5 Best Anime Set in the United States
List of the Greatest Anime Series Set in America
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How do you enjoy watching anime? There are lots of appealing points in high-quality anime including cool and cute characters, unpredictable stories, powerful battles, etc. Focusing on settings is the way anime fans have enjoyed recently.
Some anime series and movies are set in fictional worlds and others are inspired by real-life location all over the world. It has got more popular among anime lovers to travel the locations in Japan they see in the anime, which is known as Anime Tourism.
Aside from the famous anime set in Japan, here is the introduction to 5 best anime set in the United States of America. This list includes the famous long-running franchise and hidden masterpieces. Let’s enjoy these recommendations paying attention to the boundary between fantasy and reality!
*Please note that this article contains affiliate links.
1. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean
The famous anime series JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure started its latest and fifth anime season titled JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean (ジョジョの奇妙な冒険 ストーンオーシャン) in the end of 2021. The dark-fantasy adventure anime has various settings from Europe to Asia throughout the series. Following the previous part Golden Wind set in Naples, Italy, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean tells the story of a protagonist Jolyne Cujoh, who is incarcerated in a prison in the United States. It is located near Port St. Lucie, Florida while the story proceeds in jail for the most part. The original manga series was written based on the author’s research at a prison in Miami.
▶︎Check out JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean on Netflix right now!
2. Eden of The East
Eden of The East (東のエデン) is one of the most famous anime set in the United States. The mystery and thriller anime series, directed by Kenji Kamiyama, aired with 11 episodes in 2009, which was followed by two movie titles in 2009 and 2010. The story partly connect with the director’s representative work Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. Eden of The East starts in Washington D.C. when a Japanese protagonist Akira Takizawa comes back to consciousness with his memory lost in front of the White House and finds out he is naked with his belongings of a cell phone and a gun. He meets a university student Saki Morimi who takes a graduation trip to New York.
▶︎Check out Eden of The East on Amazon right now!
3. Baccano!
Especially for anime fans overseas, Baccano! (バッカーノ!) is one of the greatest anime series of all time, which is set in America. The mystery adventure anime consists of 13 episodes and 3 spin-offs airing in 2007, based on the original novel series written by light novel Ryogo Narita since 2003. The anime series is set in the United States during the prohibition of alcohol in the early 1930s. Focusing on an elixir for immortality, Baccano! follows gangs, informers, robbers and other criminals who are involved in the matter of the ultimate elixir.
▶︎Check out Baccano! on Amazon right now!
4. Banana Fish
Adapted from a popular manga series composed of 19 volumes published between 1985 and 1994, Banana Fish was made into 24 episodes of the anime series by a renowned anime studio Mappa in 2018. The anime series setting is the United States around 2018 while the original manga is set in the 1970s around the Vietnam War. The American crime themed anime centers on a young gang leader Ash Lynx, who meets a Japanese photographer assistant Eiji Okumura in New York City. They are involved in a conspiracy related to “Banana Fish”, the mysterious words left by Griffin Callenreese, a soldier returned from the Iraq War.
▶︎Check out Banana Fish on Amazon right now!
5. Space Brothers
Space Brothers (宇宙兄弟), one of the most popular space-themed manga and anime series, is related to the United States. The Chuya Koyama’s manga has been serialized on a Japanese weekly manga magazine Morning since 2007, which was adapted into the 99-episode anime series by A-1 Pictures from 2012 to 2014. Set in both Japan and America, the exciting drama presents the story of Mutta Nanba and his younger brother Hibito, who has dreamed to become an astronauts. Hibito made his dream reality earlier than his brother as the first Japanese astronaut who landed on the moon while Mutta makes a great effort to pass the astronaut exam.
▶︎Check out Space Brothers on Amazon right now!
For more information about anime related to the real-life locations, check these articles below, too!
Written by
Hi! I’m a writer and editor at Japan Web Magazine. Since 2017, I’ve written over 500 articles covering a wide range of Japan-related topics—must-visit travel spots, local food culture, helpful travel tips, seasonal events, anime, manga, and more. I travel all over Japan, from the snowy landscapes of Hokkaido to the tropical beaches of Okinawa. My hobbies, such as hunting for the best ramen shops and keeping up with the latest anime every season, help me share the magic of Japan with people from all over the world. Whether you're a first-time visitor or a Japan fan planning your dream trip, I want to help you experience the best of what this country has to offer. After traveling to many countries around the world, I still love Japan the most, and I continue to share information while making the most of my perspective as someone who was born and raised here. 📲 Connect with me ▷You can find more of my writing and follow my latest thoughts on Japan over on Medium. A bit more about me: 🗾 Traveler at heart ▷Most unforgettable trip: Chichijima Island, a remote island that takes over 23 hours to reach by ferry from Tokyo! ▷Favorite neighborhood in Tokyo: Kagurazaka 🍜 Foodie life ▷Obsessed with sushi and ramen ▷Proud foodie moment: Scored a seat at the legendary Sukiyabashi Jiro 🎌 Passionate otaku ▷Favorite anime: March Comes in Like a Lion and Attack on Titan ▷Manga I live by: One Piece and Slam Dunk
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