Since the 1930s, superheroes have been a form of entertainment enjoyed by all from different walks in life. Characters such as Superman, Batman, and Captain America have influenced all forms of media from television to manga. Anime is no exception to the influence of these heroic stories. Below is a list of the best and most inspirational superhero anime of all time. 

Cyborg 009

Shotaro Ishinomori is the creator of popular superhero franchises that many know of including Kamen Rider and Kikader. Super Sentai, known in North America as Power Rangers, is also one of these well recognized series. Although Super Sentai and Kamen Rider are what he is known for, Ishinomori also gave birth to the beloved Cyborg 009 franchise.

Created by the author of Kamen Rider, Cyborg 009 is a series that follows nine humans from different parts of the world. Kidnapped by the sinister Black Ghost organization, these nine humans are subjected to experimentations by the organization leader, Skull. These experimentations successfully turn the nine into cyborgs with extraordinary powers. After escaping the clutches of Skull, the nine cyborgs continue to fight crime.

Astro Boy

Following the death of son, genius scientist, Dr. Umataro Tenma, creates an android in his son’s image. Astro Boy, the android, presents human emotions and lives with Dr. Tenma as an adoptive son. Dr. Tenma, never forgetting the death of his son, begins to show disdain for the android that resembles his son. The scientist eventually sells Astro Boy to Hamegg, a circus owner. Astro Boy follows the story of this robot fighting evildoers using his powers.

Astro Boy is often credited for the birth of modern anime due to the stylization of the characters drawn such as large eyes. This franchise also has a plethora of adaptations in the form of movies, manga, and anime remakes.

Tiger & Bunny

The story of Tiger & Bunny is an interesting twist on the traditional superhero template. Kotetsu Kaburagi is an aging hero known as Wild Tiger. His super power allows him to increase his strength 100 times his current ability for five minutes. However, a younger hero, Barnaby Brooks Jr. has the same ability. In order to save their careers as heroes, they must put aside their differences and work together. 

In Tiger & Bunny, heroes, called NEXT, are sponsored by corporations to bring attention to their companies. Being a hero in Tiger & Bunny is considered a career. The NEXT appear on a television network by the name of Hero TV to earn Hero Points for a hero ranking. This show represents how greed can get in the way of being a righteous person.

Zetman

The story of Zetman depicts a darker version of heroes compared to other titles on this list. The plot follows a young Jin Kanzaki and Kouga Amagi as they both strive to be the ideal hero. However, their definitions of what a hero represents diverge as they grow older. These different approaches to being a hero leads to them clashing on more than one occasion. That doesn’t stop the two young men from allying to stop monsters known as the Players.

My Hero Academia

In a world filled with super powers known as “quirks”, Izuku Midoriya is one without any powers. Midoriya yearns to become a hero like his idol, All Might. One day, Midoriya, seizes the chance to become a hero as strong as All Might. By ingesting a strand of hair from All Might, Midoriya inherits All Might's All For One quirk. This quirk grants him superhuman strength at the cost of his body. Midoriya must train to control these powers and become a hero worthy of replacing All Might.

Midoriya’s will to not give up is the perfect example of a superhero. Even when facing impending peril and fear, Midoriya faces the opposition head first. Each character in the show has their own unique quirks and personalities that make My Hero Academia worth the watch.

One Punch Man

The story of One Punch Man follows the Class-C hero, Saitama, as he protects Earth from powerful enemies. As formidable as these villains may be for Saitama’s peers in the Hero Association, this follically challenged hero always defeats them in one punch.

One Punch Man is a superhero anime with themes of friendship and heroism. Characters in this world see villains as genuine threats to humanity while Saitama wants to fight someone without killing them in one punch. This contrast lends itself to the comedic nature of One Punch Man.

Sailor Moon

Watch Usagi Tsukino as she fights evil by moonlight in Sailor Moon. Usagi gains the power to protect the Solar System from the forces of evil as the leader of the Sailor Guardians. The themes of Sailor Moon depict allyship and heroism. Similar to the popular franchise, Dragon Ball, Sailor Moon is widely recognized around the world for the astonishing transformations of the characters. This property is referenced in other anime and media while being the inspiration for others.

Superhero anime continues to thrive whether they are a parody of the superhero genre or a darker take on an often light-hearted genre. Recent titles such as GO! GO! Loser Ranger! garner praise for depicting different views than those of the hero. While the shows above are amazing, they represent only a fraction of the superhero genre.

The post The 7 Best Superhero Anime of All Time appeared first on Siliconera.

Anime traditionally debut with 12-13 episodes in a season. There are a plethora of anime that exceed that amount by hundreds of episodes. However, not all of them are worth the time required to watch them. Below are the best long-running anime series to watch that are over 100 episodes.

Naruto

With 720 episodes, including Naruto(220) and Naruto Shippuden(500), the story of Naruto follows a mischievous young ninja on his quest to become the village leader, the Hokage. Naruto is shunned by his peers and other villagers as he hosts the Nine-Tailed Fox within his body. This demon is responsible for the death of the Fourth Hokage and many surviving villagers’ loved ones. As the Hokage is someone everyone respects, Naruto believes that people will stop despising him if he becomes this beacon for the village. Naruto’s growth as a person is shown throughout the series through death, denial, and war. Every episode is not canon, however, with nearly half of each series being filler. In spite of the overwhelming amount of filler, Naruto is worth the watch.

Bleach

Bleach is a series consisting of 392 episodes separated into 366 episodes for its original run and 26 for the Thousand-Year Blood War arc as of July 2024. Ichigo Kurosaki is a high school student with an unusual ability. The orange haired ruffian has the ability to see the spirits of the undead. One day, a shinigami named Rukia enters his room searching for a powerful “Hollow”. Trying to protect Ichigo, witnessing all of the events, she is gravely injured. Rukia transfers half of her Soul Reaper powers to Ichigo to have a chance at survival for them both. This marks Ichigo’s transition into a Substitute Soul Reaper and the beginning of the long road ahead.

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure

In contrast to many other long-running anime, the story of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure doesn’t follow one protagonist. Hirohiko Araki, the manga artist for Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, introduces a new member of the Joestar family as the main protagonist for each new arc. As of 2024, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure is 190 episodes long, spanning across six unique arcs in the story. The anime has been running since Araki’s manga 25th anniversary on October 12, 2012. While every Joestar has their own story, most of them involve the vile man, Dio Brando directly or otherwise.

Beginning with Phantom Blood, the story stars Jonathan Joestar as he battles his adoptive step-brother, Dio Brando. Dio’s goal is to obtain the Joestar’s family wealth by any means necessary. He acquires the powers of a vampire using a stone mask. Jonathan must not only protect his family, but others he holds dear from the clutches of Dio. This rivalry leads to decades of torment from Dio on the Joestar family.

One Piece

Debuting on October 20, 1999, One Piece is one the longest running anime of all time, clocking in at 1113 episodes as of July 2024. One Piece stars Monkey D. Luffy as the leader of the Straw Hats Pirates. His main objective: Reach the Grand Line. On his way, he battles powerful foes while gathering new allies to join his crew. The story portrays the bonds of friendship while having a sense of adventure. The Straw Hats’ brushes with the law(The Marines) gives an overt tale of rebellion.

Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z

Based on the iconic manga by the late Akira Toriyama, Dragon Ball is one the most influential anime of all time. Dragon Ball, more specifically Dragon Ball Z, is referenced in other popular forms of entertainment besides anime. Given the excitement and thrill of watching a fight in this series, it is easy to see why.

Dragon Ball stars Son Goku as he leaves his home in the countryside to search for seven mystical balls that can grant any wish. Along this journey, he meets allies that would continue to be a part of the series in the sequel Dragon Ball Z. On his quest to become the strongest, Goku must battle foes that threaten the Earth’s safety.

Dragon Ball debuted on Fuji Tv on February 26, 1986. Airing until April 18, 1989, 153 episodes were made for Akira Toriyama’s masterpiece. Starting immediately afterwards was Dragon Ball Z airing from April 26, 1989 - January 31, 1996 with 291 episodes.

Gintama

Feudal Japan has been invaded by aliens known as the Amanto. Samurai defended their home until they were no more. Now the Amanto have integrated themselves into Edo Japan, banning all swords.

Gintoki Sakata, a former samurai who fought in the war against the Amanto, operates an odd jobs business known as Yorozuya. Follow Gintoki and the other odd job employees, Shinpachi and Kagura, as they find themselves in hysterical predicaments.

Gintama first debuted on April 4, 2006 on TV Tokyo. Sunrise, the studio that animated most of Gintama, had a turbulent road when working on this comedic series. Gintama was near cancellation or canceled several times during its run until a movie released on January 8, 2021.

Hunter x Hunter

October 2, 2011 marks the date Hunter x Hunter debuted until its end on September 24, 2014. The plot revolves around ten year old Gon Freecs as he departs his home island to find his father after discovering he had become a Hunter. Gon himself wants to follow in his footsteps of being a Hunter. However, in order to be a Hunter, he must take the Hunter Exam. Gon befriends Kurapika, Killua, and Leorio over the course of the exam. Follow Gon and his friends as they take on the treacherous trials of the Hunter Exam.

Yu Yu Hakusho

14 year old delinquent, Yusuke Urameshi, loses his life attempting to save another. He is given another chance at life by Koenma, the son of the king of the Underworld, King Enma. Through a series of trials, he would be able to return to his body. In return, Yusuke will become a Spirit Detective. Follow the escapades of Yusuke over 112 episodes as he assumes his roles as Spirit Detective in Yu Yu Hakusho.

While there is a significant amount of anime that have 100 or more episodes, like Detective Conan and Yu-Gi-Oh, the anime above are worth the investment.

Watch every title except Bleach on Crunchyroll. All episodes of Bleach are available to watch on Hulu in addition to the Thousand-Year Blood War arc. 

The post The Best Anime of All Time with More Than 100 Episodes appeared first on Siliconera.

Seinen anime are often overlooked due to the similarities the demographic shares with shounen anime. Geared towards an older audience, seinen anime depict grittier stories with mature themes. This is not always true, however. Some stories portray comedic undertones while targeting the university and salary man demographic. In the 2010s, seinen anime began to garner the attention of many with releases in this demographic such as Steins: Gate. However, as more seinen were released, the better stories got. Here are a few of the best seinen anime of the 2010s.

Tokyo Ghoul

Adapting Sui Ishida’s manga of the same name, the plot of Tokyo Ghoul involves death, cannibalism, and acceptance. See the story of Kaneki Ken as a wonderful date takes a turn for the worse. Kaneki is narrowly killed by his date, Kamishiro Rize, while alone in the park. To save his life, doctors replace his organs with those of Kamishiro. However, Kamishiro was a ghoul; a monster who feeds on the flesh of humans. With her organs implanted, Kaneki has become the very thing that almost ended his life. Now Kaneki must navigate this new reality of his while being hunted by police officers. The second season of Tokyo Ghoul, Tokyo Ghoul: re, does not compete with the first season of this ghoulish anime. 

In most cases when an anime veers off the path its manga counterpart set in stone, it is often due to the anime catching up to the manga. Animators usually add filler episodes until they have enough material to anime. Naruto is a perfect example as almost half of the episodes are filler. Tokyo Ghoul is different, however. Sui Ishida wanted to take a different route in the anime compared to what he illustrated in the manga. This left fans feeling dejected at the end product. Though Tokyo Ghoul: re isn’t the best adaptation, the rest of the series is a good watch.

Erased

If you like time travel, Erased is the anime you should watch immediately. The story of Erased involves 29-year old Satoru Fujinuma, a floundering manga artist who has the ability to cheat death. At every attempt on his life, he is sent back in time minutes before his death occurs. This loop will continue until he prevents this death from happening. One day, after being accused of his mother's death, he is sent back 18 years in the past to when he was a grade school student. To stop his mother’s death, he must find the connection between the past and present.

Erased is a story of how past choices affect the future. The themes of this mystery anime depict loss, regret, and consequences of one’s action. Erased shows that even if you eventually save everyone else, something will still be lost.

Vinland Saga

From its beginnings as a shounen manga, Vinland Saga is the story of Thorfinn, the son of a renowned viking. Thorfinn seeks revenge against his father’s murderer, Askeladd. In order to achieve this goal, he joins Askeladd’s crew of mercenaries with the single thought of killing him. As the story progresses, Thorfinn continues to face hardships as well as small victories.

Vinland Saga depicts themes of vengeance, redemption, and finding oneself in a historical setting. The author, Makoto Yukimura, drew inspiration from real world events like the Cold War for his depiction of characters in his story. This makes Vinland Saga a worthy watch.

Goblin Slayer

Goblin Slayer is about what the title suggests: Slaying goblins. In a fantasy world filled with orcs, dragons, and beasts, the most common deaths for rookie adventurers are at the hands of goblins. The Goblin Slayer story follows the escapades of the silver-ranked adventurer, Goblin Slayer, as he strives to achieve his goal of exterminating every goblin. Through trials and tribulation, he has learned every weakness, strategy, and type of goblin to aid him in this goal. Join the Goblin Slayer and his party as they take on these evil beasts.

Goblin Slayer renders a dark image of, what would be, a low level enemy in other anime as a foe that should be feared. This is why Goblin Slayer stands out from most anime in general. Be warned as this dark fantasy depicts gruesome assaults on women.

One Punch Man

Monsters and villains roam the earth, wreaking havoc at every turn. To combat these destructive beings, the Hero Association is formed with upstanding heroes consisting of Class C - S. These ranks determine what level of threat a hero can handle along with their competency. Enter Saitama, a C-Class hero with strength unmatched by anyone. Due to his overwhelming power, Saitama tends to finish every foe he faces in one punch.

One Punch is more comparable to shounen manga akin to Dragon Ball than other seinen titles on this list. The light-hearted comedic tone of the story paired with the bombastic action has One Punch Man standing out against its contemporaries in the seinen category.

Although seinen is steadily gaining footing with audiences, this demographic of anime has been around since Lupin the Third and Berserk. With commercial successes like One Punch Man and Vinland Saga, seinen anime has the chance to garner more attention over time.

Every anime listed above is available to watch on Crunchyroll except for One Punch Man. You can stream every season of One Punch Man on Hulu.

The post The Best Seinen Anime of the 2010s appeared first on Siliconera.

Limited Run Games held its LRG3 2024 showcase on June 20, 2024, during which the preservation company announced over 30 titles with physical editions (and in some cases digital versions) coming soon. Classics like Beyond Good & Evil: 20th Anniversary Edition appeared alongside items like a physical edition for Lollipop Chainsaw RePOP. Square Enix's Fighting Force Collection stands out as one of the few titles getting a physical and digital release as well.

All Limited Run Games games announced at LRG3 2024:

Physical Releases

These are titles that may already exist or are about to. Limited Run Games is just handling the physical copies of these games.

• Assault Suit Leyonos - 2024 | TBA
• Beyond Good & Evil: 20th Anniversary Edition - July 12, 2024| Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch
• C-Smash VRS  - 2024 | PS5, PSVR2
• Cosmic Fantasy Collection 2 
• DoubleShake - TBA | PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and PC
• GI Joe: The Wrath of Cobra - 2025 | TBA
• Gimmick 2 - PS5, Nintendo Switch
• Hitman: Blood Money Reprisal - Fall 2024 | TBA
• Jay & Silent Bob: Chronic Blunt Punch - 2024 | TBA
• Lollipop Chainsaw RePOP - Summer 2024 | Xbox Series X, PS5, Nintendo Switch
• Ninja Five-O  - July 5, 2024 | PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and PC
• Penny’s Big Breakaway - 2024 | TBA
• Rain World - 2024 | Nintendo Switch
• Rugrats: Adventures in Gameland - TBA | Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and PC
• Snow Bros. Wonderland - 2024 | TBA
• Starship Troopers: Extermination - Summer 2024 | TBA
• Star Wars Dark Forces - Xbox Series X, PS5, Nintendo Switch
• Toxic Crusaders - 2024 | TBA
• Valis Collection III - Summer 2024 | TBA
• Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus - Summer 2024 | Nintendo Switch

Carbon Engine Releases

These are essentially the games that Limited Run Games is first-hand working on to bring back. This means it uses its Carbon Engine to remaster and bring them to new platforms. As such, it means first-time digital and physical releases.

• Busby Collection - TBA | Xbox Series X|S, PS5, Nintendo Switch, and PC
• Clock Tower - Fall 2024 | Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and PC
• GEX Trilogy - Fall 2024 | Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and PC
• Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution - 2025 | PC and Consoles
• Tomba - August 1, 2024 | PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and PC
• Tomba 2 - PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and PC

Physical and Digital Releases

This is again a situation in which entirely new games are on the way. This meant news about digital and physical releases.

• DoubleShake - PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and PC
• Fear Effect - 2025 | PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and PC
• Fighting Force Collection  - 2025 | PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and PC
• GHOST - 2025 | PC and Consoles
• Renaine  - Fall 2024 | Nintendo Switch and PC

Watch the full showcase here:

Some of the listed games are available to pre-order now from Limited Run Games' website.

The post Full Limited Run Games LRG 3 2024 Game Lineup appeared first on Siliconera.