Angels in anime aren’t a surprising new addition to the medium, especially when the likes of fantasy or even darker anime need angels to represent the forces of “good” in their respective series. More often than not, angels in anime often take the role of guardians or even “last resort” agents that have immense power to turn the tide of battle. However, rarely do anime viewers ever see a series that actually revolves around these celestial beings.
And funnily enough, most anime involving angels do eventually end up being crazier than what viewers anticipate. Before viewers assume most angel anime are mundane or simply within the confines of comedy, it’s important to realize that some forgotten angel anime actually try to explore the limits of the genre. In fact, some forgotten angel anime that turn out to be awesome revolve around a leader of an angelic rebellion, a celestial being out for revenge, or souls simply looking for a means to cross over to the afterlife.
8 Angel Sanctuary (2000)
Fans of angels and celestial concepts in anime might want to consider watching Angel Sanctuary for a more mature take on the genre. Set in 1999, Angel Sanctuary explores the life of Setsuna Mudo who, after discovering his love for his sister Sara, soon becomes entangled in the politics of angels and demons. He eventually discovers that he is actually the reincarnation of Organic Angel Alexiel, a female angel who led a rebellion against angels after seeing them slaughter a group of demons in god’s absence.
Unfortunately for Setsuna, his and Sara’s lives are constantly put in danger due to the true nature of his identity. Not only that, but his efforts to save himself and Sara would put them smack dab at the center of political intrigue surrounding angels, demons, and even God Himself.
7 Ceres, Celestial Legend (2000)
Contrary to most modern anime about angels, Ceres, Celestial Legend takes everything a step further and involves its characters in a more serious story. Ceres, Celestial Legend talks of the story of Aya Mikage and her twin brother Aki, who was sent to their grandfather's estate for their 16th birthday. This turns out to be a test to see which of them has angel or celestial maiden blood, with Aya learning of her status as the reincarnation of Ceres, a powerful celestial maiden hell-bent on killing the Mikage line for stealing her robe, thus preventing her from going to heaven.
Ceres is an all-powerful maiden, possessing psychic powers unrivaled, forcing the rest of the Mikage family to try and kill her. It doesn't help that Aya's twin Aki is also possessed by the Mikagi, the progenitor of the Mikage line and the one who stole Ceres' robes in the first place. Only when Aya is saved by fellow psychic and celestial descendant Suzumi and her brother-in-law Yuhi, Aya begins tapping into her true relationship with Ceres. Unfortunately for her, not only are the Mikage continuously after her, but Ceres is also too vengeful a spirit to control.
6 Haibane Renmei (2002)
Fans of angels who want a more grounded and serious take on the genre would want to give Haibane Renmei a shot. The anime talks of Rakka, a girl who awakens as an angel-resembling Haibane, in the city of Glie. Rakka is soon indoctrinated in the various rules she has to follow up on her awakening: she may not own anything new, cannot use money, and may not approach the wall encircling Glie. The latter is primarily enforced by the Haibane Renmei, the organization foreseeing the affairs of the Haibane.
While Glie’s residents are friendly to the Haibane, and while Rakka gets used to her new life as a Haibane, things soon start to change for the worse when Kuu, one of her close friends, suddenly vanishes. She learns Kuu has taken her “Day of Flight” and will never return after passing the wall. Rakka has to come to grips with this inevitable fate throughout the emotionally-gripping story of Haibane Renmei and see if there’s any way for her to unravel the secrets of her life.
5 Heaven’s Lost Property (2009)
Rare does an anime bordering on R-13 material become a rather entertaining series, precisely what Heaven’s Lost Property achieves. The anime stars mischievous and perverted Tomoki Sakurai who lives by the motto that “peace and quiet are the best” and has always wanted to meet an angel. Unfortunately for him, an Unidentified Mysterious Animal crash-lands nearby and, upon investigation, turns out to be a winged person named Ikaros, an Angeloid from the Synapse planet.
What makes Heaven’s Lost Property go to crazy territory isn’t just how Ikaros blurts out an oath of servitude to Tomoki. Instead, it’s how Angeloids start arriving on Earth, disturbing his “peace and quiet,” and forcing him on a funny yet somehow mysterious journey of suddenly saving the planet from total doom.
4 Shattered Angels (2007)
In the story of Shattered Angels, Ku Shiratori is a seemingly-ordinary high school girl searching for the man of her dreams. She lives in Academia, one of the first signs of recovery of human society after a great disaster. Unfortunately for Ku, her life changes when, upon preparing for the school festival, the man of her dreams appears. This man, named Kyoshiro Ayanokoji, pledges his loyalty to Ku.
Contrary to other angel-revolving stories, Shattered Angels immediately begin with most main characters in romantic relationships. Key to the story is Absolute Angels, mysterious females able to destroy the world at the whim of their masters. With Ku and Kyoshiro put on the center of a crossfire with the Earth at its center, Shattered Angels give a decent mix of romance and action for fans of both genres.
3 Bludgeoning Angel Dokuro-Chan (2005)
Angels in popular media are often depicted as kindly beings sent from Heaven to protect their charge. This isn’t necessarily the case with Bludgeoning Angel Dokuro-chan. When Sakura Kusakabe, at 33 years old, discovers a way to stop women from aging past 12, this inadvertently creates immortality - an act that angers God. In his wrath, God sends His angel-assassins known as Lulutie to kill Sakura at 13 to prevent him from creating this demonic device.
The Lulutie sent to kill Sakura was Dokuro who hesitates to kill him upon seeing his ridiculous antics. To finish the job, God sends another Lulutie known as Sabato. This forces Dokuro to cross paths with Sabato and the full wrath of heaven to protect Sakura, whose antics constantly kill him and force Dokuro to revive him anyway. This rather cat-and-mouse game of angels wanting to kill Sakura, and the rather brutal ways he gets killed in the process, is a rather gory yet hilarious take on the angel genre.
2 D.N.Angel (2003)
One of the most iconic anime about winged angels from the 2000s would likely be D.N.Angel, which blends an equal mix of romance with shonen action. The story of D.N.Angel begins when teenager Daisuke Niwa discovers that his growing love for his crush, Risa, activated a latent gene in the family that transforms him into the winged Dark Mousy, a famous thief. Daisuke has to keep his family’s secret and Dark’s identity to himself while trying to have Risa reciprocate his love for Daisuke to return to normal.
However, things don’t always go as planned, as another winged person named Krad has begun chasing Dark in his adventures. Soon, Krad is the alter-ego of Daisuke’s classmate Satoshi, who suffers from his own version of the curse. While not angels in the conventional sense, the clash between Dark and Krad reveals a more mysterious and equally sinister plot.
1 Angel Beats (2010)
Despite its short stint, Angel Beats has got to be one of the craziest anime about angels and the afterlife. At its core, Angel Beats is an anime set in the afterlife, particularly in limbo, which takes the form of a regular high school. People who experience hardships and trauma are sent there to overcome obstacles to pass on and become reincarnated. Protagonist Yuzuru Otonashi, an amnesiac, is sent to the afterlife and would now need to discover the mystery behind his death and eventually reincarnate.
This is where things get complicated, as Yuri Nakamura immediately invites Yuzuru to join the Afterlife Battlefront, a rebellion against God who let these hardships happen to them. Their main target is Angel, God’s associate, who is supervising their stay in limbo. Despite the hilarious, day-to-day events that transpire in limbo (including frequent deaths), things eventually get more serious as the anime starts dwelling upon each character's situation and aspirations before their untimely deaths.