The BEST Anime OAV shows of all time

Every Anime OAV show, ranked

We've compiled the average episode rating for every Anime OAV show to compile this list of best shows!

star
10.00
30 votes

#1 - Blame!

The story takes place in a city where it's said that has thousands of levels. In a shutdown area, thousands of levels overlap each other, you couldn't tell the sky from the ground and you couldn't tell which way is up or which way is down. Maybe the original purpose of this story is to unravel the mysteries bound in this time and world. For the humans who found this vast rare multi-level city, the mysterious main character "Kirii" wanders to search for the "Net Terminal Genes" that were not infected. Kirii's burden and his search for the "Net Terminal Genes" is a goal like no other and is very much the mystery of this story. Log1~Log6 contains the story of Cibo that wasn't done in the original works. The Cibo who strayed away with Kirii and wanders about. A disc thrown away in the rubble. Cibo starts downloading. Just who's "Memory" will he end up with?

View Episode Rankings
star
8.80
481 votes

#2 - Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki

Tenchi Masaki was a normal 17-year old boy - until the day he accidentally released the space pirate Ryoko. She had been sealed in a cave 700 years ago, due to the locals' suspicions that she was a demon. In a series of events, many more alien girls show up at the Masaki household. Tenchi learns much of his heritage he never knew about while dealing with the alien girls - each of whom has some sort of romantic interest in him.

View Episode Rankings
star
8.79
152 votes

#3 - Puni Puni Poemy

Puni Puni Poemy is a spin-off series after Excel Saga. Same style, same wackiness. The story revolves around Poemy, the daughter of Nabeshin (this wacky character from Excel Saga gets married with Yamamusume Kumi-Kumi and there comes Poemy). As the real name of Nabeshin is Shinichi Watanabe, of course naturally, Poemy's full name is Poemy Watanabe.

View Episode Rankings
star
8.70
398 votes

#4 - Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team

U.C. 0079 - In the middle of the One Year War, Ensign Shiro Amada is transferred to South East Asia to command Kojima Batallion's 08th MS Team, a small army of soldiers piloting RX-79[G] Gundam Ground type units. During the skirmishes in the jungle, he confronts ace Zeon pilot Norris Packard and falls in love with Aina Sahalin, a pilot involved in testing Zeon's top-secret mobile armor. This relationship leads to the Federation doubting their trust in Shiro. Now Shiro must prove his loyalty in the battleground or die a traitor.

View Episode Rankings
star
8.58
244 votes

#5 - Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory

Three years after the end of the One Year War between the Zeon and the Federation, a group called the Delaz Fleet is formed by the survivors of the Zeon army. Under the command of former Zeon Colonel Aiguille Delaz, the fleet's goal is to rebuild Zeon. Their ace pilot Major Anavel Gato steals the Gundam GP02, a nuclear equipped model in development by the Federation. Lieutenant Kou Uraki pilots the Gundam GP01, the only one left, in an attempt to stop Gato and recover the stolen Gundam before a new war begins. "Operation Stardust," as the Delaz Fleet's operation was known, would shake the foundation of the Earth Federation and prepare the way for the to the soon-to-be-infamous "Titans."

View Episode Rankings
star
8.45
128 votes

#6 - Cupid's Chocolates

Jiang Hao Yi, a normal, high school student who is extremely scared of getting into trouble suddenly becomes the Harem King of his school and gets confessed to by a bunch of beautiful girls! The worst thing is, Jiang hao doesn't know any of the girls who confessed to him! What on earth is happening?

View Episode Rankings
star
8.36
2731 votes

#7 - Hellsing Ultimate

Hellsing is named after and centered around the Royal Order of Protestant Knights, originally led by Abraham Van Helsing. The mission of Hellsing is to search for and destroy the undead and other supernatural forces of evil that threaten the queen and the country. This organization is currently led by Sir Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing, who inherited the leadership of Hellsing as a child after the death of her father. She witnessed his death which turned her from a once innocent and shy little girl to a tough and deadly force. She is protected by the faithful Hellsing family butler and former Hellsing "trashman" Walter C. Dornez, a deadly foe in his own right, and Alucard, the original and most powerful vampire that swore loyalty to the Hellsing family after being defeated by Van Helsing one hundred years before the story takes place. These formidable guardians are joined early on in the storyline by former police officer Seras Victoria, whom Alucard turned into a vampire. As the scale and frequency of incidents involving the undead escalate in England and all around the world, Sir Integra discovers that the remnants of a neo-Nazi group called Millennium still exist and are intent on reviving the Third Reich by creating a battalion of vampires. Millennium, Hellsing, and the Vatican section XIII Iscariot clash in an apocalyptic three-sided war in London, and Millennium reveals its true objective: to destroy the vampire lord Alucard, ending a feud begun during World War II.

View Episode Rankings
star
8.34
98 votes

#8 - Legend of the Galactic Heroes Gaiden

These short stories fill in the first part of the background of Reinhard von Lohengramm and Siegfried Kircheis before the start of the main Legend of the Galactic Heroes series.

View Episode Rankings
star
8.14
371 votes

#9 - JoJo's Bizarre Adventure

Based on the long-running manga by Hirohiko Araki, the first OVA series follows Josef Joestar and his 17-year-old grandson Jotaro as they attempt to finish the family blood feud against the immortal vampire Dio. Josef and Jotaro have gathered several mystical warriors each with powers representing one card from The Stand (a variation of Tarot cards), with Jotaro having powers over the strongest Stand - the Star Platinum. Dio himself has gathered Stand warriors and together they face off for the sake of Jotaro's mother Holly and domination of the world.

View Episode Rankings
star
8.11
115 votes

#10 - Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt

This Original Net Animation (ONA), four parts series, takes place concurrently with Mobile Suit Gundam, during the One Year War. In UC 0079, the Federation and Zeon troops engage in a fierce battle in the "Thunderbolt Sector", a shoal zone littered with debris from destroyed space colonies, named for the frequent electrical discharges. The story focuses on Federation soldier Io Flemming as he battles Zeon's best sniper, Daryl Lorenz.

View Episode Rankings
star
8.01
338 votes

#11 - Bludgeoning Angel Dokuro-chan

In the future, a man named Sakura is destined to create the technology for eternal life, which (due to Sakura's lolicon tendencies) freezes all women's aging once they turn twelve. God refuses to allow this, so he sends his angels to the past to kill Sakura before he can do this. But one angel, Dokuro-chan, decides to try to change the future without killing him. Problem is, Dokuro is very temperamental, and is constantly killing Sakura (and lots of other people too) in incredibly bloody ways with her giant spiked club. Good thing she can bring people back to life - if only to gruesomely kill them again the next time she loses her temper.

View Episode Rankings
star
8.00
29 votes

#12 - Hori-san and Miyamura-kun

Within everyone there exists a side preferably kept hidden, even from close friends. For the smart and popular Kyouko Hori, it’s the fact that she has to do all the housework and care for her little brother, Souta, because of her parents' busy work schedules. For the gentle Izumi Miyamura, whom everybody sees as an otaku, it's his nine hidden piercings and large body tattoo. So what happens when they accidentally discover each other's hidden sides? Sharing parts of themselves that they couldn't with anyone else, strong bonds of friendship soon begin to form between Miyamura and Hori, as well as those around them. As their hidden personas start to dissipate, they slowly learn how to open up to others.

View Episode Rankings
star
7.99
118 votes

#13 - Ai no Kusabi (2012)

The story is set in the future on the planet named Amoi which is controlled by a supercomputer named Jupiter. Among the mostly male human population, the light-haired elite class is allowed to temporarily keep the dark-haired "mongrels" as pets. One elite member, Iason, encounters a mongrel named Riki in the slums and decides to take him in. However, Iason keeps Riki longer than it is socially approved, and rumors abound about their possible relationship.

View Episode Rankings
star
7.87
151 votes

#14 - Iria: Zeiram the Animation

Iria is the story of a girl and the Alien being she loves to hate. The series begins with her brother, Gren, taking a job. He is a bounty hunter, and one well known for his incredible skill. Iria, being a skilled apprentice bounty hunter herself, tags along. What is the job, one might ask. It is to find out what has happened to the crew and cargo of a Space Station. Needless to say, nothing is as it seems, and the war between Iria and Zeiram begins in earnest.

View Episode Rankings
star
7.81
388 votes

#15 - Bubblegum Crisis

BGC is the story of four mercenaries living in Tokyo in the year 2033. After a massive earthquake that destroys much of Tokyo, the four mercenaries, dubbed the Knight Sabers, are left fighting against the GENOM Corporation, its evil androids, and everything it stands for.

View Episode Rankings
star
7.78
298 votes

#16 - Appleseed XIII

Following World War V, a global-scale conflict fought with non-nuclear weapons that almost halved the earth's population, the city-nation of Olympus stands as a beacon of hope in a world of chaos. The utopian metropolis is governed by Gaia, a vast artificial intelligence, and administered by genetically engineered humanoids known as bioroids. Although Olympus seems like a peaceful city on the surface, racial (human vs. bioroids vs. cyborgs), religious, and political conflicts lurk underneath -threatening to overturn the delicately balanced peace of this so-called utopia.

View Episode Rankings
star
7.75
807 votes

#17 - Strike the Blood

The Fourth Primogenitor—That's the world's strongest vampire that should only exist in legends. Accompanied by twelve Kenjuu and spreading calamity, this phantom vampire appeared in Japan. For the observation and obliteration of this Fourth Primogenitor, the government and Lion King decided to dispatch an attack mage known as a Sword Shaman. However, for some reason, the one chosen for the observation was a apprentice Sword Shaman girl, Himegari Yukina. Wielding the strongest anti-primogenitor spirit spear, Yukina arrived at Demon District, Itogami City. What is the true identity of the Fourth Primogenitor, Akatsuki Kojou, she encountered over there!?

View Episode Rankings
star
7.71
264 votes

#18 - Gunsmith Cats

Rally Vincent knows her weapons well, while her partner Minne May Hopkins loves to play with explosives. The pair run a gun-shop illegally and one day Bill Collins of the ATF, blackmails Rally and Minnie May into working for the ATF. Little do they know, that they are getting involved in a mission larger than they could imagine.

View Episode Rankings
star
7.45
204 votes

#19 - Cyber City Oedo 808

In the year 2808, three criminals are offered a stark choice: spend the rest of their lives aboard a maximum-security orbital prison, or return to Earth as agents of the Cyber Police. Parole violations will be rare as each criminal is fitted with a booby trapped, high explosive collar which operates on a 24 hour timer. If ever a check-in is missed, the consequences would be gruesome. For every criminal caught, the agents receive a bounty that reduces their total sentence, so some day they may walk free again.

View Episode Rankings
star
7.44
120 votes

#20 - Mobile Suit Gundam: MS IGLOO

Jotunheim, a Principality of Zeon's space cargo ship, is tasked to test and evaluate various prototype weapons during the One Year War in the year of 0079 UC.

View Episode Rankings
star
7.42
161 votes

#21 - Hellsing: The Dawn

Hellsing is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kouta Hirano. Hirano began publishing chapter of prequel series, Hellsing: The Dawn, in special edition of Young KIng OURs. and release as of September 2008. // Plot: In this prequel to Hellsing Ultimate (2006), Hellsing agents Alucard and young Walter, the resourceful Hellsing family butler, are sent to Nazi-occupied Europe in 1944 to stop the Nazis' attempt to create a vampire army.

View Episode Rankings
star
7.41
86 votes

#22 - Murder Princess

In the land of Foreland a coup d'état has occurred and the princess, after witnessing the death of the King, is on the run. She meets with battle-hungry bounty hunter Falis, and with a twist of fate they both switch souls, making Alita the maid of the now princess Falis. Named for her bravery in confronting the enemy as ‘Murder Princess’, Falis must continue to be the princess as well as confronting any new opponent that comes to her way.

View Episode Rankings
star
7.32
108 votes

#23 - Mazinkaiser SKL

Machine Island, an island isolated from most of the world has been torn asunder by a conflict between 3 factions vying for control. There are plentiful resources on the island enabling each faction to build a near limitless supply of robots to have at their disposal. The worldwide government has sealed the island with a Gravity Curtain where only their government-issued machinery can freely enter and leave the island. Each faction controls one portion of the curtain and the island's conflict has escalated to the point where the massive tension and destruction will eventually cause the Gravity Curtain to collapse within itself and destroy the planet . The government sends out the 2 member Death Caprice Squad: Ken Kaido and Ryo Magami - the pilots of the Mazinkaiser SKL, to neutralize the curtain and end the dispute once and for all.

View Episode Rankings
star
7.18
102 votes

#24 - Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn

The story begins in UC 0001, at the very beginning of human space colonization, with the Laplace terror incident, a major event that influences the course of human history forever. The main story takes place in UC 0096, three years after the events of Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack and seventeen years after the One Year War.

View Episode Rankings
star
6.91
139 votes

#25 - The Guyver: Bio-Booster Armor

Sho and his friend, Tetsurou, stumble upon a strange orb-like mechanism, the Guyver Unit, in the woods. It physically bonds with Sho and turns him into the alien soldier, Guyver. His mission is to protect the Guyver Unit from the Japanese corporation known as Chronos. They are after it and two other units just like it. To retrieve the object, they send out vicious monsters known as Zoanoids. So no one is safe in Sho`s life; not even himself.

View Episode Rankings
star
6.82
68 votes

#26 - Angel Densetsu

Angel Densetsu is a story about Seiichirou Kitano, a kind and naive boy with the heart of an angel, but the sinister looks of a devil. This causes many misunderstandings, leading people to assume that he is a villain or heroin addict, and results in a career as the head thug, or "school guardian" at his new school.

View Episode Rankings
star
6.79
902 votes

#27 - Corpse Party: Tortured Souls

Corpse Party is set in Heavenly Host Elementary School (天神小学校 Tenjin Shōgakkō?), an elementary school that was torn down following the murders and disappearances of several of its staff and students. By the start of the story, another school called Kisaragi Academy (如月学園 Kisaragi Gakuen?) has been built over the elementary school site. One night, a group of students from Kisaragi are transported via a sudden earthquake to another dimension where Heavenly Host Elementary still exists and is haunted by the ghosts of the school's murdered children. The player takes control of the Kisaragi students as they try to find their way home and survive the other mysterious forces that haunt the school.

View Episode Rankings
star
6.21
86 votes

#28 - Alien Nine

Yuri Otani, much to her disgust, has been elected by her class for alien fighting duty. Together with Kasumi Tonime, who joined the alien fighter simply for the sake of doing so, and Kumi Kawamura, who became and alien fighter to avoid the responsibility of yet another year of class presidency, she must defend her school from periodic alien attacks. Introspection, fear, anxiety and friendship await Yuri as she is forced to stare life itself in the mouth in her chaotic coming of age.

View Episode Rankings
star
6.03
149 votes

#29 - Angel Cop

Towards the end of the 20th century, Japan becomes the preeminent world power. As a result, terrorist organizations begin to target the country in hopes of destabilizing world politics. One of the most dangerous is the Red May, an organization dedicated to the spread of Communism. To counter the increasing violence, the government sets up a splinter cell of crackshots: the Special Security Force, who has just gained a new member in the form of the tough-as-nails Angel. She and the rest of the S.S.F. must deal with the Red May and a mysterious outside force with its own objectives.

View Episode Rankings
star
6.00
27 votes

#30 - Wedge of Love

The story focuses on the love and conflict between 3 main characters, Iason Mink, Riki and Guy. The background takes place in a future computer-controlled society on the planet of Amoy and focuses on Riki, a resident of the Ceres slums. In the capital city of Tanagura where the elite class is divided into different ranks that are based on their hair colours, elites are allowed to keep slaves as pets to perform sexual acts for their voyeurism entertainment and are forbidden to interact sexually with them. Iason, the highest of elites, has forced Riki to become his pet and is obsessed with keeping Riki for himself. Riki keeps this secret of his former lover, Guy. Riki is unsure of whether he should continue to resist Iason or surrender to him.

View Episode Rankings
star
5.93
30 votes

#31 - Tight-rope

Tightrope tells the tale of the reluctant heir of a yakuza family and his childhood friend, and follows their love relationship that started budding in their school days and keeps developing slowly but surely.

View Episode Rankings
star
5.20
42 votes

#32 - Step Up Love Story

Makoto and Yura Onoda are a newly-wed couple with zero sexual experience. Yura is a shy and naive 25-year-old woman whose good looks grab men's attention, something that she dislikes because she gets embarrassed very easily. Her husband Makoto is of the same age, but as opposed to his wife, he loves having dirty thoughts about other women. Physically though, Makoto is truly faithful to Yura. Both of them may be virgins, but now that they are married, they are ready to dive into the world of sex, "practicing" as often as possible. However, the world of sex is complex, so they need all the help they can get to find their way through it. Thankfully, their friends, acquaintances, and porn media lend them a helping hand.

View Episode Rankings
star
4.79
24 votes

#33 - Amazing Nurse Nanako

Nanako is a an inept apprentice nurse to the brilliant young Dr. Kouji. Now for some reason, Nanako is always being targeted by various elements which makes Nanako wonder if she has done anything wrong. But there are certain secrets to Nanako's past that only Dr. Kouji and his family know about.

View Episode Rankings
star
4.72
72 votes

#34 - Final Fantasy: Legend of the Crystals

A continuation of the events from Final Fantasy V. 200 years after Batz and his friends saved two worlds from the threat of ExDeath, a threat arises and seeks to take the Crystals for itself. Linaly, a descendant of Batz, and her friend/protector Pretz journey to the Temple Of Wind to seek the source of this new danger.

View Episode Rankings
star
0.00
0 votes

#35 - Kubikiri Cycle: Aoiro Savant to Zaregoto Tsukai

The story revolves around the protagonist "I" and the murders and mysteries he encounters. He tries in vain to stay out of the story, but instead he always gets dragged into the center of everything. Even though it seems that he contributes a lot, he always finds out that whatever he did was meaningless in the end.

View Episode Rankings
star
0.00
0 votes

#36 - Strait Jacket

It is the world where magic and science coexist. Rayotte Steinberg, a lone wolf "tactical sorcerist", fights against monsters. They used to be human beings, but they had overused forbidden power, "magic", to turn into monsters. What he wears is "mold", the straight jacket that keeps him being a human. What he holds on his hand is "staff", a magical wand that explodes everything. If he casts magic, he moves one step to be a monster. If he doesn't, he will be killed. Among the harsh battles, he will face a sin he had committed in the past.

View Episode Rankings
star
0.00
0 votes

#37 - Trava: Fist Planet

From the Japanese short film anthology series "Grasshoppa!" A far, far future story in which two aliens (the future of mankind?) are sent to the planet Fable to mark Area 78. The fee they will receive for fulfilling their contract is extremely lucrative, so why is it they have a bad feeling about a simple job? If that weren't bad enough, they pick up a young lady, Mikuru, whom they find in the vicinity of the planet, in cryosleep. It's a wacky and slick SF adventure of hot girls, hot mecha and hotter gags.

View Episode Rankings