9 best anime games on Android in 2023

Go Plus Ultra, become a pirate, or sit back and just play cards with these great games on Android

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Japan? Sakura trees? Vending machines? Hot springs? For many, we reckon, it’s going to be anime. Unlike with sakura trees and hot springs, you don’t even have to go to Japan to explore the best animes. Japan comes to you via the power of an Android smartphone.

Anime is more than just a pretty cartoon; it can entertain, sure, but it can also inspire you to become the best version of yourself. This versatility means that anime lends itself well to role-playing games. After all, who wouldn’t want to embody their favorite hero? Ichigo from Bleach, Goku from Dragon Ball, and Midoriya from My Hero Academia, to name a few.

But anime also covers card games and puzzlers. So, in this roundup, we’ve compiled the best games inspired by popular anime series from the land of the rising sun.

Bleach Mobile 3D

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Ichigo Kurosaki is a regular high school student. That is, until one fateful night, evil strikes and threatens the well-being of his family. Ichigo manages to fend off the evildoers with the help of Rukia Kikuchi, a powerful Soul Reaper and inherits her powers. However, with great power comes great responsibility, and the pair joins forces to rid the world of evil.

Bleach Mobile 3D is a free-to-play action role-playing game. It features an expansive customization system that allows you to improve your character’s stats. Outfit them with a variety of belts, hats, and accessories. As Ichigo, you’ll hack and slash your way through hordes of demonic enemies and use spectacular special moves to devastate imposing bosses.

Bungo Stray Dogs: Tales of the Lost

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Become a detective in this video game adaptation of Bungo Stray Dogs. Tales of the Lost follows the events of the anime while also adding new events, characters, and outfits. Assemble a team from familiar characters like Nakajima Atsushi and Dazai Osamu.

Bungo Stray Dogs is a free-to-play puzzle role-playing game. By clearing colored orbs on the bottom portion of the screen, you provide your characters with bonuses. Specific colors increase your character’s attacks for the following turn or even directly hurt or heal them. It may seem simple initially, but the game becomes more challenging whenever new orbs are introduced.

Dragon Ball Legends

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Dragon Ball Legends follows a unique standalone story based on the hit anime. You take control of a Saiyan by the name of Shallot and, simply put, must save the world. All in all, Drgaon Ball Legends features over 400 characters, spearheaded by the likes of Goku, Vegeta, Broly, and Frieza.

Dragon Ball Legends mixes elements of an anime RPG with those of a fighting game and a collectible card game. These collectible cards act as abilities. Mixing and matching them in specific sequences allows your chosen character to perform devastating and often spectacular combos.

And in typical Dragon Ball fashion, there’s an array of ultimate finishing moves to make the screen scream.

Fate/Grand Order

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It’s 2017 A.D. Mash, a quaint young girl, welcomes you into the Chaldea organization. Chaldea works tirelessly to ensure the future prosperity of humanity. But things turn south pretty quickly as humankind’s demise is expected to occur within the next century.

More importantly, though, Mash turns from a timid nerd into a giant shield-carrying monster-killing machine, and you’re now her master. Whoa, right? With Mash at your side, you must figure out what exactly threatens humanity’s existence and prevent it from happening. Fate/Grand Order costs nothing to install and try. Better yet, it feels like a JRPG in the most classic sense of the genre. In other words, prepare for turn-based combat, lots of reading, and being called senpai.

My Hero Ultra Impact

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In the world of My Hero Academia, 80% of people are born with superpowers. Some use their powers to do good; others become villains and cause mischief. Unfortunately for Izuku Midoriya, he falls into the remaining 20%. But one day, he meets the greatest hero of them all: All Might. He encourages the young man: “You too can be a hero, young Midoriya.”

And you too can be Midoriya, dear reader. Or pretty much anyone else from the hit anime My Hero Academia. My Hero Ultra Impact is a free-to-play turn-based RPG. It features playable characters like Katsuki Bakugo, Shoto Todoroki, and Momo Yaoyorozu. Assemble a team of your favorite heroes in this vibrant adventure and go Plus Ultra on some villainous dastards.

One Piece Treasure Cruise

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Luffy aspires to become a pirate. But there’s a problem: he’s just a kid. Nonetheless, he’s emboldened by the promise of great treasure. Despite his young age, Luffy stands up to bullies without hesitation. He looks up to his idol, the legendary pirate, Shanks, and hopes to become as brave and righteous as him one day.

One Piece Treasure Cruise takes after many turn-based role-playing games. Tapping on a character prompts them to attack. That said, if you match the tap on the next character as the first finish their attack, you gain a combo boost. This simple addition keeps you involved in combat at all times as you travel along the path to becoming the greatest pirate. Unlike Luffy’s ambitious business venture, One Piece Treasure Cruise is free-to-play.

One-Punch Man: Road to Hero 2.0

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Compared to Dragon Ball and One Piece, titles that got their start in 1984 and 1997, One-Punch Man is a recent project. Released in 2009, however, the series has already skyrocketed in popularity. It’s also spawned several video game adaptations, one of them being Road to Hero 2.0.

Road to Hero 2.0 features your favorite characters from the anime, along with an enticing story of Saitama becoming a hero. It’s a vibrant RPG with a multitude of game modes to choose from, including a story-based single-player mode, a hectic PvP mode, and everything in-between.

Pokémon Masters EX

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Aside from Pokémon GO, Pokémon Masters EX is probably the closest you can get to a traditional Pokémon game on a mobile device. And it’s free! As per usual, it lets you create your own trainer, choose a starting Pokémon and embark on an adventure to become the very best. Along the way, you’ll meet familiar characters like Brock and Misty.

Gameplay-wise, you’ll collect and evolve new Pokémon by hatching eggs, outfit your trainer, and develop your team for an exciting 3-on-3 turn-based combat. Unleash the full potential of your Pokémon by using their powers on enemies susceptible to their element. Or initiate mind-numbing special attacks to enjoy epic animated cutscenes.

Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel

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Konami could do a lot better when it comes to its big titles. Series like Castlevania, Silent Hill, and Metal Gear Solid have been dormant at best. On the mobile side of things, though, there’s Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel. Master Duel revolves around the collection of cards.

Build a powerful deck from a selection of over 10000 cards, including the Dark Magician and the ever-awesome Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Amassing all of them could set back your bank balance, but other than that, Master Duel is a free-to-play experience.

Play competitively online or enjoy a lengthy single-player campaign at your own pace. There’s a reason why Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel made it into the list of best card games on Android. If you enjoy card games like Hearthstone and Shadowverse, Master Duel might well be up your alley.

Anime games aren’t all about the role-playing

Without a doubt, the best anime games are inspired by the more popular series. They also favor JRPGs as a genre. But some of them aren’t afraid to experiment. For instance, Dragon Ball Legends and Yu-Gi-Oh rely heavily on card mechanics, while Bungo Stray Dogs plays like a puzzler.

Did we fail to mention a game based on your favorite anime? Take to the comments below and tell us all about it.