11 Best Anime Series Produced by Studio MAPPA

Studio MAPPA casts a massive shadow over the modern anime landscape. For many fans, the name brings to mind high-stakes action blockbusters. MAPPA cemented this reputation through cultural phenomena like Jujutsu Kaisen. JJK season 3 and Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc remain high points in the studio’s two and a half decades of anime.

Masao Maruyama, a Madhouse co-founder and industry rebel, founded MAPPA in 2011 as an artistic sanctuary. Long before handling storied projects like Attack on Titan and Vinland Saga, MAPPA operated as a boutique haven. Legendary directors could escape corporate production committees there to build personal passion projects that nobody else would fund. That indie identity eventually collided with rapid industry growth, creating a unique mix of mainstream domination and bold creative swings.

Appreciating MAPPA requires looking past cursed energy and contracts. Stripping away flagship projects reveals a diverse lineup of historical dramas, subversive idol parodies, and bizarre passion projects once deemed unadaptable. These 11 best MAPPA anime prove the studio possesses a soul far beyond blockbuster adaptations.

11 Maboroshi (2023)

Few projects embody MAPPA’s willingness to take creative risks quite like Mari Okada’s Maboroshi, also known as “Alice and Therese’s Illusory Factory.” The film centers on Mifuse, a Japanese town frozen in time after a mysterious industrial disaster in the winter of 1991. Children remain the same age forever, new births cease, and strange cracks form in the sky whenever someone drifts emotionally.

Okada uses this supernatural premise to highlight the fear of change during adolescence and grief. While it missed the mainstream success of the studio’s biggest franchises, Maboroshi stands as one of MAPPA’s most ambitious original films. It recalls the auteur-driven storytelling of the studio’s earliest years.

10 Dororo (2019)

Based on the manga by Osamu Tezuka, Dororo is a rare remake in MAPPA’s catalog that earns praise for stylized swordfights and a thumping soundtrack. The adaptation balances brutal action with emotional character work, turning a decades-old story into one of the best anime of 2019.

Hyakkimaru wages a revenge quest to reclaim body parts sacrificed to demons before his birth, fighting to recover missing limbs and senses against impossible odds. Kazuhiro Furuhashi, director of Hunter x Hunter, Rurouni Kenshin, and Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn, helmed the remake. Dororo helped establish MAPPA as a studio capable of modernizing beloved properties.

9 Terror in Resonance (2014)

Shortly after founding the studio, Maruyama landed Shinichiro Watanabe, the mastermind behind Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo. Watanabe pitched an original anime film inspired by the political intrigue of 1979’s The Man Who Stole the Sun and the sound of Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós.

The project evolved into a TV show and survived immense financial roadblocks, taking nearly five years to finish. The 11-episode series tracks two teenage terrorists challenging authorities through cryptic attacks across Tokyo. Between Watanabe’s direction, a score by Yoko Kanno, and striking visual design, Terror in Resonance exemplifies MAPPA’s early artistic ambitions.

8 Zombie Land Saga (2018)

Equal parts parody and heartfelt character drama, Zombie Land Saga follows a group of resurrected girls tasked with saving Japan’s Saga Prefecture through pop music. The premise sounds ridiculous, but few expected an anime about zombie idols to become a massive surprise hit.

While MAPPA is often associated with dark dramas and action series, Zombie Land Saga proved the studio could thrive in comedy. It is a lighthearted series that blends horror with humor through a unique setting.

7 Zenshu (2025)

One of MAPPA’s newest originals celebrates the anime industry itself. Zenshu follows Natsuko Hirose, an exhausted animator transported into the world of a beloved animated film.

The title translates to “Fix All” or “Complete Revision,” an industry term used when a director completely overhauls an animation sequence. Created by Mitsue Yamazaki and Kimiko Ueno, the 12-episode series reflects the studio’s strengths, frustrations, and enduring passion for animation.

6 Inuyashiki: Last Hero (2017)

Before directing Dorohedoro, Shuhei Yabuta helmed Inuyashiki, an underrated science-fiction anime at MAPPA. The anime adapts Hiroya Oku’s manga about an elderly man who gains extraordinary powers after an accident, pitting him against a younger recipient using those same abilities for horrific ends.

The series walks a line between superhero epic and existential drama, tackling mortality and human connection. Nearly a decade later, Inuyashiki remains one of the studio’s boldest works.

5 Banana Fish (2018)

Adapting Akimi Yoshida’s crime drama Banana Fish was a challenge, but MAPPA delivered a modernized take. The series follows gang leader Ash Lynx and photographer Eiji Okumura as they unravel a deadly conspiracy. Blending action, tragedy, and romance, it stands as one of the most emotionally devastating anime of the decade.

4 Yuri on Ice (2016)

Yuri on Ice (stylized as Yuri!!! on Ice) transformed MAPPA forever. The original figure-skating drama became a global phenomenon, praised for depicting relationships rarely seen in mainstream sports anime. It made MAPPA a household name worldwide and earned praise from real-world figure skaters.

The studio hired retired Japanese ice dancer Kenji Miyamoto to choreograph every routine, lending authenticity to the production. The team even recorded ice skates scraping across different arenas.

3 Dorohedoro (2019)

For nearly two decades, Q Hayashida’s Dorohedoro was considered impossible to adapt due to its sketchy, grimy art style. The story features grotesque character designs and chaotic energy inside a magical trash heap.

MAPPA captured the manga’s bizarre blend of horror, dark comedy, and fantasy with a distinct visual identity. The adaptation feels messy in the best possible way, demonstrating the studio’s willingness to take risks on unconventional material.

2 In This Corner of the World (2016)

MAPPA is not known for tearjerkers, but Grave of the Fireflies shares shelf space with this heartbreaking and enchanting film based on real events.

In This Corner of the World follows Suzu, a young woman navigating wartime Japan from the 1930s to 1945. She enters an arranged marriage with a military clerk and moves to Kure, located 15 miles from her hometown of Hiroshima.

The result is a moving portrait of resilience, community, and loss. Long before blockbuster action series defined the studio, this film proved MAPPA could produce exceptional historical drama.

Source: Polygon