Time-travel is one of those concepts that has captured the fascination of pop culture ever since Back To The Future.
The difference with other forms of media is that Time Travel anime are known for creatively exploring the idea, not to mention the freedom animation has from the limitations of live-action movies or shows. So today let’s explore the Top 15 Time Travel Anime
15. Occult Academy
Occult Academy combines Time Travel, magic, and a hint of an apocalyptic twist. The world was invaded by aliens in 2012. To prevent the invasion, the apocalyptic world sends the least likely person they could have back in time to destroy an artifact called the Nostradamus Key.
14. Nobunaga Concerto
Nobunaga Concerto is an isekai with elements of time travel. This anime features a Japanese historical figure Oda Nobunaga, who was celebrated as a great leader. But we mostly follow Saburou, a mysterious time traveler from the 21st century who looks exactly like him.
13. Orange
Orange is an anime that takes a different angle on time travel than the others on the list. It’s primarily a rom-com anime . There isn’t any of the usual epic battles between good and evil or an impending apocalypse.
We meet Naho Takamiya, a student who receives a letter from her future self, advising her to watch out for a transfer student who seems to have disappeared in the future.
12. Zipang
In this anime, a navy ship named Mirai got stuck in an unusual storm. When they finally got out of it, the crew realized that they had unwittingly traveled back to 1942 – in the midst of the Second World War, in Japan.
11. Buddy Complex
Buddy Complex is an action mecha title. This story starts with Aoba Watase on the verge of being killed by a massive monster. Fortunately, Hina Yumihara intervened and saved him. She takes him 70 years into the past so he can learn all about robots and prevent his death.
10. The Ambition of Oda Yabou
This is another Nobunaga-era time travel anime. Yoshiharu finds himself in the middle of a period battle but is saved by Hideyoshi at the cost of the hero’s life. He becomes the new lord and agrees to be one of Nobuna’s retainers and with her help tries to find a way back.
9. Sagrada Reset
On the surface Sagrada Reset appears to be a slice-of-life anime, but has a different backstory which is full of philosophical dialogues. Kei has Eidetic memory and lives in a village along with his friend, Misora who has the power to reset time for up to three days. They both join the service club to help people but soon figure out that other powers are moving toward this village.
8. Your Name
Your Name is a critically acclaimed movie, its time travel aspect made the audience gasp in the middle of the movie. The audience thought that Mitsuha and Taki are just two individuals who keeps switching places but what they didn’t know was that they both lived in different periods. (Oops, should’ve given the spoiler warning)
7. Summer Storm
Summer Storm is a rom-com sparkled with time travel. When a young teenager, Hajime Yasaka meets a beautiful but mysterious girl named Sayoko Arashiyama, he continues to bond a friendship between them. The mystery began to unravel when he finds a picture of Sayoko where she looks like she’s in her late 60s.
6. Re: ZERO – Starting Life in Another World
Re: Zero has its place in history. It focuses on a guy named Subaru Natsuki, who can rewind time but only by dying. But this is not just another guy traveling back in time to a fantasy world. Armed with the knowledge Subaru has, makes us wonder what’ll happen next.
5. Puella Magi Madoka Magica
This is an original anime. It is one of my top picks. It’s is known for turning the magical girl genre. Homura Akemi is a girl with a magical attribute to manipulate time. But that’s not it, there is much more to this dark and exciting anime and to know about that you need to watch it.
4. Erased
Erased is a time travel anime with a thriller and suspense. It has a killer from the Kung-Fu Generation, the writers didn’t use time travel as a crutch but they threw in an amazing mystery that turned out to be an imperfect masterpiece for those who love time travel.
3. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
Makoto Konno is a high schooler who gets the ability to leap through time. She considers it as a miracle and uses these powers frequently to travel through time and make her life easier. But soon she realizes the tattoos on her arms which represent the number of times she leaped through time.
2. Future Diary
The mechanics of time traveling in this show are well thought out. Yukiteru Amano is the main protagonist. He is somehow caught in a battle to the death to become the God. The only weapon he has is a cellphone/diary through which he receives tips and help from his future self. What happens when his opponent has the same weapon?
1. Steins; Gate
Steins; Gate is the top time-traveling anime. It is generally the best anime with its diverse character design and perfect time travel mechanics. The characters, in the beginning, can only send messages back in time but soon time travel becomes advanced with disastrous consequences.
So that’s it folk! Hope this list makes you fall in love with time travel.
If so, don’t forget to like and share with your friends.
Happy Binge-Watching!
Also checkout -> Top 15 Anime Similar To Demon Slayer
