Virtual reality anime, what the heck is that? Let us explain in this article.
The genre of VR is something that is loved by millions of fans all around the world. While VR is a technology that is also present in our own world, VR anime makes it 10 times more interesting by showing us what this technology could be capable of one day in the future.
Today, we are going to take a closer look at some of the most interesting VR anime that portray VR worlds in their own unique ways.
What are the Best Virtual Reality Anime Series
VR anime is a bit hard to define, but we will take it as meaning any anime series where characters escape or get drawn into a virtual world, either digital or magical.
Virtual reality of course implies a technological reality, but the world itself can be any kind, and include fantasy and RPG elements, for example. It shares similarities with Isekai anime, but is more specific due to the technological nature of the virtual world.
But without any further ado, let’s get this list started!
1. VR Anime: Sword Art Online
If you haven’t been living under a rock, then you most probably know about Sword Art Online.
This VR anime is quite popular, but many people from the anime community call it an overrated and generic Isekai show. While it is true that the story of Sword Art Online can be a bit repetitive and predictable at times, the overall concept of the show is simply beautiful, so I just had to include it in the list.
The anime features a very beautiful and vibrant fantasy world that is filled to the brim with treasures and adversaries.
Plot of Sword Art Online
The plot of Sword Art Online follows the story of a young boy named Kirito, who is one of the first people to buy Sword Art Online – an online VR RPG game.
As soon as Kirito and all the other gamers launch the game, they are fascinated by the beautiful and realistic world of Sword Art Online.
After a few hours, all the gamers discover that for some reason, they are not able to log out of the game. That’s when the creator of the game informs these players that if they die in this world, then they will also die in real life.
They can only go back to their own world by completing all the 100 levels of the game.
2. Log Horizon: a Nice Isekai Adventure With VR Anime Elements
Log Horizon doesn’t really feature a VR anime game, but an MMORPG game called Elder Tale that somehow provides all of its players with a VR-like experience.
This anime is quite similar to Sword Art Online in terms of premise. However, the story progression of Log Horizon is quite different as the anime just keeps on getting more and more interesting with every new episode.
The plot follows a young boy named Shiroe, who, along with 30-thousand other Japanese gamers, gets stuck inside the world of Elder Tale after its latest update.
Most of the players panic because of this bizarre situation, but our protagonist decides to set out on a journey to discover the boundaries of this mysterious game.
3. Overlord: Epic Virtual Reality Anime With RPG Elements
Overlord is my personal favorite entry on this entire list because of its unique premise and awesome story progression.
The characters in the series are also quite lovable, and they get you completely invested in the show. Unlike most other VR anime on this list, the fantasy world of Overlord is quite dark and overwhelming.
The plot follows the story of a powerful mage called Momonga, who is a player in a VR game called Yggdrasil. Sadly, the servers of the game were just about to shut down forever, so Momonga decides to spend some time in his favorite game before it disappears forever.
After a while, Momonga realizes that he is still conscious in the game, and for some reason, all the NPCs around him start to act like real people.
With no way of logging out, Momonga decides to investigate this weird turn of events.
2. VR Anime: No Game No Life
Technically speaking, No Game No Life is not really a VR anime. In fact, it is just an isekai anime. However, I still had to include it in the list because of its game-like colorful world and premise.
The plot follows the story of two siblings called Sora and Shiro, who are shut-in NEETs that are obsessed with video games. Together, these siblings form an online persona known as BLANK, and they dominate every single game that they decide to try out.
One day, the siblings receive a strange invitation for a chess match. After playing the chess match, they suddenly find themselves in a colorful and mysterious new world called Disboard.
In this world, games are everything! Every single argument or feud is decided by playing some kind of minigame.
5. Best VR Anime: BOFURI: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, so I’ll Max Out My Defence
Despite having a weird name, BOFURI is actually a pretty light-hearted and wholesome virtual reality anime, that every single anime fan needs to watch.
Unlike all the other VR anime options on my list, BOFURI has a pretty simplistic and straightforward story. The anime only has 12 episodes, so anyone can easily binge-watch it over the weekend.
The plot follows the story of a young girl named Kaede Honjou. After an invitation from her friend, the girl buys a popular VR MMO game called New World Online.
She names her in-game character Maple and decides to put all of her stat points in vitality because she doesn’t want to get hurt. This seemed like a big mistake at first because Maple was not able to walk fast or kill anything herself.
However, as the story progresses, the girl starts to acquire all kinds of unimaginable skills because of her impenetrable defence.
What Do You Think About VR Anime?
So, that concludes our recommendations for Virtual reality anime series. Take a look at these series when you need to take a break from the mundane and get lost watching someone get lost in a fantastical setting. Wow, that’s quite meta.
Let us know what you think about VR anime in the comment section down below. Until next time!