The Best Comedy Anime For Adults

Some cultures regard animated features as being strictly for children, but that’s certainly not the case with anime. Japanese cartoons have a history of catering to every age group, including even the raunchiest content and subject matter designed and intended strictly for adults.

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As it usually is with anime, even the niche genres contain an overwhelming variety of choices. The following recommendations are some of the best comedy anime for adults, which means this list is filled with all kinds of fan service and is most definitely not safe for work.

7

Panty & Stocking With Garterbelt

Angels With The Will Of Demons

Panty & Stocking With Garterbelt

Release Date

2010 – 2010

Directors

Hiroyuki Imaishi

Writers

TAGRO, Hiroyuki Imaishi, Jamie Marchi

The subject matter and animation style are already funny and clearly adult-oriented, so there’s no argument about whether this series is intended for grown-ups or not. Panty & Stocking With Garterbelt takes its name from the two main characters, fallen angels named Panty and Stocking, who have been exiled from heaven and have to earn their way back.

The good Reverend Garterbelt is the one who guides their paths on earth as they use their weapons, which are pieces of lingerie, to seek out and defeat evil entities known as Ghosts. Cute boys and candy often distract them from the lord’s work, however, which constantly impedes their mission.

6

Prison School

Because Sexual Torture Is Funny

Prison School

Release Date

July 11, 2015

Be warned that this show isn’t for everyone. Everything is depicted in such an exaggerated way that it’s beyond satire, and that includes every discerning aspect of the show. The characters would never be able to exist or survive their various torments in a live-action situation, so, fortunately, Prison School is a cartoon.

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The show takes the sexist trope of “girls in prison” and turns that on its head by making the girls the authoritarian guards and the few male students the inmates at a school that’s, in reality, a prison. The main characters have to endure comically dangerous punishments, but as the show evolves, it’s revealed that a few of these boys are enjoying the girls torturing them; because of course they are, that’s the point.

5

Astro Fighter Sunred

Sentai Satire

• Original Run: October 3, 2008 – March 27, 2009
• Studio: AIC A.S.T.A.
• Written by: Makoto Kubota

For those who are a bit tired of superheroes and are ready to have a laugh at their expense, Astro Fighter Sunred is a parody of not only superheroes, but specifically, the Sentai genre. This is a popular category of anime that is defined by other animated shows like Super Sentai, which inspired live-action shows such as Power Rangers.

Sunred is an antihero, one who speaks rudely, often resorts to physical violence, and needs to have a cigarette hanging out of his mouth at all times. This is even funnier because the villains in this show, and the general vibe of the small town in which he lives, are all amiable despite Sunred’s confrontational attitude.

4

One Punch Man

The Superhero Who Defined Overpowered

One Punch Man

Release Date

October 5, 2015

If a superhero could take out all of their enemies with a single punch, where would they go from there? This is the question One Punch Man asks of its audience, and the conundrum faced by the main character of this series is both funny and tragic. It’s a satirical take that kids can enjoy, but it’s a show that’s really meant for adults.

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Protagonist Saitama a superhero so powerful that he can beat anyone with a single punch—the root of his superhero nickname—so he sets out to find someone who is either stronger than him, or who can at least match him in a fight. This is a version of Earth that’s filled with superheroes and supervillains, and many of them are affiliated with certain groups. However, Saitama resists this trend and stays independent; not so much out of principle, but because he’s so bored, he just can’t be bothered.

3

Space Dandy

Psychedelic Priates In Space

Space Dandy

Release Date

2014 – 2014

Directors

Shinichirô Watanabe, Shingo Natsume

Writers

Shinichirô Watanabe, Dai Sato, Kimiko Ueno, Ichirō Ōkōchi, Keiko Nobumoto, Toh EnJoe, Masaaki Yuasa, Hayashi Mori, Kiyotaka Oshiyama

Anime fans who liked Redline or Cowboy Bebop will enjoy Space Dandy because of the familiar main character and the similar art style and science fiction overlap. The story is absurd, focusing on the misadventures of an alien anthropologist and bounty hunter named Dandy, his robot companion QT, and his feline friend, Meow.

This show is primarily a space opera along with being a comedy, so the setting is really more fantasy than science fiction, and the series plays with continuity by ending episodes in some crazy situations only to have everything back to normal when the next episode starts. Space Dandy also makes a lot of funny pop culture references to other shows and movies, making it perfect for seasoned anime fans.

2

Samurai Champloo

A Different Spin On History

Samurai Champloo is listed as a historical drama and adventure series, but there’s plenty of comic relief with the clumsy but lovable Fuu and her two reluctant bodyguards, Jin and Ryuu. The story has some authentic basis when it comes to Japan’s Edo Period, but it is mostly a fictional account of three people on a strange quest to find the samurai who smells like sunflowers.

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Fuu is herself a comedic character, and her guardians Ryuu and Jin are total opposites who are constantly fighting, and they discover a lot about themselves and the world around them as they travel. The closer they get to finding out the real meaning behind the missing samurai, however, the less funny things get.

1

Gintama

Everyone’s Favorite Comedy Anime

Gintama

Release Date

April 4, 2006

Gintama is everyone’s favorite animated comedy, and its unique setting and cast of characters are a big part of the reason why. The setting is an alternate version of Medieval Japan plagued by alien monsters, and only a special type of Samurai can stop them.

It’s the late Edo Period, and the protagonist Gintoki Sakata is still doing his best to protect the people as a samurai, even though the current Shogun has capitulated to the aliens and banned anyone from carrying swords. Most of the humor comes from Gintoki’s eccentric personality and his equally wacky friends, and he finds a few allies, including the local police, to continue to resist the alien invasion. However, the show is at its best when it flies off the rails, with arcs involving real-life fan votes for their favorite characters, Santa fights, and mayonnaise factories.

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