Time travel is a fascinating concept that has captivated the imagination of audiences for many years. It is a popular theme in books, movies, and especially anime. Now, time travel in anime can range from being a device to tell stories up to being an integral part of the plot.
What is Anime?
Anime is a type of Japanese animation and culture that has expanded outside of Japan to become a hugely popular medium across the world. Characters are often colorful, expressive, and they’re usually based off of already established manga or light novels. Furthermore, it often follows a ‘shonen’ style, which is fast-paced action and episodic storylines with defined beginning, middle, and end.
Top 10 Best Time-Travel Anime
Whether it’s a simple case of wishing to remedy the past or simply wanting to explore the future, here’s a look at the best time-travel anime.
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Steins – Gate
This acclaimed anime is considered to be one of the best time-travel anime ever made. Set in an alternate future of Akihabara, the story follows a self-proclaimed mad scientist, Rintarou Okabe and his Future Gadget Laboratory member Itaru Hashida. After discovering how to time travel by sending text messages, they accidentally find themselves dealing with a world-altering catastrophe. -
Re:Zero – Starting Life in Another World
Re:Zero tells the story of Subaru, a regular high school student who is suddenly transported to a fantasy world. This anime brings in the concept of ‘return by death’, meaning that Subaru has the ability to restart from a previous point in time whenever he dies. This newfound ability changes his life and the entire world, as he battles against the powerful Witch’s Cult. -
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time –
This classic movie is a fantastic piece of time-travel anime and it has a beautiful animation style. The story follows a 17-year-old student named Makoto Konno, who accidentally acquires the power to travel through time. She uses her powers to fix her own, as well as her friends’ problems and tries to find out the implications of her newly discovered powers. -
NHK ni Youkoso –
NHK ni Youkoso, also known as Welcome to the N.H.K., follows the life of Tatsuhiro Satou, a shut-in hikkikomori who believes that a top-secret organization, the Nihon Hikikomori Kyokai, is responsible for his social isolation. After becoming friends with a teenage girl, he learns how to time travel. -
Fluximation – Time Jam
Fluximation – Time Jam is considered to be one of the first time-travel anime of its kind. It follows the adventures of a young girl and her time-traveling cat as they travel to different periods in time and save the future from disaster. -
Doraemon – Doraemon is a beloved classic anime, best known for its outrageous time-traveling shenanigans. The anime follows the adventures of a robotic cat named Doraemon, who has a magical pocket that contains a wide variety of futuristic gizmos and gadgets. These gadgets help Nobita and his friends with various tasks, such as visiting the future or going back in time.
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Wolf Children –
Wolf Children is a beautifully animated and heartwarming movie about a young woman named Hana, who raises her two wolf-children, Yuki and Ame. After the sudden death of their father, she is left to find a safe place for them to live. With the help of time travel and a kind old man, she manages to find a place where her children can fit in and live peacefully. -
The Laws of The Universe: Part 0 –
The Laws of The Universe: Part 0 is about 17-year-old Ryou and his three friends, who are targeted by aliens from different planets. Together, they use a time-travel device to find out the secret of life, while avoiding their pursuers. -
Dr. Stone –
Dr. Stone is a science-fiction anime series set in a post-apocalyptic world, in which all of humanity has been turned to stone. The story follows two high school students who manage to escape their petrification and use a time machine to travel back in time, in order to save the world. -
The Infinity Castle –
The Infinity Castle is a fantasy anime series set in a world where a dangerous evil threatens the land and its people. In order to protect his world, the protagonist journeys through time and battles the evil forces bent on destroying the kingdom.
Time travel is a fascinating concept and has been a popular theme for many years. These best time-travel anime are some of the finest examples of the genre and will set your imagination running. Whether it’s the classic anime, Doraemon, or the more recent anime, Dr. Stone, time-travel stories definitely have a place in the hearts of anime lovers.
