Studio Trigger makes unique anime featuring spectacular visuals and vibrant stories. The studio delights in going way over the top, and fans know that a Trigger anime will be memorable if nothing else. Studio Trigger has tackled diverse content that covers everything from radical mecha stories to coming-of-age witch narratives.
Studio Trigger was formed in 2011 by former Gainax employees, Hiroyuki Imaishi and Masahiko Otsuka, and they've steadily been creating groundbreaking content for more than a decade. Even so, Studio Trigger has a solid track record that's only grown more impressive over time and is bound to make waves in the future.
Updated on April 20th, 2023 by Ajay Aravind: Studio Trigger was originally created after the monumental success experienced by Gurren Lagann, explaining why so many Trigger products feature the anime series' trademark style. This iconic studio isn't going out of business any time soon — as such, we've updated this list of Studio Trigger anime according to their IMDb rankings.
16 Turning Girls (Score: 5.3)
Number Of Episodes: 7
Studio Trigger is a fascinating animation studio since their projects are either examples of how far the limits of animation can be pushed or masterclasses in minimalism and cutting corners. Turning Girls is an example of the latter, but the web series consisting of seven five-minute episodes still manages to be endlessly charming.
Turning Girls looks at the stresses that accompany adolescent women as they enter adulthood. These episodes don't bite off more than they can chew, but the extremely limited production values make Turning Girls a niche property that's not for everyone.
15 Ninja Slayer From Animation (Score: 6.0)
Number Of Episodes: 26
Some of Studio Trigger's most successful animated projects are OVAs that breathe new life into existing properties, such as Ninja Slayer. Trigger adapts the cyberpunk ninja revenge novel and manga series into Ninja Slayer From Animation, a 26-episode celebration of excess.
Ninja Slayer's episodes are only 15 minutes apiece, which forces salaryman Kenji Fujikido's possession and ascension into a ninja grim reaper to play out at a ridiculous pace. There's an insightful story about power, control, and corruption at the center of Ninja Slayer From Animation, but it's also easy to just get lost in the stylized violence.
14 When Supernatural Battles Became Commonplace (Score: 6.4)
Number Of Episodes: 12
When Supernatural Battles Became Commonplace is tamer than most Trigger series. It's a harem-slice-of-life anime that follows a group of high schoolers in the days after they receive magical powers. On the whole, the series is lighthearted and amusing, despite featuring some serious moments and fights.
Some audiences have felt disappointed by the show's unexplained plot points and its lack of a proper ending, but there are certainly worse things to watch. When Supernatural Battles Became Commonplace is perfect entertainment for those who don't mind overdone tropes or wasting an afternoon feeling gently amused.
13 Inferno Cop (Score: 6.6)
Number Of Episodes: 13
Inferno Cop is a bizarre web series that looks deceptively like an animated version of Ghost Rider, but the similarities stop there. This show is a nonsensical slapstick creation about a cop with an inexplicably flaming head who's trying to avenge his fallen family members. This might sound serious, but Inferno Cop is hardly depressing melodrama.
Excessively violent to a comical extent, Inferno Cop feels like the result of talented animators who created some strange pet project in their spare time as a way to amuse themselves. Inferno Cop is a surreal series, with 13 short, fast-paced episodes that are easy to binge through in a single sitting. Fans of Adult Swim and The Eric Andre Show are prone to love Inferno Cop's absurdist anti-comedy.
12 Sex & Violence With Machspeed (Score: 6.7)
Number Of Episodes: 1
Presented during the Japan Animator Expo, Sex & Violence with Machspeed is a 9-minute short about a very fast-paced detective and his companions: a sex doll and a violent chimpanzee. Sex & Violence with Machspeed lives up to its name with its relentless tempo and mature subject matter.
This reluctant group of crime solvers finds themselves in progressively problematic scenarios after they execute a potential client who turns out to be a yakuza crime boss. Provocative and occasionally pointless, viewers can't help but feel that the animators were having fun while making it.
11 SSSS.Dynazenon (Score: 6.7)
Number Of Episodes: 12
The second entry in the budding SSSS.Gridman franchise, SSSS.Dynazenon serves as an indirect sequel. While arguably unoriginal due to the tropes that dictate many mecha series, Dynazenon incorporates Trigger's trademark fluid action and playfully bombastic action sequences.
When a monster attacks his city, high schooler Yomogi Asanaka meets a kaiju user named Gauma, who summons a giant robot to help him fight this abomination. Yomogi and Gauma slowly form a friendship and become copilots intent on stopping the kaiju attacks at any cost. Mundane as this premise sounds, Dynazenon is elevated by Trigger's more fantastical elements and a genuine sense of style.
10 Space Patrol Luluco (Score: 7.0)
Number Of Episodes: 13
Space Patrol Luluco functions as the backstory for one of Studio Trigger's mascots. A relatively short series despite having multiple seasons, as each episode is under ten minutes in length. Even so, brevity doesn't necessarily imply a lack of highlights, and Trigger packs so much content into each episode that viewers may need to pause the show and take a few breathers along the way.
Space Patrol Luluco's lovable cast visits several of the different worlds created by Studio Trigger and even interacts with characters from other Trigger series. Once again, it's clear that the animators are having fun with Luluco and her adventures, which always makes for rewarding viewing.
9 SSSS.Gridman (Score: 7.0)
Number Of Episodes: 12
The original Gridman was a popular live-action series in the 1990s, which left fans of the source material quite curious about what Studio Trigger would come up with in their anime remake of the mecha classic. The story in SSSS.Gridman takes some time to properly build momentum, but it's never lacking in visual spectacle. After SSSS.Gridman lays a sturdy foundation, it gets more willing to take risks with its narrative.
While aspects of the show certainly fall victim to clichés, the entertainment value is consistently strong in SSSS.Gridman. SSSS.Gridman and its sequel SSSS.Dynazenon are ideal viewing for those who want to feel nostalgic over classic anime staples but are still open to new and subversive ideas.
8 Kiznaiver (Score: 7.0)
Number Of Episodes: 12
There's a genuinely intriguing concept behind Kiznaiver, even if it's not entirely successful. As part of an experiment, a group of young adults finds themselves bound together in an unusual way: when one of them is wounded, all of them are.
There's a lot of probing character work that can be done in an anime where its characters are forced to contemplate joint pain and a violent level of co-dependency. Kiznaiver falls short when it comes to its specifics, but these broader themes, plus the eclectic personalities of its characters, create compelling clashes and forced camaraderie.
7 Star Wars: Visions — “The Twins” (Score: 6.2) And “The Elder” (Score: 7.8)
Number Of Episodes: 2
Disney's expansion of Star Wars has largely been a mixed bag, but it's encouraging to see a cohesive vision that tries to do something new. Star Wars: Visions is a nine-episode animated anthology that turns to some of the most cutting-edge studios in animation to tell standalone Star Wars stories.
Trigger is responsible for two of the nine entries, "The Twins" and "The Elder," among the more popular stories in the collection. Trigger rises to the occasion when it comes to radical lightsaber showdowns and intimidating displays of the Force, but it also taps into powerful emotions behind these aggressive displays of power.
6 Promare (Score: 7.0)
Runtime: 112 minutes
Studio Trigger has been reinventing anime on television for years, but there were lofty expectations in place for their first feature film, Promare. Promare immediately established itself as a progressive work of anime cinema that boasts subversive queer themes as well as Trigger's trademark stylized visuals and action.
In Promare, a group of mecha firefighters wage battle against the Burnish, human beings who have developed pyrokinetic abilities after a bout of spontaneous human combustion wipes out half of the world's population. When firefighter Galo confronts a terrorist group that's composed of Burnish youths, he finds himself intrigued by Lio, a Burnish who forces Galo to forever reconsider his preconceptions about these "villains."
5 BNA: Brand New Animal (Score: 7.2)
Number Of Episodes: 12
BNA, or Brand New Animal, has debuted in an era where anthropomorphic characters reign supreme. Given the success of Beastars, fans were intrigued to see Trigger's unique twist on this kind of content. For the most part, fans were not disappointed and a new anime classic was born.
In BNA, Beastmen exist alongside human beings but face discrimination due to their ability to transform into animals. When high schooler Michiru Kagemori witnesses the kidnapping of her best friend, she discovers she is herself a Beastman who exhibits the traits of a tanuki. Determined to save her friend, Michiru travels to Anima City and works alongside a wolf Beastman named Shirou Ogami. Together, they both unravel the mystery of Michiru's identity along the way.
4 Darling In The FranXX (Score: 7.4)
Number Of Episodes: 24
Darling in the FranXX's 2018 debut was marked with incredible anticipation, but the transgressive mecha series has grown into a controversial anime due to its divisive finale and rushed themes. Set in a dystopian future, children are raised in isolation from adults and created for the sole purpose of piloting mecha known as Franxx.
Darling in the FranXX finds strength in the tender relationship between Zero Two and Hiro, which becomes frustratingly problematic despite pure intentions. Darling in the FranXX still accomplishes a lot, but its mixed reception is a case of wasted potential for what could have been a truly special mecha series.
3 Little Witch Academia (Score: 7.8)
Number Of Episodes: 25
There are three Little Witch Academia projects under Studio Trigger: two are shorts that establish a proof of concept before they finally deliver a full anime series. Even years after its debut, Little Witch Academia continues to receive a lot of attention and it's a charming title that's still an effective gateway anime series for newcomers.
Little Witch Academia is a lighthearted shojo anime about Akko Kagari, an aspiring witch who attends Luna Nova Magical Academy. Little Witch Academia leans into tropes that any Potterhead will be familiar with, but the development of its characters and their relationships proves quietly gratifying. More restrained than most Trigger series and perhaps better for it, Little Witch Academia presents a whimsical world that any fan would be happy to live in.
2 Kill La Kill (Score: 7.9)
Number Of Episodes: 24
Kill la Kill is arguably Studio Trigger's signature anime series, and it broke new ground upon its release. The anime features a decidedly oddball plot about sentient school uniforms, which allows Trigger to gloriously feed into and subvert fan service in surprising ways. Kill la Kill is a cocktail of the strangest nature that combines school-based stress, bombastic fights, a dark family legacy, and the fashion industry, all grounded with an emotional and mature story.
Few series tackle familial abuse in any capacity, but Kill La Kill does so within the confines of a deeply strange environment where sentient clothes become extravagant tools of destruction. Kill la Kill is widely considered to be the gold standard that Studio Trigger strives to achieve in all of its productions. It perfectly synthesizes all of the studio's unusual passions.
1 Cyberpunk: Edgerunners (Score: 8.4)
Number Of Episodes: 10
CD Projekt Red's open-world ode to science fiction, Cyberpunk 2077 was one of 2020's biggest gaming misfires. Against all odds, Studio Trigger was able to take this flawed game and transform it into their most well-received project. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners follows David Martinez, a disadvantaged outcast who's forced to turn to the cutthroat world of black market edgerunning, which combines crime conspiracies with high-tech body modifications and cybernetic implants.
David finds a sense of community in his edgerunner allies, and an engrossing mystery comes together. All of Studio Trigger's stylistic quirks are on display here, whether it's through radical neon color palettes, extreme caricatures, or gravity-defying action sequences.