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They’re definitely generous in their animation frames that each second of animation appears like a thousand moving paintings dancing together in perfect synchronization to create jaw-dropping action sequences. This is well-reflected in their biggest and most popular titles. Anime fans who want a treat for their eyes will surely want to check out Ufotable’s strongest entries.
Updated October 1, 2022 by Sid Natividad: The news is finally out: Genshin Impact and its anime adaptation will be drawn and animated by Ufotable. This is an awesome prospect and union. Ufotable anime are some of the most well-animated in the industry.
Their reputation recently has been stellar thanks to Demon Slayer. Moreover, they have a good track record when it comes to picking anime adaptations of existing video games. For further proof of that claim, here are five more impressive anime from Ufotable.
13 Knight Hunters Eternity
Release year: 2002 Number of seasons: 1 (13 episodes total)
Apparently, the original anime is Knight Hunters, and Knight Hunters Eternity is more of a sequel season. But Ufotable took over the latter title, lending much of its expertise. One thing to note is that Ufotable still hasn’t built up its legendary reputation by then, meaning the animation here isn’t the best representation of their caliber.
Still, it’s a decent storyline that follows the trend of the usual early 2000s action anime. It’s an academy anime where the world’s best and brightest students gather, though the school’s reputation hasn’t been clean lately due to the suicide rates. Hence, protagonist Fujimiya Aya is sent to the school to infiltrate its inner workings and get to the bottom of the matter.
12 Coyote Ragtime Show
Release year: 2006 Number of seasons: 1 (12 episodes total)
Those who want more space anime with a similar, laid-back atmosphere like Cowboy Bebop or Outlaw Star will surely find something to like in Coyote Ragtime Show. This space adventure is about a “coyote” or outlaw named Mister who breaks out of prison just before his release to seek out a huge hidden treasure with the help of an innocent girl named Franka.
His treasure hunt would have been as easygoing as the pirates in One Piecewere it not for a legendary group of android assassins named the Twelve Sisters (named after the Julian calendar months); they keep chasing and trying to kill Mister.
11 Katsugeki Touken Ranbu
Release year: 2017 Number of seasons: 1 (13 episodes total)
One could consider Katsugeki Touken Ranbu as some kind of testing ground for Ufotable to prepare its artists for Demon Slayer. The former is a historical samurai action anime with some lightning-fast katana combat.
This was what probably won the license holders of Demon Slayer over to Ufotable. This adaptation of an Edo period tale about time travel and altered timelines has some of the smoothest and most elaborate sword combat in existence.
10 Dokkoida?!
Release year: 2003 Number of seasons: 1 (12 episodes total)
For something tonally different compared to what Ufotable usually presents in its portfolio, then Dokkoida?! offers that off-beat adventure. It’s a comedy anime about a boy named Suzuo who was given a job as a mechanized police impersonator due to his build and can-do attitude.
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But the competition for Suzuo’s job is tight. He’ll be contending with a girl who also has the same job though they must take care not to recognize each other out of their suit or their employment will be in trouble. It’s harder than it sounds, however, since Suzuo and his rival girl live in the same house to save money.
9 Futakoi Alternative
Release year: 2005 Number of seasons: 1 (13 episodes total)
Ufotable made this one in collaboration with other studios back when they were just building up their reputation. Futakoi Alternative offers an exciting premise that combines romance and comedy into one wacky package. Protagonist Rentarou has just taken over the Futaba Detective Agency in lieu of his father’s death.
Aiding him in this family business are two beautiful identical twin sisters who also live with him. Life would have been ideal for the three of them, but Rentarou had to go mess it up by slighting the local Yakuza, much to the viewers’ entertainment.
8 God Eater
Release year: 2015 Number of seasons: 1 (13 episodes total)
If there’s another thing that Ufotable excels at apart from their stellar animation, it would be adapting video games into anime. They have a healthy selection of anime whose source materials are video games instead of manga and God Eater is just one of those.
This anime pretty much takes the whole game premise and gives it a more dramatic narrative pacing fit for a show. It’s 2071 and humans are an endangered species thanks to a race of man-eating monsters called Aragami. As humanity’s last hope, a titular group of special humans was created in order to combat the Aragami and Lenka Utsugi is one of the most promising ones.
7 Tales Of Zestiria The Cross
Release year: 2016 Number of seasons: 2 (25 episodes total)
Yet another good anime adaptation of an established Japanese video game franchise is Tales of Zestiria the Cross. Fans of the game will surely consider themselves lucky as it was Ufotable who was contracted for the animation. As always, they poured their best strength into the anime.
Tales of Zestiria the Cross is all about a young man named Sorey and his journey into a fantasy world where beings called Seraphim have an uneasy relationship with humans. They are both feared and revered but Sorey stumbled upon a girl who could help him bridge the gap between the two races.
6 Gakuen Utopia Manabi Straight!
Release year: 2007 Number of seasons: 1 (12 episodes total)
Surprisingly, Gakuen Utopia Manabi Straight! is one of the few titles in Ufotable’s portfolio that’s actually an adaptation of the manga. Regardless, Ufotable also spared no expense in animating it though they probably had an easier time here since Gakuen Utopia Manabi Straight! school-themed slice-of-life comedy.
It’s set in the alternate future of 2035 where birth rates have dropped dangerously low and morale in schools is at an all-time low due to a lack of students. All-girl Seioh Private High School, however, is about to get a new life breathed into it thanks to a rowdy transferee named Manami Amamiya.
5 Tales Of Symphonia The Animation
Release year: 2007 Number of seasons: Multiple OVAs
Tales of Symphonia is one of the most successful JRPGs back in the early-2000s. Several years later, it was secured by Ufotable and it was actually one of their earliest projects that took off with relative success. They approached this one by dividing it into several OVAs, each with just a few episodes.
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Tales of Symphonia The Animation: Sylvarant-hen is the first among those and it tells a story about two worlds where one must perish in order for the other to survive. The perishing world does get a chance at survival in the form of a chosen one and that would be Colette Brunel. Colette, however, discovers a more sinister truth about their world the further he journeys to fulfill his destiny.
4 Today’s Menu For The Emiya Family
Release year: 2018 Number of seasons: 1 (13 episodes total)
Today’s Menu for the Emiya Family is more of a love letter to all the Fate/stay night fans. For the uninitiated, that’s a franchise adapted by Ufotable wherein chosen heroes pick their warriors to fight for them in an eternal war and power struggle. Today’s Menu for the Emiya Family imagines a brief and precious time of peace after the said war has been concluded.
Thus, it’s a side story that’s more targeted toward fans of the franchise. Even so, Today’s Menu for the Emiya Family provides such a respite for fans where they get to see their favorite fierce fighters cooking meals and doing groceries in this odd slice-of-life anime.
3 Demon Slayer
Release year: 2019 Number of seasons: Ongoing
Ufotable likely needed another big project after their best Fate anime stints. Lucky for them, Demon Slayer or Kimetsu no Yaiba seemed picky with its production studio and went to them. It was more or less a match made in heaven. It’s safe to say that Demon Slayer has perfectly adapted the manga.
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The story follows the struggles of Tanjiro and his sister Nezuko after the latter was forcibly turned into a demon. Tanjiro was then compelled to join the titular Demon Slayer Corps in order to revert Nezuko back to a human. To do that, however, he might need to defeat the leader and progenitor of all demons. Quite a tall order for young Tanjiro and fans shouldn’t expect him to achieve that goal too soon.
2 Fate/Zero
Release year: 2011 Number of seasons: 2 (25 episodes total), has multiple sequels, prequels, and spin-offs
An anime series so vast that one needs a watch in order to fully grasp the narrative, the Fate series has always been at the top of Ufotable’s top trophy spot. Fate/Zero is among those and it’s one of the highest-rated entries in the long list of Fate anime.
Fate/Zero acts as a prequel to the events of Fate/stay night which depicts the events of the Fourth Holy Grail War. The Holy Grail is a device that can grant any wish, which is why several noble families and notorious factions are always vying for it.
1 Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works
Release year: 2014 Number of seasons: 2 (25 episodes total), has multiple sequels, prequels, and spin-offs
For many viewers and fans, Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works is Ufotable at its best when it comes to animation. Some even resorted to calling it “Unlimited Budget Works” because it seemed like the studio had an infinite budget pool with how they implemented their animations.
In any case, Unlimited Blade Works is about the Fifth Holy Grail War with contestants both old and new. A lot of fans recommend watching Unlimited Blade Works first as its action and animation alone are enough to get franchise beginners hooked, especially for those that find Fate/Zero a little slow.
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