Today, anime is a major part of the watch list that we have shortlisted on our computer. There is always a list of anime that we want to see, a number of them that were recommended to us, and many more which we follow to be up to date with the anime world. But each of the anime mentioned in these lists belongs to one or multiple genres. Some of the genres are very common and often watched by the anime lovers or even by beginners, and the others are rarer to be seen in the watch list. Listed below are all the important genres and subgenres with a detailed description of each type and their examples to help you find out which genre you are more interested in.
The Major Anime Genres:
1. Action Anime
In this genre, you will get to see a lot of thrilling fights and intense battles. Like you witness in the movies, the action genre of anime makes you bite your nails off because of the interesting fight scenes. This genre does not let you sit in one place because of the intense adrenaline rush that you get while watching the series. The flawless animation makes the scenes more realistic and makes you feel as if you are yourself a part of the actions taking place. Some examples of action anime are:
Naruto
One Punch Man
Dragon Ball Z
2. Adventure Anime
The anime under this genre includes the main characters to travel to different places and go through different adventures to establish their life goals. They venture to faraway lands with a motto in their mind. These anime are generally longer than the other genres and can be stretched to many episodes. Other genres are often used alongside the adventure genre, mainly the action genre. Some examples of Adventure anime are:
Bleach
One Piece
Hunter x Hunter
3. Comedy Anime
This is a light-hearted genre that is made to make you laugh and enjoy the show without too much to think about. Though humor depends on your taste, but this genre covers everything like crazy moments, funny dialogues, wacky scenes, and other comical happenings. The animation in this genre is not as impressive as those of the action or the adventure genre. Some examples of Comedy anime are:
Ouran High School Host Club
Gintama
The Devil is a Part-Timer!
4. Drama Anime
Making people cry and feel a whole bucket of emotions is the main goal of this genre. Through this genre you feel each and every emotion that the characters are feeling. Generally, this genre is very intense and the plot tickles your tear ducts a lot. The anime under this genre has the capability to touch our heartstrings the most. Some examples of Drama anime are:
Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day
A Silent Voice
Angel Beats
5. Fantasy Anime
Just as the name suggests this genre deals with the fantastical realm. When you live in such a realistic society like ours a little bit of surrealism can make your life more interesting. The theme of magic and mysticism makes this genre, one of the most interesting and in-demand genres of all time. The dreamlike environment in these anime dazzles our senses and makes us feel captivated. Some examples of Fantasy anime are:
Fairy Tail
Sword Art Online
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
6. Supernatural Anime
Supernatural means something that is not natural or normal, but something more than that. This genre consists of themes which are mythical, bizarre, outside of the real world, and something that we cannot experience in our normal lives. The shows under this genre often carries a hint of mystery in them. Some examples of Supernatural anime are:
Death Note
Noragami
Tokyo Ghoul
7. Magic Anime
Incantations, spells, charms and magical girls, all these features make this genre a very popular and famous genre. Magical girl theme is so popular that it has become a subgenre in itself. This genre also includes magical sources and other magical creatures that can grant wishes and curse people without much difficulty. Some examples of Magic anime are:
The Seven Deadly Sins
That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime
Black Clover
8. Horror Anime
If there is a presence of supernatural scary beings like ghosts, demons, monsters and other creeps then you blindly classify these shows under the horror genre. Too much gore and blood can be horrifying too and thus can make an anime to be included in this genre. The more you get scared or creeped out the more successful will be the show as a part of this genre. Some examples of Horror anime are:
When They Cry
Parasyte: The Maxim
Highschool of the Dead
9. Mystery Anime
There is a central enigma in all kinds of mystery anime shows. No matter what the plot is, or who the characters are in a mystery anime there has to be something that needs to be discovered, or some secret that needs to be unveiled. Among ancient anime genres this is one of the most popular genres. Some examples of Mystery anime are:
The Promised Neverland
Erased
Death Parade
10. Romance Anime
No matter what you are watching or reading romance always occupies a soft spot in your heart. Romance anime typically portrays the blooming love between characters, their tender moments and they pull on your heartstrings. The sweet romantic moments make you want to fall in love and live happily ever after like in fairy tales. Romance genre works well with genres like harem, drama and comedy. Some examples of Romance anime are:
Kaichou wa Maid Sama
Kamisama Kiss
Kimi ni Todoke
11. Slice of life Anime
This genre basically pulls you out of your dreamland and drops you into the ocean that is reality. Nothing abnormal or supernatural happens in this kind of anime. You typically watch the struggles, happiness, sorrows, achievements that you face in your own life through some animated characters. The backbone of such anime is reality and life. Some examples of Slice of Life anime are:
Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso
Natsume’s Book of Friends
Haikyuu!!
12. Psychological Anime
The shows which puts forth how our mind and psyche works can be termed as the psychological anime. You can see everything in this anime have a psychological and sometimes even philosophical touch. You will see how different minds are at work against each other in the shows under this genre. You will have to think hard while watching these shows. Some examples of Psychological anime are:
Terror in Resonance
Code Geass
Psycho-Pass
13. Sci-fi Anime
In this generation where science and technology arevery important part of our lives sci-fi or science fiction anime as the name suggests works in the field of science and technology. Its main focal point is the development of the scientific field and also some technological advancement. Sci-fi can be often seen making ties with the subgenres like space and mecha to create an anime. Some examples of Sci-fi anime are:
Cowboy Bebop
Steins; Gate
Neon Genesis Evangelion
Subgenres for more specific tastes:
1. Demons Anime
The rise in the involvement of demonic characters like monsters, ghouls, etc. has helped in making this a subgenre of the anime world. It’s just not in horror anime that we see these beasts but in other supernatural anime too. These demonic characters are taken from different backgrounds, like it can be biblical or from Japanese culture. Some examples of Demon anime are:
Ninja Scroll
Legend of the Millennium Dragon
2. Vampires Anime
Vampires have become so famous in every field of entertainment, that is quite predictable that it will be a hot topic in the anime universe as well. Vampires are not just a part of the horror theme but also other genres like romance, comedy, drama. Some examples of Vampire anime are:
Vampire Princess Miyu
Vampire Knight
3. Post-Apocalyptic Anime
Just like the name suggests in a post-apocalyptic anime world you can see that either the world is in shambles, or the human race is extinct. Its popularity in recent times has helped it to become a subgenre. Some examples of Post-Apocalyptic anime are:
Sound of the Sky
Sidonia no Kishi
4. Cyberpunk Anime
This is a subgenre under the main genre of science fiction. This anime mainly portrays a dystopian future world where human beings are more dependent on technology than on social norms. It also shows how this dependence on technology is harmful for the world. Some examples of Cyberpunk anime are:
Bubblegum Crisis
Serial Experiments Lain
5. Space Anime
The involvement of the cosmos is very popular in anime universe. Hence, you can see that the space anime has created a place for itself in the list of anime genres. This subgenre is a part of the broader genres like mecha or sci-fi. Some examples of Space anime are:
Space Dandy
Bodacious Space Pirates
6. Game Anime
The theme of this subgenre can be predicted based on its name. Whenever there is involvement of any kind of playable games like card games, board games, video games, or even online games, the anime can be categorized in this subgenre. Some examples of Game anime are:
Phi Brain: Puzzle of God
Cardfight!! Vanguard
7. Sports Anime
Sports is a very popular subject among boys and sometimes even girls. Anime under this subgenre mainly involve athletic competitions and championships, especially in fields like basketball, soccer, tennis and baseball. Some examples of Sports anime are:
Kuroko’s Basketball
Slam Dunk
8. Police Anime
This subgenre mainly shows the struggles that any law enforcer, whether it be a police officer, a detective, or an investigator, faces in their line of duty. You can also see many police-based characters who show up in different shows, which helps to place that anime under this subgenre. Some examples of Police anime are:
Case Closed
Lupin the Third
9. Mecha Anime
This subgenre is often categorized along with genres like sci-fi, action and military. The term ‘mecha’ comes from the word mechanical. You will never find any mecha without any robot or mechanical suit in it. Some examples of Mecha anime are:
Mobile Suit Gundam
Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet
10. Military Anime
In this subgenre you can see the involvement of the military. Whether it has a war plot or any other battle does not affect the categorization. Also, this subgenre is a part of the action genre. Some examples of Military anime are:
Kantai Collection
Fullmetal Panic
11. Martial Arts Anime
Any anime from the action or adventure genre which involves any kind of fighting or battle can be put under this category. Any hand-to-hand combat, swordplay, armed combat which involves martial arts can be accepted under this subgenre. But there are also series which mainly focuses on martial arts and its different technicalities. Some examples of Martial Arts anime are:
Baki the Grappler
Hajime no Ippo
12. Tragedy Anime
This subgenre generally deals with any tragic event that takes place in the characters’ lives. The tragic incidents can be of many varieties such as natural disasters, accidents, and deaths. Anime under this theme can be very dramatic and play with the viewer’s emotions. Some examples of Tragedy anime are:
Zetsuen no Tempest
Hell Girl
13. Parody Anime
In a parody anime you can see numerous references to other anime shows, and it might include any feature starting from a character, a small part of the plot, some dialogues, etc. This mainly involves taking material from other shows to feature in another show. Some examples of Parody anime are:
School Rumble
Blood Lad
14. Harem Anime
Here you can see that a male protagonist is approached by many female characters. These characters are all interested in him romantically and wants to be his lover. This subgenre is a part of the main genres like romance and comedy. Some examples of Harem anime are:
To Love-Ru
High School DXD
15. Reverse Harem Anime
This subgenre is just the opposite of Harem anime genre. In this type of anime, you can see that the female protagonist gets a lot of attention from the male characters. They are all very eager to get her attention and affection. Like the traditional harem genre this subgenre also plays within the field of romance and comedy. Some examples of Reverse Harem anime are:
Pretear
The Wallflower
16. School Anime
A good ratio of the anime created use school as their primary setting. This can be considered as a subgenre for any anime which uses school as their main setting, and the plot mainly revolves around school students and their school lives. Some examples of School anime are:
Azumanga Daioh
Great Teacher Onizuka
17. Historical Anime
The historical subgenre involves themes from the past. It can include the historical times of Japan or even the middle ages and the medieval period of Europe. As soon as the time and setting of the anime is considered as old and ancient, it can be included in the historical anime subgenre. Some examples of Historical anime are:
Baccano
Black Butler
18. Music Anime
As a subgenre music anime is not very popular now a days. The anime under this theme mainly focuses on singing, dancing, and playing different musical instruments. This subgenre is mainly included in main genres like comedy, drama and romance. Some examples of Music anime are:
Uta no Prince Sama
Love Live! School Idol Project
Anime targeted to special demographics:
1. Yaoi Anime
Yaoi portrays a very intimate and sexually explicit relationship between two male characters. These relations are mainly between older boys and are thrown under mature light. Some examples of Yaoi anime are:
Hitorijime My Hero
Yuri!!! On Ice
Junjou Romantica 3
2. Yuri Anime
This the female version of the Yaoi anime. This genre deals with the intimate and mature relationships between two female characters. They are like the male characters of Yaoi anime, are older in age and are matured. Some examples of Yuri anime are:
Bloom into You
Citrus
Sasameki Koto
3. Hentai Anime
In Japanese the word ‘Hentai’ means ‘pervert’. This genre typically plays in the field of nudity and highly explicit sexual content. Some examples of Hentai anime are:
Adventure Kid
Slave Doll
Teacher’s Pet
4. Kodomo Anime
These are anime for younger kids, typically up to the age of 10. Their plots are very entertaining for the younger members of the anime world. Some examples of Kodomo anime are:
Pokémon
Doraemon
Digimon
5. Shounen Anime
These anime are also created for young boys, typically up to the age of 15, who loves fighting and adventure. These anime involves a very young hero. Some examples of Shounen anime are:
Shaman King
Gray-man
Katekyo Hitman Reborn
6. Shoujo Anime
This is the female counterpart of the Shounen anime. This genre typically attracts young girls. Some examples of Shoujo anime are:
Fruits Basket
Blue Spring Ride
My Little Monster
7. Seinen Anime
‘Seinen’ typically means young men from the ages of 15-24. This genre has more intense fighting stances than Shounen, though Seinen comedy also exists. Some examples of Seinen anime are:
Berserk
Hellsing Ultimate
Black Lagoon
8. Josei Anime
This is the female form of Seinen and typically involves women from the age of 18-30. This version attracts a lot of female viewers. Some examples of Josei anime are:
Hotarubi no Mori e
Paradise Kiss
Princess Jellyfish
