Just like any other medium out there, anime comes in a variety of genres that help audiences narrow down their expectations and preferences. For unfamiliar viewers, even the basic anime genres and demographics — such as shonen, seinen, or josei — can sound intimidatingly unfamiliar.
Yet, digging deeper unveils a whole new world of peculiar anime subgenres, each characterized by a specific theme, setting, or storytelling approach. While anime shares many genres with other types of narrative fiction, like action, comedy, or thriller, some are unique to the medium. These are some of the most compelling subgenres that define their respective broader categories.
10 Super Robot
One of anime’s most well-known categories, the mecha genre, is generally broken down into two subgroups — the grounded Real Robot subgenre and the more fantastical, larger-than-life Super Robot subgenre. The history of mecha started in the 1940s, and for a while, all notable shows featured spectacular battle machines with almost magical capabilities.
Even after superhero-like mecha, such as Getter Robo and Mazinger Z, lost their appeal, the genre continued honoring its roots. To this day, Super Robot shows like Gurren Lagann and 70zlgm8″ title=”eureka seven”>Eureka Seven remain prevalent fan favorites.
9 Isekai
Isekai, literally translating to “different world,” is a subgenre of fantasy that features a character getting transported into another universe, be it a virtual reality, fantasy setting, or a parallel dimension. Isekai stories have existed in anime since the ’80s, later popularized by the likes of Fushigi Yugi and Magic Knight Rayearth.
Yet, the genre went mainstream in the early 2010s, influenced by the success of the 2012 light novel Mushoku Tensei and the anime debut of Sword Art Online. The former introduced the reincarnation subgenre within isekai, while the latter inspired the boom of MMORPG-inspired settings.
8 Mahou Shojo
Magical girl anime, or mahou shojo, is a prominent subgenre of fantasy that usually centers around a young female heroine who can use secret magical powers. Ever since the ’50s, mahou shojo was a power fantasy genre for young girls. Its most prominent classic examples include Sailor Moon, Cutie Honey, and Cardcaptor Sakura.
Yet, not all magical girl anime are lighthearted fairy tales about romance and friendship. The dark magical girl trend started with the 1997’s subversive psychological drama Revolutionary Girl Utena and exploded in popularity after Madoka Magica debuted in 2011.
7 Sports
The name of the sports subgenre speaks for itself; this category of shows focuses on all sorts of athletic disciplines, from high school sports clubs to professional competitions. Most popular sports series, like Haikyuu!!, Kuroko’s Basketball, and Blue Lock, usually target the shonen demographic.
However, the subgenre has a surprising number of female fans, with shows like Free! and Yuri!!! on ICE purposefully aimed to appeal to female audiences. Sports anime are a perfect blend of action, character-driven drama, and slice-of-live, which makes the genre universally inviting.
6 Parody
Considering how reliant the medium of anime is on tropes and clichés, it’s not surprising that it has a thriving parody scene. This subgenre of comedy doesn’t shy away from poking fun at all other genres. For those tired of idol shows’ predictability, there is Zombie Land Saga, a dark comedy subversion.
The forced lightheartedness of CGDCT slice-of-life is ruthlessly satirized in Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei. And the undisputed sovereign of parody anime, Gintama, makes fun of everything, from shonen anime’s generic clichés to more popular shows like One Piece and Dragon Ball.
5 Cute Girls Doing Cute Things
A commonly misunderstood subgenre of slice-of-life, Cute Girls Doing Cute Things is the culmination of the moe culture that gained massive popularity in the early 2000s. CGDCT anime doesn’t have much going on in terms of plot, depicting the routine lives of a group of cutesy female protagonists.
Their purpose is to invoke strong feelings of affection and let viewers escape into a world of simple daily delights. Despite accusations of repetitiveness and lack of excitement, there’s tons of appeal in CGDCT anime like K-On!, Lucky Star, and Bocchi the Rock!.
4 Samurai
Japan’s rich and compelling history has always been a prominent theme in anime, to the point that the subject of samurai, the military nobility of feudal Japan, became its own subgenre. Samurai shows are usually grounded in reality, taking viewers on a trip down the river of time to the era that glorified strength and honor above all else.
Yet, more unorthodox subversions exist within the samurai subgenre. For example, Samurai Champloo blends historical fiction and hip-hop culture, and Gintama satirizes the genre’s oldest tropes.
3 Real Robot
Once mecha fans grew tired of the magical power fantasy of Super Robot anime, the genre began exploring more grounded and realistic implications of advanced battle armor in society. The Real Robot subgenre leans more toward hard sci-fi, depicting mechs in practical military conflicts and focusing on the moral and ethical ramifications of their use.
The Gundam franchise is credited with introducing the concept of real robots into the genre. Other shows, like Macross, Patlabor, and Code Geass, followed suit, establishing a new era of mecha anime.
2 Iyashikei
A criminally underrated subgenre of slice-of-life anime, iyashikei, is dedicated to healing the audience’s soul. Even slower and more laid-back than typical slice-of-life, iyashikei lulls viewers into relaxing, peaceful worlds outside of day-to-day worries.
Not as focused on plot or action, iyashikei anime prioritizes character development and worldbuilding, which makes the genre naturally gravitate toward fantasy settings. Notable iyashikei anime include Aria the Animation, Mushishi, Natsume’s Book of Friends, and The Helpful Fox Senko-san, all of which provide viewers with a sense of tranquility and comfort.
1 Dark Fantasy
Dark fantasy has existed in media for as long as people saw the potential to explore the disturbing side of classic magical settings. In anime, the dark fantasy subgenre has always been popular, even before the debut of its magnum opus, Berserk.
But never have the fans yearned to go down the dark fantasy rabbit hole as much as today. Modern anime is the golden age of dark fantasy, with shows like Attack on Titan, Chainsaw Man, and Jujutsu Kaisen being on everyone’s minds and watchlists.
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