Believe it or not, some of the best anime have never aired on TV. This is because many OVAs, Original Video Animations, went directly to VHS, DVD, or Blu-Ray. This happens due to a variety of reasons but mainly because an OVA would mess up the flow of an anime’s story.
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Some OVAs are a must-watch due to theirgreat animation, story, or both. A great OVA is filled with so much passion that one can feel it in every second of the program.
Updated June 18, 2025, by Ericka Blye:OVAs are a great way to include extra details and content of an aired anime series when it can’t be done in the main series. OVAs can sometimes focus on a character that doesn’t always get a lot of focus or give an alternate perspective of a situation. They can even wrap things up andgive a more satisfying endingto a beloved series. It’s a bit easier to find OVAs of newer series that are released on Blu-ray/DVD since they can still be purchased, or they are available to watch on a streaming service. But some of the best old anime series are lost for the majority of anime fans as they were only available through dated media like VHS.
15My Hero Academia: All Might Rising
All Might’sorigin and history have been something that many fans wanted to seemore of since theMy Hero Academiaanime first aired. And fans got what they wanted with the special one-shotAll Might Rising.All Might Risingshows the heroic last moments of Nana Shimura’s life and how Toshinori Yagi mourns her death.
It also reveals why All Might went to America after graduating from UA and the reason for his signature smile. It was made as a prequel to the firstMy Heromovie,Two Heroes, and was adapted into an OVA that was bundled with the Blu-ray release ofTwo Heroes. It’s the third OVA of the series.
14Yu Yu Hakusho: Two Shots & All Or Nothing
Despite the anime ending years ago,Yu Yu Hakushoremains a popular and beloved series both in Japan and the West. Several OVAs have been made for the series, with the newest ones made in 2018. Based on the bonus chapter in volume seven and the last chapter of the final volume,Two Shots, andAll Or Nothingwere both released in the 30th anniversary Blu-ray box set of the series.
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Two Shotsshows how Hiei and Kurama first met when Kurama was still in middle school. AndAll Or Nothingshows Team Urameshi going to the Spirit World to rescue Botan, Koenma, and the other residents of Spirit World from a terrorist group.
13The Disappearance Of Nagato Yuki-Chan: Endless Summer Vacation
The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chanis a spinoff series ofHaruhi Suzumiyalight novels and the movie,The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya. It takes place in the alternate timeline that was presented in the movie where Haruhi didn’t form the SOS Brigade and Yuki is a regular human girl.
The anime series is 16 episodes long with an OVA that was originally bundled with the limited edition 9th volume of the series in Japan and was included in the Blu-ray/DVD ofThe Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chanthat was released in the US.Endless Summer Vacationgives fans extra content about Yuki, Kyon, and the rest of the group’s summer vacation.
12The Guyver: Bio-Booster Armor
TheBio Booster Armor Guyverfranchise didn’t get very popular in the West, but it did gain a strong cult following. Often put in the “ultra-violence” genre with series likeNinja Scrolland theDevilmanOVAs, there was a 12-part anime OVA series calledThe Guyver: Bio-Booster Armormade in 1989.
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It gives a condensed version of the first five volumes of Sho Fukamachi’s battle against the evil Chronos Corporation and their bio-engineered monsters, Zoaniods. The OVA was distributed in the US, first by U.S. Renditions and then by Manga Entertainment on VHS.
11Tokyo Babylon 1 & 2
Tokyo Babylonis one of themany manga series created by Clamp. The story features Subaru Semeragi, who is the high school head of a family of onmyoji, or Japanese magicians. He’s asked to solve mysteries that involve the occult and is assisted by his twin sister Hokuto and a veterinarian named Seishiro Sakurazuka.
There were two OVAs created of the series featuring original stories where Subaru investigates a mysterious string of accidents that happen at a construction site and another where he meets another onmyoji who is assisting law enforcement with the capture of a serial killer. The two OVAs were released in the West on VHS by US Manga Corps in 1995.
10Pale Cocoon
Dystopia is a popular genre in all forms of media. It has been done to death, and it falls into preachy territory far too many times. Every once in a while though, something new comes along and proves that the genre still has some freshness to it.Pale Cocoonis a one-episode OVA that did more for the dystopian genre than some entire series have.
The series follows Ura as he tries to discover why the Earth no longer has continents or oceans. In a mere twenty-three minutes, this OVA manages to be gripping, touching, and eye-opening. It contains astrong environmental messagethat never comes off as preachy.
9One Piece - Defeat Him! The Pirate Ganzack
The first-everOne Pieceanimation was a short OVA that proved to the world that the series would great. Oda himself took great interest in the creation of the OVA and was amazed by what he saw. The episode feels unique and the animation is pretty good for its time.
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Luffy, Zoro, and Nami perfectly match theirfuture anime incarnationsand there is a sense of joy that fills the entire episode. Originally airing during the 1998 Jump Super Anime Tour, this OVA grabbed the hearts of dozens of fans. While it can be hard to find, it is more than worth the search to see just how the Straw Hats began their anime journey.
8Please Save My Earth
Based on the manga of the same name,Please Save My Earthis an intriguing OVA. Told across six episodes, viewers follow several teenagers and one child as they begin to have memories about their past lives as alien scientists that watched the Earth from the Moon.
The OVA places a deep focus on its characters and places its story second in terms of importance. This makes for avery interesting character studyand a deep dive into the nature of humanity. The story may falter a bit during the end, but it’s the characters that make this OVA great.
7Devilman
The legendary Go Nagai manga seriesDevilmanhas had several animated adaptations. The first was the 39-episode anime that aired during the early 1970s and garnered a decent level of acclaim. The more recentDevilman Crybabywas released in 2018 to massive amounts of praise due to its story and animation.
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This was not the first time audiences were stunned byDevilman’sstory and its animation though. In 1987 and 1990, two OVAs were released that took a new and more brutal look at the world ofDevilman. InDevilman: The BirthandDevilman: The Demon Birdaudiences finally got a faithful and wonderfully animated version of theDevilmanstory.
6Attack On Titan: No Regrets
One of the best-characterized andcoolest people inAttack on Titanis Levi. He was tough, strong, and incredibly perseverant with him making some very pragmatic decisions at times. It makes sense that viewers would want to know more about how he became the person he was.
In theAttack on Titan: No RegretsOVA, we get to see Levi during his days as a criminal. This two-episode OVA delves deep into the circumstances that made him and why he chose to join the Survey Corps. In addition to having a great story, this OVA has some of the best animation in the entireAttack on Titanfranchise.
