Anime might be most well known for tackling genres like action and romance, but the best anime comedies are some of the funniest TV series to ever exist. While dramas and intense battle shonen have always risen to the top of popularity lists, comedy is just as important to the history of anime. After all, comedy is enjoyable no matter what genre of anime fans prefer.

Laughing is the perfect way to wind down after a long day, and funny anime series are a good distraction when life is a bit too much. With so much happening worldwide in the last few years, anime fans need comedy and a few laughs more than ever, and these series are the perfect way to unwind. Anime is a unique medium and the best anime comedies all use the versatility of animation to enhance gags that were already funny on a conceptual level.

15

Beelzebub is Considered a Staple Anime Comedy For Good Reason

Animed By Studio Signpost & Based on the Manga By Ryuhei Tamura

Newer anime fans might not know this title, but Beelzebub was a staple of comedy anime when it came out and deserves to be remembered and rewatched. Released in 2011, this anime follows main character Oga Tatsumi and his ridiculous life after he ends up having to take care of Baby Beel, son of the demon king. A lazy delinquent who wants nothing more than to get back to his previous child-free lifestyle, he constantly tries to get out of his predicament, but with no luck as Baby Beel is attached to him and won’t let him leave.

With a cast of delinquent students and literal demons, everything that can go wrong does, in fact, go wrong, making Beelzebub a watch that will leave fans laughing and rolling their eyes at the character’s shenanigans.

14

Isekai Quartet is a Hilarious Isekai Crossover

Animated By Studio Puyukai

This parody anime takes the most iconic characters from isekai anime and puts them all in one classroom together. Obviously, chaos ensues as the personalities clash and worlds collide. With short episodes and no high stakes, this chibi anime series is perfect for fans who want something casual and funny to watch in a weekend or after school or work.

The series was first released in 2019 and even got a second season in 2020, giving fans even more stress-free laughs and adding more characters. While the characters might be intimidating in their original animes, this parody makes sure to keep things light while still giving nods to the original series, making Isekai Quartet a particularly funny watch for even casual isekai fans.

13

Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken Show the Funnier Side of Making Anime

Animated By Science SARU & Based on the Manga By Sumito Ōwara

One of the best anime with no fan service, Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken is a bizarre anime featuring an almost otherworldly high school and three equally unique high school girls. Asukusa, Kanamori, and Mizusaki dream of being animators and creating the club Eizouken so that they can be free to create how they want. The world they live in is an artist’s dream that bends to their imaginations, absolutely random and yet still aesthetically pleasing.

The characters are all slightly over-the-top and yet somehow relatable in their stubborn, innocent natures, holding to their values in a way that his both comedic and endearing. Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken is the perfect anime for fans who need a unique feel-good comedy anime with low stakes.

12

One-Punch Man is One of the Best Action-Comedies in Recent Memory

Animated By Madhouse & J.C. Staff, Based on the Manga By ONE & Yusuke Murata

One-Punch Man is an iconic series for good reason. Based off the manga of the same name, the series is a parody of the typical shonen hero. The hero in question, Saitama, is undefeatable and bored because of it. Many villains try to defeat him, but because he can beat them in one punch, he rarely takes them seriously, leading to some of the silliest fight scenes in anime history.

While this series does contain some more serious storylines than the other anime on this list, the laughs blend in seamlessly and Saitama and One-Punch Man’s other goofy heroes rarely let things get serious for too long. One-Punch Man seamlessly mixes a genuinely good story with Saitama’s natural comedy, making this anime a must-watch for fans who like a bit of comedy in their action anime.

11

The Devil Is a Part-Timer is the Quintessential Reverse-Isekai

Animated By White Fox & Based on the Light Novel Series By Satoshi Wagahara & Oniku

In one of the earliest reverse isekai anime ever, The Devil Is a Part-Timer has the Demon Lord escape into modern-day Japan. With his top general by his side, the Demon Lord fully intends to return to his home, but due to the lack of magic in Japan, they end up turning into their human forms with no way home. As such, they end up having to get part-time jobs at a very familiar fast food chain in order to support themselves until they can return.

Full of over-the-top characters and the everyday insanity that working in fast food brings, The Devil Is a Part-Timer is a comedic spin on the typical isekai. After all, who doesn’t want to watch the Demon Lord deal with entitled fast-food customers? Silly and hiding a surprisingly good storyline, this series makes for a great comedy watch.

10

Delicious In Dungeon Is Fantasy Parody At Its Finest

Anime series by Studio Trigger; Based on the manga by Ryoko Kui

Studio Trigger’s Delicious in Dungeon opens with the adventuring party of Laios Touden being wiped out by a ferocious dragon and Laios’ sister, Falin, being eaten alive. Laios and what remains of his party have to hurry back through the dungeon to revive Falin, but they don’t have enough food to make the journey, nor the time or money to acquire it. To make up for that, Laios convinces everyone to start eating the various monsters they encounter, and while it’s supposed to be pragmatic, it’s heavily implied that Laios had been looking for an excuse to start doing that.

Delicious in Dungeon is a fairly recent anime, but it’s still a great comedy series for people to watch. The way Delicious in Dungeon parodies classic Dungeons & Dragons-style fantasy always makes for incredible comedy, and the fluidity of the art and animation always manages to sell that even further. The staff at Studio Trigger are known for the comedy they inject into the writing and animation of their work, so a studio like them was the perfect choice for bringing the comedic stylings of Delicious in Dungeon to life.

9

Gintama is the Ultimate Shonen Parody

Animated By Sunrise & Based on the Manga By Hideaki Sorachi

Gintama is a classic when it comes to comedy anime and a must-watch for any anime fans. While it might look like a normal shonen anime about samurai at first, the series is anything but average. With aliens in Edo Japan and eccentric samurai, the series quickly becomes bizarre in the best ways. Gintama is known for parodying other popular series, as well as for getting the main characters into absurd situations.

While the series does have a basic plot, the episodes are usually contained stories themselves, making for an easy viewing experience. Now is a great time to give the series a watch, as a Gintama spin-off anime was recently announced, set to bring a modern spin to the series’ classic comedy. Gintama is the perfect comedy anime for fans who want good laughs and a series that they can watch casually.

8

Lucky Star Is A Perfect Time Capsule Of 2000s Anime

Anime series by Kyoto Animation; Based on the manga by Kagami Yoshimizu

Kyoto Animation’s Lucky Star is centered around a group of high school girls led by Konata Izumi, a lazy otaku who spends all her time watching anime and playing video games. There isn’t a central plot in Lucky Star, nor is there much in the way of character arcs, as the series is a largely episodic one centered around the daily lives of the four main girls and their friends and family.

Lucky Star is one of the most iconic anime from Kyoto Animation, and it’s easy to see why. The way the series parodies 2000s anime culture always makes for great laughs, even if some jokes won’t hold up, and even when it’s not defaulting to parody and references, Lucky Star‘s witty character writing always leads to great jokes and dialogue from the cast, all of which do, in fact, hold up after so many years. Lucky Star is very reflective of the period in which it was made, but fortunately, that doesn’t stop it from being a great comedy anime.

7

Nichijou is One of the Most Iconic Anime Comedies Ever

Animated By Kyoto Animation & Based on the Manga By Keiichi Arawi

Nichijou is always credited as one of the best comedy anime because of just how iconic it is. This series takes nonsensical comedy to an extreme and every episode is new and absolutely unpredictable. The series loosely follows a group of high school girls, but has plenty of recurring characters, such as a lazy scientist and her wind-up robot. There is hardly ever a moment in the anime where nothing is happening, and the fast pace between laughs is part of why the series works so well.

Even if there is a slow moment of characters just talking, something strange is happening in the background. With no high stakes and no overarching plot, the story is free to run wild, and it certainly does, taking comedy to the next level. Nichijou is so iconic that it has wormed its way into almost every corner of the internet, making it a must-watch for any anime fans. There’s a reason Nichijou is often considered one of the best anime ever.

6

Daily Lives of High School Boys is a Fast-Paced Riot of a Comedy

Animated By Sunrise & Based on the Manga By Yasunobu Yamauchi

Daily Lives of High School Boys is another comedy classic from the early 2010s. While this series might seem like just another slice-of-life anime, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Instead, this series is an exaggerated look at the nonsense that teenagers get up to as they grow into themselves. These students do everything but their homework, constantly getting into trouble with their shenanigans.

Much like Nichijou, Daily Lives of High School Boys is fast-paced and has something funny happening in every scene, but manages to still seem grounded and less nonsensical. This series will make older fans nostalgic for those carefree high school days while younger fans will definitely be able to relate to at least one of the characters in the large cast. The comedy works for all ages and still holds up well to this day, making this anime truly one of a kind and an unforgettable staple of the comedy genre.

5

Komi Can’t Communicate Has A Surprising Amount Of Fun With A Difficult Subject

Anime series by OLM, Inc.; Based on the manga by Tomohito Oda

OLM, Inc.’s Komi Can’t Communicate stars Hitohito Tadano, an aggressively average high schooler who, along with the rest of the student body, finds himself charmed by the Shoko Komi, the school beauty with a reputation for being stoic and unapproachable. By chance, Tadano discovers that Komi’s stoicism is actually the result of crippling social anxiety that leaves her unable to speak more than a few words to people, and after Tadano becomes the first person to genuinely try to talk to her, he decides to help Komi with her dream of overcoming her communication disorder and making 100 friends.

Komi Can’t Communicate is an anime that strikes a perfect balance between comedy and heart. The jokes surrounding Komi, Tadano, and their odd assortment of friends always land with perfect timing, especially when the animation cuts loose, but even with that, Komi Can’t Communicate always remembers to depict Komi’s issues as something serious despite the comedy, thus making the few moments of genuine growth she goes through be emotional without being too heavyhanded. There are few anime that tackle social anxiety as well as Komi Can’t Communicate, and doing so while still being hilarious is a great bonus, as well.

4

Bocchi The Rock! Is Delightfully Surreal

Anime series by CloverWorks; Based on the manga by Aki Hamazi

CloverWorks’ Bocchi the Rock! stars Hitori Gotoh, a girl with crippling social anxiety who learned to play guitar in the hopes of using it to make friends, although her efforts never once managed to bear fruit. One day, however, Hitori is recruited to be the new guitarist in the band Kessoku Band, and as Hitori—now with the nickname Bocchi—commits herself to the band, she’ll find herself slowly but surely gaining the exact life she hoped for when she first started learning the guitar.

Despite how recent a series it is, Bocchi the Rock! has quickly established itself as a great comedy anime. Bocchi the Rock!’s inventive and all-around surreal animation makes every episode a visual spectacle, but beyond all of that, it’s a surprisingly thoughtful exploration into the realities of social anxiety, which makes for very relatable and hilarious writing from start to finish. It’s a series that was quick to win people over with an equal balance of heart and spectacle, so whether someone’s looking for laughs or something wholesome, they’re sure to not be disappointed.

3

Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-Kun is the Best Anime Romantic Comedy

Animated By Doga Kobo & Based on the Manga By Izumi Tsubaki

Monthly Girl’s Nozaki-Kun is yet another anime that seems like a stereotypical shojo on the surface, but it is so much more. Instead, this anime is a parody of the shojo genre. The main character, Nozaki, writes shojo manga despite being a giant high school boy who has never been in a relationship. The school prince is a girl, the classic “shojo heroine” is actually inspired by Nozaki’s awkward male friend, and somehow every romance trope backfires or gets the main characters into trouble.

With a cast of hilariously clumsy, silly high school students, Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-Kun does its best to make a joke out of every romance trope possible and succeeds. Viewers will be left laughing with no clue what the characters will think of trying next, making for a feel-good anime that truly deserves a second season.

2

The Disastrous Life of Saiki-K is the Peak of Parody

Animated By J.C. Staff & Based on the Manga By Shūichi Asō

Just as the title says, The Disastrous Life of Saiki-K follows main character Saiki as he lives his extremely abnormal life. A psychic overpowered enough to rival One-Punch Man, all Saiki wants is to live his life in peace as normally as he possibly can. Of course, his plans go awry as he ends up getting roped into antics with the strangest characters in the school who are determined to be friends with him.

Yet another parody anime, Saiki enjoys taking different anime tropes and exaggerating them as much as possible. With wacky characters and even wackier situations that contrast with Saiki’s ever-stoic face and attitude, this series is full of comedy and even surprisingly wholesome at times to level out the craziness. The Disastrous Life of Saiki-K transcends genres by trying a bit of everything, making it enjoyable for a wide range of fans.

1

100 Girlfriends Is The Perfect Take On One Of Anime’s Most Divisive Genres

Anime series Bibury Animation Studios; Based on the manga by Rikito Nakamura & Yukiko Nozawa

Bibury Animation Studios’ The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You stars Rentaro Aijou, a boy who’s fallen in love 100 times in his life only to be rejected at every turn. When Rentaro prays for love after his 100th rejection, the God of Love tells Rentaro that not only will he meet 100 soulmates during his time in high school, but that he must love all of them equally or risk sending them on a path that ends in death.

The harem genre has always been rather contentious, but 100 Girlfriends is the perfect fix for it. Not only does it both follow through on its harem premise and always succeed at justifying why the characters would care about each other, but the ridiculous ways The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You parodies its genre and anime, as a whole, always makes for hilarious comedy with chaotic animation to match. There are few anime that can match 100 Girlfriends‘ insanity, and that makes it an easy contender for the best anime comedy a person can watch.