Anime is simply Japanese films or series which are animated usually based on a previously released manga (comic book) or light novels. Anime is generally very hyped because you can portray any kind of story without having to worry about if the actors would do justice to it or not.
There are many scenes that one cannot enact no matter how hard one tries. Since anime is animated, animators can successfully portray every aspect of the story with the efforts they put in. The art style differs with almost every anime which makes it eye-catchy.
Action scenes are so well displayed that it has you on your toes almost all the time. There are relatable characters and ones you aspire to be like. They’re hilarious and their humor is not restricted thus it tends to turn out hilarious.
Anime is literally available in all sorts of genres and one of which is “Historical Anime”. The motive of this genre is to highlight historical events in a way that is easier to decipher and remember. It also makes sure to put its own twist on every event while not going too astray from it. They are a bliss to watch with immense expressions being portrayed. So,
1. Kimetsu No Yaiba
Kimetsu No Yaiba or Demon Slayer is an anime that premiered on the 6th of April 2019. The anime is based on a Japanese manga series written by Koyoharu Gotouge. The story mainly revolves around the Kamado siblings namely, Tanjiro and Nezuko who live in the Taisho period.
It is a quest where Tanjiro is out hunting demons to protect humans and turn his sister back into one after she has been turned into a demon who does not devour humans. Going with facts it is not a true story but rather is based on several historical elements like the concept of demons that are etched into the history of the folklore of Japan.
The series currently has 2 seasons and a movie that you can watch online on Hulu, Disney+, ESPN+, or Crunchyroll.
2. Vinland Saga
Vinland Saga is an anime adapted from Makoto Yukimura’s manga of the same name that was released on the 8th of July 2019. The story is set sometime around 1013 AD, and it portrays the concept of war, mercenaries, and similar things like exploring new places to live at.
The series has a fantastic plot and top-notch action sequences. It is basically a dark series and it gets deeper and darker with every new chapter or episode. The series is widely appreciated and even compared to anime like “Shingeki No Kyojin”.
Vinland saga is based on the Vikings era where our main character is based on the Icelandic explorer Thorfinn Karlsefni who sailed out in the world and tried to establish a settlement in North America.
The series currently only has one season and the second is set to air on the 9th of January 2022. You can watch it online on Netflix or Crunchyroll.
3. Samurai Champloo
Samurai Champloo is an anime adapted from Masaru Gotsubo’s manga of the same name. The anime was released on the 14th of May 2005. The story is set in the Edo period where the main leads of the story, that is, Fuu, Mugen, and Jin set out on a journey to find a samurai who smells like a sunflower.
The story highlights the hierarchy and money system that used to be normal in that period. It is worth-watching anime that would leave you laughing and weeping altogether. It only has one season and is completed.
You can watch the series online on Netflix, Hulu, or Crunchyroll.
4. Kuroshitsuji
Kuroshitsuji or Black Butler is an anime adapted from Yana Toboso’s manga of the same name. It was released on the 2nd of October 2008 and revolves around two characters namely, Ciel Phantomhive an earl living in the Victorian era, and his butler Sebastian Michaelis who actually is a demon who has a contract with Ciel.
The storyline is about the mission the 13-year-old earl referred to as the Queen’s Watchdog carries out alongside his butler. The series is a little dark and unique with a great pace. The series is based on certain true historic events with the mangaka having given it a fictitious turn.
The series has 2 seasons, 7 OVAs, and about 3 movies and is completed. You can watch the series online on Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, or Crunchyroll.
5. Dororo
Dororo is an anime adapted from Osamu Tezuka’s manga of the same name. It was released in the year 1969 but was remade recently and was released on the 7th of January 2019. The story is based on Japanese folklore of sacrificing one’s body parts to summon help from demons.
The story revolves around a ronin called Hyakkimaru who in reality is the son of Daigo Kagemitsu who offered his child to 48 different demons to accomplish dominance over the country. So, Hyakkimaru and our titular character Dororo sets on a journey to kill demons to get Hyakkimaru’s body parts and senses back.
It is an anime that not everybody would like for it is dark and gore at points, but it sure has an amazing plotline and character design. There are two separate series for the same the first being “Dororo and Hyakkimaru” and the second being its remake “Dororo”.
You can watch the series online on Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, or Crunchyroll.
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6. Gintama
Gintama is an anime adapted from Hideaki Sorachi’s manga of the same name. It first premiered on the 4th of April 2006. The story is based around the main character Gintoki Sakata whose name and character were sort of derived from Kintoki Sakata a hero who is believed to have lived in Japan in or around the year 900 CE.
The anime is a work of fiction but it refers to and features real-life incidents too. The main characters, Gintoki Sakata, Kagura, and Shinpachi are members of the Odd Job who tend to take on any work in exchange for money.
It showcases the Edo period where the Joi patriots, Shinsengumi, and all were real. Personally, this is one of my favorite animes for it has a balance of laughter, sorrow, past, future, hope, denial, literally everything.
It is completed and has about 7 seasons, 3 movies, and 2 OVAs. You can watch the series online on Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+, or Crunchyroll.
7. Baccano
Baccano is an anime adapted from Ryohgo Narita’s light novel. It was released on the 26th of July 2007. The series follows a true ensemble storyline, that is, there is more than just one lead character in the series, and we get to see multiple perspectives.
The story tends to revolve around different types of people all together like we have alchemists, immortals, outlaws, gangsters, and whatnot. We have multiple concepts like the elixir of immortality that are being used in the said story.
The story and the characters of the series are well written, a little violent yet funny, the pace is quite good and the animation and sound I great too. The series has one season and a special that was released just after that.
You can watch the series online on Google play or Crunchyroll.
8. Mushishi
Mushishi is an anime adapted from Yuki Urushibara’s manga of the same name. It was released on the 22nd of October 2005. The anime is set between the Edo and Meiji periods and it portrays multiple stories based on old folklore, legends, and myths that were famous in Japan while the mangaka was a kid.
The anime is an episodic anthology with a decent plotline that keeps you entertained without exaggerating stuff. The story revolves around the character Ginko and Mushi and what they intercept in their lives every other day.
The series is well appreciated and has a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes while IMDb gave it a rating of 8.5/10. The audience rated the series as a 5/5 via an audience rating summary. The series has 2 proper seasons, about 2 specials, and a couple of movies.
You can watch them online on Hulu or Crunchyroll.
9. Koutetsujou No Kabaneri
Koutetsujou No Kabaneri or Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress is an anime adaptation of Shirou Yoshida’s manga of the same name. The said anime was released on the 8th of April 2016. The story is sort of about zombie-like creatures referred to as Kabane’s in the story, they tend to transform a human when they bite them.
People basically have been considering them a curse or a root of something supernatural. The origins of these curses or zombie-like beings are unknown except for the fact that they could have been humans first. Their presence is also the reason for the creation of railways in the series.
The series basically goes around the entirety of this new virus thingy that has caused an uproar and a literal industrial revolution for humans to exist. The series currently has released a season and 3 movies.
You can watch it online on Netflix or Crunchyroll.
10. InuYasha
InuYasha is an anime series adapted from Rumiko Takahashi’s manga of the same name and it was released on the 16th of October 2000. The story of the anime series revolves around the character name Inuyasha, meaning a dog yaksha, a half-dog half-demon, who is out in the world searching for a jewel that is said to have immense power.
It is set in the Sengoku era. The mangaka has highlighted the concept of a demon dog trying to collect fragments of Shikon Jewel to destroy it completely based on multiple Japanese folklore and yokai.
The series is said to be a worth-watching anime with 7 seasons, 4 movies, and an OVA with its main focus being the jewel and romance. And then they started airing a season named Yashahime: Princess Half Demon.
You can watch all of these online on Hulu. Netflix and Crunchyroll have some of the initial episodes of the series.
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11. 91 Days
91 Days is an anime set in the United States Prohibition Era. It was released on the 9th of July 2016. It is the story of Angelo Lagusa who is out to get revenge against the Vanetti Family for the entirety of his family was murdered in a mafia dispute.
The head of this certain mafia group, or the Don is, Vincent Vanetti. Angelo slowly and steadily enters the lawless to execute his revenge. He befriends Vincent’s son Nero and the story of revenge begins in a fictional world where liquor dominates the black market.
The anime is not actually based on any specific historic event rather it tends to take from the era as a whole. The story is a true melancholic sentiment at the very core and is definitely worth watching. The series has a season with 12 episodes of 24-minute runtime.
You can watch it online on Funimation or Crunchyroll.
12. Hotaru No Haka
Hotaru No Haka or Grave Of The Fireflies is an anime movie based on Skiyuki Nosaka’s short story that was released back in the year 1967. The movie premiered on the 16th of April 1988. Hotaru No Haka is based on a true story, a story based on the mangaka’s life about when he lost his sister during the war due to malnutrition and has been blaming himself for it.
The story begins with the scenes of American firebombing in the period of World War II and it portrays the heart-wrenching condition of the kids who were left behind with nobody to return to as an aftermath of the so-called necessary war for dominance.
It is a heartbreakingly well-portrayed story from the perspective of the ones left behind to survive in an unjust world with nobody to turn to.
You can watch the movie online on Hulu.
13. Katanagatari
Katanagatari is an anime adapted from Nislo Isin’s light novel series. It was released on the 25th of January 2010. The story revolves around a character named Yasuri Shichika and Togame. Yasuri is a swordsman who fights without a sword and Togame is a strategist who has set out to collect 12 legendary swords for the shogunate.
Katanagatari follows the same alternate history real-world Japan does. As in the series, the country technically followed the feudal lord system with an emperor being the topmost authority but the actual power was under the grasp of the military leader or the one we refer to as the shogun.
The series has one season which is one of the most well-paced animes the anime industry has offered. It has an exceptional storyline with multiple twists and spiritual romance that would keep you entertained.
You can watch it online on Crunchyroll.
14. Drifters
Drifters is an anime adaptation of Kouta Hirano’s manga of the same name. It was released on the 7th of October 2016. The story revolves around a league of exemplary warriors from across history. Like it literally has a samurai, a ninja, a World War II pilot, an Imperial Japanese naval officer, and whatnot.
They are brought to this world to fight a group with similar power who have decided to take over the planet as a whole. The anime draws a lot of inspiration from history as it uses historical figures from multiple countries like Japan, America, Russia, and France.
The anime is very entertaining with great animation and a worth-watching plot. There is only one season and 3 OVAs released for the series and probably will be having another season soon as the last episode of the first season stated “to be continued”.
You can watch the series online on Hulu, Disney+, ESPN+, or Apple TV.
15. Shumatsu No Warukyure
Shumatsu No Warukyure or Record of Ragnarok is an anime adaptation of Shinya Umemura and Takumi Fukui’s manga of the same name. It was released on the 17th of June 2021. The story has characters and concepts based on many historical and mythical facts.
It is a fight for humanity’s survival where the historical and mythical figures like Nikola Tesla, Soji Okita, and Adam. Because of the destruction, humans have been causing for bout 7 million years, the gods somehow come to a decision to make humans an extinct species and rebuild the world for good.
Brunhilde the eldest Valkyrie proposes an idea of Ragnarok where 13 humans would fight with 13 gods and if the gods win they could kill off all humans and if the humans win they can continue to live on for another 1000 years.
The series only has one season and you can watch it online on Netflix.
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16. Gosick
Gosick is an anime adapted from Kazuki Sakuraba’s light novel series of the same name. It premiered on the 7th of January 2011. The anime is set in the year 1924 in a European country where a Japanese transfer student comes across an intelligent and mysterious girl who tends to live in the library except for the time when she sleeps.
Because the girl is extremely smart her brother who is a detective tends to reach out to her for help while solving cases. The anime is worth watching with captivating mysteries which tend to provoke your curiosities and emotions all alike.
The series has one season with about 24 episodes with a lot of mystery, history, and romance.
You can watch the series online on Amazon Prime Video, Roku, or Apple TV.
17. Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan
Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan or Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Swordsman Romantic Story is an anime adapted from Nobuhiro Watsuki’s manga of the same name. It was released on the 20th of February 1999.
The story revolves around an assassin named Hitokiri Battosai or Jimura Kenshin is a wanderer who offers help as in gives protection to whoever hires him as a way to atone for the murders he has committed as an assassin.
The story is set during the 11th year of the Meiji period and takes a lot of cues from real history as it is a historical fiction manga.
You can watch the series online on Netflix or Crunchyroll.
18. Vanitas No Karute
Vanitas No Karute or The Case Study Of Vanitas is an anime adapted from Jun Mochizuki’s manga of the same name. The anime was released on the 3rd of July 2021. The story is set in 19th-century Paris in a world where vampires and steampunk thematics are a thing.
The series revolves around the concept of vampires. Vanitas the main lead of the story claims to be a vampire’s doctor who cures them of malnomen a condition where vampires tend to lose their will against their predator instincts.
The series has absolutely beautiful animation with epic battles and concepts that do not fail to entertain you. It has 2 seasons revolving around the human-vampire duo of Vanitas and Noe fighting over more problems.
You can watch it online on Hulu, Disney+, ESPN+, or Crunchyroll.
19. Rainbow: Nisha Rokubou No Shichinin
Rainbow: Nisha Rokubou No Shichinin or Rainbow: The Seven From Compound Teo, Cell Six is an anime adapted from George Abe’s manga of the same name. It was released on the 6th of April 2010. The story is set in the 1950s and revolves around a group of 6 delinquents and their mentor.
The story portrays the lives these characters had as students and thereafter highlights the issues the Japanese society was left with after the war. Abe wrote the story based on his personal experience from the time he was jailed.
The series has a season with 26 episodes and is worth watching for it is a pure mixture of brutality, violence, sincerity, and inspiration.
You can watch the series online on Crunchyroll.
20. Arslan Senki
Arslan Senki or The Heroic Legend Of Arslan is an anime adapted from Yoshiki Tanaka’s fantasy novel series of the same name. The series first premiered on the 21st of October 1993. It is a high historical fantasy alongside sword and sorcery.
The story states about the heroic experiences the crown prince of the Pars kingdom, Arslan has. He is the adopted son of Andragoras III and Tahamine and his character is based on a Muslim trucs man with the same name, he is the ancestor of Othman the one who established the Ottoman empire. The anime has taken a lot of Arab and Persia cultures and history into account.
It is a great war anime with amazing action and a strategic point of view that tends to keep your curiosity level high. Even though the anime is not completely based on historic events it does feel more real and literally less fictional. The series has released 2 seasons and 2 OVAs.
You can watch it online on Netflix or Crunchyroll.
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21. Yuukoku No Moriarty
Yuukoku No Moriarty or Moriarty The Patriot is an anime adapted from Ryosuke Takeuchi’s mystery manga series of the same name. It was released on the 27th of April 2022. The story revolves around a character named William James Moriarty.
Moriarty belongs to a noble lineage and works as a consultant for the common people and helps them with solving their problems. The story is set in the 19th century when the British Empire was sort of a global power and Moriarty wanted to destroy the current structure that was dominating the society he lived in.
There is only one season of 24 episodes with the average runtime of each episode being about 24 minutes. The anime is fun to watch and engaging anime with good animation and an interesting storyline.
You can watch the series online on Netflix or Funimation.
22. Golden Kamuy
Golden Kamuy is an anime adapted from Satoru Noda’s manga of the same name. It was released on the 16th of April 2018. The main characters of the series include Asirpa, Saichi Sugimoto, and Hyakunosuke Ogata.
The story is set against a background that explores the actual history of Japan. Even though the characters are not directly based on any real historical figures they are inspired by many which turns our character composite.
The basic storyline of the series is that the characters are out there hunting for a buried hoard of treasure that is said to belong to the Ainu the indigenous people native to northern Japan. The series has 4 seasons, the fourth is still ongoing.
You can watch it online on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Funimation, or Crunchyroll.
23. Stranger: Mukou Hadan
Stranger: Mukou Hadan or Sword Of The Stranger is an anime jidaigeki-chanbara (referring to the samurai and edo period) adventure film that was released on the 29th of September 2007. The story revolves around two of our main characters namely Nanashi and Kotaro.
Kotaro is a young orphan who is followed by unknown pursuers. He alongside his dog is running and hiding in order to safely reach their final destination, a certain Buddhist temple. Nanashi is a swordsman who comes across this kid and somehow ends up joining his journey and making sure he safely reaches where he has to.
The anime has quite a lot of fight scenes with good animation and a constant pace. The movie got an audience rating of 4.8/5 via an audience rating summary.
You can watch the anime online on Crunchyroll.
24. Mononoke
Mononoke is an avant-garde anime (anime that have pushed the boundaries of what the audience has accepted as the norm) that was released on the 12th of July 1997. The story follows a nameless character often referred to as the Medicine Seller.
The series has episodes with their own individual story, and it goes by portraying the experiences the Medicine Seller ends up having before he fights the Mononoke (Mononoke are a type of unnatural spirit that linger in the human world by binding themselves to negative human emotions) and destroys them for good.
The series is interesting and entertaining in both the visual and thematic aspects. The audience rated the series as a 4.9/5 via an audience rating survey. The series only has one season.
You can watch it online on Crunchyroll.
25. Oda Nobuna No Yabou
Oda Nobuna No Yabou or The Ambition Of Oda Nobuna is an anime adapted from Mikage Kasuga’s light novel series of the same name. It was released on the 9th of July 2012. The story begins with Yoshiharu Sagara a high school student who somehow is teleported or time-traveled back to the Sengoku period and is almost on the verge of being killed on a battlefield.
The character is saved by the infamous Toyotomi Hideyoshi who ends up dead while saving Sagara. The death of this man alters the entirety of Japan’s history and Sagara is out there trying to set everything back in line so as to not change the future too much.
The series is a pack of romance, comedy, and history. The series has one season with 12 episodes and an average runtime of 24 minutes.
You can watch it online on Crunchyroll.
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26. Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju
Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju or Descending Stories is an anime adapted from Haruko Kumota’s manga of the same name. It was released on the 9th of January 2016. The story revolves around Yakumo Yurakutei who is an infamous rakugo (rakugo is a form of yose where a lone storyteller sits on a stage reciting stories) performer.
The story begins with a man who was just released from prison and is to become an apprentice of the above-mentioned rakugo performer Yakumo Yurakutei. The story highlights and portrays the performer’s back story and the struggles he has faced to be this popular.
The animation of the said series is not too eye-catchy but the storyline and character design are so compelling that it makes up for it. The audience rated the series as a 4.9/5 via an audience rating survey.
You can watch the series online on Crunchyroll.
27. Hetalia: Axis Powers
Hetalia: Axis Powers is an anime adaptation of Hidekaz Himaruya’s manga which was adapted from his webcomic. It was released on the 24th of January 2009. The plot of the manga is quite different as the characters portray their respective countries as a whole.
The story revolves around Italy as in Hetalia meaning useless Italy who is now a pasta-loving fool a contradictory self to him being home to the strongest empire in the world. Then the other characters are the other personified countries like France, Russia, and America and the story goes around them and the moments that we refer to as world history.
The anime is worth watching as it is hilariously idiotic and weirdly clever at times. The series currently has 7 seasons, a movie, and about 2 to 3 OVAs.
You can watch the series online on Hulu, Funimation, or Crunchyroll.
28. Kurenai No Buta
Kurenai No Buta or Porco Rosso is an anime film written by Hayao Miyazaki. It was released on the 18th of July 1992. The story is set in the 1930s when sky pirates tend to terrorize cruise ships while they sail the Adriatic Sea.
The only pilot who is gutsy enough to have stopped the scourge of these pirates was the mysterious Porco Rosso who was a former World War I flying ace who got turned into a pig during the war. While he prepares to go to battle he engages with Fio Piccolo a female mechanic and his friend Madame Gina.
The character of Porco Rosso is probably based on Ensign Charles Hammann who was a US Navy fighter pilot during World War I. It is worth-watching anime with great visuals and an audience rating of 4.8/5 via an audience rating survey.
You can watch the series online on HBO Max or Netflix.
29. Aoi Bungaku
Aoi Bungaku or Blue Literature is an anime-inspired and adapted from six short stories from Japanese literature. It was released on the 11th of October 2009. The series adapted Osamu Dazai’s No Longer Human and Run, Melos!, Ango Sakaguchi’s Sakura no Mori no Mankai no Shita, Natsume Soseki’s Kokoro, Ryunosuke Akutagawa’s The Spider’s Thread and Hell Screen.
The series is a worth-watching mixture of classic Japanese literature revolving around multiple themes and ideologies. It has one season with 12 episodes and an audience rating of 4.8/5 via an audience rating survey.
You can watch it online on Crunchyroll or Netflix.
30. Kaguya-Hime No Monogatari
Kaguya-Hime No Monogatari or The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya is a historical fantasy film based on a 10th-century Japanese literary tale called The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter. It was released on the 23rd of November 2013. It is a proto-science fiction story of a girl who was found inside a glowing bamboo shoot by a bamboo cutter named Sanuki no Miyatsuko.
The bamboo cutter along with his wife raise the girl as their own daughter while referring to her as a princess. The father later finds gold and fine clothes while cutting bamboo similar to the way he found his daughter and decides to make her a real princess. She is called Princess Kaguya after a certain age.
The story ends with Kaguya being taken to the moon by a procession of celestial beings led by Buddha. It is worth watching the movie made with utter devotion that it ends up leaving your heart broken.
You can watch the movie online on Netflix or Crunchyroll.
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