What is this genre all about? Buddhism is a nontheistic religion or dharma, "right way of living", that encompasses a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha ("the awakened one").
Source: Wikipedia
We present you the list of Buddhism anime you should watch right now.
Try our anime quiz: Anime Characters Guessing Quiz/Game
Top 14 Buddhism anime you should watch right now. [2024 List]
- 14. Jigokuraku
- 13. Mushishi Zoku Shou
- 12. Mononoke
- 11. Dororo to Hyakkimaru
- 10. Jigokuraku 2nd Season
- 9. Saint☆Oniisan
- 8. Saint☆Oniisan (Movie)
- 7. Tezuka Osamu no Buddha: Owarinaki Tabi
- 6. Naze Ikiru: Rennyo Shounin to Yoshizaki Enjou
- 5. Renshenguo
- 4. Rennyo to Sono Haha
- 3. Tezuka Osamu no Buddha: Akai Sabaku yo! Utsukushiku
- 2. Rennyo Monogatari
- 1. Sekai no Hikari: Shinran Shounin
14. Jigokuraku
The Edo period is nearing its end. Gabimaru, a shinobi formerly known as the strongest in Iwagakure who is now a death row convict, is told that he will be acquitted and set free if he can bring back the Elixir of Life from an island that is rumored to be the Buddhist pure land Sukhavati. In hopes of reuniting with his beloved wife, Gabimaru heads to the island along with the executioner Yamada Asaemon Sagiri. Upon arriving there, they encounter other death row convicts in search of the Elixir of Life... as well as a host of unknown creatures, eerie manmade statues, and the hermits who rule the island. Can Gabimaru find the Elixir of Life on this mysterious island and make it back home alive?
Hell's Paradise has finished airing and it has 13 Episodes. It is also Known as: 地獄楽, Heavenhell, Paradition, Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku
13. Mushishi Zoku Shou
They existed long before anyone can remember. They are simple and strange in nature, not resembling any other plant or animal in this world. In ancient times, people revered these bizarre creatures and called them "Mushi."
People once again began to believe in the existence of these "Mushi" when they began affecting their lives in inexplicable ways.
The one who connects the world of "Mushi" to the world of humans—they were called the "Mushi-shi."
All life exists not to hinder others in this world.
They are simply there to live as they were meant to.
MUSHI-SHI -Next Passage- has finished airing and it has 10 Episodes. It is also Known as: 蟲師 続章, Mushi-shi Zoku Shou, Mushishi: The Next Chapter
12. Mononoke
The "Medicine Seller" is a deadly and mysterious master of the occult who travels across feudal Japan in search of malevolent spirits called "mononoke" to slay. When he locates one of these spirits, he cannot simply kill it; he must first learn its Form, its Truth, and its Reason in order to wield the mighty Exorcism Sword and fight against it. He must begin his strange exorcisms with intense psychological analysis and careful investigative work—an extremely dangerous step, as he must first confront and learn about the mononoke before he even has the means to defeat it.
The Medicine Seller's journey leads him to an old-fashioned inn where Shino, a pregnant woman, has finally found a place to rest. The owner has reluctantly placed her in the last vacant room; however, as she settles in, it quickly becomes clear that the room is infested by a lethal band of mononoke, the Zashiki Warashi. With his hunter's intuition, the Medicine Seller begins his investigation to discover the Form, the Truth, and the Reason before the Zashiki Warashi can kill again.
Mononoke has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: モノノ怪, Mononoke
11. Dororo to Hyakkimaru
Hyakkimaru is a young man who lacks 48 body parts because they were taken from him by demons before birth, as payment by his father, Kagemitsu Daigo, to obtain his wish to take over the country. When the baby boy was born he was missing 48 parts of his body, and thus was abandoned—thrown into a river. Hyakkimaru has grown up and now has obtained fake body parts so he can eliminate the 48 demons that were made from his body, and to retrieve his missing parts. Along for the adventure is the boy thief, Dororo, with whom he becomes friends.
Dororo has finished airing and it has 26 Episodes. It is also Known as: どろろと百鬼丸, Dororo and Hyakkimaru
10. Jigokuraku 2nd Season
The second season of Jigokuraku.
Hell's Paradise Season 2 has not yet aired. It is also Known as: 地獄楽 第二期, Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku Season 2, สุขาวดีอเวจี, Адский рай
9. Saint☆Oniisan
Jesus Christ and Gautama Buddha, the founders of Christianity and Buddhism, are living together as roommates in a Tokyo apartment while taking a vacation on Earth. The comedy often involves jokes about Christianity, Buddhism, and all things related, as well as the main characters' attempts to hide their identities and understand modern society in Japan.
Saint☆Young Men has finished airing and it has 2 Episodes. It is also Known as: 聖☆おにいさん, Saint☆Onii-san, Saint Onii-san
8. Saint☆Oniisan (Movie)
What if Jesus and Buddha were living on Earth in modern times? What if they shared an apartment in Japan? Saint Young Men is a humorous manga about the daily lives of Jesus and Buddha, with each chapter focusing on some element of modern life, such as Disneyland, rush hour on the train, Christmas, the public pool, carnivals, and more.
Saint☆Young Men (Movie) has finished airing and it has 1 Episodes. It is also Known as: 聖☆おにいさん, Saint☆Onii-san (Movie), Saint Onii-san (Movie)
7. Tezuka Osamu no Buddha: Owarinaki Tabi
2500 years ago, in India, Siddhartha was born as a prince of the Shakya clan, but he gives up his position as a prince to see the world. While he travels he meets a strange boy named Assaji, who can predict the future and a monk with only one eye. Overwhelmed by the sufferings he witnesses around him, Siddhartha strives to restore peace. Meanwhile, Prince Ruri of Kosara begins his attack on the Shakya clan.
BUDDHA 2 has finished airing and it has 1 Episodes. It is also Known as: 手塚治虫のブッダ－終わりなき旅－, Osamu Tezuka's Buddha Movie 2: Endless Trip
6. Naze Ikiru: Rennyo Shounin to Yoshizaki Enjou
Ryouken, a young man who hates temples and monks, laments his misfortunes but finds hope in his soon-to-be-born child. An unfortunate accident took everything from Ryouken. In the days of self-abandonment and suffering in darkness, Ryouken finds the teachings of the high priest Rennyo. In it, he finds answers to the question "Why live" as explained by the sage Shinran. As he is drawn into the teachings and no longer hesitates, Ryouken becomes Rennyo's apprentice. The number of worshippers increase, but the Honganji temple becomes a target of the other sects, forcing Ryouken and Rennyo to flee from Kyoto. In order to find a new place to teach, they arrive in Yoshizaki (now in Fukui Prefecture) in the Hokuriku region.
Naze Ikiru: Rennyo Shounin to Yoshizaki Enjou has finished airing and it has 1 Episodes. It is also Known as: なぜ生きる─蓮如上人と吉崎炎上─, Naze Ikiru: Rennyo Shounin to Yoshizaki Enjou
5. Renshenguo
The second part of the trilogy about adventures of the King of monkeys.
Renshenguo has finished airing and it has 1 Episodes. It is also Known as: 人參果, Ginseng Fruit, Sun Ukun: Fruits of Genshen, The Monkey King and the Fruit of Immortality
4. Rennyo to Sono Haha
Rennyo was the key figure responsible for the restoration of Shin Buddhism in Japan, in particular the Honganji lineage, during a slump in its fortunes during the Middle Ages. According to legend, his motivation was a pivotal childhood incident at the age of just six when his mother summoned him and informed him of his destiny to revive the fortunes of the Honganji school to which he was the next in line. She then mysteriously disappeared from the temple. Taking her words to heart, from a background of great poverty and hardship, at the age of 16 he set out to spread the word across the land.
Rennyo and His Mother has finished airing and it has 1 Episodes. It is also Known as: 蓮如とその母, A Priest and His Mother
3. Tezuka Osamu no Buddha: Akai Sabaku yo! Utsukushiku
In ancient Nepal, the lives of the re plagued by drought, famine, constant warfare and the injustices of the strict caste system. The intertwining lives of many unhappy souls are drawn together by the birth of the young prince Siddhartha, who embarks on a spiritual journey, becomes Buddha, "the Enlightened One," and attempts to bring about a spiritual rebirth of the people in this desperate age.
BUDDHA has finished airing and it has 1 Episodes. It is also Known as: 手塚治虫のブッダ－赤い砂漠よ！美しく－, Osamu Tezuka's Buddha Movie 1: The Red Desert! It's Beautiful, Buddha: The Great Departure
2. Rennyo Monogatari
A dramatization based on the novel "The Story of Rennyo" by Hiroyuki Itsuki.
Rennyo Monogatari has finished airing and it has 1 Episodes. It is also Known as: 蓮如物語, The Story of Rennyo
1. Sekai no Hikari: Shinran Shounin
Young Matsuwakamaru loses his father as an infant. To make matters worse, his beloved mother Kikkou passes away when he's 8 years old. While facing her death, Matsuwakamaru is puzzled at where people go when they die. If there is a cycle of heaven, hell, and rebirth, is there a way to escape this torturous circle, he wonders. With this great determination for the discovery of knowledge in mind, at only 9 years old, he joins a Buddhist monastery on Mt. Hiei, and changes his name to Shinran. This is the story of the man who would someday open the doors to the Joudo Shinshuu sect of Buddhism.
Sekai no Hikari: Shinran Shounin has finished airing and it has 6 Episodes. It is also Known as: 世界の光 親鸞聖人, Sekai no Hikari: Shinran Seijin
