Now more than ever, people could use a good laugh. Comedy is a prime part of the human experience that seeks to bring out joy, especially when sadness is in prominence. Every country, region, and person has their own special thing that makes them laugh, making the comedy world a diverse and interesting one. This is no different within the anime industry.
Dipping into different worlds, genres, and life experiences, anime has managed to find the lighter side of everywhere it touches.
10 Ouran High School Host Club (Popularity #99)
Ouran High School Host Club is a lot of people's introduction to romcom anime. While Shonen and action series like Naruto and Dragon Ball may have gotten people through the door, it took series like Ouran and all of its hilarious hijinks to get people to explore the full spectrum of anime genres.
Oddly enough, Ouran itself probably shouldn't be seen in isolation. The daily lives of loveable boys trying to play Host Club is supposed to be a parody of the Shoujo/romance genre but was so accessible and played to the tropes so well that Ouran has gotten to stand on its own.
9 Kaguya-sama: Love Is War (Popularity #98)
Kaguya-sama: Love is War is one of the hottest comedy anime within recent years. The idea of a tsundere character was already hilarious on its own but having two compete for high school supremacy and romance is a recipe for success. Miyuki Shirogane is the new kid at Shuchiin Academy, but he's already climbed the ladder academically and became the student council president.
Kaguya Shinomiya comes from an affluent family and is one of the academy's most respected girls. As the two begin to realize their feelings for each other, they battle it out to see who can make the other confess first.
8 Nisekoi (Popularity #88)
Shonen Jump may be famous for showcasing some of the greatest action ever put on the page, but it does have a few comedies of own that have stood the test of time. One particular one is Nisekoi. This romantic comedy focuses on two high schoolers who come from two, opposing gang families.
In an effort to bridge peace between the groups, the two are forced into a fake relationship, à la Romeo and Juliet. Though the two start out hating each others guts, they slowly find their relationship turning real. This hilariously clashes when a variety of other romantic rivals put their hat in the ring.
7 Maid Sama! (Popularity #87)
The disgruntled "Will They? Won't They" romance is gonna be a common thread here. And for good reason. People getting taken out of their comfort zone when presented with someone that they outright despise is a fun premise, especially if a romance looms overhead. In Maid Sama!, Misaki Ayuzawa tries to maintain a strict demeanor so as to protect the girls of her school during the year when Seika High School finally opened its doors to girls.
However, such a strong and independent identity becomes challenged when the most popular boy at her school, Takumi Usui, stumbles upon her part-time job as a waitress...at a maid café! The struggle to maintain Ayuzawa's pride while having her fight Usui's blackmail brings out some fun times.
6 The Pet Girl Of Sakurasou (Popularity #77)
The Pet Girl Of Sakurasou follows in the footsteps of eclectic series like Maison Ikkoku in that it uses the boarding house premise to house a variety of weird and silly characters to constantly annoy the main character. In this instance, Sorata Kanda is forced into his school's misfit dorm when he takes in a group of kittens.
Now facing animators, playwrights, shut-in programmers, and the maelstrom that is his dorm manager, Sorata tries to get rid of the kittens as fast as possible, only to find that they bring about the attention of the new transfer student and artistic master, Mashiro Shiina. Will Sorata continue trying to escape his new home or will Mashiro convince him otherwise?
5 Love, Chuunibyou, And Other Delusions! (Popularity #73)
Love, Chuunibyou, and Other Delusions! is the eccentric, high school comedy for anyone who has ever seen an anime before. Wonderfully animated by Kyoto Animation, this series focus on a group of students who have suffered (or still suffer) from chuunibyou, aka eighth grade syndrome.
This forces them to constantly view their world as if it was a fantastical, action-packed comedy, making them buy tons of merch, cosplay during school, and get into epic but imaginary battles at the playground. While Yuuta Togashi desperately tries to forget this nerdy past, his new, upstairs neighbor, Rikka Takanashi, forces him and several others back into the delusional world.
4 The Devil Is A Part-Timer (Popularity #60)
Sadao Maou was once a Demon King that managed to rule over a mighty, demon army. However, his plans for conquest are thwarted when the kingdom's mysterious warrior comes to stop him. Having to recede into another world, the Devil himself must now work his way up...the corporate ladder of fast food.
Without his mighty army or magic, Sadao Maou must take care of his friends and their new apartment by working the counter at MgRonalds. Unfortunately for him, the mysterious warrior from before followed him into this world, and she too struggles with the minutiae of part-time work! The Devil is a Part-Timer is the very definition of a fish-out-of-water story.
3 KonoSuba (Popularity #35)
The isekai genre has gotten a little too big for its britches as of late. It almost seems like every year and anime season is overrun with the explicit escapist fantasy, and the fans are just waiting for the creative balloon to pop. However, if there was ever a series to keep the genre fresh, it would be KonoSuba.
This iconic comedy not only parodies the isekai genre but fantasy anime as a whole, as its funny cast is everything but ready but adventuring. The main character is an otaku without any special skills of his own, the healer is an airheaded goddess, the warrior loves pain just a little too mage, and the one mage can only do spell, and it's a little too explosive for their own good.
2 Toradora! (Popularity #17)
Toradora! is likely the most popular romantic comedy within all of anime. Not only does its disgruntled pair portray chemistry in tense and hilarious ways, but it also has an actual ending, ensuring that fans not only get to start the series happy but even leave it that way, too. Ryuuji Takasu is a large, scary figure who's actually pretty timid and smart once people get to know him.
Taiga Aisaka may look tiny and frail, but she has one of the sharpest tongues in any high school and is constantly brandishing a wooden katana. Though these two don't get along, they do agree to help each other ask out their respective high school crush's. But as they plot for each other's romance, they don't notice one brewing under their own nose's.
1 One-Punch Man (Popularity #5)
One-Punch Man came at a perfect time within the industry. During an era when superhero films and television series are at a boom, a brave, new anime would finally show some self-awareness and parody the tights off the genre (as well as a bunch of Shonen premises). It's protagonist, Saitama, decides to ditch his day job to become a superhero so as to enjoy the thrills of fighting crime.
Unfortunately for him, he becomes way too overpowered and finishes every fight in one punch. As silly as it is, One-Punch Man's laughs wouldn't be as hearty if it didn't sincerely write its world, meaning that, despite its colorful characters and deadpan comedy, there is an endearing side to every story.