There’s a wealth of great anime movies that fans may have missed out on. While compiling a list of the greatest anime movies, it would be criminal to exclude the likes of Akira or Perfect Blue; just about every Studio Ghibli movie is eligible for a placement too.

These titles have been discussed and analyzed to death, however. There are plenty of other films that either don’t get the recognition they deserve or have become downright obscure as the years have passed. For those fans who want to look off the beaten track, there’s a world of gems to discover.

10

Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (2004)

1995’s Ghost in the Shell movie is one of the most popular, groundbreaking anime ever produced. It was a major influence on the Matrix franchise, and even James Cameron sang its praises. Conversely, its direct sequel, Innocence, was branded as a beautiful but confusing mess in 2004, and is rarely discussed now.

This is a pity, since Ghost in the Shell 2 has so much great stuff. While slower-paced and more philosophical than the original, it still has some incredible action and visuals. Focusing on fan favorite Batou instead of Major Kusanagi makes it feel distinct from its predecessor and offers a fresh take on the series.

9

Demon City Shinjuku (1988)

Director Yoshiaki Kawajiri is well known amongst anime devotees for movies like Ninja Scroll and Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, but he’ll have multiple entries on this list too. The first is Demon City Shinjuku, a fantasy/horror offering, in which a young warrior has to enter a demon-infested city to save the world.

The story leans heavily on classic fantasy tropes, but where Demon City Shinjuku shines is the animation and the atmosphere. It’s filled with memorable visuals and battles, and that’s a sprinkle of John Carpenter’s Escape from New York about it too. Its lean runtime means the pace never gets a chance to let up either.

8

Dead Space: Downfall (2008)

Video game adaptations are one of the most cursed genres, often resulting in mediocre to outright terrible movies. Downfall, the anime prequel to Dead Space, is an exception to this rule. The story follows the doomed crew of the USG Ishimura as they recover the Marker, which unleashes a horde of Necromorphs on the ship.

Downfall has a simplistic story, and the outcome is already certain for those who played the game. Still, the prequel recreates the bloody intensity of its source material and presents viewers with a sympathetic cast of characters who are soon dispatched in unpleasant ways. Unlike most prequels, it actually adds to players’ experience of the game too.

7

Watchmen: Tales of the Black Freighter (2009)

Tales of the Black Freighter is a comic book inside Alan Moore’s seminal Watchmen comic, which offers a meta commentary on the main story. Director Zack Snyder very much wanted to adapt this into live-action for his 2009 movie, but budget concerns saw him opt to turn it into an anime short instead.

Gerard Butler voices the main character, a captain forced to build a life raft out of the bodies of his crew, in order to save his family from the title freighter. It’s a bleak, despairing tale, but Butler does great voice work and the animation brings the comic’s moody, horrific artwork to life.

6

Wicked City (1987)

Akira helped break anime through to Western audiences, but it also got a bad name as most early titles were filled with gore, bad language and other spicy elements. Wicked City has all three, but it also has superb animation, action sequences and some of the most inventive monsters this side of The Thing.

It indeed features some distasteful scenes of assault, and it must be underlined that it’s an adult animation in every sense of the word. Still, for those with strong stomachs, the film is one of the best action-horror animes available.

5

Golgo 13: The Professional (1983)

Golgo 13 is a manga series that has been running in Japan since the 1960s, which follows the almost supernaturally gifted titular assassin. Golgo 13 is essentially the Japanese James Bond, with the character having been spun off into various anime shows, live-action movies, and video games.

The Professional is another title that became popular due to its violent nature and spicy elements, but it has become less discussed in recent years. For those who love anime action, Golgo 13 is a fantastic watch. It’s filled with creative setpieces and memorable characters, while the animation still holds up after 40+ years.

4

Spriggan (1998)

Spriggan is a popular manga that’s been adapted to other media a few times, including Netflix’s 2022 anime series. However, Studio 4°C’s 1998 movie adaptation is the best place for newcomers to start. The story follows a young agent for a secret organization trying to prevent a terrorist group from getting their hands on a certain biblical artifact.

Spriggan’s story is hokum of the finest order, playing like a blend of Indiana Jones if it were directed by John Woo. This adaptation has fun action, a unique villain and a flawed but compelling hero. The film was later remade as a standalone episode of the Netflix show – but it just wasn’t as cool.

3

Cyber City Oedo 808

This entry is a slight cheat, as Cyber City Oedo 808 is really a three-part OVA series, but it’s best viewed as a single movie. Once again, the great Yoshiaki Kawajiri is the director, with the series taking place in a Blade Runner-esque cyberpunk city, where three criminals work off their prison sentences doing dangerous jobs for the police.

Cyber City Oedo certainly isn’t lacking in variety; one section is Die Hard in a skyscraper run by a ghostly A.I., while the finale is a vampire story. From its chunky cyberpunk aesthetic to its outlandish characters and setpieces, it’s both wildly dated and a ton of fun.

2

A Wind Named Amnesia (1990)

If Terrence Malick (Badlands, The Thin Red Line) had ever helmed an anime, it might look like A Wind Named Amnesia. More specifically, it’s Malick meets Mad Max, as two characters head on a road trip across an America that has been decimated by a wind that wiped out people’s memories.

A Wind Named Amnesia is an odd one, combining action, romance and philosophical and religious musings. It’s messy, emotional and almost too ambitious for its own good. Certain viewers might be left cold by it, but it’s certainly deserving of at least a curiosity watch.

1

Sword of the Stranger (2007)

Fans of anime classics like Ninja Scroll must seek out Sword of the Stranger. This samurai adventure sees a warrior protecting a young boy (and his dog) as he escorts them to a remote temple. Again, it’s a familiar tale, but here it’s told with gorgeous artwork and the core friendship is a sweet one.

The anime was praised in reviews for its visceral fights, which are both bloody and kind of beautiful. It’s sad that despite strong critical notices and winning several awards, it quickly fell into obscurity. If you only seek out one title from this list (though you should try them ALL), make it Sword of the Stranger.