Thing482

In these anime, characters embark on a journey to explore the world or to search for something. These wanderers travel to many places and meet new people, often encountering hardships along the way, or discovering strengths and weaknesses about themselves that are revealed throughout the adventure.

Fantasy anime take place in a broad range of settings influenced by mythologies, legends, or popular and defining works of the genre such as The Lord of the Rings. They are generally characterized by a low level of technological development, though fantasy stories can just as easily take place in our modern world, or in a Post-apocalyptic society where technology was buried alongside the old world. These anime also tend to feature magic or other extraordinary abilities, strange or mysterious creatures, or humanoid races which coexist with humanity or inhabit their own lands removed from ours.

Horror anime create an atmosphere of unease. Like Mystery anime, they encourage viewers to learn more about their world... but there may be secrets that are better left unexplored. Through eerie music and sounds, visceral or disturbing imagery, or startling moments, works of Horror make you worry about what gruesome thing is coming next.

Incest is defined as romantic or sexual relations between people classified as being too closely related to marry each other. On Anime-Planet, we apply this tag when: 1) the characters are related by blood, or 2) the characters are related through adoption or marriage and have a long history together. If characters have just met through marriage and develop a romantic relationship, even if the taboo aspect is discussed, we do not apply this tag.

Isekai is a fantasy genre where a person from Earth is transported to, reborn, or trapped in a parallel universe or fantasy world. For beings from other worlds visiting Earth, see Reverse Isekai.

Mecha are self-propelling machines that are modeled after humans; some can change into multiple, non-humanoid formats as well. They're usually controlled by an internal pilot or by remote, but are sometimes sentient beings that move autonomously. A mecha's size ranges from bulky, wearable armor to a massive, towering contraption and beyond. While mecha have a wide range of applications, such as making manual labor easier, they are most commonly portrayed as heavily-armed war machines.

Mystery anime focus on unresolved questions, and the efforts of characters to discover the answers to them. Whether curious and deadly events are afoot, or some part of the world itself is strange or inexplicable, or someone's past or identity seems strangely shrouded, these characters are set on learning the truth.

Characters in these anime find themselves in a world very different from their own. They may have been suddenly whisked away to a strange world, become stuck in a video game, or are trapped in a different time period. Common themes include trying to discover how to get home, coming to terms with a new life in a new place, or political or social involvement with the local populace. See also: Isekai, Reverse Isekai, Summoned Into Another World, Trapped in a Video Game, and Time Travel.

The world was nearly wiped clean of life, whether through nuclear war, an alien invasion, a natural disaster, or a pandemic. From the ashes of the old world, some societies struggle to endure and rebuild, while others live new, agrarian lifestyles and the old days are merely legends.

Reincarnation is the concept that a person's essence continues after their body dies, and may be reborn into a new one after their lifetime. These anime focus on the theme of reincarnation, featuring characters who either have been reborn into a new life-cycle, or may be carrying the spirits of past lives as well as having their own personality.

These anime showcase the joys and hardships of falling in love, whether a schoolgirl has an unrequited crush on her senpai, a Love Triangle occurs within a group of friends, or rivals become lovers through competition or their intense passion for each other.

Sci-fi, or science fiction, is a speculative genre which builds on imagination. Sci-fi anime ask, "what if things were different?" They explore a new world, whether it's the world of the future or past, a present Earth with a changed history, a land that was previously unknown, or another planet entirely. The genre commonly features humanity's inquisitiveness and innovation, as they grapple with new technologies, new societies, or new frontiers in Outer Space.

Characters are threatened with danger or death from the very environment in which they live. Whether through starvation, dehydration, asphyxiation, the power of the elements, the threat of attack from deadly wildlife, or fantastic environmental circumstances, the world around the cast poses at least as much of a threat to life as does any humanoid enemy.

Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time, usually with an invention called a time machine. The science is loosely based in theoretical physics, with quantum mechanics and wormholes as common themes. These titles either focus on the concept of time travel or include time travel, often involving a Person in a Strange World.