Mohsin Lag Hey everyone, Today we have compiled a list of the best anime series about war stories that features military, mafia, political stories, and human struggles. They explore the human condition in a way that is unique to this medium and also highlight different hardships of life.
Si, what are the best war anime tv shows? This article will be dedicated to a mixed list of both popular and underrated anime about war and how they portray warfare in their own way.
Here We Go!
20. Jormungand
Starting off our list with this underrated anime about war named “Jormungand.” The storyline of this mafia warfare makes it classified as action and adventure. It follows Jonah who gets a call from a woman in the U.S. named Koko, hiring him to watch over her and make sure she’s safe.
The show starring Koko, Jonah, and the rest of their crew as they travel around the world selling weapons. under a global shipping company named HCLI. As Koko’s work is illegal under international law, she has to constantly evade both local and international authorities. Her work includes dealings with armies, private militaries, and militias. Koko’s dream of world peace was being threatened by the CIA and assassins, that’s why she is in need of protection from the crew and Jonah who has sworn to protect Koko at all costs, or die trying.
19. Arslan Senki
Arsalan Senki is a Japanese manga and anime series about war that tells the story of Arslan, a young prince who must getting stronger to return and reclaim his father’s kingdom from the invading force of Lusitania.
The task is not that easy for arslan, because the man who was the mastermind behind Lusitania’s victory, is a silver masked enigma, who is posing a dangerous threat to Arslan and his company as he possesses an unknown secret that could threaten Arslan’s right to throne. Therefore, Arslan has to persevere and develop the strength and courage needed for the task ahead. Along the way, he will make friends and allies who will help him in his conquest to become king.
Arsalan Senki is one of the best anime with war and military stories and provides zero to hero character development through an immersive and engaging experience for viewers.
18. Mobile Suit Gundam
Mobile Suit Gundam Wing is a good anime series with war themes That focuses on The Principality of Zeon, situated in a fictional universe, which has declared independence from the Earth Federation. They have subsequently begun a war of independence called the One Year War. This conflict affected every continent on Earth and many space colonies.
Zeon, the smaller nation, has a tactical advantage through their use of mobile suit weapons, which give them an edge in power against the enemy. Half of humanity perished in the conflict and territories were settled down following peace talks influencing stalemates lasting over 8 months.
17. Argento Soma
Argento Soma is an action-packed anime about war themes with many twists and turns that will keep you hooked from the beginning to the end.
The story focuses on an experiment of reviving a large Bio-Mechanical alien named Frank. Well, the alien comes to ‘life’, however, the lab is subsequently destroyed leaving Takuto the only survivor and the alien disappearing into the wilderness.
As Frank is roaming the wild, he meets Hattie, a psychologically distressed girl who lost her parents in the first Close Encounter War. It is odd for them to be able to communicate, but before long they are detained by the Security Force.
Meanwhile, Takuto opens his eyes in a hospital bed with his life in shambles and an unusual face. Inspired by his anger and heartbreak, Takuto accepts an offer from the mysterious ‘Mr. X’ to become a member of the prestigious Funeral organization, hiding him under a new identity.
16. Break Blade
Break Blade is one of the best anime with war as its main theme. Set in this distant world is a continent known as Cruzon and an oncoming war between the Kingdom of Krisna and the Nation of Athens. Frustrated with the idea that all people uses power of Quartz, Rygart is the only one who don’t, instead his power resides in using “magic”.
Therefore, his strength and being powerful sorcerer will enable him to pilot an ancient Golem, strong enough to put up a strong fight against the invading army of Athens.
15. Nobunaga The Fool
Among the best war anime tv shows is Nobunaga the Fool, which tells a story about Nobunaga, an ambitious young boy who wants to be a great general, despite not having any real battle experience. He’s determined to make his name in history as an important figure, Hence, he’ll do anything possible to achieve this goal.
The show aired from April 2014- to March 2015 and was written by Yutaka Yamamoto with character designs by Takahiro Kishida. The show won several awards, including best anime at the 2015 In The New York Anime Festival and was of the best anime TV Series among fans back then.
14. Aldnoah Zero
ALDNOAH.ZERO is a sci-fi anime about war between planets that follows the story of humans who chose to settle on Mars and has access to an advanced technology that’s light years ahead of Earth. They call it “ALDNOAH.” Upon their discovery, the Vers Empire was founded on Mars and with it, a declaration of war against those who remained behind on Earth called “Terrans”.
A high school student from 15 years later managed to witness an assassination plot on the Vers Empire’s Princess as she came to Earth to build a stronger relationship between her home planet and Earth. Amidst the ceasefire, the Martians declare war on the Terrans once again. Unfortunately, there is no end to this. Inaho and his friends must now fight against the Vers Empire in order to finally settle this conflict.
13. Darker Than Black
The anime has been praised for its dark tone, mature storytelling, and well-developed characters. The story follows Hei, who is called the “Black Reaper” in the underground world and undertakes missions for a group of mysterious and ruthless individuals known as syndicates. Therefore, he will uncovers different layers of a dark plan, that threatens his and lives of contractors. Now he fights to stop it before it’s too late.
The dark side is always present and, according to the mind of Tensai Okamura, it has created a futuristic anime featuring all the exciting twists and turns a war has to offer. With political positions and justice powerless, this is an anime about a war that takes place exclusively in the shadows.
12. K
“Kings” are individuals who have been endowed with incredible supernatural powers and granted the ability to recruit others into their clans. Protecting the lives and honor of their kin is an integral part of Kings’ duties.
Following the spread of a video depicting the brutal murder of a red clansman, the seemingly innocuous student Yashiro Isana is accused of homicide.
Now, a hunting down is going on for his head, making him meet up with the infamous Kurou Yatogami–a powerful swordsman who’s determined to honor the wishes of his late master Seventh King.
In the meantime, The Red King is currently facing his own imminent demise, However, a greater conspiracy is slowly unfolding. While Clouds are appearing in Yashiro’s memory and clues of his past begin to unravel.
This is a really good anime that features a war that began as a simple murder, but it may lead to the destruction of the entire world.
11. Vandread
In the Vandread series, Men and Women live on two different planets, Taraak and Mejere. Technology has allowed mankind to colonize the entire Milky Way galaxy. Hence, A gender war is on as they won’t accept the other as equals.
Hibiki Tokai, a man from Taraak, becomes stuck on a warship when he tries to steal a robot. The moment when female pirates captured the Taraakian Vanguard, Hibiki’s fate had already been sealed. However, when the male crew of the Vanguard fire on their captured vessel out of desperation, they create a giant wormhole which sucks the Vanguard and the Mejeran pirate’s ships into itself!
Now that women and men are lost from their home planets and stuck on another, these people must cooperate to reach theirs homes again.
10. The Seven Deadly Sins
“The Seven Deadly Sins” follows the adventures of Princess Elizabeth. Who was searching for a group of warriors who were falsely accused of a crime they didn’t commit. As soon as she meet their leader, it turns out that she is seeking their help to regain her lost kingdom back.
It’s an action-packed, supernatural, yet darkly hilarious anime series that has proven immensely popular on Netflix, as it accumulated a very large fan base since its premiere.
9. Basilisk
This is a tv show that has been popular for long time, because of its thrilling plot and amazing animation. This anime has also been able to attract a wide variety of viewers with its unique war and fighting style.
The story follows Iga and Kouga, who are ninja clans that have been engaging in a brutal war for centuries. However, a ceasefire, will make both clans left with no other choice but to put their arms down. Years after, Kouga and Iga who are heirs of their respective clans, find themselves falling in love.
Through their marriage, the two heirs hope to bring peace to both clans. But their hopes are dashed when some rivalry between the clans is reignited.
To avoid any more fighting or violence, the two clans are each ordered to send their 10 best warriors in a fight, To represent one of the potential shogunate heirs. The winner receives an edict from Tokugawa shogunate for 1,000 years. Torn between love and duty, Kouga and Iga are forced to confront this difficult decision…
8. Overlord
Overlord is a Japanese manga and anime that tells the story of Ainz Ooal Gown, a player who has been trapped in a game called YGGDRASIL. The story follows his various battles against the players of the game who are trying to kill him and take possession of his overpowered body.
Overlord is one of the best gaming anime about war and survival, as it has suspenseful battles, great characters that make for a compelling watch, and an epic story about how an overpowered character can defeats the entire world.
7. Dororo
If you love hearing the sound of clashing swords then Dororo is the perfect war anime for you. It has epic music, a great story and well developed anime main character with a dark backstory who will overcome his tragidy.
the opening storyline is of a Samurai lord trading his newborn son’s organs to 48 demons in anticipation of gaining the power to dominate the battlefield.
Yet somehow, the abandoned infant survives and is equipped with a complex set of prosthetics that allows him to hunt down and kills the many demons, in doing so, he can regain his full body part by part. In his journey, the young hero encounters an orphan who claims to be the greatest thief.
6. Sword Art Online
Sword Art Online is an anime series that premiered in 2012. It follows the protagonist, Kirito, and his group of friends through a virtual reality world called Sword Art Online. In the world of Sword Art Online, everyone experiences everything they do with their body and it’s not possible to log out until you beat the game.
Sword Art Online is a good choice for those who want to watch a gaming anime about a war of survival that features epic action scenes that will really keep you hooked till the end.
5. Kingdom
China’s Warring States period of instability and unrest, lasting 500 years, saw many nations rise and fall in the quest of power; eventually emerging with only seven dominant states. This led to more warring as neighboring kingdoms competed for supremacy.
In the Kingdom of Qin, a war-orphaned slave named Li Xin trains vigorously with his best friend and fellow slave Piao in his quest to become a Great General of the Heavens. However, they are suddenly forced to part ways when Piao is recruited by a royal retainer and starts working in the royal palace. After a coup d’etat, Piao is almost dead but his mission leads him to an audience with China’s young king Ying Zheng. Surprisingly It turns out King Ying resembles Piao more than anyone else.
Kingdom is a historical anime about war and conquering lands that follows Xin as he takes his first steps into the great blood-soaked pages of China’s ancient history. His ambition to become a Great General at the time of the famous Seven Warring States has just taken its first steps, but a lot stands in his way.
4. Vinland Saga
In the Vinland Saga series, Thorfinn is fascinated by the Leif Erickson’s stories that he hears about a beautiful and peaceful land far to the west. But his youthful envisions were shattered by a mercenary attack.
The Norse mythological Anime “Vikings” portrays the story of Thorfinn’s pursuit of revenge in an engaging way. It makes it hard to predict what will happen next and leaves viewers interested in this dramatic anime war story.
Thorfinn needs to avenge his father’s death and kill Askeladd, the man who killed him in front of his eyes. And there doesn’t seem to be a time when Vikings can find peace as they are always at war with each other, while Thorfinn keep on dreaming of a paradisaical Western land named Vinland that knows only peace.
3. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Well, war is a theme that can be portrayed in various ways with different aspects. This is the case for this series, which is One of the most popular anime about war called Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.
The story follows the brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric as they struggle to find a way to restore their bodies. Their tragedy starts off when they tried to resurrect their dead mother, a failed attempt that ended terribly.
Now the brothers are seeking out the Philosopher’s Stone, which can help them restore their bodies. A journey in which they meets and befriends other characters, who gets them entangled in a series of events involving military secrets and conspiracies.
2. Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion
Code Geass is a Japanese anime series created by Sunrise and aired on MBS between October 2006 and March 2008.
Code Geass is a good military anime about war, rebellion, and revenge that was created by the desperation of people who were oppressed for so long. It’s an important reminder to be wary of strangers because they might not have your best interest at heart.
This war anime series mainly follows Lelouch Lamperouge, a prince in Japan who adopts the guise of a terrorist commander named Zero in order to rebel against the system and wreak havoc to change the world for good.
1. Attack on Titan
Attack on Titan is one of the most popular anime about war and survival themes. It has an intense storyline that focuses on humanity’s fight against a race of giants who want to destroy them.
Known also as Shingeki No Kyojin, the series main focus is on the story of the protagonist Eren Yeager and his friends as they fight against titans. While also providing insight into other corps members as well as their backstories and what is happening around them.
This is a Japanese series that has a lot of action scenes, suspense, and ultimate twists which making it one of the best anime series of all time.
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