20 Best Spiritual Anime: Deeper, Reflective Anime Worth Watching

Mushi-Shi is one of the most serene and contemplative anime ever made.

The story follows Ginko, a wandering “Mushi Master” who travels through rural Japan helping people affected by mysterious being called mushi (invisible lifeform that just exist).

Rather than depicting good and evil, Mushi-Shi reveals a world shaped by balance. Its roots lie in Shinto and animist philosophy, where every element of nature carries its own spirit.

The series doesn’t preach grand morals. Instead, it teaches a profound lesson in coexistence and acceptance.

The conflicts arise not from the Mushi being “monsters,” but from a fundamental imbalance or misunderstanding between their world and ours.

Each episode unfolds like a folktale: gentle, melancholic, and filled with quiet wonder.

You’ll meet a bird that steals voices, a swamp that dreams, and a light that turn out to be living rivers.

Through these stories, Mushi-Shi invites you to see the unseen, to recognize that we share this world with forces beyond our control, and to remember that harmony is what keeps life in balance.

Mushi-Shi info (MAL):

• Alternative Title: N/A
• Episodes: 26
• Released: Fall 2005
• Studios: Artland
• Genres: Adventure, Mystery, Slice of Life, Supernatural
• Themes: Adult Cast, Historical, Iyashikei
• Score: 8.65 (MAL), 8.5 (IMDb)

Orb: On the Movements of the Earth blends science, spirituality, and existential curiosity into a grounded meditation on truth and belief.

The series follows different individuals whose lives are shaped by their pursuit of understanding the Sun, the heavens, and the hidden structure of the universe.

It begins with Rafal, a young prodigy in 15th-century Poland, who plans to dedicate his life to theology.

Yet a chance encounter with a mysterious man stirs a quiet curiosity about the stars, pulling him toward questions that challenge everything he was taught to believe.

What unfolds is a clash between faith and reason, dogma and discovery.

The spirituality in Orb isn’t about gods or miracles, but about the human spirit’s need to seek the truth, even when that truth defies the world’s most sacred rules.

It’s a poignant and relevant exploration of courage and conviction. The anime doesn’t frame the church as purely evil, but as an institution fearful of change.

In the end, Orb poses a timeless question: “Is your faith strong enough to withstand the truth?”

Orb: On the Movements of the Earth info (MAL):

• Alternative Title: Chi. Chikyuu no Undou ni Tsuite
• Episodes: 25
• Released: Fall 2024
• Studios: Madhouse
• Genres: Drama
• Themes: Historical
• Score: 8.70 (MAL), 8.3 (IMDb)

Watch Orb: On the Movements of the Earth trailer:

Few series handle the space between the living and the spiritual as gently as Natsume’s Book of Friends.

The story follows Takashi Natsume, a boy burdened with the ability to see youkai, invisible beings that most people can’t perceive. Isolated by his gift, Natsume has always felt out of place.

Everything changes when he inherits a mysterious book from his late grandmother, filled with the names of spirits she once bound to her will.

Instead of using that power, Natsume chooses to return each name, freeing the spirits who have waited for decades to be remembered.

At its core, Natsume’s Book of Friends is about empathy and belonging.

Every returned name is a story; a story of a spirit waiting for a promise, holding a grudge, or simply feeling forgotten.

Through these small, emotional stories, the series finds beauty in difference and meaning in kindness.

Warm and reflective, it reminds us that being able to see what others can’t, whether that’s spirits or emotions, isn’t a curse, but a gift that can heal both sides of the divide.

Natsume’s Book of Friends info (MAL):

• Alternative Title: Natsume Yuujinchou
• Episodes: 13
• Released: Summer 2008
• Studios: Brain’s Base
• Genres: Slice of Life, Supernatural
• Themes: Iyashikei, Mythology
• Score: 8.30 (MAL), 8.1 (IMDb)

Watch Natsume’s Book of Friends trailer:

Among Studio Ghibli’s most iconic works, Princess Mononoke blends myth, environmental philosophy, and moral ambiguity into a tale of conflict between humans and spirit world.

The story follows Ashitaka, a young prince cursed by a vengeful spirit, as he travels west seeking a cure.

His path leads him into a brutal conflict between the people of Iron Town and the ancient gods of the forest, led by San, the wild girl known as Princess Mononoke.

Spiritually, the film reflects on the sacred connection between humans and nature. Its forest gods, curses, and ancient deities are not symbols of fantasy, but mirrors of imbalance and consequence.

Rather than drawing clear sides, Director Miyazaki shows both the beauty and cost of human ambition.

The forest isn’t purely good, nor are the humans purely evil… they’re all just trying to survive.

Ashitaka stands between the two worlds, striving to “see with eyes unclouded by hate” and bridge the divide between nature and human will.

The film doesn’t offer an easy answer. It acknowledges that conflict is inevitable, but so is the need for understanding.

Princess Mononoke remains both a spiritual reflection and an environmental plea: we don’t own the earth, we belong to it.

Princess Mononoke info (MAL):

• Alternative Title: Mononoke Hime
• Episodes: 1
• Released: 1997
• Studios: Studio Ghibli
• Genres: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
• Themes: N/A
• Score: 8.67 (MAL), 8.3 (IMDb)

Spirited Away is one of Studio Ghibli’s most meaningful films, using its spirit-world setting to explore greed, purity, and the journey toward growing up.

The story follows Chihiro, a timid young girl who becomes trapped in another world after her parents’ greed transforms them into pigs.

To survive and save them, she must work in a grand bathhouse run by the witch Yubaba, a place filled with gods, monsters, and forgotten souls.

Beneath all its wonder, Spirited Away is a profound coming-of-age tale. Steeped in Shinto symbolism, it treats purification, names, and ritual as ways of remembering who we are.

The film is a visual feast of imagination. The bathhouse is a metaphor for society itself, with its own rules, hierarchies, and lost spirits just trying to be seen.

Every encounter mirrors something deeply human: the polluted River Spirit that must be cleansed, the lonely No-Face searching for belonging.

Even years afterward, many viewers describe Spirited Away as a spiritual awakening in animated form. It’s the quintessential spiritual anime.

Spirited Away info (MAL):

• Alternative Title: Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi
• Episodes: 1
• Released: 2001
• Studios: Studio Ghibli
• Genres: Adventure, Fantasy
• Themes: Mythology
• Score: 8.77 (MAL), 8.6 (IMDb)

Into the Forest of Fireflies’ Light may only last an hour, but it lingers far longer in the heart.

One summer, a young girl named Hotaru loses her way in an enchanted forest inhabited by spirits.

There, she’s saved by Gin, a masked spirit who warns her that if a human ever touches him, he’ll disappear forever.

Despite the impossible rule between them, the two form a deep bond, with Hotaru visiting him every summer.

The anime explores spirituality through impermanence. Love, time, and life itself become delicate things meant to be cherished, not held onto.

The central taboo “you cannot touch me” makes every interaction between Hotaru and Gin precious.

It’s a story about loving someone you can never fully have, about cherishing the time you are given, even if you know it will end in heartbreak.

It’s one of the best spiritual anime for anyone who want something quiet, poetic, and devastatingly heartfelt.

Into the Forest of Fireflies’ Light info (MAL):

• Alternative Title: Hotarubi no Mori e
• Episodes: 1
• Released: 2011
• Studios: Brain’s Base
• Genres: Drama, Romance, Supernatural
• Themes: N/A
• Score: 8.26 (MAL), 7.8 (IMDb)

Watch Into the Forest of Fireflies’ Light trailer:

To Your Eternity is one of the most emotionally resonant anime in recent memory. It follows Fushi, an immortal, shapeshifting being sent to Earth by a mysterious entity.

At first, Fushi feels nothing. But through meeting people, forming bonds, and losing them, Fushi begins to understand what it means to live.

This is an anime about the entirety of the human experience viewed through the eyes of an eternal being.

Every person Fushi meets shapes them. Every bond becomes part of its identity. And every farewell is carved deeply into its soul.

Be prepared to cry. The first few episodes are a masterclass in emotional storytelling without dialogue.

Fushi’s transformation from an unfeeling entity to a being burdened by love and memory is profoundly moving.

To Your Eternity info (MAL):

• Alternative Title: Fumetsu no Anata e
• Episodes: 20
• Released: Spring 2021
• Studios: Brain’s Base
• Genres: Adventure, Drama, Supernatural
• Themes: N/A
• Score: 8.35 (MAL), 8.3 (IMDb)

Watch To Your Eternity trailer:

Existential, psychological, and deeply spiritual, Neon Genesis Evangelion dives into the human psyche through angels, apocalyptic battles, and haunting biblical imagery.

The story follows Shinji Ikari, a boy forced to pilot a giant biomechanical weapon while grappling with crushing loneliness, identity, and the fear of rejection.

Beneath its apocalyptic surface, Evangelion is an unflinching study of depression, isolation, and the human condition.

The show uses angels, crosses, and other religious images not to talk about religion, but to explore the human heart.

These symbols represent the distance between people, the longing for connection, and the confusion of finding purpose.

One of its core ideas is the “Hedgehog’s Dilemma,” the thought that people want closeness but end up hurting each other when they get too near.

That tension becomes the heart of the series, showing how fragile and necessary connection really is.

As the story moves toward its end, the narrative moves beyond physical battles and delves inward.

The infamous final episodes strip away all the giant robot action and plunge directly into the characters’ minds in a revolutionary sequence of psychoanalysis.

In the end, Evangelion feels spiritual not because of its symbols, but because of its honesty.

It’s about looking inward, facing the parts of yourself you’d rather avoid, and realizing that simply being yourself is enough.

Neon Genesis Evangelion info (MAL):

• Alternative Title: Shinseiki Evangelion
• Episodes: 26
• Released: Fall 1995
• Studios: Gainax, Tatsunoko Production
• Genres: Avant Garde, Drama, Sci-Fi, Suspense
• Themes: Mecha, Psychological
• Score: 8.36 (MAL), 8.5 (IMDb)

Noragami follows Yato, a forgotten minor god who dreams of fame but spends his days taking odd jobs for five yen; cleaning houses, finding lost items, or chasing stray spirits.

Beneath his carefree attitude lies a painful past and an ache for recognition in a world that no longer remembers him.

Together with Hiyori, a human girl caught between life and death, and Yukine, a lost soul who becomes his Regalia, Yato begins to rediscover what divinity truly means.

The show’s world is beautifully layered: gods are shaped by human belief, wandering souls risk fading into nothing, and every prayer has the power to shape reality.

While Noragami delivers fast-paced action and humor, its heart lies in Yato’s evolution from a selfish god of calamity to one who seeks meaning through compassion.

Noragami info (MAL):

• Alternative Title: N/A
• Episodes: 12
• Released: Winter 2014
• Studios: Bones
• Genres: Action, Supernatural
• Themes: Mythology
• Score: 7.94 (MAL), 7.8 (IMDb)

Watch Noragami trailer:

In xxxHOLiC, the boundary between the ordinary and the supernatural feels almost invisible.

The story follows Watanuki, a high school boy who can see spirits and ends up working for YUko, a mysterious witch who grants wishes in exchange for something of equal value.

Under Yūko’s employ, he discovers that the clients who seek her help are often trapped by their own making.

Each encounter plays out like a modern fable, where suppressed desires, deep-seated fears, and private obsessions twist into eerie, supernatural phenomena.

We see how a person’s inner world can literally haunt them, proving that spiritual afflictions are often deeply psychological at their core.

With its eerie atmosphere and sly wisdom, xxxHOLiC is perfect for fans of spiritual stories that double as philosophical observations on human nature.

xxxHOLiC info (MAL):

• Alternative Title: N/A
• Episodes: 24
• Released: Spring 2006
• Studios: Production I.G
• Genres: Comedy, Drama, Mystery, Supernatural
• Themes: N/A
• Score: 7.97 (MAL), 7.6 (IMDb)

The Ancient Magus’ Bride is a quiet, melancholic fairy tale with strong spiritual foundations.

It follows Chise Hatori, a girl who can see spirits and is sold at an auction to Elias Ainsworth, a non-human mage who takes her on as both apprentice and future bride.

This is a breathtakingly beautiful story about finding worth and belonging. Chise, who has never felt wanted, slowly learns that she is loved and has a place in the world.

Rooted in Western esotericism and Celtic folklore, the story treats magic as a natural yet perilous force that demands respect and balance.

Its world of mages, fae, dragons, and spirits is imbued with mythological and spiritual symbolism, reflecting the connection between life, death, and the unseen.

Few anime blend magic, melancholy, and emotional recovery as gracefully as this. It remains one of the most thoughtful and spiritually grounded anime of recent years.

The Ancient Magus’ Bride info (MAL):

• Alternative Title: Mahoutsukai no Yome
• Episodes: 24
• Released: Fall 2017
• Studios: Wit Studio
• Genres: Drama, Fantasy, Romance
• Themes: Mythology, Urban Fantasy
• Score: 8.05 (MAL), 7.6 (IMDb)

Watch The Ancient Magus’ Bride trailer:

The Monogatari series follows Koyomi Araragi, a student who keeps crossing paths with supernatural beings called “oddities,” supernatural beings born from emotional distortions.

He dedicates himself to helping others, primarily the girls he meets, who are afflicted by these oddities.

The series takes the familiar “monster-of-the-week” structure and transforms it into a mirror for the soul.

Each “oddity” is a physical manifestation of a character’s inner turmoil, be it guilt, regret, loneliness, self-deception, or a fractured sense of identity.

To exorcise it, the characters must first confront and understand the part of themselves that gave it power.

The philosophical anime discussions here are less about the cosmos and more about the intricate, often dark, labyrinths of the human psyche.

The series is famous for its stylized dialogue, surreal imagery, and fourth-wall-breaking wordplay.

Though wrapped in layers of fan service and surreal humor, Monogatari remains one of the most introspective anime ever made

Monogatari info (MAL):

• Alternative Title: N/A
• Episodes: 15
• Released: Summer 2009
• Studios: Shaft
• Genres: Mystery, Romance, Supernatural
• Themes: N/A
• Score: 8.32 (MAL), 8.0 (IMDb)

Ghost in the Shell sits at the crossroads of technology, consciousness, and the soul.

Instead of spirits and folklore, its spirituality emerges from cybernetics, identity, and the gradual erosion of boundaries between machine and human.

The story follows Major Motoko Kusanagi, a cyborg with a human consciousness, who live in a future where the line between man and machine is almost gone.

Through her, the series explores the fragile boundary between self and system, asking what truly defines human when memories and emotions can be digitized, copied, or erased.

Rather than offering answers, Ghost in the Shell meditates on awareness itself. It invites viewers to wonder whether the soul is something born, built, or remembered.

For anyone drawn to introspective anime that blends technology with metaphysics, Ghost in the Shell remains a timeless revelation.

Ghost in the Shell info (MAL):

• Alternative Title: Koukaku Kidoutai
• Episodes: 1
• Released: 1995
• Studios: Production I.G
• Genres: Mystery, Sci-Fi, Suspense
• Themes: Adult Cast, Detective, Mecha, Psychological
• Score: 8.27 (MAL), 7.9 (IMDb)

Set in a dying world, Wolf’s Rain follows a group of wolves who can disguise themselves as humans as they search for “Paradise,” a mythical place said to appear when the world nears its end.

Each carries their own scars and fragile hopes, bound together by the belief that something sacred still awaits beyond the ruins.

This is a bleak, atmospheric, and deeply spiritual odyssey. It’s a story about instinct versus civilization, hope versus despair, and the pursuit of a paradise that may or may not exist.

The wolves’ journey is a metaphor for the spiritual quest we all undertake, driven by an innate, often painful, longing for something more, for a home we’ve never seen.

The series moves with quiet, mournful beauty. It doesn’t shy away from suffering or betrayal, yet beneath the sorrow lies a fierce tenderness.

Wolf’s Rain suggests that even if paradise cannot be found, the act of seeking it is what gives life its shape and purpose.

Wolf’s Rain info (MAL):

• Alternative Title: N/A
• Episodes: 26
• Released: Winter 2003
• Studios: Bones
• Genres: Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
• Themes: N/A
• Score: 7.79 (MAL), 7.9 (IMDb)

Kino’s Journey follows Kino, a traveler who journeys from one peculiar country to another on a talking motorcycle named Hermes.

Kino adheres to a strict rule: only stay for three days. This is just enough time to understand a place, but not enough to get involved in its affairs.

Each stop feels like a parable. The lands Kino visits represent a different ideology, social structure, or human flaw taken to its logical extreme.

Each place they visit reveals something about human nature: a society built on one belief, one law, or one contradiction.

Yet the series never passes judgment. It simply watches, letting viewers draw their own conclusions through Kino’s calm, observant perspective.

More than a travelogue, Kino’s Journey is a meditation on perspective and the many ways of being human.

The core message is about the importance of perspective and the understanding that there is no single “truth,” only countless different ways to live.

It’s a calming yet deeply thought-provoking series. It evokes the feeling of reading a book of philosophical short stories.

Kino’s journey reminds us to be lifelong learners and observers, to question our own customs, and to understand that the world is vast and wonderfully strange.

Kino’s Journey info (MAL):

• Alternative Title: Kino no Tabi
• Episodes: 12
• Released: Fall 2017
• Studios: Lerche
• Genres: Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
• Themes: N/A
• Score: 7.61 (MAL), 7.2 (IMDb)

Mieruko-chan disguises itself as a horror-comedy but carries a subtle spiritual core.

The story follows Miko, a high school girl who suddenly begins to see terrifying ghosts that no one else can.

Instead of screaming or running, she adopts one simple survival strategy: pretend she can’t see them.

Beneath its comedic horror surface, Mieruko-chan is a surprising and thoughtful exploration of spirituality.

It presents a world where most spirits are lost, lingering on due to attachment, regret, or unfinished business.

Miko’s policy of ignorance is a survival mechanism, but she repeatedly finds herself unable to stand by when these spirits are connected to people she cares about.

It’s a unique take on the spirit-seeing trope. The contrast between the cute, slice-of-life moments and the sudden, jarring horror is brilliantly executed.

Mieruko-chan info (MAL):

• Alternative Title: N/A
• Episodes: 12
• Released: Fall 2021
• Studios: Passione
• Genres: Comedy, Horror
• Themes: School
• Score: 7.38 (MAL), 7.1 (IMDb)

Though often remembered for its battles, Yu Yu Hakusho is fundamentally a story about redemption and the search for purpose beyond life and death.

After dying to save a child, Yusuke Urameshi is revived as a Spirit Detective, mediating between the human and spirit worlds.

Through his duties, Yusuke evolves from a directionless youth into someone guided by conviction and empathy.

The series explores the gray area between good and evil, human and demon, and the capacity for change within every soul.

Beneath its action, Yu Yu Hakusho remains a thoughtful reflection on what it means to change, to forgive, and to keep growing even beyond death.

Yu Yu Hakusho info (MAL):

• Alternative Title: N/A
• Episodes: 112
• Released: Fall 1992
• Studios: Studio Pierrot
• Genres: Action, Supernatural
• Themes: Martial Arts, Mythology
• Score: 8.46 (MAL), 8.5 (IMDb)

Inuyasha blends feudal fantasy, romance, and folklore into an adventure that feels deeply spiritual at heart.

The story follows Kagome, a modern schoolgirl who falls into Japan’s feudal past and meets Inuyasha, a half-demon seeking the shards of the powerful Shikon Jewel.

Their journey explores reincarnation, karmic ties, and the struggle to move beyond the weight of old lives.

Kagome’s bond with Inuyasha mirrors her past as Kikyo’s reincarnation, yet her choices make her distinct. She’s her own person, not just a copy of Kikyo.

The series explores how past lives and past sins echo through the present, and how breaking free from those cycles requires a choice to move forward.

For many, Inuyasha was their first encounter with Japanese spiritual folklore: rich, emotional, and full of yearning.

Inuyasha info (MAL):

• Alternative Title: N/A
• Episodes: 167
• Released: Fall 2000
• Studios: Sunrise
• Genres: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Romance
• Themes: Historical, Love Polygon, Mythology, Time Travel
• Score: 7.87 (MAL), 7.9 (IMDb)

Blue Exorcist approaches spirituality through exorcism, inheritance, and the tension between fate and choice.

The story follows Rin Okumura, the son of Satan, who decides to become an exorcist and fight against the very forces tied to his own bloodline.

His path is defined by constant conflict; between the power he was born with and the person he strives to be.

This is a classic “nature vs. nurture” story framed by a spiritual battle between Assiah (the human world) and Gehenna (the demon world).

It asks whether light can exist without shadow, and if a demon’s power can be used for divine purposes.

Blue Exorcist info (MAL):

• Alternative Title: Ao no Exorcist
• Episodes: 25
• Released: Spring 2011
• Studios: A-1 Pictures
• Genres: Action, Supernatural
• Themes: Mythology, School
• Score: 7.47 (MAL), 7.4 (IMDb)

Kekkaishi is often underrated, but spiritually rich.

This anime follows Yoshimori and Tokine, two young barrier masters tasked with protecting their land from malevolent spirits drawn to an ancient power.

Standing between the human and spiritual realms, their duty is not just to fight, but to purify.

What sets the series apart is the way it treats purification not as destruction, but as release.

Many of the spirits the protagonists encounter are not inherently evil, but they are shaped by circumstances, emotions, or human interference.

Its focus on strategy, restraint, and moral nuance gives it a distinctive spiritual tone rarely found in action-oriented anime.

Kekkaishi info (MAL):

• Alternative Title: N/A
• Episodes: 52
• Released: Fall 2006
• Studios: Sunrise
• Genres: Action, Adventure, Supernatural
• Themes: Mythology
• Score: 7.59 (MAL), 7.4 (IMDb)

Conclusion: Finding Meaning in Animated Worlds

Across all these stories, one thing becomes clear: spirituality in anime isn’t confined to temples, rituals, or overt religious themes.

It also shows up in small moments, through the search for identity, the struggle to escape old patterns, the ability to notice what was once hidden, and the wish to live with meaning.

Taken together, these works show how anime can explore philosophy, folklore, and the human condition with nuance and imagination.

They offer different lenses on what it means to grow, to question, and to connect with something larger than oneself.

And now I’d love to hear from you: Which anime helped you reflect on life or spirituality the most?