Top Elderly Protagonist Anime Recommendations

Howl no Ugoku Shiro

Also known as Howl‘s Moving Castle.

Studio: Studio Ghibli
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Drama , Fantasy , Romance

Sophie, a quiet girl working in a hat shop, finds her life thrown into turmoil when she is literally swept off her feet by a handsome but mysterious wizard named Howl. The vain and vengeful Witch of the Waste, jealous of their friendship, puts a spell on Sophie. In a life-changing adventure, Sophie climbs aboard Howl's magnificent flying castle and enters a magical world on a quest to break the spell.



Tags: Magic , Female Protagonist , Steampunk , Witch , Elderly Protagonist , Found Family , War , Shapeshifting , Heterosexual , Fairy Tale , Disability , Monster Boy , Age Gap , Travel , Curses , Philosophy , Time Manipulation , Rural , Politics , Royal Affairs , Maids , Demons , Aviation , CGI , Coming of Age

Inuyashiki

Also known as INUYASHIKI LAST HERO.

Studio: MAPPA
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Psychological , Sci-Fi

Ichiro Inuyashiki is down on his luck. While only 58 years old, his geriatric looks often have him written off as a pathetic old man by the world around him and he's constantly ignored and disrespected by his family despite all that he's done to support them. On top of everything else, his doctor has revealed that he has cancer and it appears that he has little time left in this world. But just when it seems things couldn't get any worse, a blinding light in the night sky strikes the earth where Ichiro stands. He later wakes up to find himself unscathed, but he soon starts to notice that there's something…different about himself.



Tags: Cyborg , Tragedy , Super Power , Seinen , Elderly Protagonist , Male Protagonist , Robots , Urban , CGI , Anti-Hero , School , Crime , Terrorism , Philosophy , Urban Fantasy , Gore , Superhero , Body Horror , Primarily Teen Cast , Police , Heterosexual , Otaku Culture , Primarily Male Cast , Aliens , Yakuza , Space , Politics , Irrumatio , Nudity

Somali to Mori no Kamisama

Also known as Somali and the Forest Spirit.

Studio: Satelight , HORNETS
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Drama , Fantasy , Slice of Life

The world is ruled by a diversity of inhuman beings, who persecuted humans and drove them to near-extinction. One day, the forest guardian Golem meets a human girl. This is a chronicle of a journey that would bind a member of the dying "human" clan to the forest guardian Golem, as father and daughter.



The first episode received an advance web distribution on January 3. The regular TV broadcast started on January 10.

Tags: Adoption , Found Family , Female Protagonist , Family Life , Iyashikei , Travel , Parenthood , Lost Civilization , Elderly Protagonist , Survival , Demons , Male Protagonist , Youkai , Seinen , Orphan , Slavery , Witch , CGI , Body Horror , Disability , Elf

Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu

Also known as Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju.

Studio: Studio DEEN
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama

The story revolves around a mature prisoner who was released on good behavior during Japan's Shouwa Genroku era (1960s to early 1970s). He is called Yotarou by others, a term that means an "anti-hero" or a "dim-witted man." When he returns to society, he starts a new life in rakugo (comic storytelling). Touched by Yakumo's role as the "grim reaper," he asks the master to take him in as an apprentice. Most of the season delves into Yakumo's own past during World War II and the years afterward.



Note: The first episode aired with a runtime of 48 minutes as opposed to the standard 24 minute long episode.

Tags: Rakugo , Tragedy , Acting , Historical , Primarily Adult Cast , Time Skip , Love Triangle , Josei , Male Protagonist , Disability , Meta , Primarily Male Cast , LGBTQ+ Themes , War , Suicide , Elderly Protagonist

Death Billiards

Studio: MADHOUSE
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Mystery , Psychological , Thriller

Two men have just arrived at a location known as Quindecim and are unable to remember how they got there. They are immediately greeted by a young woman who escorts them to a small bar, where a bartender awaits them. They are told that they will have to participate in a game, randomly chosen by roulette, and will be unable to leave until its completion; if they refuse, the consequences will be dire. In addition to the rules of the game, the two men are told to play as if their lives are at stake.
The game that has been chosen is billiards. But there's more to it than just pocketing pool balls, as the two are about to find out the outcome could mean life or death.
Death Billiards is one of the four anime works that each received 38 million yen (about US$480,000) from the "2012 Young Animator Training Project." Just like in 2010 and 2011, the animation labor group received 214.5 million yen (US$2.65 million) from the Japanese government's Agency for Cultural Affairs, and it distributed most of those funds to studios who train young animators on-the-job.


Tags: Afterlife , Philosophy , Gambling , Primarily Adult Cast , Bar , Death Game , Elderly Protagonist , Amnesia , Primarily Male Cast , Kuudere

Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu: Sukeroku Futatabi-hen

Also known as Descending Stories: Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju.

Studio: Studio DEEN
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama

Unable to forget a performance of "Shinigami" performed by the rakugo master Yakumo in the prison where he was being held, Yotaro's first act upon his release was go right to the theater, where he begged, pleaded, and was finally accepted as Yakumo's live-in apprentice. After years of refining his art, Yotaro was promoted to the rank of Shinuchi and inherited the title of 3rd Generation Sukeroku. For the sake of his master Yakumo, Konatsu, and to change the image of Sukeroku inside them both, what kind of rakugo will Yotaro discover?

This celebrated human drama, based on a story by Haruko Kumota, offers an honest and sympathetic look into the lives and livelihoods of rakugo storytellers in the Showa era.



Tags: Rakugo , Josei , Acting , Elderly Protagonist , Primarily Adult Cast , Male Protagonist , Afterlife , Time Skip , Historical , Suicide , Yakuza , Gods , Inseki , Pregnancy , Memory Manipulation , Age Gap

Jii-san Baa-san Wakagaeru

Also known as Grandpa and Grandma Turn Young Again.

Studio: Gekkou
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Fantasy , Romance , Slice of Life

The story of Jii-san Baa-san Wakagaeru follows Shouzou and Ine, an elderly couple who are living a quiet life in a farming village in Aomori Prefecture. After eating a mysterious apple that they discover on their apple farm, Shozo and Ine spontaneously regain their youth, but even after being reinvigorated they continue to live life at a grandparent-ly pace.



Tags: Age Regression , Heterosexual , Family Life , Elderly Protagonist , Rural , Primarily Adult Cast , Episodic , Female Protagonist , Male Protagonist , Iyashikei , Agriculture , Philosophy , Gods , Tragedy , Travel , Seinen , Urban Fantasy , Trains , Snowscape

Akuyaku Reijou Tensei Oji-san

Also known as From Bureaucrat to Villainess: Dad's Been Reincarnated!.

Studio: Ajiado
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Fantasy

After a traffic accident, 52-year-old civil servant Kenzaburou Tondabayashi awakens to find he's become Grace Auvergne, a duke's daughter, and more importantly the villainess of an otome game. Not wanting to get in the way of the happy endings of the young characters around him, Grace sets out to play the role of the villain, but whether it's due to Kenzaburou's memories of being an affectionate parent getting in the way or not being able to remember those pesky foreign names properly, it ends up being a lot harder than it looks...

Tags: Villainess , Seinen , Video Games , Meta , Otaku Culture , Isekai , Gender Bending , Parody , School , Female Protagonist , Animals , Age Regression , Dragons , Matchmaking , Magic , Royal Affairs , Mixed Gender Harem , Reincarnation , Primarily Teen Cast , Primarily Male Cast , Surreal Comedy , Elderly Protagonist , Male Protagonist , Swordplay , Family Life , Nekomimi , Maids , Chibi , Medieval , Tsundere , Gods

Tsumiki no Ie

Also known as La Maison en Petits Cubes.

Studio: Robot
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama

An old man lives in a town that has become submerged in water. As the water level rises, he's forced to build additional levels onto his home with bricks (cubes) in order to stay above water. One day he accidentally drops his favorite pipe into the lower levels of his home, and decides to rent scuba diving equipment in order to go searching for it. As he descends through his sunken home, the old man recalls memories of the past in each room.



Tags: No Dialogue , Environmental , Dystopian , Achronological Order , Post-Apocalyptic , Scuba Diving , Elderly Protagonist , Coming of Age , Fishing , Male Protagonist , Cosmic Horror , Tragedy , Family Life , Ships , Marriage , Photography

Akage no Anne

Also known as Anne of Green Gables.

Studio: Nippon Animation
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Slice of Life

Anne is an orphan full of imagination. When she arrives at her new home she learns that sometimes you have to be a sensible person too; at the same time her unique character changes, or at least attracts, the people around her. The story covers Anne's growth from about eleven to seventeen years old as she makes friends, goes to school and studies. At a difficult point in her life, Anne will have to make a hard choice and perhaps find a new dream.

Tags: Coming of Age , Classic Literature , Female Protagonist , Historical , Family Life , Orphan , Rural , Adoption , Iyashikei , Found Family , School , Time Skip , Foreign , Tragedy , Agriculture , Religion , Primarily Female Cast , Kids , Body Image , Horticulture , School Club , Primarily Child Cast , Trains , Tsundere , Musical Theater , College , Elderly Protagonist

Hoohokekyo Tonari no Yamada-kun

Also known as My Neighbors the Yamadas.

Studio: Studio Ghibli
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Slice of Life

Join in the adventures of the quirky Yamada family -- from the hilarious to the touching -- brilliantly presented in a unique, visually striking comic strip style. Takashi Yamada and his wacky wife Matsuko, who has no talent for housework, navigate their way through the ups and downs of work, marriage and family life with a sharp-tongued grandmother who lives with them, a teenage son who wishes he had cooler parents, and a pesky daughter whose loud voice is unusual for someone so small. Even the family dog has issues!



Tags: Episodic , Ensemble Cast , Family Life , Chibi , Achronological Order , Surreal Comedy , Rotoscoping , Kids , Baseball , School , Primarily Adult Cast , Motorcycles , Educational , Elderly Protagonist

Roujin Z

Also known as Roujin Z.

Studio: APPP
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Comedy , Drama , Mecha , Sci-Fi

The Z Project was intended to give the new generation a break from caring for the old. The original intention was to create a machine to care for them without any intervention. At first glance, it looked like an excellent plan, and many of the younger generation approved of its application. But when old Mr. Takazawa became the test subject for the Z-001 machine, Haruko questioned both the tactics of the hospital and the moral implications of the machine. This is just the beginning, as Haruko has not just the hospital, but the odds against her. But then, she discovers an odd quirk about the machine: it uses a biochip, and it eventually acquires a mind of its own!



Tags: Cyberpunk , Artificial Intelligence , Rehabilitation , Robots , Animals , Urban Fantasy , Satire , Primarily Adult Cast , Real Robot , Elderly Protagonist , Female Protagonist , Male Protagonist , Crime , Military , Fugitive , Politics , College

Hyouge Mono

Studio: Bee Train
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Drama

The story is set during Japan's Sengoku Jidai (Era of the Warring States) and centers on Furuta Sasuke, a vassal of the great warlord Oda Nobunaga and a man obsessed with tea ceremony and material desires in his pursuit of a fortuitous life. Having learned from Oda and the legendary tea master Sen no Soueki, Furuta walks the way of the Hyouge Mono.





Tags: Historical , Seinen , Biographical , Philosophy , Primarily Adult Cast , Politics , Primarily Male Cast , Male Protagonist , War , Samurai , Religion , Swordplay , Elderly Protagonist

SAND LAND: THE SERIES

Also known as Sand Land: The Series.

Studio: Sunrise , Kamikaze Douga , Studio Anima
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Fantasy , Supernatural

In the far future, war has destroyed the entire Earth, leaving only a barren wasteland where the supply of water is controlled by the greedy king. In search of a long-lost lake, Sheriff Rao asked the king of the demons for help...and got the king's son, Beelzebub, and his assistant, Thief. Together the unlikely trio sets off across the desert, facing dragons, bandits and the deadliest foe of all... the King's army itself!

The first half of the SAND LAND: THE SERIES anime, episodes one to six, are titled “Akuma no Ooji” and is based on the film adaptation with some new footage, it will premiere alongside episode seven, which is the first episode of a brand-new arc titled “Tenshi no Yuusha”.



Tags: Post-Apocalyptic , Tanks , Desert , Full CGI , Dystopian , CGI , Demons , Military , War , Primarily Male Cast , Angels , Shounen , Elderly Protagonist

Inaka Isha

Also known as Franz Kafka's A Country Doctor.

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Psychological

A hapless country doctor describes with breathless urgency a night-time summons to attend a young patient. Events soon take on a surreal aspect as "unearthly horses" transport him instantaneously to the bedside. The doctor, preoccupied with personal distractions and grievances against those he is employed to care for, fails to find what is revealed to be a vile, fatal wound. He is humiliated by the villagers, who are "always expecting the impossible from the doctor," and doomed to an endless return trip, losing everything.



Tags: Philosophy , Rural , Classic Literature , Historical , Medicine , Denpa , Elderly Protagonist

Ore, Tsushima

Also known as I, Tsushima.

Studio: Fanworks , Space Neko Company
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Slice of Life

The story centers on a woman who is getting on in years, but all her cats think she's a man so they call her Ojii-chan. One day a brazen cat named Tsushima appears in Ojii-chan's yard.

Tags: Animals , Surreal Comedy , Elderly Protagonist , CGI , Female Protagonist , Urban , Family Life , Shoujo

Rick and Morty: The Anime

Also known as Rick and Morty: The Anime.

Studio: Telecom Animation Film
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Comedy , Sci-Fi

An anime adaptation of Rick and Morty. Directed by Takashi Sano (Rick and Morty vs. Genocider, Summer Meets God) at Telecom Animation Film, the anime will be an original work, based on themes and events from the main Rick and Morty animated series.



Note: The first episode was screened early on June 25th at the 17th International Animated Film Festival ANIMATOR in Poznań, Poland.

Tags: Aliens , Space , Alternate Universe , Clone , Elderly Protagonist , Time Manipulation , Fugitive , Bisexual , Post-Apocalyptic , Male Protagonist , Virtual World , Video Games , Philosophy , Anti-Hero , Superhero , Memory Manipulation , Amnesia , Cyborg , Snowscape , Yakuza , Anthropomorphism

Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu: Yotarou Hourou-hen

Studio: Studio DEEN
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama

Bundled with the special editions of the manga's 7th and 8th volumes.

The story revolves around a mature prisoner who was released on good behavior during Japan's Showa Genroku era (1960s to early 1970s). He is called Yotarou by others, a term that means an "anti-hero" or a "dim-witted man." When he returns to society, he starts a new life in rakugo (comic storytelling). Touched by Yakumo's role as the "grim reaper," he asks the master to take him in as an apprentice.



Tags: Rakugo , Historical , Male Protagonist , Primarily Adult Cast , Josei , Acting , Elderly Protagonist

Kujira no Chouyaku

Also known as Glassy Ocean.

Studio: Ai ga areba Daijobu
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Fantasy

Time has come to a standstill. A whale appears from a glassy ocean and spends half a day soaring gracefully across the skies. What makes this works extraordinary is the artist's decision to use the transparency and visual bulk of 3D computer graphics only for the un-moving ocean and glaciers. The people, whale, and ships are all hand-drawn, and with this contrast, he invites the viewer into a different world. This is a poem written in animation, the creation of a true fantasy. This project was a considerable under taking, and the results are marvelous.



Tags: Time Manipulation , Elderly Protagonist , Achronological Order , Ships , CGI , Iyashikei , Philosophy

Umi ga Hashiru End Roll

Studio: Kyoto Animation
Status: Not_Yet_Released
Genres: Comedy , Drama , Slice of Life

Umiko, a grandma, realizes that she has the same desire to make movies as university student Kai—and soon she enrolls in Kai's film school!

"It's not the movies you like…you like watching the people watching the movies."

Just what are you going to do with the rest of your life? It's the question you'll always have to answer, no matter your age. Umiko Chino is a 65-year-old retired woman in mourning for her late husband. Remembering how they used to watch films together, Umiko goes to the movie theater for the first time in years, where she meets Kai, an attractive, ambiguous young man who studies filmmaking at a nearby art school.

They would seem to have nothing in common, except for this—both of them sometimes like to look more at the way the audience reacts to a movie than the movie itself. Kai believes Umiko has the same deep desire he possesses to experience how people respond to something they made… and challenges her to stake the rest of her life discovering that thrill.

Soon Umiko surprises herself by enrolling in the same film school as Kai. But sailing into this new sea, she's suddenly inside the currents of her fellow students' lives, a much younger generation that she struggles to understand, driven by their own passions and their own relationships. Who's really experienced at life, and is it old age or observation that brings wisdom? And does what you're looking for change when you look with your eyes instead of through a camera lens…?



Tags: Female Protagonist , Elderly Protagonist , Filmmaking , LGBTQ+ Themes , Asexual , Photography , Primarily Adult Cast , College , Shoujo , Iyashikei , Aromantic