The zombie genre may seem tired at this point as there are tons of grim zombie apocalypse movies and TV shows. In the anime world though, there are lots of fresh takes on the genre. Thus, here’s a list of the best zombie anime you can watch in 2024.
Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead
The newest show in this list is Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead. This show aired in 2023, and it is a unique (and surprisingly relatable) take on the zombie apocalypse.
Zom 100 follows Akira, a young man working in an exploitative black company. Soon, his world turns upside down as a zombie apocalypse happens.
Instead of getting depressed, Akira is overjoyed by the apocalypse as it means he no longer has to go to work.
Tokyo Ghoul
For those who want a darker series, there’s Tokyo Ghoul. It may not be your typical zombie story, but it’s right up the alley of horror fans as it’s set in a world where flesh-eating ghouls live secretly among humans.
The series follows Ken Kaneki, a student who almost dies after encountering a ghoul who tried to eat him. He soon wakes up transformed into a half-ghoul.
Zombie Land Saga
Moving back to lighter fare, we have MAPPA's Zombie Land Saga. Instead of an apocalyptic zombie horde coming for human survivors, this series instead follows an idol group composed of zombies.
Each of the idol group’s members are former idols, except for the protagonist Sakura Minamoto who dies in an accident before she can live out her idol dreams.
The idol group’s members were all revived by Kotaro Tatsumi, a necromancer who wishes to revitalize Saga Prefecture through the idols.
RELATED: Zombie Land Saga Makes Surprising Cameo Appearance in Zom 100
Highschool of the Dead
High school is arguably one of the most popular settings in anime, so it’s no surprise that there’s a zombie anime set in high school.
The Highschool of the Dead anime follows a group of students who are survivors of a zombie pandemic. This ragtag bunch aims to discover what caused this pandemic.
School-Live!
School-Live! is another high school-set zombie anime, but it’s not as focused on action as the previous anime. Instead, it has slice-of-life elements, at least at the beginning.
The anime follows Yuki Takeya who is enjoying typical school activities, though this is all in her head as she has suffered a mental breakdown after the onset of a zombie outbreak.
Alongside Yuki are her other classmates who survived the outbreak. All while Yuki is oblivious, her classmates try their best to keep her safe.
Sankarea: Undying Love
For something a bit lighter, there’s Sankarea: Undying Love. This romance anime follows Chihiro Furuya, a high school student with an obsession with everything zombies.
Because of this, Chihiro attempts to revive his pet cat who died just recently via a resurrection potion. Instead of his cat, his classmate Rea Sanka mistakenly drinks the potion.
Soon, Rea falls off a cliff in an accident, but she does not die. Instead, she becomes a zombie.
The anime then follows the life of Chihiro and his new zombie girlfriend.
Corpse Princess
Corpse Princess is a zombie anime that also features a young protagonist revived after their death.
This series stars Makina Hoshimura who was murdered but then revived as a Shikabane Hime (or "corpse princess" in English).
Wielding her trusty dual Mac-11 submachine guns and aided by a Buddhist monk, her goal is to kill 108 other Shikabane so that she can enter heaven.
Is This a Zombie?
Another comedic zombie anime with a twist is Is This a Zombie?, a series that follows Ayumu Aikawa who is resurrected as a zombie after being killed by a serial killer.
He soon encounters a magical girl named Haruna and ends up taking her powers.
Thanks to this turn of events, Ayumu becomes a cross-dressing magical girl zombie whose goal is to figure out the mystery of his death.
Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress
Wit Studio’s Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress has gotten many Attack on Titan comparisons. Instead of featuring massive monstrous beings, the series instead features humans who are transformed into living corpses.
Even though it shares a lot of similarities with Hajime Isayama’s hit series, it still has interesting twists such as the steampunk setting that make it worth a watch for fans looking for a different zombie series.
Hellsing Ultimate
A classic of the 2000s, Hellsing Ultimate is the second anime adaptation of the hit dark fantasy manga.
While the series follows the vampire Alucard and features a twist on the classic Dracula story, Hellsing Ultimate features lots of ghouls that Alucard must fight, which should delight zombie genre fans.
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