What is this genre all about? The origin of Elves (Norse; álfar(elves), álfr(elf)) can be found in ancient Norse mythology, in which, elves are described as divine, or near-divine, race of humanoids (Vættir), likened to the Æsir. In common description they are described as sage and immortal beings occupying the threshold between humans and the gods. In some cases humans that were beloved by the gods became elves within their lives. Ancient Elves are delineated into a pair of similar but distinct races; Light Elves (Ljósálfar) and Dark Elves (Svartálfar), each originating from separate homes within the nine worlds of Yggdrasil. Within the Poetic Edda the differences are commonly ascribed as:
"There is one place there that is called the Elf Home (Álfheimr which is the elven city). People live there that are named the light elves (Ljósálfar). But the dark elves (Dökkálfar) live below in earth, in caves and the dark forest and they are unlike them in appearance - and more unlike them in reality. The Light Elves are brighter than the sun in appearance, but the Dark Elves are blacker than pitch." (Snorri, Gylfaginning 17, Prose Edda)
We present you the list of Elf anime you should watch right now.
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Top 19 Elf anime you should watch right now. [2024 List]
- 19. Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu 3
- 18. Sousou no Frieren
- 17. Dungeon Meshi
- 16. Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute!
- 15. Shinmai Ossan Bouken-sha, Saikyou Party ni Shinu Hodo Kitaerarete Muteki ni Naru.
- 14. Maou no Ore ga Dorei Elf wo Yome ni Shitanda ga, Dou Medereba Ii?
- 13. Goblin Slayer
- 12. Genjitsu Shugi Yuusha no Oukoku Saikenki
- 11. No Game No Life: Zero
- 10. Isekai Ojisan
- 9. Genjitsu Shugi Yuusha no Oukoku Saikenki Part 2
- 8. Elf-san wa Yaserarenai.
- 7. The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim
- 6. Tensei Kizoku no Isekai Boukenroku: Jichou wo Shiranai Kamigami no Shito
- 5. Kuro no Shoukanshi
- 4. Berserk
- 3. Leadale no Daichi nite
- 2. Sousou no Frieren 2nd Season
- 1. Zero no Tsukaima: Princesses no Rondo
19. Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu 3
The third season of Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu.
A year has passed since Subaru’s victory at the Sanctuary. He savors a life of fulfillment while Emilia’s camp stands united for the royal selection—until a fateful letter arrives. Anastasia, a royal selection candidate, has invited Emilia to the Watergate City of Priestella. But as the party begins its journey, crisis stirs beneath the surface and Subaru meets a cruel fate once again.
Notes:
The first episode has an extended runtime of ~90 minutes, and received an early premiere at Anime Expo on July 5, 2024.
Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- Season 3 is currently airing and will have 16 Episodes. It is also Known as: Re:ゼロから始める異世界生活 3, Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu 3
18. Sousou no Frieren
After the party of heroes defeated the Demon King, they restored peace to the land and returned to lives of solitude. Generations pass, and the elven mage Frieren comes face to face with humanity’s mortality. She takes on a new apprentice and promises to fulfill old friends’ dying wishes. Can an elven mind make peace with the nature of life and death? Frieren embarks on her quest to find out.
Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End has finished airing and it has 28 Episodes. It is also Known as: 葬送のフリーレン, Frieren at the Funeral
17. Dungeon Meshi
Dungeons, dragons...and delicious monster stew!? Adventurers foray into a cursed buried kingdom to save their friend, cooking up a storm along the way.
Note: A world premiere screening of Episode 1 was shown in the Studio TRIGGER panel at Anime Expo on July 1, 2023.
Delicious in Dungeon has finished airing and it has 24 Episodes. It is also Known as: ダンジョン飯, Dungeon Food, Dungeon Meal, Tragones y Mazmorras, Gloutons et Dragons, Подземелье вкусностей, 던전밥, สูตรลับตำรับดันเจียน, Mỹ vị hầm ngục, Підземелля смакоти, 迷宫饭, מבוכים ומטעמים
16. Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute!
Some people just aren’t suited to playing the part of the flashy, in-your-face hero or the dastardly, mustache-twirling villain with larger-than-life panache. Instead, they operate in the shadows and pull the strings of society through wit and cleverness. That’s the role Cid wants to play when he’s transported to another world. Cid spins a yarn or three and becomes the unlikely leader of the underground Shadow Garden organization that fights against a menacing cult (which he totally made up). However, there’s a catch even his wild imagination didn’t see coming: the cult he concocted actually exists, and they’re beyond displeased that his power fantasy just got in the way of their evil plans!
The Eminence in Shadow has finished airing and it has 20 Episodes. It is also Known as: 陰の実力者になりたくて！, To Be a Power in the Shadows!
15. Shinmai Ossan Bouken-sha, Saikyou Party ni Shinu Hodo Kitaerarete Muteki ni Naru.
"Why should it matter how old you are if you want to start something new?"
The strongest guy around, who also happens to be middle-aged, strives to be an adventurer! Everyone seems to think you should pursue your dreams while you're still young, but there's one man who just can't give up. In a world where most people who become adventurers do so in their teens, a guild employee in his thirties, Rick Gladiator, seeks to become an adventurer instead. After receiving unimaginably brutal training from the legendary party renowned as the strongest on the continent, Orichalcum Fist, he ends up with combat abilities worthy of S-rank status despite starting out as an F-rank rookie!
The Ossan Newbie Adventurer, Trained to Death by the Most Powerful Party, Became Invincible has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: 新米オッサン冒険者、最強パーティに死ぬほど鍛えられて無敵になる。, Shinmai Ossan Bouken-sha, Saikyou Party ni Shinu Hodo Kitaerarete Muteki ni Naru.
14. Maou no Ore ga Dorei Elf wo Yome ni Shitanda ga, Dou Medereba Ii?
Zagan is feared by the masses as an evil sorcerer. Both socially awkward and foulmouthed, he spends his days studying sorcery while beating down any trespassers within his domain. One day he's invited to a dark auction, and what he finds there is an elven slave girl of peerless beauty, Nephy. Having fallen in love at first sight, Zagan uses up his entire fortune to purchase her, but being a poor conversationalist, he has no idea how to properly interact with her. Thus, the awkward cohabitation of a sorcerer who has no idea how to convey his love and his slave who yearns for her master but has no idea how to appeal to him begins.
An Archdemon's Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: 魔王の俺が奴隷エルフを嫁にしたんだが、どう愛でればいい？, Maou no Ore ga Dorei Elf wo Yome ni Shitanda ga, Dou Medereba Ii?
13. Goblin Slayer
"I'm not saving the world. I just kill goblins." Rumor has it that, in a certain guild in the middle of nowhere, there is an extraordinary man who has climbed all the way to the Silver rank just by killing goblins. At the same guild, a priestess who's just become a new adventurer has formed her first party... and the man who ends up rescuing that party when they get into trouble is none other than the Goblin Slayer.
Goblin Slayer has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: ゴブリンスレイヤー, Goblin Slayer
12. Genjitsu Shugi Yuusha no Oukoku Saikenki
"O, Hero!" With that cliched line, Kazuya Souma found himself summoned to another world and his adventure--did not begin. After he presents his plan to strengthen the country economically and militarily, the king cedes the throne to him and Souma finds himself saddled with ruling the nation! What's more, he's betrothed to the king's daughter now...?! In order to get the country back on its feet, Souma calls the wise, the talented, and the gifted to his side. Five people gather before the newly crowned Souma. Just what are the many talents and abilities they possess...?! What path will his outlook as a realist take Souma and the people of his country down?
How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom has finished airing and it has 13 Episodes. It is also Known as: 現実主義勇者の王国再建記, Re:Construction the Elfrieden Kingdom Tales of Realistic Brave, A Realist Hero's Kingdom Restoration Chronicle, A Realist's Kingdom Reform Chronicles, Genjitsushugisha No Oukokukaizouki
11. No Game No Life: Zero
Six thousand years before Sora and Shiro were even a blink in the history of Disboard, war consumed the land, tearing apart the heavens, destroying stars, and even threatening to wipe out the human race. Amid the chaos and destruction, a young man named Riku leads humanity toward the tomorrow his heart believed in. One day, in the ruins of an Elf city, he meets Shuvi, a female exiled "Ex-machina" android who asks him to teach her what it means to have a human heart.
No Game No Life: Zero has finished airing and it has 1 Episodes. It is also Known as: ノーゲーム・ノーライフ ゼロ, No Game No Life Movie, No Game, No Life Zero, NGNL Zero, NGNL the Movie
10. Isekai Ojisan
When his game-obsessed uncle wakes up from a coma, Takafumi tries to help him catch up on nearly two decades of advancements, from smartphones to modern anime tropes. For starters, they create a YouTube channel showing off his uncle's magical powers.
Uncle from Another World has finished airing and it has 13 Episodes. It is also Known as: 異世界おじさん, Ojisan in Another World
9. Genjitsu Shugi Yuusha no Oukoku Saikenki Part 2
The second part of Genjitsu Shugi Yuusha no Oukoku Saikenki.
How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom Part 2 has finished airing and it has 13 Episodes. It is also Known as: 現実主義勇者の王国再建記 第二部, Re:Construction the Elfrieden Kingdom Tales of Realistic Brave, A Realist Hero's Kingdom Restoration Chronicle, Genjitsu Shugi Yuusha no Oukoku Saikenki 2nd Season
8. Elf-san wa Yaserarenai.
Naoe-kun, a massage therapist, is about to head home for the day when he's saddled with a rather strange patient. This lovely lady has emerald eyes, pointy ears, and grew up in the forest—everything about her screams "elf," except for one thing: her bodacious body. It turns out she left her world but loves junk food in this one, and now her obsession has caught up with her. Can Naoe-kun help this loveable elf girl lose the weight—and keep it off?
Plus-Sized Elf has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: エルフさんは痩せられない。, Elf can't on a diet, Miss Elf Can't Lose Weight
7. The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim
Set 183 years before the events chronicled in the original trilogy of films, “The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim” tells the fate of the House of Helm Hammerhand, the legendary King of Rohan. A sudden attack by Wulf, a clever and ruthless Dunlending lord seeking vengeance for the death of his father, forces Helm and his people to make a daring last stand in the ancient stronghold of the Hornburg— a mighty fortress that will later come to be known as Helm’s Deep. Finding herself in an increasingly desperate situation, Héra, the daughter of Helm, must summon the will to lead the resistance against a deadly enemy intent on their total destruction.
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim has finished airing and it has 1 Episodes. It is also Known as: ロード・オブ・ザ・リング／ローハンの戦い, Władca Pierścieni: Wojna Rohirrimów
6. Tensei Kizoku no Isekai Boukenroku: Jichou wo Shiranai Kamigami no Shito
After dying in the act of stopping a crime in modern Japan, our hero is reincarnated as Cain von Silford, third son of a noble family in a world of swords and sorcery. In his new life, all children receive a blessing from the gods…but Cain is unexpectedly blessed with an absolutely enormous, over-the-top cornucopia of magical powers. If his dream of traveling the world as a free spirit is to come true, he can’t reveal too much of his potential to the wrong people. A light-hearted, escapist adventure in another world begins!
The Aristocrat’s Otherworldly Adventure: Servings Gods Who Go Too Far has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: 転生貴族の異世界冒険録 〜自重を知らない神々の使徒〜, Chronicles of an Aristocrat Reborn in Another World
5. Kuro no Shoukanshi
Waking up in a strange new place with no memory of his past life, Kelvin learns that he’s bartered away those very memories in exchange for powerful new abilities during his recent transmigration. Heading out into a whole new world as a Summoner — with his first Follower being the very goddess who brought him over! — Kelvin begins his new life as an adventurer, and it isn’t long before he discovers his hidden disposition as a battle junkie. From the Black Knight of the Ancient Castle of Evil Spirits to the demon within the Hidden Cave of the Sage, he revels in the fight against one formidable foe after another. Join this OP adventurer in an exhilarating and epic saga as he and his allies carve their way into the annals of history!
Black Summoner has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: 黒の召喚士, Kuro no Shoukanshi
4. Berserk
Now branded for death and destined to be hunted by demons until the day he dies, Guts embarks on a journey to defy such a gruesome fate, as waves of beasts relentlessly pursue him. Steeling his resolve, he takes up the monstrous blade Dragonslayer and vows to exact vengeance on the one responsible, hunting down the very man he once looked up to and considered a friend.
Along the way, he encounters some unlikely allies, such as a small elf named Puck, and Isidro, a young thief looking to learn swordsmanship from the former mercenary. As the ragtag group slowly comes together after having decided to join Guts in his quest, they will face incredible danger unlike anything they have ever experienced before.
Berserk (2016) has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: ベルセルク, Berserk
3. Leadale no Daichi nite
Due to a terrible accident, Keina Kagami is forced to live on life support in order to survive. The only way for her to be free is within the VRMMORPG "Leadale." One day, her life support stops functioning, and Keina loses her life. But when she wakes up, she finds herself in the world of Leadale 200 years in the future. She is now the high elf Cayna, who possesses lost skills and OP statuses and becomes closer to the other inhabitants of this world. But among those inhabitants happen to be the "children" she made in character creation?!
In the Land of Leadale has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: リアデイルの大地にて, World of Leadale
2. Sousou no Frieren 2nd Season
The second season of Sousou no Frieren.
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End Season 2 has not yet aired. It is also Known as: 葬送のフリーレン 第２期, Sousou no Frieren 2nd Season
1. Zero no Tsukaima: Princesses no Rondo
Following his brave sacrifice in the war against Albion, Saito Hiraga is knighted and treated as an aristocrat, something that proves difficult for Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière. With their relationship no longer defined as the mighty Void mage and clueless familiar, she wonders what exactly this means for them.
While venturing to a castle, Louise is ambushed by a powerful mage named Sheffield. Battling alone, the young mage nearly faces defeat until Saito makes his appearance. The mystical and unknown nature of Void magic seems to be at work in the battle, and Louise begins to believe in the possibility of another Void user. Moreover, she realizes that Saito's magical rune is fading, and so a new adventure begins as they search for the elf who revived Saito in the past. The relationship between former master and servant faces a new challenge as they work to restore the runes and redefine the bond which holds them together.
The Familiar of Zero: Rondo of Princesses has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: ゼロの使い魔 ～三美姫（プリンセッセ）の輪舞（ロンド）～, Zero no Tsukaima: Princess no Rondo, Rondo of the Princesses, Zero's Familiar 3rd Series, Zero no Tsukaima S3
