Is Anime Okay for Christians to Watch?

Recently I’ve been getting back into anime. In 8th grade, I had a friend who wanted to go to an anime club but didn’t want to go by herself. I went with her, they put on Soul Eater and the rest was history. Sure this wasn’t my first introduction to anime. My dad used to watch Dragon Ball when I was young and my mom said when I was little I would watch Sailormoon a bit but I don’t remember much. In high school, anime was the form of entertainment I gravitated toward. 

As a Christian, I see no problem in watching Anime. I have had a couple people in my life think that its demonic and weird but to me it's no different than watching Marvel/DC movies/shows. If you have disernment not to watch certian things thats fine but Anime has many differet genres and its okay to explore that. God has shown me so much through some of my favorite shows.

In the last few years, I have been watching more K-dramas and C-dramas. I kind of stopped diving into new anime that were coming out but that changed this year. At the beginning of 2026, I started rewatching some of my favorite anime. A friend of mine let her use her Crunchyroll account until I was able to get my own (I got it over the weekend). I want to talk about five of my favorite anime over the years and I want to dive into the new discography. 

To watch these you usually have to have some type of streaming service, I recommend getting a Crunchyroll account!

5) Demon Slayer

• Type: Anime

• Manga: 23 volumes

• Seasons: 4

• Episodes: 63

• Movies: 3

• Where to watch: Netflix, Disney+, Prime, Crunchyroll, Youtube, Roku tv

• Genre: Shonen, Supernatural, historical, Comedy, Action, Martial Arts, Adventure

I remember being skeptical at first as a Christian to watch this show, but to me it represents spiritual warfare. A kid named Tanjiro Kamado trains as a demon slayer to get revenge for his family who was murdered and sister Nezuko who was turned into a demon. Tanjiro is hoping to find a cure for Nezuko. A lot of cool characters like Zenitsu and Inoske are added as the story goes along. There is a lot of violence and it does have language, but I truly love this anime. I find the art to be beautiful and the message of fighting against evil and making sure the world is safe. 

The way Tanjiro protects his sister and the people he loves. It inspires me to be a better Christian. To study my Bible and be strong in my faith to fight against my flesh and principalities that try and come against me. The Bible says satan is out to steal, kill, and destroy but that he comes to give us life more abundant than we could imagine (John 10:10). Worship and the Word are the greatest spiritual weapons for us and the swords they use in the show remind me the Bible is the Sword of the Spirit. 

Warning: violence, gore, and language

4) A Sign of Affection

• Type: Anime

• Manga: 12 - on going

• Seasons: 1

• Episodes: 12

• Movies: None

• Where to watch: Prime, Crunchyroll

• Genre: Shoujo, Romance, Slice-of-Life, College, Explores Deaf Community

Love is something that I’ve been drawn to since I was little. From watching romcoms with my mom (and dad if he likes it) and reading romance books, this brought so much joy to me. I also love the representation for the deaf community in a manga. Yuki as the female lead is a good representation of being silent and still. Her whole world is wrapped in silence and sometimes, I feel my world becomes too loud. 

The way Itsuomi finds her is kind of how I see the Holy Spirit in little ways. The Spirit is gentle with me and shows me my path. Itsuomi when he found Yuki, he became mesmerized by everything about her. Gentleness, that is the fruit of the spirit I see while watching this show.

I’ve continued reading the manga and I still enjoy it. The only thing I would warn you about is they do move in together. Personally, I don't believe in living together until marriage. Other than that, there are some kissing scenes but they aren’t explicit and the language isn’t too rough. 

Warning: a bit of language but wholesome show

3) Haikyuu

• Type: Anime

• Manga:

• Seasons: 4

• Episodes: 85

• Movies: 5

• Where to watch: Netflix (sub), Crunchyroll (sub and dub)

• Genre: Shonen, Comedy, Sports, Competitive, Coming of Age

Now I used to be obsessed with this show, I even cosplayed as Bokuto. This show gave me a love for volleyball I didn’t have before. It's a sports anime with the following Karasuno high school volleyball team as well as others which its hard sometimes to pick who I love more. There are so many diverse personalities within these groups and I lve to see the teamwork and friendships built. 

The main guys, Hinata and Kageyama, I think have some of the greatest growth on tv. At the beginning they are rivals but now since they’re on the same team, they have to partner up. I think this is a good example of growth within friendships. Godly friends are your accountability partners, prayer warriors, intercessors, and who you can go to in times of need.  This show reminds me of Proverbs 27:17 “Iron sharpens iron and one person sharpens another” 

Warning: does contain language

2) Fairy Tail

• Type: Anime

• Manga: 63

• Seasons: 9

• Episodes: 328

• Movies: 2

• Where to watch: Crunchyroll, Prime(with crunchyroll subscription)

• Genre: Shounen, Fantasy, Adventure, Action, Friendship, Magical

This was and still is one of my favorite anime's to ever exist. Lucy who is a celestial wizard joins a guild called Fairy Tail and is teamed up with Natsu who is a dragon slayer. You follow them and other members as they go on quests. This one I think all depends on your convictions. This show, even though I love it so much, does have a good amount of fan service that wasn’t necessary. 

I think the reason I love it so much is the emphasis on friendship. I’ve always loved seeing the way all the characters act and genuinely care for one another. Galatians 6:2 is how they lived their lives. Even if it meant sacrificing themselves, they would carry one another's burdens. I think that's a good way to live. They lead with love every step of the way. Overall, this show has many positive messages and I would love to do a rewatch and review over the entire series. If I do that, then I could give suggestions on what episodes maybe you could skip or warn you of its contents. 

Warning: Like I said, there is fan service so there are female characters in revealing outfits or censored nudity. Some jokes can be suggestive and this is moderate violence so if this is something that could hinder your walk with God, don’t indulge in it. 

1) Fruits Basket

• Type: Anime

• Manga: 23 volumes, collectors edition has 12

• Seasons: 3

• Episodes: 63

• Movies: 1

• Where to watch: Hulu, Disney+, Prime, Crunchyroll

• Genre: Romantic Comedy, Slice of Life, Supernatural, Shojo

  
  

  By far my favorite anime/manga series I’ve ever watched in my entire life. It's about a girl who’s lost her parents and she discovers the secret of the Sohma family. The secret is their family is cursed where 13 of them turn into animals if hugged by the opposite gender. There is so much healing, love, and breakthrough throughout this show. 

Tohru Honda is a character that embodies all the fruits of the spirit. She loves with everything she’s got, has joy even in sorrow, peace is with her as she walks through life, she is patient with the people she loves, she has the kindest heart, does things until she's good at it and being good to others, she's faithful to her mom, Yuki, and Kyo. Shes gentle with the Sohmas despite their trauma, and has good self control when it comes to her speech. 

There is a scene in season 1 toward the very end that Tohru shows the love of Christ. Just because she sees the worst of a certain character but instead of running away, she holds on. The beauty of this show shows the flaws of the characters, the immense growth with every character, and learning not only how to forgive but live life more abundant than they could imagine. 

I have seen this show multiple times all the way through and I love it more each time.

Warning: some language, nudity but nothing really shows, and it does tell the story through the Chinese Zodiac animals so if you're not comfortable with that I suggest you do your own research.