Modern animeoften centers around universal emotions, like romance, or plenty of action, or even tackles philosophical themes that connect with viewers on a deeper level. But then there are those wild series that completely throw logic out the window, embracing randomness to the point where we don’t even question it anymore. They challenge your expectations, leaving you both entertained and scratching your head as you attempt to figure out what just happened.
Some of these anime, like One Punch Man, feature a ludicrous plot where an incredibly-strong Saitama battles existential boredom alongside his mundane, occasional monster. Another wildly weird anime is Baki, where the fighters seem to bend the laws of physics in the most ridiculous ways. These anime aren’t just fun to watch, but also fun to make fun of.
10Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo
Witness The Power Your Hair Can Possess
Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo is a weird Japanese anime that playfully satirizes a mix of anime/manga genres such as action-comedy and surrealism. The show follows the adventures of Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo, a quintessential hero who battles the Hair Hunters, a group of soldiers assigned by the Maruhage Empire to shave everyone’s hair off.
Using his nose hair as a weapon, he goes on a hilarious mission to protect the hairstyles. The anime is unpredictable at times, never taking itself too seriously. It often breaks the fourth wall to talk directly to the viewers, humorously poking fun at its own story and characters, who are intentionally one-dimensional.
9One Punch Man
One Punch Is All It Takes
One Punch Man is unlike any anime you’ve ever watched because it cleverly parodies nearly every trope of the Shōnen genre, and that’s exactly what makes it so fantastic. The story revolves around Saitama, an ordinary guy who trains himself for three years,to become the strongest person on the planet, simply for the thrill of it.
Unfortunately, he became so powerful that he was unbeatable, leaving him bored with his superhero life. The show is so absurd that after a couple of episodes, you’ll quickly catch on to how most monsters and episodes wrap up, with a punch from the One Punch Man.
8Neon Genesis Evangelion
Heavy Mecha Masterpiece With A Confusing Plot
Neon Genesis Evangelion has a complex story with a confusing timeline, often telling events out of order. Because of this, fans find themselves theorizing a lot about what actually happened in the show. Yet, it remains one of the most beloved shows, with its characters still making regular appearances in cosplays and showing up decades later in the franchise’s rebuild movies.
Set in a futuristic Tokyo, surviving a global apocalypse, the life of Shinji Ikari, a 14-year-old boy recruited by NERV, the origins of this organization, and what actually happened to the world form the basic premise of this anime.
7Nichijou
Just Nothing Is Ordinary In Their Life
Nichijou, also known as My Ordinary Life, is a comedic classic series based on a manga of the same name. It’s a delightfully strange slice-of-life comedy, and if you need some quick laughs, Nichijou is definitely one of the best choices.
The main idea of Nichijou is that some characters live in a seemingly normal town, but hilarious things happen all the time. While the series features many characters, it mainly centers on the life of three high school students who can’t seem to lead an ordinary life, contrary to the anime’s title.
6Kill La Kill
A Full Comedic Package With A Great Plot
Kill La Kill is a story about Ryuko Matoi, a teenage girl who is after the murderer of her father but unexpectedly finds herself at an academy where everyone has superpowers. It’s one of those series that can really get your adrenaline pumping, especially with its physics-defying action scenes and fantastic soundtrack.
On the other hand, there are moments when the series feels hilariously silly, but those bits are there just to give you a good laugh. The series, in short, has it all; a good plot, great comedy, and some surprisingly likable characters that you really begin to care about.
5FLCL
Guitars, Drama, And Everything In Between
FLCL or Fooly Cooly, is an absurdist series produced by the renowned animation studio Gainax. It follows a young boy named Naoto, whose life turns upside down after he meets an alien woman in his otherwise uneventful town.
FLCL has an incredibly unconventional plot bursting with wackiness and comedic undertones. The anime explores the themes of puberty, the effects of abuse, and growing up without parents as a teenage boy, subtly hidden beneath its melodramatic episodes. It’s amazing that FLCL, despite coming out a decade ago, still feels fresh and relevant today.
4Assassination Classroom
Kill Your Teacher Before He Kills You All
Assassination Classroom tells the story of a yellow-faced, tentacled creature who plans to blow up the Earth unless a group of students can take him out before the school year ends while he teaches them.
First aired in 2015, the show is still fondly remembered for its dark humor and the many funny yet heartwarming life lessons the creators left for us through the interactions between students and Koro-Sensei. While the show has also faced criticism for some of its mature themes, its characters are beloved for their emotional backstories that draw sympathy from the audience.
3JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure
The Joestar Family Is Truly Bizarre In Every Sense Of The Word
One of the biggest franchises in all anime and manga, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is an absolutely legendary series that has earned a reputation for constantly surprising viewerswith moments that weren’t meant to be as comedic as they were.
Created by Hirohiko Araki, this series has been around since the late 1980s and features nine distinct parts, each set in different times and places, all bound together by a unifying element: absurdity. Each part of the show follows the story of members of the Joestar family as they tap into their fighting spirits, called Stands, to battle evil in the most memeable way possible.
2Baki
What Did I Just Witness?
From fighting over-powered and imaginary animals to kidnapping the US president, the Japanese anime series Baki makes absolutely no sense. Throughout the show, the writers keep throwing one bizarre scene after another, often serving up moments that are so outrageous that they are tough to explain.
The main story revolves around Baki Hanma, a young martial artist hailed as one of the strongest on the planet. In the constant effort to be a better man, Baki faces off against the strongest martial artists in the world. While Baki is entertaining, this character accounts for some of the most bizarre moments you’ll ever find in anime.
1Gintama
A Bizarre Comedy Gem From The Golden Ages Of Anime
Gintama is one of those shows that’s tough to fully appreciate. You can see all the signs of a fantastic series in it, yet it still feels underrated. It might be that when people watch it, no matter how much patience they invest, the anime comes off as strange.
Set in feudal Japan, the anime follows a story where aliens have invaded Earth, controlling Japan and its samurai. But soon a resistance movement starts developing, and the protagonist, Gintoki Sakata, becomes an important part of it. The anime is heavy on comedy and heartwarming moments, with each episode just pulling one joke after another keeping you entertained.
