What is this genre all about? An air force, also known in some countries as an air army or air corps, is in the broadest sense, the national military organization that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army, navy or other branch. Typically, air forces are responsible for gaining control of the air, carrying out strategic-bombing missions and providing support to surface forces.
The term "air force" may also refer to a tactical air force or numbered air force, which is an operational formation within a national air force. Air forces typically consist of a combination of fighters, bombers, helicopters, transport planes and other aircraft.
We present you the list of Air Force anime you should watch right now.
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Top 19 Air Force anime you should watch right now. [2026 List]
- 19. Howl's Moving Castle
- 18. Eureka Seven
- 17. Porco Rosso
- 16. Macross Plus
- 15. Stratos 4
- 14. Area 88
- 13. Rikujou Bouei-tai Mao-chan
- 12. Allison & Lillia
- 11. RahXephon
- 10. Macross
- 9. Stratos 4 Advance Kanketsu-hen
- 8. Stratos 4 Advance
- 7. Stratos 4 OVA
- 6. Last Exile
- 5. Simoun
- 4. Area 88 Movie
- 3. Hisone to Masotan
- 2. Moonlight Mile 1st Season: Lift Off
- 1. Brave Witches
19. Howl's Moving Castle
Sophie, a quiet girl working in a hat shop, finds her life thrown into turmoil when she is literally swept off her feet by a handsome but mysterious wizard named Howl. The vain and vengeful Witch of the Waste, jealous of their friendship, puts a spell on Sophie. In a life-changing adventure, Sophie climbs aboard Howl's magnificent flying castle and enters a magical world on a quest to break the spell.
Howl's Moving Castle has finished airing and it has 1 Episodes. It is also Known as: Howl no Ugoku Shiro, ハウルの動く城, Howl's Moving Castle
18. Eureka Seven
In the backwater town of Bellforest lives a 14-year-old boy named Renton Thurston. He desires to leave his home behind and join the mercenary group known as Gekkostate, hoping to find some adventure to brighten up his mundane life. However, stuck between his grandfather's insistence to become a mechanic like him and the pressure of his deceased father's legacy, the only excitement Renton finds is in his pastime of riding the Trapar wave particles that are dispersed throughout the air, an activity akin to surfing.
Everything changes when an unknown object crashes through Renton's garage, discovered to be a Light Finding Operation—a robot capable of riding the Trapar waves—specifically known as the Nirvash typeZERO. Its pilot is a young girl named Eureka, a member of the Gekkostate, who requests a tune-up for the Nirvash. Their meeting sparks the beginning of Renton's involvement with the Gekkostate as he takes off alongside Eureka as the co-pilot of the Nirvash.
Eureka Seven has finished airing and it has 50 Episodes. It is also Known as: 交響詩篇エウレカセブン, Koukyoushihen, Eureka 7, Eureka Seven Psalms of Planets, Koukyou Shihen Eureka Seven
17. Porco Rosso
Porco Rosso is a veteran WWI fighter pilot turned bounty hunter, who has been transformed into an anthropomorphic pig through a rare curse. He was once known as Marco Pagot while still in his human form, but took up a new alias which suits his current image better, "Red Pig."
At the beginning of Kurenai no Buta, Porco is reunited with his long-time friend Gina at a hotel, and unexpectedly falls in love with her. Despite his strange form, Gina shows him all the affection that she can muster. But Porco has a love rival to deal with. An American ace fighter named Curtis is also after Gina's heart, and although she rejects his proposals, he is not about to let her go so easily. During his return flight to Milan, Curtis sneaks up behind Porco's plane and shoots him down. The plane is completely destroyed and Porco is proclaimed dead, but due to a stroke of luck, he barely managed to survive the crash, unbeknownst to others.
Porco must now continue his journey back by train, and suddenly discovers that there has been a warrant issued for his arrest in Italy. Not only does he need to find Gina, but he must also get his revenge and also deal with the oncoming war that threatens the whole of Europe.
Porco Rosso has finished airing and it has 1 Episodes. It is also Known as: Kurenai no Buta, 紅の豚, The Scarlet Pig
16. Macross Plus
The year is 2040 and the galaxy is flourishing with several colonies and advanced technology. AI is near perfection and the current top idol is the near-completed Virturoid Idol Sharon Apple. All that is missing are her actual feelings, which instead are supplied by Myung Fang Lone. Sharon's debut concert is on planet Eden, where at the same time, fighter pilots Isamu Dyson and Guld Bowman battle over air superiority for the "Supernova Project." Isamu, Guld, and Myung were once childhood friends, but after an accident seven years ago, they went their own separate ways. With Myung back in the picture, the old disputes are once again awakened. And when an unstable and illegal AI technique is installed in Sharon, the situation is worsened.
Macross Plus has finished airing and it has 4 Episodes. It is also Known as: マクロスプラス, Macross Plus
15. Stratos 4
The Earth has developed a defense system against large meteorites that are on a collision course with it. This protection system is made up of the Comet Blasters based in several space stations as the 1st line of defense, using nuclear warheads launched by spaceships. The 2nd line of defense consists of the Meteor Sweepers launching from ground airbases using hypersonic planes with special missiles to deal with the resulting debris from the blasts. Mikaze is a troubled girl that is a trainee pilot for a Meteor Sweeper team that dreams of becoming a prestigious Comet Blaster pilot. Stratos 4 revolves around Mikaze's and her teammates' challenges to become real pilots, while the Earth faces the threats that come from space.
Stratos 4 has finished airing and it has 13 Episodes. It is also Known as: ストラトス・フォー, Stratos 4
14. Area 88
Shin Kazama, tricked and forced into flying for the remote country of Aslan, can only escape the hell of war by earning money for shooting down enemy planes or die trying. Through the course of the series, Shin must deal with the consequences of killing and friends dying around him as tries to keep his mind on freeing himself from this nightmare.
Area 88 has finished airing and it has 3 Episodes. It is also Known as: エリア88, Area 88 OVA
13. Rikujou Bouei-tai Mao-chan
Mao Onigawara is a happy 8-year-old grade-schooler and the granddaughter of Chief of Staff of Ground Defense Force. Equipped with her cloverleaf-shaped badge which enables her to transform (but gives her no special power whatsoever), Mao and her best friends (granddaughters of Chief of Staff of Air and Marine Defense Force, respectively) will defend Japan against the invasion from "cute aliens," who are way too cute to be dealt with regular armed forces.
Ground Defense Force! Mao-chan has finished airing and it has 26 Episodes. It is also Known as: 陸上防衛隊まおちゃん, Rikujou Bouei-tai Mao-chan
12. Allison & Lillia
Set in a continent divided into two commonwealths that have been engaged in war for hundreds of years, Allison and Will go on a mission to search "the treasure that will put an end to the war". Their hope is inherited to their daughter Lillia, who strives to thaw the torn nations into a united country. This anime encourages young generations to believe in a world without hatred or war regardless of nationalities and beliefs.
Allison & Lillia has finished airing and it has 26 Episodes. It is also Known as: Allison to Lillia, アリソンとリリア, Alison and Lilia, Arison to Riria, Allison and Lillia
11. RahXephon
In the year 2012 Japan was invaded by the Mu. Human-like beings from another dimension with blue blood.
In the year 2015 Tokyo is attacked by invaders, who are repelled by a humanoid weapon called a Dolem. During the chaos, Ayato Kamina meets Reika Mishima, a classmate.
During that same day, he is attacked by government officials but a woman named Haruka comes to his rescue, informing him that she was sent to get him by the Organization TERRA, and that Tokyo had been sealed in a time rift where time flows one third as fast as the outside world.
He flees from Haruka onto a train where he sees Reika once more. Arriving at the Room of Rah, he follows her to a tremendous egg where the Dolem RahXephon is hatched from, and upon her singing his mother appears atop the Dolem that had stopped the TERRA Invasion. In the battle Ayato's mother is injured, and Ayato flees Tokyo Jupiter with Haruka.
RahXephon has finished airing and it has 26 Episodes. It is also Known as: ラーゼフォン, RahXephon
10. Macross
After a mysterious spaceship crashes into Earth, humanity realizes that they are not alone. Fearing a potential threat from space, the world pushes aside their nationalism, conflicting interests, and cultural differences, unifying under the banner of the United Nations. The newly formed UN forces decide to repurpose the alien spacecraft, naming it SDF-1 Macross. Unfortunately, on the day of its maiden voyage, a fleet of spaceships belonging to a race of aliens known as Zentradi descend upon Earth, and the SDF-1 Macross, acting of its own accord, shoots down the incoming squadron, sparking an intergalactic war.
In an attempt to escape, the Macross tries to launch itself into the Moon's orbit, but the ship—as well as the city was in—is teleported to the far reaches of space. Caught up in the mess are Hikaru Ichijou, a free-spirited acrobatic pilot, and Minmay Lynn, an aspiring idol. Together, alongside Macross's bridge officer Misa Hayase, they experience an epic journey rife with grief and drama as they begin their trek back to Earth, facing with the cruelties of war along the way.
Macross has finished airing and it has 36 Episodes. It is also Known as: Choujikuu Yousai Macross, 超時空要塞マクロス, Choujikuu Yousai Macross, Cho Jiku Yosai Macross, Super Dimensional Fortress Macross, SDF Macross, Robotech (U.S.)
9. Stratos 4 Advance Kanketsu-hen
Crisis befalls the main characters and the Earth as well! How do they deal with the conspiracies that they have uncovered, while protecting the Earth too? (And what happens to the cliffhanger at the end of the previous episode?)
In these final two episodes of Stratos 4 Advance are the exciting conclusion to the whole Stratos 4 series. The main characters will have to draw on all the resources they have, their friends and allies and their own sheer force of will, to "bring tomorrow to Earth," as one of the characters puts it.
Stratos 4 Advance Kanketsu-hen has finished airing and it has 2 Episodes. It is also Known as: ストラトス・フォー アドヴァンス 完結編, Stratos 4 Advance Kanketsu-hen
8. Stratos 4 Advance
Having failed the Comet Blaster exams mysteriously, Mikaze and her friends are sent back to the Shimoji Island base, where, with three new Meteor Sweeper trainees around, they have been promoted to instructor positions.
Meanwhile, more comets are on their way to Earth, and the mysteries behind the rift in the Cosmic Emergency Management Agency—as well as the alien parasites—begins to unravel.
Stratos 4 Advance has finished airing and it has 6 Episodes. It is also Known as: ストラトス・フォー アドヴァンス, Stratos 4 Advance
7. Stratos 4 OVA
After successfully returning to Earth on the renovated Stratos 4, the four main characters are visited by the Comet Blasters Chizuru Kubo and Annette Kerry, who bring them a shocking video. Meanwhile, Orbital Station 7 is in serious trouble...
This two-episode OVA comes between the first and second seasons.
Stratos 4 OVA has finished airing and it has 2 Episodes. It is also Known as: ストラトス・フォー OVA, Stratos 4 OVA
6. Last Exile
In the world of Prester, flight is the dominant mode of transportation, made possible by Claudia Fluid: a liquidized form of the crystals that are produced on the planet. An organization known solely as "the Guild" has absolute authority over the skies, with a monopoly on the engines that make use of this fluid. Moreover, as ecological disasters destabilize the warring countries of Anatoray and Disith, the Guild also arbitrates in the disputes between the two. Caught in the middle of the conflict are Sky Couriers, piloting small, two-person vanships that fly freely through the sky.
Last Exile follows the adventures of two teenagers who dream of surpassing their parents: Claus Valca, son of a famous vanship pilot, and Lavie Head, Claus' best friend and navigator. Their job as couriers entails passing through an air current called the Grand Stream that separates the hostile nations, which even standard airships struggle to survive. However, when they take on a high-rated delivery to bring an orphan girl named Alvis Hamilton to the battleship Silvana, they get dragged into a much greater conflict that pits them against the might of the Guild.
Last Exile has finished airing and it has 26 Episodes. It is also Known as: ラストエグザイル, Last Exile
5. Simoun
In the peaceful theocracy of Simulicram, everyone is born female. At age 17, each maiden undergoes a special ceremony where she chooses her sex. However, only Pairs of maiden priestesses can synchronize with the ancient flying ships known as Simoun needed to defend Simulicram. These Pairs refrain from undergoing the ceremony as long as they wish to keep piloting their Simoun.
Aer is recruited to be a Simoun pilot after a terrifying attack by an enemy nation decimates the squadron known as Chor Tempest. To earn her wings she needs to find her way into the heart of Neviril, Regina of Chor Tempest. But Neviril's heart still belongs to her previous Pair, lost in the battle when she attempted a forbidden Simoun maneuver.
Simoun has finished airing and it has 26 Episodes. It is also Known as: シムーン, Shimuun, Simoon
4. Area 88 Movie
Kazama Shin, tricked and forced into fighting for the remote country of Arslan, can only escape the hell of war by earning money for shooting down enemy planes or die trying. As the war rages on, Shin has to deal with the consequences of killing and friends dying around him as he tries to keep his mind on freeing himself from this nightmare.
Area 88 Movie has finished airing and it has 1 Episodes. It is also Known as: エリア88 劇場版, Area 88 Gekijouban
3. Hisone to Masotan
Straightforward and innocent Hisone Amakasu is a rookie self-defense official. She was struggling with the fact that she sometimes hurts people unintentionally by her innocent words and decided to join in Air Self-Defence, hoping to maintain a certain distance from people. This decision led her to a fateful encounter which profoundly changes her life.
It was the dragon hidden in the base and it chose Hisone as his pilot.
When it soared into the sky with Hisone, her fate as a dragon pilot was decided.
It is said that dragons have a key to the future of the world...
Dragon Pilot: Hisone & Masotan has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: ひそねとまそたん, Hisone to Maso-tan, HisoMaso, Hisone & Masotan, Hisone and Maso-tan
2. Moonlight Mile 1st Season: Lift Off
After scaling Mt. Everest, mountain climbing partners Saruwatari Gorou and "Lostman" Jack F. Woodbridge see the ISA Space Station, and each vows to make the trek into outerspace. When Helium 3, a new energy source, is discovered on the moon, NASA forms a new project named "Nexus" to harness that energy for use on earth. This is the story of the two and the paths they take to see their dream become a reality in the quest to harness the next-generation energy source.
Moonlight Mile 1st Season: Lift Off has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: ムーンライトマイル 1stシーズン -Lift off-, Moonlight Mile 1st Season: Lift Off
1. Brave Witches
In September 1944, allied forces led by the 501st Joint Fighter Wing "Strike Witches" successfully eliminate the Neuroi threat from the skies of the Republic of Gallia, thus ensuring the security of western Europe. Taking advantage of this victory, allied forces begin a full-fledged push toward central and eastern Europe. From a base in Petersburg in the Empire of Orussia, the 502nd Joint Fighter Wing "Brave Witches," upon whom mankind has placed its hopes, flies with courage in the cold skies of eastern Europe.
Brave Witches has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: ブレイブウィッチーズ, Brave Witches
