While the anime senen attracts the most attention, the Ranker voter community has prepared its list of the best anime series seinen.
Seinen Anime List
Literally, this word means youth and consists of an anime focused on young men. But wait? What is the difference between this and anime senen? Isn’t this meant for young men as well? Yes and no, the Big Three anime, as a rule, are aimed at young men, but IN fact their target audience is teenagers. Guys with big dreams of becoming the greatest Hokage or someone else. But anime seinen is not afraid to ask BIG questions: what does it all mean? Doesn’t the desire to fight to become a Hokage unknowingly fuel a greater cycle of violence and pain? Wouldn’t the world be a better place if we didn’t have to throw kunai knives at each other all the time? Anime seinen tries to answer these questions, usually with a lot of violence. And we don’t like it.
1. Zom 100: Wish List of the Dead
There are plenty of stories about zombies, but the same cannot be said about anime about zombies. From time to time, the industry seems to take an interest in this topic, especially if the program can implement a unique approach to the concept. On paper, Zom 100 looks like a rather rough version of the subgenre; in performance, the series is refreshing.
Akira hates her job, and for good reason. Over the past few years, he has been defeated by corporate routine, leaving him no more than a shell of a human being. Thus, when the zombie apocalypse broke out in Tokyo, Akira immediately reacted with a shout of joy, as he was finally freed from the painful work that was taking away his vitality. Instead of focusing on survival or finding a cure, the main character just wants to live his best life while it’s possible. Simple, but powerful.
Combining action and comedy, Zom 100 is energetic, attractive and unforgettable. BUG FILMS animation is also fantastic, perhaps one of the best in the summer season of 2023.
2. Goblin Killer Season 2
As controversial as its first episode was, “Goblin Slayer” ended up being a pretty good dark fantasy, and the anime adaptation still has a lot of light novels and manga to adapt. Assuming that the sequel will develop at the same pace as its predecessor, the 2nd season of Goblin Slayer will probably cover from 25 to 35 chapters, which should be enough for about 2 or 3 arcs.
As always, the characters will have to fight many different goblins in fierce and bloody battles. Goblin Slayer isn’t the most difficult anime seinen out there, but he knows who he’s trying to be.
3. The One-punch Man
The One-Punch Man webcomic by writer ONE rapidly gained fame, with the help of world-class artist Yusuke Murata, it was adapted into manga and, eventually, into anime. Although the 2nd season of 2019 showed a decrease in animation quality, the 1st season provided anime fans with some of the most outstanding animation works in this genre thanks to the experienced Madhouse studio.
In addition to its impressive action movie, One-Punch Man is known for its subversive premise and satire of the showrunner and superhero genres. It features colorful characters and an omnipotent protagonist who is tired of being the strongest in the world, and at the same time he brings a healthy dose of wit. Ironically, at the same time, he became one of the best anime about superheroes.
4. Parasite: maximum
Another Madhouse adaptation, Parasyte is an entertaining sci-fi horror anime based on the Hitoshi Iwaaki manga. It’s a simple premise, well executed due to its context, as the story revolves around a high school student whose right hand is infected by an alien parasite with a hostile mind of its own.
The Parasite touches on some light human philosophy in his subjects, while the Parasite Izumi discusses with him the inherent nature of humanity. This is a good thematic reason for the coming madness, as Izumi is forced to fight other parasites who are getting better and better and disguise themselves as manipulative people.
5. The Vinland Saga
2019 has been a year full of major anime releases like Attack on Titan and Demon Slayer, but Vinland Saga still stands out as a very exciting historical drama. The Vinland saga sends Thorfinn on a bloody, tunnel-like quest for revenge, but the traces of corpses and the lives he wastes force him to awaken to reality in the most difficult way.
His father was killed by the Viking pirate Askelad, which prompted the boy to join his team in order to get the opportunity to fight and kill him in return. The series, however, stands out for going beyond Torfinn and moving on to the supporting cast, as each of them has an exciting backstory and motivation inherent only in life. This is one of the most introspective modern anime, but Moderna is also not complete without exciting Viking-themed action games. Where the story ends, the next second begins
6. Berserk
In fact, Berserk may be the darkest anime series known to man. A young mercenary named Gats makes a living by separating people from their ghosts with his sword. How else are you going to make money in a brutal medieval fantasy world? Eventually, she meets a young charismatic captain named Griffith and decides to join Griffith’s mercenary group called Band of the Hawk to find wealth and fame. Instead, they end up finding demons and fighting them. And I don’t mean the internal type.
7. Mushi-shi
The action of Mushi-Shi takes place in rural Japan, where a man named Ginko travels, selling his services as a Mushi teacher. But what are mushi and why do they need to be mastered? Mushi are semi-spiritual organisms with all kinds of magical properties. Sometimes a person comes into contact with mushi, and its impact can cause him to become ill. Think of a mushi that lives in the shade of a tree in your backyard and then gets into your brain and eats your memories. No one has time for this. Call Ginko, he will help you.
8. Attack on Titan
A Attack on Titan is something adult about taking RESPONSIBILITY for your actions, even when it’s difficult (and can prove fatal). A brilliant Japanese neurosurgeon saves a young German who was shot in the head. Cool, right? Well, what will happen when this child grows up and becomes the most evil, perverted and monstrous serial killer the world has ever seen? Doc has to do something about it, right? And do what he does.
9. Evangelion of Neon Origin
A fragile young man named Shinji is forced by his cruel father to control a biomechanical mechanical suit to fight the invasion of interdimensional aliens known as angels. A. Evangelion of Neon Genesis, in fact, tells about a child who is forced to grow too fast and must bear the burden of the whole world on his shoulders. Fortunately, he has the biggest tsundere in the anime, which will help him withstand the load. Get ready for sci-fi nonsense and fierce battles between aliens and humans!
10. Ghost in the Shell – Stand Alone Complex
In the distant future, people will be able to transfer their consciousness into the bodies of cyborgs in order to improve their physical abilities and prolong their lives. Motoko Kusanagi is one such person, and in Ghost in the Shell – Stand Alone Complex, she leads a team of top-notch soldiers in a government organization called Section 9, which protects Japan from cyberterrorist threats. But what does it all mean, man? Is this computer virus really aware? Will you remain yourself if your brain is placed in a new body? Do robots have souls? All these important questions need answers, and this series will try.
11. Cowboy bebop
Cowboy Bebop is a typical seinen anime, and many consider his anime responsible for taking the genre beyond its reputation for weird cartoons for non-school children. In the near future, a bounty hunter named Spike flies a spaceship through the Solar System in search of criminals who can be caught. Although the series is replete with themes, the central one is that no matter what a person does, they cannot escape their past. He will always catch up with you, and when he does, be ready to shoot.
12. Psycho-Pass
In the near future, a modern surveillance system will be able to determine which of the population is mentally healthy, and who can potentially become a dangerous criminal. The system assigns each person a “psychopathic pass” – a number that determines their mental health. If a person’s psychopathic level becomes too high, that person may be arrested or even executed. Psycho-Pass tells the story of a young policewoman responsible for the arrest of hidden criminals and her struggle to maintain her own mental balance.
13. Samurai Shampoo
In Samurai Champloo, wandering warriors Jin and Mugen make a living in hip-hop-inspired Edo period Japan by selling their swords to the highest bidder. After a case of mistaken identity, the couple encounters the only swordsman they can’t kill: each other. After the ensuing battle, which caused chaos in the city, the couple is arrested and sentenced to death. Before the axe falls, they are rescued by a young girl on the condition that they help her find a samurai smelling of sunflowers.
14. Death Note
The death Note is intended for young people who have emerged from the teenage cocoon and turned into Gothic butterflies. Brilliant and bored high school student Light Yagami finds a mysterious black notebook on the territory of his school. When he touches it, the god of death, dressed as a Hot Topic model, reveals that the book is called the Death Notebook and that anyone whose name is written on its pages will die. Light decides to use the book to become the almighty god of the new world of peace and prosperity. All he has to do is thwart a young genius detective, known only as L, who is tracking him down.