Comedy anime are wide-ranging in terms of style and story. Some are satires of overused anime clichés, while others blend wittiness with action-adventure. No two comedic anime are exactly alike and each show brings something unique to the table. It only takes a few episodes to fall in love with the best comedy anime.
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Updated January 2, 2023 by Mark Sammut: 2022 was a good year for comedy anime. In fact, some of the shows that aired during those 12 months deserve to be mentioned among the funniest anime of all time.
23 Shimoneta: A Boring World Where The Concept Of Dirty Jokes Doesn’t Exist
After the dystopian government outlaws lewd content and language, society seems to move away from immoral behaviors. That is, until a mysterious foul-mouthed terrorist begins disturbing pornographic material around the city.
In this wacky take on the high school sex comedy genre, Shimoneta balances the social commentary with laughs for a hilariously good time in what could be one of the most memorable comedy anime in recent memory. This show is perfect for anime fans who love a good dirty joke.
22 One-Punch Man
The perfect blend of awesome superhero action and gut-busting comedy series, One-Punch Man is one of the coolest anime shows ever. Saitama is the titular hero of the show, an unlikely hero with the ability to destroy any opponent with a single punch.
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The comedic moments round out the show’s intense fighting sequences nicely, especially when supervillains and superheroes gawk at the improbable power of the unsuspecting Saitama. A clever parody of superhero culture and over-the-top action anime, One-Punch Man continues to be ranked among the best anime series of all time.
21 Haven’t You Heard? I’m Sakamoto
The “perfect” character trope can be tedious at times, as they often start to border on annoying after a certain point. But that’s not the case with Sakamoto: he literally is perfect.
The show follows the titular character, the coolest kid in school who is liked by everyone, and for good reason: everything he does, no matter how mundane, is awesome. The characters are a lot of fun, as are the subplots. While short, this funny anime is very rewatchable.
20 Ghost Stories (English Dub)
Ghost Stories is an anomaly in the world of anime series. The original Japanese show follows a group of kids trying to protect their town from a group of malicious ghosts. The English dub, however, changes things juristically. The team in charge of the dub had very few rules and used that to their advantage, completely changing the dialogue and story to their liking and making it a knee-slapping comedy instead of a serious ghost-hunting show.
The dubbed dialogue is downright hilarious, featuring dark humor, pop culture references, and brilliant inside jokes. By no means a typical comedy anime series, Ghost Stories is a wicked fun ride for anyone looking for a “different” kind of animated humor.
19 Daily Lives Of High School Boys
If someone’s imagination is free enough, even the mundane can be hilarious. Daily Lives of High School Boys is a gag comedy about a trio of perfectly ordinary boys doing perfectly ordinary things that just happen to often devolve into cringe territory.
Divided into skits, Sunrise’s anime is expertly paced to ensure nearly none of the jokes overstay their welcome. More importantly, the series knows when to revisit a storyline or situation to produce a couple more laughs.
18 Spy X Family
Spy x Family was among 2022’s shining beacons, airing two fun cours during Spring and Fall. The anime has already confirmed that a sequel is on the horizon, so the Forgers’ time in the sun is far from done. Set in a world defined by a fragile peace between two powerful states, Twilight is a superspy tasked with infiltrating an academy to get close to a politician. To accomplish this task, he becomes Loid Forger and adopts Anya, a charming girl who can secretly read minds. Loid also marries Yor, a quiet woman who moonlights as an assassin.
Spy x Family has exceptional characters who all inject a unique brand of comedy into the story. Anya tends to steal the spotlight due to her weird mix of innocence and insightfulness; while she can read the minds of adults, she does not always understand what she hears. Loid works well as Anya’s straight man, while Yor is a surprisingly great source for slapstick humor.
17 Ouran High School Host Club
A parody of other popular anime, Ouran High School Host Club is a silly high school comedy series at heart. The central character, Haruhi Fujioka, ends up in debt to a posh club of boys who “host” female clients.
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While that sounds suspicious, the show is actually laid back and funny in more than one way. Plot twists are this show’s bread and butter, and it does them better than most other anime series.
16 The Devil Is A Part-Timer!
One of the best zany premises ever conjured up, The Devil is a Part-Timer! is the story of Satan, who after getting stuck in the mortal realm, must take up a job at a local fast-food restaurant.
As expected, the resulting madness yields hilarious outcomes for Satan and his hungry customers. The anime series originally ended its 13-episode run in 2013, but a sequel aired during the Summer 2022 season. Unfortunately, the latter fell short of expectations.
15 Space Dandy
Space Dandy does a lot of things well, humor perhaps being the best one. Shinichirō Watanabe might be more known for anime series that balance comedy with other genres, but Space Dandy is much more comfortable making low-brow jokes and going for the silliest route possible.
There is still plenty of high-flying space action to soak in, but the comedic moments are the real showcase. Comedy fans should get their fill on all the absurd jokes the series throws their way.
14 Kill La Kill
Kill la Kill is notable for its genre-blending action-comedy, over-the-top silliness, and ridiculous fight scenes. The show revolves around Ryuko Matoi, a rebellious schoolgirl on a quest for vengeance in a world where clothes give superpowers to the wearer.
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Somewhat of a social commentary on school life and social status, the show is a wild ride from start to finish and makes stellar use of the character’s quick wit for some of the best comedy of any action anime series ever.
13 Azumanga Daioh: The Animation
Azumanga Daioh’s influence and importance cannot be understated. Both the manga and its anime adaptation helped set the standard for “cute girls doing cute things” type stories, paving the way for releases like Lucky Star and School Rumble. Those two series are pretty funny in their own right, but they fall short of the standard set by Azumanga Daioh.
The most amazing thing about this anime is that the humor flows naturally from characters who are fully grounded in reality. The comedy very rarely takes on surreal or outlandish elements, instead opting to focus on the cast’s charming and hilarious banter. Despite being more than two decades old, Azumanga Daioh is still as awesome as ever.
12 Asobi Asobase - Workshop Of Fun -
Hanako, Olivia, and Kasumi, three wholesome middle school girls, form a Pastimers Club as a way to hang out, study, and enjoy each other’s company. They play schoolyard games, babysit, talk about love, and occasionally stage an intense witch trial that threatens to reduce their numbers by one. Asobi Asobase is one of those very rare “cute girls doing awful things” shows, and it is a devilish delight.
Jumping back and forth between warm visuals and grotesque facial expressions, Lerche’s anime is unpredictable, unapologetically silly, and periodically mean-spirited. Aosbi Asobase might not be for everyone, but there is no other comedy anime quite like it.
11 Great Teacher Onizuka
One of the funniest anime glimpses into the education system ever conceived, Great Teacher Onizuka (commonly referred to as GTO) is a satirical show that pushes boundaries and subverts expectations through over-the-top jokes. The series follows Eikichi Onizuka, an ex-motorcycle gang member who is determined to become the greatest school teacher of all time, even if it means putting his life on the line.
The bumbling and often sex-obsessed Onizuka somehow lands a job at an esteemed private school, where he faces a number of challenges from out-of-control students to conniving teachers. The always cheery Onizuka is the star of the show, as he both causes and solves one catastrophe after another, all while teaching his pupils valuable life lessons and morals.
10 FLCL
One of the most absurd comedy anime ever made, FLCL is a hilariously offbeat anime that fans can watch over and over again. The original series is a mere six episodes, but the animators and writers pack a lot into these rapid-pace vignettes. Equal parts anime parody and surreal madness, FLCL is sort of a loose cannon, barely following a coherent plot, yet still acting as a cohesive comedy sitcom that ranks among the best anime series ever.
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The story involves a young boy and his misadventures in his small town after a chaotic alien girl arrives and robots begin popping out of his head. The jokes are so quick that viewers may need to watch it a second time just to catch every kernel of comedy gold. The visuals are amazing too.
9 Bocchi The Rock!
The best comedy anime of 2022, Bocchi the Rock! came out of nowhere to steal everyone’s collective hearts. Spending all her free time locked in her room with a guitar in her hand, the perpetually anxious Hitori Gotou yearns to step on stage with a band; at the same time, the mere thought of speaking to a stranger sends the girl into a fugue state. One day, fate intervenes and Hitori winds up in a punk rock band, forcing her to step out of her comfort zone.
Bocchi the Rock! has a relatable protagonist who, while constantly overwhelmed by her fears, tries desperately to break out of her shell. At times, the anime can be surprisingly surreal, opting to represent Hitori’s anxiety through imaginative and hilarious sequences that blur reality with fiction.
8 Detroit Metal City: The Animated Series
A parody of the music business and heavy metal culture, Detroit Metal City is the story of a young musician with dreams of becoming a pop musician. However, fate has other things in store for him, and he instead finds himself fronting a popular blackened death metal band.
The juxtaposition between the cutesy pop and the harsh brutal metal is comedy gold, and the music is a lot of fun too. Any fans of anime and music will love this.
7 Shin Chan
One of the most popular and longest-running comedy anime ever, Crayon Shin-chan has over 1,000 episodes under its belt and has been dubbed in dozens of countries outside of Japan. This funny series explores the world of kindergartner Shin-chan, a rambunctious boy with a habit of causing chaos and asking adults inappropriate questions.
Shin-chan’s humor is juvenile, but that’s also the biggest appeal. The adventurous wonder of childhood blends well with the silly offbeat jokes. This top comedy anime is perfect for anyone looking for an easy laugh without lots of exposition.
6 Kaguya-sama: Love Is War
Kaguya-sama: Love is War is simultaneously a parody of romance anime and also one of the genre’s greatest representatives. Miyuki Shirogane and Kaguya Shinomiya are Shuchiin Academy’s student council president and vice president respectively, and they both have crushes on each other. However, they refuse to reveal their feelings, preferring to engage in mind games to try and trick the other person into exposing themselves first.
Kaguya-sama starts out as a full-blown comedy, with each episode being divided into skits revolving around a specific battle of wits. Miyuki and Kaguya tend to take center stage, but secondary characters like Chika and Yuu are also highlighted. In fact, an argument could be made that the latter are the funniest characters in the anime. As the series progresses, Kaguya-sama begins to incorporate more romantic elements, although the show never fully drops its comedic edge.
5 Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu
A Full Metal Panic spin-off, Fumoffu focuses on Sousuke Sagara’s attempts to protect Kaname Chidori by posing as a student at her high school. Due to his military background, Sousuke does not quite know how to keep a low profile, and his stoic personality and violent tendencies tend to cause more problems than they actually solve.
Unlike the mecha-driven mainline entry, Fumoffu is a pure gag comedy with no overarching plot or any real stakes. Consequently, a viewer does not have to be a fan of Full Metal Panic to enjoy this comedic side story.
4 The Disastrous Life Of Saiki K.
Kusuo Saiki is a ridiculously powerful psychic who can do basically anything, except not attract the attention of his school’s quirkiest students. Kusuo wants to come across as an average person, something that proves difficult when surrounded by the perfect Kokomi Teruhashi, the lovably boneheaded Riki Nendou, and the delusional Shun Kaidou.
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The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. consists of short skits that make expert use of the anime’s fantastic roster of secondary characters. Kusuo serves as the ideal straight man to the rest of the cast’s high jinks, all the while still producing his share of laugh-out-loud punchlines.
