While the series mostly focuses on the worldwide journeys of Ed and Al as they search for the Philosopher’s Stone to repair their bodies, the causes and consequences of war also play a part of this anime. What Brotherhood contributes in context to war is how they can be motivated by prejudice and how that hate can spread in a vicious cycle. This is strongly portrayed through Scar due to the mass genocide of his people, the Ishvalans. After the war, most of the surviving Ishvalans became refugees and were segregated to shantytowns.

As a result, Scar uses the tragedy to seek vengeance in the name of God. While fans can sympathize with his motivations but they’re driven by hate, then you’re doing nothing to end the cycle. That is what Scar learns on his journey as he has to come to terms that he killed innocent people who were trying to help him and his fellow Ishvalans. Not only are these themes true in the world of Fullmetal Alchemist, but in the real world as well.

The land of Atlantan was thought to be at peace with the nobles using the power of their crests to fight the invaders of Chaos. Like in the old days, a wedding between two kingdoms to unite them was supposed to end the conflict but a demon ruined all of that. Instead of uniting, they decide to go to war with each other for absolute power. Wars can be complicated and at times, the conflicts can range from external to internal and it’s because one group or individual wants exclusive power. As the cliché goes, power corrupts and when things go to Hell in a handbasket, who takes responsibility?

A lot of what happens in this anime shares many parallels with what happened in World War I. The complications of alliances between nations in that part of history was one of many major factors that caused and escalated the war, and some of those causes can be seen in Grancrest Senki. The fact that people are acting out of self-interest as opposed to helping one another is another tragedy that happens in this anime where then is already an existent threat.

Despite being a decade old, Code Geass is respected as a classic. Putting aside the mechs and how Lelouch can make people do what he wants with his powers, the series excellently presents how wars can be motivated by greed. Just like how Joseph Stalin invaded Finland for Nickel, the Britannian Empire invades Japan so they can take Sakuradite, a rare natural resource that exists only in Japan. In addition to greed, the series also demonstrates how a victorious nation dehumanizes the losers. As a result of Japan being taken by the Britannian Empire, they lose their identities as Japanese and are reclassified as Elevens, which is what happened with the US colonized the Philippines in the first half of the twentieth century.

No longer willing to take the abuse, Lelouch sides with a group of rebels and assumes leadership as a masked man under the moniker of Zero. Thanks to his education and natural charisma, he creates the Black Knights and slowly fights back against the Empire. Through Lelouch, viewers can learn that wars can be won under the right leadership and finding the right motivation.

The war between the UN Spacy and the Kingdom of Windermere tells the latest chapter of the Macross saga. Much in-tune with the spirit of Macross and as shared in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Delta strongly demonstrates that a significant number of wars are influenced by prejudice, a twisted sense of nationalism, and tragic failure to understand one another. The royal family of Windermere is hell-bent on wanting to spread their views (and disease) across the universe and from their initial point of view (upon learning of their tragic past), fans can understand why they hate the UN.

But in the end, this series masterfully demonstrates that nobody has to fight if people took the time to talk to each other. There are many instances in history that wars could have easily been avoided if people were aware and tolerant, and Delta does an amazing job of showcasing this. At times, people of numerous backgrounds need to find common ground that unites us, as opposed to just wanting to eliminate people just because they’re different from us.

On August 6, 1945, at 8:15 AM Japan time, the city of Hiroshima became the first victim of the destruction of the Atomic Bomb. In This Corner of the World gives a telling of these events from the point of view of Suzu, a typical young lady from Hiroshima of her times who is trying to live a normal life with her husband in Kure, a port city just south of Hiroshima city throughout the duration of the war. Due to her youth being affected by what is going on, it focuses on trying to survive with what limited resources they have and how she is also trying to help her community.

In This Corner of the World not only covers the events on what happened on August 6, 1945, it even portrays prior bombings in the Kure area of Hiroshima as well. It shows how Suzu loses much of her family through both the dropping of the Little Boy and the other attacks. Since Suzu is still young during the bombing, the overall theme is how they can affect a civilian’s development, especially with what they lost. Not only does the actual dropping of the bomb play part in this movie, but its aftermath with the acid rains, the health defects, and post-war American occupation play a part as well.

2199 is a modern retelling of the original Space Battleship Yamato series from the 1970s. Much of the story is largely the same but introduces some new characters to spice things up. The crew of the Yamato is alone in space without any backup as they face the Gamilas Empire in order to seek Earth’s last hope, the Plant Iscandar. While space battles play a big part of this iconic space opera, what makes this a good war anime is that it focuses on how military units bond together during a time of crisis, and how the intensity can also consequently create internal conflicts.

In addition to the bridge crew, Yamato 2199 effectively gives much of the cast new and old alike a good amount of screen time to understand their roles and how their contributions are significant to the ship as a whole. Not only is the standard bridge crew important, but the anime effectively portrays how the kitchen staff, communications officers, engineers, medical team, fighter pilot unit, and ground fighting squad and so on all have a significant role in relation to the everyday operations of the Yamato. So if you ever wanted to know what it’s like to live on a ship whether it would be in space or the sea, Space Battleship Yamato 2199 can give you a taste of that.

After Arslan’s numerous successes in the first season, his father has come back to the Kingdom of Pars after escaping captivity. So how does the king choose to reward his son? By exiling him so he can assemble 50,000 of his own soldiers. With the help of his trusted friends, Arslan goes to the prosperous port city of Gilan to fulfill his goals.

What makes Arslan Senki: Fuujin Ranbu a unique series in context to war anime is that it’s not only about strategy on the battlefield, but in the political arena as well. War and politics pretty much go hand-in-hand and not only does Arslan have to be a ballsy battlefield commander like Captain Kirk, but an excellent diplomat in the manner of Captain Picard as well. As an extension to this quality, espionage plays a huge part in warfare, and this is masterfully demonstrated through the role of Gieve.

While Arslan’s father prefers the old school method of win or die when it comes to battle, Arslan and his friends prefer winning without having to lose anyone from both sides. So despite being a fantasy-oriented anime, much of the principals in context to war strategy portrayed in this series largely apply to real life warfare from all eras, and that is why Arslan is an amazing anime to watch. And with Arslan being only 14, he has the significant guidance of Daryun and Narsus as his generals to finding the best solutions both on the battlefield and in the negotiation room.

The Gundam franchise has always portrayed children getting involved in a war. For most of its nearly 40-year run, the teenage pilots of the Gundams have always been academic overachievers, with an emphasis on engineering. As for Iron-Blooded Orphans, it takes the portrayal of children in war to a more realistic extremity that actually got complaints from the Japanese equivalent to the Parents Television Council during its broadcast. For starters, you don’t just see kids piloting mechs, you see them doing more realistic things in context to combat such as shooting enemies down execution style with automatic rifles and operating tanks.

Some fans can agree that it’s easier to portray kids in war by having them pilot a mech because it’s fantasy, and that trait provides a sense of safety (despite the danger they’re in) as opposed to running through the trenches while holding a rifle. While the motivations of previous Gundam pilots such as Amuro and Flit have just been spur of the moment, with Mika and Tekkadan, they’re fighting because of economic conditions. Due to the political circumstances within the series and the economic sanctions on Mars, the kids there have to resort to working with security companies to provide for themselves and their families. As a result, the kids can’t go to school and a large majority of them, including Mika, are (functionally) illiterate and come across as socially underdeveloped and malnourished.

This edition to Legend of Galactic Heroes is an appropriate remake to the original classic that was released between the late-1980s and late-1990s. Like in the original, Legend of Galactic Heroes tells the tale of the Galactic Empire led by Admiral Reinhardt and the Free Planets Alliance with its forces under the command of Yang Wen-Li. The charm to this respective anime in context to being a war anime is that whether a battle takes places in the trenches, the seas, or the vastness of space, what you need to win isn’t superior numbers or weapons, but quality (over quantity) strategy. While Reinhardt is a master tactician, he could never gain a victory over Yang Wen Li, a military history major who uses his education to win despite always having the odds against him.

Another great quality to this anime is that there two factions at war, but neither side is not set as the good guys or bad guys. On both sides of the conflict, there are those that want to help their people, and there are others who are only driven by their self-interests. Just like the original, this remake do a remarkable job of equally portraying both sides of the conflict and what their motivations are so you as view this anime, you have no idea who to side with when it comes down to just Wen Li and Reinhardt as well-intended leaders.

While this anime isn’t directly about a battle, what makes Grave of the Fireflies distinct are reasons most anime fans already know. Loosely based on the true story of the original novel’s author and some of Isao Takahata’s youth during the war, we see how a nation affected by war can extend to its citizens, most notably with war orphans. The two co-leads are a young brother and sister who are orphaned and they’re trying to make it on their own. They try to survive but in the end, they both die due to starvation and exhaustion. Beyond what Seita and Setsuko go through, viewers can get an overall view of how the bombing of Kobe devastated the city and its people as a whole. Though many are suffering, they are trying their hardest to continue living their lives and that quality is how it appeals to all audiences.

While many fans and critics have praised it as an anti-war film and we can all agree why. However, Takahata has personally denied that he made this with the intentions of making it as an anti-war film. He stated that he wanted to show how two children died as a result of a failed state and he also wanted to teach sympathy to younger viewers. He wanted to avoid portrayal of any direct fighting out of fear that some people would try to justify Japan’s position during that period. Either way, when you give this anime a view, it will make you put aside that Japan was part of the Axis and that in their own country, the citizens there were victims, too.

Set in World War II, a time when tensions are high, the value of intelligence has reached an all-time high. With such an important commodity in play, Japan establishes an agency known as the D Agency to obtain such. Under the purview of Lieutenant Colonel Yuuki, a group of agents infiltrates the upper echelons of the opposing country. In order to do so, they have trained their minds and bodies to the absolute limit. But their greatest strength is their ability to manipulate people to get the information they need.

Joker Game represents the seedier underbelly of war. War isn’t just about which country can get the highest body count or how many lands it can conquer, but the upper hand it can gain with the most simplistic of information. Imagine the power a country can obtain by absconding with the nuclear launch codes of another. The purpose of the D Agency is just that; to give Japan this sort of power. It takes not an army to destabilise the world, but a handful of individuals.

During the Warring States Period of China, in a time when men of the same country would clash against each other for nothing but the sovereignty of their rulers, two slaves, Xin Li and Piao, get inspired from a nearby skirmish to become the Great General of the Heavens. They train together to achieve such a feat but are soon separated from one another. Years later, Xin joins the kingdom under the king Zheng Ying, and his story unfolds from there.

As expected of an anime based on the warring states period, it showcases very well the conflict of a no holds barred civil war. Countrymen fighting against countrymen, divided by their ideals and the whims of their rulers. But amidst such violence, some can show the chivalry that all humans are capable of. It isn’t just about survival, but the fight to prove that they deserve to survive.

Ryner Lute bears the eyes of the Alpha Stigma that are capable of analysing all types of magic. Because of his talent, he is tasked by his king alongside Ferris Eris to search for the relic that can bring an end to the war. He agrees to do so, despite his inherent laziness, because of the tragedy he has witnessed. Many of his classmates, only students at the time, dead at the hands of conflict between kingdoms. Join Ryner as he goes on a journey for the relics, and to discover the secret behind his eyes.

Despite its extremely bombastic title, Densetsu does a good job of showing war from the perspective of someone not actually participating in the conflict itself, but trying to end it. Many a times, humans crave conflict with one another for a multitude of reasons but rarely do we work towards ending these conflicts. From the eyes of someone who wants to stop it, the story changes completely, and that is the story of Ryner Lute and Ferris Eris.

Vampires have emerged from nowhere and enslaved the human race with a deadly virus that the vampires are immune to. All of humanity is subjugated by the vampires with a simple premise, protection for blood. Two young boys, Yuuichirou and Mikaela are under the yoke of the vampires with a bunch of other kids under their protection. Mikaela hatches a plot to escape, but the only one who succeeds is Yuuchirou. He is picked up by a resistance unit known as the Moon Demon Company, and he joins them with the hope that he gets to kill as many vampires as possible.

Owari no Seraph is the best at showcasing that no side is ultimately right, that there are two sides to the same coin. While the vampires are tyrannical over lords who have enslaved humanity, they have their reasons for doing so. And just as they have their own side, humanity obviously does not like the enslavement they are under. War is always inevitable in this scenario, and you get plenty of it from this anime.

Two heirs of the current shogun are represented by separate ninja clans. Each wants the heir they represent to become the next shogun. They want this result because the one who gets their heir to the throne will get the support of the government for 1000 years and be able to destroy the opposing clan. To decide the winner, they each send 10 of their clan members to fight to the death over the possession of a scroll.

Basilisk is one of the best if not the best ninja anime there ever is. There are no flashy attacks or shouting at each other, there is just blood, gore and sudden deaths. It shows everything that a ninja should be, or what we imagine them to be. While there aren’t thousands of soldiers hacking and slashing at each other, this is a silent war. It is one that will determine the fate of a kingdom and the survival of their clan.

The Vers Empire, one that transcended the stars ages ago, uses their advanced technology known as Aldnoah to declare war against those living on earth. With the assassination of their princess at the hands of those on Earth, the Vers Empire sends everything they have to take back the planet and to show them who is the sovereign rulers once and for all.

Aldnoah.Zero is affectionately coined by the fandom on the internet as the reverse Gundam anime. It showcases humanity as the losing side against a superior force that possesses robots that far surpasses that of our own. Humans get robots with rifles while the aliens have robots that bend the very rules of gravity itself. This is a scenario where war is not equal, but they fight on regardless.

The Holy Empire of Britannia has conquered Japan and many other countries with their revolutionary new machine, the Knightmare Frames; a mobile humanoid vehicle. Each country has lost their identities, rights and privileges and essentially its citizens have become indentured servants in the process. Japan, now renamed Area 11, is where Lelouch resides. He is an exiled prince posing as a student who has high ambitions of vengeance. Through a chance encounter, he gains the power of the kings and uses it to lead the rebellion against Britannia.

Code Geass shows us best that there are no winners in war. Even if one side triumphs over the other, the losers will still bite back eventually. No matter who wins, conflict won’t end till everything is dead. Under the cool stratagems and the clever speeches by Lelouch, there lies the countless dead in the wake of an unending conflict.

Arslan is the price of the kingdom of Pars. Under the rule of their king, they have been enjoying a time of prosperity. However, the king is betrayed and the Parsian army is decimated. Their capital city gets taken by rival forces and Arslan is forced to flee his own country. With the aid of the general Daryun, Arslan must gather allies to retake his home country.

War takes many things from us, and it has taken Arslan’s home from him. We get shown his struggle to cope with his losses and his desperate bid to retake his country. Through war, his character matures and changes into what is eventually needed to lead his forces into battle. But he should never have been forced to mature in such a way. That is the very nature of the cruel and unbending nature of war.

In the fictitious world of Valkyria Chronicles, there is a precious resource known as ragnite, that powers many of the contraptions such as vehicles to weapons of war. It is highly sought over by the many countries that struggle endlessly against one another. The story is centred on the country of Gallia, a neutral state that has an abundance of ragnite that gets invaded by an empire for that very resource. Welkin Gunther and Alicia Melcott must join the militia to save their country from the invading forces and to protect their homeland.

Valkyria Chronicles is based on the strategy game of the same name. There is plenty of fighting that goes on, and much of it has its clever moments and strategies executed by Squad Leader Welkin Gunther. It generally comes across as somewhat light-hearted, but it does not shy away from showing the many tragedies of war and the losses that one can suffer from it.

The war between demons and humans have raged on for countless of years. The Hero and his party set out to slay the Demon King in order to bring an end to the war. Dissatisfied with his progress, he abandons his companions and goes on by himself to the castle of the Demon King. However, he finds out that the Demon King isn’t a malevolent demon of evil but a beautiful woman who asks for his aid. Her plea is simple, to help her end the war.

Maouyuu is one of those anime that makes us think hard and long about the state of our world. It shows us that ending the war is not so simple as to simply defeat the demon king and grant everyone a happy ever after. There are many issues in the world such as famine, poverty and slavery that coexist alongside war and each and every one of them must be tackled with care. War is a complex issue that we cannot solve simply with guns and blades, but with hearts and kind words.