Friend wants to watch a military anime

Ok so I was talking with a friend and he asked if there were any anime based around wars with the whole premise of the show/movie being about the battlefield (mostly ww2 ig) and he doesnt care about gore or anything as long as its about a war. I first thought of golden kamui but i don't know if it's about a war so I didn't recommend it. Do any (good) exist?

he also said that if I don't find something of his liking, he wants the main villain irredeemable

I thank you all in advance

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AutoModerator2026-01-18 00:28

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abandoned_idol2026-01-18 00:30

Show him the movie where the chibi cartoon Penguins fight in a war. I forget what war it was.

ActualRound76992026-01-18 00:31

idk about WW2 specific. but war anime:

* 86
* Saga of Tanya the Evil (WW2 for sure)

rwiind2026-01-18 03:20

Tanya for sure

moogoo22026-01-18 05:06

Ive always pegged Tanya the Evil as a WW1 equivalent. I think its kind of a blend of both, with all the trench warfare.

Kurohimiko2026-01-18 12:58

Tanya is a middle ground of WW1 and 2. WW1 hasn't happened in that universe and so it's closer to WW2 in time and advancements when the war happens.

They just threw both wars in a blender and made the Great War.

Affectionate-Can-2312026-01-18 00:32

TheSrcasticW33b2026-01-18 00:32

Saga of Tanya the Evil is set in ww1/ww2 style war. Might be worth considering.

Spidooodle2026-01-18 00:33

Go for Tanya The Evil first. TRUST.

Yotsubato2026-01-18 05:16

Peak cinema

forluscious2026-01-18 00:36

gundam requiem for vengence

wolf brigade

86

gate

tanya the evil

Blabime2026-01-18 00:37

Japan doesn't do a whole lot of WW2 movies on account of how they were kind of the bad guys... When they do, it's about the suffering at home, not the battlefield. e.g. Grave of the Fireflies, In This Corner of the World, etc.

That said, there is Saga of Tanya the Evil which takes place in a WW European setting, though it's not exactly historic. There are also plenty of completely non-historic military anime. https://myanimelist.net/anime/genre/38/Military

If he's interested in the more political and/or strategical side of war, maybe something like Legend of the Galactic Heroes would be good. Though there's definitely merit to both sides, not an irredeemable villain.

mytosis_o_8_oo_2026-01-18 00:39

wait are strategic a different category? can you tell me some good?

Blabime2026-01-18 00:46

Hmm... it's not a genre I watch a lot of overall. But usually any strategy talk mostly comes from one big brain main character who's just so smart. (And I phrase it like that somewhat jokingly, the shows can still be enjoyable.) Ideas that come to mind:

* Code Geass
* Alderamin on the Sky
* Legend of the Galactic Heroes, as previously mentioned, is definitely one of the most well regarded and both sides have a competent strategist leading their forces.

Old_Celebration_59502026-01-18 08:13

Good choices

brucebananaray2026-01-18 00:38

Majority of Gundam franchise is about war.

Some picks that I would go from the franchise would be Gundam Iron Blood Orphan, Gundam War in Pocket, and Gundam Thunderbolts. All of them are good standalone series.

InsertRealisticQuote2026-01-18 00:40

Valkyria Chronicles, anime based on a game that is all about tank and infantry combat during a war

WareKaraNari2026-01-18 00:54

Pretty good war vibes until the magical super weapon.

Also recommend Hetalia as a troll

MALESTROMME2026-01-18 00:41

Zipang

Just-Arugula67102026-01-18 00:43

Dude. Code Geass.

One of the greatest animes of all time, tons of strategy and war.

DustyTurboTurtle2026-01-18 00:43

I had a friend who was huge into military and gun stuff, he literally couldn't ever stop talking about Gundam, specifically Iron Blooded Orphans, so I'd try that lol

Ok_Cardiologist_64712026-01-18 00:59

Gate - Japanese defense force at its finest 🫡

86- season 1 survive genocide ☠️

season 2 have a normal teen life after surviving orders to only go forward with PTSD from killing your wounded friends and comrades to prevent them from being used against you as human brain controlled drones 🫩

hanamisai2026-01-18 01:00

In all honesty, there's nothing that fits your request. It doesn't exist.

The very best fit, by far, is Saga of Tanya the evil. Even then, it has magic and other stuff which is... not the same theme as WW2.

86 doesn't quite follow through when it counts on the "war ACTUALLY being war" front. The main characters do have plot armor, despite the show acting like they won't.

If you really want to try to sell him an anime, you'd actually be better off pivoting to Vinland Saga. Sure, it's Viking themed, but there's a real Villain.

Inside-Battle-4482026-01-18 01:56

Try watching Zipang

BlinkerPhluid2026-01-18 01:01

Grave of the Fireflies is a WW2 anime

daddyjohns2026-01-18 01:15

Gate is pretty fun military anime, i wouldn't call what the japanese defense force does in a fantasy setting a war.

technojoe992026-01-18 01:23

Gundam Seed & Gundam Seed Destiny
86

chilidirigible2026-01-18 01:27

[*Pelileu: Guernica of Paradise*](https://myanimelist.net/anime/48701/Peleliu__Rakuen_no_Guernica) may eventually make its way over here.

Bully_Maguire4202026-01-18 01:36

Since everyone's already said the popular ones.

Zipang (Modern Battleship travels back in time to the battle of Midway WWII)

Alderamin on the Sky (Less historical more fantastical, still grounded and militaristic)

GATE (This ones just JSDF propaganda without shame)

There's some others that are more feudal/medieval period or some hyper-futuristic ones that delve into tactics, psychology and war time ethics more so than the modern warfare anime you'll likely see suggested though.

Old_Celebration_59502026-01-18 08:14

Came here looking for Gate - you did not disappoint

Pinky_Boy2026-01-18 01:37

japan rarely dabbles in industrial-age war anime especially ww2 due to the obvious thing that happened irl

some are ww2 inspired like Izetta the last witch, Strike Witches, Girls und Panzer

some are ww1 or interwar inspired like saga of tanya the evil

some are scifi, but still grounded in reality like 86

Inside-Battle-4482026-01-18 01:54

Gate, Zipang, Saga of Tanya the Evil, overlord, if he wants to watch war one way….

Grave of the fireflies, princess Mononoke, Porco Russo, violet evergarden, attack on titan, full metal alchemist brotherhood, anything Gundam, if he wants to see it a different way.

Inside-Battle-4482026-01-18 02:06

And for extra credit, he should be watch Godzilla Minus One as a high quality wartime and post wartime based movie. Not an anime obviously but it hit 99% and 98% for critic and audience scores respectively on rotten tomatoes when it came out in theaters.

Inside-Battle-4482026-01-18 01:59

Oh yeah, irregular at magical high school. It’s a high school where the main character is a decorated war veteran in a school for kids who were raised by elite families for national defense and security reasons. Cuz magic.

faithfulheresy2026-01-18 02:06

Not WW2, but take a look at Gasaraki. Its viewpoint character is firmly within the military industrial complex, and fights on a battlefield that's quite accurate to the late 90s/early 2000s as long as you can accept the mecha.

Full Metal Panic also fits a similar theme and time period and is exceptionally good, but has an inconsistent balance between humour and action.

Violet Evergarden is set in the immediate aftermath of a WW1 equivalent event, and has a sub-plot that involves some battles.

There really isn't anything like what you're asking about though. Defeated nations don't glorify wars the way the Victor's do.

raflov162026-01-18 02:10

Not a full season but a series of OVAs called The Cockpit. There are three episodes, I can only vouch for the Sonic Boom Squadron one, which is about a pilot in the Japanese air force. It’s an older show (early 90s) but last I checked it can be found on YouTube. This should be close to what your friend is looking for

jaesuk972026-01-18 02:11

There aren't any quality anime about the WW2 era showing battlefield combat because it is hard to make one without it being a straight up propaganda film. The best anime films with the context of WW2 are anti-war films like Barefoot Gen, Grave of the Fireflies, In This Corner of the World, and Who's Left Behind?, but all of these focus more on civilians than combat.

These are some war or military related anime that I enjoyed.

Area 88

Zipang

Flag

Girls Und Panzer (fairly good military combat, but not war)

Yokoyama Mitsuteru Sangokushi

Legend of the Galactic Heroes (if they don't mind sci-fi settings, this is probably the best military anime in terms of depth of strategy as well as the politics of war)

Crest of the Stars

Mobile Suit Gundam: War in the Pocket

Mobile Suit Gundam: 08th MS Team

Armored Trooper Votoms

Pumpkin Scissors

Rescue Wings

Wavenstein12026-01-18 03:28

I'm not sure about WW2. But if you like war stuff you can't go wrong with gundam

Professional-Sea-6492026-01-18 03:43

The gate

IStealSwords2026-01-18 05:19

VOTOMS

Armor Hunter Mellowlink

Fang of the Sun Dougram

Macross franchise

Mobile Suit Gundam franchise (Universal Century continuity)

Legend of the Galactic Heroes

thaivuN2026-01-18 05:40

Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu is quintessential war anime.

AinaSofia2026-01-18 07:02

that or battleship yamato.

Animatrix_Mak2026-01-18 05:42

Does kingdom count?

beerantula2026-01-18 06:35

Eighty six 86

Leiothrix2026-01-18 12:09

Tanya the Evil.

chidecki2026-01-18 14:11

Alderamin on the Sky

Heavy Object

Gate

Now and Then, Here and There

Violet Evergarden

Kingdom

86