25 Best Motorcycles Anime of All Time (Ranked)
Motorcycles aren’t a genre in the literal sense of the term, but they do feature in many artistic works. The world of anime is known for providing us with many different narrative elements; motorcycles can definitely be a part of it. In this article, we will give you a list of the 25 best motorcycle-related anime series of all time.
25. Super Cub
The series is set in the Mukawa area of Hokuto in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. It follows Koguma, a solitary and uninterested girl. Her life takes a turn after encountering a Honda Super Cub 50, expanding her world. The story revolves around Koguma, an orphan with no hobbies or friends, who decides to get a motorized bike, specifically a Honda Super Cub. This choice leads her to make friends with Reiko and Eniwa, bringing new experiences into her life. The series commemorates the sale of 100 million units of the Honda Super Cub.
24. Genesis Climber MOSPEADA
In the 21st century, Earth faces pollution issues, prompting the development of a hydrogen fuel called “HBT.” Mankind colonizes Mars as an alternative. In 2050, the Invid, a mysterious alien race, invades Earth. Unable to resist, Earth becomes desolate, and some survivors escape to the Moon. The Invid establish their base, “Reflex Point,” in North America. The Mars colony sends troops to aid, but they fail. Interestingly, the Invid don’t attack Mars and only respond aggressively if provoked by humans.
23. Megalo Box
Megalobox unfolds in late 21st century Japan, divided between the Administrative Area for citizens and the Restricted Area for those without citizenship. The sport of Megaloboxing, akin to boxing but with lethal metal exoskeletons called Gears, is popular. The protagonist, known as Junk Dog, partakes in fixed matches in the Restricted Area. A chance encounter with Yukiko Shirato, CEO of Shirato Group, leads to a confrontation with her bodyguard and Megaloboxing Champion, Yūri. Yūri challenges Junk Dog to join the Megalonia tournament, requiring top Megalobox rankings and proper citizenship ID.
22. FLCL
The first season of FLCL is a coming-of-age story and revolves around Naota Nandaba, a 12-year-old working-class boy living with his widowed father and grandfather. His life in the city of Mabase is interrupted by the arrival of a Vespa maniac named Haruko Haruhara. She knocks Naota down, then resurrects him with CPR before hitting him on the head with her left-handed electric bass (a blue, vintage Rickenbacker 4001) and continues to stalk him.
Finding Haruko working her way through her life as a maid, Naota discovers that the head injury she caused created an “N.O.” portal, from which giant robots are produced by a company called Medical Mechanica. Haruko punches the first of these robots in the head and becomes a friendly service robot, later named Canti. Canti ingests Naota to take on the reddened form he first had when fighting the robots sent after him.
21. Bubblegum Crisis
Mega Tokyo 2032: to counter the mega-corporation Genom and its cyborgs called “boomers,” which often get out of control, a new outlaw defense group is formed to fight crime under the code name Knight Sabers.
The members of this team are four ruthless and sensual girls: Priss, Linna, Sylia, and Nene, all armed and equipped with “Hardsuit,” powerful power armor. Obviously, the sentimental stories of the four girls will often intertwine in their “work,” often hindered even by the police.
20. Yu☆Gi☆Oh! 5D’s
In this Yu-Gi-Oh series, in addition to the traditional duels with the Dueling Disk, some duelists compete on particular moto-dueling disks called “D-Wheel” (“Duel Runner” in the American and Italian version), and these duelists take the name of “D-Wheeler” (“Turbo Duelists” in the American version, “Duelists Turbo” in the Italian one).
Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s is set in the future in New Domino Town. Seventeen years earlier, the malfunction of a reactor called Ener-D inside the city caused a strong earthquake that divided the city into two parts: the Satellite, the dilapidated and poverty-stricken part, and Neo Domino City, the richest and most urban part. The protagonist is Yusei Fudo, a boy from the Satellite.
He flees to the rich city to seek the freedom of his people and finds Jack Atlas, the King of Turbo Duels, as well as his old friend who betrayed him by stealing his Duel Runner two years earlier and the Stardust Dragon card, which represented the only chance for Yusei and his friends to leave the Satellite.
19. Durarara!!
From the same creators of Baccano!, Durarara!! an anime set in a violent Tokyo populated by young thugs and gangsters of all kinds. The events take place in the Ikebukuro neighborhood where Ryugamine Mikado moves invited by his childhood friend Kida Masaomi, who immediately warns him to keep away from some shady characters who roam the neighborhood: a violent man dressed as a bartender, an information salesman, and a mysterious gang calling themselves “Dollars.”
But upon his arrival in the city, Mikado comes across a Dullahan, a headless motorcyclist who drives a big black motorcycle with the engine and headlights off, who is considered an urban legend that everyone is terrified of, even the gangs of Ikebukuro.
18. Circuit Angel: Ketsui no Starting Grid
Mariko, a tough and kind girl with a passion for motorcycles, engages in a race against the wealthy son of a bike maker to resolve their differences.
17. Galactic Gale Baxingar
Set 600 years after Jupiter’s destruction, the Solar System is in a state of peace under the Bakufu government, yet lawlessness persists. Dan Condor forms a new J9 team to combat injustice, using Cosmobikes to merge into the 48-meter-tall super robot named Baxingar.
16. Scared Rider Xechs
The Blue World, which symbolizes reason, is constantly attacked by creatures called Nightfly O’Note, which come from the Red World and symbolize instinct. Akira Asagi, the 17-year-old protagonist and researcher of Blue World, is appointed to wage war at Ryuukyuu LAG, a proud defensive structure on the islands of Ishigaki and Iriomote.
She encounters the sixth “IS” combat unit, formed four years after a fierce battle that destroyed the fifth unit. Akari must lead these six horsemen, also known as the Scared Rider Xechs, to fight against the other world while deepening the relationship between them.
15. Venus Wars
After a massive ice comet impact on Venus, terraforming began, leading to colonization efforts in 2012 and 2017. In the year 2089, divided into Aphroda and Ishtar, the settlers confronted the hostile environment and internal conflicts. War erupts between Aphrodia and Ishtar, with Ishtar deploying advanced tanks. Aphrodia counters with agile assault motorcycles used in a motorized polo game. Journalist Susan Sonntag arrives from Earth, aiming for a scoop. The second part focuses on Ishtar cadet Matthew Sim Radom and the power struggle in Gaugamela, the victorious nation’s capital.
14. Futari Daka
After having dinner at the restaurant, Teddy Santarini and his mother Isabelle fall into an ambush organized by a group of bikers they have crossed beforehand. A young man on a motorcycle intervenes and puts an end to the attack. The next day, Teddy leaves to train on a circuit and meets the young man there again: it is Teddy Tojo, a pilot who is part of the Rayons Bleus team.
During an improvised motorcycle race between the two riders, Teddy Santarini, trying to catch up with his opponent, skids during a turn and loses the duel. Teddy Santarini then wishes to take his revenge on Teddy Tojo and then decides to obtain his license to compete; this is what marks the beginning of their rivalry.
13. Robotech
In 1999, an extraterrestrial ship crashed on Earth, leading to the formation of the United Earth Government to defend against potential extraterrestrial threats. The alien ship, SDF-1, is restored and becomes Earth’s flagship. Ten years later, the Zentraedi, a race of giants, arrives to claim the ship. A battle ensues, resulting in the SDF-1 warping with Macross Island beyond Pluto’s orbit. The series follows the SDF-1’s journey back to Earth, carrying civilians who rebuilt their city inside the ship. Over five years, the ship is attacked by the Zentraedi, seeking the Protoculture Matrix, the source of their society’s energy. A love triangle develops between civilian pilot Rick Hunter, First Officer Lisa Hayes, and aspiring singer Lynn Minmei.
12. Blassreiter
Blassreiter takes place in an alternative modern Germany. For unknown reasons, “Demoniacs” began to appear in the cities – the corpses of people who turned into robotic creatures. They kill people, turning them into demoniacs too. To combat them, a special group “Xat” was created, which conducts an intensive hunt for the possessed and tries to find out the reason for their occurrence. Meanwhile, a mysterious woman with green hair comes to the people in despair and offers to take a pill that, according to her, will improve a person’s physical abilities many times over.
11. Michiko & Hatchin
In a fictional South American country, Michiko Malandro escapes from Diamandra prison and kidnaps her former lover’s daughter, Hana Morenos, whom she calls “Hatchin.” Saving Hatchin from her abusive foster parents, the two embark on a journey to find Hiroshi Morenos, Hatchin’s father, who links their fates. Despite being opposites, they become an unlikely duo on the run from the police and Hatchin’s abusive foster family, seeking freedom and the truth about Hiroshi.
10. The Rolling Girls
Ten years after the “Great Tokyo War,” Japan’s political and economic elites mysteriously disappeared, leading to the formation of independent city-states. Vigilantes from the war become hired as the “Best,” representing prefectures in territorial disputes, while their supporters, the “Rest,” maintain peace. After a friend is injured in a battle with Kuniko, rookie Rest Nozomi travels with her friends on a motorcycle, fulfilling requests for Maccha Green. They aim to grow stronger and search for heart-shaped jewels and moonlight stones, believed to grant unlimited power. However, these stones are fuel for aliens’ spaceships, causing consequences like injuries and property damage when used by Bests in battles.
9. Megazone 23 – Part I
Yahagi Shōgo, an idle and womanizing teenager, unexpectedly acquires a heavily armed motorcycle named Garland, making him a target for the police. While trying to evade capture, Shōgo encounters Bahamut, a computer that reveals a shocking truth: the world around him is a virtual reality, a replica of Tokyo orbiting in a massive satellite called Megazone. Humanity vanished from Earth 500 years ago, and the weapon causing Earth’s desolation is still a looming threat.
8. RɪᴅᴇBᴀᴄᴋ
Rin Ogata, a talented ballet dancer, abandons dancing after breaking her foot during a performance and turns to acting at Musashino College of Arts and Letters. At the university, she discovers a club involved in racing with ridebacks—mechanized vehicles. Persuaded by Haruki Hishida, Rin takes a test ride on Fuego, impressing the club with a sensational jump. As she becomes more involved in rideback racing, Rin is challenged to a duel by Tamayo Kataoka, the reigning champion. Meanwhile, rumors circulate about terrorists using armed ridebacks, and the police adopt new ridebacks to combat them. Rin’s involvement intensifies when her friend Shōko Uemura is taken hostage in a terrorist attack.
7. One Off
Haruno lives with her parents in a mountain cafe and enjoys riding mopeds with her friends. With the upcoming season attracting stargazing enthusiasts, her parents hire Cynthia B. Rogers, an Australian motorcyclist, as a waitress. Cynthia’s outgoing nature inspires others to pursue their dreams, but Haruno, skeptical of her own limitations, resists Cynthia’s influence. Despite Haruno’s defiance, Cynthia encourages her to revisit her childhood dreams. As the cafe prepares for a stargazing event, Cynthia suggests Haruno perform at a concert, but Haruno lacks confidence. With encouragement from friends and stargazer Kageyama, Haruno and her friends form a unit called Poko a Poko and prepare for a mini-concert. Haruno learns of Cynthia’s imminent departure for Australia, leading to a farewell performance. Despite initial sadness, Haruno receives encouragement from Kageyama and promises to visit Cynthia one day.
6. Two Car
The story revolves around Yuri Miyata and Megumi Meguro, members of a sidecar racing team living on Miyake Island. Together, they compete against rival motorcycle sidecar teams in thrilling races.
5. Terror in Resonance
In an alternate world, Tokyo is hit by a terrorist attack that leaves the entire city in shock. The only element of investigation is a video that the culprits posted on the Internet. The terrorists are actually a duo calling themselves “Sphinx,” two teenagers called Nine and Twelve. They have survived an unknown incident, and decide to “wake up the world” with terrorist attacks.
4. Bari Bari Densetsu
The early parts of the story focus on both high school life and street racing. First, the characters are illegal street racers who drive on public roads, specifically winding mountain roads known as tōge. This type of runner was called “rolling-zoku”, a type of bōsōzoku, and was considered a social problem in Japan. Later parts of the story revolve around professional motorcycle racing held on street courses such as the All Japan Road Race Championship.
3. Kino’s Journey —the Beautiful World—
Kino’s Journey follows the journey of Kino, a young traveler, and their talking motorcycle named Hermes. They explore various countries, spending only three days in each, to learn about different cultures, philosophies, and ways of life. Kino is a passive observer, avoiding interference in the affairs of the countries they visit. The series delves into themes of morality, society, and the human experience, offering thought-provoking and philosophical reflections through Kino’s encounters with diverse societies on their journey.
2. Bakuon!!
One day, while riding her bike up a big hill on her way to school, Hane Sakura is embarrassed to see another student riding a motorcycle to school. Taking an interest, Hana joins her school’s motorcycle club and gets a motorcycle license. After buying her own motorcycle, Hane begins her exciting and motorized school life with her new friends: Onsa Amano, Rin Suzunoki, Raimu Kawasaki, and Hijiri Minowa.
1. Akira
In the aftermath of a mysterious explosion that destroyed Tokyo in 1982, triggering World War III and leading to the destruction of many cities by nuclear weapons, Neo-Tokyo in 2019 is a corrupt and chaotic megalopolis plagued by gangs of idle and drug-addicted young bikers. Tetsuo, a member of one of these gangs, has a motorcycle accident one night while avoiding a strange boy. Captured by the Japanese army, Tetsuo becomes the subject of secretive military experiments aimed at unlocking psychic powers. When he escapes, Tetsuo discovers newfound telekinetic abilities and seeks to establish dominance among his fellow junkies, leading to tensions with his friends, especially their leader Kaneda.
Have anime to add to the list? Let us know in the comments below!