Fantasy anime are often characterized by a strong main cast. The lead, whether male or female, is often an integral part of the plot, and most of the story is focused around him.
In this article, we are proposing a list of fantasy anime where the lead is a strong male character that dominates the whole story.
There will be many famous entries in this list but hopefully, you can find some suggestions you didn’t know before.
How we rank the anime is based on our personal opinions and ideas.
Table of Contents
11. The Irregular at Magic High School
The Irregular at Magic School is an anime aired in 2014. The plot is set in the late 21st century, in a future where magic has become commonplace and had merged with technology.
The events follow the lives of a group of boys attending a school where magic is taught and where the students are divided into courses based on their talent.
The main character called Shiba Tatsuya is relegated to the Second Course, the one for less talented magicians. Despite that, he will prove to possess extraordinary technical knowledge and physical combat capabilities.
He doesn’t give up and manages to prove everybody wrong by showing his real talent.
The Irregular at Magic High School was kinda polarizing when it came out. The plot is enjoyable and the various characters are interesting, with a competent MC, so we believe it’s worth your time.
10. The Misfit of Demon King Academy
The events of the shows start in a very distant past where a war between humans and demons raged on for years. To put an end to all of this, the Demon lord Anos Voldigoad sacrificed his life to be reincarnated in a peaceful future.
Following these events, the Demon King Academy was created. This is an elite academy to recognize the potential reincarnation of the late King.
Eventually, Anos comes back into the world but he is let down by the fact that the level of magic has drastically decreased, and his legacy has been tarnished.
Anos will enroll in the Demon King Academy with the goal of restoring his name and making everybody know who he was and that he is finally returned.
If you are into a power fantasy store you should enjoy this one. The main character is an actual god of some kind who comes back into the world and he is disappointed by what he sees.
9. Overlord
Overlord is an anime based on a light novel series written by Kugane Maruyama and illustrated by So-Bin in 2012.
A great Isekai classic, it takes the basics of the genre and reworks them into a dark fantasy atmosphere.
Although the initial premise is the same as many other anime, here the protagonist Momonga isn’t reincarnated into a weakling. But rather into what is considered the most powerful being in the world.
This will lead him to be in command of an army with which he will slowly conquer everything, in a series of events that are never predictable.
The great virtue of Overlord is the rawness of the actions performed by Momonga and the real and tangible weight they have on the people of the world. And indeed we consider him as one of the best evil MCs you can find.
8. Code Geass
This is a popular anime aired between 2006 and 2007 with one of the best genius MC ever.
The plot is set in a dystopian version of Japan where the country is a colony of the British Empire and is known as Area 11.
The political turmoil puts Japan in a war-like situation and the protagonist Lelouch gets caught in the crossfire.
He manages to escape after receiving the Geass from C.C., a mysterious girl. This is a power that allows him to gain absolute control over others simply by direct eye contact.
The power of mind control effectively makes Lelouch almost unstoppable. He can quickly get rid of his foes and he will utilize his newfound abilities in his pursuit of revenge against the British Empire.
Code Geass doesn’t hide the fact that it takes inspiration from many cult anime like Legend of the Galactic Heroes and Death Note.
7. Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic
A Magi is a magician whose inclination toward magic is so immense that it can be said to shape the world.
Each Magi chooses a worthy candidate to become a king, then helps them conquer strange labyrinths called Dungeons. Above all else, the Magi supervises their elected representative as they build a country that might one day bring the world to its knees.
The main character, Aladdin, is one of these Magi, and he will choose to protect Alibaba, a young and talented boy. Thus begins their adventure.
Magi draws inspiration from the classical collection of folk tales One Thousand and One Nights, as visible from the setting.
It’s a fantasy anime with one of the best male leads duo that have the potential to be hugely powerful.
The plot of the show is quite gripping but is the setting full of magic elements that makes it stand out above others in the genre.
6. Samurai Champloo
A masterpiece by master filmmaker Shinichiro Watanabe, author of cult hit Cowboy Bepop, Samurai Champloo is a 26-episode work produced by Manglobe.
The anime stars Mugen and Jin, two samurai warriors with opposing personalities, and Kasumi, a girl who has hired the two warriors to search for the “samurai who smells like sunflowers”.
Despite being very different from each other, Mugen and Jin are portrayed as very competent warriors and strong companions to Kasumi’s quest.
The story revolves around their adventures, and they are often self-contained, generally with a few elements present that drive forward the overall plot of the whole.
The setting, character design, soundtrack, and more will be just perfect, giving the viewer a very light-hearted but highly original adventure.
5. Legend of the Galactic Heroes
An OAV series about the devastating and interminable war that has raged now for 150 years between the Galactic Empire led by the Goldenbaum dynasty and the Alliance of Free Planets.
Set in the distant future when humanity has now colonized and made the entire cosmos its own, we see two protagonists pop up in the great turmoil of the war: Reinhard von Lohengramm and Yang Wen-li.
The two of them are leaders gifted with many talents and great intelligence. Reinhard is a natural at it and is a more charismatic leader overall.
Yang is very well educated in military history and knows how to apply precedent from historic battles to his benefit.
Both main characters are very interesting and different in the way they fight each other for their respective sides.
Legend of the Galactic Heroes manages to be entertaining despite being quite lengthy and this is a huge feat for any show, animated or not, gaining a spot in our list about the best anime with kingdoms at war.
4. Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
The story is set in the distant future where Earth is dominated by the Beast Men, humanoid mutants with animal-like features and powers.
Simon and Kamina are tired of living without ever seeing the sky. One day, while digging underground, they find the head of a robot, which they call Lagann.
Once they activate the mecha they manage to reach the surface and also take possession of the robot’s body.
Gurren Lagann incorporates a lot of homages to various mecha series and has robot-beastman fights on its side that are epic and over-the-top.
Throughout the seasons, Simon will grow and become a leader for his people and he will do anything to defeat every threat to the human race.
This anime is probably the best thing that has happened in the mecha genre since Neon Genesis Evangelion. Whether you like the genre or not, you should not let it pass you by.
3. Cowboy Bebop
Another great work by Watanabe, Cowboy Bebop is set in a future world where interspatial travel is the norm and Mars represents one of the cornerstones of humanity.
Unfortunately, it does not change one of the big problems in the story, namely organized crime, which is fought in a rather extravagant way by placing bounties on outlaws.
The bounty hunters are precisely called cowboys, hence the name of the title.
Arguably the whole crew can be considered a strong group of main characters but for the purpose of this article, we focus mainly on Spike Spiegel and Jet Black.
They are the two male members of the crew and are proficient bounty hunters who made a name for themselves and are very respected in their business.
Don’t be fooled by the premises that seem to herald a vision of fun-filled interspace travel. Cowboy Bebop deals with very serious and burning issues told through the lives and pasts of the crew members, each with their burdens.
This anime is highly regarded for multiple reasons, like being one of the best fantasy anime ever made so you really should watch it if you haven’t already.
2. Bakemonogatari
Araragi is the excellent protagonist of Bakemonogatari. He provides this anime an extra edge by being very well-rounded, funny, and talkative but serious and resolute when needed.
His life changes after meeting Kiss-shot Acerola-Orion Heart-under-blade, a vampire.
The main character will save her by giving away some of his blood, and this will make the boy a vampire too.
After becoming almost human again as a result of these events, he begins to find himself amid various affairs involving spirits, gods, and ghosts while living his private life.
This anime is not for everybody but is unique in its presentation and its characters so you should give it a chance, especially if you love to watch romance anime with a cool MC.
Few other works can match this one due to the complexity of its characters and for starring two incredible personalities: Gatsu and Griffith.
This work has irreversibly influenced every media outlet that has approached fantasy from a horror perspective. The murderous and bloody fury of the protagonist and his opponents remains one of the strong points of this anime.
Gatsu is one of the most badass anime protagonists ever. We can witness his growth as a man and as a warrior after seeing his incredibly dark past.
Berserk is one of the most influential anime ever. It is perhaps violent and gory at times but that’s not a reason why you shouldn’t watch it.
