8. Takoyaki Mantoman
Takoyaki Mantomanis a child-friendly anime series about a group of “caped Takoyaki men” who fight crime and save the day.
This anime series was one of the most unique of its era, especially for its art style and character designs. In line with its child-friendliness, the villains inTakoyaki Mantomanare often ridiculous and totally non-threatening, but that’s part of the fun.
Takoyaki Mantomanwas based on a 1990 children’s picture book and was animated by Studio Pierrot. It may not be as badass as other animes on this list, but it was one of the series that many kids enjoyed.
7.Yu Yu Hakusho
One of the most classic anime series—and arguably one of the best animes of all time—isYu Yu Hakusho, which was adapted from Yoshihiro Togashi’s manga of the same name.
Yu Yu Hakushocenters on the character of Yusuke Urameshi and his adventures as an Underworld Detective.
At first, the story starts like a typicalshonenseries: one hero fights various monsters that have blended in with the human realm. As the story progresses, he gains teammates in Kazuma Kuwabara, Kurama, and Hiei, which completes the squad and makes it qualify assentai.
This team-based conceit was most fully explored in the Black Chapter Saga, with the group facing Sensui as he threatens to open a tunnel that connects the human realm with the world of monsters.
6.Love After World Domination
Want a newly modern twist on the usualsentaianime plot? Then you need to watchLove After World Domination! This series features all the elements of a typicalsentaiseries, with a heavy romantic lean.
But this isn’t your ordinary love story—it’s the surprising romance between the top two fighters from opposing sides in a war.
InLove After World Domination, Fudo Aikawa (the hero known as Red Gelato) and Desumi Magahara (the villain known as Reaper Princess) need to balance their relationship with their missions, resulting in a uniquely fresh take on thesentaianime genre.
Related:Refreshingly Original Anime Series With New Twists
5. Legend of Heavenly Sphere Shurato
Legend of Heavenly Sphere Shuratois an anime adaptation of a manga of the same name, written and illustrated by Hiroshi Kawamoto, which features solid plots inspired by mythological names and figures.
The story centers on a boy named Shurato and his best friend Gai, who are both transported to a parallel world. There, Shurato discovers that he’s the reincarnation of an ancient god-king.
With their fellow reincarnations—collectively known as the Eight Legions—they’re all tasked with protecting the land and its leader, Lady Vishnu, from the sinister Asura Gods.
Legend of Heavenly Sphere Shuratohas so much to offer viewers, including the creative and fun powers and character designs that are based on mythical creatures and their descriptions.
4.Magic Knight Rayearth
Combining magical girl anime with mecha anime is already a strange idea, but it works really well inMagic Knight Rayearth. Throw in elements ofsentaianime and you get a series that’s even more awesome.
From the color-coded magical girls to their respectively color-coded mecha-type entities called Rune Gods,Magic Knight Rayearthclearly has heavy influence from previoussentaiseries.
The plot follows three teenage girls who are magically taken to a foreign world, Cephiro. There, they have to save the land from destruction by saving its Pillar (Princess Emeraude) from her abductor (Zagato).
Related:Old-School Anime Series Still Worth Watching Today
3.Sailor Moon
Sailor Moonwill always be among the greatestshojoanime series of all time, primarily for being one of the most iconic series to take off in the West and help usher in anime as a mainstream medium.
Sailor Moonfeatures a group of girls who are bestowed with magical powers and can transform into their individual Sailor Soldier outfits. It’s a heavy mix of magical girl anime andsentaianime.
The series centers on Usagi Tsukino (Serena Tsukino in the first English dub) and her all-girls group of Sailor Soldiers who fight off evil forces to save the Earth from destruction.
Related:The Best Shojo Anime Series of All Time
2. Voltes V
Voltes Vwasn’t the first of its class, but it’s still one of the best of its kind. It’s a perfect mix of mecha andsentaigenres, featuring the giant Voltes V robot that’s co-piloted by five heroic individuals.
Voltes V is actually comprised of five separate machines that “volt in” together to form the massive, complete robot.
The Voltes Team includes the three Goh brothers—Kenichi piloting the Volt Crewzer head, Daijiro the Volt Panzer torso, and Hiyoshi the Volt Frigate legs—as well as Ippei Mine in the Volt Bomber arms and Megumi Oka in the Volt Lander feet.
Together, they are Earth’s ultimate defense against the invading Boazanian Army led by the Gohs' half-brother, Prince Heinel.
Related:Popular Anime Series That Got Banned (And Why)
1.My Hero Academia
Some don’t considerMy Hero Academiato be asentaianime, but even among naysayers it’s clear that it’s heavily inspired bysentai.
This anime series is filled with dozens of superheroes who fight criminal supervillains, with the main characters being aspiring hero-students who attend a school that trains up future superheroes.
Unlike mostsentaiseries, which feature one central squad of main heroes,My Hero Academiaincludes numerous groups and squads across varying arcs. They’re all just collectively known as Pro Heroes.
My Hero Academiais so popular because it creatively spins the usual superhero stories in new ways, resulting in asentai-inspired anime series that’s truly one of a kind.
Read next:The Best Superhero Anime Series of All Time
The Super Sentai TV series is an iconic example of sentai
