What is this genre all about? Beam me up, Scotty! Space stations (think Death Star) also count. Basically, this category is to tell if the setting takes place onboard a spaceship in space. This category is not applicable if the spaceship lies on a planet and never actually gets into space.
We present you the list of Shipboard anime you should watch right now.
Try our anime quiz: Anime Characters Guessing Quiz/Game
Top 20 Shipboard anime you should watch right now. [2026 List]
- 20. Cowboy Bebop
- 19. Kanata no Astra
- 18. Macross
- 17. Legend of the Galactic Heroes
- 16. Top wo Nerae! Gunbuster
- 15. Mobile Suit Gundam
- 14. Urusei Yatsura
- 13. Space☆Dandy
- 12. Planetes
- 11. Sidonia no Kishi
- 10. Uchuu Kaizoku Captain Harlock
- 9. Fena: Pirate Princess
- 8. Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans
- 7. Uchuu Senkan Yamato 2199
- 6. Vandread: The Second Stage
- 5. Top wo Nerae 2! Diebuster
- 4. Seikai no Senki
- 3. Macross: Do You Remember Love?
- 2. Kidou Senkan Nadesico
- 1. Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu: Arata Naru Tatakai no Overture
20. Cowboy Bebop
In the year 2071, humanity has colonized several of the planets and moons of the solar system leaving the now uninhabitable surface of planet Earth behind. The Inter Solar System Police attempts to keep peace in the galaxy, aided in part by outlaw bounty hunters, referred to as "Cowboys". The ragtag team aboard the spaceship Bebop are two such individuals.
Mellow and carefree Spike Spiegel is balanced by his boisterous, pragmatic partner Jet Black as the pair makes a living chasing bounties and collecting rewards. Thrown off course by the addition of new members that they meet in their travels—Ein, a genetically engineered, highly intelligent Welsh Corgi; femme fatale Faye Valentine, an enigmatic trickster with memory loss; and the strange computer whiz kid Edward Wong—the crew embarks on thrilling adventures that unravel each member's dark and mysterious past little by little.
Well-balanced with high density action and light-hearted comedy, Cowboy Bebop is a space Western classic and an homage to the smooth and improvised music it is named after.
Cowboy Bebop has finished airing and it has 26 Episodes. It is also Known as: カウボーイビバップ, COWBOY BEBOP
19. Kanata no Astra
In the year 2063, eight high school students and a kid are flown out to Planet Camp, tasked with surviving on their own for a few days. But shortly after arriving, an ominous glowing orb warps them to an unknown quadrant of space, nearly 5,012 light years away. Now, the only way back home is a slow, dangerous trek across the universe—a journey that’ll test them in ways Planet Camp never could.
ASTRA LOST IN SPACE has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: 彼方のアストラ, Kanata no Astra
18. 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.)
17. Legend of the Galactic Heroes
For 150 years the galaxy has been locked in an interstellar war between the Galactic Empire and the Free Planets Alliance, fighting battles with thousands of spaceships and millions of soldiers on both sides. The crumbling Goldenbaum dynasty rules the Empire while the Alliance is in an increasingly dysfunctional democratic state.
Two new commanders enter the stage: Imperial Admiral Reinhard von Lohengramm and the FPA's Yang Wen-Li. Reinhard is a talented minor aristocrat given a high station—and a powerful grudge—after the Kaiser took his older sister as a concubine. Wen-Li originally joined the military only to fund his university education, but has become a brilliant though reluctant leader. Each begins to attract a circle of similarly gifted soldiers, generals and thinkers around him, and in time the rivalry between these two very different men will shatter the existing stalemate. As they deal with superiors and subordinates, maneuver through personal and political problems, plot strategies and fight battles, both will bend the course of events to their will and, in turn, be tested and changed by the greatest war in human history!
Legend of the Galactic Heroes is a vast, sentimental and thoughtful military space opera. This 110-episode OVA is the central part of the franchise, and the other connected titles are supplements to it.
Legend of the Galactic Heroes has finished airing and it has 110 Episodes. It is also Known as: Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu, 銀河英雄伝説, LoGH, LotGH, Gin'eiden, GinEiDen, Heldensagen Vom Kosmosinsel
16. Top wo Nerae! Gunbuster
In the near future, humanity has taken its first steps towards journeying into the far reaches of the galaxy. Upon doing so they discover a huge race of insectoid aliens known as “Space Monsters.” These aliens seem dedicated to the eradication of mankind as they near closer and closer to discovering Earth. In response, humanity develops giant fighting robots piloted by hand-picked youth from around the world.
Shortly after the discovery of the aliens, Noriko Takaya, the daughter of a famous deceased space captain, enters a training school despite her questionable talents as a pilot. There, she meets her polar opposite, the beautiful and talented Kazumi Amano, and is unexpectedly made to work together with her as they attempt to overcome the trauma of war as well as their own emotions.
Gunbuster has finished airing and it has 6 Episodes. It is also Known as: トップをねらえ！ GunBuster, Top wo Nerae!, Aim for the Top!
15. Mobile Suit Gundam
It is year 0079 of the Universal Century. Mankind has moved to space, living in colony clusters known as "Sides." One of these Sides declares itself the "Principality of Zeon" and declares war on the Earth Federation, the governmental body currently ruling Earth. Using powerful humanoid robots known as "mobile suits," Zeon quickly gains the upper hand.Nine months into the conflict, the Earth Federation has developed its own powerful mobile suit called the Gundam. When Zeon launches an attack on the colony holding the Gundam, a 15-year-old civilian named Amuro Ray suddenly finds himself thrown into a conflict that will take him all across Earth and space, pitting him against the enemy's ace pilot, Char Aznable.
Mobile Suit Gundam has finished airing and it has 43 Episodes. It is also Known as: Kidou Senshi Gundam, 機動戦士ガンダム, First Gundam, Mobile Suit Gundam: 0079, MSG
14. Urusei Yatsura
Earth faces a huge crisis. Aliens want to invade the planet. Humanity's only hope rests with Ataru Moroboshi, who was chosen to represent Earth in a one-on-one duel with the aliens' chosen warrior. There is only one problem with this plan. Ataru is a womanizing, stupid loser. How in the world can he hope to succeed?
Selected to fight for the aliens' right to take over Earth is Lum, their curvaceous, bikini-clad princess. Luckily for Ataru, the duel takes the form of a game of tag. All he has to do to win is grab Lum's horns. Not so luckily for him is the fact that she can fly and, being a normal human, he most definitely cannot. Just when it looks like Ataru is destined to fail, his girlfriend Shinobu makes him a promise: she will marry him if he can win.
The encouragement is enough to motivate Ataru to succeed. But just when it looks like Earth is saved, he faces another problem. Lum misinterprets something he said and thinks that they are now married! Urusei Yatsura follows the unlikely relationship between the lecherous Ataru, the beautiful alien Lum, and all of the strange people they meet along the way.
Urusei Yatsura has finished airing and it has 195 Episodes. It is also Known as: うる星やつら, Lamu, Lum, Those Obnoxious Aliens
13. Space☆Dandy
The universe is a mysterious and strange place, full of even stranger and more mysterious aliens. Dandy's job is to hunt down unclassified aliens and register them for a reward. It sounds easy enough, but something weird always seems to happen along the way, like chance meetings with zombies, mystical ramen chefs, and adorable orphans. Hunting down aliens may not be easy, but it's definitely never boring.
With the help of his sidekicks, the adorable robot vacuum QT and cat-like alien Meow, and his slightly-used ship the Aloha Oe, Dandy roams the galaxy searching for new alien species. What he usually finds, however, is adventure, danger, and romance, and no two journeys (or universes) are ever the same. This is Space☆Dandy, baby!
Space Dandy has finished airing and it has 13 Episodes. It is also Known as: スペース☆ダンディ, Space☆Dandy
12. Planetes
In 2075, space travel is no longer just a dream, but an everyday reality for mankind. Advancements in science and technology have led to the colonization of the moon, the commercialization of outer space, and the formation of large space corporations. Ai Tanabe, an upbeat woman whose interests lie in the cosmos, joins Technora Corporation as a member of their Debris Section, a department dedicated to the removal of dangerous space junk between the orbits of the Earth and Moon.
However, Ai soon discovers how unappreciated her job is. As the laughingstock of Technora, the Debris Section is severely understaffed, poorly funded, and is forced to use a dilapidated spaceship nicknamed the "Toy Box" for debris retrieval. Undeterred, Ai perseveres and gradually becomes acquainted with the strange personalities that make up the Debris Section's staff, such as the bumbling but good-natured chief clerk Philippe Myers; the mysterious and tight-lipped temp worker Edelgard Rivera; and the hotheaded and passionate Hachirota Hoshino, who longs for a spaceship to call his own.
Winner of the Seiun Award in 2005, Planetes is an unconventional sci-fi series that portrays the vastness of space as a backdrop for the personal lives of ordinary people—people who may have been born on Earth, but whose hopes and dreams lie amongst the stars.
Planetes has finished airing and it has 26 Episodes. It is also Known as: プラネテス, ΠΛΑΝΗΤΕΣ
11. Sidonia no Kishi
After destroying Earth many years ago, the alien race Gauna has been pursuing the remnants of humanity—which, having narrowly escaped, fled across the galaxy in a number of giant seed ships. In the year 3394, Nagate Tanikaze surfaces from his lifelong seclusion deep beneath the seed ship Sidonia in search of food on the upper levels, only to find himself dragged into events unfolding without his knowledge.
When the Gauna begin their assault on Sidonia, it's up to Tanikaze—with the help of his fellow soldiers and friends Shizuka Hoshijiro, Izana Shinatose, and Yuhata Midorikawa—to defend humanity's last hope for survival, and defeat their alien foes. Sidonia no Kishi follows Tanikaze as he discovers the world that has been above him his entire life, and becomes the hero Sidonia needs.
Knights of Sidonia has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: シドニアの騎士, Sidonia no Kishi
10. Uchuu Kaizoku Captain Harlock
It is 2977 AD and mankind has become stagnant. Robots do all the work, the masses are kept tranquil by subliminal messages, and government officials are lazy, caring only about recreational activities like golf and horse racing. Captain Harlock has defied this insipid mentality, leading a group of like-minded rebels to a more adventurous life aboard the spaceship Arcadia.
A mysterious force known as the Mazone has invaded the Earth, taking the form of mysterious cloaked women that kill anyone who suspect their nefarious doings, such as Tadashi Daiba who is now on their hit-list. After his scientist father is ignored by the government and killed by the Mazone, he joins Captain Harlock and his ragtag group of pirates to assist them as they try to save humanity from the impending alien threat.
Space Pirate Captain Harlock has finished airing and it has 42 Episodes. It is also Known as: 宇宙海賊・キャプテンハーロック, Harlock TV, Albator 78
9. Fena: Pirate Princess
Fena Houtman is a young orphan girl that has been raised on an Island where there is no hope of becoming anything more than a chattel, to be used and discarded by soldiers of the British Empire. But Fena is more than just another powerless orphan. When her mysterious past comes knocking, Fena will break the chains of her oppressors. Her goal: forge a new identity, free of bondage, and search for a place where she can truly belong and find out the true mysteries behind a keyword, "Eden." It is the story of a lifetime adventure she and her crew of misfits and unlikely allies will have, in pursuit of her goals!
Fena: Pirate Princess has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: Kaizoku Oujo, 海賊王女, Fena: Pirate Princess
8. Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans
300 years after a great conflict between Earth and Mars known as the "Calamity War," a woman named Kudelia sets out on a journey to Earth to speak for the independence of the Martian city of Chryse, which is under the control of the Earth government. Escorting her is the private security company CGS members Mikazuki Augus and Orga Itsuka. When a group named Gjallarhorn attacks CGS and Kudelia, Orga sees this as a chance to rebel against CGS and launch a coup. Mikazuki and Orga are thrust into a new conflict. To fend off Gjallarhorn, Mikazuki rides an old mobile suit from the Calamity War, powered by a nuclear reactor, the Gundam Barbatos.
Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans has finished airing and it has 25 Episodes. It is also Known as: Kidou Senshi Gundam: Tekketsu no Orphans, 機動戦士ガンダム 鉄血のオルフェンズ, G-Tekketsu
7. Uchuu Senkan Yamato 2199
In the year 2199, Earth faces its greatest crisis. Due to unrelenting bombings by the alien race known as "Gamilas," the planet can no longer sustain its inhabitants. In exactly one year, humanity is set to become extinct.
In desperation, the people of Earth establish the Earth Defense Force, their last defense against the power-hungry Gamilas Empire. However, humanity finds a glimmer of hope after receiving a message from the mysterious planet Iscandar, which offers them a device that would restore Earth to its former glory. With salvation in sight, the Earth Defense Force calls on the prolific Space Battleship Yamato and swiftly assembles a crew to make the 148,000 light-year trek to Iscandar and receive their aid.
Among the crew are young officers Susumu Kodai and Daisuke Shima, along with several other newly promoted leaders, all under the command of the distinguished Captain Juuzou Okita. Forced to learn how to handle the ship's innovative technology while dealing with the onslaught of Gamilas fleets, the inexperienced cast of Uchuu Senkan Yamato 2199 must summon every inch of their resolve to survive the many hardships aboard the Yamato and complete their mission: to save humanity before it's too late.
Space Battleship Yamato 2199 has finished airing and it has 26 Episodes. It is also Known as: 宇宙戦艦ヤマト2199, Star Blazers 2199, Space Battleship Yamato 2199
6. Vandread: The Second Stage
Though Hibiki and crew defeated a super-huge battleship of the earth in the last of the first stage, they noticed five battleships further aiming at Mejeiru and Tarahk. And, crew of NIRVANA learnt Tarahk and Mejeiru which were their home had been faced to the crisis of Karitori (reaping). Travel to their home is speed up so that they may inform of the crisis. On the way, current information of the earth having been brought by girl Misty who had come to travel with them was worse than they can imagine. Hibiki and crew noticed a true fight was in the future. VANDREAD is finally changed into final system by the attack of the enemy who becomes violent more and more. Can they save their home? And, what happens to the relations between Hibiki and Dita?
Vandread: The Second Stage has finished airing and it has 13 Episodes. It is also Known as: ヴァンドレッド the second stage, Vandread: The Second Stage
5. Top wo Nerae 2! Diebuster
While Gunbuster's final mission destroyed the space monsters' star system, the intergalactic war still continues. Earth's only hope lies in the hands of "TOPLESS," an elite mecha group with children possessing supernatural powers and new Buster Machines. Among their ranks is a rookie named Nono and the ace pilot Lal'C—whom Nono looks at as a "big sister." Together with their teammates Nicholas and Chiko, they must aim for the top and protect all of mankind from the wrath of the space monsters.
Gunbuster 2 has finished airing and it has 6 Episodes. It is also Known as: トップをねらえ2！DIEBUSTER, Aim for the Top! 2, DieBuster
4. Seikai no Senki
Three years after their adventure, Lafiel becomes captain on the brand new assault ship Basroil and Jinto finishes his training to become a supply officer and joins Lafiels crew. They set out to join a large fleet with the mission of defending the strategically important Laptic Gate from a force 15 times larger than their own. And to bring even more worries, their new fleet commander is from the Bebous family, a family notorious for their "Spectacular Insanity".
Banner of the Stars has finished airing and it has 13 Episodes. It is also Known as: 星界の戦旗, Battle Flag of the Stars
3. Macross: Do You Remember Love?
A.D. 2009. The human race is in the middle of a three-way war with a race of giant humanoid aliens called the Zentraedi (male) and Meltrandi (female). After executing a space fold that sent it and part of South Atalia Island to the edge of the Solar System, the space fortress Macross is on its way back to Earth. During a small skirmish with Zentraedi forces, young pilot Hikaru Ichijo rescues idol singer Lynn Minmay and their relationship develops as they're stranded somewhere within the ship. But shortly after returning to Macross City, Minmay is captured by the Zentraedi, and Hikaru and female officer Misa Hayase end up back on Earth—only to view the aftermath of the destruction of their civilization. Only a song discovered eons ago—along with Minmay's voice—can determine the outcome of the war.
Macross: Do You Remember Love? has finished airing and it has 1 Episodes. It is also Known as: Gekijouban Choujikuu Yousai Macross: Ai Oboete Imasu ka, 超時空要塞マクロス -愛・おぼえていますか-, Clash of the Bionoids, Macross in Clash Of The Bionoids, Super Dimensional Fortress Macross The Movie: Do You Remember Love?, Choujikuu Yousai Macross: Ai Oboete Imasuka
2. Kidou Senkan Nadesico
Akito doesn't want to fight. Despite a childhood spent on the anime Gekiganger 3, a Mecha show, he'd rather cook than pilot a Mecha. Fate intervenes when his home on Mars is destroyed, and he is transported instantly to the Earth, mysteriously. He has questions no one can answer fully, but follows a girl from a chance meeting in hopes to discover any. The girl, Yurika, is captain of the private battleship Nadesico, and in order to follow her, he enlists as their cook. Possessing the nanite implants that allow to control mechas, he's a handy backup pilot for the mechas of the Nadesico. He joins a crew bent on avenging Mars that seems to be composed of only misfits, otakus, and ditzes; however, in reality, they are handpicked experts. They take their own private war back to Mars to face the harsh reality that life may not always be like a Giant Mecha series.
Martian Successor Nadesico has finished airing and it has 26 Episodes. It is also Known as: 機動戦艦ナデシコ, Kidou Senkan Nadesico
1. Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu: Arata Naru Tatakai no Overture
Based on a series of sci-fi novels, this series tells the story of a massive conflict between the Prussia-like Galactic Empire and the Free Planets Alliance. It describes all levels of the war, from the tactical to the strategic, but focuses most on the two opposing militaries' leaders: Reinhard Von Lohengramm and Yang Wen-Li.
Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Overture to a New War has finished airing and it has 1 Episodes. It is also Known as: 銀河英雄伝説外伝 新たなる戦いの序曲[オーヴァチュア], Legend of Galactic Heroes Movie 2, LoGH: Overture to a New War, Ginga Eiyu Densetsu Aratanaru Tatakai no Jokyoku, Legend of the Galactic Heroes MOVIE (1993)
