The world of anime has given us a variety of genres, some of which are inherited from Western tradition, while others are original Japanese creations. Still, the topic of this article is not going to be one specific genre, but rather a subject, or a leitmotif, that featrues in a lot of anime series and movies, regardless of genre (although fantasy is a recurring genre in these cases). This article is going to bring you a list of the 30 best wolf-related anime series and movies you need to watch.
30. Naruto
Original Run:October 3, 2002– March 23, 2017
Number of Episodes:720
The story begins during Naruto’s adolescence, around the age of twelve. Orphan dunce and great prankster, he does all possible stupid things to get noticed. His dream: to become the best Hokage in order to be recognized by the inhabitants of his village. Indeed, the nine-tailed fox demon sealed within him has fueled the fear and contempt of the other villagers, who, over time, no longer differentiate between Kyūbi and Naruto.
Despite this, Naruto trains hard in order to become genin, the first level among ninjas. After failing the genin exam 3 times, he finally manages to receive his Konoha forehead protector. He is then included in a team of three ninja apprentices, with Sakura Haruno and the talented Sasuke Uchiha who wants to avenge the people dear to him, by killing his brother Itachi Uchiha.
Shortly after, they meet their jōnin (upper-class ninja), the one who will take care of their training: the mysterious Kakashi Hatake. At first feared and despised by his peers, Naruto will gradually rise in power and gain the respect and affection of the villagers’ thanks, in particular, to the battles he will win against the most powerful enemies of Konoha.
29. Wolf Guy
Original Release: December 17, 1992–June 21, 1993
Number of Episodes: 6
The anime tells the story of Akira Inugami, a problematic and mysterious boy, who after being expelled from the private institute he attended, begins to attend the Hakutoku municipal school, where busty Miss Aoshika, his new teacher, teaches. With the arrival of Akira, however, the problems begin immediately, the class in which he is placed is under the control of Dou Haguro, the son of a leader of a powerful mafia clan.
Already on his first day Kuroda, Haguro’s henchman, after being provoked by attacks with a knife Inugami, who thanks to his incredible ability to dodge the attacks of the attacker ends up making him fall on his own weapon. Haguro and his companions then decide to avenge the companion, luring Inugami to the roof of the school for a deadly fight that will not go as planned, as the new boy demonstrates an incredible resistance to their blows and an unnatural pride, linked to his secret.
28. Noblesse
Original Run: October 7, 2020–December 30, 2020
Episodes: 13
Noblesse is about a powerful nobleman, Cadis Etrama Di Raizel (known as Rai), who has been asleep for 820 years without knowing the advancement of humanity and scientific successes. At the beginning of the webtoon, Rai wakes up in an abandoned building in South Korea,3 and begins to live by getting used to the modern world. He goes to a school, where he meets his loyal servant Frankenstein.
With Frankenstein’s help, Rai enrolls in high school and inadvertently befriends the athletic Shinwoo, the computer geek Ikhan, the girl Shinwoo has a crush on, Yuna, and a few others. Noblesse often follows the group’s dangerous adventures against a secret organization while discovering Rai’s past.
27. From the New World
Original Run: October 3, 2012–March 27, 2013
Number of Episodes: 25
Set in a thousand-year-old Japan, Shinsekai Yori tells the story of Saki, a girl from the 66th district of Kamisu. In this age, all humans possess powerful telekinesis abilities and idyllically live in agrarian villages. Despite her parents’ fear that she could not awaken the power within her, Saki gains her powers at the age of twelve and joins her friends Satoru, Maria, Mamoru, Shun, and Reiko at the academy to develop her powers. But the kids are unaware that the city council monitors and influences the kids through teaching.
According to some evaluation criteria, some students are removed from society, such as those who cannot master the powers, such as Reiko, or those who violate the rules. The removed students are soon forgotten by all the other children; Saki and her friends have no recollection of Reiko.
Later, during a camp unsupervised by the professors, Saki and her friends come across a False White Nudibook, a legendary creature that turns out to be an ancient device containing a library. The False Nudibianco reveals to the boys the heinous crimes of their ancestors and what lies behind their powers.
26. Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha
Original Release: October 1, 2004–December 24, 2004
Number of Episodes: 13 (+ 3 films)
Nanoha Takamachi is a third-grade elementary school student. She lives with her parents, who have a cafeteria, her sister and her brother, who are in high school and college, respectively. Nanoha’s normal life changes when she hears a voice calling her back home and she ends up rescuing an injured ferret (whose human form is a child archaeologist, Yūno, who hails from another world).
From it, she obtains a magic crystal called Raising Heart, which gives Nanoha magical powers. After their encounter, Nanoha and Yūno must collect the 21 “Jewel Seeds”, powerful crystals from the world of Yūno that fulfill wishes and are dangerous if they fall into the wrong hands. However, Nanoha and Yūno are not the only ones behind the Jewel Seeds.
25. Ōkami Kakushi
Original Release: January 7, 2010–March 25, 2010
Number of Episodes: 12
A 16-year-old teenager, Hiroshi Kuzumi, recently moved to a new town in the mountains. A river separates the old quarters of the city from the new ones, and many local beliefs remain. Although Hiroshi eventually adjusts to his new life, one person his classmate and new neighbor Isuzu Tsumuhana. During one of their meetings, she gives him advice: “Do not approach the ancient city”.
24. Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf
Original Release: August 3, 2005– present
Number of Episodes: 2,669
In the year of goat 3131 the goats live happily in Green Green Meadow, but Huitailang and his wife Hongtailang try to hunt them down. But goats are smart and armed with technology. Every time Huitailang shows up at the Goat Village, he comes up with a cunning plan to catch them. Among the goat students, a kid named Xiyangyang always finds a way to ruin Huitailang’s plans and save the goats. With the efforts of Xiyangyang and his friends, Huitailang never catches any goats. At the end of each episode, Huitailang always promises to come back.
23. Unbreakable Machine-Doll
Original Release: October 7, 2013–December 23, 2013
Number of Episodes: 12 + 6 OVA
During their trip to Machinart’s Walpurgis Academy, Raishin and his automaton, Yaya, stop a runaway train they were on. Arriving at the Academy, Raishin earns the name of The Second Ultimate for placing second worst on the entrance exam. Leaving aside his grade of him, Raishin is determined to fight in the Festival, an automaton fighting tournament in which only the top 100 students are allowed to participate in order to win the title of Sorcerer.
Raishin meets Charlotte and her automaton Sigmund, whom he challenges to a battle, which is interrupted by other students. Raishin and Yaya defeat the other students with ease, and after noticing that Sigmund has a serious injury, Raishin retreats from his battle with Charlotte. The next day, Raishin tells Charlotte that he wants the title of sorcerer so that he can obtain the forbidden techniques and use them to get her revenge.
22. To the Abandoned Sacred Beasts
Original Release: July 1, 2019–September 16, 2019
Number of Episodes: 12
To the Abandoned Sacred Beasts is next on the list of best wolf anime.The Northern Union attempted to attack a fortified Southern Confederacy stronghold during the Patria Civil War. After suffering heavy casualties, the North unleashes its secret weapon: a squad of shapeshifting soldiers called the Incarnates, who can transform into mythical beasts and eliminate the enemy base.
The Incarnates are being led by Hank, as well as his childhood friends Cain and Elaine. Elaine is the human scientist who is responsible for the creation of the Incarnates. The Incarnates help North win victory after victory, but each time they transform into beasts, the return to human form becomes a little more difficult.
21. Okami wa Okami da
Original Release: 1931
Number of Episodes: TBC
A classic Japanese anime short film from 1931, which follows the exploits of the titular wolf.
20. Shiroi Kiba Monogatari
Original Release: May 5, 1982
Running Time: 73 minutes
The story begins with the birth of White Fang, a wolf-dog. He follows the pack he comes from and during his first weeks in the wild, he struggles for life: eat or be eaten. Then he experiences life among the Indians; his master is called Gray Beaver. He meets other dogs and becomes enemies with them, Lip-Lip being his rival. But White Fang, proud and powerful, suffers the wickedness of white men; in reaction, he becomes a fierce fighter.
19. Kanokon: The Girl Who Cried Fox
Original Release: April 5, 2008–June 21, 2008
Number of Episodes: 12 (+ 2 OVA)
Kanokon‘s story revolves around Kouta Oyamada, a first-year high school student who moved from the countryside to the big city and enrolled in Kunpō High School. On her first day at the new school, Kouta meets the beautiful sophomore, Chizuru Minamoto. After the meeting between the two, the story moves forward for an unspecified period of time.
During this time, the two boys seem to have become good friends, to the point that Chizuru Minamoto asks the boy to meet her alone in the music room at school. When Kouta shows up for the date, the girl declares her love for Kouta, as well as reveals her true identity as a fox spirit.
18. Luger Code 1951
Original Release: October 15, 2016
Running Time: 25 minutes (OVA)
The story is centered on a young genius university professor who is capable to learn any language he wants. He is asked to decipher a code used in a form of wireless communication: the Luger Code, which has been developed by werewolves, who are enemies to mankind. Surprised to find that he cannot decipher the code and desperate to study it thoroughly, the professor goes on a journey to catch a living werewolf to aid him in his quest.
17. Sirius the Jaeger
Original Release: December 21, 2018
Number of Episodes: 12
Sirius the Jaeger revolves around a team of Jaegers that follows a group of vampires from China to Japan using Carrier V as cover. A series of crimes begin to occur in the Imperial City that is blamed on the fugitive, Kuratake. However, he is in fact a prisoner of the vampires who are the real perpetrators. Jaeger Yuliy finds Vampire Agatha, and the Jaegers pursue her, but just as Yuliy is about to kill her, he is shot by Vampire Mikhail.
Scientist Hanada Kisuke treats Yuliy’s wound at his mansion until Yuliy recovers and the Jaeger spends time with Hanada’s daughter, Saki. However, Agatha leads a group of vampires in an attack on the mansion seeking to research Hanada’s, artificial heart. She bites Hanada, turning him into a vampire before being killed by Yuliy, who then stops Hanada just before he bites her own daughter.
Yuliy chases after the fleeing vampires but is stopped by Mikhail. After the incident with Dr. Hanada, Yuliy reminisces about her childhood in the remote mountain village of Dogville. He lived peacefully with his family, but vampires attacked the village in search of Sirius’ Ark. They murdered the villagers, including his mother, but Yuliy was saved by his brother Mikhail, who sacrificed his own humanity by becoming a vampire.
16. BNA: Brand New Animal
Original Release: April 8, 2020–June 24, 2020
Number of Episodes: 12
Set in a world where humanoid animals known as animalians exist, the series follows Michiru Kagemori, a normal human who one day transformed into a tanuki animalian. While on the run, she seeks refuge in Anima City, a place set up for Animalians to live as themselves, and meets a wolf Animalian named Shirō Ōgami. Together, they try to find the reason that turned Michiru into an animalist, and take part in even stranger events in their journey.
15. Renkin 3-kyū Magical? Pokān
Original Release: April 4, 2006–June 20, 2006
Number of Episodes: 15
The subject of the individual episodes is the stories about the unusual everyday life of four princesses from the underworld. The witch Yuma, werewolf Liru, vampire Pachira, and android Aiko live in a community in the human world and try to find their way around in this with their abilities. Among other things, there is the recurring supporting role of the scientist K-ko, who wants to prove that the four only bring mischief.
14. Cuticle Detective Inaba
Original Run: January 4, 2013–March 22, 2013
Number of Episodes: 12
The story revolves around Hiroshi Inaba, a part human and part wolf genetically modified. Inaba is also a private detective, who runs his agency with the help of his transvestite secretary, Yuuta, and his “mostly normal” teenage assistant Kei. The plot centers mainly on the gang trying to arrest Don Valentino, a mafia goat who produces fake money.
13. Okami-san and Her Seven Companions
Original Release: July 1, 2010–September 16, 2010
Number of Episodes: 12
The story follows the adventures of Ryoko Ōkami, called Ōkami-san by her friends, a rebellious-looking and bad-tempered student at Otogi College. She belongs to the “Otogi Bank” club, a club that performs all kinds of favors to students who need help, such as finding a partner or defending someone, in exchange for her offering her help in the future when they ask for it. To carry out the tasks of the club, she has the help of Ringo Akai and seven other companions. The city in which the story takes place is called Otogibana, which is surrounded by mountains.
12. The Hakkenden
Original Release: October 25, 1990–March 25, 1991 (OVA) / November 25, 1993–March 25, 1995 (ONA)
Number of Episodes: 6 (OVA) / 7 (ONA)
The story takes place at the beginning of the Sengoku period in Awa, a small province in what is now Chiba Prefecture. In the fight against a demonic, all-powerful enemy, the Satomi clan receives unexpected support from a dog, who demands and receives the daughter of the clan leader as his wife. The relationship gives rise to the eight dog warriors who, while still babies, are separated from one another after the dog has been killed.
During the quest, the dog warriors can be identified by their surnames beginning with inu (dog), by a birthmark in the form of a peony, and by a bead, each with a written symbol of the eight fundamental Confucian values. The final part shows the final battle of the dog warriors in the service of the Satomi clan.
11. Kemono Friends
Original Release: January 10, 2017–April 1, 2019
Number of Episodes: 24
All sorts of rare and endangered species and even a few legendary creatures live in Japari Park. Due to a special substance found in the park, some animals transform into anthropomorphic beings (kemono) in the form of little girls with characteristics of the respective animals, called “Friends”. As the game progresses, the player discovers the various creatures in the park.
The manga follows the nurse Nana who is new to the park. At first, she has some problems dealing with her friends and still has to learn, but she becomes friends with the animal beings over time and experiences adventures in the park. The anime revolves around Kaban, a being who wakes up one day in the park, wants to find out which animal she is, and embarks on a journey through the park.
10. Monster Rancher
Original Release: April 17, 1999 – September 30, 2000
Number of Episodes: 73
The story follows a boy named Genki Sakura, who is a key player in the Monster Rancher video games. After winning a tournament held by the game’s creators, Genki wins a special CD that he can use to unlock a special monster in his home game. However, using this disc in his game console, he finds himself transported to a world of monsters which, like in Genki’s game, come to life by scanning special stone discs in temples.
There he meets a girl named Holly and her monster friend Suezo, who are searching for a stone disc containing a legendary phoenix that will save the country from the tyranny of an evil ruler named Moo. Attempting to use the disk Genki won to try and free the monster, they spawn another monster, which Genki names Mocchi.
Eager to free the land from Moo’s rule, Genki, Holly, Mocchi, and Suezo set out to find the Phoenix, using Holly’s magic stone to guide them in the Phoenix’s direction. The magic stone leads them to Golem, Tiger and Hare, each with their own motivations for joining the group on their journey to the Phoenix.
9. Belle
Original Release: July15,2021
Running Time: 124 minutes
The story follows that of a teenager, Suzu Naito, who lives between modern Japan and a virtual world called “U”. In this world, Suzu becomes Belle, a musical icon followed by more than 5 billion followers. This difficult double life for shy Suzu takes an unexpected turn when she meets the Beast. She then decides to unmask this fascinating and frightening creature.
8. Wolf Girl and Black Prince
Original Release: October 5, 2014–December 21, 2014
Number of Episodes: 12 + OVA
Erika Shinohara, just started high school. She wants to make friends at all costs. But she has a big flaw, she can’t help but lie when she feels lost. She then makes her classmates believe that she is dating a boy. However, her prince charming does not exist. At the age of 16, Erika never even had a boyfriend.
Having suspicions, she is asked to bring a photo of her boyfriend, she takes a photo of a handsome young man she meets in the street whom she introduces as her boyfriend. This young man turns out to be Sata, a student from his high school whose slyness is matched only by his great beauty. Erika finds herself trapped by this dangerous manipulator.
7. Beastars
Original Release: October 10, 2019– present
Number of Episodes: 24
The story takes place in a world of anthropomorphic animals with a cultural divide between carnivores and herbivores. Legoshi, a large gray wolf, is a shy and quiet student at Cherryton Academy, where he lives with several carnivorous students, including his Labrador friend, Jack. As a member of the school’s drama club, Legoshi works as a set designer and supports the club’s actors, led by star pupil Louis, a red deer.
But suddenly, Tem the alpaca is brutally killed and devoured in the night, creating a wave of unease and mistrust between herbivore and carnivore students. At the same time, Legoshi has a fateful encounter with Haru, a short white little rabbit, and begins to develop complex feelings for her. From that moment he begins his struggle between her instinct and conquering her despite her many insecurities.
6. Wolf’s Rain
Original Release: January 6, 2003 – July 29, 2003 / January 23, 2004 – February 25, 2004
Number of Episodes: 26 + 4 OVA
In the near future, the earth is preparing to face a new glaciation, which will cause the death of many animal species, including wolves of which there are already very few specimens. Human beings, in fact, a couple of centuries earlier had hunted wolves, considered a danger to the population, exterminating a large number of them and therefore mistakenly considering them extinct.
The last surviving wolves have learned to deceive the sight of human beings by appearing to them as other men, thus managing to get confused and escape extermination. Three of these wolves, Hige, Tsume, and Toboe, have found refuge in the city of Freeze City, hiding their true appearance and living with other humans. In the city also comes Kiba, a white wolf, who lives out of pride without hiding his true aspect.
5. Spice and Wolf
Original Run:January 9, 2008– September 24, 2009
Number of Episodes:24 (+ 2 OVA)
Spice and Wolf is set on a continent inspired by Europe in the late Middle Ages. The population of a small town, Pasloe, in an unspecified time, made a pact with a wolf god to avoid lean periods and guarantee good harvests.
While preparing for the feast in honor of the wolf, a young merchant named Lawrence discovers, hidden among the skins contained in her cart, a sleeping girl with the ears and tail of a wolf. The young woman introduces herself as the Holo – name of the wolf deity – of her and asks the boy to take her back north to where she was born.
Lawrence, initially skeptical, asks the girl to prove to him that she really is Holo the wolf goddess. The goddess then decides to transform herself, assuming the appearance of a huge wolf; Lawrence is thrilled and terrified. After a few small events in Pasloe village, Lawrence agrees to take Holo with him. The wolf goddess, during the journey, shows an enormous experience in the trade so as to surprise the expert merchant Lawrence.
4. To Your Eternity
Original Run: April 12, 2021– present
Number of Episodes: 20
An immortal, disembodied being is sent to earth. There it takes the form of the things it encounters: first a rock, then moss, and finally a wolf lying on the moss to die. In the form of the animal, it meets the boy, the friend of the wolf. The boy lives alone in an abandoned village on the tundra after the residents have made their way to a promised paradise and he has stayed behind to care for the elderly.
Now the boy sets out to follow them together with the creature in the form of the wolf. But he soon dies and the being takes on his form in which it tries to continue its search for other people. As before as a wolf, it first has to find its way around the completely new body and learn to understand its needs.
3. InuYasha
Original run:October 16, 2000–September 13, 2004 / October 3, 2009–March 29, 2010
Number of episodes:167 + 26
Japan, at the time of countries at war, was known as Sengoku (before 1600). In these times, humans live alongside “Youkai” or “Mononoke” (also called “demons” or “monsters” or “spirits”). These have different powers and appearances and are very varied; however, most share the same thing in common: the envy of human flesh.
This is why they regularly attack the villages and why the humans are all afraid that one of them will attack theirs. Inu-Yasha is a hanyō, that is to say, a being half-demon, half-human.
One day, he attacks the village protecting the pearl of Shikon, then steals it and runs away. The Pearl of Shikon (her real name is Shikon No Tama) would possess unimaginable powers, including greatly increasing the powers of the demon who possesses it. Inu-Yasha, meanwhile, wants to use this power to transform into a full-fledged demon.
2. Wolf Children
Original Release: June25,2012
Running Time: 117 minutes
Hana is a nineteen-year-old student who meets a boy she falls in love with at university. He reveals to her that he is a wolfwere, the last descendant of the now-extinct Japanese wolf. Nonetheless, the two get together, and when she finds out she is pregnant, she does not visit for fear of the baby being born a wolf.
Nine months later Yuki (“snow”) is born on a snowy day, and a year later her little brother Ame (“rain”) is born on a rainy day. Shortly after the birth of her son, the father disappears: in search of her, Hana discovers her accidental death during a hunt to procure prey for the young. Despite her pain, the girl decides to raise the children alone, a task that is far from easy for a single woman, especially considering that these children can turn into wolves.
After the owner of the condominium where they live threatens to evict them because she suspects the presence of animals (prohibited by the condominium regulations) and that social workers come to ask questions about the children who have not been subjected to scheduled vaccinations, Hana decides to move to the countryside to allow children to grow up without problems and to decide whether to live as humans or as wolves.
1. Princess Mononoke
Original Run: July12,1997
Running Time: 133 minutes
The story of Princess Mononoke takes place in medieval Japan (Muromachi era). Ashitaka, the prince of the tribe of the Emishis, a reclusive people north of Honshū, is cursed after killing Naggo, a boar god turned demon: his arm is animated with a supernatural force, but is eaten away by the demonic entity. The shaman of the village says he is doomed to die and advises him to leave the village in order to seek in the west the cause of nature’s anger and the hope of finding the reason for his curse.
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