Top Wilderness Anime Recommendations

Youkoso Jitsuryoku Shijou Shugi no Kyoushitsu e

Also known as Classroom of the Elite.

Studio: Lerche
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Psychological

Koudo Ikusei Senior High School is a leading school with state-of-the-art facilities. The students there have the freedom to wear any hairstyle and bring any personal effects they desire. Koudo Ikusei is like a utopia, but the truth is that only the most superior students receive favorable treatment.

Kiyotaka Ayanokouji is a student of D-class, which is where the school dumps its "inferior" students in order to ridicule them. For a certain reason, Kiyotaka was careless on his entrance examination, and was put in D-class. After meeting Suzune Horikita and Kikyou Kushida, two other students in his class, Kiyotaka's situation begins to change.



Tags: School , Ensemble Cast , Primarily Teen Cast , Male Protagonist , Anti-Hero , Survival , Blackmail , Human Experimentation , Kuudere , Battle Royale , Coming of Age , Philosophy , Nudity , Boarding School , Aromantic , Tsundere , Teacher , Female Harem , School Club , Coastal , Wilderness , Camping

Made in Abyss

Also known as Made in Abyss.

Studio: Kinema Citrus
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Drama , Fantasy , Horror , Mystery , Sci-Fi

The "Abyss" is the last unexplored place in the world. Strange and wonderful creatures roam within, and it is full of precious relics that present humans can't recreate. Those that dare to explore the depths are known as "Cave Raiders." An orphan girl named Riko lives on the rim. Her dream is to become a Cave Raider like her mother and solve the mysteries of the cave system. One day, Riko starts exploring the caves and discovers a robot who resembles a human boy.



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

Tags: Survival , Outdoor Activities , Primarily Child Cast , Environmental , Travel , Cosmic Horror , Body Horror , Curses , Tragedy , Chibi , Philosophy , Lost Civilization , Dungeon , Seinen , Female Protagonist , Gore , Orphan , Amnesia , Wilderness , Eco-Horror , Anthropomorphism , Robots , Male Protagonist , Steampunk , Nudity , Human Experimentation , Food , Amputation , School , Dissociative Identities , Crossdressing , Maids , Femboy , Religion , Rehabilitation , Time Manipulation

Mononoke-hime

Also known as Princess Mononoke.

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

A calm village residing in the mountains comes under attack from a demon-possessed boar one day.

Ashitaka, a young man and prince of the tribe, engages the creature in an attempt to save his village. During the battle, the boar bites him on the arm, leaving it blackened and cursed. Following his village's traditions, Ashitaka is exiled and becomes a wanderer, looking for a solution to the curse before it engulfs him.

Iron Town is a fortress under the leadership of Lady Eboshi. Through the clearing of the surrounding forests, Iron Town produces large amounts of Ironsand, used for gunpowder and other machinery. However, because of the forests destruction, nearby animal clans seek revenge led by a human girl of the Wolf clan called San.

When Ashitaka comes to Iron Town, he discovers the area consumed in battle. Horrified, he attempts to create peace and befriend the Wolf Clan. However, after the forest's eradication and the ongoing war between Human and Beast, will the Spirit of the Forest be forgiving and accept Ashitaka's request to expel his curse?

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Tags: Environmental , Mythology , Animals , Philosophy , War , Eco-Horror , Gods , Exiled , Rural , Youkai , Demons , Revenge , Wilderness , Female Protagonist , Curses , Historical , Male Protagonist , Guns , Primarily Adult Cast , Urban Fantasy , Travel , Samurai , Archery , Disability , Body Horror , Tomboy , Outdoor Activities , Gore , Indigenous Cultures , Swordplay , Kaiju , Slavery

Tonari no Totoro

Also known as My Neighbor Totoro.

Studio: Studio Ghibli
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Fantasy , Slice of Life , Supernatural

Follow the adventures of Satsuki and her four-year-old sister Mei when they move into a new home in the countryside. To their delight they discover that their new neighbor is a mysterious forest spirit called Totoro who can be seen only through the eyes of a child. Totoro introduces them to extraordinary characters, including a cat that doubles as a bus, takes them on a journey through the wonders of nature.



Tags: Family Life , Primarily Child Cast , Rural , Youkai , Wilderness , Female Protagonist , Urban Fantasy , Kids , Gods , Primarily Female Cast , Iyashikei , Environmental , Horticulture

Sousou no Frieren 2nd Season

Also known as Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2.

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

Following the First-Class Mage Exam, the trio—elven mage Frieren, warrior Stark, and first-class mage Fern—gains access to the dangerous Northern Plateau. As the party presses onward toward Aureole, formidable adversaries force Stark to confront his insecurities, solidifying his resolve and his role as the party's frontliner. Meanwhile, Fern continues to cherish the gifts she has been blessed with throughout her life, each a reminder of those she holds dear.

Frieren—still honoring her vow to understand humanity—revisits memories of her journey with the Hero's party and her fleeting encounter with a legendary figure. As she reflects on the passage of time, the elven mage quietly questions whether she has truly changed, yet in the small, almost subtle choices that she makes, there are signs that she might have become more human than she realizes.



Tags: Travel , Elf , Magic , Wilderness , Female Protagonist , Found Family , Iyashikei , Medieval , Philosophy , Episodic , Demons , Time Skip , Primarily Adult Cast , Rural , Swordplay , Snowscape , Shounen , Heterosexual , Dragons , Tragedy , Urban , Fishing , Coastal , Economics

Hotarubi no Mori e

Also known as Into the Forest of Fireflies' Light.

Studio: Brain's Base
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Fantasy , Romance , Supernatural

The story of Hotarubi no Mori e centers around Hotaru, a little girl who gets lost in an enchanted forest where apparitions reside. A young boy, Gin, appears before Hotaru, but she cannot touch him for fear of making him disappear.

Tags: Coming of Age , Youkai , Ghost , Tragedy , Rural , Urban Fantasy , Male Protagonist , Shoujo , Female Protagonist , Time Skip , Age Gap , Heterosexual , Iyashikei , Wilderness

Mushishi

Also known as MUSHI-SHI.

Studio: Artland
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Fantasy , Mystery , Psychological , Slice of Life , Supernatural

Neither good nor evil, they are life in its purest form. Vulgar and strange, they have inspired fear in humans since the dawn of time and have, over the ages, come to be known as "mushi." The stories of the Mushi and the people they affect are all linked together by a traveling Mushi-shi, or "Mushi Master," who seeks rare Mushi sightings and uses his shaman-like knowledge of Mushi to help the affected people.

What are the Mushi and what do they want?



Tags: Environmental , Iyashikei , Youkai , Mythology , Episodic , Philosophy , Travel , Rural , Male Protagonist , Outdoor Activities , Exorcism , Seinen , Tragedy , Eco-Horror , Historical , Animals , Wilderness , Urban Fantasy , Snowscape , Amnesia , Primarily Adult Cast , Coastal , Cult , Monster Girl , Time Skip , Suicide

Sora yori mo Tooi Basho

Also known as A Place Further Than the Universe.

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

Mari Tamaki is in her second year of high school and wants to start something. It's then that she meets Shirase, a girl with few friends who's considered weirdo by the rest of the class and nicknamed "Antarctic" since it's all she ever talks about. Unlike her peers, Mari is moved by Shirase's dedication and decides that even though it's unlikely that high school girls will ever go to Antarctica, she's going to try to go with Shirase.



Tags: Travel , Coming of Age , Ensemble Cast , Primarily Female Cast , Female Protagonist , Snowscape , Outdoor Activities , Found Family , Foreign , Primarily Teen Cast , Wilderness , Orphan , Tragedy , Family Life , Work , Educational , Konbini , Ships , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , School , Acting , CGI , Mahjong

BTOOOM!

Also known as BTOOOM!.

Studio: MADHOUSE
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Psychological , Sci-Fi

In the blink of the mind's eye, Ryouta Sakamoto suddenly finds himself transported from playing the hit Btoom! video game to being stranded on a mysterious island, equipped with a day's worth of provisions, a bag of bombs, a strange crystal embedded in his left hand and a huge gaping hole in his memory. But it doesn't take long to figure out what's going on, especially after the first person Ryouta meets tries to kill him. Someone is attempting to recreate the ultra-violent Btoom! game in real life, and the island has been filled with an army of other unwilling players, each armed with one of the multiple variants of explosive weapons called BIM. Fortunately, Ryouta's an ace Btoom! player, but this insane version of the game has no reset switch or second lives, and there's only one way off the island: kill seven other people before they can kill you! Can Ryouta repurpose his game based skills fast enough to survive?



Tags: Battle Royale , Survival , Death Game , Video Games , Amnesia , Body Horror , Wilderness , Ensemble Cast , Coastal , Tsundere , Heterosexual , Female Protagonist , Hikikomori , Seinen , Gore , Male Protagonist , Achronological Order , Suicide , Nudity

Golden Kamuy

Also known as Golden Kamuy.

Studio: Geno Studio
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Comedy

In the early twentieth century, Russo-Japanese War veteran Saichi “Immortal” Sugimoto scratches out a meager existence during the postwar gold rush in the wilderness of Hokkaido. When he stumbles across a map to a fortune in hidden Ainu gold, he sets off on a treacherous quest to find it. But Sugimoto is not the only interested party, and everyone who knows about the gold will kill to possess it! Faced with the harsh conditions of the northern wilderness, ruthless criminals and rogue Japanese soldiers, Sugimoto will need all his skills and luck—and the help of an Ainu girl named Asirpa—to survive.



Tags: Historical , Snowscape , Seinen , Survival , Outdoor Activities , Military , Ensemble Cast , Indigenous Cultures , Primarily Adult Cast , Food , Guns , Primarily Male Cast , War , Wilderness , Gore , Anti-Hero , Male Protagonist , Educational , Assassins , Crime , Body Horror , LGBTQ+ Themes , Episodic , Gender Bending , CGI , Archery , Twins , Torture , Transgender , Medicine , Oiran

Sonny Boy

Also known as Sonny Boy.

Studio: MADHOUSE
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Mystery , Psychological , Sci-Fi , Supernatural

It’s an ordinary summer vacation...except for the fact that Nagara’s high school has mysteriously drifted into another dimension. As the students begin to develop strange new powers, will they work together to survive the alien environment and find a way home, or will their newly formed factions and rivalries turn on each other?



Note: The first episode received an advance release on YouTube on June 19, 2021. The regular TV broadcast started on July 16, 2021.

Tags: Alternate Universe , Philosophy , Denpa , Coming of Age , Super Power , Survival , Primarily Teen Cast , Isekai , Travel , Meta , Achronological Order , Cosmic Horror , Mixed Media , School , Episodic , Tragedy , Gods , Unrequited Love , Wilderness , Male Protagonist , Animals , Heterosexual , Desert , Baseball , Space , Suicide

Chiyu Mahou no Machigatta Tsukaikata

Also known as The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic.

Studio: Shin-Ei Animation , Studio Add
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Fantasy

An ordinary walk home from school turns into an epic journey for Usato. After suddenly being dropped into another world with two fellow students, Usato learns he was summoned there by accident. But things turn around when he discovers a unique aptitude for healing magic! Now, he trains beyond human limitations, using his self-healing abilities to gain absurd strength and unrivaled stamina.



Tags: Isekai , Magic , Demons , Male Protagonist , Survival , War , Fitness , Cultivation , Creature Taming , Military , Heterosexual , Animals , Wilderness , Kemonomimi , Swordplay , Female Harem

Non Non Biyori

Also known as Non Non Biyori.

Studio: SILVER LINK.
Status: Finished
Genres: Slice of Life

When Hotaru moves from Tokyo to a tiny town in the rural countryside, she’s in for some serious culture shock: the nearest place that sells comics is 20 minutes away, the nearest video store is ten train stations down the line, and there are only three other girls and one boy in her entire school! Even though everything’s so different, there’s something about the laid-back atmosphere that makes her feel strangely comfortable. While she’ll certainly miss parts of her old life, there’s a whole lifetime of experiences waiting to be enjoyed with her new friends Renge, Komari, Natsumi, and Suguru!



Tags: Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Iyashikei , Rural , Female Protagonist , Primarily Female Cast , Primarily Child Cast , Episodic , Ensemble Cast , Coming of Age , School , Agriculture , Achronological Order , Seinen , Tomboy , Kuudere , Wilderness

Youkoso Jitsuryoku Shijou Shugi no Kyoushitsu e 4th Season 2-nensei-hen Ichi Gakki

Also known as Classroom of the Elite 4th Season: Second Year, First Semester.

Studio: Lerche
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Psychological

As Ayanokouji and his classmates begin their second year at the Advanced Nurturing High School, they’re greeted by a fresh gauntlet of exams and a fresh batch of rather unique first-year students. They’ll have to get to know each other quickly, because the first special exam pairs the first-years with the second-years on a written test—with only the second-years facing expulsion if their team performs poorly! Worse yet? It seems one of the new first-years is also from the White Room. Can Ayanokouji avoid expulsion while sussing out the identity of this hidden foe?



Tags: Boarding School , Survival , Fugitive , Battle Royale , Male Protagonist , Criminal Organization , Blackmail , Martial Arts , Anti-Hero , Philosophy , Primarily Teen Cast , School , Heterosexual , Memory Manipulation , Conspiracy , Outdoor Activities , Bullying , Seinen , Coming of Age , Revenge , Camping , Athletics , Disability , Delinquents , Amnesia , Wilderness , Tragedy , Love Triangle , Suicide , Female Harem , Time Skip , Achronological Order

JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken: Steel Ball Run - 1st STAGE

Also known as STEEL BALL RUN JoJo's Bizarre Adventure 1st STAGE.

Studio: david production
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Drama , Mystery , Sports , Supernatural

The beginning of the seventh story arc in the long-running JoJo's Bizarre Adventure series.

It’s 1890, in America, the Steel Ball Run — the first horse racing championship across the North American continent — was about to begin. Johnny Joestar, once being hailed as a genius jockey, is now paralysed and lost in despair. He finds hope in the mysterious phenomena caused by Gyro Zeppeli, an outlaw aiming to win the race, and determines to participate in the 4,000 miles of grueling adventure.





Tags: Travel , Super Power , Coming of Age , Cowboys , Male Protagonist , Foreign , Seinen , Disability , Historical , Primarily Adult Cast , Conspiracy , Tragedy , Primarily Male Cast , Philosophy , Religion , Desert , Politics , Alternate Universe , Gore , Urban Fantasy , Indigenous Cultures , Rehabilitation , Heterosexual , Surreal Comedy , Coastal , Torture , Trains , Wilderness

Mairimashita! Iruma-kun 3

Also known as Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun Season 3.

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

This time it's the jungle!

Human boy Suzuki Iruma becomes "grandson" to the great demon Sullivan and begins attending demon school where "Grandpa" serves as chairman. Winning friends -- and rising in demon rank, too -- Iruma thrives in his new environment, overcoming the harrowing ordeals thrown his way! In the new season, further challenges await... it's harvest season, and time for the annual test where students wade into the expansive and extremely dangerous (!) jungle to compete for food!! Classmates become rivals, and what erupts is a gargantuan battle of brawn and wits?



Tags: Demons , Primarily Teen Cast , School , Magic , Isekai , Ensemble Cast , Found Family , Monster Girl , Monster Boy , Mythology , Male Protagonist , Archery , Cultivation , School Club , Creature Taming , Succubus , Crossdressing , Shounen , Butler , Idol , Video Games , Torture , Bullying , Outdoor Activities , Wilderness , Kemonomimi

Digimon Adventure

Also known as Digimon: Digital Monsters.

Studio: Toei Animation
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Comedy , Drama , Fantasy , Sci-Fi

Seven kids are transported to the Digital World, a strange place where digital creatures called "Digimon" reside. A group of Digimon soon befriend them and keep the kids out of harm's way. The children then discover they are the Chosen Children, which protect the Digital World from evil Digimon like Devimon and Vamdemon.

Tags: Isekai , Virtual World , Primarily Child Cast , Proxy Battle , Ensemble Cast , Artificial Intelligence , Coming of Age , Kaiju , Kids , Henshin , Wilderness , Animals , Anthropomorphism , Reverse Isekai , Dinosaurs , Creature Taming , Cosmic Horror , Angels , Primarily Animal Cast , Camping , Survival , Travel , Family Life , Time Skip , Dragons , Demons , Male Protagonist , Urban , Adoption , Desert , Tomboy , Vampire , Brainwashing

Golden Kamuy 2nd Season

Also known as Golden Kamuy Season 2.

Studio: Geno Studio
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Comedy

The high-stakes search for gold continues in the harsh wilderness of Hokkaido! More and more people seek the treasure map, and the race to find its living pieces is brutal as all get-out. War veteran Sugimoto and his guide to the wilds, Asirpa, are hot on the trail, and as long as they stick together through thick and thin—chitatap and miso—they’ve got a shot at finding that gold.

Tags: Primarily Male Cast , Historical , Seinen , Military , Survival , Ensemble Cast , Primarily Adult Cast , Anti-Hero , Crime , Fugitive , Indigenous Cultures , Guns , Food , Gore , Educational , Animals , LGBTQ+ Themes , Wilderness , Male Protagonist , Prison , Body Horror , Language Barrier , Nudity , Archery , Gender Bending , Transgender , Heterosexual

Heion Sedai no Idaten-tachi

Also known as The Idaten Deities Know Only Peace.

Studio: MAPPA
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Fantasy

It has been 800 years since the incredibly fast and powerful gods of battle known as the Idaten had sealed away the demons after an intense battle. Now, that battle is just considered a myth or a fairytale. While the current generation of Idaten who have never even had to fight are enjoying their peaceful lives, someone awakened the demons once again! Armed forces, ingenuity. politics, and intrigue. If you've got it, use everything you can! This three-way battle royale with no rules and no limits is about to begin!!



Tags: Demons , Gods , War , Gore , Super Power , Philosophy , Tragedy , Military , Seinen , Surreal Comedy , Fugitive , Hypersexuality , Ensemble Cast , Anti-Hero , Memory Manipulation , Time Skip , Satire , Body Horror , Religion , Amputation , Wilderness , Brainwashing , Slapstick , Nudity , Nun , Torture , Kingdom Management , CGI , Sadism

Tondemo Skill de Isekai Hourou Meshi 2

Also known as Campfire Cooking in Another World with my Absurd Skill Season 2.

Studio: MAPPA
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Comedy , Fantasy

When a magical realm looks to summon heroes, they’re sorely disappointed to end up with a mediocre salaryman. Mukoda Tsuyoshi may not be a hero, but this conjuring error has given him a delicious power—Online Grocery. And something about this modern food brings with it unbelievable effects. This easy access paired with his cooking skills will have patrons from across the land coming back for more!



Tags: Iyashikei , Food , Isekai , Work , Animals , Male Protagonist , Gods , Travel , Magic , Economics , Primarily Adult Cast , Creature Taming , Dragons , Elf , Wilderness , Camping , Slapstick , Dungeon , Desert , Kuudere , Tsundere