans get into this excellent mecha anime. It may not touch upon any new ground but it’s worth checking out for fans of a classic mecha series with enough sci-fi tropes to keep them satisfied.

23 Zipang

MyAnimeList score: 7.49

There’s a war anime featuring World War 1 so naturally, there’s also one set in World War 2. Zipang is a battleship war epic where a modern-day destroyer and its crew somehow find themselves mysteriously transported to the past, specifically in the Battle of Midway between the US and Imperial Japan in 1942.

Being afraid that their interference might change the course of present-day history, they make themselves scarce and anonymous. However, it suddenly dawns on them that they can also change the present day for the better.

22 Altair: A Record Of Battles

MyAnimeList score: 7.55

Speaking of anime period pieces, Altair: A Record of Battles is one such anime that will delight history buffs. It’s a war epic based on the Ottoman Empire (Turkey in the modern world) which ran from around 1300 – 1922 CE. That’s a long period but the anime picks the medieval portion of that spectrum.

Thus, there’s plenty of Islamic iconography as well as somewhat realistic battle tactics and war strategies employed during the depicted time. Tughril Mahmut is the protagonist and his small country is being threatened by the Ottoman Empire’s aggressive expansion, so he must do everything within his power to defend his land and people.

21 Valkyria Chronicles

MyAnimeList score: 7.56

Valkyria Chronicles is a video game series that focuses on a war between fictional kingdoms, telling many interesting stories using this backdrop. It helps that the stories told here are riveting. The series was ripe for an anime adaptation that could do justice to the worldbuilding and lore of this IP.

While there’s no denying that some aspects of Valkyria Chronicles‘ anime adaptation are threadbare at best, there’s a lot of heart in this project that is visible for anyone to see. The animation itself may not be anything remarkable, but the great music and characters carry this experience for most viewers. It’s easy to see why so many people consider Valkyria Chronicles to be one of the most underrated anime around, even if there are some caveats surrounding this title that need to be mentioned.

MyAnimeList score: 7.59 (Season 1)

Full Metal Panic! offers a more muted and subtle approach to war despite being a mecha anime, because the show primarily tells its story through espionage. Sousuke Sagara is a young veteran mech pilot who was tasked with posing as a high school student to protect Kaname Chidori.

Chidori is one of the key beings to protecting the world from threats of conflict as she’s an experimental human who would later activate her knowledge of designing advanced technology. Sure enough, other nefarious factions are also after Chidori, and it’s up to Sousuke to defend her while also keeping up his cover.

Full Metal Panic! starts out as an action-comedy, before slowly dropping the humor in favor of pure action and drama. The Second Raid represents the series at its best, at least when it comes to its more serious content. (Fumoffu is actually FMP! at its best).

19 The Saga Of Tanya The Evil

MyAnimeList score: 7.96

The Saga of Tanya the Evil is both an isekai and war anime. It begins after a modern-day man challenges a godly being in a battle of wits. Unsurprisingly, the man loses and as punishment, he is reincarnated as a girl in an alternate version of World War 1.

Hell-bent on defying his new role, the man, now named Tanya, rises through the ranks of the military. Tanya also becomes known as the “Devil of the Rhine” as she drives her fatherland to victory while skirting around war crimes through her inherent kawaii-ness as a gun-toting blonde girl.

18 Alderamin On The Sky

MyAnimeList score: 7.63

There are a lot of anime that focus on lazy heroes who just want to relax and take it easy, only to be given a ton of responsibility and have to put themselves on the line to fight for things bigger than them. Such is the predicament that Ikta Solork finds himself in when he finds himself caught in a developing conflict between the Katjvarna Empire and the Republic of Kioka.

After becoming a military officer and mounting a heroic operation to save the heir of the Katjvarna Empire, Ikta, along with four other members of the military, are given the title of Imperial Knight, making them important figureheads during a conflict that can determine the future of the empire. It’s a fun anime with some lighthearted moments that do justice to the idea of war without making things too heavy-handed or preachy.

17 Knights Of Sidonia

MyAnimeList score: 7.64

Knights of Sidonia shows how humanity can band together when they have to face off against a common threat. However, this doesn’t always lead to a happy ending. The series focuses on the aftermath of a war against aliens that has led to humanity abandoning Earth and surviving on a colossal spacecraft called the Sidonia as they are constantly on the run from this oppressive threat.

The setting is a horrifying one, which is precisely what makes humanity’s victories so amazing and heartwarming to watch. While it may not explore its themes in a manner that is thought-provoking, the execution of its concepts is brilliant and makes Knights of Sidonia well worth a watch… even if the CGI used in some scenes can be somewhat lacking.

16 The Heroic Legend Of Arslan

MyAnimeList score: 7.66

While on the topic of war anime set in the Middle East, The Heroic Legend of Arslan is heavily based on pre-medieval Persia. In fact, the fictional country in the anime is even named The Kingdom of Pars. They didn’t even try to deviate too much from the wordplay.

In any case, Arslan is the crown prince of the Kingdom of Pars and he sets off for war against their neighboring kingdom of Lusitania. The problem is that Arslan’s father is suddenly assassinated while he’s away, setting off a chain of political events that threatens the Kingdom of Pars’ stability.

15 Crest Of The Stars

MyAnimeList score: 7.62

Crest of the Stars focuses on the overbearing presence of the Abh Empire, a technologically advanced race of humanoids who force humanity to band together and form the Four Nations Alliance to serve up some sort of resistance against a group that decimates them every step of the way. The anime’s protagonist is a character named Jinto Linn, with his father selling his homeland to the Abh Empire to enjoy a high position with their subjugators.

However, after inadvertently being thrust into the middle of a war between the Four Nations Alliance and the Abh Empire, Jinto and his companion, an Abh princess by the name of Lafiel, find themselves in the middle of a conflict that could potentially decide the future of humanity and whether they can escape the oppression of the Abh Empire once and for all.

14 Violet Evergarden

MyAnimeList score: 8.68

Violet Evergarden is a borderline recommendation since the story takes place after the end of the Great War, so it is not a conventional part of the genre. However, the anime explores the conflict’s aftermath and devastation, telling small-scale personal tales that tie into many standard themes associated with war stories.

More importantly, Violet Evergarden is just an all-around great series that features fantastic animation, an immersive setting, and a unique protagonist who develops quite a bit as the season progresses. Ever since she was young, Violet was trained to be a child soldier, and she took plenty of lives and saw a lot of tragedy during the Great War. Now that “peace” has arrived, she must try to find her place in the world.

13 Nier: Automata Ver1.1a

MyAnimeList score: 7.52 (Season 1)

Based on Yoko Taro’s bizarre sci-fi epic, Nier: Automata Ver1.1a lives up to its source material’s complex characterization and unique story structure, all the while telling a pretty standard tale about the pointlessness of war. Set in the distant future, Earth is largely abandoned, but it serves as a battleground for a seemingly endless conflict between alien Machines and Androids, the latter fighting to protect humanity’s home planet.

Nier: Automata Ver1.1a can be a touch too convoluted for its own good at times, with the non-linear structure occasionally getting quite confusing. However, the writing, themes, and characters are all fantastic, and they are accompanied by top-tier animation and music. Season 2 is considerably better than its predecessor, but the former builds on the latter’s ideas, so they should both be watched.

12 Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann

MyAnimeList score: 8.63

It’s developed by Gainax who’s the same studio responsible for Neon Genesis Evangelion so any fan will know that they mean business. Sure enough, Gurren Lagann doesn’t pull its punches and goes all out in telling its massively epic sci-fi war story. At its core, it’s a rebellion plot where the oppressed and enslaved humans of Earth rise against an alien race who took over. Leading that rebellion are Kamina and Simon, brothers-in-arms, bound by the promise of freedom and victory. Together with their friends, they wage war against the universe itself made possible by their awesome mech and the willpower to grow as a human race.

Boasting (mostly) stellar visuals and consistently great characters that have become iconic in their own right, Gurren Lagann is a sci-fi masterpiece with a human heart that touches upon common themes associated with the war genre. That said, this series will probably hit the mark primarily with mecha fans.

11 Mobile Suit Gundam Titles

MyAnimeList score: 7.75 (Mobile Suit Gundam)

There’s no shortage of Mobile Suit Gundam anime so consider the franchise as a nigh-endless pool of sci-fi war epics featuring giant beautiful mecha. All Gundam anime involve a war of some sort. The most political or philosophical of them would be Gundam Seed or its Destiny sequel.

Regardless, most of the wars in Gundam titles have always been political in nature. They involve some complex geopolitics that serve as a backdrop and green light for the boy band protagonists to ride their favored blue-and-white mechs to combat.

MyAnimeList score: 7.77

Many people know Barefoot Gen for the infamous scene that shows the atomic bomb exploding over the city of Hiroshima, burning many people alive and causing untold death and destruction. The visceral manner in which this scene is depicted does a great job of showing how savage this bombing was, destroying the city and annihilating a major chunk of the population.

The worst part is that this movie takes place through the eyes of a child who had no reason to suffer these consequences. Children are supposed to be protected by these conflicts, and watching this young boy’s life change forever as his family is ruthlessly killed by the destruction caused by the atomic bomb is truly heartbreaking to watch. Barefoot Gen offers a great look into the casualties of war and how innocents suffer for the sins of adults.

9 Jormungand

MyAnimeList score: 7.80

Jormungand tackles a lot of controversial material stemming from the contemporary world. Its protagonist, Jonah, is a former child soldier who was compelled to become a bodyguard for an idealistic illegal arms dealer and mercenary leader who wants to bring about world peace.

Sounds ironic but the anime is willing to tackle that debate while unraveling the complexities of its characters— all of whom have a history of modern conflict. Jormungand is thus a unique anime set in a contemporary world that isn’t afraid to drag its viewers out to bask in the harsh realities of the world all the while spinning its fantasy tale.