Although the term “fantasy” is commonly associated with mediaeval times, castles, and long-bearded wizards in the popular mind, anime explores a wide range of sub-fantasy genres. There is much to learn and even more to love about the infinite possibilities that come with such a rich and complex genre, from dark to contemporary fantasy.

One of fantasy’s many strengths is its ability to combine elements from other major genres such as romance, comedy, and even horror. It is also easily adaptable to any age range, allowing you to choose between a lighthearted kid-friendly series and a darker anime with more mature content. Here are 60 best fantasy anime of all time.

1. Strike the Blood

Itogami Island is a man-made landmass 300 kilometres south of Tokyo that has been authorised by the government to house spirits, vampires, mermaids, and other magical beings on the verge of extinction. Kojou Akatsuki was a typical high school boy until an incident three months ago transformed him into the Fourth Progenitor – a powerful vampire – against his will. And, while he’d prefer to remain an anonymous adolescent, things change when Yukina, a sword shaman from an anti-terrorism agency, arrives with the intention of keeping an eye on and potentially eliminating Kojou…

2. Amagi Brilliant Park

When Isuzu, a new transfer student, asks Seiya Kanie out on a date at gunpoint, he suspects something strange is going on. Especially since she wants to visit Amagi Brilliant Park, where the rides are either dangerous or mind-numbingly boring, and the only costumed performers who aren’t rude or apathetic are the ones who didn’t show up for work. So, when Isuzu asks Seiya to be the park’s new manager, he knows she’s insane (Well, crazy-er, given the gunpoint thing.).

But when Seiya discovers that Amagi Brilliant Park is a REAL Magic Kingdom, that the costumed performers aren’t wearing costumes, that they live off the energy created by visitors, and that if they don’t attract 250,000 visitors in three months, they’ll lose their jobs and homes… he goes insane. But, even with the help of scantily clad fairies, giant mice, and sniper-trained sheep, will anyone be able to save a park that has sunk so low that its own bus no longer stops there?

3. Snow White with the Red Hair

Shirayuki is a spunky pharmacist with bright, apple-red hair that no one has ever seen before. Even the prince of the kingdom in which she lives is captivated by her locks and demands that she become his concubine. Shirayuki flees civilization and heads for the forest, not wanting to be perceived as an object valued solely for its novelty. The girl meets the charming Zen here, who saves her from Prince Raji’s clutches and reveals that he, too, is a prince. Shirayuki and Zen become close friends, and she decides to return to Zen’s castle with him to pursue her dreams. But becoming a palace pharmacist is not easy, especially given her unusual hair colour and close relationship with the prince…

4. The Asterisk War

Invertia was a worldwide disaster that occurred during the twentieth century. Many cities around the world were destroyed as a result of this disaster. However, an unknown element known as mana was discovered within the meteor, allowing Human technology to advance quickly. This also resulted in the birth of a new species of human with unique abilities – the Star Pulse Generation. The setting for the Festas, the world’s most comprehensive battle spectacle, is an academy city above the water surrounded by six academies called Rikka, also known as Asterisk.

5. The Testament of Sister New Devil

Basara Toujo is a senior in high school whose father has recently remarried. Basara is then left with two new beautiful step-sisters after his father departs for overseas. He has no idea that his new sisters, Mio and Maria, are the new Demon Lord and a succubus!? Basara, almost trapped in a life of servitude, accidentally forms a reverse contract and ends up becoming Mio’s master! Basara gets himself into one ecchi situation after another, resulting in hilarity. Mio’s life, however, is in danger as she is pursued by both demons and heroes!

6. Claymore

Humans used to live in constant fear of demons known as yoma. These heinous creatures can mimic the appearance and memories of humans they have devoured, allowing them to blend into society while freely feasting on human flesh. The Claymores, women who are half-demon, half-human, and fully fated to become the demons they hunt, hold the key to stopping the yoma. Meanwhile, the young Raki has been exiled in a village; his only crime was losing his family to the yoma. Raki is drawn to Clare, a Claymore, and their journey begins. While Clare battles the yoma that has taken over the land, can Raki assist her in her fight to retain her humanity?

7. Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation

When a 34-year-old underachiever is hit by a bus, his story is far from over. Rudy, reincarnated as an infant in a new world, will seize every opportunity to live the life he’s always desired. He’s embarking on an epic adventure with new friends, newly acquired magical abilities, and the courage to do the things he’s always wanted to do—with all of his previous experience intact!

8. The Misfit of Demon King Academy

Anos Voldigord was a tyrannical Demon King who exterminated humans, spirits, and even gods, but grew tired of eternal warfare and reincarnated with hopes for a peaceful world. However, what awaited him in reincarnation after 2000 years were descendants who had grown too weak after being accustomed to peace, as well as all manner of magic that had deteriorated to the extreme. Anos enrols in the Demon King Academy, which gathers and educates those who are thought to be the reincarnation of the Demon King, but the academy cannot see through his true powers and labels him as a misfit!

9. How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord

An affluent but socially awkward gamer finds himself in another world, inhabiting the body of his alter ego Diablo. But, despite his abilities, his awkwardness gets in the way, so he pretends to be a Demon Lord and soon finds himself with a pair of slaves: a well-endowed elf and a cat girl. They face challenges ranging from interpersonal relationships to diabolical beast battles!

10. Rosario + Vampire

Tsukune Aono, fifteen, is average in every way; he has no hobbies, poor grades, and has even failed his high school entrance exam. His parents have managed to get him enrolled in a school, but not just any school! Tsukune will attend the Youkai Academy, which teaches monsters how to coexist with humans! Tsukune, the lone human, is able to avoid their bloodthirsty gazes because the werewolves, vampires, witches, and other monsters are required to retain their human forms. However, he quickly catches the eye of a number of devilish beauties, including the vampire Moka, a busty succubus, and even a young witch! Tsukune’s ordinary life appears to be anything but ordinary!

11. Akashic Records of Bastard Magic Instructor

Sistine Fibel and her best friend Rumia Tingel are eager to become top-tier magicians and attend the Alzano Imperial Magic Academy, one of the most prestigious magic schools in the Alzano Empire. But it won’t be easy, because their new instructor is none other than the sluggish, bumbling Glenn Radars. He’d rather sleep than teach, appears to be devoid of magical abilities, and drives Sistine insane with his slacker demeanour. Will this proclaimed “bastard teacher” reveal his true clout as a magician as dark forces converge on the school?

12. The Seven Deadly Sins

When the king’s Holy Knights are corrupted by an unholy demonic power, the kingdom of Liones is thrown into chaos. The Seven Deadly Sins, an exiled group of oddballs who seem to spend as much time fighting each other as they do fighting their enemies, are the land’s only hope. Princess Elizabeth desperately seeks their assistance, but the leader of her potential rescuers turns out to be an undersized pervert with a broken blade and a talking pig! A jealous giant, a fussy fairy, and an immortal bandit pining for his lost love soon join them. Can these people truly be the legendary heroes she seeks?

13. Wonder Egg Priority

Ai, as previously stated, obtained a “Wonder Egg” from a gachapon machine in a deserted arcade. The worlds of dreams and reality begin to collide when Ai falls asleep and a girl (!) emerges from her Wonder Egg. And it’s all linked.

14. Sword Art Online

The year is 2022, and players have gathered on launch day for Sword Art Online, a highly anticipated MMORPG that allows players to connect to an immersive virtual reality world using special helmets known as Nerve Gear. Kirito is one such gamer who is eager to get back into action after spending so much time as a beta tester, and he quickly makes friends with newbie warrior Klein. But soon, Sword Art Online’s 10,000 players discover that not only can they not log out, but the only way to return to their physical bodies is to defeat the final boss of the 100-level tower – that is, if their HP doesn’t drop to zero first, because death in the game means death in the real world.

Now, with no one else to turn to, Kirito and the other players must survive the game as best they can, with some forming guilds, others ruthlessly leaving their peers behind, and many tragically falling by the wayside or succumbing to the merciless monsters that populate the lands…

15. KonoSuba – God’s blessing on this wonderful world!

Kazuma Satou’s disappointingly brief life was supposed to end after a traffic accident, but he wakes up to find a beautiful girl in front of him. Aqua claims to be a goddess and asks if he wants to travel to another world with only one item. Kazuma decides to bring the goddess herself, and they are whisked away to a fantasy world ruled by a demon king. Now, Kazuma just wants to live in peace, but Aqua wants to solve many of the world’s problems, and the demon king can only do so much…

16. Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash

When Haruhiro awakens, he is in the dark, surrounded by people who have no idea where they are or how they got there. As the darkness fades, a fantastic new world known as “Grimgar” appears in front of them, and their adventure begins—but first, they must select their guild, class, and special abilities.

17. Monster Musume: Everyday Life with Monster Girls

Kurusu Kimihito, a hapless human teenager, is inducted as a “volunteer” into the government exchange programme, and his life is turned upside down. Miia, a snake-like lamia, comes to live with him, and it is Kurusu’s responsibility to care for her and ensure she integrates into his daily life. Unfortunately for Kurusu, Miia is undeniably attractive, and the law prohibiting interspecies breeding is extremely strict. Worse, what’s a full-blooded teenage human with raging hormones to do when a ravishing centaur girl and a flirtatious harpy move in?

18. Blue Exorcist

Rin Okumura appears to be an ordinary boy who lives at the Southern Cross Boys’ Monastery. Rin comes across a boy who has been possessed by a demon one day. During the struggle, he not only awakens latent powers within him, but also discovers that he is Satan’s son! Rin decides to fight against his parentage and joins the True Cross Order as an exorcist after no longer being able to remain under the protection of the church and with his very existence straddling the line between human and demon. Now, the teen must attend True Cross Academy and begin special exorcist training alongside his new comrades, all while keeping his true identity hidden; but can Satan’s son truly become a true exorcist?

19. Fruits Basket 

Tohru Honda thought her life was doomed when a family tragedy forced her to live in a tent. When the mysterious Soma clan discovers her small home, she finds herself living with Yuki, Kyo, and Shigure Sohma. But she soon discovers that their family has a peculiar secret of their own: when hugged by the opposite sex, they transform into the animals of the Zodiac!

20. Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?

Set in the world of Orario, where adventurers band together to seek treasure in the Dungeon, an underground labyrinth. However, for Bell Cranel, fame and fortune are secondary to what he most desires: girls. He soon discovers, however, that anything can happen in Dungeon, and ends up being the damsel in distress!

21. Re:ZERO: Starting Life in Another World

Natsuki Subaru, a regular high school student, is on his way home from the convenience store when he finds himself in another world. Because he was lost and confused in a new world where he didn’t even know which way was up, the only person who reached out to him was a beautiful girl with silver hair. Subaru agrees to help the girl find something she’s looking for as a way of repaying her for saving him from his own despair…

22. InuYasha

Kagome is a normal high school girl who falls into a well and is transported to the feudal era. She mercifully unleashes Inuyasha, a half-demon, upon her arrival in this world. As if that weren’t enough, she discovers she is the bearer of the Shikon no Tama, a jewel of great spiritual power that has recently shattered into a million shards. They must now set out to find the Shikon shards and defeat the evils of the demon Naraku with the help of Miroku the priest, Sango the demon hunter, and Shippo the mischievous fox-demon.

23. GATE

On August 20XX, a gate appears unexpectedly in Tokyo’s Ginza district, releasing a portal through which monsters, mediaeval knights, and other fantasy beings from another world wreak havoc on Tokyo. The Japanese Defense Force attacks these monsters and drives them back into the “Gate.” Officer (and otaku) Youji Itami leads the Third Reconnaissance Team to the “Special Region.” They are joined on their journey by a beautiful elf girl who is a survivor of the dragon’s rampage and guides the group through the dangerous new world.

24. Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress

During the industrial revolution, mankind is threatened by the sudden appearance of undead monsters that can only be killed by piercing their hearts with an iron plate. Those who have been bitten become one of them. These monsters, known as “Kabane,” multiplied rapidly. The Hinomotos constructed fortress stations and barricaded themselves inside. Between them, only steam locomotives known as Hayajiros can travel.

25. Wolf Children

Before she became a mother, Hana was a student. She was beautiful and bright, and her future seemed limitless. Then she met a man who turned out to be a wolf, and they started a family together. Hana adored her mate, but fate took him away, leaving her alone with two unusual children she had no idea how to raise. Fearing for their lives, Hana and her wolf children fled to the countryside to start over. Raising her wild children was an adventure. Hana was bruised, scratched, exhausted, and joyfully overwhelmed as her pups grew stronger and ventured further each day. This is the journey of a mother.

Teach your children to pursue their dreams – and smile through the tears as they venture out into the world to discover who they will become. Hana wasn’t always a mother, but it was always her destiny.

26. Tokyo Ghoul

In modern-day Tokyo, society is terrified of Ghouls: mysterious creatures that resemble humans but hunger insatiably for their flesh. Nothing matters to Ken Kaneki, a bookish and ordinary young man, until a dark and violent encounter transforms him into the world’s first Ghoul-human half breed. Trapped between two worlds, Ken must survive the violent clashes of warring Ghoul factions while attempting to learn more about Ghoul society, his newfound abilities, and the fine line between man and monster.

27. Mushishi

It is not uncommon for a person to feel as if the world around them is strange and conceals unexpected secrets. Most people, however, experience this as an occasional sensation that greets them upon awakening or chases them into sleep. It is not a feeling for the mushi researcher Ginko; it is knowledge that guides his travels and motivates his life. The various life forms known as mushi can be found in the cracks between what is conceivable and what is not. They are all around us and have an impact on us, but their extreme differences make them unrecognisable to most people. Ginko puts these life forms into context for those who are most affected and in need of an explanation.

28. Spice and Wolf

Since a long time, the wolf goddess Holo has kept a promise to bless the rural village of Pasloe with bountiful harvests in exchange for being celebrated and worshipped by the villagers. However, as humanity progresses, people have begun to take command of nature for themselves and have created their own god to worship. Holo discovers that she is paid little more than lip service, if not outright mocked, and, believing that the contract has been breached, she assumes human form and enlists the assistance of a passing merchant, Kraft Lawrence, to return to her home in the snowy forests to the north. Kraft discovers that he has a lot to learn from this capricious god, and she has a lot to learn from him as well.

29. That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime

Satoru Mikami, a lonely 37-year-old stuck in a dead-end job, is unhappy with his mundane life, but after dying at the hands of a robber, he awakens to a new start in a fantasy realm…as a slime monster! His exploits with the other monsters set off a chain of events that will change his new world forever as he adjusts to his goopy new existence!

30. The Familiar of Zero

Louise is at the bottom of her class in a world where magic is a reality. Louise (along with all first-year students) was charged with summoning a familiar, and instead of a cute magical creature, the familiar arrived in the form of… Saito Hiraga, a normal Japanese boy who was abruptly teleported from his own world?! Can Louise and Saito reconcile their new and complicated “relationship” and (more importantly) assist Saito in finding his way home?

31. Yona of the Dawn

Princess Yona and her pacifist father King II have a quiet but protected existence in the realm of Kouka. The only challenges Yona faces in life are her wild red hair and persuading her father to approve of her marriage to her cousin Soo-wan while being surrounded by attentive servants and guarded by her bodyguard Hak. Yona, however, unexpectedly loses all she holds dear the night of her 16th birthday and is compelled to leave the castle. Yona understands that she must grow strong if she wants to survive because Hak is the only person remaining to defend her. She sets out in search of allies, and she might be able to retake her country thanks to an old legend about the Crimson Dragon King and his four Dragon Warriors.

32. Trinity Seven

Pride, envy, wrath, sloth, greed, gluttony, and lust are all examples of negative emotions. These are the seven sins imposed on the seven girls who rule Biblia Academy. To reclaim his world, the boy decides he must master these sins… The boy, Arata Kasuga, has had his world destroyed by a mysterious “Collapse Phenomenon,” and his cousin Hijiri has vanished into another dimension. He comes to Biblia Academy to learn about the Collapse Phenomenon and win back his cousin. There he discovers the seven girls and their sins.

33. Overlord

Momonga, a veteran player, stays logged in until the clock strikes zero on the night his favourite MMORPG is scheduled to be shut down. Only a few moments later does the screen go dark, and he finds himself completely immersed in the online world of Yggdrasil. Left with all of his character’s devastating abilities, complete control over his loyal NPCs, and nothing else to do… Momonga decides to try his hand at world conquest. All of his grinding and dungeon crawling has certainly paid off, and as he tests his strength against local rogues and legendary beasts, he realises that no opponent can stand up to his might.

Momonga embraces his new identity as the fearsome mage Ainz Ooal Gown and continues his hunt for bigger, badder foes. The people of Yggdrasil are left wondering who is trapped with whom.

34. Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic

Legends tell of ominous dungeon towers that appeared suddenly 14 years ago in a sand-swept land of caravans, brigands, and adventurers. It’s said that if you clear one of these prisons, you’ll be able to obtain treasure beyond your wildest dreams and even form a contract with magical genies of enormous power – assuming you make it out alive. In this world, Alibaba is a young rogue who wants nothing more than to become wealthy by clearing out all of the world’s dungeons, beginning with the nearby tower Amon; Aladdin is a curious young boy with a magical flute and a hidden ability; and Morgiana is a slave who can’t break free.

As their paths cross, the three find themselves wandering the land, battling powerful foes, and standing up to powerful forces that seek to corrupt the weak and innocent.

35. Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works

Fuyuki City, surrounded by the sea and mountains, becomes the setting for an ancient ritual. Seven masters are given seven heroic spirits chosen by the Grail to realise the mythical Holy Grail, which is said to grant any wish from its possessor. Saber, Lancer, Archer, Rider, Caster, Assassin, and Berserker are the heroic spirits or servants. Each master will enter into a contract with their assigned servants and fight to the death the other masters and servants until only one pair remains… The Holy Grail War is underway.

36. The God of High School

Jin Mori has declared himself the most powerful high schooler. His life is turned upside down when he is invited to compete in “God of High School,” a tournament to determine the strongest high schooler of all time. He’s been told that if he wins, any wish he makes will come true… All of the contestants are strong contenders fighting for their own desires. What awaits them at the tournament’s conclusion? A tumultuous battle between two incredibly powerful high school students is about to begin!

37. No Game No Life

According to urban legend, those who are exceptionally gifted at gaming will be sent a special game invitation, and the challenge winners will be whisked away to another world. When Sora and Shiro, two hikikomori NEETs who are also siblings and well-known gamers, receive this invitation, they easily defeat it. And, as legend has it, they are transported to another world where competitions and games determine conflicts, people’s lives, and even country borders. Always up for a challenge, the pair quickly overcomes the challenges that come their way, whether it’s restoring lowly humanity’s good name among the other races or influencing who will be the next king.

38. Blood Blockade Battlefront

Humans and creatures from other dimensions become trapped in an impenetrable bubble that surrounds New York after a breach between Earth and the netherworld opens up over the city. The shaky peace between humanity and the netherworld creatures is protected by an underground group of super humans known as Libra, who are forced to coexist in a new city known as Salem’s Lot. When a case of mistaken identity brings not-so-ordinary delivery boy Leonardo Watch face to face with this group, he joins their ranks in the hopes of preventing the world from being destroyed by a horde of monsters and madmen led by a powerful being known as the King of Despair.

39.Tower of God

Fame, glory, and power. When you reach the top of the Tower of God, you can do anything in your wildest dreams. Those who are chosen by the tower ascend each floor in the hopes of realising their dreams, but in order to do so, they must pass dangerous and deadly tests along the way. Others, however, are free to enter the structure; these “irregulars” are feared by many and are said to leave chaos and change in their wake.

Twenty-fifth Baam is one such irregular, beginning his