Anime is more than a genre of drama or romance. Especially when anime is blended with action, it becomes amazing! Right?
Anime action movies are not just action movies, but these are such movies that contain great characters with different aspects of life.
It is such a genre that can spark the interest of new fans through thrilling storylines, blow-out battles, and amazing fighting skills.
Anime action movies have room for something exciting for everyone. This genre helps newcomers enter the world of anime movies.
Here is a list of 30 anime action movies that one must watch to get the full essence of a thrilling adventure.
Akira (1988)
Where to Watch – Disney + Hotstar, Netflix, Hulu originals, Funimation, Tubi, Vudu.
Director – Katsuhiro Otomo
Akira is one of the most influential movies. It is not only an anime action movie but a movie that compiles numerous genres.
This movie is hugely appreciated by people from all over the world. This movie is set in a future that is advanced but dystopian. Tokyo is destroyed by war and plagued by corruption.
It is facing anti-government protests, terrorism, and gang violence. It tells us the story of a gang of bikers that has one member with a telekinetic superpower, and with this power, he can change the order of the entire society.
The animation quality of this film proves that it is a heavy-budget film. If you are a fan of sci-fi, action, or anime, you must watch this outstanding anime action movie.
Patlabor: The Movie (1989)
Where to Watch – Zoro, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video.
Director – Mamoru Oshii
Tokyo is going through an enormous – development program. On one side, the old suburbs are being destroyed, and on the other side, human-made islands are being constructed in Tokyo Bay under the Babylon Project.
A huge man-made island, Ark, dominates the scene and serves as the Project’s nerve center.
A few laborers, who were previously being used in Tokyo to build Shinohara Heavy Industries, suddenly go haywire.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department’s 2nd Special Vehicles Section is ordered to help reel in the errant laborers.
All the errant laborers, along with the other laborers, are discovered in the Greater Tokyo area by team commander Captain Gotoh, Sgt Asuka Shinohara, and mechanic Shige Shiba.
First of the North Star (1986)
Where to Watch – Netflix, Prime Video, Crunchyroll, Hulu, Hotstar, Hooq.
Director – Toyoo Ashida
This movie is a post-apocalyptic anime action movie that is generally based on a manga of the same title. This movie is filled with so many violent scenes that make this movie unique.
It is a very cheesy anime action movie that will surely attract those who love violence and action movies.
This movie is set in a situation when a global nuclear war turned the planet into a contaminated dystopia.
The people are now fighting over the limited uncontaminated food and water supplies. Kaneshiro is traveling with his fiancee, Yuria, and they come across a gang led by Shin.
While Kenshiro’s skilled martial art practitioner, Hokuto Shinken, Shin is a master of the Nanto Seiken style. So there is no doubt that this movie is going to be a full-fledged anime action movie.
Ninja Scroll (1993)
Where to Watch – Manga T.V., Roku Device, Crunchyroll, Vudu, Prime Video.
Director – Yoshiaki Kawajiri
This is a fast-paced anime action movie that is set in feudal Japan. A wandering mercenary fights against eight superpowered ninjas who aim to overthrow the Tokugawa Shogunate.
Jubei, who is a highly skilled ninja, is coerced into slaying his own clan of warriors. He kills his fellow swordsmen and becomes a roving-hired assassin.
He comes across a gang of demonic ninjas named Devils of Kimon, which is planning to take the power of the government. Jubei and Dakuan, a Shogun spy, have to stop the devilish ninjas.
This movie is well-appreciated for its action scenes. It is a blend of action and art that makes it one of the finest hit anime action movies of all time. Its primary focus is action, and the plot, as well as drama, make the actions stronger.
Memories (1995)
Where to Watch – Tubi, Google Play.
Director – Katsuhiro Otomo, Koji Morimoto, Tensai Okamura
It is a Japanese animated science fiction anthology film that is based on three short manga stories.
These stories are – Magnetic Rose, Stink Bomb, and Cannon Fodder. In the first story, Magnetic Rose, The Corona, is a deep space salvage freighter. She is out on a mission when she encounters a distorted signal and responds to it.
The crew’s engineers, Heintz and Miguel, enter a giant space station to get a closer look and discover an opulent European interior with a few furnished rooms.
But they do not find any sign of life. In the second story, lab technician Nobuo Tanaka who is battling the flu mistakenly swallows some experimental pills which are part of a biological weapon program.
It causes a horrible result that is shown in the movie. And the final story shows a walled city where everyone’s livelihood depends upon maintaining and firing enormous cannons. The city is overcast by clouds of smoke and dust.
Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie (1996)
Where to Watch – Tubi, Netflix.
Director – Gisaburo Sugii
The movie shows a fight between Japanese martial artist Ryu and Muay Thai champion Sagat.
The fight continues until Ryu severely hurts Sagat across the chest with a Shoryuken, which is a rising uppercut attack empowered by ki spiritual energy. Then Sagat charges at Ryu, but Ryu claims victory by launching a technique, called Hadouken.
Sagat wants to take revenge. After two years, Chun – Li suggests destroying the enigmatic crime syndicate named Shadowlaw, which is led by M. Bison.
A worldwide manhunt for Ryu is ordered by Bison and his bodyguards Barlog, Vega, and Sagat. The American best friend of Ryu as well as his fighting rival, Ken Master, yearns for a good challenge and desires a rematch with Ryu.
With the excellent performance of Kojiro Shimizu, Kenji Haga, Miki Fujitani, Masane Tsukayama, and Takeshi Kusaka, this movie gets a lot of success.
The End of Evangelion (1997)
Where to Watch – Netflix, Prime Video, Vudu.
Director – Hideaki Anno, Kazuya Tsurumaki.
The story follows a teenager, named Shinji Ikari, who is the pilot of one of the several giant cyborgs, Evangelion Unit 01, that is designed to fight hostile supernatural entities or Angels.
Shinji has to kill his friend, Kaworu Nagisa, who has revealed himself as an Angel in human form.
When Shinji visits his fellow pilot, Asuka Langley Soryu, in a hospital and tries to shake her awake, he accidentally exposes her breasts and starts masturbating over her comatose body.
Seele, a secretive committee that controls Nerv, a paramilitary organization that controls the Evangelions, discovers that Shinji’s father, Gendo Ikari, intends to create his own version of Third Impact in order to reunite with his deceased wife, whose soul now resides in Unit 01.
Jin – Roh: The Wolf Brigade (1999)
Where to Watch – Amazon Prime Video, Tubi, Mubi, Crunchyroll.
Director – Hiroyuki Okiura
It is a Japanese action political thriller anime and the third film in Oshii’s Kerberos saga. The movie is set in Japan in the 1950s, just after the atomic bombing and subsequent occupation of the country at the end of World War ll.
Kazuki Fuse, who is a member of the elite Kerberos Panzer Cops, confronts his own humanity after failing to shoot a young terrorist.
The terrorist detonated a bomb in front of Kazuki and killed herself. This particular incident makes Kazuki reprimanded.
He meets Kei Amemiya, the elder sister of that terrorist, and befriends her. But Kei reveals that she is not the sister of that terrorist but a former bomb courier who is coerced into acting on behalf of the Special Unit’s rival division Public Security.
Cowboy Bebop: Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (2001)
Where to Watch – Netflix, fuboTV, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus, HBO Max, Apple T.V. Plus, Paramount Plus.
Director – Shinichiro Watanabe
The Earth has already been destroyed after a catastrophe, and humanity has to move to other planets and moons for survival. The protagonists of the movie are legalized bounty hunters, and they travel together on the spaceship Bebop.
In this team of bounty hunters, there is Spike Spiegel, who is a former associate of the Red Dragon crime syndicate.
Jet Black is a former police officer as well as the owner of the spaceship, Faye Valentine, is a woman and a fugitive from bounty hunters, Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Trivrusky lV is an energetic girl with computer excellence, and Win is an artificially enhanced data dog.
A man explodes a truck in the capital city of Mars, and as a result, a new pathogen starts to spread and kills people.
Sky Blue (2003)
Where to Watch – Google Play, Netflix.
Director – Kim Moon – saeng
It is a South Korean animated science fiction movie that features such backdrops which are rendered using photo-realistic computer-generated images.
The use of highly accurate models for most of the backdrops, especially in the action scenes, makes this movie one of the best anime action movies in the world.
The backgrounds are shot with traditional motion control techniques. The vehicles are all rendered, and every character is cell-animated.
The movie is set in 2142 when environmental pollution has led to a collapse of human civilization, and a new city, Ecoban, is built, which harvests energy from the DELOS System. Ecoban is a technologically advanced city.
People who live outside this city, especially in the surrounding wasteland, carry out carbonite extraction.
This movie deals with multiple themes, like environmental destruction, pollution, and class struggle.
Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children (2005)
Where to Watch – Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Instant Video, iTunes, Vudu.
Director – Tetsuya Nomura
This movie focuses on the appearance of a trio that kidnaps those children who are infected with an unexplained disease.
The protagonist of the movie, Cloud Strife, is suffering from this disease which has no cure and goes to rescue the kidnapped children.
He finds that the kidnappers plan to resurrect the villain, Sephiroth, by using the remains of the extraterrestrial villain, named Jenova. Sephiroth has attempted to absorb the Lifestream and be reborn as a god.
But Cloud Strife defeats him. Still, Sephiroth’s Meteor destroys the city of Midgar. The voice acting cast of this movie includes Takahiro Sakurai, Ayumi Ito, and Toshiyuki Morikawa in Japanese, and Steve Burton, Rachael Leigh Cook, and George Newbern in English.
Fullmetal Alchemist the Movie: Conqueror of Shamballa (2005)
Where to Watch – Netflix, Tubi – Free Movies & T.V., Amazon Prime Video, Vudu, Hulu.
Director – Seiji Mizushima
Edward Elric recovers his arm and his brother Alphonse’s body. He is dragged from his homeworld through the Gateway of Alchemy, which is the source of alchemical energy, to a parallel world of Earth.
This parallel world is governed by the laws of modern science, not by the science of Alchemy.
Edward arrives here and discovers that he has been stripped of his alchemical powers as well as his restored arm and leg.
After some years, when Edward researches rocketry in Munich with his friend Alfons Heiderich. Edward rescues Noah from being sold and takes her in to live with him and Alfons.
Noah begins having visions of Edward’s life in his world. Edward meets Fritz Lang and seeks help in hunting down a dragon, which later attacks Edward but is finally captured by the members of the Thule Society.
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex – Solid State Society (2006)
Where to Watch – Netflix, Tubi – Free Movies & TV, Amazon Prime Video, Vudu.
Director – Kenji Kamiyama
This is a science fiction anime action movie that is a part of the Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone convoluted series that is based on the manga Ghost in the Shell by Masamune Shirow.
This movie is set in 2034 when the events of 2nd GIG Public Security Section 9 are busy investigating a string of mysterious suicides by refugees from the Siak Republic.
Chief Aramaki conducts an arrest warrant for the refugee dictator. Meanwhile, a Siak operative plans to conduct a terrorist attack with a micromachine virus.
Batou intercepts the Siak operative and encounters Kusanagi. Kusanagi is conducting her own investigation.
Batou dies while attacking the terrorists, and he is warned by Kusanagi, who takes a case of virus ampules, to stay away from the Solid State Society.
Sword of the Stranger (2007)
Where to Watch – Amazon Prime Video, Manga T.V., Crunchyroll, Netflix.
Director – Masahiro Ando
This movie features the Sengoku period when a young boy, Kotaro, escapes unknown pursuers with his dog, Tobimaru.
Kotaro is directed by the monk, whose name is Shouan, to get a helping hand from Master Zekkai at the Mangaku Temple.
A group of Ming Chinese warriors is being escorted by the soldiers of Lord Akaike. Lord Akaike has agreed to allow the Ming to create a bigger altar on his land in gold exchange.
The group of Ming Chinese warriors is ambushed by bandits and slaughtered by Luo – Lang.
Kotaro encounters Nanashi, who is a wandering swordsman. They both are attacked by a Ming warrior, but Nanashi kills him, while Tobimaru gets wounded by a poisonous dagger.
Appleseed: Ex Machina (2007)
Where to Watch – Amazon Prime Video, Vudu, Google Play.
Director – Shinji Aramaki
Deunan Knute and Briareos Hecatonchires of the counter-terrorism unit E – SWAT rescue a group of European Union officials from cyborgs.
They return to Olympus. Briareos is confined to the hospital until he recovers. Deunan meets his new partner, Tereus.
Tereus resembles Briareos’ human form and threatens to come between Deunan and Briareos. When Deunan demands an explanation, he gets a tour of the new Bioroid production facility.
Bioroids always try to live in perfect harmony with humans and cyborgs. During this tour, Deunan befriends a bioroid named Hitomi.
Deunan notices that many citizens of Olympus wear Connexus, which is actually a device on their ears projecting holographic data over their eyes.
One Piece: Strong World (2009)
Where to Watch – Hulu, Netflix, Vudu.
Director – Munehisa Sakai.
This is a spectacular movie that has set the bar for anime action movies for years to come. This movie is highly praised for its design as well as animation.
In this movie, Shiki uses his Devil Fruit powers against the marine ships and warns Monkey D. Harp and Fleet Admiral Sengoku.
Monkey D. Luffy is hunted by a genetically mutated monster on a floating island, and it is overpowered by other monsters before Luffy defeats the fourth monster.
Shiki informs Nami that she has been taken to this island against her will and tells that East Blue has been attacked. Luffy vows to rescue the East Blue.
Shiki meets Nami and says that he has the power to make any inanimate object float with his touch.
Gantz (2010)
Where to Watch – Netflix, Funimation, Amazon Prime Video.
Director – Shinsuke Sato
This is a story of a pair of high school students whose names are Kei Kurono and Masaru Kato.
They are hit by a subway train while attempting to save the life of a drunk as well as a homeless person who has fallen onto the tracks.
After their deaths, these two students find themselves transported to an unfurnished apartment in Tokyo.
There is a big black globe known as Gantz. Here they meet Joichiro Nishi, who is a Gantz veteran. Kurono and Masaru find the fact that they are not allowed to leave that apartment.
When Gantz opens up, it reveals a bald as well as naked man who is wearing a breathing mask and has wires attached to his head. He also has some weapons.
Berserk Golden Age Arc I: Egg of the Supreme Ruler (2012)
Where to Watch – Crunchyroll, Netflix, Funimation, Amazon Prime Video.
Director – Toshiyuki Kubooka
Guts, a soldier, attracts the attention of The Band of the Hawk, a bandit group. He kills an enemy champion during a siege.
Guts are forced to join the group after being defeated by Griffith. Griffith rises in the Kingdom of Midlands after the successful Hundred Year War battle against the Tudor Empire.
Guts and Griffith encounter the demon Nosferatu Zodd in another siege. Zodd notices the pendant around Griffith’s neck.
He warns Gits that Griffith is going to be his doom. Griffith’s rise is ill-received by Midland’s noblemen, and the king’s brother, Julius, attempts to assassinate Griffith but fails.
The Last: Naruto The Movie (2014)
Where to Watch – Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Instant Video, Vudu, Google Play, iTunes.
Director – Tsuneo Kobayashi
This movie is a Japanese animated action-romance film that stars Junko Takeuchi, Nana Mizuki, Chie Nakamura, Shotaro Morikubo, Satoshi Hino, Kazuhiko Inoue, and Noriaki Sugiyama.
This movie features Naruto Uzumaki’s ninja team and their exclusive mission to prevent the Moon from falling.
They rescue Hinata Hyuga’s sister, Hanabi Hyuga, from Toneri Otsutsuki. Toneri is a man who wishes to marry Hinata Hyuga.
He also wants to punish mankind for weaponizing chakra. Hinata knits a red scarf similar to the one Naruto wears during their first meeting to confess her feelings for him.
Assassination Classroom (2015)
Where to Watch – Netflix, Funimation, Amazon Prime Video.
Director – Eiichiro Hasumi
Assassination Classroom is science – a fiction anime action movie that is based on a manga series created by Yusei Matsui, and it also has a sequel, titled Assassination Classroom: Graduation (2016).
This movie opens with a Japanese Military’s failure while capturing whoever is destroying the Moon.
Class 3 – E of Kunugigaoka Junior High School is a cover-up for the Japanese authorities in their attempt to kill Koro-sensei, which is a tentacled mutant creature that has destroyed over 70% of the Moon.
This creature plans to destroy the Earth also, and the students have to assassinate him before graduation.
Fate / Stay Night: Heaven’s Feel – Presage Flower (2017)
Where to Watch – Vudu, Apple T.V., Amazon Prime Video.
Director – Tomonori Sudou
This is the first part of a famous anime action trilogy. This movie focuses on Shirou Emiya and Sakura Matou.
They both have been affected by the Holy Grail War, a conflict between mages. The amateur mage Shirou Emiya was dragged into the Fifth Holy Grail War.
This is a fight to the death among mages and their servants. Shirou is determined to win this war in order to save the world.
He wants to be a hero of justice and keep his friend Sakura Matou protected from the war. But strange occurrences start happening during the war, which causes a mysterious sickness of, Sakura.
Blame! (2017)
Where to Watch – Netflix, Peacock app, iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, Google Play, Vudu.
Director – Hiroyuki Seshita
Abigail is a timid student who returns to school after getting months of treatment at a psych ward. She has a habit of adopting the traits of characters from the stories she reads.
Melissa, who is a tough and promiscuous cheerleader, and her friend, Sophie, take advantage of Abigail’s timidity.
They mock Abigail for being mentally unstable. But Sophie’s friend, Ellie, is the only person who is kind towards Abigail.
When the drama teacher, Jeremy Woods, decides to make the students learn The Crucible, Abigail, and Melissa begin to fight to get the lead role.
Jeremy chooses Abigail to play Abigail Williams. Melissa intentionally starts causing trouble and humiliating Abigail.
Bleach (2018)
Where to Watch – Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video.
Director – Shinsuke Sato
This is a story of a Japanese teenager, Ichigo Kurosaki, who has the power to see ghosts and the power to fight against evil spirits, as well as help, lost souls in finding their way to the afterlife.
Ichigo lives in Karakura Town with his father and twin sisters. Ichigo’s power to see ghosts attracts the attention of a young woman in a black kimono, Rukia Kuchiki, who is a Soul Reaper and guides the departed to the Soul Society.
Rukia is in search of a Hollow named Fishbone D, that attacks Ichigo’s home after sensing his power.
Rukia attempts to protect the family of Ichigo, but she gets wounded and is forced to transfer her spiritual power to Ichigo so that he can win against the Hollow. This story is very interesting, which makes it a favorite anime action movie for all.
The Saga of Tanya the Evil: The Movie (2019)
Where to Watch – Crunchyroll, Netflix, Apple TV.
Director – Yutaka Uemura
The headquarters of Free Republic forces are destroyed by the 23rd Aerial Mage Battalion. Tanya triumphantly declares that the battalion will return to the Empire for R&R.
But Rerugen orders them into an emergency reconnaissance mission on the eastern border of the Empire with the Russian Federation.
When the Federation declares war on the Empire, Tanya and the battalion proceed to destroy the enemies.
Moscow is the capital city of the Federation. Tanya asserts that Moscow’s A.A. defense is very poor, and she proposes a direct attack on it.
Mary Sioux, the Warrant Officer, has enlisted in the U.S. Army to avenge her father. She arrives in Moscow with the 42nd Flying Division, which suffers casualties as a result of the attack by Tanya.
Digimon Adventure : Last Evolution Kizuna (2020)
Where to Watch – Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Apple T.V.
Director – Tomohisa Taguchi
Tai and Matt are approaching adulthood, but they remain confused about their future goals.
They meet Menoa Bellucci, who is a professor at Columbia University in New York, and her bodyguard, Kyotaro Imura. Menoa tells them that Eosmon targets Digidestined.
Tai, Matt, Izzy, T.K., and their Digimon fight against Someone with the help of Menoa. Tai and Matt fuse their Digimon into Omnimon, and their form falls apart.
This allows Eosmon to escape. They find countdown rings on their Digivices. Menoa warms Tai and Matt about Digivices. Eosmon leaves Mimi unconscious.
Matt gives Tai, and Izzy prepaid mobile phones because he thinks that they are being tracked. Matt realizes that Imura’s identity is fake and he is the culprit.
Jujutsu Kaisen 0 (2021)
Where to Watch – Crunchyroll, HBO Max, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Funimation, Disney Plus.
Director – Sung-Hoon Park
This is a Japanese animated action movie starring Megumi Ogata, Kana Hanazawa, Mikako Komatsu, Kiki Uchiyama, Tomokazu Seki, Yuichi Nakamura, and Takahiro Sakurai.
The movie is based on a story written by Hiroshi Seko, which deals with a teenage student, Yuta Okkotsu.
Yuta develops magical powers and works with other intelligent classmates in order to subdue the cursed spirit of Rika Orimoto.
Satoru Gojo, who is one of the most powerful sorcerers and teachers, convinces the Jujutsu society to let Yuta join Tokyo Jujutsu Technical High.
Yuta explains to Gojo that Rika is not a harmful spirit, while Gojo convinces him to choose life and break the curse.
Gintama: The Very Final (2021)
Where to Watch – Amazon Prime Video, Tubi, Amazon Prime Video.
Director – Chizuru Miyawaki
Gintoki, Takasugi, and Katsura fight against the Tendoushuu forces who have captured the Terminal. When the group is attacked, they split themselves into two.
Katsura holds on to the heart of Shouyou, who is used by the mothership of the Terminal to obtain true immortality. Hitsugi stabs Katsura in a fierce battle and destroys her heart.
Hitsugi reveals that he does not want to revive the child; rather, he wants to free Utsuro from the curse of immortality.
Shouyou is not able to regenerate and maintain his body without the heart. During a fight in the Terminal, Matsudaira shoots down the ship outside. Gintoki reunites with Kagura and Shinpachi.
The three rush towards the top of the Terminal. Takasugi finds that Shouyou has been revived and killed the rest of the Tendoushuu.
Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero (2022)
Where to Watch – Crunchyroll, Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, iTunes.
Director – Tetsuro Kodama
In this movie, Commander Magenta, who is the CEO of Red Pharmaceuticals, seeks to revive the Red Ribbon Army that is led by his father, Commander Red.
The Army is destroyed by Goku. Magenta, along with Carmine, seeks to recruit Dr. Hero, who is a superhero-obsessed mad scientist.
Hero accepts the offer and is convinced by Magenta that both Capsule Corporation and the Z – Fighters are evil organizations.
This movie is a perfect blend of beautiful anime with action. It is a nostalgic movie that has accessibility to casual fans who have never watched Dragon Ball before.
Suzume no Tojimari (2022)
Where to Watch – HBO Max, Crunchyroll, Netflix, Reddit.
Director – Major Shinkai
This is an animated fantasy adventure film. Seventeen years old Suzume lives in a tranquil city in Kyushu.
She encounters a traveling young man who tells her that he is looking for a door. Suzume follows after the young man and finds a weathered door in the mountain ruins. The door looks like the only surviving object from a collapse.
Suzume reaches the door and opens it. Doors of Disaster begin to appear all over Japan, and a lot of unfortunate disasters start to happen.
This movie shows a journey through Japan as Suzume has to close the Doors of Disaster in order to stop the disastrous situation.
Vexille (2007)
Where to Watch – Funimation, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube.
Director – Fumihiko Sori
This movie made its world premiere at the 60th Locarno International Film Festival.
This movie shows a time when robotics technology and cybernetics have become extremely advanced.
But the world’s opinion has begun to turn against robotics, and the U.N. has declared a unilateral ban on further research.
Japan strongly opposes the ban as it is the home to robotics pioneer Daiwa Heavy Industries.
Japan withdraws itself from international politics. All the foreigners in Japan are deported, and further immigration is also restricted.
Japan installs an energy field to nullify all communication with the outside world. It also makes satellite surveillance impossible. Japan just vanishes from the world scene.
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