Best Japan Sci-Fi & Fantasy TV Shows

2023 • Rating 8.8 • animation, action & adventure, drama

Decades after her party defeated the Demon King, an old friend's funeral launches the elf wizard Frieren on a journey of self-discovery.

Genre: Animation, Action & Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Style:

Audience: Date Night, Family, Teens

Plot: Elves, Way Of Life, Magic, Immortality, Friendship, Slice Of Life, Female Protagonist, Based On Manga, Combat, Human Relationship

Time: Year 2023, 2020S, 2023-09-29

Place: Japan, Japanese

Cast: Atsumi Tanezaki, Kana Ichinose, Chiaki Kobayashi, Nobuhiko Okamoto, Hiroki Touchi, Yoji Ueda

2009 • Rating 8.7 • animation, action & adventure, sci-fi & fantasy

Disregard for alchemy’s laws ripped half of Edward Elric’s limbs from his body and left his brother Alphonse’s soul clinging to a suit of armor. To restore what was lost, the brothers seek the Philosopher’s Stone. Enemies and allies – the corrupt military, the Homunculi, and foreign alchemists – will alter the Elric brothers course, but their purpose will remain unchanged and their bond unbreakable.

Genre: Animation, Action & Adventure, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Drama

Style:

Audience: Date Night, Family, Teens

Plot: Politics, Supernatural, Remake, Revenge, Travel, Steampunk, Conspiracy, Based On Manga, Alchemy, Military

Time: Year 2009, 2000S, 2009-04-05

Place: Japan, Japanese

Cast: Romi Park, Rie Kugimiya, Shin-ichiro Miki, Fumiko Orikasa, Megumi Takamoto

2013 • Rating 8.7 • animation, sci-fi & fantasy, action & adventure

100 years ago, the last remnants of humanity were forced to retreat behind the towering walls of a fortified city to escape the massive, man-eating Titans that roamed the land outside their fortress. Only the members of the Scouting Legion dared to stray beyond the safety of the walls – but even those brave warriors seldom returned alive. Those within the city clung to the illusion of a peaceful existence until the day that dream was shattered, and their slim chance at survival was reduced to one horrifying choice: kill – or be devoured!

Genre: Animation, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Action & Adventure

Style: Cerebral, Dark, Mind Bending, Surreal, Suspenseful

Audience: Adult, Family

Plot: Fascism, Dystopia, Politics, Revenge, Gore, Survival, Tragedy, Giant Monster, Based On Manga, Super Power

Time: Year 2013, 2010S, 2013-04-07

Place: Japan, Japanese

Cast: Yuki Kaji, Yui Ishikawa, Marina Inoue, Kisho Taniyama, Hiro Shimono, Yoshimasa Hosoya

2011 • Rating 8.7 • animation, action & adventure, sci-fi & fantasy

Gon, a young boy who lives on Whale Island, dreams of becoming a Hunter like his father, who left when Gon was still young.

Genre: Animation, Action & Adventure, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Style: Mind Bending, Surreal, Suspenseful

Audience: Family, Teens

Plot: Martial Arts, Bounty Hunter, Affectation, Virtual Reality, Training, Friendship, Friends, Remake, Revenge, Travel

Time: Year 2011, 2010S, 2011-10-02

Place: Japan, Japanese

Cast: Megumi Han, Mariya Ise, Issei Futamata, Miyuki Sawashiro, Keiji Fujiwara

2012 • Rating 8.6 • animation, comedy, sci-fi & fantasy

Nanami was just a normal high school girl down on her luck until a stranger’s lips marked her as the new Land God and turned her world upside down. Now, she’s figuring out the duties of a deity with the help of Tomoe, a reformed fox demon who reluctantly becomes her familiar in a contract sealed with a kiss. The new responsibilities—and boys—are a lot to handle, like the crow demon masquerading as a gorgeous pop idol and the adorable snake spirit who’s chosen the newly minted god to be his bride. As the headstrong Tomoe tries to whip her into shape, Nanami finds that love just might have cute, pointed fox ears. With romance in the air, will the human deity be able to prove herself worthy of her new title?

Genre: Animation, Comedy, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Style:

Audience: Family, Teens

Plot: Magic, Friendship, Supernatural, High School, God, Rivalry, Romance, Coming Of Age, School, Religion

Time: Year 2012, 2010S, 2012-10-02

Place: Japan, Japanese

Cast: Yui Horie, Suzuko Mimori, Daisuke Namikawa, Daisuke Kishio, Satomi Sato, Vanilla Yamazaki

2019 • Rating 8.6 • animation, action & adventure, sci-fi & fantasy

After a demon attack leaves his family slain and his sister cursed, Tanjiro embarks upon a perilous journey to find a cure and avenge those he's lost.

Genre: Animation, Action & Adventure, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Style: Dark

Audience: Adult, Family, Teens

Plot: Sibling Relationship, Swordplay, Sword, Magic, Training, Supernatural, Undead, Tragedy, Coming Of Age, Based On Manga

Time: Year 2019, 2010S, 2019-04-06

Place: Japan, Japanese

Cast: Natsuki Hanae, Akari Kito, Hiro Shimono, Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, Nobuhiko Okamoto, Takahiro Sakurai

2006 • Rating 8.6 • animation, mystery, sci-fi & fantasy

Light Yagami is an ace student with great prospects—and he’s bored out of his mind. But all that changes when he finds the Death Note, a notebook dropped by a rogue Shinigami death god. Any human whose name is written in the notebook dies, and Light has vowed to use the power of the Death Note to rid the world of evil. But will Light succeed in his noble goal, or will the Death Note turn him into the very thing he fights against?

Genre: Animation, Mystery, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Style: Cerebral, Dark, Psychological, Suspenseful

Audience: Adult, Family, Teens

Plot: Detective, Journalism, Secret Identity, Police, Supernatural, Sociopath, Rivalry, Murder, Serial Killer, Grim Reaper

Time: Year 2006, 2000S, 2006-10-04

Place: Japan, Japanese

Cast: Mamoru Miyano, Shido Nakamura, Aya Hirano, Kappei Yamaguchi, Kimiko Saito, Naoya Uchida

2016 • Rating 8.6 • action & adventure, animation, sci-fi & fantasy

After he saves a bully from a Villain, a normal student is granted a superpower that allows him to attend a high school training academy for Heroes.

Genre: Action & Adventure, Animation, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Style:

Audience: Family, Teens

Plot: Saving The World, Competition, Hero, Abusive Father, Training, Bullying, Superhero, Revenge, School, Heroism

Time: Year 2016, 2010S, 2016-04-03

Place: Japan, Japanese

Cast: Daiki Yamashita

2024 • Rating 8.6 • animation, action & adventure, sci-fi & fantasy

They say whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, but that’s not the case for the world’s weakest hunter Sung Jinwoo. After being brutally slaughtered by monsters in a high-ranking dungeon, Jinwoo came back with the System, a program only he could see, that’s leveling him up in every way. Now, he’s inspired to discover the secrets behind his powers and the dungeon that spawned them.

Genre: Animation, Action & Adventure, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Style: Suspenseful

Audience: Family, Teens

Plot: Magic, Survival, Combat, Super Power, Hunting, Dungeon, Anime, Level Up, Based On Webcomic Or Webtoon, Urban Fantasy

Time: Year 2024, 2020S, 2024-01-07

Place: Japan, South Korea, United States Of America, Japanese

Cast: Taito Ban, Genta Nakamura, Haruna Mikawa, Reina Ueda, Daisuke Hirakawa, Hiroki Touchi

2026 • Rating 8.6 • animation, drama, sci-fi & fantasy

In a world where only witches can cast magic, they must avoid being seen by ordinary people while casting. While Coco does her chores, she daydreams of becoming a witch. When a young witch named Qifrey visits her village, Coco uncovers the “absolute secret,” becomes Qifrey’s apprentice, and begins her studies. This is the story of children who encounter despair, yet reach out toward hope.

Genre: Animation, Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Style: Mind Bending, Surreal

Audience: Date Night, Family

Plot: Witch, Magic, Based On Manga, Fantasy World, Seinen, Anime, In A World Where Only Witches Can Cast Magic, They Must Avoid Being Seen By Ordinary People While Casting, While Coco Does Her Chores, She Daydreams Of Becoming A Witch

Time: Year 2026, 2020S, 2026-04-06

Place: Japan, Japanese

Cast: Rena Motomura, Natsuki Hanae, Hibiku Yamamura, Kurumi Haruki, Hika Tsukishiro, Yuichi Nakamura

2020 • Rating 8.6 • animation, action & adventure, sci-fi & fantasy

Yuji Itadori is a boy with tremendous physical strength, though he lives a completely ordinary high school life. One day, to save a classmate who has been attacked by curses, he eats the finger of Ryomen Sukuna, taking the curse into his own soul. From then on, he shares one body with Ryomen Sukuna. Guided by the most powerful of sorcerers, Satoru Gojo, Itadori is admitted to Tokyo Jujutsu High School, an organization that fights the curses... and thus begins the heroic tale of a boy who became a curse to exorcise a curse, a life from which he could never turn back.

Genre: Animation, Action & Adventure, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Style: Dark

Audience: Family, Teens

Plot: Martial Arts, Exorcism, Secret Organization, Sorcery, Supernatural, Possession, Paranormal, Curse, Tragedy, Sorcerer

Time: Year 2020, 2020S, 2020-10-03

Place: Japan, Japanese, Tokyo

Cast:

2026 • Rating 8.3 • animation, sci-fi & fantasy, drama

At an afterlife agency where angels guide lingering souls, Tetsuo and Misaki take on any challenge to help the dead find peace in their own offbeat style.

Genre: Animation, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Drama, Comedy

Style:

Audience: Date Night, Family, Teens

Plot: Afterlife, Based On Manga, Anime, At An Afterlife Agency Where Angels Guide Lingering Souls, Tetsuo And Misaki Take On Any Challenge To Help The Dead Find Peace In Their Own Offbeat Style

Time: Year 2026, 2020S, 2026-04-16

Place: Japan, Japanese

Cast: Chikahiro Kobayashi, Megumi Han, Mamoru Miyano, Kazuhiko Inoue, Kensho Ono, Yuki Ono

2019 • Rating 8.1 • animation, drama, sci-fi & fantasy

When a sickly young girl suddenly becomes obsessed with inventing new things, her family and friends are all puzzled. "What has gotten into Myne?" they wondered, never dreaming that the answer is not a "What" but a "Who": Urano Motosu, a book-loving apprentice librarian who died in an earthquake in Tokyo who somehow found herself in Myne's body! And since Myne's world is still in a medieval stage, where books can only be owned by the elite, the new Myne intends to do everything she can to bring her beloved books to the masses in the time she has left.

Genre: Animation, Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Style: Mind Bending, Surreal

Audience: Date Night, Family, Teens

Plot: Magic, Work, Reincarnation, Slice Of Life, Religion, Based On Manga, Medieval, Anime, Josei, Isekai

Time: Year 2019, 2010S, 2019-10-03

Place: Japan, Japanese, Tokyo

Cast: Yuka Iguchi, Show Hayami, Mutsumi Tamura, Takehito Koyasu, Megumi Nakajima, Tsuyoshi Koyama

2005 • Rating 8.1 • action & adventure, animation, comedy

Robotic cat Doraemon is sent back in time from the 22nd century to protect 10-year-old Noby, a lazy and uncoordinated boy who is destined to have a tragic future. Doraemon can create secret gadgets from a pocket on his stomach, but they usually cause more bad than good because of Noby's propensity to misuse them.

Genre: Action & Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Kids, Family

Style: Futuristic, Mind Bending

Audience: Family

Plot: Gadget, Time Travel, Remake, Based On Manga, Anime, Animal Robot, Robotic Cat Doraemon Is Sent Back In Time From The, Nd Century To Protect, Year-Old Noby, A Lazy And Uncoordinated Boy Who Is Destined To Have A Tragic Future

Time: Year 2005, 2000S, Time Travel Era, 2005-04-22

Place: Japan, Japanese, Future City

Cast: Megumi Oohara, Wasabi Mizuta, Yumi Kakazu, Tomokazu Seki, Subaru Kimura, Chiaki

2016 • Rating 7.8 • animation, action & adventure, sci-fi & fantasy

Natsuki Subaru, an ordinary high school student, is on his way home from the convenience store when he finds himself transported to another world. As he's lost and confused in a new world where he doesn't even know left from right, the only person to reach out to him was a beautiful girl with silver hair. Determined to repay her somehow for saving him from his own despair, Subaru agrees to help the girl find something she's looking for.

Genre: Animation, Action & Adventure, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Mystery

Style: Cerebral, Mind Bending

Audience: Adult, Family, Teens

Plot: Magic, Trauma, Time Travel, Reincarnation, Supernatural, Gore, Tragedy, Time Loop, Fate, Parallel World

Time: Year 2016, 2010S, Time Travel Era, 2016-04-04

Place: Japan, Japanese

Cast: Yusuke Kobayashi, Rie Takahashi, Yumi Uchiyama, Chinatsu Akasaki, Yuichi Nakamura, Inori Minase

2023 • Rating 7.7 • sci-fi & fantasy, drama, action & adventure

After surviving Godzilla's attack on San Francisco, Cate is shaken yet again by a shocking secret. Amid monstrous threats, she embarks on a globetrotting adventure to learn the truth about her family—and the mysterious organization known as Monarch.

Genre: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Drama, Action & Adventure

Style:

Audience: Date Night, Teens

Plot: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (Ptsd), Secret Organization, Family Secrets, Family Drama, Spin Off, Kaiju, Based On Movie, 1950S, Search For Father, Godzilla

Time: Year 2023, 2020S, 2023-11-16

Place: Japan, United States Of America, English, Japanese, Spanish

Cast: Anna Sawai, Kiersey Clemons, Ren Watabe, Mari Yamamoto, Anders Holm, Joe Tippett

2024 • Rating 7.6 • animation, action & adventure, sci-fi & fantasy

In a world where magic reigns, Will Serfort can’t cast a spell. Though hardworking, Will’s classmates think less of him for it. However, he has a secret strength: his sword. Can Will defy expectations with muscle over magic and blade over wand? Find out in this epic sword-and-sorcery adventure!

Genre: Animation, Action & Adventure, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Style:

Audience: Family, Teens

Plot: Swordplay, Magic, Promise, Based On Manga, Dungeon, Childhood Friends, Shounen, Anime, High Fantasy, Dungeons

Time: Year 2024, 2020S, 2024-07-07

Place: Japan, Japanese

Cast: Reiko Suzuki, Atsushi Tamaru, Tomohiro Ono, Jun Fukuyama, Makoto Furukawa, Akio Otsuka

2012 • Rating 6.7 • animation, comedy, drama

Ichigo Hoshimiya is a regular, ordinary middle school girl. But when her best friend Aoi invites her to join the idol training academy, Starlight Academy, her whole world is turned upside down. As she encounters all kinds of rivals and learns what it takes to be an idol, she uses her Aikatsu Cards to challenge countless auditions.

Genre: Animation, Comedy, Drama, Kids, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Style:

Audience: Date Night, Family, Teens

Plot: High School, School, Shoujo, Card, Anime, Idol Group, Based On Card Game, Music, Idol, Ichigo Hoshimiya Is A Regular

Time: Year 2012, 2010S, 2012-10-08

Place: Japan, Japanese

Cast: Sumire Morohoshi, Ayaka Ohashi, Azusa Tadokoro, Aya Suzaki, Minako Kotobuki, Tomoyo Kurosawa

1971 • Rating 6.4 • action & adventure, sci-fi & fantasy, drama

Takeshi Hongo is a promising young man with a passion for motorcycle racing. However, his dreams are suddenly ruined when he gets kidnapped by Shocker, the evil secret organization planning to dominate the world. After being remodeled into a cyborg, Takeshi escapes and swears to protect the world from the inhuman monsters.

Genre: Action & Adventure, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Drama

Style: Cerebral, Futuristic, Mind Bending, Surreal

Audience: Date Night

Plot: Artificial Intelligence (A.I.), Cyborg, Martial Arts, Monster, Hero, Secret Organization, Villain, Biker, Superhero, Tribe

Time: Year 1971, 1970S, 1971-04-03

Place: Japan, Japanese

Cast: Ryutaro Imai, Maho Horiguchi, Kenta Mishima, Rina Onuki, Miki Yagi, Yuki Furukawa