The 15 Best 'Military Moe' Anime About Cute Girls In The Army
- 1308 VOTESPhoto: Actas
If you want to watch a military moe anime with a sports anime flair, try out Girls & Panzer. In this anime, Senshadou is a traditional sport that was created after WWII played by female participants. It involves tank based battles and is wildly popular all over the world. Miho Nishizumi, who comes from a long line of Senshadou players, wants desperately to avoid the sport, so she enrolls in a school that she thinks has no Senshadou program - but she quickly finds herself being dragged into the new one that's just starting up.
- 2214 VOTES
High School Fleet
Photo: Production IMSDue to a series of natural disasters, most of Japan has been submerged underwater. What's left of the nation is protected through fleets of Naval Ships. One group that stands out is the Blue Mermaids, an all-female group of Navy professionals. Yokosuka Girls' Marine High School helps prepare for a career defending Japan. Things seem to be going well for Akeno Misaki and Moeka China, two childhood friends and students who are put in charge of their own fleets. But when a navigation problem leaves Akeno's fleet, the Harekaze, stranded, she and her crew will have to figure out how to survive.
- 3228 VOTESPhoto: White Fox
The young protagonists of Girl's Last Tour aren't actually a part of any military force, but the show still harnesses the military moe aesthetic by having them dress in uniform. What are they doing instead of fighting? They're exploring the ruins of a civilization that no longer exists - they are among the last two people alive, and are trying to keep a good attitude as they survive day by day.
- 4148 VOTES
Kantai Collection: Kan Colle
Photo: DiomedeaIn a world where the Abyssal Fleet is a constant threat against humanity, a naval fleet is established to combat them. The fleet is staffed by a group of teenage girls called Kanmusu. These Kanmusu have the souls of Japanese warships. In order to utilize the ships powers and take on enemies, they have to wear specialized gear. The story begins with Fubuki, an inexperienced destroyer type Kanmusu, trying to get used to life on the base.
- 5180 VOTESPhoto: Gonzo
Strike Witches zeroes in on an alternative history of the world after World War II. In this world, World War II was caused by an alien invasion. The aliens, called Neurois, are in control of most of planet Earth thanks to the miasma that poisons any human unlucky enough to breathe it in. The miasma can't travel across the water, so a group of witches carrying massive weapons fight the Neutrois above the ocean.
- 6140 VOTES
Upotte!!
Photo: XebecSeishou Academy might just be one of the weirdest schools in anime history - but it's also kind of awesome if you're a fan of cute military girls. The students at Seishou Academy are actually the human embodiments of various gun models, such as FNC and M 16A4. Upotte! follows these students as they learn to be the best weapons they can possibly be - with the help of their very confused teacher, Genkoku.
- 790 VOTES
Not every military anime focuses solely on the drama of war or the exhilaration of battle. Sound of the Sky follows a military group in charge of protecting the nation of Helvetia from their increasingly tense relations with Rome. Their newest recruit, Kanata Sorami, joined the military to learn how to play the bugle - which should give you a sense of the direction of the series. Rather than focusing on battles between warring nations, this series focuses on the every day life of Helvetia's military recruits.
- 8106 VOTESPhoto: Madhouse
With its adorable female protagonists, Gunslinger Girl definitely qualifies as military moe - but its content is a lot darker than what can be found in most of these shows. If you're looking for something a little less saccharine, this might be the show for you. The Social Welfare Agency finds terminally ill girls and removes them from their hospital beds. After artificially enhancing their bodies, they train them to be child soldiers whose job is to carry out covert missions for the Italian government. All of this trauma takes a toll on the girls - after all, they are just children.
- 985 VOTESPhoto: SANZIGEN
After global warming causes the sea levels to dramatically rise, a naval force called the Fleet of Fog springs up. Each ship is equipped with an AI called a mental model that's designed to stop humans from traversing the seas and causing more damage. These AIs also happen to look like cute girls, which is why this series fits into the "military moe" model. When one mental model decides to help humanity move forward instead of keeping them confined, the world begins to change - but breaking through the Fleet of Fog will be much easier said than done.
- 1078 VOTES
Girly Air Force
Photo: SatelightAfter an alien force called the Zai attacks Earth, humanity responds by creating figther jets called Daughters, as well as robotic pilots called Anima who are shaped like cute girls. When Kei Narutani becomes a human pilot of in charge of a Daughter, he has to work with one of the top Anima in the business, Gripen. Will the two be able to get along and take on the Zai forces, or will they fail?
- 1171 VOTES
The Magnificent Kotobuki
Photo: WAO World, GEMBAThe Kotobuki Squadron is a group of bodyguards for hire - a task they take on via fighter jet dog fights. Surviving in their desolate world isn't easy, but the female pilots do so with good humor. If you like cute military girls, but also want to see an effective use of 3D animation, this show is for you.
- 1265 VOTES
When Hisone Amakasu joins the Self-Defense Force, she's hoping to avoid interacting with people. That's because she has a tendency to accidentally say things that others find hurful or offensive. But her time in the military won't be nearly as quiet as she hopes, because she is chosen to the pilot of the OTF dragon, a fighter jet that's conscious and alive. Thus begins a military adventure unlike anything she ever anticipated.
- 1342 VOTES
The Ambition of Oda Nobuna
Photo: The Ambition of Oda Nobuna / TV TokyoMost military moe anime focus on modern or at least recent military forces. If you're interested in a cute girls' spin on Japanese history, you should try out The Ambition of Oda Nobuna. This show follows a high school student named Yoshiharu Sagara who is unexpectedly transported to the wartorn Sengoku period. There, he finds that he's actually in an alternate version of history - one where most of Japan's famous warriors are cute girls! The events that transpire there seem to be mirroring those that take place in a video game that Yoshiharu played in his own time and his memories of the game allow him to come up with tactical strategies that turn the tide of history.
- 1448 VOTES
Military!
Photo: Creators in PackMilitary! is a series of 3-minute shorts about a high school student named Sohei Yano whose life is interrupted when a group of female soldiers start hanging around his house and getting into slapstick gunfights. It's not the kind of thing that you watch if you're looking for intellectual stimulation, but it's fun, cute, and entertaining.
- 1559 VOTES
Ground Defense Force! Mao-chan
Photo: XebecMost adorable anime military girls are teenagers or even young adults - but the girls in Ground Defense Force! Mao-chan are only eight years old! That's because this show isn't intended to be fan service, it's intended to be child-friendly. So if you're looking for something fun to watch with the kids in your life, try this anime, which follows a group of little girls who are fighting aliens that are much too cute for adults to take on.