Anyone who has browsed the anime section of any video store (or at least the ones that still exist) could tell you that anime is expensive. $80 for ten episodes of a show is pretty ridiculous, even for the most affluent of us. Even services like Funimation and Crunchyroll aren’t free, which makes watching anime difficult for people without disposable income. For those of you who just want to watch some free anime, here are five awesome anime you can watch for free, legally, on YouTube right now.
Trigun
Trigun is one of the best anime ever made, bar none. This iconic series from the 90’s stars Vash the Stampede, a wandering pacifist who’s being hunted by the law for atrocities he may have committed. Despite being an incredible marksman, Vash never kills his enemies, and even avoids fighting them when possible. On his journey to come to terms with his past, Vash meets a variety of charming characters. From the understandably confused insurance workers responsible for Vash’s messes to Wolfwood, the Priest who uses a huge crucifix-gun, there’s no shortage of memorable characters in Trigun.
Though Trigun is worth watching for the characters and action alone, those who haven’t watched this classic anime may find it refreshing to have a main protagonist who dislikes fighting, but is incredibly talented at it. Though he can be goofy, Vash is a protagonist of great depth who grows without losing his initial charm. If you haven’t watched Trigun yet, check it out on Funimation’s channel. You have no idea what you’ve been missing.
This post was originally written by Spencer Legacy.
Pokémon Generations
Unlike the Pokémon anime you’re likely familiar with, Pokémon Generations adapts stories and characters from the games into five-minute self-contained episodes. While you won’t find Ash or Gary in this series, their game counterparts, Red and Blue, are present alongside a number of recognizable characters from across the Pokémon franchise. The stories hop between regions, with some taking place in Kanto, and others taking place in Unova or Johto. Everything up to and including Kalos from Pokémon X and Y is represented, from Team Rocket’s criminal activities in Kanto to Deoxys’s arrival in Hoenn.
Seeing the world of Pokémon from different angles is something all fans of the franchise should experience, especially if the lore of the games is what peaks your interest. Pokémon Generations is essentially a Pokémon fan’s dream come true, and its shorter episodes make it easy to marathon on Pokémon’s official YouTube channel.
Samurai Champloo
If you end up liking Trigun, you’ll love Samurai Champloo. There’s a similar tone to the two series, focused around a group that travels the land without taking itself too seriously. As the name implies, Samurai Champloo is about two samurai and a young woman who wander Japan in search of “the samurai who smells like sunflowers”. Though they share a profession, the two samurai couldn’t be more different from one another, adding a nice contrast to the group dynamic.
The mere fact that Samurai Champloo is made by Shinichiro Watanabe, the creator of Cowboy Bebop, is reason enough to watch it. Samurai Champloo has a similar tone to Watanabe’s previous series, focusing on flawed but charming characters who live in a tough but strangely fun world. It’s also worth mentioning that Samurai Champloo has an amazing opening song, so even if you don’t feel like watching the show, at least check out the opening. If you do check out the show, you can find it on Funimation’s channel.
Multiple Yu-Gi-Oh! Series
Sure, it’s the goofy 4Kids English dubs, but I’m of the opinion that the Yu-Gi-Oh! Dubs are incredibly enjoyable for what they are. If you didn’t experience the Yu-Gi-Oh! boom of the early 2000’s, here’s the rundown: a bunch of teenagers play holographic card games with one another for the fate of the world. While my favorite will always be the original “Duel Monsters” series, Yu-Gi-Oh! GX and 5Ds are both available on the same YouTube channel, and they’re all worth checking out in their own ways. The original series only has five episodes on YouTube currently, but the other series have far more.
The variety of series available means that if one show doesn’t appeal to you, there are a few more vastly different ones to check out. Are you into ancient Egyptian mythology and techno-magic monster battles? Try the original series. Do you prefer a boarding-school slice of life atmosphere? Watch GX. Do you like card games on motorcycles? 5Ds is for you, and as ridiculous as it sounds, it’s actually really good. There are playlists for each series as well, making it easier to binge. While they’re by no means the best shows of all time, Yu-Gi-Oh! Is a lot of fun to watch for how ridiculous the premise is, and for how amazing of a character the one and only Seto Kaiba is.
Steins;Gate
Imagine time travel being done right in an anime, and you’ve got Steins;Gate. Revolving around the eccentric scientist Okabe and his friends/co-workers, Steins;Gate is about the small consequences that time travel can have, and how some things may never change. It’s a series that makes you think about what you would do with limited time-travel abilities, but by the end, you realize you probably shouldn’t have that much power.
The characters of Steins;Gate are its greatest strength, each of which has their own eccentricities and quirks that make them worth rooting for. Okabe is a weirdo, but he’s an incredibly charming weirdo who clearly loves science. Kurisu seems like a run-of-the-mill tsundere at first, but she’s actually an intelligent and strong character with a great deal of depth and cunning. No one feels like a cardboard cutout, making the stakes that come with time travel feel far more dangerous that it does in most franchises. Don’t wait another second (since you can’t get those seconds back), check out the series on Funimation’s channel.
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