Anime fan service has long been a popular marketing tactic to draw viewers in. Not shying away from the bawdy or lewd, fan service offers gratuitious visuals of mostly female characters, often portraying them with overly large breasts on the verge of bursting from their shirts as a way to entice the viewer into staying tuned, just in case they do.
While this tactic may work on a lot of viewers, for others it can be a point of discomfort. In the moments when the fan service becomes more powerful than an anime’s plot, things have definitely gone off the rails. That being said, there are plenty of fan service anime that still manage to make good on their promise of a plot, giving viewers the best of both worlds.
Gushing Over Magical Girls Is a Yuri Anime Through a Fanservice Lens
Having to fight the heroes one admires might sound like a nightmare, but it becomes a dream come true for Utena Hiiragi. Utena lives a simple life, content with watching the magical girl trio that protect her city from afar. However, Utena soon comes into powers of her own, but instead of joining the magical girls, Utena finds herself as their villain. While it initially feels like Utena has pulled the shortest stick, it turns out that battling the very girls that fill her mind has its own joys.
Gushing Over Magical Girls leans into its fetishy nature, but this ecchi anime will surprise any new viewers. Copious amounts of fanservice should be expected, but so should genuinely interesting plot points. This anime actually delivers far more than it advertises, making it a solid magical girl anime that has easily wormed its way into the hearts of many anime watchers.
Magical Destroyers Proudly Stands For the Otakus of the World
Some anime excel at being entirely absurd and outlandish while somehow managing to deliver a rather interesting plot. Magical Destroyers doesn’t take itself seriously for the most part, but there’s still a shocking amount of plot within this anime. In a world where being an otaku is illegal, thousands of people have had their collectible waifu figures repossessed and manga burned, the underdogs stage a rebellion that is helmed by three magical girls and one brave young man, Otaku Hero.
Magical Destroyers doesn’t really pretend to be anything other than what it sounds like. The magical girls (Pink, Blue and Anarchy) are far from being conventional magical girls. Pink is drug-obsessed and speaks an incomprehensible language. Blue is sex-obsessed and flaunts her appeal. And Anarchy is all about rebellion, just as her name insinuates. Viewers can expect loads of fanservice, but also good comedy and rather tense moments. Magical Destroyers also has one of the best anime openings ever.
Seven Deadly Sins Is a Grave Offender When It Comes to Panty Shots
While some of the anime’s fans have petered off after drops in animation quality in recent seasons, Seven Deadly Sins is still a wildly praised series. As the title implies, this fantasy anime centers around a group of legendary knights, each related to a specific mortal sin. The concept is great, and this series also has some amazing anime openings, but even loyal fans have found themselves a bit tired of the fanservice.
Meliodas, the main character, might be a god-tier beast on the battlefield, but he’s also an A-tier pervert. Any anime lover desperate for awesome anime fights and a healthy dose of up-the-skirt shots will absolutely love Seven Deadly Sins. The fanservice in this anime is nothing but consistent. However, with multiple seasons and a spin-off, this is a great anime for bingeing thanks to its clean action and intriguing narrative.
Dandadan’s Uncomfortable Jabs At Sexual Assault Have Turned Many Viewers Away
Dandadan is currently one of the most popular anime. Manga fans of the series waited patiently for the anime adaptation, and they weren’t disappointed. Dandadan is an anime about the occult and paranormal, as it follows the gyaru character Momo and the otaku boy called Okarun. This unconventional romance begins to blossom as the pair encounter ancient curses and freaky aliens, with Momo and Okarun consistently being put into tough spots.
Dandadan does a lot of things right. The characters are incredibly well-written and developed, while the plot manages to remain engaging and refreshing. Unfortunately, this anime isn’t immune to unnecessary fanservice and scenes that some viewers have found insensitive. It’s a shame these types of scenes have put some viewers off, because underneath it all, Dandadan is genuinely an interesting anime.
Kakegurui Sexualizes High-Stakes Gambling
Kakegurui is easily one of the most entertaining anime for its over-the-top gambling drama. The series predominantly follows Yumeko Jabami, a transfer student into the prestigious Hyakkou Private Academy. Here, both undergrad and post-grad social statuses are determined through gambling. Yumeko is a different breed, however, as she loves gambling so much that she isn’t even afraid to bet on her very life because the uncertainty of the outcome is far too thrilling.
Kakegurui might just be gambling match after gambling match with Yumeko being a majorly overpowered main character, but the series does an excellent job at throwing in twists and dicey politics. With that in mind, a huge part of Kakegurui is the sexual pleasure that Yumeko gets from gambling. The fanservice between her and the few other characters that feel the same way mostly serves to illustrate how unhinged their behaviors are. The fanservice in Kakegurui is actually the least surprising thing that happens in the show.
Tenchi Muyo GXP Mixes Fanservice With Outer Space Adventures
In the early 2000s, Tenchi Muyo GXP was a fun way to revive the Tenchi franchise with a new twist attached. Rather than follow Tenchi and his family, the series instead followed Tenchi’s neighbor, Seina Yamada. Through an unlucky set of circumstances, Seina was inducted into the Galaxy Police and assigned to battle against pirates.
While this series includes a lot of worldbuilding and a good storyline, there’s also a ton of fanservice in the show. Seina is surrounded by a harem of women who fall in love with him and help staff the spaceship he eventually takes over. When Seina isn’t suffering from a string of unlikely coincidences thanks to his “bad luck” powers, there’s always a gorgeous woman throwing herself at him.
Code Geass Includes Fanservice, Even In Its Mecha Battles
Code Geass is probably the most popular mecha anime among modern anime fans. Watching Lelouch’s battle against the imperialist Britannian empire pulls fans in from episode one, even if they don’t care about giant robots at all. The show manages to balance having awesome mecha battles and political drama to create a series that’s still a fan-favorite anime 20 years later.
Yet that doesn’t mean the show doesn’t have time to sneak in as much fanservice as possible. Seemingly every episode, Code Geass finds a new way to shove Kallen Stadfelt into a new outfit, whether it’s a bunny girl suit or just the incredibly tight pilot suit she wears into battle. Still, the fanservice rarely ever detracted the writers from finding new ways to challenge Lelouch.
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Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy Features the Female Battle Armor Trope
In general, fans should never be surprised at so much fanservice in an isekai anime series. For Tsukimichi, the series is largely about Misumi Makoto’s struggle to build a life for himself after being forcibly summoned to another world and then tossed aside by that world’s goddess. From there, Tsukimichi is like many isekai, focusing on the work required to build a functioning city and all the international politics that go into warring nations.
Still, Tsukimichi does have elements of harem anime, thanks to Tomoe and Mio being in love with Makoto. More blatant fanservice comes from characters like Hibiki, one of the other heroes brought to the world to take Makoto’s place. Just to activate her powers, she has to wear a revealing “battle armor” outfit, reminiscent of classic female fantasy armor.
Fairy Tail Manages to Split Its Fanservice Evenly
Much of Fairy Tail’s notoriety comes from the sheer amount of fanservice present in an episode. Series protagonist Lucy Heartfillia will either have her clothes stripped off or destroyed at some point in a fight. Other women in the show will often wind up in fanservice-y outfits, like Erza being placed in multiple bunny costumes. Even the men will get in on the act, with Gray Fullbuster often stripping off his clothes in normal conversations as part of a running joke.
Nonetheless, Fairy Tail takes its storyline quite seriously. There’s a long-running mystery surrounding the disappearance of the dragons that raised Natsu and the other Dragon Slayers. This anime series really takes its time getting to the pay-off. Meanwhile, the entire Fairy Tail guild spends a lot of time battling against all the Dark Guilds influenced by the evil wizard Zeref.
Edens Zero Brings the Emotion and the Fanservice
A shonen series taking place in deep space, Edens Zero is a science-fantasy epic that’s not afraid to play with tropes to tell its story. The main focus involves protagonists Shiki and Rebecca Bluegarden trying to track down Mother, the being responsible for creating the universe. Along the way, the two build up a crew that connects to Shiki’s mysterious past, as a child who was left as the lone human on an island of robots.
Edens Zero tells an emotional story that isn’t afraid to make viewers cry, but it’s also not afraid to delve deep into the fanservice. While that shouldn’t come as a surprise given it’s from the same creator as Fairy Tail, it feels like Edens Zero goes to a new level. Revealing outfits are the norm, cosplay is common, and they find a way to cater to several kinks while remaining a show that can be watched by teenagers.