Set in the mid-1920s and starring a gun-wielding nun, Chrno Crusade is the living embodiment of excessive. Just to be crystal clear, that is not meant as a criticism! Based on Daisuke Moriyama's excellent manga, Chrno Crusade is a thoroughly compelling supernaturally-fueled action series that harbors a gloomy underbelly that slowly rears its ugly head.

Rosette and Chrno work for the Order of Magdalene, a religious group tasked with protecting America from invading demons. While they are relatively good at their job, the duo's fighting style tends to be rather dangerous and often results in a fair amount of damaged real estate. Despite the exorbitant collateral damage, nobody else can match the team's sheer determination and fearlessness.

Besides featuring the aforementioned gun-toting sister who loses her cool at the drop of a hat, Chrno Crusade serves as more than just an amusing fight fest. Rosette and Chrno are haunted by dark pasts that threaten to derail the duo's entire existence. We recommend packing some tissues!

Adapted by Kinema Citrus and Orange, Black Bullet needed to hit the bullseye if the anime wanted to live up to Shiden Kanzaki's beloved light novel series. While failing to reach the same heights as its source, there is still a lot to appreciate about this short-lived adaptation.

Taking place in the near future of 2021, humans have fallen prey to a strange parasitic virus known as Gastrea. If a deadly disease was not bad enough, anyone who contracts the strain is turned into a deformed monster! Trapped like rats in a cage, humanity's remaining representatives are confined to a puny city protected by large monolithic walls. In order to stand a fighting chance against Gastrea, superhuman young girls and their partners are sent to take down the monsters.

Just in case the anime's title failed to provide a clear enough indication, Black Bullet's protagonist fights with a special gun that damages the Gastrea. First and foremost, Black Bullet is an action series, so the focus is squarely placed on crafting absurd but enjoyable fight scenes. For the most part, the anime succeeds with ease!

A Sword Art Online without Kirito is equivalent to watching a Dragon Ball incarnation that forgot to include Goku. On paper, it sounds like a terrible idea, but the experiment might just prove worthwhile. Set apart from the main storyline, Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online focuses on a tall college student who shakes her insecurities by disappearing into the bullet-hell world of an MMO. Contrary to Kirito's escapades, Gun Gale Online is driven by the characters rather than by some pending catastrophe that must be prevented. Also, the spin-off drops any harem influences.

Similar to anime, games tend to be employed as a form of wish-fulfillment. Besides providing an escape from everyday life, players step into the shoes of protagonists who possess the means to alter their respective worlds. When it comes to shedding your own skin and crafting an entirely brand-new identity, there is no better time-sink than an MMORPG. In many ways, Gun Gale Online is a far more human experience than the central series.

While there is a decent amount of character development, Studio 3Hz hardly leaves its viewers wanting for action! Set in a fantastical military universe, Gun Gale is all about taking down the opposition with a well-aimed shot.

While precious little beats a life-or-death standoff between two experienced gunslingers who are equally determined to see another sunrise, competitions focusing on toy guns can also be rather fun! Aoharu x Kikanjuu centers around a slew of host club members that partake in survival games to let off some steam.

Dressed as a boy but really a girl, Hotaru Tachibana's entire personality revolves around the word "justice." If an evildoer is subjecting someone to a malicious act, Hotaru cannot help but unleash a couple of bone-breaking punches. Admittedly, her brand of "justice" seems more like violent vigilantism, but the girl talks a decent game. After biting off more than she can chew and drastically underestimating her opponent, Hotaru loses a contest against Masamune Matsuoka and is forced to join the Toy Gun Gun team to pay off a debt.

Initially, the loud main character views survival games as nothing more than a waste of time for immature adults who have nothing better to do; however, she slowly starts to enjoy the matches and transforms into a devoted admirer of shooting opponents with plastic bullets. Unfortunately, Toy Gun Gun is a male-only club, so Hotaru has to hide her gender or risk being shunned by the addictive world of survival games!

Every nation needs a superspy. Britain and the United States make due with James Bond and Ethan Hunt respectively, so Japan answered with its own variant who borders on being a full-blown superhero. Birthed in 1968, Golgo 13 is among the longest-running manga in history. With countless stories and adventures, the world's deadliest assassin never misses and can take out his target from any angle.

Armed with his iconic M16, Golgo 13 exists beyond the reach of any intelligence agency. Be it the FBI or the KGB, nobody knows the assassin's true identity and that is unlikely to change anytime soon. Depending on the situation, Golgo can either be a nation's savior or public enemy number one. While little is known about the assassin, the general consensus is that Golgo's skills are beyond reproach and the dude never misses. If a target is caught in his crosshairs, then their life is forfeited.

Golgo 13 oozes cool from every frame. Due to the protagonist's sheer overwhelming strength, the individual storylines lack any sense of danger and Golgo is never at any risk of failing. While this can be a bit annoying, the assassin loves to come up with new and exciting ways to take out his opponent. The anime's appeal lies in its journey rather than the end result!

Despair might not be the first adjective that comes to mind when describing a high-octane anime about bullet-crazy young girls, but Madhouse's Gunslinger Girl is anything but cheery. Right from the opening scene, the studio's adaptation of Yuu Aida's manga shrouds itself in foreboding and misery. While the bloody action scenes are expertly animated and unforgettable, there is nothing spectacular or pleasant about the life of a trained killer.

The Social Welfare Agency is an Italian organization that rescues hospitalized orphans and provides them a second life as the government's dogs. Benefiting, for a lack of a better term, from cybernetic enhancements, these helpless girls are trained to kill on sight and become nothing more than emotionless robots who exist to please the people in power.

Living up to its title, Gunslinger Girl fills every episode with deadly shootouts that leave psychological scars on the anime's cast. Due to the series' overall tone, the gunfights are not exactly fun, but they serve the narrative perfectly.

Born and raised in the subtly named town of Lawless, Angelo Lagusa's sole reason for existing is revenge. Every waking moment of the young man's life is consumed by an unflinching hatred for the mafia family responsible for massacring his family. Lagusa's life ended that day and he plans to make sure that everyone responsible suffers the same faith as his parents and younger brother.

Seven years after the tragic triple murder, Lagusa changes his identity to Avilio Bruno and returns to Lawless with a cunning plan to infiltrate the mafia's ranks. With the final goal being a direct encounter with the evil organization's don, 91 Days is a stylistic crime drama that shows the drastic changes that can happen to someone's character when they become consumed by a vendetta.

Set during the Prohibition Era, 91 Days explores an age that is rarely touched by the industry. Armed with a pistol and more than willing to pull the trigger, Lagusa's journey is stained with blood, tears, and destruction! Considering the time period and environment, guns are everyone's weapon of choice.

Taking place in South America and starring an enigmatic ex-convict with an affinity for firearms, Manglobe's original anime is the perfect companion piece to Madhouse's Black Lagoon. Bolstered by phenomenal animation and a memorable soundtrack, Michiko to Hatchin is a roller-coaster thrill ride that packs a fair amount of surprises.

Breaking out of a high-security prison for the billionth time, Michiko Malandro is a hardened criminal who desperately wants to locate her former lover. Lacking any hints about his location, Michiko rescues a young girl from an abusive family who she suspects to be her partner's daughter and the duo sets out on a wild goose chase across the South American terrain. Yearning to reach the supposedly gorgeous city of Diamandra, Michiko's presence quickly draws the attention of various notorious gangs, resulting in a large scale war.

At first glance, Michiko to Hatchin seems like an episodic series that follows the duo's many run-ins with a number of criminal organizations and the police. As the story progresses, it becomes apparent that everything in this world is connected. While prone to violence and absurdly hot-headed, Michiko is a product of her corrupt environment and the anime's entire universe is soaked in exploitation.

Trained to kill and a master of his craft, Train Heartnet garnered a reputation as Chronos' greatest assassin and a borderline demon. Willing to end someone's life without a second thought, Heartnet's nihilistic attitude starts to shift after the protagonist comes across Saya Minatsuki, an optimistic bounty hunter who befriends the heartless killer. Gaining a new appreciation for human life, Heartnet decides that the world of an assassin is not for him and attempts to leave Chronos. Unfortunately, the organization has other plans.

Every awesome act performed by Heartnet is soundtracked by a thrilling theme that instantly gets the blood pumping! With a gun being the protagonist's weapon of choice, Black Cat is the ideal shounen series for those seeking a healthy mix of comedy and action. Besides the charismatic lead, Gonzo's anime is packed with colorful characters and features a ridiculously over-the-top but entertaining antagonist.

Blood brothers and inseparable, Brandon Heat and Harry MacDowell believe their carless days as petty criminals are destined to last forever. Preoccupied with women and pointless brawls, the friends' easy-going days are suddenly shattered after they get involved with the wrong set of people. Desperate to gain some form of power, Brandon and Harry join the ranks of an infamous crime syndicate known as Millennion.

With the anime's first and second half feeling like completely different shows, Gungrave can be a rather tricky series to describe. The focus is squarely on Brandon and Harry's relationship, but the story's gangster roots eventually give way to an insane post-apocalyptic narrative that sees the cast losing quite a bit of their humanity. While the latter half might frustrate some people, Madhouse ramped up the action considerably after the studio decided to cut loose.

Based on a third-person shooter, Gungrave is a unique exercise in stylistic violence and the pinnacle of the genre!

Arsène Lupin III is the grandson of a world-famous thief, and he’s made it his goal in life to live up to his grandfather as a world-renowned thief himself. Despite being a man who works in shadows and with amazing stealth, he has attained a certain amount of infamy and a lot of people (inspectors, criminals, and other thieves) know him all too well. As a result of this, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that often enough guns are brought onto the scene and at least some gunfire is exchanged each episode.

Just about every main character in the series has a pistol on them at all times, except for Goemon, who prefers his sword. Also, each character is surprisingly accurate with their aim, except for the bad guys as they never seem to be able to hit anyone. At the top of the gun game though is Lupin’s partner/right-hand man Jigen, who can perform a 0.3-second quick-draw as well as use machine guns, sniper rifles, and even a PTRS anti-tank rifle. For thieves, they really aren’t that quiet.

A little bit like Jormungand of the 90s, Gunsmith Cats follows the adventures of our protagonists selling guns in the “gun free” zone of Chicago. First there’s Rally Vincent who knows all her weapons like the back of her hand and knows how to use them and then there’s her partner Minne May Hopkins who’s an explosions expert. Together, they know just about everything that has to do with weaponry and havoc. They also tend to meet some unsavory characters in their line of work and in this three-episode OVA the two get blackmailed into working for a much larger and complicated organization.

With such professions and backgrounds mixed together with a western vibe, Gunsmith Cats really exploits the wildness of its characters and settings. Gun fights galore and insane high-speed chases in a 1967 Mustang GT, it’s best to just sit back and enjoy the spectacular display of impossibilities. Though, guns and bounty hunters might not seem out of place in an old-time Chicago, driving through the streets at incredible speeds is just something you’ll never see. The only real hitch to the show is its vintage qualities, which might not be for everyone nowadays.

You would think after being trapped in one video game and having to save his “girlfriend” from another, Kirito would have had his fill of video games for one lifetime. However, he doesn’t really have a choice when a new game called Gun Gale Online is infiltrated by a player able to kill people in real life by shooting them in game.

Despite Kirito still playing with his trademark dual blade style, most of this online world is comprised of gun fights. Sinon, a deadly sniper, is always awesome to watch scope and take down a target. It’s pretty epic to watch her fall from a skyscraper and dodge hundreds of bullets flying her way. Asuna is once again pretty incredible with her skills as well. In general, the amount of ammo being unleashed is insane. One of the greatest scenes in this season, and one proving just how overpowered Kirito is (despite doing this almost every episode), is when a couple comes charging in at him with their turret blazing, and he starts performing some Star Wars acrobatics, deflecting every single bullet that’s coming his way. It’s truly epic.

Jormungand explores the complex underworld of arms dealers through the idealistic Koko Hakmatyar as she enlists a child soldier, Jonah, into her team of bodyguards. Despite Koko’s illegal and dangerous line of work, she chases after the goal of world peace. It’s this strange ideal of hers in such an unruly place that glues her comrades together.

With the primary relationship taking place between a child soldier and an arms dealer, of course there was bound be a lot of guns. Just the physical amount of guns present in the show is insane. Everyone always feels strapped and ready to take on anyone who poses a threat. Considering the scope of the underworld presented, the show rightfully takes on a lot of blood and gore. Every second of the show is like a scene with bullets raining down and bodies being ripped apart. Most characters in fact seem to get a certain satisfaction while thrust into the chaos. It’s absolutely perfect for someone who has a craving for action packed thrillers.

Think Attack on Titan, but with guns and smaller monsters. Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress throws viewers into a world that is being overran by a species of monsters, similar to zombies, that can only be killed thoroughly if their heart is pierced. That’s nothing too unusual in an anime setting, but add a layer of iron protecting these monsters hearts, and well you have a very particular and difficult problem to solve.

Though some weaponry has been developed to take on these creatures, also known as Kabane, it’s been Ikoma’s goal to develop a weapon that will be more effective in the fight for humanity. When the entire first episode is based around this exact struggle, you know you’re in for a gun-oriented ride. Add to that struggle a steady hand with gore and you have yourself some amazing fight scenes. Consistently the show impresses with a mixture of hand-to-hand combat, swordsmanship, and pointblank power shots.

Shoving you through a hellish scene of Nazi vampires ravaging London, Hellsing Ultimate is a furious ride with bullets flying all about. Defending London from the invasion of Nazis as well as the opportunistic positioning of the Vatican is the Hellsing Organization. Though the odds seemed stacked against Integra and her troops, she does have her own warriors of the night.

First and foremost, there’s Alucard, the original vampire, who heavily relies upon decimating ghouls with his specialized glocks. Dual-wiedling and accurate, Alucard obliterates anyone and everyone standing in his way. Then there’s the newest recruit to the Hellsing Organization, Seras, who sports a monstrous sniper rifle that can pierce through an entire squadron. She also can get in a semi-mecha gatling gun that can take down aircrafts with ease. Adding a cherry on top, are the scenes where ordinary people just whip out a pistol or machine gun of their own to show these undead creatures of the night what’s up with the living.

The Imperial Empire and rules the East and the Federation controls the West of the continent of Europa. War has finally broken out between the two, and the neutral country of Gallia has been invaded by the Empire. Well, despite the Empire’s vast army and resources, Gallian forces have found hope in the ragtag crew of Squad 7 in the Gallian militia.

Though the story is centered around the characters Welkin, Isara, and Alicia; the narrative follows the entirety of Squad 7. To put it simply, it’s an anime that depicts both the horrors and friendships that arise in wartime, and luckily for gun fans, the battles bear many similarities to that of World War II. Expect to see powerhouse tanks tear apart the battlefield, snipers scoping out powerful enemies, and stormtroopers taking out entire squads. It does all of this episode by episode as you follows the war effort, battle after battle of hard-earned territory.

One of the best detective sci-fi’s out there, Psycho Pass follows the experiences of a fresh recruit, Akane Tsunemori, into Japan’s futuristic police force. In this world, everything is controlled and regulated by a system known as the Sybil System. It determines every single person’s emotional and mental stress as well as decides if that person is safe within society. For the most part, this system has led to some to an overall peaceful and happy society. Nonetheless, there are those who find issues with the society and rightfully so.

A heavy visual aspect of this show is the use of the “Dominator.” It’s a gun of sorts that uses the Sybil infrastructure to determine a suspect or criminals mental state and then enters a paralyzer mode or a lethal mode. It even has a mode that deconstructs metal and various other materials. Though there is a healthy dose of Dominator action each episode, what really pushes the show up is how it views guns. Despite being just a tool, Kogami states from the very beginning the importance of being stronger than the tool. There’s even a heavy distinction between the Dominator and a regular gun as one represents personal justice (revenge) while the other displays a systemic justice.

Enter a world where Vash the Stampede has a $60,000,000 bounty on his head. With such a number over his spiky head, it’s no wonder that both bounty hunters and insurance teams are after him at all times. However, upon first impressions, most people would never assume that this carefree and free dancing man is actually the wanted man. Trigun in many ways is an exploration of why and how this contrast came into existence.

How could you not expect showdowns with guns when thrown into a setting that is essentially the Wild West. Practically everyone carries a gun, and with a $60,000,000 reward tacked to his name, it’s no wonder why most are pointed at Vash. As a result, bullets fly at a constant rate and Vash with his no kill attitude tends to make the fight sequences last quite a while. However, Vash isn’t the only one to display some epic gunmanship. Nicolas D. Wolfwood is incredible to watch once he unstraps his cross from his back, Meryl has a countless amount of small pistols to surprise opponents with, and Millie can dish out massive punishment with her gatling gun

Rokurou Okajima is your everyday desk jockey. He’s a small player working to achieve balance and comfort in his rather average life. However, when his company basically sells him off, he ends up joining the mercenary group, Black Lagoon. Thus, begins his adventures exploring the morally gray, fleeting, and intense life of a mercenary in the black market sector.

In general, Black Lagoon lights the screen up with constant gun battles every episode. The crew that we follow take on Nazis, Yakuza, gangsters, and assassins in glorious and brutal battles on a frequent basis it would seem. Leading the foray into every battle is Revy, the loud and brash gunslinger of the Lagoon Company. With dual pistols, Revy never leaves an opponent, or anyone/thing blocking her way, without a few holes. Composing the rest of the crew is the newbie Rokurou, aka Rock, who gets the thrill of shooting an RPG in the first episode, the iron-armed Dutch, and the computer whiz Benny. Together, this group takes on just about any assignment and will make sure the task gets done, even if that requires taking down a target’s military base.