Best Japanese action series
A curated collection of popular action series from Japan.
Cowboy Bebop (1998)
Cowboy Bebop (1998)
In 2071, roughly fifty years after an accident with a hyperspace gateway made the Earth almost uninhabitable, humanity has colonized most of the rocky planets and moons of the Solar System. Amid a rising crime rate, the Inter Solar System Police (ISSP) set up a legalized contract system, in which registered bounty hunters, also referred to as "Cowboys", chase criminals and bring them in alive in return for a reward.
Trigun (1998)
Trigun (1998)
Trigun takes place in the distant future on a desert planet. Vash the Stampede is a gunfighter with a legend so ruthless he has a $$60,000,000,000 bounty on his head. Entire towns evacuate at the rumor of his arrival. But the real Vash the Stampede, the enigmatic and conflicted lead character, is more heroic, even though he usually acts like a complete idiot.
Baccano! (2007)
Baccano! (2007)
During the early 1930s in Chicago, the transcontinental train, Flying Pussyfoot, is starting its legendary journey that will leave a trail of blood all over the country. At the same time in New York, the ambitious scientist Szilard and his unwilling aide Ennis are looking for missing bottles of the immortality elixir. In addition, a war between the mafia groups is getting worse. On board the Advena Avis, in 1711, alchemists are about to learn the price of immortality. Takes place in the same universe as Durarara (2010).
Vinland Saga (2019)
Vinland Saga (2019)
For a thousand years, the Vikings have made quite a name and reputation for themselves as the strongest families with a thirst for violence. Thorfinn, the son of one of the Vikings' greatest warriors, spends his boyhood in a battlefield enhancing his skills in his adventure to redeem his most-desired revenge after his father was murdered.
86: Eighty Six (2021)
86: Eighty Six (2021)
Called “Juggernaut,” these are the unmanned combat drones developed by the Republic of San Magnolia in answer to the attacks by the autonomous unmanned drones of the neighboring Empire of Giad, the “Legion”. But they’re only unmanned in name. In reality, they are piloted by the Eighty-sixers—those considered to be less than human and treated as mere tools. Determined to achieve his own mysterious ends, Shin, the captain of Spearhead Squadron, which is comprised of Eighty-sixers, continues to fight a hopeless war on a battlefield where only death awaits him.
Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995)
Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995)
At the turn of the century, the Angels returned to Earth, seeking to wipe out humanity in an apocalyptic fury. Devastated, mankind's last remnants moved underground to wait for the day when the Angels would come back to finish the job. Fifteen years later, that day has come... but this time, humanity is ready to fight back with terrifying bio-mechanical weapons known as the Evangelions. Watch as Shinji, Rei, Asuka and the rest of the mysterious shadow agency Nerv battle to save earth from total annihilation.
Psycho-Pass (2012)
Psycho-Pass (2012)
Psycho-Pass is set in a futuristic era in Japan where the Sibyl System, a powerful network of psychometric scanners, actively measures the biometrics of its citizens' minds. The resulting assessment is called a Psycho-Pass. When the calculated likelihood of an individual committing a crime, measured by the Crime Coefficient index, exceeds an accepted threshold, he or she is pursued, apprehended, and either arrested or decomposed by the field officers of the Crime Investigation Department of the Public Safety Bureau.
The Future Diary (2011)
The Future Diary (2011)
Reality quickly unravels when antisocial Yukiteru is called into a death match against 11 other mentally scarred individuals. Each player has a prophetic device tuned to their personality, giving them control over their future—and the fate of their foes.
PLUTO (2023)
PLUTO (2023)
When the world's seven most advanced robots and their human allies are murdered one by one, Inspector Gesicht soon discovers that he's also in danger.
Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead (2023)
Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead (2023)
An overworked 24-year-old finally decides to live a little and create a bucket list, when a zombie outbreak hits the country.
Banana Fish (2018)
Banana Fish (2018)
A teenaged gang leader in New York City faces his abuser and rival gangs alongside a photojournalist from Japan as they investigate a deadly new drug.
Last Hero Inuyashiki (2017)
Last Hero Inuyashiki (2017)
Aliens replace middle-aged Inuyashiki's body with a combat robot. He uses it to fight high schooler Shishigami, who's using the same power selfishly.
Gantz (2004)
Gantz (2004)
If you are chosen by the bizarre black sphere known as the Gantz, you are already dead—yet you might be able to reclaim your mortality. First, the Gantz demands that you undertake brutal missions of madness, killing aliens hidden among the population. It is your only chance and you have no choice. You must play this disturbing game. And if you die again—and you likely will—it’s permanent.
B: The Beginning (2018)
B: The Beginning (2018)
In a world powered by advanced technology, crime and action unfold in the archipelagic nation of Cremona. Genius investigator Keith Flick rejoins the royal police force just as serial killer “B” emerges. Mysterious youth Koku may be an ally, or a target.
Danganronpa: The Animation (2013)
Danganronpa: The Animation (2013)
Being just a normal student without a special talent, Makoto Naegi wins a lottery to attend the prestigious Hope's Peak Academy where only the top prodigies attend. However, instead of this being the beginning of a wonderful high school life, it's a ticket to despair, because the only way to graduate from Hope's Peak Academy is to kill one of your fellow students or be one of their victims.
One-Punch Man (2015)
One-Punch Man (2015)
Saitama is a hero who only became a hero for fun. After three years of “special” training, though, he's become so strong that he's practically invincible. In fact, he's too strong — even his mightiest opponents are taken out with a single punch, and it turns out that being devastatingly powerful is actually kind of a bore. With his passion for being a hero lost along with his hair, yet still faced with new enemies every day, how much longer can he keep it going?
My Hero Academia (2016)
My Hero Academia (2016)
For his entire life, Izuku has dreamed of being a hero—an ambitious goal for anyone, but an especially challenging one for a boy without superpowers. That’s right: in a world where 80% of the population has some sort of special gift, Izuku was unlucky enough to be born completely normal. But that won’t stop him from enrolling in one of the most prestigious hero academies in the world to learn what it truly means to be a hero.
Saint Seiya (1986)
Saint Seiya (1986)
Ages ago, the goddess Athena was served by fighters called Saints who channeled the power of the Cosmos within them. Now a youth named Seiya has trained to become a Saint himself by earning the mystical Cloth of Pegasus. He is joined by other Saints with Cloths of their own to fight for Athena.
Dragon Ball DAIMA (2024)
Dragon Ball DAIMA (2024)
Mysteriously transformed into mini versions of themselves, Goku and his friends travel to the Demon Realm to uncover the truth and find a cure.
Dragon Ball Z (1989)
Dragon Ball Z (1989)
After years of peace since the defeat of Piccolo Daimaoh, Goku now lives peacefully with his wife, Chi-Chi, and their son, Gohan. But everything changes when a mysterious warrior called Raditz arrives on Earth, revealing that he is Goku's brother and that they both belong to the warrior race of the Saiyans, a brutal people who conquer planets.
Hunter x Hunter (2011)
Hunter x Hunter (2011)
To fulfill his dreams of becoming a legendary Hunter like his dad, a young boy must pass a rigorous examination and find his missing father.
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners (2022)
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners (2022)
In a dystopia riddled with corruption and cybernetic implants, a talented but reckless street kid strives to become a mercenary outlaw — an edgerunner.
Dragon Ball (1986)
Dragon Ball (1986)
Long ago in the mountains, a fighting master known as Son Gohan discovered a strange boy whom he named Son Goku. Gohan raised him and trained Goku in martial arts until he died. The young and very strong boy was on his own, but easily managed. Then one day, Goku met a teenage girl named Bulma, whose search for the mystical Dragon Balls brought her to Goku's home. Together, they set off to find all seven and to grant her wish.
Sword Art Online (2012)
Sword Art Online (2012)
In the near future, a Virtual Reality Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (VRMMORPG) called Sword Art Online has been released where players control their avatars with their bodies using a piece of technology called Nerve Gear. One day, players discover they cannot log out, as the game creator is holding them captive unless they reach the 100th floor of the game's tower and defeat the final boss. However, if they die in the game, they die in real life. Their struggle for survival starts now...
Fullmetal Alchemist (2003)
Fullmetal Alchemist (2003)
Two young brothers are raised as alchemists, but when they are severely injured trying to perform a forbidden act, they begin searching for the one thing that can save them; the fabled philosopher's stone.
Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion (2006)
Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion (2006)
Japan has been invaded and conquered by the Britannian Empire. Japan is now known as Area 11 and its citizens known as Elevens. The Britannian Empire takes away Japan's autonomous power and imposes its rule through the use of Knightmares. The Empire's rule has never faltered, but cracks have begun to show...
Dragon Ball Super (2015)
Dragon Ball Super (2015)
With Majin Buu defeated half-a-year prior, peace returns to Earth, where Son Goku (now a radish farmer) and his friends now live peaceful lives. However, a new threat appears in the form of Beerus, the God of Destruction. Considered the most terrifying being in the entire universe, Beerus is eager to fight the legendary warrior seen in a prophecy foretold decades ago known as the Super Saiyan God. The series retells the events from the two Dragon Ball Z films, Battle of Gods and Resurrection 'F' before proceeding to an original story about the exploration of alternate universes.
Chainsaw Man (2022)
Chainsaw Man (2022)
Denji has a simple dream—to live a happy and peaceful life, spending time with a girl he likes. This is a far cry from reality, however, as Denji is forced by the yakuza into killing devils in order to pay off his crushing debts. Using his pet devil Pochita as a weapon, he is ready to do anything for a bit of cash.
Parasyte -the maxim- (2014)
Parasyte -the maxim- (2014)
A species of parasitic aliens descends on Earth and quickly infiltrates humanity by entering the brains of vulnerable targets; insatiable beings that gain total control of their host and are capable of transforming themselves to feed on unsuspecting prey. High school student Shinichi Izumi falls victim to one of these parasites, but the creature fails to take over his brain and ends up in his right hand.
The Seven Deadly Sins (2014)
The Seven Deadly Sins (2014)
The “Seven Deadly Sins”—a group of evil knights who conspired to overthrow the kingdom of Britannia—were said to have been eradicated by the Holy Knights, although some claim that they still live. Ten years later, the Holy Knights have staged a Coup d'état and assassinated the king, becoming the new, tyrannical rulers of the kingdom. Elizabeth, the king's only daughter, sets out on a journey to find the “Seven Deadly Sins,” and to enlist their help in taking back the kingdom.