In Western culture, we have many comics, cartoons, movies, and series about heroes. Do the Japanese also create animes about superheroes? In this article, we will see an extensive list of mangas and animes about heroes like Boku no Hero and others.
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Boku no Hero Academia – The School of Heroes
In this anime, more than 80% of the population has some individuality (or power), which generates a growing wave of villains and heroes. Midoriya Izuku is a boy passionate about superheroes; he wishes to become one but has no individuality.
One day he meets the greatest hero of all, All Might, who invites him to be his successor, passing his powers to him. From then on, he enters the largest school for heroes to learn to control his new powers that his body cannot handle.
Boku no Hero Academia is a huge success, one of the new pillars of Shounen Jump, with many seasons and movies. You have probably watched it; if not, I recommend giving it a chance, even though the first season is a bit slow.
One-Punch Man – Fighting Boredom
In One-Punch Man, we follow the unknown hero named Saitama, probably the most powerful man in the universe, capable of destroying anything with just one punch (in theory). He lives in a chaotic world full of villains and heroes.
Saitama has become so strong that he can’t find a fun fight, living in great boredom. The anime is quite funny, full of satire, comedy, and has a really interesting and captivating backstory, with well-developed secondary characters.
In this universe, heroes participate in a kind of popularity ranking, villains cause massive destruction that questions the usefulness of a hero. If you haven’t watched One-Punch Man yet, maybe it’s time!
Tiger & Bunny – Sponsored Heroes
In Sternbuild City, corporate logos cover not only billboards but also the outfits of the superpowered heroes who act as its protectors. The justice warriors, both veterans and newcomers, compete in a reality show that awards points for capturing criminals while giving the champions’ sponsors a chance to promote their brand.
When the low-tier Wild Tiger loses his support after a series of outrageous and unsuccessful rescues, he finds himself paired with a spotlight-seeker named Barnaby.
But with their completely different personalities, will the duo be able to save their beloved Sternbuild City and win the game show, or will their constant tension be the ruin of the world’s first hero team?
Inuyashiki – The Last Hero
In this incredible anime, an elderly man with cancer ends up being rebuilt by aliens as a super powerful robot. At the same time, a young psychopath also undergoes the same transformation. The anime has plenty of action and reflection on life.
The young psychopath begins to use his powers to commit sinister crimes, while the elderly man uses his powers to save people and play the hero. What will be the outcome of this story?
Inuyashiki is a very interesting and impactful anime; its only downside is the use of CG, but it’s not as bad as some previous works. It’s definitely worth watching this anime, which is quite different from the conventional.
Samurai Flamenco – A Realistic Anime?
Hazama Masayoshi is a successful model who has been passionate about masked heroes since he was a child – so much so that, as an adult, he decided to become Samurai Flamenco: the masked hero of justice!
But, to his dismay, the job is not as easy as it seems, and during his first night as Samurai Flamenco, the man is knocked out and saved by police officer Hidenori Goto. Swearing to keep his secret, Hidenori quickly becomes a friend and partner.
Things get complicated when the media is determined to uncover Samurai Flamenco’s true identity. Moreover, his actions also trigger imitators, flooding the city with other masked heroes!
This anime had everything to be one of the best hero animes in the world, with a well-developed premise showing people trying to be real heroes, but unfortunately, things go off track. Despite this, it might be interesting to watch.
Zetman – The Dark Hero
Jin is a young man full of energy who lives in a slum and often does good deeds for money. However, when his mentor dies during a fight with a strange monster, he finally learns the meaning of death.
With superhuman abilities and a group of mysterious men searching for him under the name Zet, over the years, Jin finds himself drawn into a world of creatures with dangerous powers called “Players.”
But what is Jin really, and with his cruel methods of defeating these threats, is he truly a hero for justice or just another dangerous monster? A typical Japanese Hero story! The manga is also available in Brazil.
Types of Superhero Animes
The animes we saw earlier are the most popular in the superhero genre, but it’s worth remembering that almost every shounen anime has a hero as the protagonist or characters with scientific or non-scientific powers. Here are some subgenres:
Western Superhero Animes
On our website, we have an article that talks about Western superhero animes from Marvel and DC. That’s right, in partnership with some Japanese studios, we have some animes featuring great heroes from the West.
In that article, you will see animes of the Avengers, X-Men, Iron Man, and Wolverine. Unfortunately, these animes do not have much success in Japan or even among Western Otaku, but they can be seen airing on American TV.
Mahou Shoujo Hero Animes
When entering the Superhero category of my research source, I ended up finding hundreds of animes in the Mahou Shoujo genre, which are basically girls who transform and gain powers, most of the time magically.
This is part of a traditional Japanese genre called Henshin Heroes, which are basically characters that transform into beings with special powers, usually using an item that changes their clothes and grants them special abilities.
They can be a superhero wearing a mask, a magical girl, or another type. Among them, we have the famous Sailor Moon, Tokyo Mew Mew, Pretty Cure, Cutie Honey, and many others. We recommend reading the article about Mahou Shoujo Animes.
Japanese Style Hero Animes
Just like the mentioned style henshin heroes, Japanese superheroes have other peculiar characteristics. Some are based on tokusatsu; since they became popular in the 80s, many superhero animes are quite old.
Within Tokusatsu heroes, we have animes with Metal Heroes, a franchise produced by Toei for Japanese television in the 80s and 90s. The protagonists are typically androids, cyborgs, or people who wear metal armor.
We can mention animes like Kamen Rider, Ultraman, Cyborg 009, Sentai Robin, Kinnikuman, Catman, and Skull Man. We also have animes based on games like Megaman, classics like Astro Boy and Yatterman. There are many Japanese hero animes.
List of Superhero Animes
To conclude the article, we will leave a complete list of superhero animes, along with their release year in order of popularity:
| One-Punch Man | 2015 |
| My Hero Academia | 2016 |
| Tiger & Bunny | 2011 |
| Inuyashiki: Last Hero | 2017 |
| Tentai Senshi Sunred | 2008 |
| Youkai Gakuen Y: N to no Souguu | 2019 |
| Hugtto! Pretty Cure | 2018 |
| Heartcatch Pretty Cure! | 2010 |
| Healin’ Good Pretty Cure | 2020 |
| Go! Princess Pretty Cure | 2015 |
| Garo The Animation | 2014 |
| Garo: Vanishing Line | 2017 |
| Kinnikuman | 1983 |
| Mahou Tsukai Pretty Cure! | 2016 |
| Star Twinkle Pretty Cure | 2019 |
| Cybersix | 1999 |
| Concrete Revolutio: The Last Song | 2016 |
| Cyborg 009 (1979) | 1979 |
| Zetman | 2012 |
| Fresh Pretty Cure! | 2009 |
| Suite Pretty Cure♪ | 2011 |
| Gozonji! Gekkou Kamen-kun | 1999 |
| Choujin Sentai Baratack | 1977 |
| The Daichis: Earth’s Defense Family | 2001 |
| Ryuusei no Rockman Tribe | 2007 |
| Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch Pure | 2004 |
| Kirakira Pretty Cure a la Mode | 2017 |
| Smile Pretty Cure! | 2012 |
| Doteraman | 1986 |
| Dokkoida?! | 2003 |
| Dokidoki! Pretty Cure | 2013 |
| Samurai Flamenco | 2013 |
| Happiness Charge Pretty Cure! | 2014 |
| Yatterman (1977) | 1977 |
| Mermaid Melody: Pichi Pichi Pitch | 2003 |
| Kamen no Ninja Akakage | 1987 |
| Casshan | 1973 |
| Chiisana Kyojin Microman | 1999 |
| Cyborg 009: The Cyborg Soldier | 2001 |
| Crayon Shin-chan: Shin-Men | 2010 |
| Astro Boy (1980) | 1980 |
| Tokyo Mew Mew | 2002 |
| Nana Seven of Seven | 2002 |
| Yume Senshi Wingman | 1984 |
| Cutey Honey Flash | 1997 |
| Perman | 1967 |
| Sonic Soldier Borgman | 1988 |
| Heroman | 2010 |
| X-Men | 2011 |
| Concrete Revolutio | 2015 |
| Iron Kid | 2006 |
| Hurricane Polymar | 1974 |
| 8 Man | 1963 |
| Bem | 2019 |
| Devilman | 1972 |
| Jetter Mars | 1977 |
| Cutey Honey | 1973 |
| Jushin Riger | 1989 |
| Ultimate Muscle | 2002 |
| Blade | 2011 |
| Infini-T Force | 2017 |
| Wolverine | 2011 |
| Iron Man | 2010 |
| Marvel Future Avengers | 2017 |
| Youkai Ningen Bem | 1968 |
| Ultraman Kids no Kotowaza Monogatari | 1986 |
| Super Shiro | 2019 |
| Prince Planet | 1965 |
| Ryuusei Sentai Musumet | 2004 |
| Yuusei Kamen | 1966 |
| The Ultraman | 1979 |
| Cutie Honey Universe | 2018 |
| Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers | 2014 |
| Himitsukessha Taka no Tsume: Golden Spell | 2020 |
| The Reflection | 2017 |
| Himitsukessha Taka no Tsume MAX | 2013 |
| Himitsukessha Taka no Tsume NEO | 2012 |
| Himitsukessha Taka no Tsume EX | 2014 |
| Miniforce | 2015 |
| Sentai Hero Sukiyaki Force | 2017 |
| Himitsukessha Taka no Tsume | 2006 |
| Himitsukessha Taka no Tsume Gaiden: Mukashi no Yoshida-kun | 2012 |
| Himitsukessha Taka no Tsume Countdown | 2009 |
| Himitsukessha Taka no Tsume DO | 2015 |
| Himitsukessha Taka no Tsume GT | 2016 |
| Zet Ranger | 2008 |
| Sakuran Boy DT | 2009 |
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