The anime universe is expansive and offers many different tales with compelling characters, engaging plots, and epic moments. While some anime come and go, many deliver outstanding and memorable experiences. Studio Sunrise is known for giving its adaptations fluid animation and compelling action sequences that’ll get people pumped.
For our ongoing series of articles depicting the best anime, we’d like to highlight the best Studio Sunrise anime of all time. From Cowboy Bebop to Gintama, Studio Sunrise is worth recognizing for its amazing effort over the years.
Of course, if we’ve missed any of your favorites, feel free to comment below and we’ll add them when we can!
Gintama
Gintama is a stellar anime that has captivated audiences for years. This anime delivers a great blend of action, humor, and slice-of-life elements that sets it apart from other series. It’s set in a fictional iteration of Edo-period Japan and follows Gintoki and his friends battling weird individuals from samurai to aliens. Gintama’s humor is one of its best aspects.
It delivers countless one-liners, jokes, gags, and slapstick humor. Gintama likes to poke fun at anime, manga, and pop culture. The humor never detracts from the story, and viewers will adore Gintama’s serious storytelling just as much as its humorous sketches. This anime boasts impressive fights that feature a variety of fighting styles from swordsmanship to kung-fu.
On top of having incredibly-written characters, Gintama’s a great samurai anime for those who adore shows that explore many genres.
Code Geass
Code Geass is a great mecha series that follows suit with intricate sci-fi series. While it does feature epic robot battles, viewers will adore this anime for its wonderful back-and-forth mind games.
Our story follows Lelouch, a former prince of the Britannian Empire, who gains the power of Geass which allows him to control anyone he makes eye contact with. He hopes to take down Britannia’s king due to what he did to Lelouch and his sister. Lelouch is a phenomenal protagonist with immense depth. From his background to his questionable decisions, viewers will find this flawed individual fun to follow. C.C., Suzaku, and the rest of the cast have colorful personalities and shining moments that help them stand out too.
Audiences who love stories that delve into political topics will adore Code Geass. This anime features multiple factions that have clashing ideologies about how the world should be run. In addition to having compelling music and stylish mecha fights, you’re in for a great time with Code Geass.
Planetes
Cowboy Bebop
Cowboy Bebop is a sci-fi classic in the anime community. This shows features breathtaking visuals, great characters, and a lot of action. This story revolves around Spike and his crew of bounty hunters as they travel across space in search of bounties. Their travels take them to all types of planets that harbor unique creatures, people, and habitats.
Spike and his crew have excellent personalities, backgrounds, and chemistry. While some of them won’t see eye-to-eye at first, you’ll enjoy seeing them connect more as the series progresses. Cowboy Bebop’s action scenes are astonishing and well-choreographed. Viewers will love seeing characters utilize different forms of martial arts and combat to triumph over their opponents. The anime includes some fabulous high-speed chase sequences that’ll excite you too.
With its catchy soundtrack that adds more delight to this fully-realized world, Cowboy Bebop is a Studio Sunrise hit that everyone should watch.
Yakitate!! Japan
Yakitate!! Japan is a fun and charming cooking anime that’ll inform audiences about the wonders of bread. In it, the protagonist Azuma embarks on a quest to create the greatest bread in Japan. By making this dish, Azuma hopes he’ll get people to understand bread’s value. This is a refreshing anime that delves into the niche of bread-making, unlike other shows like Food Wars or Campfire Cooking.
Yakitate!! Japan also features a well-developed and entertaining cast. Azuma is a passionate protagonist many viewers will root for even if they find his goal hilarious or boring. The supporting cast adds fun dynamics to the series and often gets into heated and funny arguments with Azuma. This anime offers great humor variety from exaggerated facial expressions to clever puns.
No cooking anime would be complete without mouthwatering visuals. Viewers will want to eat a good sum of food before they watch this anime as Azuma and his rivals’ dishes look delicious.
Overall, Yakitate!! Japan is a great cooking anime with a unique premise, a fun cast, and gorgeous visuals.
Inuyasha
Inuyasha is a fantastic Isekai anime with a straightforward plot. Our story follows Kagome, a girl who was transported 500 years in the past and arrives during a time in Japan when violence was the norm. She gets into trouble with a demon and causes a wish-granting jewel to shatter into countless pieces.
With the help of a canine and human hybrid named Inuyasha, Kagome must find the jewel’s multiple shards to prevent villains from getting their hands on it. Despite its simple premise, viewers will adore this anime for its characters and their interactions with each other. Inuyasha also boasts incredible fights that will get viewers pumped for more content.
In addition to having some enjoyable humor and delightful drama and romance, Inuyasha is a classic anime worth adding to your watchlist.
The Daily Lives of High School Boys
The Daily Lives of High School Boys will make some viewers recall their past antics during their youth. Our story follows a group of high school students who like causing problems. It’s filled with many absurd situations, exaggerated facial humor, and jokes to keep you entertained. While the story is mostly comedic, each male lead has their share of personal issues that are explored over time.
Viewers will enjoy seeing our characters’ grow and strengthen their connection as the series progresses. The series’s high school setting feels realistic. The audience can expect to see a social hierarchy present in the high school from nerds and jocks to popular kids. This anime knows how to accurately depict how high schoolers would interact with each other, creating a believable and funny setting.
Give this anime a watch if you’re looking for an unforgettable and relatable school-themed comedy.
City Hunter
City Hunter is a fun action-comedy with a semi-episodic structure. While this could be a deal-breaker for some, City Hunter offers enough enjoyable self-contained stories to keep folks interested. On that note, viewers will enjoy the series’s one-to-three-episode mini-arcs. They contain superb tension and mysteries that will pique your interest.
While some stories fail to deliver solid resolutions, there are some tales that will catch you off-guard. As for City’s Hunter protagonist Ryo, he is a skilled detective who is strong, intelligent, and always in control. His partner, Kaori, has a wondrous personality and a great dynamic with Ryo. The supporting cast is also fleshed out, with each adding something interesting to the anime.
For those searching for an anime that dabbles into crime in a humorous fashion, City Hunter is a must-watch.
Crest of the Stars
Crest of the Stars is a splendid anime that mixes sci-fi with fantastic coming-of-age elements. Our story follows Jinto and Lafiel, as they navigate political and personal issues in a vast and intricate universe. This universe contains several factions, cultures, and political systems that add depth to its world. The politics and conflicts are rooted in real-world scenarios, which will appeal to audiences.
While the world is vast and deep, Crest of the Stars never fails to develop our protagonists. Jinto and Lafiel have fully realized characters with great backgrounds, motivations, and personalities. They work off each other well and viewers will adore watching them tackle their problems head-on.
Studio Sunrise put its heart into Crest of the Stars’ animation. Everything from the backgrounds to its rich mech designs looks astonishing. And the action scenes in this anime are smooth and dynamic.
This is a must-watch for viewers who love sci-fi anime with deep worlds and lovely storytelling.
The Big O
The Big O was popular during its time but doesn’t get brought into much discussion as Cowboy Bebop. It’s unfortunate since this anime feels like a sci-fi take on Batman, a DC Comic character whose loved by folks across the globe.
This story takes place in a dystopian future, where lurking villains roam the streets. At the center of it all is Roger, a negotiator, and suave agent who pilots The Big O. With his android and butler companions, Roger vows to serve justice to the criminals lurking in his city.
This show’s known for its engaging storyline, memorable cast, and unique mix of genres. Despite its “villain of the week” formula, The Big O inserts enough complex ideas and turns in its tale to hold viewers’ attention. It explores concepts like identity, memory, and loss.
Roger is a stoic while his android companion Dorothy provides the story with refreshing humor. Roger’s relationship with Dorothy and the other cast members in The Big O is intriguing and will bring a smile to your face.
In addition to its unique way of mixing film noir elements with the mecha genre, The Big O is a must-watch for sci-fi enthusiasts.
So, there we have it, our picks for the best Studio Sunrise anime through the years!
What do you think of our picks? Do you agree? Are there any notable omissions? Let us know in the comments below!