Although mobile gaming hasn't always been widely accepted as a valid gaming format--at least moreso in the West--Japanese mobile games called gacha games have been gaining worldwide popularity as of late. Anytime a new game is announced, fans will often speculate whether or not it'll get an English-translated Western release, which is becoming increasingly common as time goes on.

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It's most common for gacha games to be based around existing IPs, but on rare occasions, a gacha game's story is so good that an anime follows in its stead. Both types of shows will be covered in this list, with one big exclusion--the major house names that everyone knows, such as Naruto, Dragon Ball Zand My Hero Academia which all have gacha games, won't be mentioned. The reason being for this is that pretty much everyone who is familiar with anime has already heard of these titles.

10 Princess Connect Re:Dive Is Based On The Gacha Games Of The Same Name

main group from princess connect re dive

This series is one of the few where the gacha game actually preceded its anime adaptation. Princess Connect Re:Dive finally received an anime adaptation in 2020, but its gacha game was first released in February 2018 in Japan.

The anime was done by CygamesPictures, the sister animation studio to Cygames, the company that originally developed the gacha. This means there are no worries when it comes to animation or character inconsistencies, as everything is handled with care by the same loving team. It starts as a fairly simple protagonist-amnesia plot, but the quirky, colorful, and lovable cast more than makes up for this being an overused trope.

9 Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story Lives On While The English Server Of The Game Was Shut Down

Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story

Leave it to studio Shaft to be able to handle something like a follow-up side series to the ever-beloved Puella Magi Madoka Magica expertly. Not only is the story just as gripping as the original, dripping with character and laced with the series' trademark dark moments and backstories, but the animation is also simply gorgeous. The first season released in the first quarter of 2020, with a second season in the works.

Sadly enough, though, the English server for the Magia Record gacha game was unfortunately shut down. There are ways for American fans to play on JP servers still, but this is without translation unless one goes online.

8 BanG Dream! Has Phenomenal Music & Vocal Talent

poppin party from bang dream

BanG Dream! is a mobile rhythm game that spans across far more than simply their game and the anime adaptation. For starters, they have quite a few game servers, offering more than just the typical JP and EN/WW servers. They also perform live concerts and have a manga, as well as spin-off animated shorts that aren't as long or serious plot-wise as the main show.

The music and vocal talent are both phenomenal, and any fan of rhythm gacha games will find at least one band or character to click with. The stories are heartfelt and engaging, and although the animation in the first season has its quirks, it only improves as the seasons go on.

7 Revue Starlight Combines School Comedy With Magical Tragedy

kaoruko smiling sadly revue starlight

Revue Starlight is an incredibly unique anime that combines a slice-of-life school comedy with a heart-wrenching magical tragedy where those friends by day must fight for their wishes by night. Although its accompanying gacha isn't a rhythm game, it incorporates the show's soundtracks in its combat system in a unique way that lets players choose their favorites.

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Both the anime and game are great in their own rights, although like in a lot of gacha games, PvP can feel unfair to free-to-play players. The game often collaborates with rhythm games such as BanG Dream and Love Live, adding a few limited crossover-based costumes and songs.

6 The Fate/Grand Order Series Will Have More Anime Adaptations To Come

mash smiling from fate grand order

It's hard to be a gacha gamer without at least hearing something about Fate/Grand Orderand that's for incredibly good reason. The character designs and personalities are phenomenal, and the story is much more engaging than what one would expect from a mobile title.

The game was released in 2015 and had a few animated shorts made between December 2016 and December 2018 for promotional reasons. It received its first actual anime adaptation in August 2019 and finished in October of the same year. It's also set for another series as well as the end of a two-part movie in the future.

5 Granblue Fantasy The Animation Has A Different Feel From The Games

main character from granblue fantasy

Granblue Fantasy is an incredibly beloved and long-running gacha title that's known for its amazingly rich story, as well as how generous they are with giving out free summons. The characters are wonderfully written and well-loved, but this particular title doesn't come without two big quirks.

For one, the main character fans follow in the show, Gran, is not the same main character that they play as if they're familiar with the gacha game, which can be off-putting. Another jarring aspect is that the animation switches studios between its first and second season, and the difference is incredibly noticeable. Note that both studios do gorgeous work, but the switch itself can feel odd.

4 The Idolmaster Features Over 700 Characters

the idolmaster cinderella project

The Idolmaster series can't simply be described as a gacha game with an anime adaptation--rather, it's a shockingly large media franchise. For any fan who wants more content of the characters they grow to love, there's really no other series that can provide what the Idolmaster series has in store.

The series has released almost thirty games to date, as well as a faithful anime adaptation series. A few OVAs were made as well, as were manga adaptations, anthologies, and light novels. Fans will never have to worry about not being able to find characters to attach to, as the series boast over a whopping 700 characters.

3 Love Live! School Idol Project/Sunshine/Nijigasaki High School Idol Club All Follow Various Idol Groups

honoka and ayumu from love live

Love Live! has been one of the biggest names in the music genre for a while, as the original anime and gacha, School Idol Festival, came out in 2013. However, the reason why it's on this list is that it's recently been revitalized with not just a new group of girls, but a new gacha game and anime adaptation to go along with them.

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No matter which of the three main groups fans fall for, there's at least a two-season anime following each group's story, as well as OVA's. So far for the newest group of idols from Nijigasaki, there's only a first season with a second season in the works. Both games, School Idol Festival and School Idol Festival: All Stars, are great, though the latter isn't a pure rhythm game and is instead a creative reimagining of the genre.

2 KonoSuba: God's Blessing On This Wonderful World! Is A Fun Isekai To Explore

KonoSuba God's Blessing on This Wonderful World! anime

If any reader hasn't yet seen Konosubanow is the perfect time to do so, especially for those who enjoy playing gacha games based on anime IPs. The series has had a mobile game for about a year, and finally, at the end of 2020, it was confirmed that it would get an official English release sometime in 2021.

This is incredibly exciting news for fans. Not only are key story beats that fans are familiar with re-touched on, but English fans will be able to access game-exclusive story content for their favorite characters, as well. For anyone who's played Princess Connect Re:Dive, the combat is essentially the same thing but with Konosuba flavor.

1 Uta no Prince-sama: Maji Love 1000% Follows A Girl Who Wants To Write A Song For Her Favorite Idol

cast of uta no prince sama

Uta no Prince-sama is another title on this list that's an absolute juggernaut when it comes to the sheer number of titles that have been released for the series. The popular gacha-rhythm game, Shining Live, is just one of 10 in the series, and was the most recently released having come out in 2017.

The anime adaptation follows a girl who wants to write a song for her favorite idol and attends a prestigious performing arts school in order to hone her skills. There's also a film for the series, a few volumes of manga, and a series of stage plays.

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