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 Trigger is known for creating works that have a stylish art style and over-the-top action sequences.
For our ongoing series of articles depicting the best anime, we’d like to highlight the best Studio Trigger anime of all time. From Kill La Kill to Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, Studio Trigger 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!
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is a fantastic Netflix anime original that captures the heart of the Cyberpunk 2077 game. In it, we follow David, a boy who doesn’t live in the best of circumstances.
One day, he stumbles upon Sandevistan’s cyber-ware and implants the device in his back to use it for revenge purposes. After getting expelled from his academy, David meets Lucy. She’s a data thief who lets him join a team of criminals as an Edgerunner. We observe David’s new life of crime with Lucy and the other crew members.
As expected from Studio Trigger, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners contains flashy visuals, stunning animation, and fast-paced action that’ll get your heart pumping. Fans of the Cyberpunk 2077 game will adore this anime’s strong attention to detail.
Although Lucy and David are fantastic characters, some of the supporting cast don’t receive as much screen time as they should. Nonetheless, fans will adore seeing the side characters interact with David and Lucy.
This is a must-watch for anyone who is a fan of the video game or adores brutal sci-fi shows.
You can read our thoughts on Cyberpunk Edgerunners in our full-season review here!
Kill La Kill
Kill La Kill is one of Studio Trigger’s well-known works. It mixes action, comedy, and drama in a way that’s entertaining and emotionally pleasing. Our story follows Ryuko, a girl who is on the hunt for her father’s murderer.
With half of his scissor blade as her guide, Ryuko arrives at Honnouji Academy and engages in a fight with Satsuki Kiryuin. Satsuki pulverizes Ryuko, resulting in her fleeing the area and meeting a sentient vest named Senketsu. After attaching himself to Ryuko, she receives a moderate power boost. With her newfound powers, Ryuko vows to return to the academy to defeat Satsuki. Ryuko is an enjoyable protagonist known for her determination and incredible fighting ability.
The anime’s supporting cast is memorable and entertaining. From Mako to Gamagori, you’ll love that everyone has a distinct personality, design, and motive that sets them apart.
Kill La Kill’s animation is top-notch. The battles are fast-paced and Studio Trigger utilizes dynamic camera angles to make each fight feel intense and delightful to watch.
If you don’t mind the anime’s fan service, then you’re in for a great time with Kill La Kill.
Little Witch Academia
BNA: Brand New Animal
BNA: Brand New Animal is a fun anime series that delves into notions of discrimination, identity, and what it means to belong in society. Our tale takes place in a world where Beastmen (organisms who can change shape) reside in Anima City to escape constant ridicule from humans.
At the center of this tale is Michiru, a human who transforms into a tanuki for some reason. Eventually, she meets Shirou, a powerful wolf, and protector of all Beastmen, after a strange explosion takes place in Anima City. While investigating the scene, Shirou realizes Michiru might be the missing connection between humans and Beastmen. Therefore, we examine both’s journeys to uncover the hidden aspects of Michiru’s past and powers.
Despite the anime boasting incredible animation and a catchy soundtrack, the show doesn’t delve into its darker aspects as much as it should. It tends to lean into its slice-of-life aspects and there will be moments where you wish things were grittier and intense. Nevertheless, the anime should impress those looking for a flashy anime with fun characters and a vibrant world.
You can read our thoughts on BNA: Brand New Animal in our full-season review here!
Space Patrol Luluco
Space Patrol Luluco is one of the easiest series you can binge from this list. It’s a fun bite-sized space anime that examines the adventures of Luluco, a middle school girl who becomes a member of the Space Patrol. Luluco must balance her normal life and work life as she hopes to resolve her father’s bizarre predicament.
This anime features great action, hilarious subplots, and lovely animation. Luluco’s work as a Space Patrol worker will lead her down many bizarre incidents that will elicit a humorous response from the audience. Alongside its over-the-top imagery, Space Patrol Luluco boasts a wonderful soundtrack that captures the anime’s tone well.
Space Patrol Luluco also tends to poke fun at other Studio Trigger works like Kill La Kill and Little Witch Academia. Fans of those series will love the minuscule references inserted into Space Patrol Luluco.
Give this anime a watch if you’re on the hunt for a short and sweet space-themed anime to watch.
Inferno Cop
Inferno Cop revolves around an insanely strong skeleton cop named Inferno Cop. He’s not afraid to tackle a challenge, even though he struggles with your usual mundane tasks.
This anime has an episodic plot with episodes that run for 3 minutes each. Each chapter delivers a new obstacle for Inferno Cop to handle. Some are normal while others are off-the-wall crazy. This allows each episode to feel memorable.
Studio Trigger’s flawless animation techniques shine through in Inferno Cop’s visuals. The characters are drawn in a crude, simplistic style, which matches the anime’s humorous tone. Inferno Cop is a wonderful protagonist who cracks out many jokes and abilities that many fans can get behind.
As long as you don’t take this anime too seriously, you’ll wind up enjoying what Studio Trigger conjures up with this one.
Promare
If Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann and Kill La Kill had a child, it’d be Promare. It may not have as fleshed out a story as the former, but it has the same bombastic action scenes and characters as it.
This story’s set in the future where flame-wielding mutants called Burnish tarnish the world with their powers. However, the city of Promeopolis is living its life peacefully thanks to its leader. He’s assigned a division of warriors to handle the Burnish, and it happens our protagonist Galo is a part of this squad. Despite idolizing his leader for his heart, Galo meets Lio, the leader of the Mad Burnish, and learns the horrid truth about his role model and homeland.
Promare delivers solid animation from its neon colors to its over-the-top action scenes, everything is a feast for the eyes. Galo, Lio, and other characters are interesting to follow. They’re not as complex as someone like Simon, but they receive enough noteworthy moments to warrant your attention. This anime also delves into ideas involving corrupt governments, power, and discrimination, which adds depth to the anime’s storytelling.
In addition to its outstanding soundtrack composed by the beloved Hiroyuki Sawano, Promare is an enjoyable action-packed work.
When Supernatural Battles Became Commonplace
If you adore magical girl anime then you’ll get a kick out of When Supernatural Battles Became Commonplace. This anime explores the daily activities of high school females who attain supernatural abilities. It has lots of heart and humor and is one of many shows that knows how to balance its comedy and drama well.
This anime’s storytelling is great as it likes to delve into the character’s inner emotions rather than simply focusing on their magical abilities. It takes time to delve into their relationships with each other and their struggles with growing up. To some extent, the anime’s supernatural aspects feel like a backdrop for its characters to develop.
This is another Studio Trigger work is eye-catching visuals too. From its well-choreographed action sequences to its use of vibrant colors, you’ll be mesmerized by this anime’s marvelous imagery.
On top of having an upbeat soundtrack, When Supernatural Battles Became Commonplace is worth checking out if you love magical girl-oriented anime with stylish animation.
Ninja Slayer From Animation
Ninja Slayer From Animation is a delightful 26-episode series with mouth-watering visuals and a compelling plot. It takes place in a futuristic world and follows Kenji, a man who becomes the Ninja Slayer to avenge his family’s deaths.
This anime applies unique techniques not found in most Studio Trigger works like stop-motion animation and computer-generated effects. This allows Ninja Slayer From Animation to have a distinct feel to it. Furthermore, this anime has fast-paced action sequences that’ll leave many fans squealing in their seats. Each high-energy battle is well-choreographed with enough brutality to satisfy fans of mature violence.
Kenji is a great protagonist with phenomenal depth and personality. His voice actor, Toshiyuki Morikawa, perfectly captures Kenji’s emotions in every scene he’s in, allowing fans to develop a deep connection with Kenji and his journey.
While it’s not a popular Studio Trigger anime, it’s one many fans should try.
Star Wars Visions
Although Studio Trigger didn’t work on every episode of the Star Wars Visions, they and many other studios are responsible for bringing this enjoyable anthology series to life. Essentially, Star Wars Visions (season one) consists of nine standalone episodes, each created by popular studios from Kinema Citrus to Studio Trigger.
While most episodes aren’t major home runs, some deliver enough captivating visuals, characters, and narratives to keep viewers engaged. The episode titled “The Elder” is one of the anthology’s best chapters because of its deep theme concerning time, pleasing final battle, and wonderful characterization.
If you’re a fan of classic anime anthologies like Robot Carnival or Memories, then I’d suggest giving the first and second seasons of Star Wars Visions a watch. While some episodes aren’t that well-written, there will be some chapters that’ll surprise and entertain you.
You can read our thoughts on Star Wars Visions in our full-season review here!
So, there we have it, our picks for the best Studio Trigger 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!
Feel Free To Check Out More TV Show Recommendations Here!