The best thing about anime and manga is that any story can have any setting. Whether it's otherworldly locations, distant planets or futuristic cities, the sky's the limit and even mundane stories can take place under extraordinary circumstances.
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One unconventional setting for anime and manga is prisons, mainly because it would make most of the characters criminals. While most stories shy away from this kind of setting, darker series take the opportunity to explore such a sordid setting, and some even succeed in doing so comedically.
Updated October 7, 2024 by Mark Sammut: This article has been updated with specs for each show, along with two new ones prison anime. This means that these series only feature prison for a short (but important) stretch of episodes.
9 Dead leaves
MAL Score: 7.21
Two amnesiacs, Retro and Panda, wake up naked on a dystopian Earth. They go on a crime spree, only to be arrested and sent to a month-long prison, Dead Leaves. There, they are subjected to bizarre treatment under Warden Galactica and soon discover that there is more to the prison than meets the eye.
Dead leaves is a bizarre film created by Hiroyuki Imaishi, founder of Studio Trigger and creator of popular shows like Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann and Kill la Kill. The film is similarly bizarre and novel, which may make it an acquired taste even for those who aren't necessarily fans of his other works. Still, fans of unconventional anime will enjoy what this film has to offer.
8 Cross Angel
MAL Score: 7.39 (Anime)
Angelise Ikaruga Mitsurugi always believed that the Norma, humans unable to use the world-changing technology known as Mana, would be better off exterminated. However, when she turns sixteen, she is revealed to be Norma herself and banished to the Arsenal, where Norma is forced to fight interdimensional beasts known only as DRAGONS. Now a soldier of Norma, Ange must come to terms with his own identity and fight to survive in his new role.
Cross Angel is a sci-fi mecha series created by Sunrise, better known for being behind its creators Gundam. While Cross Angel is quite a different show from this franchise, it has enough similar elements that mecha anime fans could enjoy in this particular series.
Cross Angel
it was adapted into a manga by Kenjirō Takeshito.
7 One Piece (Impel Down Arc)
A fun prison break that serves as a foreshadowing of a massive war
In the grand scheme of things, Impel Down is a very small part One piecethat comprise less than 30 episodes; however, it is longer than almost all the others prison animeso the arc deserves a mention regardless. With Ace's execution on the horizon, Luffy plans a prison break by sneaking into Impel Down with Boa Hancock's help, and the operation goes awry pretty quickly with far-reaching consequences.
While Impel Down feels like a footnote in the vast release of the manga and anime, it's still fantastic, offering a unique setting, a great antagonist in Magellan, and fast pacing by the adaptation's standards. Impel Down is also interesting as a prison, where each level contains its own fresh hell.
6 Nanbaka
MAL Score: 7.33 (Anime)
Inside Nanba Prison, the most imposing prison in the world, are four men who were sent there due to constant escapes from other prisons. There's escape expert Jyugo, gambling addict Uno, big bully Rock and otaku Nico. The four live their lives together in prison under the watchful eye of various guards.
Nanbaka is a slice-of-life anime comedy with a main cast of mostly handsome young men who aim to woo the female audience. Despite its comedic core, the series has its moments of drama and isn't all about silly gags.
5 Kaiji: Against all the rules
MyAnimeList: 8.24 (Anime); 8.40 (manga)
It could be argued that all of them Kaiji revolves around a protagonist trying to escape from a financial prison; if that's not enough, season 2 specifically takes place in captivity. Along with a host of other debtors, Kaiji finds himself forced to work away in an underground hell to pay off the Teiai group, a situation that would keep him locked up for years. His only hope is to buy a temporary escape to the outside world and then earn a large enough sum of money to earn his proper freedom, two ambitions that are highly unlikely to come true.
Kaiji is the definitive gambling story, and the anime probably peaks during the first 8 episodes of season 2, which take place specifically in the underground prison of the Teiai group. Here, Kaiji is drawn into a game to keep certain prisoners in power, forcing him to be much more active than usual. While the rest of the season takes place outside the prison, Kaiji is constantly fighting to ensure that he doesn't have to go back to torture.
4 Prison school
MAL Score: 7.49 (Manga), 7.60 (Anime)
Formerly an elite girls' academy, Hachimitsu Academy decided to allow male students to enroll for the first time. Kiyoshi Fujino is one of the few boys who eventually enrolls in the school, but he soon discovers that the school has a draconian punishment system that forces misbehaving students to remain in the school prison. When all the boys are caught peeking at the girls' bath, they are forced to spend a month in the prison block or be expelled.
Prison school is a quirky comedy manga with a ridiculous amount of fanservice. The characters get into all sorts of bizarre and obscene situations, and while there's a lot of second-hand shenanigans, it's going to be an incredibly hilarious experience for viewers who can watch around.
3 Deadman Wonderland
MAL Score: 7.94 (Manga), 7.14 (Anime)
Ganta Igarashi was a normal high school student until a masked man came along and massacred his entire class. Accused of the murders, Ganta is sent to Deadman's Wonderland, a private prison that doubles as an amusement park. Depending on the disgusting shows and competitions held in the prison, Ganta tries to survive in the prison and find out who was the Red Man who killed his classmates.
Deadman Wonderland is a thriller series that combines elements of horror, action and mystery. Fans of grittier stories and death games will certainly enjoy this series, and fans of more straight-up shonen action series might enjoy it as well.
Deadman Wonderland
The manga is much better than the anime, mainly because the anime only got one season.
2 JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean
MAL Score: 8.25 (Manga), 8.08 (Anime Season 1)
Jolyne Cujoh finds herself taking the blame for the murder and sentenced to fifteen years in Green Dolphin Street Prison. Horrified at her fate, Jolyne soon discovers that a gift from her father has given her the power to summon a mysterious spirit known as the Stand. At first, Jolyne uses her power to help her survive the prison, but she soon discovers that there is much more to the prison than meets the eye.
Stone ocean is the sixth part of the long-term JoJo's Bizarre Adventure series and the latest series to be adapted into anime. The anime is known for being the first to feature a female protagonist and is home to some of the most bizarre Stands in the series. Although the adaptation received some criticism, Stone ocean it's still largely considered the pinnacle, and much of that success lies in the setting.
1 Rainbow
MAL Score: 8.48 (Manga), Anime: 8.46 (Anime)
In post-war Japan, six boys are sent to a special Shonan reformatory after committing various crimes. He ends up in a cell with Rokurota Sakuragi, with whom he quickly bonds and becomes close as brothers. Recovering from the corruption of the guards and the cruelty of the outside world, the boys vow to get out and make a name for themselves once they do.
Rainbow is a coming-of-age historical drama set in 1950s and 1960s Japan. The stories of the seven boys from the Shonan Reformatory range from heartbreaking to inspiring, and watching them grow from boys to men is a joy. Of all the prison anime, Rainbow is by far the most uncomfortable and also features one of the nastiest villains in anime.
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