One of the biggest factors a film can be judged on is its runtime, and anime films are no exception. A short film can be accused of going too fast to let its story develop, while a long film can be accused of needlessly dragging out its plot, although all of that ends up being dependent on the writing.
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An anime film’s length will always depend on the story being told, but just as with any medium, many anime films will be worth watching specifically because of how well they use their lengthy runtimes. That’s especially true for the longest anime films in history, and it’s hard to imagine any of them not needing every second of their runtime.
10) Be Forever Yamato (1980)
Academy Productions’ Be Forever Yamato is the fourth film in the iconic Space Battleship Yamato franchise. Following the third film, Earth surrenders to the Black Nebula Empire under threat of being destroyed by a powerful bomb, and it quickly falls to the crew of the Yamato to travel to the Black Nebula and find a way to disarm the bomb.
The Space Battleship Yamato movies are known for their lengthy runtimes, and Be Forever Yamato is no different, as Be Forever Yamato stands as the tenth-longest anime film with a runtime of 148 minutes. Be Forever Yamato: Rebel 3199 offers fans a more condensed, modern take on the story, but even then, the original film can’t quite be matched.
9) Great Conquest: The Romance Of The Three Kingdoms Part 2: The Yangtze River Burns! (1993)
1993’s Great Conquest: The Romance of the Three Kingdoms Part 2: The Yangtze River Burns! is the second part of Toei Animation’s adaptation of Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Following the defeat of Lu Bu, Liu Bei & Cao Cao fall into conflict over who should unify China, forcing Liu Bei to recruit the brilliant strategist Zhuge Liang to achieve victory.
All three films in Toei Animation’s Great Conquest are known for being lengthy endeavors, and sure enough, The Yangtze River Burns! stands as the ninth-longest anime film with a runtime of 149 minutes. The Great Conquest trilogy is one of the most famous adaptations of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and its incredible length is a big part of why.
8) Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha: The Movie 2nd A’s (2015)
Seven Arcs Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha: The Movie 2nd A’s is the second part of the Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha film series. Following its predecessor, A’s condenses season 2 of the anime into a single film and removes many details that weren’t related to Hayate and the Wolkenritter, while also slightly changing how things ultimately progressed.
The first Nanoha movie was already fairly long, and sure enough, Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha: The Movie 2nd A’s ends up as the eighth-longest anime film with a runtime of 150 minutes. Between how much old and new content is covered, though, it more than earns that runtime, and it’s something old and new fans alike can surely enjoy.
7) Farewell To Space Battleship Yamato (1978)
Academy Productions’ Farewell to Space Battleship Yamato is the first full sequel to the legendary sci-fi anime Space Battleship Yamato. Three years after defeating the Gamilas, humanity is finally beginning to recover, but when the tyrannical White Comet Empire sets its sights on Earth, the crew of the Yamato must assemble one last time to save the world.
Farewell to Space Battleship Yamato was intended to be the franchise’s finale, and in an attempt to send the series off with a bang, Farewell to Space Battleship Yamato ultimately became the seventh-longest anime film at 151 minutes. The film would ultimately be retconned to continue the franchise, but that doesn’t make it any less of a massive achievement.
6) Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle Part 1 (2025)
2025 saw the premiere of the first part of Ufotable’s Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle trilogy. Following the season 4 finale, the Demon Slayer Corps must race through the Infinity Castle to kill Muzan, but his remaining henchmen are standing in their way, and for part 1, that includes the Upper-Rank 3 Kizuki Akaza fighting Tanjiro and Giyu to the death.
Most people assumed that the Infinity Castle trilogy would be lengthy, and that can already be seen with 2025’s Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle part 1 being the sixth-longest anime film at 155 minutes. That being said, it more than justifies that length with its strong writing and visuals, and its sequels will hopefully do the same.
5) Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon A Time
Studio Khara’s Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time is the final film in the Rebuild of Evangelion tetralogy. Following Kaworu’s death, Shinji is feeling more distraught than ever, but he’ll have to regain his resolve one more time to put an end to the Human Instrumentality Project and settle things with Gendo, once and for all.
As the grand finale to Evangelion, Thrice Upon a Time needed a lot of time to tell its story, resulting in Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time being the fifth-longest anime film at 155 minutes. Thrice Upon a Time might not be the final Evangelion story, but overall, it’s the best conclusion someone could ask for.
4) Great Conquest: The Romance Of The Three Kingdoms Part 3: The Distant Land (1994)
1994’s Great Conquest: The Romance Of The Three Kingdoms Part 3: The Distant Land is the grand finale to the Great Conquest film trilogy. Following the Battle of Chibi, China was officially split into the Three Kingdoms between Liu Bei, Cao Cao, and Sun Quan, and it won’t be long until one of them finally unites China under their rule.
The Great Conquest trilogy was incredibly lengthy from the start, and the finale is no different, as The Distant Land is the fourth-longest anime film at 157 minutes. The Distant Land solidified Great Conquest as one of the most iconic adaptations of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and it’s easy to see why it’s still held in such high regard.
3) The Disappearance Of Haruhi Suzumiya (2010)
In 2010’s The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya, Kyon’s daily routine is suddenly uprooted when he finds himself in a world where the SOS Brigade is gone and Haruhi seemingly doesn’t exist. All Kyon has are questions for his new status quo, and he’ll have to answer them soon before he loses any chance of returning to his old life.
The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya stands out as the third-longest anime film of all time at 162 minutes, a length few films ever even get close to, but the incredible quality of the writing and visuals more than justifies it, of course, and it’s solidified the series’ place as one of the best Kyoto Animation anime of all time.
2) Final Yamato (1983)
West Cape Corporation’s Final Yamato is the fifth feature film in the Space Battleship Yamato franchise. The Yamato crew’s latest adventure pits them against the Dinguil, a warrior race planning to flood the world with the water planet Aquarius, forcing the crew into their toughest battle for humanity of all time.
Final Yamato is the longest Space Battleship Yamato movie and the second-longest anime film at 163 minutes, and for over 30 years, it was even the longest animated film of all time. Once again, it was an attempt to end the franchise that was ultimately undone, but with its riveting story and visuals, it was still an appropriately epic finale.
1) In This Corner (And Other Corners) Of The World (2019)
MAPPA’s In This Corner (and Other Corners) of the World stars Suzu, a shy girl who moves to Kure to marry a man named Shusaku. Between her new life as a housewife and the outbreak of the Pacific War, Suzu’s life is filled with challenges, but despite it all, she still finds ways to be happy in her daily life.
In 2019, In This Corner of the World received an extended cut to flesh out the story, and sure enough, In This Corner (and Other Corners) of the World became the longest anime film—and animated film, in general—of all time at 168 minutes, dethroning Final Yamato after over 30 years.
The original cut of In This Corner of the World was criticized for cutting out important context to the story, so overall, it makes sense that MAPPA would make it such a lengthy anime film to make it the beautiful story it deserved to be.
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