7 Incredible Superhero Anime Films You Must Watch
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Anime is a Japanese animation style that refers to any animation created in Japan. There are many different genres and styles of anime, from goofy comedies, action, romance, thrillers to horror – far too many to list here. Anime greatly influenced American cartoons and forced them to grow up. Also, anime is not just for kids. Because of this fact, some of the most interesting anime of the past 20 years are superhero anime films.
Superhero Anime Films
Anime is a Japanese-centric and hyper stylized animation style that was revered for being hand-drawn; modern anime is now incorporating CGI animation because of digital modernization. 1988’s cyberpunk Akira, 1995’s cyberpunk Ghost in the Shell, and 1993 ninja horror and action film Ninja Scroll are just a few examples of classic anime.
In the early 2010s Marvel licensed its characters to appear in several anime. Some believe that these anime series were proof of concept ideas to prove that the burgeoning and unproven MCU of the era had a fanbase and could succeed.
Warner Bros. produced a Batman anime with a ninja theme in 2018.
It must be noted that these are forgotten anime from another era, when the MCU was on the rise. Some of the anime on this list are available on Amazon Prime but many are only available on DVD.
So, if you like the idea of modern superheroes reimagined in the anime genre, here are 7 incredible superhero anime films you must watch now.
1. Avengers Confidential: Black Widow & Punisher (2014)
Amazon
The Punisher locates a notorious arms dealer named Cain and savagely executes his bodyguards. Unknown to the Punisher, he has been secretly followed by Black Widow. Black Widow wants to take Cain to be interrogated by S.H.I.E.L.D. Cain stole dangerous weapons and tech from S.H.I.E.L.D. and is selling it to terrorists.
As Black Widow and the Punisher fight, Cain escapes. The two antiheroes team up to find Cain with a little help from the Avengers in one of the most action-packed superhero anime films out there.
Rent it on Prime video for $3.99 or get the Blu-Ray for $13.16 at Amazon.
2. Iron Man: Rise of Technovore (2013)
Amazon
While Tony Stark and James Rhodes are competitively racing while on vacation, the duo is attacked by a mysterious new foe. The enemy uses a technological weapon called the Technovore to enact a plan to destroy humanity and replace humans with cybernetic beings. Iron Man teams up with the Punisher to find out who is controlling the Technovore.
The popularity of this anime is what inspired 2014’s Avengers Confidential.
Rent it for $3.99 on Amazon Prime or get the Blu-Ray for $11.54.
3. X-Men (2011)
Amazon
After the death of Jean Grey, the X-Men disband. Prof. X. reforms the team and has them travel to Japan to investigate a new mutant threat. An evil team of humans called the U-Men are killing mutants and harvesting their organs in order to give themselves powers.
This 12-part fan-favorite anime is now only available on DVD. Get it for $11.12 at Amazon now while supplies last.
4. Blade (2011)
Amazon
Blade is a vampire hunter and killer. He is a hybrid being who is part vampire and human. So, Blade has to fight his own urges to consume blood while trying to rid the world of vampires. Blade travels to Japan to hunt down Deacon Frost, the vampire who killed his mother. Blade also uncovers the existence of a new group of evil vampire foes.
This 12-part anime is only available on DVD at Amazon.
Stream the entire series at Amazon for $19.59.
5. Iron Man (2010)
Amazon
Tony Stark is thinking about the future and his eventual retirement as a hero. He decides to go to Japan for a working sabbatical. Stark begins work on the Iron Man Dio, an autonomous armor that will eventually replace him. However, the Iron Man Dio is remote-hijacked by a new enemy.
Stark must now race to find out who his mysterious foe is and stop the Iron Man Dio armor before it causes chaos. This series was the first of several superhero anime films that Marvel would go on to release.
This 12-part anime is now only available on DVD. Get all 12 episodes of season 1 for $5.60 while supplies last at Amazon.
6. Wolverine (2011)
Amazon
This 12-part anime garnered mixed reactions from fans. So, while fans love the action and tone of the series, others view the series as being “too anime.”
So, if you’re a traditionalist be warned, this series is awesome but features a Japan-centric version of Wolverine. (It’s anime, so why not?) While not outright hated, it is one of the more polarizing superhero anime films because to fans this Wolverine was not “Wolverine” enough for the story.
The plot of this series is similar to the plot of the 2013’s The Wolverine. Wolverine learns that his lover Mariko has been kidnapped by her father, a notorious Yakuza boss. Wolverine fights a gauntlet of foes to rescue Mariko.
Get season 1 for only $8.95 on DVD at Amazon.
7.Batman Ninja (2018)
Amazon
As Batman battles Gorilla Grodd and several of his rouge’s gallery, a nearby time machine transports all of them to Edo-era Japan. Because of the fact that Batman was the farthest away from the time machine when it activated, some of his enemies arrived two years earlier than him due to time-dilation-like properties.
So, several of Batman’s deadliest foes are now feudal lords in ancient Japan. For example, Bane is now a Sumo warrior. The Joker is posing as a samurai lord and sending assassins after Batman. Batman now has to stop all his enemies and bring everyone back to Gotham City in the present to stop them from altering history.
Rent it now at Amazon Prime for $3.99 or buy and download a copy for $13.99. You can also buy it on Blu-Ray or DVD for $7.95.
An Acquired Taste
Even if you like anime it might be weird to see your favorite American heroes reimagined in a Japanese-centric anime style.
I recommend that you stay open-minded because while change is hard, it can also be rewarding. Many of these anime has been forgotten by general audiences in the wake of the success of the MCU, which was brand spanking new then. Give some of these anime a first or another look over, it will be worth the effort.
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Allen Francis is a full-time writer, prolific comic book investor and author of The Casual’s Guide: Why You Should Get Into Comic Book Investing. Allen holds a BA degree from Marymount Manhattan College. Before becoming a writer Allen was an academic advisor, librarian, and college adjunct for many years. Allen is an advocate of best personal financial practices including saving and investing in your own small business.
