Top 15 Madhouse Anime Series!
Madhouse studio has graced us with so many iconic, well-known anime series over the past four decades. More than likely, a Madhouse anime series was part of your childhood, from Cardcaptor Sakura to Death Note. Here are our top 15 Madhouse anime series!
15. Hellsing Ultimate
After her father is killed, Sir Integra Hellsing takes command of the Hellsing Organization as a child. Hellsing Organization’s purpose is to find and destroy supernatural forces of evil in England. Alurcard is the most powerful vampire and has sworn to protect the Hellsing family. With his newly created apprentice vampire, Seras Victoria, Alucard works with Sir Integra and Hellsing to hunt down other vampires. When numerous incidents involving vampires begin to increase, Sir Integra discovers the crimes link back to a neo-Nazi group called Millennium. Soon there is an imminent war between Millennium, Hellsing, and the Iscariot Organization.
While Madhouse did not create the whole series, the production house animated the Hellsing Ultimate OVAs V-VII. It is still worth watching this classic anime OVA for epic vampire battles and the religious themes.
14. High School of the Dead
A group of high school students in present-day Japan get caught in a zombie apocalypse that has spread everywhere. Takashi Kimuro and Rei Miyamoto team up with fellow student survivors and their school nurse in order to escape their high school, which is quickly falling to the zombies. When they finally escape, they begin on a journey to find their family members and fight for survival.
If you’re in love with The Walking Dead and other zombie apocalypse shows, you better watch Highschool of the Dead. Full of gore and zombie violence, you’ll be happy for days.
13. Kiseijiuu: Sei no Kakuritsu (Parasyte- The Maxim)
One night, worm-like Parasites invade Earth and quickly begin to infiltrate humanity. These Parasites enter human hosts through their ears or noses and then take over their brains. They are then able to morph into different forms, and use these grotesque forms to devour other humans. A Parasite infects the protagonist, high school student Shinichi Izumi. However, unable to enter his brain through his ear, the Parasite, Migi, entered his right hand and was only able to take over this part. Together, the two retain their separate entities and must coexist, fighting off other Parasites who try to take over Shinichi’s still-intact brain.
If horror anime and creepy creatures are your thing, make sure you watch Parasyte- The Maxim.
12. Chobits
Hideki Motosuwa is a student prepping for the college entrance exams in Tokyo when he discovers an abandoned persocom. He has always wanted a persocom, an android personal computer, but has never been able to afford one, so he takes it home with him. Upon activation, she seems defective as she can only say “Chii” and on top of this, she cannot download information on her hard drive. Despite struggling through his studies, Hideki decides to teach Chi about the world the traditional way. Hideki and his friends wonder if Chi is part of the unique Chobits series: persocoms rumored to have free will and emotions. As if to give more evidence to this theory, Chi begins to have feelings for Hideki, putting everyone into confusion.
Watch Chobits if you are interested in a story that explores the relationship between humans and technology as well as for some cute robot girls.
11. Overlord
Momonga decides to log into the DMMORPG (Dive Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game), Yggdrasil, during its final hours before the game servers are shut down. Momonga’s character is the guild leader of the once largest and most powerful guild, Ainz Ooal Gown. While he is waiting for the game to shut down, he realizes that the deadline has passed and he has not been kicked out of the game. In fact, he is now trapped in the game and the NPCs have taken on their own personalities and can act on their own. Momonga decides to act as his character under the name Ainz Ooal Gown and sets out to find out what happened and if there is anyone else also stuck in the game.
10. Rainbow: Nisha Rokubou no Shichinin
Rainbow is a very harsh, depressing teenage prison anime series. Six teenage boys enter Shounan Special Reform School after having been convicted of relatively violent crimes. There, they are put in the same cell as 18-year-old Sakuragi Rokurouta, whom they eventually refer to as An-chan. Together, they develop a friendship that only grows stronger as they each suffer atrocities and abuse by the prison guard, Ishihara, and the jail doctor, Dr. Sasaki. Rainbow follows the seven boys as they work together to escape this miserable prison and try to build lives outside of it.
If you want to cry your eyes out for a few hours, go watch Rainbow. Rainbow showcases the brutalities in a juvenile detention and the beauty of a brotherhood that forms in these sordid conditions.
9. Claymore
Humanity is once again threatened by monsters that devour humans. The Organization has created warriors to counteract these Yoma, who can shapeshift as humans. These warriors are half-human and half-Yoma and are called Claymores. While they are necessary to protect the humans, they are hated and not trusted because they are powered by the same demonic energy. Claymore tells the story of Clare and other Claymore warriors as they battle yoma and for their survival.
Get ready for some kick-ass women medieval warriors in Claymore!
8. Monster
Dr. Kenzou Tenma is a young brain surgeon at Eisler Memorial Hospital who makes the fateful decision to save the life of Johan Liebert instead of the Mayor Roedecker who arrived at the hospital after Liebert. Because of this decision, Dr. Tenma loses his social standing; however, soon after every doctor above him are mysteriously killed and Johan and his twin sister disappear. Dr. Tenma is made director of the hospital now that every spot is vacant. While he still continues to perform amazing operations, Dr. Tenma is surrounded by mysterious deaths that all seem to tie back to the boy that he saved. He soon learns that a “monster” has been unleashed and Tenma vows to stop him.
7. One Punch Man
This comedy action hero parody series is soon to be a classic. Saitama’s origin story started just as an ordinary man who enjoyed being a hero and trained for three years to realize his dream. After training so hard and becoming extremely powerful, Saitama has become bored with battles that end with just one punch. However, his passion is reignited by the arrival of cyborg Genos, who ardently wishes to be Saitama’s disciple. Hilariously, when Genos and Saitama apply to join the Hero Association, Saitama is unknown despite his amazing powers and accomplishments. This sets him off to find ever stronger enemies to defeat.
6. Death Note
Death Note opens with genius high schooler Light Yagami witnessing a notebook falling from the sky while in class. After school, when he goes to the spot, he finds the notebook labeled Death Note with instructions inside. The Death Note allows anyone to commit murder by merely writing someone’s name down in the book while picturing their face. The notebook was dropped down to earth by a bored Shinigami Ryuk because he wanted to see what would happen if a human had control of the notebook. Light tests the book and when he determines it is real, decides to continue using the Death Note for “good” and begins to target criminals. After a while, the police believe a serial killer known as Kira is on the loose and targeting criminals, and send a renowned detective named “L” to investigate.
5. Death Parade
Instead of going to heaven or hell, the two options are reincarnation or the void. When two people die at the same time, they enter a bar run by arbiters who determine their souls’ fates. One such bartender, named Decim, runs Quindecim and oversees the Death Games. He runs several games, from bowling to billiards to darts. Decim is affected when one “black-haired woman” arrives and makes him question how he judges people’s fates.
4. Hunter x Hunter (2011)
After discovering his father is not actually dead but alive somewhere, Gon Freecss decides to follow in his footsteps and also become a Hunter. Gon learns from a Hunter named Kite that his father, Ging, is the best Hunter in the world. A Hunter explores new places and goes on adventures to uncover mysteries. They are licensed to track down treasures, beasts, or people. Gon resolves to become a Hunter himself in order to find his father. To become one, Gon must first pass the Hunter exam. He becomes friends with some of the applicants at the exam, and they begin their journey together.
This 2011 reboot is even better than the original, not to mention a whole decade’s worth of animation improvement.
3. No Game No Life
This fantasy comedy series follows the undefeated gamer duo Sora and Shiro siblings. After defeating the god of games in a game of chess, they are summoned to Disboard, a world in which every conflict is decided with games. This world is perfect for this gamer duo and they find a real purpose to their playing games. They decide to conquer all 16 species in this world, and become the new gods of Disboard.
2. Trigun
This is one of the anime series you have to see before you die. Trigun is one of the best anime series Madhouse came out with. Set in a post-apocalyptic world, Trigun is a mix of comedy, sci-fi, and space Western. Vash the Stampede travels the planet Gunsmoke with two insurance agents as he works to uncover his past. Vash has a bounty on his head for $60,000,000 for being mistakenly accused of destroying the city July. As he embarks on his adventures, the history of humans on the planet is slowly revealed as Vash tries to regain his memories.
1. Hajime no Ippo
Timid and shy high school student Ippo Makunouchi is frequently bullied. One day when he is being severely beaten up, boxer Mamoru Takamura saves him and takes him back to his boxing gym to heal. There, Makunouchi discovers a small, fighting spirit beginning to stir inside himself when Takamura has him punch a sandbag with his bully’s face taped to it. When Makunouchi expresses a desire to become a professional boxer, Takamura tests him with an impossible task, doubting he’d actually had the potential. When Makunouchi surprises him by the end of the week, so begins his journey to becoming the world boxing champion.
Hajime no Ippo was so popular, it spawned numerous follow-up series with its heartfelt hero story and strong character development.
