Urban fantasyis a lesser-known, but often utilized genre defined by its setting. Whiletraditional fantasy animelikeDemon Slayer,Fairy Tail,andDragon Ballare rooted in a rich fantasy world, urban fantasy takes the fantastical element of magic and places it in a familiar, often city, scene. Urban fantasy often has a gritty, noir feel to it, but there are plenty of examples that subvert that trope.
Related:Best Anime Of The Fall 2022 Season
As an anime genre, urban fantasy is one that captures viewers attention more than it’s recognized for. Plenty of iconic anime series' can be defined as urban fantasy, though they tend to be more modern in tone. With so much to choose from, it can be hard to know where to start. Here are someurban fantasy titles that should be on every anime lovers watchlist.
8Noragami
Noragamiis a comedic urban fantasy anime with a lot of charm. Set broadly in Japan,Noragamifollowsa down-on-his-luck minor god called Yato, who seeks to gain fame, recognition and have at least one shrine dedicated to him.
Hiyori Iki, a normal middle school student, becomes not-so-normal after a bus accident causes her soul to frequently slip out of her body. Through her soul, she becomes aware of Yato and the spirit world - the ‘near shore’, as it’s called in the anime. Along with Yukine, Yato’s spiritual sword, she begins a journey to fix her wayward soul.
7Durarara!!
Durarara!!is a classic urban fantasy that follows Mikado Ryūgamine’s move to Ikebukuro to attend Raira Academy with Masaomi Kida, a friend that he’s not seen since he was young. It starts like that, anyway. The series quickly evolves into an action-packed urban fantasy told from the perspective of approximately eleven of the main characters!
After meeting some supporting characters, Mikado sees the ‘Black Rider’ of local legend, an Irish Dullahan who rides a horse-like motorcycle and is looking for her stolen head while working as a courier.Durarara!!does a fantastic job of blending the urban and fantasy elements of the genre, and isdefinitely worth checking out.
6Tokyo Ghoul
Tokyo Ghoulmay have ended, but its legacy as one ofthe most popular urban fantasy anime series’certainly lives on. Set in Tokyo, the show takes place in a world plagued by flesh-eating ghouls and the forces put in place to stop them.
Related:The Greatest Horror Anime Of All Time
College student Kaneki Ken’s life changes when his date turns out to be one of these flesh-eating ghouls herself. After he’s attacked and left for dead by her, he recieves an organ transplant using her organs, and becomes part ghoul himself. The series follows his attempts to continue living a normal life, and later his transformation into something much more sinister.
5Sailor Moon
Sailor Moonis widely known as themost popular magical girl anime of all time. But it also has strong elements of urban fantasy, so much so that it can definitely be considered a contender for the genre. Sailor Moon also subverts the trend of urban fantasy being dark and gritty, as it’s brightly colored and (mostly) super lighthearted.
The series follows Usagi Tsukino, ordinary middle school girl turned Sailor Moon: Sailor Guardian of love and justice. Along with the other Sailor Scouts, Usagi stands up for what’s right and fights fantastical villains along the way.
4Chainsaw Man
As one of the most popular series' of the Fall 2022 anime season,Chainsaw Manis a perfect example of humorous urban fantasy. It manages to blend comedy, horror, and fantasy together, with meaningful themes,well-developed characters, and seriously cool stunts.
Related:Chainsaw Man: Most Powerful Devil Hunters, Ranked
Chainsaw Manfollows Denji, a destitute teenager turned titular ‘Chainsaw Man’. After his death, his demon dog Pochita merged with his body to help him achieve his dream of living a normal life. Unfortunately for Denji, he leads anything but a normal life. After being scouted by the Public Safety Bureau, Denji is roped into hunting demons just like himself.
3Dorohedoro
Dorehedorois about as urban fantasy as it gets. While it’s certainly not set in any recognizable place, it checks all the right boxes, and absolutely looks the part.Dorehedorois a bizarre urban fantasy anime set in a city so miserable it’s just called ‘The Hole’.
The story follows the amnesiac, reptilian-headed Caiman and his best friend Nikaido, as they work together to recover his lost memories. As they do this, a clan of Sorcerers appears to be plucking people off the streets of ‘The Hole’ to use for strange experiments.Dorehedorois absolutely one of the strangest anime out there,but it’s absolutely worth a watch.
2Mob Psycho 100
Mob Psycho 100, now on its third season, is a popular urban fantasy anime starring Kageyama Shigeo, a.k.a.‘Mob’, a powerful esperdetermined to live a normal life. Aside from his ESP, Mob is just an ordinary middle schooler that has trouble expressing himself, especially to his crush Tsubomi Takane.
Related:Most Iconic Final Battles In Anime
His desires to live a normal life are not aided by his ‘mentor’, Reigen Arataka, who runs a sham exorcism business that occasionally requires the real, supernatural powers of Mob. Throughout the series, viewers watch as Mob battles false espers, evil spirits, and mysterious organizations.
1Death Note
As one of themost iconic and well-known animeof all time,Death Noteis an urban fantasy anime with dark overtones. The story follows Light Yagami, who starts the series as a high-schooler that finds a mysterious notebook - one with the power to kill.
Almost as soon as he acquires this notebook, he starts killing criminals with it, with the aim to become a god. Stumped by a series of seemingly impossible murders, the police work with mysterious super-detective ‘L’ in an attempt to solve the crime.Death Noteis a complex and fascinating anime that is super easy to get into.
