13 Best Idol Anime That You Should Watching Update 04/2024

Best Idol Anime

These programs are a good place to start if you’re looking for an anime idol group to root for.

There are more than just heroic tales, great mechs, and magical girls to be found in the world of anime. Idol anime is sure to appeal to those who enjoy their anime stories spiced up with plenty of music and dancing. The music in many idol anime series is also highly catchy and engrossing, which is great for the show’s audience.

Idols in anime go far beyond gaining fame and entertaining crowds. There are a number of excellent idol anime that provide inspiring stories about friendship and perseverance. Idol anime has a plethora of titles, making it easy for viewers to find the tale they’re looking for.

Mark Sammut’s most recent update was on December 29, 2021. Idol anime are an acquired taste and a genre that some people may be reluctant to try. It’s easy to overlook these shows within anime’s yearly schedule, other from a few notable outliers. Idol series, like any other genre, can take several forms and have a wide range of tones, substance, and presentation. This page has been updated to include a few more accessible idol anime for people who want to try their hand at the genre.

1. Locodol (2014)

Locodol (2014)

Idols begin their journeys someplace. They can start precisely where they live, in their own neighborhoods. After being asked by her uncle to become a “locodol,” or a “local idol,” Nanako Usami’s world is flipped upside down in Locodol. For her first attempt, Nanako teams up with her senior Yukari Kohinata to form Nagarekawa Girls. As a means of promoting Nagarekawa, they’ve been playing in and around the town.

Locodol, unlike other idol anime, keeps its story and setting confined to a small area. In the anime, the small-scale local idol industry and the hardships faced by these idol groups are depicted in a unique light.

2. AKB0048 (2012)

Why not try to save our solar system with the power of music and friendship? It’s the year 2048, and a horrific conflict has forced humanity to start over. The Deep Galactic Trade Organization imposed a prohibition on “disturbing” art and music in Star Calendar Year 0000. However, music fans will not allow such tyranny to stand, and as a result, the iconic AKB48 will reappear as AKB0048.

Their unique effort to propagate music in a society that views it as terroristic begins here. While being classified as both heroes and terrorists, the members of AKB0048 are putting in the work to live up to their storied past.

3. Uta No Prince-Sama (2011)

Uta no☆Prince-sama♪ Maji Love 1000%

Uta no Prince-sama, despite being more of an idol competition anime than an actual idol show, takes a look at the life of a young idol. Students at Saotome Academy’s performing arts program are all hoping to become music producers or pop stars. Haruka Nanami is one of them. Whose assignment is Haruka tasked with? Create a song in tribute to her idol.

She comes across a group of six of her peers who are all aspiring pop stars. Haruka becomes caught up in the personal lives of these six classmates and their journey to fame.

4. Kikarin Revolution (2006)

Other admirers have always wanted to follow in Kikari Tsukishima’s footsteps and pursue a profession in entertainment in order to pursue their ultimate crush. First, Kikarin saves a turtle from a tree—a turtle that belonged to Seiji, a Ships member.

The boy Hiroto warns Kikari to stay away from Seiji when he invites her to a concert. Hiroto, it turns out, is a member of Ships as well. Kikari’s determination to find out the truth about Seiji pushes her to become an idol in her own right.

Kikarin Revolution’s score and plot remain its most enduring legacies. Kikarin Revolution, despite its shoujo anime-style cutesy graphics, offers a glimpse inside the world of idols. Even minor snafus have popped up in the course of Kikarin’s career.

5. Aikatsu! Idol Activity (2012)

Aikatsu! Idol Activity (2012)

In Aikatsu! Idol Activity, fans may be astonished to realize that the game is actually a collector card collection. Playing as aspiring idols, players use Aikatsu cards to represent their outfits, accessories, and more. Their cards, if played correctly, can help them rise to the status of successful idols. Similarly, the Aikatsu! anime follows the same path, but with a more grounded approach to the story.

Ichigo Hoshiyama is inspired to become an idol after watching Mizuki Kanzaki’s performance in the anime. She and her best friend Aoi Kiriya join Starlight Academy, where they learn to become top idols alongside classmate Ran Shibuki.

6. Sekkou Boys (2016)

Think you’ve got experimental in the bag? At Holbein Entertainment Co., Miki Ishimoto begins her new role as manager of an idol group! Miki, a recent college grad, has no intention of settling for anything less than a job in the entertainment world.

It is true that Sekkou Boys is about statues. Miki assumes leadership of the Sekkou Boys, a group of Greco-Roman Sculptures that form a boy band. Hermes, Mars, and St. George are among its members. Sekkou Boys is one of the funniest and cutest idol anime releases ever.

7. Zombieland Saga (2018)

Due of its increased mainstream appeal, Zombieland Saga has become a major idol anime success story in recent years. Zombieland Saga isn’t all that out of the ordinary for an idol anime, despite the fact that the show’s female characters are zombies.

Friendships between the main characters are the focus of this comedy as they struggle to deal with their situation. Season 2 contains a good amount of dance and song sequences, as well as some decent animation.

Zombieland Saga is an excellent introduction to the realm of idols, and I hope that it spurs viewers to seek out further works in the category.

8. Wake Up, Girls! (2014)

Wake Up, Girls! (2014)

It’s not always about having a good time and spreading the gospel of friendliness to the audience when it comes to idol anime. Sometimes, becoming an idol means doing all it takes to ensure the survival of both the group and the entertainment organization, as was the case with Wake Up, Girls!

As a micro-production house, Green Leaves Entertainment is on the verge of bankruptcy. To save their firm, Junko Tange devises a plan to recruit seven girls to form a new girl group, Wake Up, Girls!.

Wake Up, Girls! is more like a drama anime than an idol anime. the focus shifts from the concept of the idol act to the individual lives of the members of the group. In addition to examining the harsh realities of life as an idol group, the show also delves into the myriad of interpersonal issues that arise as a result of the group’s development.

9. Macross Series (1982)

Idol anime was actually inspired by an old-school mecha show called Super Dimension Fortress Macross. Super Dimension Fortress Macross contains action, political satire, complicated characters, and a virtual idol with an angelic voice named Lynn Minmay, who is the protagonist of the film.

The Macross series has evolved throughout the years, but idols have always been one of the series’ mainstays. The Walküre, an idol group that sings to treat a sickness known as Vár Syndrome, are the focus of Macross Delta 2016, which places an even greater emphasis on idols than usual.

In Macross, the idol genre is shown to be incredibly diverse. A few anime contain mecha and zombies, while others are comedies.

10. IDOLiSH7 (2018)

IDOLiSH7 is based on a Bandai Namco Online mobile game and follows the story of a young guy named Tsumugi Takanashi, who is given the task of managing a male idol band. Tsumugi is first apprehensive about her new band, but she soon warms up to them and hopes for the best for them in the future.

For an idol anime, IDOLiSH7 isn’t groundbreaking because it concentrates on the group’s path to prominence. In spite of this, IDOLiSH7 stands out because of the strength of its characters and story.

11. The Idolmaster (2011)

The Idolmaster

The Idolmaster, a multimedia series based on games in which players assume the position of a production manager for an idol group, is likely to be familiar to anime fans. The 2011 version of The Idolmaster provides a more down-to-earth, funny, and still grounded look at the complicated lives of idol members.

However, the story still centers on the main idol group’s ascent to fame. The show also examines how these members must deal with the pressures of public presentation, the reception of their fans, and even their own rivalry.

12. Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club (2020)

As a fan of idol anime, Love Live! is likely to be remembered for its fondness for idol games. It’s only a matter of time until Love Live! gets its own anime series. Nijigasaki High School Idol Club’s Love Live is the most personal.

The Nijigasaki High School Idol Club’s challenges are depicted in this anime, which is set at Tokyo’s Nijigasaki High School. Furthermore, the school has already begun to disband its club. Eleven solitary idols must band together to preserve the club they all love from extinction.

13. Skip Beat! (2008)

Skip Beat! (2008)

If you are a fan of idol anime, chances are you have suggested Skip Beat! to someone else at some point because of its captivating plot. This show focuses on Shotaro Fuwa, a young man who aspired to be an idol like Kyoko Mogami.

When Kyoko hears Shotaro refer to her as “boring” and slam her to his manager, things shift. Kyoko vows revenge and experiences a dramatic makeover before entering the music industry.