Highlights
- Anime featuring animal protagonists offer unique perspectives and explore themes of survival, coexistence, and friendship.
- From mythical animal packs to anthropomorphic characters, shows like
Kimba the White Lion
create captivating stories. -
Beastars
delves into societal unrest and discrimination through the struggle of humanoid wolf Legoshi, offering compelling viewing.
Anime series led by animal protagonists can often provide viewers with unique character perspectives. Through unconventional lead heroes, these shows create captivating stories, and are able to touch on a variety of intriguing themes concerning different species and lifestyles.
Delving into thoughtful themes such as survival, coexistence, and friendship, these series enjoy the space to provide imaginative explorations of the animal world. In turn, they manage to thematically line-up with more human concerns and themes. Essentially, through the lens of an animal perspective, some of these shows have managed to cross-examine the human condition, making for thought-provoking content in the process. From mythical animal packs to anthropomorphic figures functioning in colorful societies, the following series have covered a wide range of genres and concepts through their use of animals as lead characters.
5 Kimba The White Lion
MyAnimeList: 6.64
- Initial release: October 6, 1995
- Demographic: Shōnen
- Genre: Adventure
- Studio: Mushi Production
This classic series zeroes in on the adventures of the titular hero, Kimba, as he seeks to successfully unite the animal kingdom. From there, Kimba’s long-term goal is to foster a peaceful world in which humans and animals can co-exist.
Born on a zoo-bound ship, Kimba escapes during a devastating storm. As he grows, he learns about both animal and human cultures, and discovers the tragic origins of his father, whose attempts to provide sanctuary to other animals led to his unfortunate demise. Viewers follow Kimba as he begins his quest, following in his late father Panja’s footsteps in bringing animals together, but taking it a step further by seeking peace with humanity. A seminal entry in anime’s long, rich history, Kimba the White Lion remains a charming, imaginative viewing experience today.
4 Samurai Pizza Cats
MyAnimeList: 7.07
- Initial release: February 1, 1990
- Demographic: Shōnen
- Genre: Comedy, Sci-Fi, Action
- Studio: Tatsunoku Productions
This fun, quirky series follows a trio of feline samurai who also happen to have expertise in the art of making pizza. Set in a futuristic city named Edoropolis, the series follows the three cats as they fight crime.
Edoropolis is a place where a variety of mechanical animals reside. Despite being peaceful on the surface, the sinister Lord Korn has devised a plan to seize power in the area. In response, his rival, Lord Wanko, puts together the dangerous Nyankees, the titular heroes of the series. With its zany, imaginative premise and set-up, Samurai Pizza Cats is an endearingly silly, always-entertaining series that sees the cats tip-toe a fine line of balancing the dangers of samurai life with the hustle and bustle of running a pizza restaurant.
3 Kemono Friends
MyAnimeList rating: 7.54
- Initial release: January 11, 2017
- Demographic: Shōnen
- Genre: Adventure
- Studio: Yaoyorozu
Kemono Friends introduces viewers to Japari Park, where animal/humanoid figures reside. These anthropomorphic animals are fittingly referred to as Friends, and their presence and purpose in the park is initially a mystery.
The series focuses on two Friends in particular, Serval and Kaban. Serval, a feline Friend, notices the mysterious Kaban, and takes a keen interest in finding out what species she belongs to. Bizarrely, this mystery kicks off much of the show’s narrative, including the pair’s budding dynamic as pals. Despite the pleasant start, the series delves into darker fare, as the unsettling truths of the park are unearthed, making for an intriguing viewing experience.
2 Wolf’s Rain
MyAnimeList rating: 7.80
- Initial release: January 6, 2003
- Demographic: Seinen
- Genre: Post-apocalyptic, dark fantasy, dystopian
- Studio: Bones
This beautifully animated saga takes place in an eerie, post-apocalyptic world. Viewers follow the perilous journey of a pack of wolves as they search for a paradise to retreat to.
The narrative of Wolf’s Rain centers around an old legend that claims a gateway to a utopia can open when the world is near its end. For the few who have survived the destruction of the Earth, this mysterious paradise world is their only source of hope. Curiously, it falls exclusively to wolves to be able to locate this mythical land. The series takes on an even more eccentric turn from there, revealing that wolves live among humans, well-disguised thanks to their use of smoke and mirrors. Unsurprisingly, the leading wolves’ journey to paradise is not an easy one, as a variety of threats and nefarious figures get involved. This imaginative series benefits greatly from its richly-detailed esthetics and intriguing core themes.
1 Beastars
MyAnimeList rating: 7.82
- Initial release: September 8, 2016
- Demographic: Shōnen
- Genre: Fantasy, coming-of-age, drama
- Studio: Orange
Beastars introduces viewers to a world where anthropomorphic animals are the norm. Unfortunately, the society they live in is full of both prejudice and crime.
The series primarily follows humanoid wolf Legoshi as he struggles to balance his animal instincts with his human emotions. Legoshi goes to Cherryton Academy, where his best friend, an alpaca named Tim, is murdered. Tim’s death highlights to viewers the tension between carnivores and herbivores, as Legoshi quickly becomes a prime suspect due to being a wolf. It’s a compelling, often bizarre look at societal unrest and discrimination, with the protagonist struggling to find his identity, making for compelling, often somber viewing.
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