[Top 10] Best Anime With Life Lessons

10. Pokémon 

Now that he has turned ten years old, Ash Ketchum is allowed to start his journey in the world of Pokémon and dreams of becoming a Pokémon master. But, on the day he is to receive his first Pokémon, Ash oversleeps and wakes up in a panic, running into Gary Oak, who becomes Ash's rival. Professor Oak, the local Pokémon researcher, has already given away the three Pokémon (Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle) he entrusts to new Pokémon Trainers when Ash finally reaches Oak's Lab. The only Pokémon that he has left is a Pikachu, which he gives to Ash.

Determined to make it on his journey, Ash does his best to befriend Pikachu, but it refused to trust him and chooses to stay out of the Poké Ball, even attacking Ash with its electric powers. It is only after Ash protects Pikachu from a group of angry Spearow that Pikachu realizes how much Ash cares. Along the way, Ash makes many human friends, such as Misty and Brock, and Pokémon friends as he works his way through the ranks of the world's many Pokémon Leagues.

Anyone who doesn’t sing “I want to be the very best like no one ever was” doesn’t know Pokémon. Lucky for everyone in the anime community, most certainly do. Pokémon was a phenomenon all by itself, and the show made the cards a staple part of the anime industry for the rest of time.

Pokémon has taught viewers of all generations to never, ever give up on their dreams, and to pursue them even if it seems all hope is lost. It taught viewers determination, drive, and the importance of relying on their friends and loved ones for support. 

What We Love About Pokémon 

• No one thinks of Pokémon and doesn’t think about their childhood at the same time. Pokémon is fun for everyone, and we all love the adventures and the fun designs of the creatures themselves.
• As kids, we all loved Ash, and we all rooted for him. He proved to be a great trainer, and we could all relate to him and his goals. Ash was the ultimate protagonist, especially for kids, and still is.
• The original Pokémon actually tugged at your heartstrings. From Ash saying goodbye to Butterfree to sacrificing himself for Pikachu, these moments are touching, kind, and lovely. These were needed in an anime generally cheerful and goofy.

9. Your Lie In April

Piano prodigy Kōsei Arima dominates various music competitions and becomes famous among child musicians, but also controversial. When his mother Saki dies suddenly, he has a mental breakdown while performing at a piano recital; this results in him no longer being able to hear the sound of his piano even though his hearing is otherwise perfectly fine.

Two years later, Kōsei has not touched the piano and views the world in monochrome, without any flair or color. He resigns himself to living out his life with his good friends, Tsubaki Sawabe and Watari Ryōta, until, one day, a girl changes everything. Kaori Miyazono, an audacious, free-spirited, fourteen-year-old violinist whose playing style reflects her manic personality, helps Kōsei return to the music world and shows him that it should be free and mold-breaking, unlike the structured and rigid style Kōsei was used to. As she continues to uplift him, he quickly realizes that he loves her, although she already likes Watari.

Later, while performing together, Kaori suddenly collapses after a moving performance and is hospitalized. At first, Kaori says that she is anemic and just needs some routine testing, but this is revealed to be a lie.

Kaori is discharged and back to her happy self, inviting Kōsei to play at a Gala with her. However, Kaori fails to show up on the day of the Gala, and as her health deteriorates, she becomes dejected. Kōsei plays a duet with Nagi Aiza, in the hope of motivating her. After listening to it, Kaori opts for a risky surgery that may kill her if it fails, just so that she can play with him one more time.

While playing in the finals of the Eastern Japan Piano Competition, Kōsei sees Kaori's spirit accompanying him and eventually realizes that she has died during the surgery.

After Kaori's death, her parents give her a letter to Kōsei at her funeral. The letter reveals that she was aware that she was about to die, so she became more free-spirited, both as a person and in her music, in order to not take her regrets to Heaven. She also reveals that she had been in love with Kōsei since she was five, and was inspired to play the violin so that she could one day play with him. Her supposed feelings towards Watari were a lie, fabricated in order to get closer to Kōsei without hurting Tsubaki, who also has limerent feelings towards Kōsei. After finding this out, Tsubaki confronts Kōsei and tells him that she will be by his side for the rest of her life. Kaori also leaves behind a picture of her as a child coming back from the concert that inspired her, with Kōsei in the background walking back home. Kōsei later frames this picture.

Your Lie In April taught us that it is important to live for ourselves and not solely for the sake of another person. The real message of Your Lie In April isn’t about the romance between Kōsei and Kaori but is in fact a message about self-sustainability. Kōsei taught Kaori to live for his future instead of his present or his past, and that was key to the show.

What We Love About Your Lie In April 

• The music is beautifully written. Music is a huge part of this show, and every time it’s played the music showcases a character’s feelings or current issue. Music is often used as a tool to convey romantic feelings, and this music does it very well.
• The story itself was made incredibly unique by Kosei’s unexpected disability. Both love interests sharing problems instead of just having an issue the other helped shoulder is key here, and it’s done very well.
• The setting is beautifully done, despite being pretty much a slice-of-life anime. Every time music is played by a character, something visually different occurs each time, and it’s breathtaking. 

8. Yuri On Ice 

After a staggering defeat in the Grand Prix Final among other losses, Japanese figure skater Yuri Katsuki decides to put his career on hold and return to his hometown of Hasetsu in Kyushu. When he arrives, he visits his childhood friend, Yuko, at the local ice rink, and mimics an advanced routine performed by his idol Victor Nikiforov. When someone secretly records the routine and Victor sees it, he travels to Kyushu to train Yuri and revive his career.

After learning about Victor's career decision, Yuri Plisetsky, a rising 15-year-old Russian prodigy skater, travels to Hasetsu to make Victor keep a promise made prior to the beginning of the series. Victor had promised he would choreograph a routine specifically for Yuri P. if he won the Junior World Championships, which Yuri P. presumably did. Victor, having forgotten about his promise to Yuri P., makes the two Yuris compete against each other to decide who he will coach. He chooses two songs for the skaters, both with the same melody but with a different meaning.

Yuri K. wins the competition and vows to win the Grand Prix. Over the course of the Grand Prix, Yuri K. and Victor become increasingly close, with the two of them kissing in public. and with Yuri K. buying them both gold rings in Barcelona, which leads to remarks by Victor about them being engaged. 

On the eve of the final, Yuri K. plans to quit skating so that Victor can return to the sport and tells Victor of his decision, but Victor tearfully rejects the idea, and they agree to choose their paths after the tournament has finished. The tournament ends with Yuri P. winning the gold medal and Yuri K. winning silver.

Yuri On Ice focuses on how even the most confident of people have insecurities. It even focuses on the triumphant comeback a person’s anxiety can make into a world of determination and victory. Not only that, it proves that leaning on others for support in times of need is important, and even necessary.

What We Love About Yuri On Ice 

• The show has a sports competitive atmosphere but every now and then, the audience will definitely notice the character relationships. It’s very human and can be fierce at times.
• The way it capitalizes on the competition, characters, visual dynamics, themes, and directing is genius. The pacing works out quite well as it doesn’t waste much time getting to the point. 
• Comedy is straightforward and although can get rather awkward at times, it still effectively delivers with character chemistry and reaction faces. Overall the show is incredibly well done in and of itself.

7. My Hero Academia 

In the world of My Hero Academia, the majority of the human population has gained the ability to develop superpowers called “Quirks,” which appear in children around the age of four. It is estimated that around 80% of human existence has a Quirk, and those who have Quirks usually end up becoming Heroes, people who work to defeat the Villains who choose to use their Quirks for evil.

Izuku Midoriya has dreams of becoming a Hero even though he doesn’t have a Quirk, and was bullied by his best friend, Katsuki Bakugo, for not having one. Both of them look up to one of the world’s greatest Heroes, All Might, who they both met and who Izuku knows of a critical injury done to him.

All Might also reveal how, exactly, his Quirk, “All For One,” works. He then gives it to Izuku to succeed him, as his bravery in the face of danger proves him worthy. As he continues as a Hero at high school, he faces nemeses, danger, and many Villains along his path to protecting humanity. 

One of My Hero Academia’s biggest lessons is that you’re never done learning, especially from your personal mentors. That, and the fact that it’s okay to have enemies in the face of your learning. Enemies, in fact, help you learn even better, and the viewers in general truly appreciated and embraced this message.

What We Love About My Hero Academia 

• The premise itself is unique and new compared to other anime that focus on superpowers among humans. Izuku is your typical underdog, but the way the show has him interact with his powers sets him apart from other protagonists like him.
• My Hero Academia has an all-star acting cast, and that works well in terms of its popularity. The voices are talented, well trained, and they give expert expression to characters with complicated and intertwined personalities. 
• The fighting is one of the best parts. The battles don’t feel long or drawn out, and they’re very interactive and keep you on the edge of your seat the entire time. The action is entertaining to the point where you can’t take your eyes off of it.

6. Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid 

As Kobayashi sets off for another day at work, she opens her apartment door only to be met by an unusually frightening sight—the head of a dragon, staring at her from across the balcony. The dragon immediately transforms into a cute, busty, and energetic young girl dressed in a maid outfit, introducing herself as Tohru.

It turns out that the stoic programmer had come across the dragon the previous night on a drunken excursion to the mountains, and since the mythical beast had nowhere else to go, she had offered the creature a place to stay in her home. Thus, Tohru had arrived to cash in on the offer, ready to repay her savior's kindness by working as her personal maidservant. Though deeply regretful of her words and hesitant to follow through on her promise, a mix of guilt and Tohru’s incredible dragon abilities convinces Kobayashi to take the girl in.

Despite being extremely efficient at her job, the maid's unorthodox methods of housekeeping often end up horrifying Kobayashi and at times bring more trouble than help. Furthermore, the circumstances behind the dragon's arrival on Earth seem to be much more complicated than at first glance, as Tohru bears some heavy emotions and painful memories. To top it all off, Tohru’s presence ends up attracting several other mythical beings to her new home, bringing in a host of eccentric personalities. Although Kobayashi makes her best effort to handle the crazy situation that she has found herself in, nothing has prepared her for this new life with a dragon maid.

Dragon Maid teaches us that not only is it okay to be different, but it is okay to love and cherish different people. It teaches us that taking time out of our daily routine to try something new, to try someone new, is a good thing. While it may be scary overall, Dragon Maid teaches us that interacting with the unknown and with those who we could love is definitely worth it.

What We Love About Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid 

• Tohru makes this show. Watching her get used to the human realm while still maintaining her goofy and carefree personality is great for the plot and very endearing. Her interactions with other characters really shape the entirety of the show, and without her, this show would definitely fall flat.
• The familial and romantic aspects of this show put it a step above most comedies. It’s endearing, sweet, kind, and loving; something that can’t always be said about anime comedies. There’s definitely a good balance there between the three.
• The fact that the dragon world wasn’t totally forgotten in favor of Tohru totally assimilating without much thought is a nice touch. Her origins have a lot to do with her place in the human world, and I think it’s well written that that part of her wasn’t forgotten.

5. Fullmetal Alchemist 

Fullmetal Alchemist takes place in the fictional world of Amestris, where alchemy is one of the most commonly practiced sciences. Alchemists who work for the government are called State Alchemists and are given the title of Major in the military. Alchemists can create anything they desire, but when they do so, they have to give something of equal value in accordance with the Law of Equivalent Exchange. The only things they are forbidden from creating are gold and humans, and those who attempt to create humans often lose a body part and the result is a horrific, inhuman creature.

Edward and Alphonse Elric live in the city of Resembool with their mother Trisha and their father Van Hohenheim, who left. After Trisha died of illness and the Elric brothers finished their alchemist training, they tried to bring their mother back using alchemy. This ended horrifically, with Edward losing his left leg and Alphonse losing his body. 

After Edward sacrifices his right arm to bring back Alphonse’s soul, binding it to a suit of armor, the brothers search for the Philosopher’s Stone to restore Alphonse. However, they aren’t the only ones looking for it, and they face many obstacles along the way.

Fullmetal Alchemist teaches us not only to value the lives of others but to value our lives, as well. It teaches us that in the grand scheme of things, human life has no equal to anything else at all and that to gain it or something else means you must lose something first. No matter what.

What We Love About Fullmetal Alchemist 

• The emotion behind the intense story is something that the show has going for it. Relationships are portrayed as not just a thing, but as the only thing, and it’s one of the few anime that does that and does it successfully. It dregs up feelings and beautiful moments, and it’s worth a watch.
• Fullmetal Alchemist is surprisingly dark, but it’s subtle enough to come across surprisingly well. Its darkness and depth set it apart from the other fantasy anime it competes against, and it works perfectly in every way. 
• The characters are extremely well developed and intricate, and Edward especially embraces his flaws and everything about the world he lived in and nearly destroyed. The relationships are fun, endearing, and everything about them is particularly heartwarming. 

4. Sweetness And Lightning 

Since the death of his wife, Kouhei Inuzuka has been caring for his young daughter Tsumugi to the best of his abilities. However, with his lack of culinary knowledge and his busy job as a teacher, he is left relying on ready-made meals from convenience stores to feed the little girl. Frustrated at his own incapability to provide a fresh, nutritious meal for his daughter, Kouhei takes up an offer from his student, Kotori Iida, to come to have dinner at her family's restaurant. But on their very first visit, the father and daughter discover that the restaurant is often closed due to Kotori's mother being away for work and that Kotori often eats alone. After much pleading from his pupil, Kouhei decides to continue to go to the restaurant with Tsumugi to cook and share delicious homemade food with Kotori.

Amaama to Inazuma follows the heartwarming story of a caring father trying his hardest to make his adorable little daughter happy while exploring the meanings and values behind cooking, family, and the warm meals at home that are often taken for granted.

What we learn from Sweetness And Lightning is that not only should we not take the family for granted, but we shouldn’t take the time we spend with them for granted either. We learn that we should love our family and appreciate the small moments and loving meals we have with them. This is what makes Sweetness And Lightning powerful among viewers:

What We Love About Sweetness And Lightning 

• The characters. The characters in Sweetness And Lightning, especially Kouhei and Inuzuka, are endearing, relatable, and you always want the best for them. It’s easy to get invested, and that’s a part of any great anime.
• The character designs are soft, light, and adorable. They were clearly made with the targeted story in mind, and the designs fit the themes and motifs extremely well.
• The story is cute, entertaining, heartwarming, and an overall great slice of life tale. It integrates cooking in the best possible way and is extremely popular among the genre. It’s a great anime for anyone to check out.

3. Fairy Tail 

In the fantasy land of Fiore, magic is an essential part of everyday life. Countless magic guilds are the heart of all magical activity, and serve as areas for mages to band together and take on job requests. Among them, Fairy Tail stands out from the rest as a place of strength, spirit, family, and of course, utter chaos.

Lucy Heartfilia is a young Celestial Wizard searching for Celestial Gate keys, and her dream is to become a full-fledged wizard by joining Fairy Tail. In the town of Magnolia, she runs into Natsu Dragneel and his partner Happy, who are on a quest to find Natsu's foster father, the dragon Igneel.

Upon being tricked by Bora, who was pretending to be the famous Salamander, Lucy falls under an abduction attempt, only to be saved by Natsu. To her shock, he reveals that he is a member of Fairy Tail and invites her to join them. There, Lucy meets the guild's wild and free members, such as the ice wizard Gray Fullbuster and magic swordswoman Erza Scarlet. Together as a family, they battle the forces of evil, help those in need, and gain new friends, all the while enjoying the never-ending adventure that is Fairy Tail.

One of the most important things we learn from Fairy Tail is that we don’t die for our friends, we live for them. Fairy Tail emphasizes the bonds and love between friends and teaches us that not only can our friends become our family, but that we shouldn’t be afraid to rely on them when we need them. Fairy Tail constantly discusses the power of friendship among those who are close to one another, and what a power it is.

What We Love About Fairy Tail 

• The animation is beautiful, friendly in character expression, and the action is smooth. Everything is entertaining, almost beyond so, and the character designs are superior to most other shonen animes in the business.
• Speaking of shonen anime, Fairy Tail isn’t your typical shonen anime. It doesn’t just focus on one character as the main hero, it focuses on all of Fairy Tail. The main protagonist isn’t Natsu or Lucy, but it’s the entirety of Fairy Tail itself, and that’s what truly sets it apart from the others.
• All of the characters are well written and have well-developed personalities. Some entire arcs are developed to certain characters, and this helps viewers to become sympathetic with them throughout the series.

2. Death Note 

A shinigami, as a god of death, can kill any person—provided they see their victim's face and write their victim's name in a notebook called a Death Note. One day, Ryuk, bored by the shinigami lifestyle and interested in seeing how a human would use a Death Note, drops one into the human realm.

High school student and prodigy Light Yagami stumbles upon the Death Note and—since he deplores the state of the world—tests the deadly notebook by writing a criminal's name in it. When the criminal dies immediately following his experiment with the Death Note, Light is greatly surprised and quickly recognizes how devastating the power that has fallen into his hands could be. 

With this divine capability, Light decides to extinguish all criminals in order to build a new world where crime does not exist and people worship him as a god. Police, however, quickly discover that a serial killer is targeting criminals and, consequently, try to apprehend the culprit. To do this, the Japanese investigators count on the assistance of the best detective in the world: a young and eccentric man known only by the name of L.

A shinigami, as a god of death, can kill any person—provided they see their victim's face and write their victim's name in a notebook called a Death Note. 

One of the most important things we learn from Death Note is that no single person should have unlimited power, especially not Light. We are also taught that no one human should ever have control over the matters of life and death, and this is greatly emphasized and shown throughout the series. That is one of the reasons why Death Note is so popular among its viewers.

What We Love About Death Note

• The concept in general is incredibly creative and discusses righteousness, death, and vanity in one of the most original ways an anime has ever done. The violence perpetrated by emotions and the inner workings of Light’s mind, making the world seem smaller in an interesting way.
• Ryuk is one of the best anime characters of all time. He’s funny, is the main catalyst for the whole show, and gets along well with Light to the point where their relationship is sometimes comedic. He is definitely the best character in Death Note and definitely makes the story.
• The voice acting is on point, especially for Light and Ryuk. Two very talented voice actors are portraying two complex characters and their personalities, and overall, it works in the show’s favor. They aren’t the only talents of course, but they both ultimately steal the show together. 

Top Anime With A Life Lesson: Guardian Of The Spirit

On the precipice of a cataclysmic drought, the Star Readers of the Shin Yogo Empire must devise a plan to avoid widespread famine. It is written in ancient myths that the first emperor, along with eight warriors, slew a water demon to avoid a great drought and save the land that was to become Shin Yogo. If a water demon was to appear once more, its death could bring salvation. However, the water demon manifests itself within the body of the emperor's son, Prince Chagum—by the emperor's order, Chagum is to be sacrificed to save the empire.

Meanwhile, a mysterious spear-wielding mercenary named Balsa arrives in Shin Yogo on business. After saving Chagum from a thinly veiled assassination attempt, she is tasked by Chagum's mother to protect him from the emperor and his hunters. Bound by a sacred vow she once made, Balsa accepts.

Follow Balsa as she embarks on her journey to protect Chagum, exploring the beauty of life, nature, family, and the bonds that form between strangers.

One of the things Guardian Of The Spirit teaches us is that by giving up in life, we only make our lives harder than they normally would have been. Not only that, but it teaches us that humans can often be irrational for no reason and that some value their traditions over the lives of other human beings. We are taught to respect human nature, but also to be wary of it.

What We Love About Guardian Of The Spirit 

• The animation is beautiful, fluid, and smooth in every aspect overall. One of the things that makes it so is its beautiful designs, designs which are incomparable to so many others.
• The message it is attempting to convey is conveyed with grace, poise, and overall incredible storytelling. The lesson that both Balsa and the audience are to learn to intertwine with each other well, and that’s what makes it such a great anime.
• The characters are well developed, well written, and have intricate stories that overlap and intertwine with each other particularly well. Nothing feels out of place or awkward whatsoever, and everything about each character serves to tell a rather amazing story.