Anime Underground

The Best R-Rated Anime Movies 

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Updated October 7, 2019 23.6k votes 5.2k voters 309.2k views 25 items

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List of R-rated anime movies, ranked from best to worst with movie trailers when available. This list takes the best R-rated anime movies and pits them against each other to see once and for all which one is actually the greatest R-Rated anime movie of all time. While anime is typically aimed at a younger audience, the R-rated anime films on this list tackle more mature subjects and complicated characters and themes. While all of these movies are animated, they are definitely not for kids.

This list of popular R-Rated anime movies includes information like who directed the film, when it was released and which actors starred in the movie. Good anime movies like Akira, Cowboy Bebop: The Movie, and Ninja Scroll top the list. If you think the top R-rated anime movie isn't as high as it should be then be sure to vote it up so it can take its rightful place among the other great R-rated anime films on this list. If you're trying to find a specific R-rated anime film you can search this list and filter to find what you're looking for.

If you're trying to find out "What are the best R-Rated anime movies?" and "What are the most famous R-rated anime movies?" then this list is the perfect resource for you. Use this list if you're looking for some new anime movies that are rated R. Between Netflix, Hulu and other services there are thousands of great anime movies rated R, so get out there and start watching. You can impact the order of the list by having your social network weigh in via their votes.

Also, feel free to peruse the Best Foreign Films on Amazon Prime and the Best Fantasy and Sci-Fi Movies on Netflix Instant.  

Among those that have directed a Anime R movie are Satoshi Kon and Katsuhiro Otomo.

list ordered by
1
Akira is listed (or ranked) 1 on the list The Best R-Rated Anime Movies
1988

Actors: Takeshi Kusao, Mami Koyama, Tesshō Genda, Taro Ishida, Kōichi Kitamura, + more

Directed by: Katsuhiro Otomo

Akira is a 1988 Japanese animated cyberpunk action film directed by Katsuhiro Otomo, written by Otomo and Izo Hashimoto, and featuring the voices of Mitsuo Iwata, Nozomu Sasaki, Mami Koyama, and ...more

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2
Ghost in the Shell is listed (or ranked) 2 on the list The Best R-Rated Anime Movies
YellowCheese added 1995

Actors: Maaya Sakamoto, Akio Ōtsuka, Kōichi Yamadera, Yûji Ueda, Shigeru Shiba, + more

Directed by: Mamoru Oshii

Ghost in the Shell is a 1995 anime science fiction film based on manga of the same title by Masamune Shirow. The film was written by Kazunori Itō, directed by Mamoru Oshii, animated by ...more

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3
Cowboy Bebop: The Movie ... is listed (or ranked) 3 on the list The Best R-Rated Anime Movies
2001

Actors: Jennifer Hale, Megumi Hayashibara, Daran Norris, Dave Wittenberg, Renji Ishibashi, + more

Directed by: Shinichirō Watanabe

Cowboy Bebop: The Movie, known in Japan as Cowboy Bebop: Knockin' on Heaven's Door, is a 2001 Japanese animated Space Western action film based on the 1998 anime series Cowboy Bebop created by ...more

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4
Vampire Hunter D is listed (or ranked) 4 on the list The Best R-Rated Anime Movies
Clint Wright added 1985

Actors: Kaneto Shiozawa, Ichirō Nagai, Kazuyuki Sogabe, Keiko Toda, Michie Tomizawa, + more

Directed by: Toyoo Ashida

Vampire Hunter D is a 1985 Japanese horror/science fiction OVA film produced by Ashi Productions, in association with Epic/Sony Records, CBS Sony Group Inc. and Movic. The screenplay is based on ...more

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5
Ninja Scroll is listed (or ranked) 5 on the list The Best R-Rated Anime Movies
shakeebshaoulsalim added 1993

Actors: Jōji Nakata, Daisuke Gōri, Takeshi Aono, Norio Wakamoto, Toshihiko Seki, + more

Directed by: Yoshiaki Kawajiri

Ninja Scroll is a 1993 Japanese animated action thriller film written and directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri. The critically acclaimed film was theatrically released on June 5, 1993, and received a ...more

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6
Vampire Hunter D: Bloodl... is listed (or ranked) 6 on the list The Best R-Rated Anime Movies
Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust 2000

Actors: Dwight Schultz, Pamela Adlon, John DiMaggio, Debi Derryberry, Mary Elizabeth McGlynn, + more

Directed by: Yoshiaki Kawajiri

Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust is a 2000 anime film written and directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri. The film is based on the third novel of Hideyuki Kikuchi's Vampire Hunter D series, Demon Deathchase. ...more

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7
Perfect Blue is listed (or ranked) 7 on the list The Best R-Rated Anime Movies
1997

Actors: Junko Iwao, Hideyuki Hori, Shin-ichiro Miki, Kiyoyuki Yanada, Emi Shinohara, + more

Directed by: Satoshi Kon

Perfect Blue is a 1997 Japanese animated psychological thriller-horror film directed by Satoshi Kon and written by Sadayuki Murai, based on the novel of the same name by Yoshikazu Takeuchi. The ...more

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8
Appleseed is listed (or ranked) 8 on the list The Best R-Rated Anime Movies
2004

Actors: Koyasu Taketo, Toshiyuki Morikawa, Yuki Matsuoka, Emi Shinohara, Mami Koyama, + more

Directed by: Shinji Aramaki

Appleseed is a 2004 Japanese computer animated anime science fiction action film directed by Shinji Aramaki and based on the Appleseed manga created by Masamune Shirow. It features the voice ...more

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9
The End of Evangelion is listed (or ranked) 9 on the list The Best R-Rated Anime Movies
Mackericious added 1997

Actors: Megumi Hayashibara, Junko Iwao, Koyasu Taketo, Tomokazu Seki, Akira Ishida, + more

Directed by: Hideaki Anno, Kazuya Tsurumaki

The End of Evangelion is a 1997 Japanese animated science fiction film directed by Hideaki Anno, released as a finale for the mecha-based television series Neon Genesis Evangelion. Serving as an ...more

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10
Fist of the North Star ... is listed (or ranked) 10 on the list The Best R-Rated Anime Movies
Clint Wright added 1986

Actors: Jōji Yanami, Toshio Furukawa, Akira Kamiya, Daisuke Gōri, Masaharu Satō, + more

Directed by: Toyoo Ashida

Fist of the North Star is a 1986 Japanese animated film adaptation of the manga series of the same name. It was produced by Toei Animation, the same studio who worked on the TV series that was ...more

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11
Paprika is listed (or ranked) 11 on the list The Best R-Rated Anime Movies
2006

Actors: Satoshi Kon, Megumi Hayashibara, Hideyuki Tanaka, Akio Ōtsuka, Kōichi Yamadera, + more

Directed by: Satoshi Kon

Paprika is a 2006 Japanese animated film co-written and directed by Satoshi Kon, based on Yasutaka Tsutsui's 1993 novel of the same name, about a research psychologist who uses a device that ...more

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12
Wicked City is listed (or ranked) 12 on the list The Best R-Rated Anime Movies
Matt Jester added Wicked City 1987

Actors: Takeshi Aono, Ichirō Nagai, Toshiko Fujita, Yusaku Yara, Tamio Ōki, + more

Directed by: Yoshiaki Kawajiri

Wicked City is a 1987 Japanese OVA horror neo-noir film directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri, based on Hideyuki Kikuchi's novel of the same name. The story takes place towards the end of the 20th ...more

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13
X is listed (or ranked) 13 on the list The Best R-Rated Anime Movies
Clint Wright added
X, also known as X/1999, is a Japanese shōjo manga series created by Clamp, a creative team made up by Satsuki Igarashi, Nanase Ohkawa, Tsubaki Nekoi, and Mokona. It premiered in Monthly Asuka's ...more

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14
Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigad... is listed (or ranked) 14 on the list The Best R-Rated Anime Movies
1999

Actors: Tamio Ōki, Eri Sendai, Yoshisada Sakaguchi, Sumi Mutoh, Kōsei Hirota, + more

Directed by: Hiroyuki Okiura

Jin-Roh, also known as Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade in its American release, is a 1999 Japanese animated feature film directed by Hiroyuki Okiura. The film is the third adaptation of Mamoru Oshii's ...more

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15
Armitage III is listed (or ranked) 15 on the list The Best R-Rated Anime Movies
Clint Wright added 1995

Actors: Kiefer Sutherland, Bryan Cranston, Elizabeth Berkley, Hideyuki Tanaka, Masaharu Satō, + more

Directed by: Takuya Satō, Satoshi Saga, Hiroyuki Ochi, Yukio Okamoto

Armitage III is a 1995 cyberpunk original video animation series. It centers on Naomi Armitage, a highly advanced "Type-III" android. In 1997 the series was then edited into a film ...more
16
Death Note: Re-light: Vi... is listed (or ranked) 16 on the list The Best R-Rated Anime Movies
Son Goku added 2009

Actors: Kappei Yamaguchi, Mamoru Miyano, Keiji Fujiwara, Kazuya Nakai, Aya Hirano, + more

Directed by: Tetsurō Araki
17
Spriggan is listed (or ranked) 17 on the list The Best R-Rated Anime Movies
1998

Directed by: Hirotsugu Kawasaki

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18
Highlander: The Search f... is listed (or ranked) 18 on the list The Best R-Rated Anime Movies
2007

Actors: Megumi Hayashibara, Minami Takayama, Keiji Fujiwara, Romi Park, Shun Oguri, + more

Directed by: Yoshiaki Kawajiri, Takuji Endo, Hiroshi Hamasaki

Highlander: The Search for Vengeance is an animated film and an anime installment of the cult Highlander franchise. The film was directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri and was written by David ...more

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19
Death Note: Re-light: L'... is listed (or ranked) 19 on the list The Best R-Rated Anime Movies
Son Goku added 2008

Actors: Kappei Yamaguchi, Mamoru Miyano, Keiji Fujiwara, Kazuya Nakai, Aya Hirano, + more

Directed by: Tetsurō Araki

Death Note: Re-light: L's Successors is a 2008 anime film written by Toshiki Inoue and directed by Tetsurō Araki
20
Nightwalker: the Midnigh... is listed (or ranked) 20 on the list The Best R-Rated Anime Movies
David Berg added Nightwalker: the Midnight Detective
21
Tekkonkinkreet is listed (or ranked) 21 on the list The Best R-Rated Anime Movies
2006

Actors: Kazunari Ninomiya, Yū Aoi, Masahiro Motoki, Rokurō Naya, Tomomichi Nishimura, + more

Directed by: Michael Arias

TEKKONKINKREET combines the imaginative fantasy and action elements of the best Japanimation with a dark and modern children’s story. A hybrid of cutting-edge 3D CGI technology and traditional ...more

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22
Kara No Kyoukai 1-7 is listed (or ranked) 22 on the list The Best R-Rated Anime Movies
animenerd123 added Kara No Kyoukai 1-7
23
WXIII: Patlabor the Movi... is listed (or ranked) 23 on the list The Best R-Rated Anime Movies
WXIII: Patlabor the Movie 3 2001

Actors: Toshio Furukawa, Daisuke Gōri, Yoshiko Sakakibara, Shigeru Shiba, Atsuko Tanaka, + more

Directed by: Takuji Endo, Fumihiko Takayama

WXIII: Patlabor the Movie 3 is a 2002 Japanese anime science-fiction/thriller film. It was chiefly directed and storyboarded by Fumihiko Takayama, directed by Takuji Endō, written by Miki Tori ...more

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24
Variable Geo is listed (or ranked) 24 on the list The Best R-Rated Anime Movies
Clint Wright added Variable Geo
25
Misa the Dark Angel is listed (or ranked) 25 on the list The Best R-Rated Anime Movies
Misa the Dark Angel 1997

Actors: Hinako Saeki

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