Highlights

• Anime series set on ships range from lighthearted and funny to serious and tense, but all share a love for sea travel and ships.
• Characters in ship anime can include pirates, stowaways, the Navy, high schoolers, and spies, making for fun and interesting story possibilities.
• One Piece is the ultimate ship anime, with its sprawling saga of the war between pirates, memorable characters, and epic adventures on the open sea.

It's not the ship, but the freedom it brings, and it's a universal concept that forms the basis of many anime movies and series. Plenty of anime takes place almost entirely on ships, with only the open ocean and the smell of salty spray to guide their characters' fates. Depending on the setting, those ships may be traveling between planets as opposed to across an ocean.

Characters in anime set on ships include everything from strict military leaders to unruly pirates, and in animated form, that presents even more fun and interesting possibilities. That can include pirates, stowaways, the Navy, high schoolers, or spies. These shows range from lighthearted and funny to serious and tense, but all of them share a love for sea travel, ships, and those who sail them.

Updated January 25, 2024 by Kristy Ambrose: The One Piece live-action Netflix adaptation continues to impress fans who know the franchise, as well as attract new ones. The popularity and longevity of One Piece, one of anime history's longest-running shows, is just one example of how creative animators and writers can get when it comes to stories about unique seafaring vessels. These fantastic inventions can also travel through space or underwater as opposed to over it, and include submarines and starships along with boats.

16 Azur Lane

MyAnime List Score: 6.3

Based on the popular mobile game, Azur Lane tells a simple story about girls at war with one another, except the girls are also anthropomorphic ships. The animation and music are good throughout, so much so that the music is arguably one of the strongest points in the series.

Each character has designs, weapons, and personalities that set them apart from one another in meaningful ways, and if their character designs are a bit surreal, they're still well-conceived and beautifully rendered. The show strikes a good balance between action and drama, and there are plenty of anime warships and fighting, but the bloodshed of the main characters is kept to a minimum.

15 KanColle: Kantai Collection

MyAnime List Score: 6.3

This anime series is an adaptation of a video game, which makes sense considering the rather unusual premise. The title can be translated as "Fleet Collection" or "Fleet Girls Collection," which partly describes the main characters: girls who can transform into warships. They train to fight a force known only as the Abyssal Fleet, which threatens to wipe out human life.

The plot is developed beyond that, putting the girls' power into their clothing and the ability to embody the spirits of naval vessels, also known as kanmusu. For example, the main character, Fubuki, is a destroyer that dates from World War One.

14 7Seeds

MyAnime List Score: 6.6

For fans of isekai, the survivalist genre, or shows like Lost, the plot of 7Seeds is reminiscent of all three. The first episode starts with an idyllic vision of the present world, with everyone leading a normal life. But then, the main character wakes up on a life raft after some kind of cataclysm that remains a mystery for the time being.

The last thing that Natsu Iwashimizu remembers is lying in bed in her room, but suddenly she finds herself floating on the open sea with a few other survivors. There are six others, making a group of seven, and eventually they find what looks like a wild and unsettled island.

Even after leaving the raft, they construct an offshore platform because the jungle is so dangerous. Even when this anime is off the boat, it's still on the water.

13 Hikawa Maru Monogatari

MyAnime List Score: n/a

Jiro is a child growing up on a ship called the Hikawa Maru. The life of the child and that of the ship sometimes run parallel to one another in this anime film. Hikawa Maru Monogatari explores the Japanese perspective of World War I and II, but its real focus is on the history of the Hikawa Maru itself, diving into every detail of its 85-year existence. Though sometimes uneven, the animation is gorgeous.

The anime isn't afraid to take a nuanced stance on complex topics, which is appropriate given how much the wars factor into its plot and themes. After losing his mother, Jiro becomes infatuated with the Hikawa Maru, a luxury cruise liner, eventually landing a job on the ship itself and setting sail. The film shifts perspectives and times whenever convenient, which gives Hikawa Maru Monogatari a different rhythm than most anime.

12 Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko

MyAnime List Score: 7.2

Based on the 2014 novel by Kanako Nishi, Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko is about Nikuko and Kikuko, a mother and daughter who live on a fishing boat. Nikuko is doing her best to raise her daughter Kikuko despite the challenges she has faced as a mother. The major selling point of Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko, which is also known by the Japanese name of Gyokou no Nikuko-chan, is its wholesomeness.

For viewers looking for a cozy break from darker or more tense anime, this series is a welcome respite. The watercolor style is the perfect match for its content, and the food seen throughout the anime looks genuinely delicious, which is quite an accomplishment. Unfortunately, its attitude towards Nikuko, her weight, and her eating habits isn't exactly enlightened, turning her weight into a running gag.

11 Zipang

MyAnime List Score: 7.5

The JDS Mirai, the most advanced destroyer in the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, sets sail on a training exercise with the United States Navy but loses contact with the other ships after encountering a meteorological anomaly. Soon, a battleship passes them, but not just any ship: it's the Yamato, a ship that sunk in 1945.

After realizing that they have somehow been flung more than six decades back in time to the Battle of Midway, the crew is forced to decide whether they should intervene, thus altering the course of World War II. Infused with historical elements but willing to deviate in the name of drama, Zipang is a fascinating series of naval anime.

10 Odin: Photon Sailer Starlight

MyAnime List Score: 5.9

The show is just as dramatic as the epic nature of the title implies, and its alternative title, Odin: Starlight Mutiny, is just as dramatic. The movie dates from 1985, and it still has a solid fan base despite its age. It's not exactly anime with warships, but more like an anime cruise.

The space schooner Starlight is on her maiden voyage, an interstellar test flight with a green crew and an unknown destination. They intercept a damaged ship that carries a lone survivor. The crew wants to investigate her story further, but the officers want to follow their orders and return to Earth. A mutiny follows and the crew travels deep into space to discover the secret of Odin.

9 Aria The Animation

MyAnime List Score: 7.7

The production crew of Aria the Animation made a trip to Venice to study the gondoliers to ensure their depiction of life on a boat was more realistic. This story doesn't exactly take place on one boat, but the many that are found on the planet Aqua are used in everyday life.

Formerly known as Mars, the planet Aqua has been terraformed to accommodate human life and is now almost entirely covered in water. Gondoliers, referred to as Undines, act as the main form of public transportation, and the main character Akari has traveled to Aqua to train as one.

8 High School Fleet

MyAnime List Score: 7.2

High School Fleet follows Akeno Misaki, newly enrolled at Yokosuka Girls' Marine High School, seeking to become a Blue Mermaid. Akeno and her class set off aboard the Harekaze destroyer, only for an incident to lead the girls to be accused of mutiny.

Akeno must then try to do the honorable thing, which is to lead her crewmates in sailing the Harekaze, discover the truth behind the incident, and avoid capture while doing it. With a healthy dose of Girls und Panzer "girls operating military equipment" flavor along with high-stakes naval battles, High School Fleet has a lot to recommend.

7 Jormungand

MyAnime List Score: 7.8

Child soldier Jonah Mar hates weapons and arms dealers even more, but when international arms dealer Koko Hekmatyar recruits Jonah as a bodyguard, he is forced into the very life he hates the most. Jonah and Koko's other bodyguard share one goal, to protect Koko while she tries to bring about world peace.

Jormungand follows Jonah, Koko, and the crew as they travel the world selling weapons and trying to avoid the authorities. Trailed by the CIA and assassins, it won't be easy keeping Koko alive. It's an anime that has strong animation, music, and pacing to back up its premise, making it one of the best anime with warships available.

6 Nadia - The Secret Of Blue Water

MyAnime List Score: 7.4

This anime adapts the novels of Jules Verne as most of its inspiration, especially the adventures of Captain Nemo as told in 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea. The setting is an alternate version of history in which technology has taken more of a Steampunk turn.

The main character is Jean, an inventor from France, and when he meets Nadia he also gets mixed up with a gang of jewel thieves who are trying to steal her pendant, a mysterious gem called Blue Water. They are rescued by Nemo and the crew of the Nautilus, where they fight against the forces of Neo-Atlantis and continue to search for The Secret of Blue Water.

5 Arpeggio of Blue Steel

MyAnime List Score: 7.4

Arpeggio of Blue Steel is also commonly known as Aoki Hagane no Arpeggio: Ars Nova. It's a vision of humanity's future, should the icecaps melt. It's the year 2039, and not only has water covered much of Earth, but a mysterious and powerful naval force known as the Fleet of Fog has blockaded much of humanity's ability to travel.

After 17 years of humanity living at the mercy of the Fleet, the protagonist Gunzou Chihaya comes across a remnant of the old fleet. But for some reason, it wants to take humanity's side. Gunzou gathers together some like-minded humans that want to free Earth from the Fleet of Fog and forms a group known as Blue Steel.

4 Black Lagoon

MyAnime List Score: 8.0

One of the most popular ship anime around, Black Lagoon follows a four-person team of mercenary pirates known as the Lagoon Company as they smuggle goods around Southeast Asia. Stealing, getting into gunfights with criminals, and otherwise making themselves nuisances to the law-abiding citizens of the world, Benny, Rock, Revy, and Dutch make the perfect protagonists.

Black Lagoon deserves every bit of the praise it gets. Some viewers may not care for its wanton, action-movie approach to violence, with characters spewing machine gun fire at every opportunity and buildings exploding left and right. However, the series has a lot more to love than action. It just helps that it does action so well.

3 Gargantia On The Verdurous Planet

MyAnime List Score: 7.5

A selection with a mecha component, for those that are fans of big giant robots, and this futuristic anime also has a time-travel angle. The main character, Ledo, begins the story as a soldier for the Galactic Alliance of Humankind as they fight against the squid-like Hideauze race.

After a botched mission, however, he finds himself on the Garagntia, a fleet of ships on a watery planet that turns out to be ancient Earth. Ledo is essentially shipwrecked on a forgotten planet, and the story changes from defeating the Hideauze to finding a new life as part of the Gargantia.

2 Blue Submarine No.6

MyAnime List Score: 7.0

This post-apocalyptic vision of an earth in the future that's covered in water is known as Ao no 6-gou in Japan. It wasn't war or pollution that caused the planet to flood, however, but the actions of an evil scientist named Zorndyke in a sinister attempt to take over the world.

The human beings that haven't been killed by natural disasters or animal-hybrid monsters fight back from their submarines in this battleship anime. The story focuses on one of the subs and the characters on it as they attempt to derail Zorndyke's plan and reclaim the earth. It's not exactly a realistic premise, but anime isn't the place to go for realism anyway.

1 One Piece

MyAnime List Score: 8.7

The ultimate pirate anime, the ultimate ship anime, and one of the greatest and longest-running shonen anime of all time is One Piece. Most anime fans are already familiar with the series and its sprawling saga of the war between pirates, other pirates, people who look like pirates but were just minding their own business, and the World Government's Marines. From the ships to the sailors to the sea itself, this is what a ship anime done right looks like.

Monkey D. Luffy, founder, and captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, is an unforgettable character, from his personality to his signature hat to the stretchy powers given to him by the Gum-Gum Fruit. He has the good fortune to be among a cast of characters just as colorful and compelling as he is, helping make One Piece a one-of-a-kind anime.