Top Estranged Family Anime Recommendations

NARUTO

Also known as Naruto.

Studio: Studio Pierrot
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Comedy , Drama , Fantasy , Supernatural

Naruto Uzumaki, a hyperactive and knuckle-headed ninja, lives in Konohagakure, the Hidden Leaf village. Moments prior to his birth, a huge demon known as the Kyuubi, the Nine-tailed Fox, attacked Konohagakure and wreaked havoc. In order to put an end to the Kyuubi's rampage, the leader of the village, the 4th Hokage, sacrificed his life and sealed the monstrous beast inside the newborn Naruto.

Shunned because of the presence of the Kyuubi inside him, Naruto struggles to find his place in the village. He strives to become the Hokage of Konohagakure, and he meets many friends and foes along the way.



Tags: Ninja , Shounen , Coming of Age , Male Protagonist , Orphan , Super Power , Martial Arts , Revenge , Necromancy , Criminal Organization , Found Family , Primarily Child Cast , Shapeshifting , Ensemble Cast , Battle Royale , Bullying , Kaiju , Slapstick , Primarily Teen Cast , Philosophy , Anachronism , Heterosexual , Unrequited Love , Travel , Estranged Family , Death Game , Gender Bending , School , Assassins , Love Triangle , Anthropomorphism , Gambling

Black Clover

Also known as Black Clover.

Studio: Studio Pierrot
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Comedy , Fantasy

In a world where magic is everything, Asta and Yuno are both found abandoned at a church on the same day. While Yuno is gifted with exceptional magical powers, Asta is the only one in this world without any. At the age of fifteen, both receive grimoires, magic books that amplify their holder’s magic. Asta’s is a rare Grimoire of Anti-Magic that negates and repels his opponent’s spells. Being opposite but good rivals, Yuno and Asta are ready for the hardest of challenges to achieve their common dream: to be the Wizard King. Giving up is never an option!



Tags: Magic , Shounen , Male Protagonist , Found Family , Super Power , Orphan , Ensemble Cast , Revenge , Demons , Estranged Family , Elf , Medieval , Reincarnation , Conspiracy , Adoption , Heterosexual , Swordplay , Cult , Bullying , Lost Civilization , Class Struggle , Dissociative Identities , Cultivation , Time Skip , Kuudere , Henshin , Love Triangle , Politics , Tsundere , Disability , Travel , Nun , Food , Espionage , Curses , Dungeon , Suicide , Age Regression , Philosophy , Episodic , War , Tomboy , Coming of Age

Shin Seiki Evangelion

Also known as Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Studio: Gainax , Tatsunoko Production
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Mecha , Mystery , Psychological , Sci-Fi

In the year 2015, the Angels, huge, tremendously powerful, alien war machines, appear in Tokyo for the second time. The only hope for Mankind's survival lies in the Evangelion, a humanoid fighting machine developed by NERV, a special United Nations agency. Capable of withstanding anything the Angels can dish out, the Evangelion's one drawback lies in the limited number of people able to pilot them. Only a handful of teenagers, all born fourteen years ago, nine months after the Angels first appeared, are able to interface with the Evangelion. One such teenager is Shinji Ikari, whose father heads the NERV team that developed and maintains the Evangelion. Thrust into a maelstrom of battle and events that he does not understand, Shinji is forced to plumb the depths of his own inner resources for the courage and strength to not only fight, but to survive, or risk losing everything.



Note: Later releases include edited versions of Episodes 21-24 called the "Director's Cut" with some visual editing and adding extra scenes that appeared in the theatrical recap 'Death'.

Tags: Philosophy , Coming of Age , Tragedy , Super Robot , Denpa , Dystopian , Post-Apocalyptic , Angels , Psychosexual , Cosmic Horror , Kaiju , Primarily Teen Cast , Male Protagonist , Conspiracy , Meta , Aliens , Mythology , Body Horror , Suicide , Military , Religion , Clone , Kuudere , Tokusatsu , Tsundere , Politics , Gore , Found Family , Trains , Espionage , Bisexual , LGBTQ+ Themes , Nudity , Episodic , Boys' Love , Estranged Family , Artificial Intelligence

Dororo

Also known as Dororo.

Studio: MAPPA , Tezuka Productions
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Drama , Supernatural

Dororo, a young orphan thief, meets Hyakkimaru, a powerful ronin. Hyakkimaru's father, a greedy feudal lord, had made a pact with 12 demons, offering his yet-unborn son's body parts in exchange for great power. Thus, Hyakkimaru - who was born without arms, legs, eyes, ears, a nose or a mouth - was abandoned in a river as a baby. Rescued and raised by Dr. Honma, who equips him with artificial limbs and teaches him sword-fighting techniques, Hyakkimaru discovers that each time he slays a demon, a piece of his body is restored. Now, he roams the war-torn countryside in search of demons.

Tags: Demons , Revenge , Disability , Swordplay , Tragedy , Samurai , Youkai , Estranged Family , Anti-Hero , Orphan , War , Male Protagonist , Curses , Parenthood , Historical , Travel , Rural , Urban Fantasy , Gore , Episodic , Philosophy , Crossdressing , Female Protagonist , Body Horror , Tomboy , Kuudere , Shounen , Primarily Male Cast , Primarily Adult Cast , Ghost , Cannibalism , Heterosexual , Prostitution , Nun , Body Image

Tenki no Ko

Also known as Weathering With You.

Studio: CoMix Wave
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Romance , Slice of Life , Supernatural

High school student Hodaka leaves his home on an isolated island and moves to Tokyo, but he immediately becomes broke. He lives his days in isolation, but finally finds a job as a writer for a shady occult magazine. After he starts his job, the weather has been rainy day after day. In a corner of the crowded and busy city, Hodaka meets a young woman named Hina. Due to certain circumstances, Hina and her younger brother live together, but have a cheerful and sturdy life. Hina also has a certain power: the power to stop the rain and clear the sky.



Tags: Urban Fantasy , Urban , Environmental , Orphan , Female Protagonist , Male Protagonist , Fugitive , Found Family , Family Life , Heterosexual , Magic , Work , Super Power , Gods , Guns , Time Skip , Estranged Family , Crossdressing , Mythology , Restaurant , Tragedy

Ao Haru Ride

Also known as Blue Spring Ride.

Studio: Production I.G
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Romance , Slice of Life

Yoshioka Futaba has a few reasons why she wants to "reset" her image & life as a new high school student. Because she's cute, she was ostracized by her female friends in junior high, and because of a misunderstanding, she couldn't get her feeling across to the one boy she has ever liked, Tanaka-kun. Now in high school, she is determined to be as unladylike as possible so that her friends won't be jealous of her. While living her life this way contentedly, she meets Tanaka-kun again, but he now goes under the name of Mabuchi Kou. He tells her that he felt the same way as she did when they were younger, but now things can never be the same again. Will Futaba be able to continue her love that never even started from three years ago?

Tags: Shoujo , School , Female Protagonist , Tragedy , Heterosexual , Coming of Age , Love Triangle , Primarily Teen Cast , Estranged Family , Family Life , Bullying , School Club

3-gatsu no Lion

Also known as March comes in like a lion.

Studio: Shaft
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Slice of Life

Rei Kiriyama is a 17 year old boy who recently started living alone, financed by his salary as a professional Shogi player. Despite his independence, however, he's yet to mature emotionally, and his problems continue to haunt him in his daily life. His relationship with his adoptive family is strained, and he has difficulties interacting with his fellow high school students.

Meanwhile, his professional career in Shogi has entered a slump. Burdened with the heavy expectations placed upon him, his wins and losses are fluctuating as his record and progression into the ranks begin to stagnate.

Acquainted with Rei are the three Kawamoto sisters: Akari, Hinata, and Momo. Unlike Rei, they live happily in their modest home, which they warmly welcome Rei into as if he were one of their own. He frequently visits the family, interacting with them and receiving the kind of care and affection he never quite had while under his foster home.
This is the story of Rei's triumphs and failures, relationships new and old, and his growth as a person.



Tags: Coming of Age , Rehabilitation , Board Game , Shogi , Found Family , Seinen , Estranged Family , Family Life , Adoption , Urban , Male Protagonist , Philosophy , Tragedy , Primarily Adult Cast , Food , Unrequited Love , Iyashikei , School , School Club , Baseball

Hige wo Soru. Soshite Joshikousei wo Hirou.

Also known as Higehiro: After Being Rejected, I Shaved and Took in a High School Runaway.

Studio: project No.9
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Romance , Slice of Life

On his way home from drinking his sorrows away after being rejected by his crush, the 26 year old salaryman, Yoshida, finds a high school girl named Sayu sitting on the side of the road. Yoshida is completely drunk out of his mind and ends up letting Sayu stay at his place overnight. Not having the heart to put Sayu out on the streets since she ran away from home, Yoshida allows her to stay at his place... And so began the awkward, irritable, and slightly heartwarming relationship between a runaway high school girl and a salaryman living together.



Tags: Rehabilitation , Coming of Age , Age Gap , Bullying , Heterosexual , Cohabitation , Love Triangle , Female Protagonist , Work , Estranged Family , Primarily Adult Cast , Tragedy , Female Harem , Office Lady , Suicide , Ensemble Cast , Konbini , Office , Adoption , Tsundere , Nudity , Gyaru , Time Skip

Tokidoki Bosotto Russiago de Dereru Tonari no Alya-san

Also known as Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian.

Studio: Doga Kobo
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Romance , Slice of Life

Alya is a transfer student enjoying popularity at her new high school, often sporting a cold shoulder while earning high marks in class. She ignores her nerdy classmate, Kuze Masachika, except for when she blurts out a flirtatious line to him in Russian. Little does she know, Kuze understands Russian, though he pretends not to. Let’s see where this wacky love story takes them!



Tags: School , Primarily Teen Cast , Heterosexual , Tsundere , Estranged Family , Male Protagonist , School Club , Primarily Female Cast , Female Protagonist , Politics , Urban , Kuudere , Otaku Culture , Maids , Feet , Parody , Meta , Incest , Gyaru

MASHLE: Kami Shinkakusha Kouho Senbatsu Shiken-hen

Also known as MASHLE: MAGIC AND MUSCLES Season 2.

Studio: A-1 Pictures
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Comedy , Fantasy

The second season of MASHLE, adapting the Divine Visionary Candidate Exam Arc.

After Mash Burnedead's clash with Magia Lupus, the secret about his powers is now out in the open. The short-lived celebration ends when the Bureau of Magic summons Mash before an audience of Divine Visionaries, who collectively decree Mash should reap the consequences and die. However, an evil shadow organization called Innocent Zero hijacks the inquiry to demand that Mash be kept alive.

Mash proves that he is capable of dealing with Innocent Zero, but the Divine Visionaries' verdict remains unchanged. Luckily, Mash finds unexpected allies in Divine Visionary Rayne Ames and Headmaster Wahlberg Baigan, and they successfully defer his execution until Innocent Zero is defeated. Mash is now allowed to live under one condition: he must be selected as the Divine Visionary candidate by the year's end.



Tags: Magic , Parody , Shounen , Super Power , Fitness , Slapstick , Kuudere , School , Male Protagonist , Battle Royale , Primarily Male Cast , Primarily Teen Cast , Chibi , Food , Time Manipulation , Aromantic , Bullying , Medieval , Witch , Estranged Family , Unrequited Love , LGBTQ+ Themes , Philosophy , Transgender

Mairimashita! Iruma-kun

Also known as Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun.

Studio: Bandai Namco Pictures
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Fantasy

Suzuki Iruma has just been abandoned and sold to a demon by his irresponsible parents! Surprisingly, the next thing he knows he's living with the demon who has adopted him as his new grandson, and has been transferred into a school in the demon world where his new "demon" grandfather works as the principal. Thus begins the cowardly Iruma-kun's extraordinary school life among the otherworldly as he faces his true self, takes on challenges, and rises to become someone great...

Tags: Demons , School , Male Protagonist , Magic , Isekai , Found Family , Primarily Teen Cast , Shounen , Adoption , Coming of Age , Kemonomimi , Monster Girl , Monster Boy , Nekomimi , School Club , Heterosexual , Tomboy , Love Triangle , Idol , Butler , Musical Theater , Estranged Family , Crossdressing , Succubus

Otonari no Tenshi-sama ni Itsunomanika Dame Ningen ni Sareteita Ken

Also known as The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten.

Studio: project No.9
Status: Finished
Genres: Romance , Slice of Life

Amane lives alone in an apartment, and the most beautiful girl in school, Mahiru, lives just next door. They've almost never spoken—until the day he sees her in distress on a rainy day and lends her his umbrella. To return the favor, she offers him help around the house, and a relationship slowly begins to blossom as the distance between them closes...



Tags: Heterosexual , Male Protagonist , Primarily Teen Cast , Female Protagonist , Kuudere , Food , School , Cohabitation , Iyashikei , Estranged Family

3-gatsu no Lion 2nd Season

Also known as March comes in like a lion Season 2.

Studio: Shaft
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Slice of Life

The second season of 3-gatsu no Lion.

Now in his second year of high school, Rei Kiriyama continues pushing through his struggles in the professional shogi world as well as his personal life. Surrounded by vibrant personalities at the shogi hall, the school club, and in the local community, his solitary shell slowly begins to crack. Among them are the three Kawamoto sisters—Akari, Hinata, and Momo—who forge an affectionate and familial bond with Rei. Through these ties, he realizes that everyone is burdened by their own emotional hardships and begins learning how to rely on others while supporting them in return.

Nonetheless, the life of a professional is not easy. Between tournaments, championships, and title matches, the pressure mounts as Rei advances through the ranks and encounters incredibly skilled opponents. As he manages his relationships with those who have grown close to him, the shogi player continues to search for the reason he plays the game that defines his career.

Tags: Coming of Age , Rehabilitation , Found Family , Family Life , Shogi , Seinen , Bullying , Male Protagonist , Philosophy , Urban , Tragedy , Board Game , School , Estranged Family , Primarily Adult Cast , Food , Iyashikei , School Club , Disability , Age Gap

Natsume Yuujinchou

Also known as Natsume's Book of Friends Season 1.

Studio: Brain's Base
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Fantasy , Slice of Life , Supernatural

Natsume has always been an outcast because he inherited his grandmother's ability to see yokai. After moving to his grandmother's hometown and accidentally releasing a yokai imprisoned in a Lucky Cat statue, he learns about his grandmother's "Book of Friends," which contains the names of the yokai she defeated, and allows its wielder to command the yokai named within. Since then, yokai now visit him on a daily basis, seeking to either get their names back or take possession of the Book of Friends.



Tags: Youkai , Iyashikei , Episodic , Male Protagonist , Adoption , Found Family , Rural , Shoujo , Urban Fantasy , Estranged Family , Bullying , Cute Boys Doing Cute Things , Primarily Teen Cast , Primarily Male Cast , Shapeshifting , Outdoor Activities , Exorcism , Tsundere , Coming of Age , School

Blue Lock VS. U-20 JAPAN

Also known as BLUE LOCK Season 2.

Studio: 8-bit
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Sports

The second season of Blue Lock.

The hottest soccer matches start again as the U-20 Japan National Team makes their debut!



Tags: Football , Male Protagonist , Primarily Male Cast , Ensemble Cast , Shounen , Battle Royale , Primarily Teen Cast , CGI , Super Power , Revenge , Estranged Family , Surreal Comedy , Torture , Tanned Skin

Takopii no Genzai

Also known as Takopi's Original Sin.

Studio: ENISHIYA
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Psychological , Sci-Fi

A Happy alien, Takopi, lands on Earth with one mission: to spread happiness! When he meets Shizuka, a lonely fourth grader, he vows to bring back her smile using his magical Happy Gadgets. But as he uncovers the pain in her life, Takopi learns that true happiness may require more than gadgets.



Tags: Tragedy , Denpa , Bullying , Parenthood , Primarily Child Cast , Time Manipulation , Estranged Family , Suicide , Aliens , Female Protagonist , Philosophy , School , Crime , Shapeshifting , Time Skip , Revenge , Memory Manipulation , Ensemble Cast , Rural , Heterosexual , Gore , Achronological Order , Clone

Summer Wars

Also known as Summer Wars.

Studio: MADHOUSE
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Comedy , Drama , Romance , Sci-Fi

When timid eleventh-grader and math genius Kenji Koiso is asked by older student and secret crush Natsuki to come with her to her family's Nagano home for a summer job, he agrees without hesitation.

Natsuki's family, the Jinnouchi clan, dates back to the Muromachi era (1336 to 1573), and they've all come together to celebrate the 90th birthday of the spunky matriarch of the family, Sakae. That’s when Kenji discovers his "summer job" is to pretend to be Natsuki's fiance and dance with her at the birthday celebration.

As Kenji attempts to keep up with Natsuki's act around her family, he receives a strange math problem on his cell phone which, being a math genius, he can't resist solving. As it turns out, the solution to the mysterious equation causes Oz, the program that controls nearly every aspect of life to be hacked into, it's up to Kenji and his new "family" to stop the hacker before it's too late.



Tags: Family Life , Virtual World , Artificial Intelligence , Ensemble Cast , Software Development , Rural , Male Protagonist , Terrorism , CGI , Coming of Age , Female Protagonist , Card Battle , Heterosexual , Military , Alternate Universe , Robots , Tanned Skin , Fake Relationship , Work , War , Kemonomimi , Matriarchy , Anthropomorphism , Estranged Family , Space , Baseball , Revenge , Gods

Bakemono no Ko

Also known as The Boy and The Beast.

Studio: Studio Chizu
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Comedy , Drama , Fantasy , Supernatural

The story is set in the human realm (Tokyo's Shibuya ward) and the bakemono realm ("Shibutenmachi"). In these two worlds which must not intersect, there lives a lonely boy and a lonely bakemono. One day, the boy gets lost in the bakemono world, becomes the disciple of the bakemono Kumatetsu, and is renamed Kyuuta.



Tags: Coming of Age , Male Protagonist , Urban Fantasy , Martial Arts , Found Family , Isekai , Cultivation , Anthropomorphism , Primarily Animal Cast , Time Skip , Tragedy , Orphan , Swordplay , Adoption , Estranged Family , Family Life , Kemonomimi , Gods , Philosophy , Youkai , Reincarnation , Bullying , CGI , Body Horror

Tokyo Godfathers

Also known as Tokyo Godfathers.

Studio: MADHOUSE
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Comedy , Drama

In modern-day Tokyo, three homeless people’s lives are changed forever when they discover a baby girl at a garbage dump on Christmas Eve. As the New Year fast approaches, these three forgotten members of society band together to solve the mystery of the abandoned child and the fate of her parents. Along the way, encounters with seemingly unrelated events and people force them to confront their own haunted pasts, as they learn to face their future, together.



Note: The film received an early premiere at the Big Apple Anime Fest on August 30, 2003.

Tags: Found Family , Homeless , Urban , Estranged Family , Family Life , Snowscape , Primarily Adult Cast , Transgender , Male Protagonist , Tragedy , Class Struggle , LGBTQ+ Themes , Surreal Comedy , Delinquents , Ensemble Cast , Rotoscoping , Female Protagonist , Suicide , Language Barrier , Tanned Skin , Guns , Yakuza

Omoide no Marnie

Also known as When Marnie Was There.

Studio: Studio Ghibli
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Mystery , Psychological

Suffering from frequent asthma attacks, young Anna Sasaki is quiet, unsociable, and isolated from her peers, causing her foster parent endless worry. Upon recommendation by the doctor, Anna is sent to the countryside, in hope the cleaner air and more relaxing lifestyle will improve her health and help clear her mind. Engaging in her passion for sketching, Anna spends her summer days living with her aunt and uncle in a small town near the sea.

One day while wandering outside, Anna discovers an abandoned mansion known as the Marsh House. However, she soon finds that the residence isn't as vacant as it appears to be, running into a mysterious girl named Marnie. Marnie's bubbly demeanor slowly begins to draw Anna out of her shell as she returns night after night to meet with her new friend. But it seems there is more to the strange girl than meets the eye—as her time in the town nears its end, Anna begins to discover the truth behind the walls of the Marsh House.

Omoide no Marnie tells the touching story of a young girl's journey through self-discovery and friendship, and the summer that she will remember for the rest of her life.



Tags: Female Protagonist , Rural , Ghost , Outdoor Activities , Tragedy , Time Manipulation , Drawing , Amnesia , Disability , Classic Literature , Ojou-sama , Bullying , Estranged Family , Kids , Coastal