One surefire way to tell a more interesting story is to set it in a more interesting place. Feudal Japan, space stations, demonic orphanages, magical kingdoms, and countless other settings have played host to anime over the years. New characters and new worlds means intriguing narratives.
The afterlife is a fantastic anime setting in more ways than one. It grants writers and illustrators free rein to imagine a world unlike this one. It naturally ties itself to themes of life and death, love and loss, tribulation, and justice — all of which make for moving stories. Afterlife anime let audiences see characters at their highest and lowest moments. Here are some great ones.
10 Angel Beats!
It may be hard to convince some viewers that the afterlife can be high school without also being hell. Angel Beats! combines the mundane with the otherworldly with its setting: a high school for spirits.
After 13-year-old Otonashi dies, he loses his memories, reappears in the afterlife, and becomes a student at a very different high school. The addition of a student army and their war against the magical student council president only muddies the plot further, but Angel Beats! is a fun and decidedly different take on the afterlife.
9 Hells Angels
It's Rinne Amagane's first day of school. Or rather, it would be, if she weren't hit by a car and mistakenly sent to hell. There she finds herself at Destinyland, a different kind of school, and thus begins her journey back to life.
Some may dislike Hells Angels for the raw, almost unfinished art style of its characters, which stands out against the more traditional and detailed art of its backgrounds. For others, this distinct style is part of the show's appeal. Though it might not be for everyone, Hells Angels features a strong mix of drama, comedy, and action, which are all pleasingly balanced against one another.
8 Hell Girl
Ai Enma may look like an innocent schoolgirl, but she's on a literal mission from hell: punish wrongdoers. A horror anime as much as it is an afterlife anime, Hell Girl pulls no punches. Unabashedly creepy, this revenge tale doesn't just want to entertain viewers, it wants to make them question what acts deserve punishment and what punishments are fitting.
Hell Girl is strong at every level, but its pacing and characters are its standout features. This series is worth every second, even if it does take a strong constitution to watch it.
7 Hozuki's Coolheadedness
Hell + Japanese mythology + jokes + violence = Hozuki's Coolheadedness. If that summary sounds reductive, it's not. Hozuki's Coolheadedness excels at comedy, especially physical comedy, and while it's not an anime for children, it's not exactly mature.
Hozuki is a demon who works for Enma, the King of Hell, and takes his job seriously. Actually, Hozuki takes everything seriously, which is part of what makes him so well-suited for troubleshooting the various problems that arise in hell. The contrast between Hozuki, his subordinates, King Enma, and the other colorful characters in hell is what gives the series most of its top-tier humor.
6 Haibane Renmei
Haibane Renmei is visually arresting in the truest sense: the illustrations and animations are enough to stop viewers in their tracks. Even beautiful anime sometimes fail to reach their full potential, because the art style doesn't quite match the show's emotions. Here, in contrast, art and emotion are ideally suited.
The creator of Serial Experiments Lain, Texhnolyze, and other incredible anime does it again with Haibane Renmei. This story of a young being with a halo and small wings is anything but rushed, and while it may be too slow for some, it rewards those that stick with it.
5 Death Parade
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Positive and negative afterlives like heaven and hell might get most of the attention, but purgatory and other places in between add something necessary to the afterlife formula. This anime explores the question: what if there's a stopover between worlds?
Death Parade is about a bar where the souls of the dead go to be judged, before moving on to whatever the next stage of their journey is. Decim the bartender and his assistant preside over the death games that will determine each soul's fate. From idea to execution, Death Parade is one of the strongest afterlife anime around.
4 Gantz
Given that death is the prerequisite for arriving at the afterlife, violence is a predictable part of afterlife anime. Gantz, however, goes leaps and bounds beyond the expected levels of violence, death, and pain. This story of dead people forced to do battle for a chance at resurrection is captivating.
Its fight scenes are impactful and its characters are engaging, which makes it all the more devastating when they're killed and discarded. Gantz isn't an easy watch, but it is a breathtaking one. For anyone looking for an afterlife anime that jumps straight to worst-case scenarios, Gantz is the answer.
3 Cat Soup
Anyone who sees the adorable, anthropomorphic cat protagonists of Cat Soup and expects the film to be a kids' show like Hamtaro is mistaken. Cat Soup, like any good surrealist work, is deranged. Everything that could be a touchstone for normalcy in this show is uprooted.
Two cats journey through their underworld in search of one of their souls — but even that minimalist summary is misleading at best. Cat Soup is just too weird and erratic to do justice in words. If the lack of dialogue doesn't put most people off, the violence will. That said, from its visuals to its thematic development, Cat Soup may be a work of genius.
2 Yu Yu Hakusho
Yusuke Uremeshi is a punk. He looks like a punk, talks like a punk, and acts like a punk. That's why everyone is surprised when he sacrifices himself to prevent a little boy from being hit by a car.
Yusuke's "life" in the spirit world is one of constant conflict, enough to make this series a tournament anime in everything but name. Yu Yu Hakusho is a 90s classic, and anyone who missed this shonen gem when it first appeared should absolutely watch it. Yusuke is offered the chance to return to life but initially declines, a decision that immediately defines him as deeper and more intriguing than the average protagonist.
1 Bleach
Bleach is arguably the best afterlife anime there is. With well over 300 episodes, this massive shonen series packs in just about everything an anime fan could want. Ichigo Kurosaki is only one player in a fantastic ensemble. The fight scenes are thrilling and clever, and drama and comedy are balanced to perfection.
The afterlife itself is original and engaging, and learning about the nuances of the spirit world and the Thirteen Court Guard Squads gives viewers no shortage of reasons to keep coming back. When it comes to afterlife anime, there's everything else, and then there's Bleach.