Top 5 historical fiction anime and where to stream them

Anime and manga have embraced the historical fiction genre. Many popular anime are based on real events and real people. Luckily for fans of both anime and history, several standouts of historical fiction anime are easier to stream than ever.

The point of this list isn't to show the most historically accurate anime. The anime series on this list are the best fictional stories that are set in a historical period. Most of the anime on this list are examples of the writers making a decision not to let the truth get in the way of a good story. On the other hand, these fictional accounts may inspire viewers to learn more about the real history.

Here's an alphabetical list of the five best history-inspired anime currently available to stream:

1. Basilisk

Where to watch: Crunchyroll

In the early years of the Tokugawa Shogunate, two rival ninja clans — the Iga and the Kouga — who have secured an uneasy truce are forced back into open hostilities by the shogun's court. Effectively reduced to pawns in the court's succession crisis, the Iga and the Kouga are commanded to fight to the death on behalf of the shogun's two grandsons to decide which one will succeed him. Complicating things is the fact that Gennosuke and Oboro, the heads of the two clans, have fallen in love and intend to get married.

Basilisk is a quintessential tragedy and is dark and violent enough to rival something like Berserk or Goblin Slayer. Some viewers will be turned off by the intense violence and relentlessly bleak tone, but the series is worth watching at least once because there is an undeniably powerful and moving story to experience. While the powerful story is the main draw, the members of the two ninja clans have unique character designs and powers that also provide plenty of stylish visual moments.

Crunchyroll is also streaming the sequel series, Basilisk: The Ouka Ninja Scrolls. Despite the similar names, the series is not connected to the '90s classic Ninja Scroll or its own sequel series.

Basilisk is rated Mature and contains graphic violence, mature content, depictions of suicide, and nudity that some viewers may find disturbing.

2. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

Where to watch: Crunchyroll, Netlflix

While Demon Slayer is established to be taking place in the Taishō era (1912-1926), the largest influence its historical setting actually has on the series is in helping create a unique and striking visual style. Compared to the earlier Sengoku, Edo, or Meiji era, the Taishō era isn't commonly depicted in anime. Of course, Demon Slayer isn't really trying to be a history lesson. While the Taishō aesthetic blending traditional Japanese designs with modern and Western ones is on full display throughout the series, Demon Slayer has primarily won over fans with its stylish action and storytelling.

While it may not be hugely important to Demon Slayer's actual plot, the Taishō era setting nevertheless helps Demon Slayer to establish a unique and instantly recognizable identity. The art style and animation are excellent and their distinctiveness is emphasized by how well Demon Slayer embraces the unique combination of visuals allowed for by the Taishō era setting.

All available episodes of Demon Slayer are streaming on Crunchyroll. Episodes up to the Swordsmith Village Arc are streaming on Netflix.

3. Golden Kamuy

Where to watch: Crunchyroll (anime series), Netflix (live-action movie)

Set in the aftermath of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904, Golden Kamuy follows several competing factions on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido searching for an immensely valuable cache of gold hidden by a group of Ainu, the indigenous people of Hokkaido. The female lead, Asirpa, is a young Ainu huntress and serves as both the audience's and the non-Ainu characters to the traditional Ainu way of life.

Golden Kamuy is probably the most in-depth depiction of the Ainu in anime, portraying the Ainu with respect and sympathy in the face of Japanese encroachment onto Hokkaido. In particular, traditional Ainu cooking is one of Golden Kamuy's major focuses.

While the search for the gold is a legitimately compelling storyline and the consequences of both early 20th-century Japan's ongoing conflict with Russia and Japanese colonialism on Hokkaido are presented in a largely unflinching way, Golden Kamuy actually has a very off-beat sense of humor. The shift between serious and silly can be jarring at times and the tonal inconsistency may be enough to turn off some viewers, but the plot of Golden Kamuy is driven by a memorable cast of larger-than-life characters.

In addition to the original anime series streaming on Crunchyroll, a live-action movie adaptation is also streaming on Netflix. Both the anime and the live-action movie are rated Mature and contain violence, profanity, and mature subject matter that some viewers may find disturbing.

4. The Heike Story

Where to watch: Crunchyroll

The epic poem known as The Tale of the Heike is one of the most famous works of Japanese literature, documenting one of the most consequential periods in Japanese history. The Genpei War of the 1180s between the Taira (also known as the Heike, hence the name of the poem) and Minamoto clans lead to the rise of the samurai and the establishment of the shoguns' effective rule over Japan for the majority of the next 700 years. The Heike Story anime series is a fantastic introduction for viewers to this hugely important period of Japanese history.

Following the orphaned clairvoyant and musician Biwa (named for the instrument she plays) after she is taken in by the Taira, The Heike Story gives a ground-level view of the daily life of the most powerful family of their day. Certain sacrifices to the source material are necessary to fit a 1000-page story into an 11-episode anime, but Biwa gets enough time to interact with the most important members of the Taira family to really help hammer home the tragedy of the Taira's inevitable downfall.

Interestingly, The Heike Story also offers audiences a glimpse into how public readings of the original poem are traditionally performed. Biwa sings passages of the text with musical accompaniment in the same way readings of The Tale of Heike were originally meant to be performed.

The Heike Story is streaming on Crunchyroll.

5. Vinland Saga

Where to watch: HIDIVE (Season 1), Netflix (Season 1 and 2), Crunchyroll (Season 1 and 2), Amazon Prime Video (Season 1)

Noteworthy for being one of comparatively few historical anime not taking place in Japan, Vinland Saga combines the history of the Danish invasions of England in the early 11th century, Norse exploration of North America, material from the Norse Sagas, and even the legend of King Arthur.

While Vinland Saga does make some changes to established history for the sake of its own story and features several character designs that are exaggerated and stylish beyond anything even remotely historically accurate, it's overall quite grounded compared to other historical fiction series that fully embraced magical and fantastical elements.

Maybe unexpectedly for a war story with a cast full of Vikings, Vinland Saga has a powerful pacifistic bent. The main character Thorfinn is used to explore the original manga creator Makoto Yukimura's philosophical outlook. The series doesn't pull any punches about the brutality of the Viking Age and despite plenty of impressive battle scenes, Vinland Saga also gets remarkably introspective in examining how people would respond to living through such violent times.

Due to how the rights to the series were negotiated, both Netflix and HIDIVE produced their own English dubs of the series, with HIDIVE's consisting of only the first season as of this writing and Netflix's consisting of both seasons produced so far. Further complicating things is the fact that Crunchyroll has dubbed season 1 into several non-English languages and is also streaming season 2 using the same English cast as HIDIVE previously did. The original Japanese version is available on all three platforms, as well as on Amazon Prime Video.

Although none of these anime are very accurate history lessons, they're still definitely worth a watch. In fact, all of these anime tell such compelling stories that they'll appeal to anime fans who aren't even history buffs.

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