[Top 15] Anime With Swords

[Top 15] Anime With Swords

15. Tears To Tiara

As the Holy Empire rises to power, the neighboring lands begin to gradually fall under its control. The Empire's conquest eventually reaches the small island of Erin, home to the Gael tribe. There, a priestess named Riannon is kidnapped to be offered as a living sacrifice to the demon king Arawn, a malevolent being rumored to have caused untold destruction in the past.

Riannon's brother, First Warrior Arthur, rescues her, when Arawn suddenly materializes before them as a handsome grey-haired man. Hiding his true identity and remaining enigmatic, Arawn pledges his power and leadership to the tribe's cause and joins Arthur, Riannon, and their merry band of friends—including a talented swordsman, an agile hunter, and a group of ecstatic pixies—as they fight back against the Empire, while uncovering the dark secrets of the land along the way.

Tears To Tiara is interesting because it feels directed more towards younger viewers with mature themes in mind. It does this extremely well, and it’s overall concept was received well by the anime community. It was appreciated for its lighthearted commentary and it’s quite serious moments as well. Tears To Tiara is definitely an anime worth watching.

What We Love About Tears To Tiara

• It’s actually quite a cute show in certain moments. The protagonists are endearing, funny, and the designs of some of the characters are indeed cute. It’s definitely a fun show that puts a slightly lighthearted spin on some darker themes.
• The world building is amazing. Integrating war and supernatural creatures into the mix is fun, unique, and overall creates the most interesting dynamics among characters out of many fantasy shows in existence. Overall, a world that is amazing to explore.
• Finally, the animation is a big highlight. It’s fun, adventurous, fits the theme of the story it’s trying to tell, and overall has an extremely entertaining air to it when it comes to action scenes and character interactions. Tears To Tiara in general is a very underrated anime, and deserves more attention than it’s currently getting at the moment.

14. 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 I ate 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.

Fairy Tail was clearly made with love, and we all love it. The plot is amazing, the characters sympathetic, and the visuals amazing. While its accused of being overrated, it’s themes of friendship, family, loyalty, and sacrifice are above and beyond any other anime on this list or of all time.

What Makes Fairy Tail Great

• 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 animes, 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.

13. Slayers

Powerful and arrogant sorceress Lina Inverse travels the world, stealing treasure from bandits and collecting it wherever she finds it. When some of her bandit victims come searching for revenge against her in the forest, a swordsman named Gourry Gabriev comes to Lina’s defense, assuming she’s in some kind of danger. 

After defeating the bandits quickly, Lina scolds him for getting in her way, and Gourry escorts her to Atlas City despite her not wanting him to. She treats the swordsman harshly, but this is the true beginning of their friendship that lasts throughout the series.

However, without realizing it, Lina has chanced upon a powerful item in her adventures, and its magic is coveted. Now two mysterious men are hunting Lina and Gourry to obtain this powerful object for apparently nefarious purposes. This way they begin their adventure, one where the fate of the world itself may be at stake.

Slayers is a classic, and not only is it a classic, it spawned several other series, movies, and video games to show for its success. People love it for the characters, the humor, and the world. Those who grew up with it are nostalgic for their childhood, and those who are new to it can appreciate it for the wonder it is.

What We Love About The Slayers

• This show for the most part, sticks to the hardcore adventuring and monster killing aspect. The show tries to put in plot twists and other predictable nonsense, but it's just so well crafted and engineered, that it's easy to look past these things.
• And while no major main characters die, if you're a side character in this show or a villain, your life is potentially forfeit. Despite this show's humour and generally light hearted pace, when the killings are good, the blood is fresh.
• The events flow nicely into one another and they frequently recall past events, making it feel as though nothing watched early in the series was a waste of time. Although the plot is quite linear, it is still very enjoyable.

12. Claymore

When a shapeshifting demon with a thirst for human flesh, known as "youma," arrives in Raki's village, a lone woman with silver eyes walks into town with only a sword upon her back. She is a "Claymore," a being manufactured as half-human and half-youma, for the express purpose of exterminating these monsters. After Raki's family is killed, the Claymore saves his life, but he is subsequently banished from his home. With nowhere else to go, Raki finds the Claymore, known as Clare, and decides to follow her on her journeys.

As the pair travel from town to town, defeating youma along the way, more about Clare's organization and her fellow warriors comes to light. With every town cleansed and every demon destroyed, they come closer to the youma on which Clare has sought vengeance ever since she chose to become a Claymore.

I love Claymore because it feels so different, especially in terms of style. I was a little put off by it at first, but the storyline and overall character development won me over. Clare is a stoical character that is balanced out by the cheerful Raki, and I appreciate character dynamics like that. Claymore is original and beautiful despite being violent, and I will always love it for that.

What We Love About Claymore 

• Raki absolutely steals the show here, at least until we’re introduced to more characters. He’s incredibly likeable, kind, smart, and even brave to some extent. That’s what makes him unique from most of the main protagonists on this list.
• Clare and Raki have a genuine relationship that develops properly over time instead of being totally rushed. They’re both incredibly awkward, but also decent characters when it comes to plot development.
• Claymore doesn’t let its violence distract from its good story and decent world building. Instead, it compliments it entirely. The visuals are a little strange, but they work with the story, and it’s wonderful. 

11. Berserk

Now branded for death and destined to be hunted by demons until the day he dies, Guts embarks on a journey to defy such a gruesome fate, as waves of beasts relentlessly pursue him. Steeling his resolve, he takes up the monstrous blade Dragonslayer and vows to exact vengeance on the one responsible, hunting down the very man he once looked up to and considered a friend.

Along the way, he encounters some unlikely allies, such as a small elf named Puck, and Isidro, a young thief looking to learn swordsmanship from the former mercenary. As the ragtag group slowly comes together after having decided to join Guts in his quest, they will face incredible danger unlike anything they have ever experienced before.

Berserk is violent, fun, and an adventurous ride. Everyone loves it for its storyline, animation style, character development, and more. Berserk is an interesting story from the start, and beyond popular with anime fantasy fans overall.

What We Love About Berserk

• The animation. Everything is fluid, detailed, complex, and very sharp. It all blends extremely well, not distracting from the story or taking away from it, but adding to it overall.
• Speaking of the story, another great aspect. It’s adventurous, entertaining, and absolutely never leaves you bored. Watching Berserk will take you to a fantasy world where you’ve easily never been in all your days of watching anime, making it highly interesting.
• The characters are complex, well developed, and have distinct personalities from one another. Their interactions and relationships serve to better further the story itself instead of hindering it like some anime characters do with each other. 

10. Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash

Fear, survival, instinct. Thrown into a foreign land with nothing but hazy memories and the knowledge of their name, they can feel only these three emotions resonating deep within their souls. A group of strangers is given no other choice than to accept the only paying job in this game-like world—the role of a soldier in the Reserve Army—and eliminate anything that threatens the peace in their new world, Grimgar.

When all of the stronger candidates join together, those left behind must create a party together to survive: Manato, a charismatic leader and priest; Haruhiro, a nervous thief; Yume, a cheerful hunter; Shihoru, a shy mage; Mogzo, a kind warrior; and Ranta, a rowdy dark knight. Despite its resemblance to one, this is no game—there are no redos or respawns; it is kill or be killed. 

It is now up to this ragtag group of unlikely fighters to survive together in a world where life and death are separated only by a fine line. 

Grimgar as a show is definitely one of the darker ones on this list, but that doesn’t stop it from being good and overall very intriguing. A show focusing on war and knighthood at the same time is a very interesting and underrated concept, which is why Grimgar definitely deserves more attention than it’s currently getting.

What We Love About Grimgar Of Fantasy And Ash

• The way that this show operates in terms of world building is absolutely stellar. Everything feels incredibly unique in terms of story, beautiful and intricate in terms of design, and complex in terms of overall development. Grimgar does things successfully like no other.
• Everything about the characters is interesting and complex. They all have distinct personalities from one another instead of every side character blending into the protagonist, and every character overall has a unique storyline that deserves to be explored and eventually is.
• The darkness surrounding this show is one of the most amazing parts about it. It definitely has a darker storyline, something that should be appreciated. The focus on war intertwining with knighthood is a fun, dark way to look at a fantasy world, and Grimgar does that amazingly. 

9. The Heroic Legend of Arslan

The year is 320. Under the rule of the belligerent King Andragoras III, the Kingdom of Pars is at war with the neighboring empire, Lusitania. Though different from his father in many aspects, Arslan, the young prince, sets out to prove his valor on the battlefield for the very first time. However, when the king is betrayed by one of his most trusted officials, the Parsian army is decimated and the capital city of Ecbatana is sieged. With the army in shambles and the Lusitanians out for his head, Arslan is forced to go on the run. With a respected general by his side, Daryun, Arslan soon sets off on a journey in search of allies that will help him take back his home.

However, the enemies that the prince faces are far from limited to just those occupying his kingdom. Armies of other kingdoms stand ready to conquer Ecbatana. Moreover, the mastermind behind Lusitania's victory, an enigmatic man hiding behind a silver mask, poses a dangerous threat to Arslan and his company as he possesses a secret that could jeopardize Arslan's right to succession.

With the odds stacked against him, Arslan must find the strength and courage to overcome these obstacles, and allies who will help him fight in the journey that will help prepare him for the day he becomes king.

Everyone loves an underdog, and Arslan is no exception. The show itself is exciting, entertaining, fun, and you can’t take your eyes off the action for a single second. The story never gets boring or slow, and the characters Arslan interacts with help to push the action at every turn.

What We Love About The Heroic Legend of Arslan

• The story itself is fun, dynamic, and the underdog typical character doesn’t feel so typical. Stereotypes aren’t necessarily portrayed in the worst way as they are in some shows, and Arslan uses character stereotypes to its advantage in order to make the story more interesting and entertaining. 
• The animation is smooth, crisp, and very hard to ignore in terms of quality. The landscapes are breathtaking and the character designs so intricate that they look like a piece straight out of a museum. 
• Arslan himself is a great protagonist. He isn’t typical, he’s well rounded, nothing about his character screams oversimplification or stereotyping, and he’s a great hero that a viewer can get behind. A true success in terms of a main character. 

8. Granblue Fantasy

In a world of the skies, where many islands drift through the air, a boy named Gran and a talking winged lizard named Vyrn lived in Zinkenstill, an island which yields mysteries. One day, they come across a girl named Lyria. Lyria had escaped from the Erste Empire, a military government that is attempting to rule the world with military might.

In order to escape from the Empire, Gran and Lyria head out into the vast skies, holding the letter Gran's father left behind—which said, "I will be waiting at Estalucia, Island of the Astrals."

Granblue Fantasy is fun, adventurous, and has a surprisingly lighthearted feel to it. As a game adaption, it is certainly one of the better ones, and people love it for its style, emotional impact, and great character interactions. Not only that, but Granblue Fantasy’s various crossovers put it on the map as an extremely successful franchise.

What We Love About Granblue Fantasy

• The style is amazing and very fantastical in taste and design. Everything feels incredibly realistic while still maintaining that amazing fantasy feel we all search for in shows such as these.
• The characters are sympathetic, relatable, and they genuinely feel like the heroes of the story. Not one character feels overpowered, whiny, or even insignificant. Every character has a proper place in the story, and that’s a nice change from many anime’s in general.
• The interesting take that Granblue brings concerning knighthood is what’s also so appealing about it. It feels modernized in a way that doesn’t feel out of place or oddly anachronistic in any way at all.

7. Million Arthur

Tales of old speak of the legends of Excalibur, a sacred sword. The sword is wielded by those who are worthy of its power, bestowing them extraordinary strength and granting them the title of Arthur. However, a divine miracle results in the creation of multiple Excaliburs, thus distorting the fabric of time.

Aiming to revert time to its original course, a group of six Arthurs composed of Danchou, Renkin, Kakka, Yamaneko, Tekken, and Rurou are sent back in time when the abnormal Excaliburs were spawned. They are assigned with one sole task: to destroy the Excaliburs of the past—all of which total up to one million.

Million Arthur is funny, clever, and has some of the most interesting world building. The knight concept in this anime is developed under the concept of swords instead of people, putting an interesting and material spin on the knight storyline arc itself. That’s one of the many things that helps it to stand out.

What We Love About Million Arthur

• What’s incredibly special about Million Arthur is how it manages to be surprisingly funny while still maintaining it’s serious and fantastical tone. The jokes are authentic, genuinely funny, and overall create some great comedic moments.
• The animation is gorgeous. One of the most recent anime’s on this list, it has the smoothest artwork and the most well developed movements. Everything looks sleek, well done, and is an overall masterpiece.
• The characters may be goofy at times, but they are the bread and butter of Million Arthur. They make the story funny, intriguing, and overall create a great adventure sense along the way. Million Arthur isn’t as well known, and deserves any positive attention it gets.

6. The Seven Deadly Sins

In a world similar to the European Middle Ages, the feared yet revered Holy Knights of Britannia use immensely powerful magic to protect the region of Britannia and its kingdoms. However, a small subset of the Knights supposedly betrayed their homeland and turned their blades against their comrades in an attempt to overthrow the ruler of Liones. They were defeated by the Holy Knights, but rumors continued to persist that these legendary knights, called the "Seven Deadly Sins," were still alive. Ten years later, the Holy Knights themselves staged a coup d’état, and thus became the new, tyrannical rulers of the Kingdom of Liones.

Based on the best-selling manga series of the same name, Nanatsu no Taizai follows the adventures of Elizabeth, the third princess of the Kingdom of Liones, and her search for the Seven Deadly Sins. With their help, she endeavors to not only take back her kingdom from the Holy Knights, but to also seek justice in an unjust world.

A particularly popular show, Seven Deadly Sins is a fun and wild ride from start to finish. With characters constantly fighting along with working together, the action is fun, dynamic, and never boring whatsoever. Overall, Seven Deadly Sins is a show that the anime community has wholeheartedly embraced and enjoyed.

What We Love About The Seven Deadly Sins 

• The concept is unique and unquestionably different. The new perspective on the idea of knights compared to other shows in question really sets this one far apart from the crowd, and you have to love it for its general ingenious storytelling.
• The character designs are really interesting as well. They may look more rounded and much brighter, but that doesn’t take away from the intensity of the show and it’s overall tone that it attempts to set. Instead, it’s still as action packed and intense as any anime like it would be.
• The characters themselves have great relationships with each other, and they serve to really build up the story as it goes. It works in terms of storytelling and of design, in general, so in the end it really stands out.

5. One Piece

Gol D. Roger was the Pirate King, the strongest and most infamous outlaw to ever sail the Grand Line. When the World Government captured and executed him, the world changed drastically. His last words before his demise were the location of the greatest treasure on the planet: One Piece, a treasure that would bring anyone ultimate wealth, fame, and the title of Pirate King. This revelation led to the Grand Age of Pirates, a time where men all over searched desperately for One Piece.

Monkey D. Luffy is a seventeen year old pirate who doesn’t exactly fit the normal pirate characteristics. Rather than a hardened criminal who pillages towns for fun, Luffy’s reasons for becoming a pirate revolve around exciting adventures, meeting new people, and making friends out of a crew. Of course, One Piece is a huge factor as well.

Luffy and his crew follow the path of his childhood friend, Shanks, and they sail the Grand Line searching for glory, adventures, and One Piece.

One Piece is often accused of being too long, but that doesn’t stop people from loving it. Audiences say that it hooks you right from the start, and that even though it’s considerably long, they have a difficult time getting bored. People say that while the episode number seems daunting, it’s worth the watch, especially in the later seasons. One Piece is definitely a historical treasure (no pun intended).

What We Love About One Piece

• The characters are well done, likable, and bounce well off each other. They work together well in fights and in conversations, a double experience that it great and rare among most animes, especially among the action animes. 
• The plot seems straightforward, and it is, but the way it develops over time is absolutely huge and impossible to ignore overall. It’s a great and amazing story that just about everyone in the community seems to love.
• One Piece does have some pretty powerful scenes and emotional moments that can truly touch your heart. Not all action animes do this particularly well, but One Piece manages to pass the test in terms of this.

4. Inuyasha

Kagome Higurashi is just a fifteen-year-old girl when her normal life ends, as a demon drags her into a cursed well on the grounds of her family's Shinto shrine. Instead of hitting the bottom of the well, Kagome ends up five hundred years in the past during Japan's violent Feudal Era, with the demon's target, a wish-granting jewel called the Shikon Jewel, reborn inside of her.

After a battle with a revived demon accidentally causes the sacred jewel to shatter, Kagome enlists the help of a young and angry half demon named Inuyasha to help her collect the shards and prevent them from falling into the wrong hands. Joining Kagome and Inuyasha on their quest are the orphan fox-demon Shippo, the intelligent monk Miroku, and the lethal demon slayer Sango. Together, they must set aside their differences and work together to find the power granting shards spread across feudal Japan and deal with the threats that arise.

Inuyasha is the anime that inspired anime being normalized as media outside of piracy, and for that reason alone people appreciate it. It’s genuinely funny, a great time overall, and is appealing to multiple audiences beyond what it attempts to reach on its own. This is why Inuyasha’s belongs where it does.

What We Love About Inuyasha

• The advantage that Inuyasha had over other anime was its massive cast of characters, all of whom had entire arcs devoted to their interpersonal conflicts. While many at the time had issues with the nigh-indestructible villain of the series, Naraku, many smaller antagonists proved popular enough to become part of the regular cast.
• The villains of a series are fairly unimportant if the audience doesn't care what happens to the heroes. Inuyasha's core cast of characters are very human and lovable, with goals and agendas all their own.
• Anime became popular thanks to it airing on television. Fortunately, Inuyasha had a prolonged life on Adult Swim. It aired on the programming block even when other anime were taken off the air.

3. Fate/Stay Night

After a mysterious inferno kills his family, Shirou is saved and adopted by Kiritsugu Emiya, who teaches him the ways of magic and justice.

One night, years after Kiritsugu's death, Shirou is cleaning at school, when he finds himself caught in the middle of a deadly encounter between two superhumans known as Servants. During his attempt to escape, the boy is caught by one of the Servants and receives a life-threatening injury. Miraculously, he survives, but the same Servant returns to finish what he started. In desperation, Shirou summons a Servant of his own, a knight named Saber. The two must now participate in the Fifth Holy Grail War, a battle royale of seven Servants and the mages who summoned them, with the grand prize being none other than the omnipotent Holy Grail itself.

Fate/stay night follows Shirou as he struggles to find the fine line between a hero and a killer, his ideals clashing with the harsh reality around him. Will the boy become a hero like his foster father, or die trying?

Any show such as Fate/Stay Night that has managed to spawn several sequels and more deserves any and all kind of critical acclaim. People love it for its intensity, it’s characters, and it’s world building. Not only that, but it has been the result of some of the most epic anime figures in existence.

What We Love About Fate/Stay Night

• The weapon design for the characters in general is absolutely on point. Everything is intricate and detailed, and the swords themselves actually do look like accurate medieval swords of their time. This is a particularly appreciated characteristic.
• The fights themselves are epic, exciting, and anything but slow or boring. They are extremely entertaining, fast paced, and no part of the action ever feels as if it’s dragging in any way. 
• The story itself is unique, intense, interesting, and well developed. Compared to others, it is incredibly entertaining and a fun story to watch overall.

2. Ulysses: Jeanne D’Arc

The story is set in the 15th century, during the Hundred Years' War between France and England over the succession to the French throne. Montmorency, the son of a noble, immerses himself in the studies of magic and alchemy at a royal knight training school. However, following France's crushing defeat at Agincourt, the school is dissolved. Having lost everything and now a wanted man, Montmorency, who had just become an alchemist, encounters a mysterious village girl named Jehanne.

Jeanne is a knight anime that stands out from the rest because of its strong, female heroine in a time period where women were stereotypically dependent on men and lacking the overall strength to defend themselves, let alone a cause. The anime itself is filled with action, an interesting story, and the setting itself is gorgeous and well developed overall. In general, it truly represents the knight genre as one of the best.

What We Love About Ulysses: Jeanne D’Arc 

• The animation is beautiful. Everything is fluid, smooth, intricate, and well detailed. The coloring is sharp and nothing feels faded or outdated. Everything blends extremely well and is generally very well down.
• The world itself is developed in the best way. Historically, nothing feels out of place or inaccurate in terms of design, story, or characterization. It all works out perfectly in terms of working out a story.
• The characters are amazingly well written. They’re complex, interesting, and have all of the makings of individuals with intricate stories to tell. They don’t come off as cliche or as stereotypical at any point.

Best Anime With Swords: Sword Art Online

In 2022, a virtual reality online multiplayer RPG called Sword Art Online is released to the public. With NerveGear, a helmet that stimulates the user’s five senses via their mind, players experience and control their in-game characters with their minds. Both of these things were created by the game maker Akihiko Kayaba. On November 6th, 10,000 players log into the mainframe only to find out that they can’t log back out.

Kayaba appears to the players and tells them that they must beat all one hundred floors of Aincrad, the steel castle world the game is in, in order to escape. He also informs them that if they die in the game, they die in the real world as well. One of the players, Kazuto “Kirito” Kirigaya, was a tester in the games beta, and chooses to isolate himself from the rest of the players so that he can win on his own.

However, he meets a girl named Asuna Yuuki who he allies himself with, and later marries in game. After they discover the identity of Kayaba, who was the leader of the guild Asuna was in, they confront him and destroy him, freeing everyone in the game. More crazy shenanigans take place once everyone is back in the real world, but in the end things turn out positive.

Sword Art Online is constantly praised for its beautiful graphics, visuals, and character designs. It was truly ahead of many anime in terms of the way it looks, and people appreciate it for that most definitely. While its story has been accused of being lacking and the characters a little bland, Sword Art Online will always be remembered as the anime that spawned many like it.

What We Love About Sword Art Online

• The animation is beautiful, no question. Out of any of the anime on this list, Sword Art Online is the most impressive in terms of animation and overall design. It’s gorgeous, and no one can deny it.
• The premise itself is unique and interesting. There are several anime where characters get stuck in video games and are forced to adapt to the world, but Sword Art Online does it better than most. It’s interesting and intriguing on several levels.
• The character designs are lovely, and the voice acting is stellar. Sword Art Online is an all star in every way, and it’s popularity among the community is proof of that. It’s sleek and artistic, and very well done on a technicality stance.