The 15 Greatest Anime About Angels
- 1364 VOTESPhoto: Gainax
Neon Genesis Evangelion is an anime that's rife with religious imagery - including angels. In this renowned series, angels aren't winged beauties, they're bizarre monsters from space that can take nearly any form from a gigantic cube in the sky to a kind, loving human form. Because these angels present a threat to humanity, people battle them using mecha. The show vacillates between high-stakes action and deep philosophy, resulting in an absolutely stunning series that's a must-watch for any anime fan.
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Gabriel Dropout
Photo: Doga KoboIn the world of Gabriel Dropout, angels are expected to spend time among mortals in order to better understand them and apply that knowledge toward their work. When Gabriel White Tenma, an angel at the top of her class, makes her way to Earth, she has every intention of doing just that. But her lofty goals quickly fall by the wayside when she discovers video games, anime, and other aspects of otaku culture. The once ambitious angel is now a dropout - which means that her life will soon be filled with other angels trying to steer her back toward the right path, as well as demons who would love for her to keep on slacking off.
- 3453 VOTESPhoto: TNK
The world of angels is a dangerous one in High School DxD. Issei Hyoudou is a lewd high school student whose main goal in life is to build his own harem. When a gorgeous woman asks him out, he thinks that his wish might be coming true - but she turns out to be a fallen angel bent on taking his life! Rias Gremory, an equally beautiful demon, revives him as her servant, throwing him headlong into the world of dangerous conflicts between angels and demons.
- 4299 VOTES
Heaven's Lost Property
Photo: AIC A.S.T.A.Tomoki Sakurai has a recurring dream about angels that regularly brings him to tears. With the help of his friends, he discovers that his dream might be connected to an unidentified floating object in the sky called the New World. On the day that Tomoki plans to observe the New World, a strange winged girl comes crashlanding out of the sky and into Tomoki's life. What follows is a surprisingly deep - but also sufficiently sexy angel-themed harem anime.
- 5197 VOTESPhoto: Radix
In the Old Home, beings called Haibane are born from cocoons. As they develop, they grow wings and halos reminiscent of angels. They retain no memories of how they came to the Old Home, or who they were before. When other Haibane begin to disappear without explanation, a young Haibane named Rakka begins trying to make sense of her confusing and beautiful world.
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D.N.Angel
Photo: XebecD.N.Angel is a beloved anime from 2003 that follows Daisuke Niwa, a socially awkward teenager who starts the series by getting rejected by his crush, Risa. But his depressing life takes an unusual turn when he finds himself transforming into an infamous art thief named Dark Mousy every time he thinks about his unrequited love. Dark Mousy is more than just a transformation, however - he's an angelic force passed down from generation to generation with the goal of stealing a work of deep emotional importance. Not only must Daisuke reckon with these distressing family secrets, he must also deal with an unexpected adversary in the form of one of his classmates.
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A Centaur's Life
Photo: Haoliners Animation LeagueIn the world of A Centaur's Life, humans have begun evolving along multiple pathways: centaurs, people with animal ears, snakes, mermaids, demons, angels, and more. The show focuses on how all these very different humans interact with each other. It's not always pretty - the world has an extensive history of war and subjugation between the different races, and micro-aggressions and misunderstandings still prevail. But despite the problems, the protagonists manage to lead normal lives together.
The main angel character, Manami Mitama, is a straight-A student who is in charge of taking care of her four younger siblings while her father pursues a career in art.
- 8106 VOTESPhoto: LIDENFILMS
Midnight occult civil servants isn't entirely about angels, but they do play an important role. In the world of the series, angels are one of many non-human species called Anothers. They are huge, beautiful, and speak in a language that most humans can't understand. The human protagonsits are charged with solving problems that exist between angels and other Anothers - including problems like one angel wanting to run off with her tengu boyfriend and her family objecting.
- 996 VOTESPhoto: Hal Film Maker
Setsuna Mudo is a regular teenager trying to deal with mundane issues like being bullied in school, but his ordinary life comes to an end when he discovers that he has a heavenly destiny - or is it a hellish one? A group of angels think that he's the reincarnation of their leader Alexiel, while demons are telling him that he once led them to war against God. As Setsuna tries to make sense of this, the battle between heaven and hell is heating up - what side will he take? Does he have a choice?
- 1084 VOTESPhoto: Madhouse
Kobato Hanato is a being from space whose body is inhabited by an angel. Though the series never explicitly calls Kobato an angel herself, she certainly possesses angelic traits. While on Earth, her goal is to collect "koinpeto" - a magical substance that's released whenever she heals the pain in a person's heart. The only catch is that she can't fall in love with anyone whose heart she's healed - which is much easier said than done.
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Colorful
Photo: Sunrise, AscensionAfter an unnamed person is kicked out of the cycle of reincarnation due to sins they can't remember, they think that they're done for - until an angel allows them to reincarnate into the body of a 14-year-old boy named Makoto who just committed suicide. Through exploring the boy's life, they learn about what led them to get kicked out of the reincarnation cycle, and they also learn about what drove Makoto to the edge. This is an intnese anime movie that deals with a difficult subject, but the story is wonderfully told.
- 12100 VOTESPhoto: Nomad
Did you know that angels can also be assassins? Dokuro Mitsukai is an angel sent from the future to stop Sakura Kusakabe from committing a heinous crime. Though he might be just a middle schooler now, in the future he's going to invent a device that will stop all girls from aging past twelve years - making them functionally immortal and wreaking havoc on the natural human life cycle. Instead of just taking him out completely, Dokuro decides to annoy and distract him to the point where he'll never gain the skills he needs to make it happen. If you like comedy with an ecchi twist, this 2005 OVA is worth checking out.
- 1390 VOTESPhoto: Production I.G
Maria the Virgin Witch offers a unique take on angels. Rather than being belevolent creatures who exist to help humanity, they're there to hand out punishments. Maria is a powerful witch who uses her powers to try to bring peace to medieval France. The heavens don't appreciate her meddling, so the archangel Michael appears to inform her that if she loses her virginity, she loses her powers too. Will Maria be able to keep fighting for peace in France? Not if the angels - and the church itself - have anything to do with it.
- 1461 VOTES
Pita Ten
Photo: MadhouseKotaro is an ordinary young boy whose life is turned completely upside down by the appearance of Misha, an apprentice angel who doesn't seem to get that angels are supposed to do good things, not bad ones. He also meets Shia, a demon who would rather help people and make them happy than make them suffer like a demon ought to. How will Kotaro balance these strange new forces in his life with normal school life? It's not going to be easy, but since it's Pita Ten, it's definitely going to be adorable.
- 1571 VOTES
Angel Tales
Photo: Tokyo KidsIf you're looking for an angelic anime with a wholesome vibe, try Angel Tales, a 2001 anime about a down-on-his-luck man named Goro. After an encounter with a fortune teller outside of a pet shop, little girls begin appearing in his home. Goro is confused at first, but he soon finds out that the girls are actually angels - and more specifically, they're reincarnations of pets he's owned in the past. For anyone who has lost a pet, this anime offers some serious wish fulfillment.
