Summary
Anime draws on real-world historical events and characters to create compelling stories that combine fantasy and history. From The Three Musketeers to Japan’s famous samurai, Jubei, anime brings historical figures to life in unique and imaginative ways. Historical settings such as the Viking Age in England or feuds in medieval Italy serve as the basis for compelling anime stories that add a fantastical element to real-world conflicts.
This article touches on sensitive topics, including suicide.
World history has inspired many creative mediums, and anime is no exception. Among the countless anime that retell and reinvent historical stories, there are many that stand out. Classic anime that every history nerd needs to watch. Many of these series introduce fantasy elements while remaining true to the spirit of the events on which they are based. Many times, the most memorable events of these anime actually have a historical basis and are not created by the author.
As a Japanese medium, it’s no surprise that anime is often set in Japanese history. In fact, the earliest surviving work of Japanese animation depicts an unlucky samurai trying out a new sword. There are also many worthy anime series inspired by other times and places throughout world history. Many anime creators have proven themselves knowledgeable about historical periods of all eras. These diverse historical settings and characters have inspired some of the most memorable anime series of all time.
10 The Three Musketeers reinvent a classic story
Created by Studio Gallop and based on the romantic tales of d’Artagnan by Alexandre Dumas
The anime plays The Three Musketeers are as lax in adapting Alexandre Dumas’s original novel as the novel was with actual history. That being said, The Three Musketeers and The Romance of d’Artagnan are both based on real people who lived in France in the 1600s. Dumas took inspiration from several historical manuscripts that contain the names of the sources Historical inspiration for Athos, Porthos, Aramis and d’Artagnan. From there, he used these characters as the basis for a fictional story imbued with real-world historical events. The anime The Three Musketeers used Dumas’ story as the basis for a loose but interesting retelling of the story of the Three Musketeers.
Watch now on Prime video
9 Jubei-chan: Ninja girl pursuing one of Japan’s most famous Samurai
Created by Studio Madhouse
The real Yagyu Jubei lived in Japan in the 1600s and has become one of the most frequently depicted historical figures in Japanese popular culture. Despite the lack of historical evidence of him losing an eye, fictional versions of Jubei are always depicted wearing an eye patch. Jubei’s famous eye patch drives the story in Jubei-chan, an anime in which the main character, a high school girl named Jiyu, adopts Jubei’s personality and sword skills when she wears an eye patch his. Admittedly, the depiction of Jubei is based more on folk tales and fictional stories than on any image of a historical figure. Most notably, the anime depicts him as a ninja instead of a samurai. Regardless, the series remains a testament to how popular Jubei’s version of the fictional folk hero is in Japanese popular culture.
Watch now on Crunchyroll
8 EscaFlowne’s vision depicts a different side of Isaac Newton
Created by Studio Sunrise, based on the original Manga by Shoji Kawamori and Katsu Aki
After being transported to the world of Gaea, EscaFlowne protagonist Hitomi quickly learns that she is not the first person from Earth to travel to the mysterious fantasy kingdom. In addition to knowing that her grandmother had previously traveled to Gaea, it is heavily implied throughout the series that the famous British scientist Isaac Newton was also brought to Gaea and assumed the identity of Emperor Dornkirk of Zaibach, the character main antagonist of the series.
Becoming Emperor in a fantasy world and building a machine that changes destiny was not really strange to the historical Isaac Newton; In addition to being famous for his scientific contributions, Newton was actually very interested in a number of topics that were considered questionable even in his time. He studied both occultism and alchemy extensively, even writing a book on alchemy.
Watch now on Funimation
7 Vinland Saga visualizes the brutality of the Vikings
Created by WIT Studio and Studio MAPPA, based on the original Manga by Makoto Yukimura
Most scholars mark the beginning of the Viking Age with the raid on Lindisfarne in 793 and its end with the death of Harald Hardrada at Stamford Bridge in 1066. Notably, both of these events occurred in Older brother. This 300-year reign was a very turbulent time in England and there were over 15 different claimants to the throne of England between 966 and 1066. This is the historical setting of the Vinland Saga.
Fittingly, the characters travel extensively, but most of the action takes place in England after the conquest of Denmark by Sweyn Forkbeard and Canute the Great. Many of the series’ characters are at least based on real historical figures. Sweyn and Canute were truly Kings of England. Leif Ericson actually made it to North America. Even the main character of the series, Thorfinn, was inspired by the real Viking explorer Thorfinn Karlsefni.
Watch now on Crunchyroll
The 6 Heike stories examine the fall of Taira no Kiyomori
Created by Saru science, based on Hideo Furukawa’s translation of the story of the Heike
As the head of the most powerful aristocratic families of his time, Taira no Kiyomori was the force behind the throne in 12th-century Japan. Many of his sons were given prestigious positions in the royal court. and his daughter became Queen. Kiyomori is also remembered as a notorious tyrant, brutally oppressing his enemies, opponents and oppressing the people of Kyoto, the capital of Japan at that time.
Kiyomori’s rise to power and the death and subsequent fall of the entire Taira clan are famously recounted in a 14th-century poem called The Tale of the Heike. The word “Heike” is based on the alternate reading of the Japanese characters of “Taira”. The poem is about some of the most famous samurai in Japanese history. Although it summarizes a lot of the story, the anime still highlights the most important events and serves as a good introduction to one of Japan’s most famous stories and periods of history.
Watch now on Crunchyroll
5 Romeo x Juliet adapts one of Shakespeare’s most famous tragedies
Created by Studo Gonzo, based on the original Manga by Reiko Yoshida and Hiroki Harada
Notable as a rare animated adaptation of Shakespeare’s play, inspired by real-world Italian politics in the Middle Ages, Romeo x Juliet is the story of one of the feuds most famous among families in history. In real life, the basis for this feud was a decades-long war between two warring Italians known as the Guelphs and the Ghibellines. In the simplest terms, the dispute arose because Guelph favored greater political power for the Pope and the Ghibellines fought for the Holy Roman Emperor to have more control over the affairs of the Church in Empire. It’s true that Romeo x Juliet takes place in a completely fictional setting and introduces many fantastical elements into the story, but the most basic core of the story comes from this real-world historical conflict.
Watch now on Crunchyroll
4 Yasuke adapted the story of Japan’s first black samurai
Created by LeSean Thomas and Studio MAPPA
The historical Yasuke is notable for being the first known black samurai. The anime adaptation of his life is notable for being one of the few anime series with a Black character in the lead role. The historical Yasuke arrived in Japan on a Portuguese ship around 1579 and entered the service of the powerful Daimyo, Oda Nobunaga. The anime itself is full of fantasy, introducing machines, magic, and global conspiracies. Admittedly, any full-length story about Yasuke would require a fair amount of artistic license, as very few details of Yasuke’s real life are known. However, the core story is true. Yasuke actually went to Japan and worked as a samurai for Nobunaga.
Watch now on Netflix
3 Ya Confucius Boy! Set a real-life strategist in modern Japan
Created by PA Studio, based on the original Manga by Yuta Yotsuba and Ryo Ogawa
Ya Boy Kongming!/PA Works
Also known as Kong Ming, Zhuge Liang was the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Shu during China’s Three Kingdoms period, who inspired countless works of fiction, including strategy video games. He is a historically verifiable figure best known for his highly fictional appearance in the 14th-century novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
Although Zhuge Liang’s historical exploits are exaggerated to near-divine levels in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, he remains one of the brightest minds of his time and an important figure in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. the rise of the Shu Kingdom. . Many of the schemes he uses to support Eiko’s music career in Ya Boy Kongming! based on various strategies from Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
Watch now on HIDIVE
Created by Doga Koba, based on the original Manga by Aka Akasaka and Mengo Yokoyari
Oshi No Ko isn’t afraid to portray the darker side of the Japanese entertainment industry, and that becomes very clear by the end of the first episode. Some of its most disturbing storylines are based on real industry scandals and tragedies, including the murders of several celebrities by obsessed fans. The most obvious real-life inspiration in Oshi no Ko is the plot involving Akane which is considered to have clear parallels with the suicide of professional wrestler Hana Kimura in 2020. This particular story arc considered by many Japanese fans to be in poor taste, leading to a wave of outcry, including criticism from Hana’s mother.
Watch now on HIDIVE
1 Spy X Family explores the conflict between East and West
Created by WIT Studio and CloverWorks, based on the Manga by Tatsuya Endo
While Spy X Family takes place in the fictional countries of Westalis and Ostania, the fictional setting is explicitly based on West and East Germany during the Cold War. Spy The overall world-building is based on real-life Cold War history, especially during the 50s and 60s. The spy agencies and secret police are clearly inspired by their real-life counterparts theirs, the series’ aesthetics are based on mid-20th century Europe and the technology resembles a ’60s spy movie.
Watch now on Crunchyroll
