20 Best Studio MAPPA Anime

Summary MAPPA's anime adaptations go beyond faithful source material, enhancing stories with originality and innovative animation styles.

From action-packed series like The God of High School to intense dramas like Terror in Resonance, MAPPA covers a wide range of genres.

Unique offerings like Dorohedoro and Chainsaw Man showcase MAPPA's creativity, delivering dark and wild storylines with exceptional animation.

Each anime studio has its own unique touch, which is why it's so surprising that Studio MAPPA's best anime are so wide and varied. Founded in 2011, MAPPA has exploded in popularity recently after the studio was given responsibility over several high-profile manga adaptations. A studio cracking just one huge adaptation would instantly make it notable, but the fact that MAPPA has dozens of big hits marks it as legendary.

Related MAPPA & Acclaimed Writer Team Up With Netflix For New Supernatural Romance Anime Maboroshi is the latest directorial work by Mari Okada; between her and MAPPA's animation, Netflix seems to have another winner locked in for January.

Beyond faithful adaptations, all the anime MAPPA creates brings something original to the table. It's not enough for an anime to just straight up adapt its source, the best anime use the medium's unique strengths to enhance already stellar source material. It's this process of not just adapting source material but improving it that defines most of MAPPA's best anime.

20 The God of High School (2020)

1 Season, 13 Episodes

The God of High School sees protagonist Mori Jin, a South Korean martial artist, enter into a brutal fighting competition in which the victors will earn the right to have any wish granted by a mysterious corporation. However, things ramp up after the introduction of "borrowed powers," which are ethereal energies used by some of the fighters to perform superhuman feats in combat.

While this adaptation of a Manhwa hit has its detractors, The God of High School's action scenes make the series more than earn its ranking among MAPPA's best anime. As evidenced by Solo Leveling and Viral Hit, manhwa is fertile ground for anime adaptations. While The God of High School might not be the best anime adapting a manhwa, it's still more than worth checking out for any fan of the medium who is looking for another series to watch.

Watch On Crunchyroll

19 Listeners (2020)

1 Season, 12 Episodes

A post-apocalyptic anime set in a world where Earth has been ravaged by creatures called the Earless, Listeners follows Echo, a tech fanatic who hopes to fight alongside the mecha-piloting heroes known as Players, who fight using "Equipment." Echo encounters a mysterious girl known as Mu, who has an auxiliary jack in her back, a sign that a person is actually one of the Players. Together, they agree to battle against the Earless using Echo's own mecha creations, as well as find out the truth about Mu's mystery origins.

Listeners is an unusual series in a lot of ways, but at its heart are familiar character dynamics and tropes that any anime fan will know. It has a lot of strong musical references and motifs scattered throughout, and music plays a big role thematically.

18 Sarazanmai (2019)

1 Season, 11 Episodes

A joint production with Lapin Track, Sarazanmai is a series aimed at adults, in which three middle school students are transformed into Kappas after angering the heir to the Kappa Kingdom. In order to retrieve their shirikodama (a physical embodiment of their desires) and return to normal, they must retrieve shirikodama from zombies and return them to the one who stole theirs, as well as build connections between themselves and learn to work together.

Unusual in that it's not based on a manga or light novel, Sarazanmai is a coming-of-age story with a coating of magical realism. The series was praised for its animation and themes, which stand against materialism. It's got its share of laughs, but can also be surprisingly emotional, and its adult-intended audience makes it something of a rarity.

17 Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill (2023)

1 Season, 12 Episodes

Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill is a comedic Isekai series about three Japanese high schoolers and an adult who are mysteriously summoned into a fantastical world to help them repel an invasion of demons. However, while the three high schoolers receive incredible magical powers, the adult, Tsuyoshi Mukouda, has only the power of "online supermarket." Mukouda is able to escape from his fate of battling demons to live a free life due to his "useless" skill, but it soon turns out to be anything but.

Mukouda goes on his own adventure, eventually befriending a Fenrir beast named Fel using his cooking. The series is hilarious and wacky all the way through, while still having its share of dramatic moments. It's a refreshing spin on the Isekai in that Mukouda isn't ridiculously overpowered from the start, and instead has to slowly develop his skill at using his special power, figuring out its limitations (or lack thereof) for himself.

16 Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku (2023)

1 Season, 13 Episodes

Hell's Paradise follows Gabimaru, a young man trained from childhood to be the ultimate ninja assassin. Unfortunately for him, Gabimaru is captured during a failed mission and set to be executed... although every method of executing him inexplicably fails. Instead offered a chance for a pardon, Gabimaru is sent on a mission to obtain the Elixir of Life and return with it to the shogun. Sent with a team of death row inmates and their executioners, who must return with them alive in order to be pardoned, Gabimaru heads to the mysterious land of Kotaku.

Hell's Paradise is a wild series full of unimaginable monstrosities, which Gabimaru and his executioner Sagiri must survive in order to make it back. It's an interesting story with some of the most despicable anti-heroes possible, sometimes making it hard to root for them to survive.

15 Inuyashiki (2017)

1 Season, 11 Episodes

Inuyashiki is about an older salaryman, Ichiro Inuyashiki, who is caught up in a mysterious explosion and awakens to find he's become an outwardly human cyborg with incredible powers. Resolving to do good with his newfound abilities, Inuyashiki sets out to become the hero and fight crime and heal diseases. However, Inuyashiki isn't the only one who was caught in this explosion, and a teenager by the name of Shishigami Hiro also has these powers--but he's not using them for good.

Inuyashiki is a unique seinen series focusing on an older protagonist, and that fact alone would make it stand out. It's far from your average superhero story, reversing standard anime tropes and subverting them wherever it can. At only 11 episodes, it’s an easy watch, and one that’s absolutely worth giving a shot.

14 Zombie Land Saga (2018, 2021)

2 Seasons, 24 Episodes

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Given that MAPPA is adapting well-known Shonen and Seinen manga, it's easy to assume that Zombie Land Saga is out of place among MAPPA's impressive catalog. However, when looking closer, MAPPA's thumbprint is all over anime's most unique idol series. The series follows a group of seven girls from throughout Japanese history brought back to life as zombies to form an idol group.

With a morbid premise, a lovable cast of characters, and some surprisingly wholesome diversity of gender identities, Zombie Land Saga easily ranks among MAPPA's best anime. Idol is an incredibly popular genre of anime, with dozens of idol shows produced every year. Zombie Land Saga stands out from the pack with its darkly comedic tone. That, coupled with some of the best trans representation in anime, make it more than a worthwhile series to watch.

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13 Rage of Bahamut (2014, 2017)

2 Seasons, 36 Episodes

Based on a Japanese mobile game of the same name, Rage of Bahamut takes place two thousand years after humans, Gods, and demons joined together to seal away the titular leviathan and bring peace to the land of Mastarcia. The key sealing the monster away was split into two, but, when a mysterious amnesiac returns to the land with one-half of it, war begins to rage between those who want to revive Bahamut and those who want to keep it locked away.

While it falls into many familiar genre tropes, Rage of Bahamut is a wonderfully visceral and action-packed series that evokes that Saturday-morning cartoon feeling sought after by many shonen fans. In addition to that, Rage of Bahamut is a great anime series for fans of Dungeons and Dragons, replicating the feel and worldbuilding players come to expect from well thought-out campaigns.

Watch On Funimation

12 Kakegurui (2017, 2019)

2 Seasons, 24 Episodes

A hyperviolent high-school anime centered on gambling, Kakegurui is a must-watch for its offbeat humor and stylized gore. The protagonist, Yumeko Jabami, is a talented gambler who changes the stakes at an elite school that's run on such gambling games. One can expect the unexpected with the way the tables turn in every episode. For instance, the players seek a thrill from betting on their own lives when the stakes are too high.

While gambling isn't an incredibly common subject for anime, it can be effective when done well, such as with Kaiji and of course with Kakegurui. There is a certain rush that comes with the unpredictability of a bet, and this is where Kakegurui absolutely excels. Even at its most ridiculous, Kakegurui can still be edge-of-the-seat tense. All in all, Kakegurui might not be for anyone, but its overall weirdness is undeniably impressive.

Watch On Netflix

11 Terror in Resonance (2014)

1 Season, 11 Episodes

With just 11 episodes, Terror In Resonance makes for a perfect binge for fans of underrated psychological anime series. The thriller starts off with a few youngsters stealing an atom bomb and threatening to destroy Tokyo until they get answers to government secrets. The attackers have had their own share of personal trauma which they wish to overcome, as they are the survivors of a covert operation to develop humans into weapons.

Terror in Resonance was created by Cowboy Bebop creator Shinichirō Watanabe.

This dark version of the present forms the setting, and the series delves heavily into concepts of authoritarianism and the trustworthiness of governing bodies. It doesn't shy away from its depiction of violence and terrorism to explore notions around what a perfect "modern society" would look like. While Terror in Resonance might not be what fans expected, the exploration of Japanese militarization gives the series a uniquely political bent that is compelling even from an outside perspective.

Watch On Crunchyroll

10 Dorohedoro (2020)

1 Season, 12 Episodes, 6 Shorts

Dorohedoro is a hugely underrated Netflix anime that retains the dystopian style and goofy humor of the manga that it is based on. Revolving around a reptile-headed amnesiac's quest to retain his memories, the post-apocalyptic backdrop is visually pleasing and interactive. Despite the setting, the anime largely deals with sorcery and dark arts rather than sci-fi. After being converted into his reptilian form, the protagonist, Caiman, quests to find the sorcerer behind his metamorphosis. A larger conspiracy is then unearthed involving humans being used as guinea pigs by the magical forces.

Dorohedoro is a truly wild series that shows MAPPA at their most creative. The series is absolutely unhinged and weird in a way that very few studios can pull off. With a wild premise and incredible animation, any fan of wild and weird anime owes it to themselves to watch Dorohedoro, as they won't be disappointed.

Watch On Netflix

9 Banana Fish (2018)

1 Season, 24 Episodes

Banana Fish is a must-watch single-season anime that relies heavily on tropes set up by not only its titular manga but also crime thrillers from the '90s. The central friendship between gang leader Ash Lynx and journalist Max Lobo offers the emotional punch while a mind-control conspiracy related to the Iraq War adds to the thrills.

Even though the series was set in the 2010s—the manga on which it is based was set in the 1980s—the references and visual style still have a classic feel to them, setting Banana Fish apart from its contemporaries in the crime thriller genre. Banana Fish's manga is very much tied to the era it was made in, so the fact that MAPPA was able to so effortlessly bring it into the modern era is a testament to their skills with adaptation.

Watch On Amazon

8 Kids on the Slope (2012)

1 Season, 12 Episodes

Kids on the Slope celebrates high-school friendships with polar opposites of characters. The series focuses on the introvert Kaoru Nishimi who, along with his rebellious friend Sentarō Kawabuchi, develops a fascination with jazz music.

Highly regarded as one of the best anime series of the last decade, Kids on the Slope was praised for its wholesome male friendships, the relatability of the characters, and the moving narrative and music. Fans of slice-of-life anime should definitely try watching this MAPPA classic. Director Shinichirō Watanabe clearly has an affinity for jazz as evidenced by Cowboy Bebop, and that has never been clearer than it is in Kids on the Slope. The result is something truly remarkable that fans of music in general and Watanabe's work in specific will definitely want to watch.

Watch On Apple TV

Related 35 Best Anime Series of All Time, Ranked Anime has exploded in popularity recently, so it's natural to wonder what series in the medium's history rank among the best of the best.

7 Yuri!!! on Ice (2016)

1 Season, 12 Episodes

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After suffering a crushing defeat, professional figure skater Yuri Katsuki decides to hang up his skates, but he's encouraged to return by veteran skater Victor Nikiforov. The plot thickens when another skater named Yuri enters the fold who also hopes to have Victor take him on as a student. Ultimately, the two Yuris both begin training under Victor and develop a romantic relationship.

A quintessential and genuine LGBT offering in a medium in which same-sex relationships aren't often explored in earnest, Yuri!!! on Ice is a one-of-a-kind single-season series that every MAPPA fan ought to watch. Unfortunately, despite the series' immense popularity, Yuri!!! on Ice's movie was recently cancelled by MAPPA. Still, that shouldn't deter potential fans as the original series more than holds up. With beautiful animation and expressive characters, there's a good reason Yuri!!! on Ice left the monumental impact that it did.

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6 Dororo (2019)

1 Season, 24 Episodes

The classic manga Dororo by the legendary Osamu Tezuka was famously first adapted into anime in 1969. While that series has its place in history, it unfortunately didn't do the manga's epic scope justice. The original manga was essentially a fantasy story revolving around the adventures of a young Ronin with prosthetic limbs called Hyakkimaru and an urchin called Dororo. The former's body parts are stolen by demons, prompting him to search all over for them.

Fans wanting another dark reinterpretation of Osamu Tezuka's work should watch Pluto on Netflix.

This central storyline is retained in the 2019 MAPPA update, although it does deviate majorly from the source material. All in all, Dororo is an engaging dark fantasy anime with multidimensional characters. Hyakkimaru's quest isn't to just find his body but to also find the purpose and identity of his life. Dororo was always one of Tezuka's darker stories, and MAPPA only expanded on those darker elements with the acclaimed adaptation.

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5 Jujutsu Kaisen (2020 - 2023)

2 Seasons, 47 Episodes

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Jujutsu Kaisen Where to Watch *Availability in US stream

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buy Not available Not available Not available Cast Junya Enoki , Yuma Uchida , Yuichi Nakamura , Adam McArthur , Asami Seto Release Date October 2, 2020 Seasons 3 Streaming Service(s) Crunchyroll Franchise(s) Jujutsu Kaisen Writers Hiroshi Seko Directors Sunghoo Park , Shōta Goshozono Main Genre Animation

A shonen anime with elements of dark fantasy and adventure, Jujutsu Kaisen has garnered a huge following despite having debuted a few years ago. The plot largely follows high school student Yuji Itadori and his adventures after he joins a secret organization of Jujutsu Sorcerers to kill a powerful Curse. Yuji also harbors a villainous monster within of which he's able to muster control.

The dark elements aside, Jujutsu Kaisen avoids familiar anime tropes and offers a healthy dose of bizarre humor and allusions to iconic shōnen anime like Bleach and Naruto. Bleach in particular was a big influence on Jujutsu Kaisen creator Gege Akutami. With a focus on supernatural horror in modern Japan, it's certainly easy to see. The result is a series that has more than earned its status as one of the decade's biggest anime series.

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4 Hajime no Ippo: The Rising (2013 - 2014)

3 Seasons, 127 Episodes

Hajime no Ippo (also known as Fighting Spirit) is a Japanese boxing anime that Madhouse developed, but its third season, titled Rising, fell under the purview of MAPPA. It largely retained the original cast of boxers, chiefly the Featherweight Champion Makunouchi Ippo, who must defend his title in the face of new opponents. Though all of Ippo's anime adaptations are fantastic, The Rising is truly next level in more ways than one.

Boxing as a subgenre of sports fiction has become quite oversaturated with similar underdog themes and melodramatic bouts. However, Hajime no Ippo: Rising does show the introspective side of its boxer rather than just focusing on fast-paced action. Ippo is a legendary franchise in Japan that has influenced a wide variety of series, and The Rising is a great introduction to the beloved series.

The first 76 episodes of Hajime No Ippo: The Fighting! are available on Crunchyroll.

Related One Classic Anime That Inspired Creed Is Still Worth Your Time The story of a bullied high schooler who turns to learn boxing has inspired countless people, like the director/star of Creed III, Michael B. Jordan.

3 Vinland Saga (2019 - Present)

2 Seasons, 48 Episodes

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Vinland Saga Where to Watch *Availability in US stream

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buy Not available Not available Not available Cast Yûto Uemura , Mike Haimoto , Shinya Takahashi , Alejandro Saab , Hiroki Gotô , Aleks Le , Kaiji Tang , Michael C. Pizzuto Release Date July 6, 2019 Seasons 2 Network Netflix Streaming Service(s) Netflix Main Genre Anime

Though Studio WIT handled season 1 of Vinland Saga, season 2 was done by none other than MAPPA. Many anime go through studio changes in their lifetime, but few are as thematically fitting as Vinland Saga's. Season 1 of the series follows a young viking boy named Thorfinn as he seeks revenge for the murder of his father while season 2 follows an older Thorfinn who has become a slave.

In many ways, season 2 of Vinland Saga plays out like an entirely different series as Thorfinn spends his time focussing far more on farming than on fighting. The fact that season 2 is slower than the first without sacrificing any of the nuance or depth is a testament to MAPPA's keen eye for characterization. Future seasons of Vinland Saga should be even deeper than the first two, so fans have more than enough reason to pay attention.

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2 Chainsaw Man (2022)

1 Season, 12 Episodes

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buy Not available Not available Not available Cast Ryan Colt Levy , Fairouz Ai , Sarah Wiedenheft , Suzie Yeung , Reagan Murdock Release Date October 11, 2022 Seasons 1 Streaming Service(s) Hulu Writers Tatsuki Fujimoto

One of the most outrageous anime to release from MAPPA, 2022's Chainsaw Man follows a young man named Denji who fights devils as the titular Chainsaw Man. Alongside his partners Aki and Power, Denji works in Public Safety under the watchful supervision of a powerful woman named Makima. Unfortunately for all involved, devil hunting for Public Safety is a risky job with a high mortality rate, meaning Denji, Aki, and Power are always at incredible risk.

The manga series from the enigmatic Tatsuki Fujimoto is famous for its wild plot and its introspective narrative in equal measure. Because of these dual natures, adapting the series faithfully is no small achievement, which makes it all the more thrilling that MAPPA knocked it out of the park. The acclaimed studio went all out for the anime too, producing not only an incredible opening layered with hidden meaning but also an impressive 12 closing themes. The sheer level of quality and effort put into season 1 marks Chainsaw Man as one of MAPPA's best anime.

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1 Attack On Titan: The Final Season (2013 - 2023)

4 Seasons, 89 Episodes

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Attack On Titan Cast Matthew Mercer , Josh Grelle , Hiroshi Kamiya , Shiori Mikami , Jerry Jewell , Kishô Taniyama , Jessica Calvello , Masahiko Tanaka , Yui Ishikawa , Romi Park , Robert McCollum , Tomohisa Hashizume , Hiro Shimono , Trina Nishimura Release Date April 7, 2013 Seasons 4 Main Genre Action Franchise Attack on Titan Production Company Wit Studio, MAPPA

Attack On Titan continues to be one of the biggest anime series of all time. Though Wit Studio developed the series' initial seasons, MAPPA stepped in for the final one. As has been the premise of the series, the final season continues the post-apocalyptic war between humanity and Titans. With more than a few high-profile deaths, Attack on Titan's ending cemented itself as an all-time classic that more than lived up to the hype surrounding it.

However, unlike other dark fantasy and sci-fi anime, Attack on Titan benefits from an underlying philosophy behind its multi-layered characters as they discover their origins and history with every subsequent mission. It's this nuance in the overall writing that definitely sets itself apart from its contemporaries. Attack on Titan: The Final Season is the culmination of more than a decade of storytelling, and the result is MAPPA's best anime to date.

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