13 Christmas Anime That Are Worth A Rewatch Any Time Of The Year
- 1209 VOTESPhoto: Tokyo Godfathers / Madhouse
It’s hard to think of an anime that is packed with more holiday spirit than Tokyo Godfathers. This heartwarming and hilarious anime follows three homeless friends who find something rather unusual as they are out rummaging through the trash on Christmas Eve—a baby. They give the child a meaningful name, Kiyoko, and attempt to find her mother.
It’s a good deed that takes them on an unbelievable journey - perfect for the holiday season or anytime you're looking for a heartfelt tale.
- 2237 VOTESPhoto: Toradora! / J.C. Staff
Toradora! follows a group of friends whose love lives create one tricky web of relationships. The anime as a whole is not holiday themed, but the “Christmas Eve Festival” episode will take your emotions on a serious ride. It’s where the series really sees a lot of things reach a boiling point, so be prepared for some tears along with your laughs for this one.
- 395 VOTESPhoto: Itsudatte My Santa! / TNK
If anyone can make a good Christmas anime series, it’s Love Hina creator Ken Akamatsu. The anime has a storyline you would expect from most holiday movies but delivered with all the quirk and emotion you would expect from a great anime.
The protagonist, named Santa, was born on Christmas Eve but actually hates the holiday. That is, until he comes across a young woman who seems determined to get this grumpy Santa in the holiday spirit.
- 470 VOTESPhoto: Kanon / Kyoto Animation
Kanon is a great anime to check out around the holidays, but most anime-lovers will tell you that this is one of the rare occasions when a remake is better than the original. The 2006 version is widely regarded as better than the original series, which was released back in 2002.
The anime is set in a wintry town and follows a young man who realizes that he has very few memories of the good old days he used to spend here. While the anime is a harem, the depth of all the characters makes you feel a special connection to each of these love interests as opposed to feeling like the women are just there to take up space in the story.
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- 543 VOTESPhoto: Chocotto Sister / Nomad
The endearing anime series Chocotto Sister is deeply rooted in the holiday season and the power of Christmas magic. It gives viewers a look at a young boy who asked Santa for an unusual gift after his mother miscarried during the holiday season. In addition to asking for his mother to get better, he also hoped that Santa could give him the sister he never received. While his wish doesn’t immediately come true, Haruma Kawagoe soon finds out that Santa just likes to take his time.
- 678 VOTESPhoto: Lucky Star / Kyoto Animation
If you like your Christmas anime with a cuteness overload, look no further. The holiday-themed episode of Lucky Star is just downright adorable and a lot of fun. It’s a great alternative if you would prefer to get your holiday cheer without a ton of heavy emotions.
- 713 VOTESPhoto: My Hero Academia / Bones
This My Hero Academia episode - appropriately titled “Have a Merry Christmas!” - sometimes goes unnoticed because it doesn't start off very jolly. The entirety of the episode doesn't capture the holiday spirit as it begins with other hero coursework, but once the Class 1-A Christmas party starts, you can truly feel the festive cheer.
With a wholesome Secret Santa scene and hilarious attempts to get coldhearted Bakugo into a Santa hat, you're bound to enjoy this Christmas episode even if you're not a MHA fan.
- 814 VOTESPhoto: Buddy Daddies / P.A. Works
Maybe you don't want an overload of Christmas spirit, or maybe you're looking for a bit of action mixed in with the holiday. Buddy Daddies is perfect for this. The series focuses on a duo of assassins tasked with taking out a businessman during his Christmas party - but somehow, they go home with the gift of taking care of four-year-old Miri. There's a lot more than just cookies and presents during this episode but it still incapsulates the basics of the holiday.
This isn't the only Buddy Daddies episode centered around Christmas, either. The finale of the series takes place exactly a year after the premiere, and is just as thrilling and jolly as the first episode.
- Photo: Love Hina Christmas Special: Silent Eve / Xebec
Even if you aren’t a Love Hina fan, you may be surprised to see how much you enjoy this special holiday episode. Rumor has it that the first Christmas of the millennium is a particularly important time of year—if you confess your love on this day, it will come true. As you can imagine, it creates quite the stir and forces Keitaro to make some tricky decisions. It’s a fun, light-hearted holiday tale that anyone can enjoy while decorating or wrapping presents.
- 1044 VOTESPhoto: Winter Sonata / Studio Comet, KeyEast, REALTHING
Winter Sonata is a touching romance anime based on a Korean drama of the same title. The love story focuses on Yoo Jin, who has decided to marry a dear childhood friend after tragedy snatches away the man she fell in love with. As fate would have it, however, it seems like her late love is more than just a distant memory.
The winter setting of the anime allows for some stunning scenes and also fully captures the desire for love so many people often feel around the holiday season.
- 1140 VOTESPhoto: Strawberry Marshmallow / Daume
The “Present” episode of Strawberry Marshmallow is just what you need if you want to relive your days of believing in the Santa. This adorable slice of life anime just lets viewers enjoy the site of “cute girls doing cute things in cute ways.” When it comes to these girls celebrating the holidays and embracing their belief in Santa, it doesn’t get any cuter than this.
- 1210 VOTESPhoto: Tokyo Revengers / LIDENFILMS
If you want something longer than a single episode, but committing to an entire series is a bit much, maybe an arc is the perfect length for you. While you won't get the full holly jolly spirit - Tokyo Revengers isn't the ideal feel-good anime - you will get a lot of heart-pumping action during the Christmas season.
This specific arc involves the Tokyo Manji Gang going head-to-head with members of the Black Dragon gang after Takemichi goes back in time to prevent the death of his lover Hinata Tachibana.
- 1351 VOTESPhoto: Hetalia: Axis Powers / Studio Deen
It may seem like an unusual anime to look to for Christmas joy, but you would be surprised by how good this holiday episode really is. Hetalia: Axis Powers usually focuses on the quirky encounters that happen between the students, who are actually personifications of countries. It takes a break from the usual everyday happenings, however, to get all the countries-turned-characters into the Christmas spirit.
If all the world news has you bummed this holiday season, this is a great way to pick yourself up and imagine a world where all countries come together to celebrate a time of love and joy.
