What is this genre all about? Shoujo Ai means girls love, and thus explores what happens when two girls (or women) fall in love. This is not to be mistaken for Yuri which is (or, at least, how this term is often used by the western audience) used in adult works. This is not; that means there is no graphical sex.
The male version is Shounen Ai.
We present you the list of Shoujo Ai anime you should watch right now.
Try our anime quiz: Anime Characters Guessing Quiz/Game
Top 20 Shoujo Ai anime you should watch right now. [2026 List]
- 20. Tai-Ari deshita.: Ojou-sama wa Kakutou Game nante Shinai
- 19. Watashi no Oshi wa Akuyaku Reijou.
- 18. Adachi to Shimamura
- 17. Happy Sugar Life
- 16. Shokei Shoujo no Virgin Road
- 15. Yagate Kimi ni Naru
- 14. Citrus
- 13. Yuru Yuri
- 12. Kämpfer
- 11. Watashi ni Tenshi ga Maiorita!
- 10. Konohana Kitan
- 9. Sakura Trick
- 8. Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica Movie 1: Hajimari no Monogatari
- 7. Akuma no Riddle
- 6. Valkyrie Drive: Mermaid
- 5. Artiswitch
- 4. Oniisama e...
- 3. Blue Drop: Tenshi-tachi no Gikyoku
- 2. Strike Witches
- 1. Aoi Hana
20. Tai-Ari deshita.: Ojou-sama wa Kakutou Game nante Shinai
Mitsuki Aya has one goal at the elite Kuromi Girls’ Academy: to become a refined young lady like the school’s flawless “White Lily,” Yorue Mio. But her image of Mio shatters when Aya accidentally catches her...playing fighting games?! Turns out, the elegant Mio is actually a hardcore gamer—and she wants to duel Aya! The battle (and their friendship) begins.
Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: 対ありでした。 ～お嬢さまは格闘ゲームなんてしない～, GGWP.: Young Ladies Don't Play Fighting Games
19. Watashi no Oshi wa Akuyaku Reijou.
The story of a reincarnated gamer pursuing her villainous lady love at a fantasy girls’ academy!
Ordinary office worker Oohashi Rei has just woken up in the body of the protagonist of her favorite girls’ otome game, Revolution. To her delight, the first person to greet her is her favorite character, Claire Francois–who just so happens to be the main antagonist of the story. Now, Rei is determined to do what the game never allowed: romance Claire instead of one of the male leads. But how will her villainous lady love react to that?!
I'm in Love with the Villainess has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: 私の推しは悪役令嬢。, WataOshi, ทำไงดีเกมนี้นางร้ายน่ารัก, Me Enamoré de la Villana
18. Adachi to Shimamura
The second floor of the gym―this was where we always met. It was class time, but of course, there weren't any classes going on in a place like this.This was where Shimamura and I became friends. We hung out here―talking about TV shows and cooking, playing some ping pong... This is where we fostered our friendship.Keeping my head propped against the wall, I let out a small sigh.What was this feeling? Yesterday, I'd dreamt of me and Shimamura kissing.Not that I'm like that. I'm sure Shimamura isn’t either. It’s not even something worth repeating myself about, but really, it’s not like that.It's just that when she hears the word "friend," I want her to think of me first. That's all.
Adachi and Shimamura has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: 安達としまむら, Adashima
17. Happy Sugar Life
This is a shivering pure love psycho horror story of a girl named Satou Matsuzaka, who has someone she likes. She experiences a sweet feeling when she sleeps with her, and thought it must be love. Everything will be forgiven as long as she protects this feeling, even if she tricks, commits crimes, steals, or even kills, she thought.
Happy Sugar Life has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: ハッピーシュガーライフ, White Sugar Garden, Black Salt Cage
16. Shokei Shoujo no Virgin Road
The Lost Ones are wanderers who come here from a distant world known as "Japan." No one knows how or why they leave their homes. The only thing that is certain is that they bring disaster and calamity. The duty of exterminating them without remorse falls to Menou, a young Executioner. When she meets Akari, it seems like just another job...until she discovers it's impossible to kill this girl! And when Menou begins to search for a way to defeat this immortality, Akari is more than happy to tag along! So begins a journey that will change Menou forever...
The Executioner and Her Way of Life has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: 処刑少女の生きる道〈バージンロード〉, Shokei Shoujo no Ikiru Michi, Virgin Road, The life of an executioned girl - and yet, she lives.
15. Yagate Kimi ni Naru
Yuu has always dreamt of receiving a love confession but feels nothing when a boy gives her one. Confused, she starts her first year of high school and meets the beautiful student council president, Nanami, who makes her heart skip a beat.
Bloom Into You has finished airing and it has 13 Episodes. It is also Known as: やがて君になる, Eventually, I Will Become You
14. Citrus
Yuzu, a high school gyaru who hasn't experienced her first love yet, transfers to an all-girls school after her mother remarries. She's beyond upset that she can't land a boyfriend at her new school. Then, on her first day, she meets the beautiful black-haired student council president Mei in the worst way possible. What's more, she later finds out that Mei is her new step-sister, and they'll be living under the same roof! And so the love affair between two polar opposite high school girls who find themselves drawn to one another begins!
Citrus has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: citrus, Citrus
13. Yuru Yuri
After a year in grade school without her childhood friends, first year student Akari Akaza is finally reunited with second years Yui Funami and Kyouko Toshinou at their all-girls' middle school. During the duo's first year, Yui and Kyouko formed the "Amusement Club" which occupies the now nonexistent Tea Club's room. Shortly after Akari joins, one of her fellow classmates, Chinatsu Yoshikawa, pays the trio a visit under the impression that they are the Tea Club; it is only once the three girls explain that the Tea Club has been disbanded that they can convince Chinatsu to join the Amusement Club—a group with no purpose other than to provide entertainment for its members.
Based on the slice-of-life manga by Namori, Yuru Yuri is an eccentric comedy about a group of girls who spend their spare time drinking tea and fawning over each other, all while completely failing to even notice the supposed main character Akari amongst them.
YuruYuri: Happy Go Lily has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: ゆるゆり, YRYR
12. Kämpfer
Waking up transformed into a beautiful girl might be the stuff of some guys' fantasies, but when the suddenly effeminatized Natsuru is informed by a stuffed tiger that he's now a Kampfer, a mystical fighter who has to fight other Kampfers in female form, his life becomes a living nightmare!
Putting aside the obvious "plumbing" issues, Natsuru's best childhood friend turns out to swing the other way and SHE has a crush on his new female body. Not complex enough? Natsuru's school has separate sections for boys and girls, so he and she are now double enrolled. The rumor-mill has it that he's dating herself. And there are other Kampfers attending the school who want to take her out, and he's not sure which ones mean "on a date" and which ones mean "permanently." Oh, and did we mention that some Kampfers use swords and guns?! Hormones, fists, and other body parts will fly as the daring, new gender-bender defender must become a contender or die!
Kämpfer has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: けんぷファー, Kampfer, Kaempfer
11. Watashi ni Tenshi ga Maiorita!
Miyako is a shy college student who is also an otaku. One day she happens to meet some angelic grade school kids! When Miyako sees her little sister's new friend Hana-chan, Miyako's heart won't stop racing! Miyako tries to get along with them but struggles... A sketch comedy all about trying to get along with the super cute girl is about to begin!
WATATEN!: an Angel Flew Down to Me has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: 私に天使が舞い降りた！, Watashi ni Tenshi ga Maiorita!
10. Konohana Kitan
In a village inhabited by youkai, the lives of several fox mononoke working in a hot spring inn. The stories revolve around a new employee, Yuzu. Yuzu had always been living in the mountains, but now has to adjust to a new life working in a high class inn. She is oblivious and clumsy at first, but with her simple cuteness, she is able to get along with all the other foxes.
Konohana Kitan has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: このはな綺譚, Konohana Kitan
9. Sakura Trick
Love is in the air when the story of Sakura Trick begins. Haruka Takayama and Yuu Sonoda were best friends in middle school, and are now attending Misato West High School together. They are assigned to the same class in their first year, but are given seats on opposite sides of the room! If that wasn't enough, it is announced at the entrance ceremony that the school will be closed in three years. This doesn't bother either of them, as they still plan on having lots of fun together during their high school years.
Haruka gets jealous of Yuu making new friends though, so the two decide to deepen their bond. "Let's do something we'd never do with other girls," Yuu says, and they share a kiss in a vacant classroom after school one day. After that one kiss leads to many kisses, the two begin to realize that the relationship they share has changed completely. But what will happen to their relationship once a disapproving older sister begins to suspect that something is going on between the two?
Sakura Trick has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: 桜Trick, Sakura Trick
8. Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica Movie 1: Hajimari no Monogatari
In the city of Mitakihara, a girl named Madoka Kaname, along with her friend, Sayaka Miki, encounter a creature named Kyubey and are saved from witches by a magical girl named Mami Tomoe. Kyubey offers Madoka and Sayaka the chance to have any one wish granted in exchange for becoming a magical girl and fighting witches, whilst Homura Akemi, another magical girl who recently transferred into Madoka's class, is strongly against Madoka becoming one. Before Madoka can make a decision, however, Mami is killed by a witch, leaving Madoka too afraid to become a magical girl. Sayaka, however, decides to become a magical girl herself in order to heal the hand of her childhood friend, Kyosuke Kamijou. As Sayaka soon comes into conflict with another magical girl named Kyouko Sakura, they, along with Madoka, learn the shocking truth that their soul gems, the source of their magical powers, literally contain their souls.
Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part 1: Beginnings has finished airing and it has 1 Episodes. It is also Known as: 劇場版 魔法少女まどか☆マギカ 始まりの物語, Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magika Movie 1, Magical Girl Madoka Magica Movie 1
7. Akuma no Riddle
Tokaku Azuma has just transferred to the elite Myoujou Academy, a private girls' boarding school. But there's a catch: she, along with 11 of her fellow students in Class Black, is an assassin taking part in the challenge to kill their sweet-natured classmate, Haru Ichinose. Whoever succeeds will be granted their deepest desire, no matter the difficulty or cost. However, each assassin only gets one chance; if they fail to kill her, they will be expelled.
Despite the extraordinary reward, Tokaku decides to take a different course of action. Though Haru is her target, the young assassin soon finds herself drawn to the very girl she is supposed to kill. With the entire class out for Haru, Tokaku refuses to let her friend die, vowing to protect her from a growing bloodlust.
Riddle Story of Devil has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: 悪魔のリドル, Akuma no Riddle
6. Valkyrie Drive: Mermaid
Naïve 16-year-old Mamori Tokonome is accustomed to being teased at school for having an unfortunate surname that can also be read as "virgin." However, young Mamori will soon have to get used to being teased in other ways...
Kidnapped during gym class, Mamori wakes up only to find herself stranded and under attack on the exotic island of Mermaid. Luckily, enigmatic fellow castaway Mirei Shikishima knows exactly how to take the lead—through a passionate kiss, Mirei unleashes Mamori's Exter transformation abilities, turning the innocent red-head into a battle-ready cutlass through the power of arousal.
The duo will need to tap into that power as Mermaid Island is full of potential friends and foes: Charlotte, the sadistic Liberator of an Exter harem; the gluttonous and crafty Meifon; the mysterious but charismatic Akira Hiiragi; and the erotic biker duo Lady Lady. Mamori and Mirei's powerful and intimate embrace is the only way for the pair to ensure their survival on this scandalous island.
Valkyrie Drive: Mermaid has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: ヴァルキリードライヴ マーメイド, Valkyrie Drive: Mermaid
5. Artiswitch
There was a rumour among the young people in Harajuku, Tokyo. There is a place called Ura-Harajuku somewhere in Harajuku, and it seems that there is a shop run by a witch. The witch's name is Nina. A young witch with a chameleon and a pig fulfills the secret wishes of her guests. Her method is to invite her to a mysterious space and look into the "real feelings" deep inside her heart. Customers are sometimes excited, sometimes hurt, and make their own choices to fulfill their wishes.
Artiswitch has finished airing and it has 6 Episodes. It is also Known as: アーティスウィッチ, Artiswitch
4. Oniisama e...
When starting at a new school, Nanako is thrust into the world of female rivalry and love. She is chosen into the Sorority, giving her an enviable position according to all the girls left out. However, since Nanako is not from a wealthy family, most girls find it unfair that she was chosen. Nanako is left to protect herself from wicked rumors and mean plots to make her leave the school. Along with her best friend since preschool, and new friends made along the way, she uncovers the past of some of the more popular girls in school and on her journey through high school she learns of love, loss and her own family's secrets...
Dear Brother has finished airing and it has 39 Episodes. It is also Known as: おにいさまへ…, Brother, Dear Brother, To My Brother..., Caro Fratello, Très cher frère
3. Blue Drop: Tenshi-tachi no Gikyoku
Five years ago, something horrifying happened on Kamioki Island. Something so nightmarish that it stripped all memory from Mari Wakatake's mind even as it left every other human on the island dead in its wake! Now enrolled against her will at an isolated girl's academy, Mari is unaware that hidden eyes are watching her, waiting for her memory to return.
Buried in her psyche is the most terrifying secret of all: while Mari was the only human who lived, she may not have been the only survivor! As something in a female skin invades Kaihou Academy, Mari's only hope may lie in a strange girl to whom she is inexplicably drawn yet cannot trust.
Blue Drop has finished airing and it has 13 Episodes. It is also Known as: BLUE DROP ～天使達の戯曲～, Blue Drop: Tenshitachi no Gikyoku
2. Strike Witches
Strike Witches is set in an alternate version of 1944, where the events of World War II are very different than what we know to be true. Alien invaders known as the Neuroi came to Earth in 1939. This is not the first appearance of the Neuroi as they have appeared at seemingly random intervals throughout human history. While the Neuroi primarily attack humanity using aircrafts, their mothership is able to produce a deadly miasma, a chemical that is fatally poisonous to humans, forcing the populations of affected areas to flee their homes. The Neuroi then use the poisoned areas to plunder Earth's natural resources to use against humanity. Luckily the miasma cannot spread across water, making the ocean humanity's main line of defense against the Neuroi.
With normal humans unable to fight in the miasma, witches have become the forefront of military defense against the Neuroi. Each witch is able to deploy a defensive field around themselves that not only blocks the miasma but protects them from physical attacks as well. Utilizing leg mounted machines called Striker Units to fly into combat, the witches use their magical abilities to wield devastating weapons too large and ungainly for a normal person. The series follows the battles fought by the 501st Joint Fighter Wing, who battle on the front lines to defend the British Isles from the Neuroi. Will humanity be able to take back Earth and bring peace to their home? Find out in Strike Witches!
Strike Witches has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: ストライクウィッチーズ, Strike Witches TV
1. Aoi Hana
Fumi and Akira were close childhood friends until Fumi had to move away. Ten years after losing touch with each other, the two girls meet again as high school freshmen. The two struggle to reconnect after so much has changed, and both deal with the trials and tribulations of high school — sometimes independently and sometimes with each other’s help.
Sweet Blue Flowers has finished airing and it has 11 Episodes. It is also Known as: 青い花, Aoihana , , Blue Flower
