5 Best Games Based On Anime & Manga, Ranked

The influence of Japanese media on Western gaming is immense, as most companies that emerged in the 1980s and ‘90s were Japanese. Still, Western games leaned in a slightly different direction and have since diversified into a robust industry that doesn’t look much like gaming did in decades past. Despite this, one area of Japanese culture that still influences gaming is anime and manga, and there are tons of titles based on various properties from these forms of media. We’ve looked through as many as we could find to identify the five best anime- and manga-inspired games, selecting only one entry per franchise and genre. They’re ranked based on contemporary critics’ reviews, overall popularity, and how well they sold upon release.

5) Ghost in the Shell

Ghost in the Shell began as a manga written and illustrated by Masamune Shirow, followed by an anime adaptation and a PlayStation video game released in 1997. Ghost in the Shell is a third-person shooter that’s an underrated classic written and designed by Shirow. While it appears dated by today’s standards, when it was released, critics praised Ghost in the Shell for its graphics and animation, as well as its wall-climbing mechanic. It sold well at the time and is still remembered as one of the best video game adaptations of manga from the 1990s, which is saying something, as there were many.

4) Naruto: The Broken Bond

Naruto was first launched in 1999, written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. It’s since been vastly expanded into anime movies, OVAs, and games. There are numerous Naruto games to check out, but the action-adventure title, Naruto: The Broken Bond, released in 2008 on the Xbox 360, is the best that isn’t a fighting game (we’re saving that genre for our number one pick). It’s the sequel to Naruto: Rise of a Ninja, set between episodes 81-135 of the anime. Adventure mode is entertaining, though it has some slow moments. Still, the fighting and overall graphics solidify Naruto: The Broken Bond as the franchise’s best non-fighting title, though there are some RPGs that are equally exceptional.

3) Little Nemo: The Dream Master

One of the earliest popular anime-inspired games arrived on the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1990 via Little Nemo: The Dream Master. The game is based on Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland, released the year prior, and revolves around a young boy who finds himself in his dreams as he journeys to Slumberland. The game is incredibly difficult, which wasn’t uncommon for late-era NES titles, but this doesn’t detract from the gameplay, and the entertaining platformer is one of the best anime games on the NES, though there weren’t a ton in the console’s library. Despite its age in comparison to modern anime-inspired platformers, Little Nemo: The Dream Master remains an exceptional title.

2) Astro Boy: Omega Factor

Astro Boy is one of the oldest manga and anime franchises, having launched all the way back in 1952. Writer and illustrator Osamu Tezuka created it, and the franchise has expanded significantly since its debut. Astro Boy: Omega Factor was released on the Game Boy Advance in 2004 as a beat-’em-up game to coincide with the launch of the Astro Boy television series. Despite its relative simplicity compared to modern titles, Astro Boy: Omega Factor is a fantastic beat-’em-up with high replay value, excellent graphics and animation, and outstanding controls. It’s one of those games everyone who’s a fan of the genre should check out at least once, even if they’re not already fans of Astro Boy.

1) Dragon Ball FighterZ

When it comes to fighting games, there’s no shortage of anime and manga-inspired titles, as it’s the most dominant genre in terms of gaming. While everyone has their favorite franchises and the titles within them, looking at the genre as objectively as possible, Dragon Ball FighterZ stood out as the best. It was released in 2018 across a variety of systems and is a 2.5D fighting game that lets players pick a team of three characters to fight AI or human opponents. Every aspect of Dragon Ball FighterZ was highly praised upon release, and it’s considered by many to be one of the best modern fighting games around. It sold more than 10 million copies and features 45 playable characters, several of which are available as DLC.

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