Highlights

• Japanese manga has inspired a whole world of anime, including superhero stories.
• One-Punch Man is a satirical take on superheroes, but still delivers inspirational messages.
• Sailor Moon revolutionized the beautiful girl genre and remains one of the world's favorite anime superheroes.

Western fans of superheroes have devoured stories from Marvel and DC in recent years, with many new fans discovering the comics through the film adaptations. In Japan, there's Manga, a similar medium that has inspired all kinds of anime, including those about superheroes. Japanese mangaka have created their own phenomenal takes on the genre, the best of which have been adapted into anime.

These stories are influenced by many things from Western superhero stories to classic vintage shows. One thing is for sure, the epic over-the-top battles and fights to save the day are absolutely on point in the world of anime.

Updated on February 12th, 2024, by Kristy Ambrose: The popularity of the superhero genre continues to grow even as its live-action counterparts have moved from the spotlight. Some of these new additions are more recent entries in superhero fandom, while others are older shows that have been rediscovered by a curious and resourceful fanbase. Popular culture is starting to change, and the comic book trend is cooling off, but now that the two genres have combined a whole new era of superhero anime has begun.

20 One-Punch Man

MyAnimeList Rating: 8.5

Saitama, the main character of One-Punch Man, is the most powerful superhero ever. That's the premise of this show, which relies on satire to tell the story of a kindly but bored superhero in a whole world already choked with heroes.

Even though it pokes fun at the genre, it still has a lot of inspirational messages and borrows some typical plotlines that tend to get recycled in stories about superheroes. All Saitama asks for is a foe that's worthy of him, which is a lot to ask when you can take out literally anyone with only one punch. The clever satire is one of the reasons this fairly recent entry is one of the best superhero anime in the history of the genre.

19 Hurricane Polymar

MyAnimeList Rating: 6.5

• Release Date: Oct 4, 1974
• Studio: Tatsunoko Productions
• Number of Episodes: 26

A vintage title that still has a lot of charm in the modern era, anime fans will see echoes of more current shows that use a similar template. The main character, Yoroi Takeshi, spends his days as a seemingly carefree young man who works for a bumbling private investigator in his spare time. The truth is that he's really the superhero Hurricane Polymar, transformed and given superpowers by his special helmet.

This is one of the earliest examples of anime in any form, let alone the superhero genre. If you have trouble finding the original version, which was never released in DVD form, an OVA remake was released in 1997 and distributed by Urbane Vision in the US.

18 R.O.D The TV

MyAnimeList Rating: 7.1

• Release Date: October 1, 2003
• Studio: J.C.Staff and Studio Deen
• Number of Episodes: 26

Bibliophiles and superhero fans alike will appreciate this quirky show, which features three sisters and their powers of paper manipulation. If this was a D&D subclass, it would be something like a Papermage or a Writing Warlock, and it's interesting and entertaining to see how powerful Michelle, Maggie, and Anita can be by manipulating what seems like a mundane item.

The plot of this 26-episode series follows their adventures as bodyguards for a prominent Japanese writer. The show's name is an acronym related to the titles of the manga and light novels from which the series was adapted; "Read or Die" and "Read or Dream." It's unconventional but a great choice for a unique type of superhero anime.

17 Samurai Pizza Cats

MyAnimeList Rating: 7.1

• Release Date: February 1, 1990
• Studio: Tatsunoko Productions
• Number of Episodes: 52

A fun and cute show that was localized for kids back in the day, this superhero anime was way ahead of its time. It played on the topic of heroes with less than heroic personalities, with the main inspiration being a parody of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles show, but the satire, jokes, and parody elements were mostly lost on the target audience.

The whole idea of a superhero show combined with comedy was also new at the time. For those who enjoy modern Marvel shows and films that also include quips and laughs, Samurai Pizza Cats is the ideal superhero anime, especially if the viewer likes the classic stuff.

16 Sailor Moon

MyAnimeList Rating: 7.6

These beautiful soldiers are known for their fabulous footwear, and their leader, Sailor Moon, was deliberately drawn with distinct red boots as a shout-out to Superman. Sailor Moon not only defined the beautiful girl genre for a generation, but it also gave us a whole team of all-female superheroes and a serialized animated drama, a concept that was still rare in North American cartoons.

Sailor Moon is so popular that it commands a massive merchandising and media empire that's still making money decades after the original show first aired and remains one of the world's favorite anime superheroes. New fans can enjoy the Sailor Moon Crystal remakes that follow the manga along with the original series, which had a unique storyline.

15 Powerpuff Girls Z

MyAnimeList Rating: 6.5

• Release Date: July 1, 2006
• Studio: Toei Animation
• Number of Episodes: 52

Powerpuff Girls Z is more of a remake than a reboot, as many of the major plot points in the original show are absent. Powerpuff Girls Z loses the detail of the main characters being sisters and gives them different personalities and powers than their Cartoon Network counterparts.

What stays the same is the theme of superheroes, and whereas the older show was a satire this one takes fighting crime and saving the world more seriously. It's told using the magical girl aesthetic, with each hero having a special power and corresponding weapon, typical features of hero anime as if it had come from Japan in the first place.

14 Astro Boy

MyAnimeList Rating: 7.2

• Release Date: October 1, 1980
• Studio: Tezuka Productions
• Number of Episodes: 52

A vintage classic that many fans report was the first anime they ever saw on local television, AstroBoy not only revived the superhero genre but also defined the aesthetic that would come to be known as "anime." It was one of the first cartoons to air on Japanese television in the 1960s, and the version most North American viewers are familiar with was the second series, which is a full-color remake of the original.

AstroBoy touches on several different genres that have a healthy international fan base, like science fiction and young adult, which is one of the reasons it's so universally popular and remains a popular superhero anime. The face of the main character is as iconic as other figures like Mickey Mouse or the golden arches of MacDonald's.

13 Samurai Flamenco

MyAnimeList Rating: 6.9

• Release Date: October 18, 2013
• Studio: Manglobe
• Number of Episodes: 22

The 22 episodes that encompass Samurai Flamenco include an interesting twist. The premise when the story begins is that superheroes and their powers don't exist, and the audience assumes that as sweet as Masayoshi Hazama is to dream of becoming a superhero, it's nothing more than a fantasy.

However, expectations are neatly subverted when the male model dons a costume and starts to fight crime when he's not posing for the cameras. When the story turns fantastic, and malevolent creatures appear that aren't supposed to exist, will a real superhero be able to fight them?

12 Microsuperman

MyAnimeList Rating: 6.3

• Release Date: 7 April 1973
• Studio: Toei Animation
• Number of Episodes: 26

A classic from the early 1970s, the original manga was entitled Microid S and ran from March to September 1973. The anime adaptation consisted of 26 episodes and ran from April to October of the same year, following the early tradition of the TV show running concurrently with the comic books.

The title of the anime calls back to Superman, but this is more like Ant-Man because the main characters are the size of and take on the power of insects. The hero is Yanma the Dragonfly Man, the leader of the Microids, and his allies include Butterfly Girl and Beetle Boy.

11 Marvel Future Avengers

MyAnimeList Rating: 5.7

• Release Date: July 22, 2017
• Studio: Madhouse
• Number of Episodes: 26

A collaboration of Madhouse and Disney Japan, this is a fun superhero anime to watch just for the visuals no matter what, and like their conventional counterparts, they also had a comic book before they appeared on film.

Marvel Future Avengers tells the story of three teenagers raised and trained by Hydra to use their powers against the Avengers. After their first mission, however, they start to doubt the narrative they've been told and one of them manages to reach Tony Stark and ask for help. The plotline of the first season is about how the protagonists, with the help of the Avengers, free themselves from Hydra and help defeat their evil plan.

10 Heroman

MyAnimeList Rating: 6.7

• Release Date: April 1, 2010
• Studio: Bones
• Number of Episodes: 26

As if any further confirmation were needed that the superhero anime genre has entered the satirical age, here's a selection that makes fun of the genre while relying on its most notorious tropes. The producers and creators at Bones Studio, the Japanese company that created Heroman, bring it full circle by including Stan Lee as a writer, and he created the basic premise of the series.

It's simple, classic superhero material, focusing on a normal kid who ends up with a toy that has extraordinary powers, mainly that it turns into a big giant robot. The two of them have to face a group of malicious aliens that a local science teacher has accidentally summoned to Earth.

9 Tentai Senshi Sunred

MyAnimeList Rating: 7.6

• Release Date: October 3, 2009
• Studio: AIC A.S.T.A.
• Number of Episodes: 26

Can a superhero ever retire? Is that possible, or do they just grow bored and useless, living off their girlfriend and using nicotine as a food group while their enemies harass them via cooking shows? Tentai Senshi Sunred is a story about the latter, an anime about a character who's done with being a superhero.

It's part of a genre referred to as light parody, and it takes place in a modern setting that could be any Japanese city. The hero, Sunred, has long since sold his "superbike" and now has to deal with his sworn enemies, the Evil Florsheim Army, in mundane everyday situations.

8 My Hero Academia

MyAnimeList Rating: 7.9

Here's a twist on the superhero genre. The story doesn't just play with the whole idea of origin stories, it also has some creative ideas regarding the nature of superpowers. In the universe of My Hero Academia, superpowers are called "Quirks" and everyone has a different one.

My Hero Academia isn't the story of a superhero trying to exist in a world of normal people. Izuku Midoriya, the hero of our story, is born into a world of superheroes, but he has no powers. Izuku still dreams of becoming a superhero, and he is eventually recruited by the inspirational All Might and sent to a prestigious high school for superheroes in training.

7 Cyborg 009: Call of Justice

MyAnimeList Rating: 6.2

• Release Date: 2017
• Studio: Production I.G, Sanzigen
• Number of Episodes: 12

This isn't a series but a film compilation that consists of three movies, which compile, update, and continue a story that's been in circulation for more than half a century. The first Cyborg 009 comics were released in 1964 and their popularity fueled a series that lasted for decades until concluding in 1981.

Cyborg 009: Call of Justice recalls the history and lore of this universe while telling yet another unique story, which means fans of both drama and superheroes will like it. How do superheroes live with the aftermath of their actions, and do their missions ever really end?

6 Guyver: The Bioboosted Armor

MyAnimeList Rating: 7.1

• Release Date: August 6, 2005
• Studio: OLM
• Number of Episodes: 26

A must for fans of mecha or big giant robot anime, the original manga, Bio Booster Armor Guyver, is the real star of this story. The manga encompasses 60 volumes, and Guyver: The Bioboosted Armor only goes up to ten volumes. The plot contains healthy amounts of both mecha and body horror, and there is also a saga that includes genetically engineered soldiers.

When the Chronos Corporation loses several of their experimental Guyver suits, teenager Shō Fukamachi finds them and merges with the armor, essentially giving him superhuman abilities. In a classic superhero anime plotline, Shō must defeat the evil corporate entity and rescue the woman he loves.

5 Gachaman CROWDS

MyAnimeList Rating: 7.3

• Release Date: July 12, 2013
• Studio: Tatsunoko Production
• Number of Episodes: 12

Gachaman Crowds is part of a new trend in anime in which shows are produced as part of a franchise or name brand as opposed to adapted from a manga. The title is taken from the name of the CROWDS system that turns human beings into special reinforced fighting suits, powered by their spiritual powers, or NOTE abilities.

The main character is Maaya Uchida, a 16-year-old high school student who is part of the Gachaman Crew, shortened to G-Crew in the series. The G-Crew must use their powers to defend Earth against the hostile aliens, known as NESS, along with rebuffing attacks from VAPE attacks from rival machines similar to CROWDS.

4 Zetman

MyAnimeList Rating: 7.5

• Release Date: April 3rd, 2012
• Studio: TMS Entertainment
• Number of Episodes: 13

There's a lot of superhero comedy out there, perhaps too much, so those who are seeking some serious drama would appreciate Zetaman. The original manga was known for its mature themes and visceral narrative style, and the anime continues with this dark tone.

The story revolves around the conflict between two rival superheroes, named Alphas and ZET, and goes into their backstories as the plot unfolds. Their higher purpose is to protect the world from the malicious Players, a group of monsters who were the result of sordid and controversial scientific experiments.

3 Darker Than Black: Kuro no Keiyakusha

MyAnimeList Rating: 8.0

• Release Date: Apr 6, 2007
• Studio: Bones
• Number of Episodes: 25

Darker Than Black begins ten years after the Heaven and Hell Gates first appeared along with the Contractors, beings with supernatural powers gained in exchange for their humanity. Heaven's Gate is located on the South American continent and Hell's Gate can be found in Japan, where most of the story takes place.

Instead of being told from the point of view of one of the superheroes, or Contractors, the view follows a police chief on the trail of one known as the Black Reaper. Chief Misaki Kirihara isn't just looking for the Reaper but his equally ruthless employers, an organized crime group known as the Syndicate. The genre mixes science fiction, occult, and horror, and it's also a gritty crime drama so it's not for the whole family.

2 Inuyashiki

MyAnimeList Rating: 7.5

• Release Date: October 12, 2017
• Studio: MAPPA
• Number of Episodes: 11

Inuyashiki started as a manga that ran for three years between 2014 and 2017, which then became an anime series, and finally a live-action film in 2018. It fits into several categories including mecha, science fiction, and superhero anime, and it's as much a social commentary on ageism and human alienation as it is about technology.

The main character is Inuyashiki Ichiro, and his life is not a happy one. Between an uncaring family and a pointless life, he doesn't have much to do or hope for until a freak accident with a meteorite gives him a futuristic and powerful mechanical body. As the story progresses it's revealed that Inuyashiki's arch-nemesis was created in the same accident, and the two are destined to meet and have a final battle.

1 Tiger & Bunny

• Release Date: April 3, 2011
• Studio: Sunrise
• Number of Episodes: 25

It's mecha, superhero anime, and science fiction, but Tiger & Bunny is also a unique take on the buddy-cop genre. The setting is a futuristic version of New York City in which superheroes are a common phenomenon and are sponsored by corporate entities to carry their ads and do heroic things.

The plot revolves around the veteran Tiger and the novice Bunny, who would be unlikely partners except for one thing, they share the same superhero power. Bunny, whose real name is Barnaby, is a more serious character than he originally lets on, and the show takes a more serious turn when it comes to solving the mystery of his murdered parents.