In this article I will be reviewing the top 10 best comedy anime, at-least in my opinion. There are some pretty funny anime that will not make this list so just to clarify I want to give a brief rundown of my criteria for this list.
First of all; all anime on this list must have a major focus on the comedy element. There are anime like One Piece, and Monogatari that will not make this list even though they have some excellent comedy moments, because comedy is not a major focus in the anime as a whole.
Second they must be anime I have seen, it would be easy to copy and paste other peoples reviews. But I want to give honest answers and honest reviews, I don’t want to write just another copy and paste article. So this is a rule with all of my lists.
Finally the anime must actually be funny. I will be ordering them by how funny they are as long as they meet the other two criteria on this list. Because everyone has difference tastes I will not guarantee that you will like any of these anime, but I can guarantee that they all gave me a great time and plenty of laughter and most of them will probably give you plenty of laughter as-well!
SPOILER WARNING! I try my best to avoid spoilers if at all possible. However, it can be difficult to give a good descriptive review of an anime without including any spoilers, so here is your warning.
Best Comedy Anime:
10: World War Blue
Have you ever heard of the console wars? If you were born in the late 90’s or later then this term probably makes you think of the X-Box vs. PlayStation debate. However, before that there was a much larger, more cut-throat war between Sega and Nintendo. Sega lost the wars and no longer produces consoles instead focusing on games and toys. But back then the battle was intense. If you think that the PlayStation vs. X-Box debate is hot then you should have seen the Nintendo vs. Sega console wars.
This was back when the first home consoles were first released to the public and there weren’t many third party developers for video games, so each company made their own games that were exclusive to their consoles. They were both fighting for dominance and complete control of the market. They weren’t just competing with each-other they wanted to completely eliminate the competition to hold a full monopoly on the market. There was spying, sabotage, and their marketing dominated the televisions, newspapers, and radio. It was a full blown corporate war, and it was an intense one at that.
So why does any of this matter? Well because World War Blue is a parody of this console war. Characters like Sonic, Mario, and Donkey Kong are imagined in this anime as fighters for their respective sides. If you think you notice a reference in this anime to one of your favorite games, then you probably do. This anime is nothing but references, and its one of the funniest anime I’ve seen. The story is lacking quite a bit in this anime, it’s far from the best I’ve seen, even comedy wise. But focusing just on the comedy aspect this anime is definitely good enough to make my top 10, even if just barely.
9: Hitalia
Coming up at number 9 on our list is another parody. Not of a video game war though, but global politics and culture. In this lighthearted anime every major country is reimagined as an anime character. These characters roughly share a culture similar to their home country, and their relationships are similar to their country as-well. This anime follows the every day lives of these personified countries as they live normally and interact with each-other around the UN table.
If you’re interested in global politics, or if you aren’t and you just want a good laugh then this anime is a great one to check out. Its full of lighthearted comedy. It avoids issues that take away from the comedy element and focuses more on funny stuff. So you won’t have to worry about it bogging down your day with political propaganda or controversial issues. Though on the rare occasion that these issues are brought up they are usually old and out of date arguments and they are exaggerated to make them hilariously funny.
There are a lot of people who do not like this anime because of it’s episodic nature and a complete lack of an actual story, making it more similar to a western cartoon than a Japanese anime in it’s storytelling. Overall however, this anime is pretty darn funny and definitely worth a watch!
8: World Conquest Zvezda Plot
If you want a super lighthearted anime with some adorable characters an plenty of good comedy then this one is definitely recommended. This anime is about a highschooler who accidentally stays out past a mandatory curfew. The curfew is in effect because of terrorist attacks that have been happening quite a bit lately. He got distracted buying some premade dinner from a convenience store.
This is when he runs into a preschooler who is also out past curfew, after complaining that she is going to die from hunger he shares his dinner with her. She thanks him for saving her life before telling him that he should get home and leaving. On his way home he is caught up in the battle between the terrorists and the military and forced to hide.
While hiding he notices the teadybear that the little girl was holding. Thinking that she would be sad without it he picks it up and determines himself to return it to her. As it turns out the bear is a secret weapon wielded by the leader of the terrorist organization Zvezda. After being captured by the terrorists, as they discuss how to “dispose” of him the little girl walks in and offers him a job working for her as a member of her organization.
He isn’t really given a choice and so starts his life as a terrorist working for a preschooler attempting to conquer the world. But there’s more to this little girl and her organization than meets the eye, does she actually have what it takes to conquer the world? And why does she want to conquer the world in the first place? As you can probably tell from the description alone this anime is hilarious. There isn’t hardly a single moment that I’m not laughing in this anime. It does use a lot of generic tropes and doesn’t take it’s self seriously at all. But that’s one of the things that makes it even funnier.
The best part about this anime is that it’s perfect for the whole family! Viewers of any age can enjoy this anime with ease, and honestly that’s pretty hard to find in a world where anime tends to focus on one specific age group. Overall this anime is definitely worth it’s place on my list.
7: Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt
This anime is a bit unique, for anime that is. The first time I saw it, it seemed like a western cartoon. The art style and the episodic nature of the series makes it seem very western in style. But if you’re looking for something different, and funny then this is the one for you. The story, animation style, and even the way the story is told is far from generic for anime. That doesn’t say anything about it’s comedy element.
The show is about two angels that have been kicked out of heaven for bad behavior. The only way to get back in is to buy their way back in with heaven coins they earn for “good behavior” Everything from fighting literal poop monsters, demons, and general good deeds earns these coins. What they do in their free time though is completely up to them. They get up to all kinds of antics from seducing the local nerd, to putting on huge concerts, and sometimes finding time to eat some cake.
The biggest question is can they live in the same house without killing each other? This anime is as funny as it sounds and it’s animation style just adds to this comedy element. They pull off a lot of stuff that could not be done nearly as well with the usual anime style and everything meshes together into an overall brilliant anime experience that will have you laughing at every turn. It did me at-least.
6: Bofuri
(Itai no wa Iya nano de Bougyoryoku ni Kyokufuri Shitai to Omoimasu.)
This anime was also featured on my list for long-name anime. This anime is about a girl who is playing her first video game. It happens to be a revolutionary new game with more hidden features than I can count on one hand.
It’s completely unrealistic, but that doesn’t effect the comedy at all. Being completely new at games everything she does completely defies common sense in video games. Everything from putting all of her stat points into defense completely ignoring everything else, to falling asleep in the middle of a monster infested forest, and even literally eating a boss monster because she has no attack. Somehow everything she does turns in her favor.
It’s a very light hearted comedy where the stupidity of the main character and her luck pull together to make you curious about what she’s going to do next. And with an anime that has no underlying story (that’s obvious at-least) the only thing keeping you watching to the next episode is the main characters hilarious antics and the excitement of seeing what kind of ridiculous thing she’s going to pull off.
5: Konosuba
This is one of my personal favorite comedy anime. It’s a parody on the generic isekai, except the main character is sent to another world at level one. He dies in a ridiculous way meets a goddess who looks down on him and makes fun of him. He is told that he can take any one thing with him to the other world. From an OP magical demon slaying sword, to OP magical abilities, whatever he can think of basically. As a joke and a prank he says he wants to take the goddess.
Against her will the decision is approved by the higher ups and she is taken to the other world without him, and the only way for her to get back is to slay the demon king. Something that our would be hero doesn’t really care about. He’s more concerned with learning magic, staying alive, and hopefully getting rich and getting a harem in the process.
Will he be able to live with the goddess he forced to come along with him? Will she be able to convince him to actually take his Job as a hero seriously? Will that thief ever get her panties back? Will that mage every learn anything other than explosion magic? How long does it take a giant frog to digest a bodacious girl in armor? We may never know, but the only way to find out is to watch this anime!
4: Fooly Cooly (FLCL)
(NOTE: This is not a review of the sequel, FLCL Progressive.)
This anime is also present on my list of most unique anime.
FLCL is a coming of age story about a young boy having to face new emotions that he’s never felt before. Things he used to dislike he starts to like and things he used to like he begins to grow out of. It displays and confusion that his mind is in and his struggles with his family and friends the entire way.
However, this is not a slice of life. The anime goes over his coming of age story in a fantastic whimsical ways. Embodying the way that he feels with real world events. From a crazy woman on a moped, that bashes him over the head with a guitar. To a TV headed robot that eats him from time to time. The anime explores sports, food, relationships, and school. It does all of this in the same whimsical way.
A lot of people like this anime for it’s deep psychological meanings strewn through every second of the anime. Other people enjoy it for it’s simple light hearted comedy that is easy to be enjoyed by almost anyone. This entire series is a work of art, like a painting displayed in a gallery, you can enjoy the colors and lines, just as much as you can enjoy the story behind it’s creation.
The entire anime is an OVA that comes in at 6 normal length episodes. It’s hard to imagine how they fit so much content into that few episodes. However, that also means that the entire series can be completed in one sitting after work/school and before bet with a little time left over. It can also be watched an episode at a time in the course of one week. I would highly recommend giving this one a shot it has a little something for everyone and it’s definitely worth a try.
3: Excel Saga
This is one of those anime that is so bad that it’s good. I don’t mean that in a sarcastic sense either, how bad this anime is, it’s all done on purpose for the sake of comedy. This anime is a huge parody of anime in general, making fun of every trope present at the time. It even makes fun of it’s self. The anime follows the story of Excel a young female agent of a massive organization trying to conquer the world. Every task she is given she seems to fail, most of the time because of her clumsiness and sometimes because it’s impossible.
Well I’ll stop there because my descriptions can not do it justice. The anime it’s self is hilarious and everything in it is for the purpose of making it funny. Whether it’s a sad heartwarming moment that would normally be a tearjerker in any other anime, you’re gonna be laughing out of your pants when you watch it in this.
The anime in no way takes it’s self seriously it even makes fun of it’s self. From a main character that cant do anything right, to a random character working for his family. A Villain who is actually a good guy. A construction worker, even the great will of the cosmos finds this anime utterly ridiculous and funny.
It’s not really an anime that can be easily binged, it’s meant to be taken in chunks and that’s what I recommend. Watch a few episodes at a time every now and then whenever you need a good laugh. This anime will deliver the comedy straight to your front door, or it will die trying!
2: One Punch Man
This is a somewhat newer anime. The anime follows the story of Saitama, a hero for fun. Saitama, as his name (One Punch Man) suggests, he beats all of his opponents in one punch. From mole people, to giants that can crush an entire city under their foot. Saitama is a hero in his free time saving people and sometimes the world. But there are two things that haunt him about this.
First of all even though he’s beaten enemies that can destroy entire cities, he’s never received any recognition for it. Also he has never found an opponent that can fight with him on equal standing. He can do anything and everything extremely easily and life is boring. The fact that other “heros” that are basically glorified volunteers have more recognition and popularity than him gets on his nerves. But he never tries to get attention, because he’s just a hero for fun.
The anime has some interesting fights, but is focused on the comedy aspect. Everything from enemies that are built up to be unbeatable being accidentally killed by a single punch. To a man who brags about his abilities defeating himself by accidentally falling on Saitamas fist. The anime is full of comedy that does not seem out of place at all. It honestly amazes me how this anime pulls it off.
I highly recommend checking this anime out if you haven’t already. It’s amazing that this anime can have such good action scenes with such an over powered main character.
1: Ghost Stories (Dub)
This anime is hilarious, but only the dubbed version. Normally I would never recommend a dubbed anime over a subbed anime, but this is one of the few exceptions and I’ll explain why. This is an older anime that didn’t do very well in Japan, the story find’s it difficult to hold an audience, the characters aren’t very relatable, and overall the anime isn’t very interesting. This anime is not a comedy anime, well the original Japanese anime isn’t at-least.
This posed a problem when it was bought by an American company. They saw a cheap anime in a time when anime was getting more popular in America and without doing any research about the anime it’s self they bought it hired the staff to translate, script, and voice act the anime.
When it was brought to their attention how bland the overall story is, and even worst how it was so focused on Japanese culture that it would not be easily understood by a western audience they panicked. The anime as it was, was more likely to confuse a western audience than it was to attract them. Regardless of what happened at this point they had already taken a loss on this anime.
Because of this they made a corporate decision to save as much money as possible by reducing costs wherever they could. One of these areas was voice acting, while they already had a contract with the voice actors, having them voice the anime as quickly as possible would cut out costs from paying them to replay scenes and etc. So how did they fix this?
Easy! They through out the script, they told the voice actors to match the lip movement of the characters in the anime, and to follow the overall story of the anime as per their contractual agreement. But as long as they kept the overall theme of the original anime and matched the lip movements so that it wouldn’t be awkward to watch they could do or say whatever they wanted.
This resulted in one of the best comedies ever made, and in my opinion the funniest anime ever made. It was basically a full length official abridged anime, by actual professional full time paid voice actors, the only one of it’s kind. This anime ended up turning in a huge profit and being wildly successful. It completely blew away the expectations that the company had even before the script was translated.
That being said this anime is definitely not for everyone. While the original anime was intended for children, most parents probably would not like their children watching this one. It is filled with mature themes, adult language, and generally offensive content. If you’re someone who is offended easily or you do not like cursing or a lot of adult language in what you watch then this is an anime to avoid for sure. But if you are someone who does not mind these things then this anime is definitely worth checking out. It’s for sure worth it’s number one spot on this list! But remember that only applies to the dubbed version not the subbed version.