---
title: 'Top 20 Most Underappreciated ACTION Anime You Need To Watch'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=wbUouYrJkVk'
video_id: 'wbUouYrJkVk'
date: 2026-06-14
duration_sec: 1481
---

# Top 20 Most Underappreciated ACTION Anime You Need To Watch

> Source: [Top 20 Most Underappreciated ACTION Anime You Need To Watch](https://youtube.com/watch?v=wbUouYrJkVk)

## Summary

This video presents a list of 20 underappreciated action anime that the creator believes deserve more recognition. The shows range from historical adventures and supernatural fantasies to sci-fi thrillers and modern hits, each offering unique storytelling and entertainment value.

### Key Points

- **The Heroic Legend of Arslan** [00:28] — A 2015 historical adventure drama about a disgraced prince's redemption, with strong world-building and emotional stakes.
- **Yozakura Quartet** [01:33] — A 2013 supernatural fantasy with a quirky, unconventional approach to plot and characters, blending comedy and action.
- **The King's Avatar** [03:03] — A Chinese anime about esports, betrayal, and redemption, with good word-of-mouth but lacking mainstream marketing.
- **Tsubasa Tokyo Revelations** [04:12] — A 2007 OVA adapting a skipped manga arc from Tsubasa Chronicle, with a darker tone than the main series.
- **Kanan** [05:34] — A 13-episode thriller set in China with mystery, action, and conspiracies, featuring great lead dynamics.
- **Real Drive** [06:31] — A 2008 sci-fi anime about a connected world and technology dependence, with colorful visuals contrasting serious themes.
- **Moribito** [07:52] — A 2007 fantasy anime from Production I.G, following a bodyguard protecting a cursed prince, with fluid animation and no fan service.
- **Scissor Seven** [08:59] — A Chinese anime about an incompetent assassin, blending slice-of-life comedy with life lessons and unique animation.
- **Arpeggio of Blue Steel** [10:06] — A 2013 military sci-fi anime with attractive character designs and a satisfying anime-original conclusion.
- **Busou Renkin** [11:14] — A battle shonen from the creator of Rurouni Kenshin, featuring magical weapons and consistent entertainment.
- **Beelzebub** [12:47] — A delinquent comedy about a demon lord baby, with over-the-top humor and heartfelt moments.
- **Symphogear** [13:57] — A magical girl sci-fi series with musical performances, epic battles, and five seasons of escalating stakes.
- **Sengoku Basara** [15:18] — A pseudo-historical anime set in the Sengoku period, with epic fights and diverse characters.
- **Casshern Sins** [16:20] — A dark sci-fi anime about robots seeking immortality, balancing action with introspective themes.
- **Super Crooks** [17:29] — A 2021 anime with Western comic vibes, featuring a colorful cast of thieves and solid action.
- **High Card** [18:33] — A 2023 card game anime with an adult cast, mature vibes, and fast-paced story development.
- **Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans** [19:38] — A gritty, realistic take on the Gundam franchise with melodrama and a unique approach.
- **Hikaru no Go** [20:51] — A 2023 anime that starts as a light comedy but evolves into a deep emotional story with strong character development.
- **Space Battleship Yamato 2199** [21:52] — A 2012 remake of the classic space opera, surpassing the original with modern visuals and faithful storytelling.
- **Pluto** [23:10] — A deep, introspective sci-fi anime with amazing storytelling and emotional impact, but not mainstream due to its style.

### Conclusion

The video offers a diverse list of 20 underappreciated action anime, encouraging viewers to explore hidden gems beyond mainstream hits.

## Transcript

[Music]
there are just that many series and
titles that I feel are really good or
plain enjoyable but didn't quite make it
to the mainstream so let me introduce to
you some awesome anime that you may have
overlooked or forgotten about Through
The Years whether this list of 20 anime
will open New Horizons will get you
feeling all nostalgic we'll all have to
wait and see starting out is the heroic
Legend of Aran
an awesome 2015 show arand is one of the
shows that made me love the historical
Kingdom Adventure drama genre it does
help that around that time I was still
feeling the hi from both seasons of the
Magi and I also had Yona of the Dawn
fresh in my mind it probably led me to
enjoy this story of betrayal character
growth and War more than I would have
otherwise that's not to mislead you into
thinking that I only liked Aram because
I was already inclined to war more
stories on its own arand stands out as a
strong story of an Epic Journey of a
disgraced Prince's Redemption the first
episode wasted little time grabbing my
attention and giving me emotional Stakes
for the character each episode kept me
wanting more and the gradual yet
consistent World building as more
Mysteries unfold is something to watch
out for the genre is not something that
lends itself to being super mainstream
especially when everyone's eyes were on
unlimited blade works nissy and saraf of
the end at this time if I recall still
this is a Hidden Gem you should
definitely try
[Music]
we move the calendar back a couple of
years now for this next show yakura
quartet
hanuta for 2013 is a memorable season
for me it was a time when it was harder
to count the seasonals I didn't follow
and it was a time kill lill took the
World by storm do you know what else
this season had quite several of those
Supernatural fantasies that take place
in a world like our own I liked all of
THM the air at this time but caught
underneath beyond the boundary Strike
the Blood and Tokyo Ravens was this
underrated gem once s this Yaga Quan
anime apart from its three other peers
is its willingness to take a less than
conventional approach and that much can
be evident by comparing all four of
their key visuals and posters the more
unconventional approach extends past the
visuals and influences the flow of the
plot and the overall feel of the
characters it's bizarre but it's still a
really quirky and fun Oddball amongst
the family if you get the picture it
does a serviceable job at blending in
its heavier emphasis on Comedy and the
Shen time battles featuring its rather
Whimsical set of characters it was the
furthest thing from a mainstream hit in
its time but that doesn't mean that it's
not worth your time to give this one a
shot
we then move on to a more modern hit
King's
[Music]
Avatar King's Avatar is an interesting
example I feel that it's not exactly as
forgotten or niche as the previous two
titles but it does deserve a bit more
appreciation I've enjoyed the recent hit
shanga Frontier and I thought that it
would have been cool to have more shows
revolving more around the games and
Gamers themselves instead of the
consequences or what it's like living
inside one an approach past hits like
Overlord Sao or Log Horizon made full
use of King's Avatar had good word of
mouth that sure helped its popularity
half a decade ago Esports was also in
the process of booming and it captured
some hearts with its story of betrayal
and Redemption it all felt like a flash
in the pan however and that's probably
due to it being a Chinese anime and
benefiting from the intense mainstream
marketing a typical anime gets like
those collabs those gcha games voice
actor events you know what I mean still
if you're into Esports in any way and
like the style of plot that has some
similarities to what I've said about
asand then go check this one
out suasa Tokyo Revelations is up
[Music]
next talk about a nostalgic aesthetic
clamp really made a name for them El
from the '90s to the 2000s and one of
their interesting gimmicks is how their
series like card capter and subasa
Chronicle are connected a lot of my
friends who are fans in that era know of
the main anime series of subasa
Chronicle but do you know there's added
content in the form of an OVA one that
adapts a manga Arc that was somehow
skipped now that my friend is Tokyo
Revelations this might come as a shock
to newer fans but the 2000s was a whole
different animal for manga or novel
adaptations the trend didn't apply to
everything but it was an ERA with a lot
of anime that adapted perhaps an arc or
two two before they went off the rails
and just did their own thing with entire
filler arcs or skipped content Shaman
King's 2000s versions had this for one
subasa Chronicle 2 before this 2007 OVA
carrying a noticeably different tone
from the main anime was released if
there's one thing holding me back from
recommending this OVA however it's the
fact that it needs some prior knowledge
before watching you can't just skip to
Tokyo Revelations then again if you're
interested you're probably someone who
lik the subas series back then
anyway
we proceed with our trk through the late
2000s with
Kanan if you've been thirsting for
something more akin to a modern Thriller
Kanan could be an anime to Peak your
interest set in China and giving us a
plot filled with mystery action and
conspiracies Kanan had the makings of a
cult classic back in its time it's a
straightforward tale that doesn't take
too long to get going giving us a fair
dose of action film sequences in its 13
episode run which is actually quite
short for the story it wants to tell it
I'm being honest still I found myself
enjoying most of its 13 episodes as a
popcorn flick boyed by the thrilling
action sequences explosions and a great
dynamic between the two main leads who
play off each other so well it also
feels like a departure from the usual
Fair we've come to expect from PA works
so I found myself pleasantly surprised
with the results once it was all said
and
done
we have more action thrillers coming
your way this time it's the Sci-Fi
series real
drive real Drive seems like a show that
was ahead of its time the prospect of a
world being increasingly connected
through technology and the harsh
consequences of such a reality is
something I've always found cool when
presented in media the themes felt
relevant in 2024 and this anime's
prediction of such an escalation by the
time the year 2061 rolls around doesn't
seem so farfetched now does it real
Drive is a SciFi anime that deserves a
whole lot of love but it was hard to
stand out back in 2008 especially since
it shared the season with freaking code
gas of all things there's also Soul
Eater Vampire Knight and a whole lot of
shows that can be recognized by anime
fans about to turn 30 now I have to give
Real Drive its flowers though for its
World building chops the colorful World
serves as a Nifty contrast to the rather
serious under Ling themes and the high
stakes operations presented in the show
it takes a while to rev up but once the
ball gets rolling Real Drive turned out
to be a fun watch that was a refreshing
take on the whole dependence on
technology
[Music]
theme Maro is next in
line
a I bet you may not have heard of this
underrated anime mono is one of
production ig's hidden gems While most
people nowadays know about the studio
thanks to their contribution to Bangers
like psychop pass you start seeing some
potential of wants to come with this
2007 fantasy anime moribo is a fantasy
novel that takes its audience through
what seems to be Indochina where fans
get to follow Balsa and her perilous
journey to protect the cursed Prince
chagum Moro lines up pretty nicely which
shows the action anime fans may love it
has great fights super fluid animation
great voice acting and a lack of fan
service that helps preserve the serious
tone that the show is actually going for
for someone who likes The Vibes of shows
like Claymore and ruroni Kenshin moribo
should definitely be on your watch list
it's a complete anime overall having a
great amount of character development
action and dramatic
flare next up here's scissor 7
[Music]
short but sweet a description that's
often used but it really does apply to
this Chinese anime this time we have a
show that seems to have taken
inspiration from one's work after all
this story of an incompetent super
assassin looks to be something around
mob psycho ballpark it's quite the
delightful treat being a light-hearted
slice of life yet packaged with some
rated life lessons underneath it also
has cool animation and the Unique Look
of pretty much everything means there's
no shortage of things that could let
this anime stand out it can get
repetitive sure but what that means is
that if the first few episodes hit the
mark of you then you'll be sure that you
can enjoy it the rest of the way
provided you look at the series with the
appropriate lens it's not hard to see
why the show ended up being really Niche
but if you're up for some comedy pop
culture references and the like scissor
7 is something you should definitely
check out it's not a massive time
investment and it will surely brighten
up your
day
[Music]
back to 4 2013 and we go with arpeggio
of blue steel ARS
Nova to be honest this was a title from
the fall of 2013 which I overlooked a
bit at the start I did say that I
watched a lot that season but a tiny bit
of me regretted putting this off until
the season was more than halfway through
that's because it's an unexpectedly
great ride military anime hasn't exact
being a main genre of mine but the
combination of attractive character
designs some gripping Cliffhangers and a
plot that juggles the balance between
lighthearted and serious very well made
this one of the unexpected winners of
that season it also came at a time when
gandai was dominating the market and
people have been getting into World of
Warships in my place but it's not
entirely a case of the right place right
time the show is good enough on its own
and the best part about it is that while
it goes anime original partway through
the anime only content ended up being
more than satisfying it even concludes
in a two-part of movie that that ties up
a lot of the anime's Loose Ends neatly I
do have to warn you that the first of
the two movies is a super rushed recap
of the TV series for more than half of
its
run do you know that Roni kenshin's auor
dipped his toes into battle Focus Shonen
too here's buso
[Applause]
Rankin
cool magical weapons endearing
characters a narrative that's easy to
follow and digest and some hot blooded
music to get you pumping now that
doesn't sound like something you'd
expect from the creator of Roni Kenshin
in a lot of ways Busa Rankin provides a
different experience one that's more of
the popcorn entertainment type now that
doesn't mean it's not a good experience
as Busa ranking is one hell of a fun
ride especially if you're a fan of stuff
like bleach or FMA in the Fate series
actually short buso ranking doesn't come
anywhere where close in terms of
thematic depth to those comparison anime
but if you're in for the fights and
explosions you'll have more than a
satisfying experience following this
series it doesn't truly become
mind-blowingly great from a critical
perspective but it also shows
consistency in terms of entertainment
Factor throughout its multiple arcs now
that doesn't seem much in the modern era
with all the amazing advancements in
animation presentation and storytelling
still for its time it's lowkey a great
entry point for battle Shonen if you're
going to ask me and while it had a bit
of popularity for that era I don't think
it would hurt to have more people check
this one out even in the modern
days now that we're halfway through the
list have you found anything you like
well don't Fray if not we have 10 more
recommendations headed your way but
first I'd like to get your help with the
channel just hit the like button and
subscribe because it helps a lot in
growing this channel further thank you
all right let's get back to the list
another modestly popular series back in
the previous decade that I enjoyed is
buub
delinquent anime has been picking up
steam these past few years but for those
who are around in the 2010s their first
mainstream experience in the genre maybe
through bbub the premise of an
overpowered delinquent being given the
task of a lifetime to oversee a Demon
Lord baby should already set up some
hints that this is going to be one crazy
anime it wastes no time throwing loud in
yourface comedy at you and that ends up
being one of its strongest points the
abub really doesn't take itself too
seriously as an anime but it also has
some heartfelt moments sprinkled
throughout thanks to its surprisingly
great character development oh and of
course there's a whole slew of Epic
showdowns to remember being an anime
that has a really high episode count
however it has its share of hit or mis
fillers still I'd recommend taking a dip
in this now underrated
[Music]
comedy like magical girls like
over-the-top action like
[Music]
music
sfor gear truly was something from
humble beginnings in 2012 it's endured
to be one of the Premier magical girl
shows out there with each season getting
more and more epic than the previous IT
combines a lot of action character
development and ever increasing Stakes
while dressing everything up in sci-fi
makeup and heavily integrating musical
performances into it it's quite the
brave combination of genres back in the
2010s but I'd say it turned out way
better than expected for this Smash Hit
that got five whole Seasons it's not
exactly the deepest show out there but
if you're in for some over-the-top
battles with unexpectedly Peak hype
levels then this one's going to please
you if you're part of the anime fan
Community who's invested in voice
actresses and their performances then
this one is a must-watch granted I feel
SF for gear is pretty popular for all
its worth however I think that it's a
title that people in communities often
Overlook hence its inclusion here that's
possibly due to the rough Beginnings in
a stigma on how well sci-fi power armor
idle performances and magical girls can
work together trust me though starting
the ride and powering through the first
part is something you're not going to
regret for the subsection of anime fans
who are into Japanese history however
I've got sangoku basara for
you anime chronicling the sangoku period
are a plenty how many variants of
Nobunaga are there in anime already
after all these period Pieces come in
all sorts of approach and forms to mixed
results actually I think a whole lot of
them are quite underrated like a
personal favorite of mine ambition of
Oda nobuna however for today I'll be
shining the spotlight on a more
conventional approach in liberally
integrating the Waring States in anime
sang Goku basana sangoku basa keeps
things simple I mean it may not be deep
nor is it historically accurate but who
needs all of that when it gives out epic
fights and gripping moments in Spades
you've got top tier character
introductions crazy stuff like tornado
inducing weapon swings and the like the
story is easy to to follow and you don't
have to be on the lookout for some big
brain twist that will blow you away but
actually what it aims to do it does
really well as I said short exciting and
with a whole cast of diverse characters
who have their own quirks sangoku basa
can be a winner depending on what you
look for in a pseudo historical
peace it's time to feature C and
sins
[Music]
now this is definitely no high octane
action piece cenin is a Sci-Fi anime
that's pretty dark and deliberate in
presenting its themes of life and death
right off the bat it's not hard to see
why this anime about a distant future
populated by robots seeking immortality
didn't come close to mainstream
popularity that despite it having a plot
that's pretty simple and easy to follow
on the surface it tries its best to cat
to both markets but I feel that it
unfortunately turned out to its
detriment action fans may not like the
focus on slower Pace flow and a strong
focus on character studies but even its
other Market fans of more introspective
anime may not appreciate the relative
abundance of action sequences for those
who can appreciate the effort in
maintaining that balance between
contrasting ends of the spectrum CERN
sins is a certified winner it's not an
anime that I can recommend anyone to
dive into but for what it does as a
postapocalyptic Sci-Fi title I do feel
it deserves its fair share of
[Music]
flowers if if you're wanting an anime
with strong Western influences though
may I introduce you to 2021s Super
Crooks great Pretender took off quite
well in 2020 which made me unsurprised
to see another attempt at capturing the
demographic looking for anime that drips
with Western comic Vibes unfortunately
super Crooks didn't quite reach the same
height its practical predecessor did
despite having similarly colorful cast
of thieving characters perhaps
integrating the whole superpowers thing
into the mix didn't work out as well as
expected and comparing it critically to
Great Pretender one of the best of 2020
mind you is a disservice but I will
stand by my opinion that super Crooks is
still a pretty good watch the action is
good the animation's solid and the
characters ooze Charisma all this is
supported by a vibrant art style that
really captures what the anime is going
for in terms of atmosphere and Vibe its
pacing can be hit or miss but when it
hits it TI I'd say that it's one of the
more pleasantly entertaining shows you
pick out from late 2021 another newer
title that I feel goes around being
underrated is high
card card game anime is pretty fire but
to integrate cards with power an adult
cast and the mature Vibes of something
similar to boo stray dogs or Kingsmen
count me in on that I haven't had the
definitive call on what's the best anime
of 2023 yet but High cards not a
contender I'm not going to pretend that
it's amongst the titans of the past year
but I would also say it's gone under the
radar for what a thrilling anime it is
it's got interesting characters just
opposed by unique powers and it deserves
a bit more love for what it brings to
the table the dull moments are few and
far between and I like how it doesn't
take too long for things to get going
and for me to get acclimated with the
world being set up by the series whether
you like card anime or not you'll find
something to like about high card
whether it be the atmosphere the fastpac
and story development or the sheer iety
and creativity and
Powers Gundam iron blooded orphans is
next on the
[Music]
list needless to say which from Mercury
has been a resounding success for the
Gundam franchise bringing it back to
mainstream relevance after what seemed
to be a lull during the 2010s far from
the Juggernaut it once was though Gundam
had quite the mixed reception around
that era with what I felt was a middling
reception to GCO and H that perception
led to one of the more underrated
entries becoming what it is in Iron
blooded orphans with Mari okar
spearheading the project people knew
that they were going to get a gritty
more realistic take on the Gundam
franchise filled with her signature
melodrama whether it's the most
realistic Gundam out there is Up For
Debate but iron blooded orphans does
provide a unique and different take from
the more shown iny approaches and of the
previous entries took it goes against
the grain for the traditional Gundam
fair in some aspects leading to a mixed
reception but I got to give some props
with the effort you know the final
product at least in my opinion is well
worth the daring approach and it remains
one of my favorite Gundam series from
the past decade or
[Music]
so we go back to another recent anime in
HK
2023 came and went and I barely saw any
traction on HK anecdotal I know but I
still think it's a shame because just as
it ended a month ago I found myself
thinking that this is one of the Hidden
gems of the Year 2023 it underwent a
hell of a character development Arc of
its own going from a light tighted
comedy to a frankly amazing anime when
it got the chance to show off its
writing chops I found myself thoroughly
invested in the characters in The
Emotional story that unfolds around them
it's something that I can't fault people
for brushing off as a casual comedy at
start how many animes have tried that
but failed or otherwise spattered To
Mediocre results the same can't be said
of H and sticking with it did bear fruit
for me in a big way don't let First
Impressions fall you into
underestimating HK as a series that's
all I've got to say now where's my
season
two as we reach the tail end of the list
I'd like to give some love to Space
Battleship Yamato 21
[Music]
199 space Opera's time in the Limelight
has come and gone but in 2012 there's an
effort at a tribute to one of the most
influential anime in that genre I got to
say that it's one of the few cases where
the Remake has more than surpassed the
original in more ways than one Space
Battleship Yamato is a legendary series
and it was gloriously brought into the
modern era with the amazing remake
that's notable since a lot of the more
modern REM makes have had contentious
receptions like Shaman King whose
initial series I briefly talked about a
lot earlier on in the list turns out
that just improving visuals and
following the source material more
accurately wasn't a sure fire recipe for
success for yamama though much care has
been put into preserving the spirit of
the original engaging Story one that
keeps you wanting more with each passing
episode all the while the team has been
adding retouches thanks to modern
technology and the results are more than
beautiful I dare say this is the
definitive version of the series
tailored for younger audiences to enjoy
it's simp simple fun and delightfully
meshes the Retro feel of the series with
a great presentation app for the modern
audience closing out the list then we
have
[Music]
Pluto if this isn't your first time on
this channel and you've watched a couple
of my videos in the past few months then
you'd undoubtedly run into one of the
many videos where I talk up Pluto my
trust in it isn't unfounded and I think
it Nails the mark in terms of my
expectations on the other hand I also
feel it's underrated and not popular
enough for how good it is the
storytelling the presentation and the
underlying themes are amazing it has no
shortage of Thrills and emotional impact
it's not surprising that it didn't
become mainstream though there's the
whole streaming batch release schedule
that kills hype in my opinion and
there's an overall focus on the
introspective side of things and not a
whole lot of amazing fight sequences
where people get excited on social media
over breathtaking animation pretty much
everything about Pluto was spectacular
if you know what it's set out to do and
to come in with the proper expectations
if you're looking for something deeper
and as a style way different from the
usual battle series teenager romcoms or
high fantasy anime fair then Pluto is
going to be my top recommendation for
[Music]
you and that more or less finishes up
the list with 20 anime that have varying
levels of action in them I hope you
found at least a show or two to love
what about you what do you think about
the anime I featured today make sure to
let me know through the comments section
or vin tube social media also feel free
to drop some suggestions and feedback as
well as prospects for future lists
thanks for watching and I wish you a
good day