Anime is a very specific animation genre that has its origin in Japanese manga. The themes are very varied, although action, romance or science fiction stories predominate. The first are aimed at a young male audience in a traditional way. They are called shonen and have large doses of action, where you can find titles like One Piece, Dragon Ball, Death Note and many more. It is currently the most creative genre and here is a list of the best action anime in history.
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Akira Toriyama and Eiichiro Oda are two mangaka references in the action genre. They have opened the way to other series that triumph in our days and with fewer chapters behind them. A good example of this is Attack on the Titans or Demon Slayer. Within this type of series you can distinguish fighting anime and fights, since the confrontations are a fundamental element in the plot. In the following selection you have the best action anime you can watch, both classic and current.
Top 10 Best Action Anime You Can Watch
The history of Japanese animation is full of many successes that you cannot miss. Below you have some of the longest series yet unfinished, as well as the best finished anime such as Death Note or Fullmetal Alchemist.
Death Note
Hardly anyone who does not know Death Note. A Shinigami named Ryuk is bored and drops his notebook on Earth. There he is picked up by a high school student who soon discovers the incredible powers of the notebook. He has the ability to kill anyone after writing his name on it. Light Yagami uses it to bring justice to the world, but he slowly gets out of hand and becomes a serial killer.
The famous detective L. will begin a chase through the mind of the murderer to discover his true identity. The anime has a great debate about human instincts, evil and that narrow line between sanity and madness. Death Note is a very short series that can be seen in a week and will not leave you indifferent.
Fullmetal Alchemist
The story of Fullmetal Alchemist is so well designed that it has become a timeless classic. The Elric brothers study alchemy at home. One day his mother becomes seriously ill and they cannot prevent his death. Young people want to use the power of alchemy to resurrect their mother, regardless of the law of equivalent exchange.
So the process fails and older brother Edward loses his left leg, while the little one loses his whole body. Edward ends up sacrificing his arm to save his brother’s soul and now they look for the Philosopher’s Stone to reverse the effects.
My Hero Academia (Boku no Hero)
Boku no Hero takes place in a world where 80% of the population has developed superpowers known as Quirks. The other 20% are normal human beings, among whom is the character Izuku Midoriya. This event has caused heroes and villains to appear around the world who fight constantly, so Midoriya is clear about which side he wants to be on.
He dreams of becoming the best hero in the world, but without a gift it is difficult to get into UA High School. It is an academy where users are trained with Quirk. One day, his hero All Might gives him his Quirk: the One For All. This allows you to get into school, the first step to reaching your goals.
Attack on the Titans (Shingeki no Kyojin)
Attack on the Titans is a very raw story that takes place in an apocalyptic world. The Titans have destroyed part of humanity and only a few survivors face them. They erected huge walls to defend the population until one day the biggest titan ever seen appeared and attacked the city. Eren Jaeger, Mikasa and Armin saw the bloody outcome and promised that they would eliminate all the Titans.
The three friends enlist in the Scout Corps. They manage to graduate and face their first titans, whose only weak point is the nape of their neck. The origin of the Titans is not known, but more and more intelligent creatures appear that have a strategy. Attack on the Titans has a fascinating narrative and good doses of action.
One Piece
One of our favorite series could not be missing from this list. Eiichiro Oda created One Piece and already has more than 1000 chapters, but it is not finished. The public execution of Gol D. Roger began the great Age of Piracy when he discovered that there is a treasure called One Piece. No one has ever seen it, but everyone jumps into the sea in search of wealth and fame.
Monkey D. Luffy wants to follow in the footsteps of Gol D. Roger and his friend Shanks, a reputed pirate. He accidentally eats a Devil Fruit that grants him incredible abilities. It makes your body rubbery and at the same time loses its ability to swim. The child will become an adult and form a crew to embark on the greatest adventure.
Naruto
If you’re looking for action, Naruto is a good choice. Although the series ended years ago, Boruto’s story is now being told. Naruto Uzumaki is a feared and hated young man in his village because the Nine-Tailed Fox is locked inside. This demon wiped out the village 12 years ago, and the leader sacrificed himself to seal the demon inside Naruto.
The young man wants to become the best shinobi in history and be the leader of the Hidden Leaf Village. Thus begins his training to graduate from the Ninja Academy, where he learns very powerful techniques. Then he will form a group with his friends Sasuke and Sakura who will accompany him for a good part of his adventure.
Dragon Ball
Okay, Dragon Ball needs no introductions. It is a series that is still broadcast, but you can watch its seasons independently. It is divided into several sagas that follow the experiences of Goku, an alien child who arrives on Earth when he is only a baby. In Dragon Ball he begins his martial arts training, being a series very focused on fighting.
The first season chronicles the search for dragon balls, an artifact that can grant wishes. Over the years, Goku grows and becomes the strongest Saiyan. Earth is often threatened by villains such as Cell, Frieza or the Androids, who will face both the character and his friends.
Cowboy Bebop
Among the oldest anime, there is an essential gem called Cowboy Bebop. An old-school series inspired by detective cinema mixed with science fiction. Spike Spiegel is a former member of the Red Dragon crime syndicate who now pilots the Bebop ship. He is a bounty hunter who travels the solar system in search of new missions.
Little by little, he meets new members of his crew such as Faye Valentine or Ed. The action takes place in the year 2071, but 50 years ago an explosion destroyed half of the Moon. This cataclysm killed millions of people and the first colonies are created to escape from Earth.
Bleach
If you like Japanese folklore and mysticism, Bleach is a perfect adventure. Ichigo Kurosaki is a teenager with a strange ability, as he can interact with spirits. But one night he meets a shinigami named Rukia Kuchiki who is shocked to see that Ichigo can see her. Rukia is a personification of the God of Death, so she is responsible for transferring the soul of the dead to the afterlife.
Suddenly a hollow appears that damages Rukia seriously. He manages to transfer his powers to Ichigo, something that is forbidden for shinigamis. When members of the Alma Society learn what happened, they send an arrest warrant for Rukia. There really begins the plot of Bleach, a very extensive series composed of 7 seasons.
Demon Slayer (Kimetsu no Yaiba)
Another very current series that has pleased all anime fans. Tanjiro Kamada is in charge of bringing income home, since his father disappeared years ago. One day, Tanjiro returns home and his family has been attacked by a demon. Everyone has been killed, except his sister Nezuko. Although she has been bitten by the demon, she still retains her human thinking and emotions.
Tanjiro’s goal will be to find a cure for his sister and become a demon hunter. Legend has it that there is a man who wanders at night to kill these monsters. They can only be decapitated with weapons made of a special alloy that is not found everywhere.
Jujutsu Kaisen
Jujutsu Kaisen has been a real revelation. It still has few seasons and a movie, so you can see it in a few days. The living beings of Jujutsu Kaisen emanate a Cursed Energy that arises from the negative emotions that each individual has. Over time, this energy can turn into Curses, a race of sinister entities that cause harm to humanity.
A group of friends are interested in these beings until they have to save a friend from being possessed. As a consequence, the Curse ends up inside Yuji Itadori who manages to maintain control of his body. From that moment he will try to find a solution to eliminate the curse from his life.
These are not all the action anime out there, but they are must-have recommendations. If you’re looking for more series to watch, feel free to check out the 90 best recommended anime by genre to find more ideas. Many of them are available on streaming platforms and subscription sites such as Crunchyroll, Netflix.
Let us know your favorites in the comments section.
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