Nothing is more gripping than huge explosions and even greater armies battling for power!
War anime series are among the best content for adult audiences because of their compelling representation of ongoing wars and the kind of high drama that can make your heart ache.
While some of them feature medieval wars with intense action, others feature wars that blend romance and subtle strategies.
So brace yourselves for the explosions and join the battlefield with these 12 epic anime with war.
12 Epic War Anime Series You Need To Watch!
Here’s a sneak peek at the type of war anime you would find in the list below.
- Historical War Anime
- Fantasy Anime With War
- Space Anime With War
- Anime With War and Romance
- Anime With War and Strategy
- Medieval War Anime
What more could you ask for?
12. Golden Kamuy
- Seasons: 04
- Episodes: 42
- Watch: Crunchyroll
After the Russo-Japanese War of the early 20th century, Saichi Sugimoto was titled “Sugimoto the Immortal” for his heroic feats on the battlefield.
Now, in search of a fortune, Sugimoto sets out on a journey to fulfill his promise to his dying best friend. A promise that he will look after his loved ones, especially his widow, who must travel abroad for treatment of her poor eyesight.
One day, Sugimoto learns from a drunkard the story of a man who killed a number of Ainu, stole a large sum of gold, and hid it in Hokkaido before being arrested by the officials.
No one but his cellmate knows where it’s hidden. And, in exchange for a cut of the loot, he tattooed the secret map on his cellmate. At first, Sugimoto doesn’t give much credence to the story until he comes upon the drunk’s corpse and sees the same tattoos he described.
But before he could do anything, a giant bear who killed the man follows Sugimoto to finish him off.
The very next moment, a young Ainu girl Asirpa, whose father just so happened to be one of the killed Ainu, comes to his rescue.
Together, Asirpa and Sugimoto go off in search of the hidden treasure- Asirpa to retrieve what rightfully belongs to her people, and Sugimoto to grant the dying wish of a friend.
11. Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion
- Seasons: 02
- Episodes: 50
- Watch: Crunchyroll
Beginning with the conquest of Japan in the year 2010, the Holy Empire of Britannia is rising to prominence in the international arena as a formidable military power. Japan was renamed Area 11 after a quick loss, and its citizens fought back fiercely against these tyrants to reclaim their independence.
A Britannian student named Lelouch Lamperouge gets caught in the crossfire between the government’s forces and those of the Area 11 rebels.
But a strange girl, C.C., saves the day and grants Lelouch the “Power of Kings” known as Geass, allowing him to make a daring escape.
Lelouch, realizing the full extent of his newfound “power of total obedience,” sets out on a dangerous mission. As the masked outlaw Zero, Lelouch launches a ruthless assault against Britannia to exact revenge.
10. Record of Grancrest War
- Seasons: 01
- Episodes: 24
- Watch: Crunchyroll
Following the terrible incident regarded as the Great Hall Tragedy, the continent of Atlanta is once again engulfed by the fires of war!
In a tragic turn of events, the wedding of Sir Alexis Douse and Lady Marrine Kreische, which should have brought the Fantasia Union and the Factory Alliance together, ended in disaster.
While the bride and groom walked down the aisle, the ceremony was abruptly cut short by a collision of powerful demons and beasts coming into the world from a different realm.
The Demon Lord Diabolos, a malevolent beast, suddenly appeared and promptly killed the nobles of both sides, destroying all chances of peaceful coexistence.
Since the Alliance mage, Siluca Meletes, couldn’t stop the disaster, she is now making her way through the chaos-ravaged countryside in search of a master magician to learn from.
And when Theo Cornaro saves Siluca, a teenage warrior who carries a mysterious “Crest,” they form a magical contract and set out on a quest to restore peace to their country.
09. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
- Seasons: 01
- Episodes: 64
- Watch: Crunchyroll
The world of two teenage brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric, flips upside down when their alchemy experiment to resurrect their mother is a horrific failure!
When the experiment failed, Alphonse lost his entire body, and Edward lost a leg before giving up an arm to maintain his brother’s soul bound to a Knight’s Armor. This allowed Alphonse to remain in the physical world. Thankfully, their neighbor Winry, a genius in biomechanical engineering, comes to their help.
For Edward, Winry built artificial limbs out of “automail,” a durable and adaptable metal typically found in armors and robots.
After spending years learning the ins and outs of alchemy, the Elric brothers set out on a journey to heal their bodies using the Philosopher’s Stone- a powerful rock that permits an alchemist to break the laws of Equivalent Exchange.
However, the Philosopher’s Stone is a powerful treasure that the Fuhrer King Bradley wants for himself. Thus, the brothers become a part of a great military and political conspiracy that endangers the entire nation.
08. Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans
- Seasons: 02
- Episodes: 50
- Watch: Crunchyroll
More than 300 years have passed, and it’s safe to say that the Calamity War, the major struggle between Earth and its outer space colonies, is long in the past.
There are now four economic blocs on Earth, with Gjallarhorn as the military organization in charge of maintaining peace. Also, humans have successfully colonized and populated Mars, but the Martian inhabitants still resent Earth’s ruling elite and yearn for more independence.
Therefore, Kudelia Aina Bernstein, a young aristo from the Chryse Autonomous Region, becomes involved in the independence struggle.
And Chryse Guard Security (CGS), a local firm, has been contracted to accompany her on her trip to Earth for business negotiations with the Earth-based group that dominates the region.
When Gjallarhorn, Earth’s military organization, prepares to launch an attack on CGS facilities to eliminate the young revolutionary, the Third Army Division must do everything to prevent it.
07. Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These
- Seasons: 04
- Episodes: 48
- Watch: Crunchyroll
The struggle between two extrasolar nations to dominate the Milky Way has lasted nearly 150 years. Kaiser Friedrich IV and the ruling nobles of the Galactic Empire want to put down any uprisings that dare challenge their absolute monarchy.
The Free Planets Alliance dissolves into an authoritarian state as its elected officials exploit war and conflict to gain support from the populace. The Supreme Council of this representative democracy is rotten to the core. And with the birth of two rival military geniuses, the decades-long stalemate between the Empire and the Alliance is finally broken.
With his strategic brilliance, minor noble Reinhard von Lohengramm has risen to the rank of High Admiral of the Empire, with ambitions to unite all of humanity under his iron rule.
At the same time, Alliance member Yang Wen-li, also known as the Hero of El Facil, uses his strategic acumen to work around the ineptitude of his superiors and pave the way to long-term peace.
Reinhard and Yang, on opposite sides of the conflict, are each trying to realize their beliefs and establish themselves as the pioneers of a new golden age of galactic heroes.
06. 86 Eighty-Six
- Seasons: 02
- Episodes: 23
- Watch: Crunchyroll
The Republic of San Magnolia has developed a new breed of unmanned war drones known as the “Juggernaut” to counter the “Legion” drones used in attacks by the neighboring Empire of Giad.
Now, claiming that no one has been killed or injured in the war as the military uses unmanned drones is a practical joke. Because in reality, the Eighty-Sixers, who are seen as less than human and treated as mere tools, are the ones in charge of flying them.
In San Magnolia, Eighty-Sixers are those who don’t fit in with the Republic’s standard appearance and are hidden away in an unknown place, “86th,” while the silver-haired Alba, a dominant race, lives safely behind gates.
However, Spearhead Squadron’s Captain Shin, an Eighty-Sixer with enigmatic motivations, refuses to give up the fight knowing that he and his men have no chance of survival in this futile conflict.
05. Alderamin on the Sky
- Seasons: 01
- Episodes: 13
- Watch: Crunchyroll
Ikta Solork is a youthful, easygoing man who desires a beautiful woman and a comfortable place to sleep. However, the outbreak of war between the Katjvarna Empire and the neighboring Republic of Kioka shatters his tranquil life, making Ikta enroll in the military academy.
En route to the military exam, Ikta and his friend Yatorishino Igsem meet infantryman Matthew Tetojirichi, sharpshooter Torway Remion, and medic Haroma Becker.
When a freak storm destroys their ship, the 5 cadets find themselves in enemy territory, not far from a military outpost. After arriving, they learn that Princess Chamille Kitora Katjvanmaninik, successor to the Katjvarnan throne, has been kidnapped!
These five heroes rescue her and get the greatest military rank possible: the rank of Imperial Knight.
Ikta may have to put his hopes for peace on hold, as he is now the hero he never wanted to be.
04. Attack on Titan
- Seasons: 04
- Episodes: 87
- Watch: Crunchyroll
After being nearly wiped off by giant humanoid beings called Titans centuries ago, humanity has spent years fortified behind enormous concentric walls. One of the scariest things about these giant titans is that their appetite for human flesh is based on pleasure rather than necessity.
Luckily, as the last of mankind isolated behind walls, they went 100 years without encountering a titan.
But, the long-lasting peace gets disrupted as a gigantic colossal Titan breaks through the indestructible walls, reviving the struggle for survival against the man-eating creatures.
A 15-year-old Eren Yeager joins the elite Survey Corps to eradicate the invading Titans after suffering a devastating loss; the death of his mother at the hands of a Titan!
Now, leading the horrific struggle against the Titans is Eren, his adopted sister Mikasa Ackerman, and his childhood friend Armin Arlert, who are all in a race against time to find a way to eliminate the Titans before the Titans destroy the final walls of the land.
03. Kingdom
- Seasons: 04
- Episodes: 129
- Watch: Crunchyroll
The Warring States period in China was like a raging dragon that destroyed the country for 500 years, with several kingdoms rising and falling, leaving the next generation vying for dominance.
In such times, Xin is a battle orphan in the kingdom of Qin, working hard with his friend and fellow slave Piao to fulfill their dream of becoming the Great Generals of the Heavens.
However, it all comes to an abrupt halt when a servant of the King hires Piao to serve inside the Royal Palace. After a bloody coup d’état, half-dead Piao returns to the village, pleading with Xin to leave for a different town.
Fulfilling the dying wish of his friend, Xin moves to another town only to encounter Ying Zheng, the current King of Qin, who looks strikingly like his dead friend, Piao! A moment later, Xin finds out that Piao acted as a fake Ying Zheng and was killed during a coup d’état.
After being enraged with Ying Zheng for killing Piao, Xin decides to assist him in overthrowing Cheng Jiao and restoring the Qin throne for him.
Why? Because if he succeeds, Xin will begin his military career as a Qin soldier and eventually a leader on the battlefields of China’s contending states, fulfilling his lifelong dream!
02. The Heroic Legend of Arslan
- Seasons: 02
- Episodes: 33
- Watch: Funimation
During the reign of King Andragoras III in the year 320, the Kingdom of Pars engaged in war with the neighboring Lusitanian Empire.
Arslan, the young prince, is determined to show his mettle on the battlefield for the first time, even though he is extremely different from his father in many ways.
But when one of the king’s closest advisors turns against him, the Persian army is wiped out, and Ecbatana, the capital city, is attacked. When the army collapses and the Lusitanians come looking for him, Arslan has no choice but to flee for his life.
Along with Daryun, a well-respected commander, Arslan soon embarks on a trip to find allies to help him reclaim his homeland.
It’s not just the foreign occupiers of the Prince’s country that he has to worry about, though. Ecbatana is threatened by the armies of neighboring kingdoms as well.
Now Arslan must build the courage to face his challenges, gather allies to fight beside him, and prepare himself for the day he takes his country back.
01. Vinland Saga
- Seasons: 02
- Episodes: 33
- Watch: Crunchyroll
As a child, Thorfinn was enthralled by the tales of intrepid sailors who had crossed the ocean to the legendary island, Vinland. Unlike the freezing village where he was born, Vinland is a fertile, warm paradise where violence is unnecessary.
While Thorfinn’s current home is the theater of war, the Viking mercenaries are enjoying themselves immensely and promoting bloodshed throughout the country.
The Vikings are eager to create a name for themselves and to plunder anything they can find, regardless of whatever side they end up allying with and how much power that side gains or loses as a result.
Amid the mayhem, Thorfinn had to exact his vengeance on Askeladd, the man responsible for his father’s death.
These anime with war not only represent the horrors of war but also entail the struggle to keep living when death is an easy option!
You can discover more of the enthralling anime series in our anime section.