Many stories in media feature fantastical and bizarre situations, but there is nothing as strange as the concept of a body swap. Whether it be a permanent change or a temporary switch, being in another person's body can lead to a lot of crazy shenanigans.
Body swapping has appeared in all kinds of anime whether it be high fantasy or modern-day, but usually only as a short escapade that doesn't last long. However, there are a few anime that focus entirely on the concept itself. Here are the best anime that feature body-swapping as a central part of their story.
Updated June 18, 2023 by Danny Guan: Tropes come and go when it comes to stories in popular media, and anime and manga are no different. Body swapping as a trope has never really gone away, although there are a few anime that rest their premise entirely around it. Fans of body swap anime might then find it a little difficult to find more series featuring their favorite trope.
Despite this, there are still a few options for those who remain dedicated fans of the body-swapping trope. While it might be hard to find a lot of series that revolve around the concept entirely, there are examples of body swapping being used as a storyline in many places. Here are some more anime that either feature body-swapping as a main part of the story or otherwise feature it in some way.
11 Atashin'chi Movie
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Studio |
Shin-Ei Animation |
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Where to Stream |
N/A |
Atashin'chi is a long-running manga and anime series that features the episodic slice-of-life adventures of the Tachibana family. The protagonist of the series is 17-year-old Mikan, though her mother, father, and her younger brother Yuzuhiko are just as central to the series.
Atashin'chi itself does not have anything to do with body-swapping, but the movie released in 2003 is a different story. The movie has Mikan and her mother swap bodies when they are struck by lightning, forcing the two of them to live each other's lives while the other family members find a way to switch them back. The movie is a classic body swap story that any fan of the trope should appreciate.
10 Gintama
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Studio |
Sunrise |
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Where to Stream |
Gintama is well known for parodying and lampshading a variety of tropes, clichés, and archetypes due to its primary status as a comedy series. While it may not constantly center around the subject, Gintama has also done its own spin on the body-swapping trope in the Soul Switch Arc, in which Gintoki and Hijikata's souls end up in the wrong bodies.
In true Gintama fashion, the insanity does not stop there. It turns out that half of Gintoki's soul possessed a dead cat, turning it into an amnesiac monster. The other members of the Yorozuya and Shinsengumi also get roped into the mess as well, and soon nearly the entire main cast has ended up with their bodies switched. The result is one of the best examples of how Gintama can take a concept and spin it out of control in a matter of minutes.
9 The Legendary Hero Is Dead!
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Japanese Title |
Yuusha ga Shinda! |
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Studio |
Liden Films |
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Where to Stream |
Touka Scott is a farmer who has a fetish for thighs and stockings and a penchant for setting up traps. When one of his traps accidentally ends up killing Sion, the legendary Hero, Touka finds himself inside the Hero's decaying body. If Touka ever wants to return to his original body, he'll have to finish Sion's job and seal up the Gates of Hell.
The Legendary Hero Is Dead! puts a fantasy spin on the classic body swap story with a little bit of dark humor to go along with it. The series is airing this season, so body swap fans interested in the series will be able to watch it as it comes out from week to week.
8 Punch Line
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Studio |
MAPPA |
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Where to Stream |
After a bus hijacking incident, Yuta Iridatsu realizes that he has been ejected from his body. Among learning that he has various powers like possession and gaining strength whenever he sees a girl's underwear, he also finds out that he must find a sacred tome to get his body back.
Punch Line is a wild supernatural series with a bizarre setting and increasingly strange circumstances. The various strange situations that Yuta must deal with are a sight to behold, and the ridiculousness of the series tells viewers not to take everything too seriously. The series was written by Kotaro Uchikoshi of the Zero Escape series, and a visual novel based on the anime was later created.
7 Murder Princess
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Studio |
Bee Train |
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Where to Stream |
After a rebellion in the Forland Kingdom, the dying king sends his daughter Alita to find her brother Kaito. While fleeing through the forest, she falls off a cliff and onto the bounty hunter Falis. The two manage to survive, but they wake up to find that their bodies have been swapped. Now Falis must pretend to be Princess Alita and defend her kingdom against any threats.
Murder Princess is a short, comedic series that plays with the conventions of the high fantasy genre. The image of a prim and proper princess acting like a rough warrior is a sight to behold. While it is nothing high-concept, fantasy fans will definitely get a bit of a kick out of this.
6 Charlotte
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Studio |
P.A. Works |
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Where to Stream |
Every 75 years, a strange comet named Charlotte passes over Earth, and its dust causes children who inhale it to manifest supernatural powers during puberty. Yuu Otosaka, upon becoming a high schooler, obtains the ability to possess others, and when his power is revealed, he is forced to transfer to Hoshinoumi Academy by Nao Tomori to protect such ability users.
Charlotte is a supernatural anime that will appeal to fans of shows with supernatural powers, and while body swapping isn't the main core of the story, it is the signature power of the main character. This series has plenty of drama and fast-paced action, and it is considerably more serious than most anime concerning body swaps.
5 Birdy The Mighty: Decode
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Studio |
A-1 Pictures |
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Where to Stream |
N/A |
One day, while walking outside at night, Tsutomu Senkawa is mortally wounded in a fight between Birdy Cephon Altera and an intergalactic criminal. In order to save his life, Birdy decides to fuse with him to keep him alive. Until Tsutomu's body can be rebuilt, the two of them are forced to share a body.
Birdy the Mighty: Decode is a classic body swap series in which a normal high school boy shares bodies with a powerful, superhero-like fighter. While the series is mostly based on action and intrigue, the dynamic has a lot of comedic moments, and the interaction between the two characters is fun to watch.
4 Kokoro Connect
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Studio |
Silver Link |
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Where to Stream |
Five high school students, all members of the Student Cultural Research Club, suddenly find themselves swapping bodies. After trying to figure out what is happening to them, they learn that they are the subject of an experiment by an unknown entity called Heartseed. As they try to adapt to their changing circumstances, their bonds as friends will be tested.
Kokoro Connect is a very dramatic series that focuses on the bonds of friendship and the emotional bonds that people have. By undergoing these challenges together and coming out on top, the group slowly comes to understand each other in new ways. While body-swapping does not remain at the core of the series' main issue, it still plays a big role for a large part of the series.
3 Kaiba
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Studio |
Madhouse |
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Where to Stream |
In a world where memories can be stored on memory chips, transferring one's mind to another's body and memory stealing becomes increasingly common. A man named Kaiba awakens in a room with no memories and a locket containing a picture of a girl inside. Kaiba goes out to explore the world, recover his memories, and meet the girl in the locket.
Kaiba is a very unique series, with a classic art style that is very reminiscent of the 60s and 70s anime aesthetic, despite coming out in the 21st century. While it may not necessarily appeal to modern anime fans, cyberpunk, and science fiction fans may enjoy this rather irregular series.
2 Yamada-kun And The Seven Witches
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Japanese Title |
Yamada-kun to 7-nin no Majo |
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Studio |
Liden Films |
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Where to Stream |
Delinquent Ryu Yamada accidentally falls down the steps onto top student Urara Shiraishi and finds that somehow the two have switched bodies. After spending the school day trying to pass themselves off as the other, they eventually figure out the problem; when the two of them kiss, they swap bodies with each other.
Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches starts with a fantastical premise, and it only gets stranger when more characters and powers are involved. While body swap is only a part of the craziness this series gets up to, it still manages to play a prominent role. This series is a hilarious romantic comedy with loads of supernatural hijinks.
1 Your Name
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Japanese Title |
Kimi no Na wa |
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Studio |
Comix Wave Films |
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Where to Stream |
Bored of her life in the country, Mitsuha Miyamizu wishes she could be a Tokyo boy in her next life. Suddenly, she begins to randomly swap bodies with a boy named Taki Tachibana. Unsure of how to handle these new circumstances, the two must learn to live in each other's bodies while slowly getting to know each other.
Your Name is a dramatic romance movie directed by Makoto Shinkai with a few elements of fantasy, and it is a massively popular one at that. It remains one of the most well-known anime movies of all time and Makoto Shinkai's best work, and anime fans still rave about the movie to this day.