Mostanimetakes place in Japan. That is easy to understand as the medium is from Japan. It’s what the creators know best. The same is presumably true for all regions of the globe that do animation. It makes sense for creators to draw from their own life experiences and to translate those ideas into art.
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It’s also a good way to get local audiences invested as they can see themselves in these areas closer to home. That doesn’t mean anime doesn’t take place elsewhere in the world. There are some shows that are set up in North America, but a lot of them are in set Europe as well. These eightanimeare some great examples from modern hits to older classics.
8Burn The Witch
Burn the Witchis from the creator ofBleach, Tite Kubo. It takes place in the same universe. Ever wonder if there was a Soul Society outside of Japan? This anime answers that question. It is London-based although instead of Hollows, dragons are more problematic.
This started asa one-shot mangabut has since blossomed into a full-on series. To accompany the one-shot manga, a short anime film was made which was then divided into three episodes. There is sure to be more after this too.
7Castlevania
Castlevaniatakes place around Walachia. Most may not have even realized that that is a real place and not something made up for the anime. Walachia is part of Romania. Other parts of Europe do get highlighted as well.
This makes sense since the games have always felt like a European affair. It’s not like Japan, or the U.S. has castles all over the place like inCastlevania. Thisgives the seriesa much more ancient and royal vibe to it.
6D.Grey-man
D.Grey-manis about agroup of exorcistswho try to keep the world safe from demons. The Black Order is a secret organization branched off from the Vatican. Their central HQ is located near there but there are branches all over the world.
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Most missions have the main heroes traverse all over Europe, doing missions for action and recruitment. It’s one of the more forgotten Shonen anime that is popular with a niche set of fans. The manga is still going on but both anime adaptations have stopped.
5Great Pretender
Great Pretender isa fun animeabout a bunch of con men. There are multiple arcs in the one season that has aired so far which all take place in different parts of the globe. The first case begins in LA, for example, and involves taking down a drug ring.
The third case takes the team to London. The goal here is to attempt an art heist. This involves trying to duplicate other pieces of art which leads to a tragic backstory. It may be the saddest arc of the whole anime.
4Hellsing: Ultimate
Hellsing: Ultimatetakes place in the UK. Parts of it are across the country but it eventually leads to a barrage on London. Alucard, a vampire, works foran anti-vampire organizationset up by the Crown to keep the country safe.
The first anime adaptation veers off course from the manga. Hellsing: Ultimate is a correction of this and is primarily about a sub-sect of Nazis, called Millennium, who want to take over the world. They use vampires and other paranormal entities to do their budding,
3Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind
Jojo’s Bizarre Adventureis a great show for those looking for some European flavor in their anime.Stardust Crusaders, the third arc, starts in Japan but sails all over the globe with the goal being Egypt. It doesn’t have a central theme thoughunlikeGolden Wind.
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Almost the entirety of this arc, which is the fourth, takes place in Italy. From the architecture to the language, this season is heavily influenced by this culture. It’s fun to see it from a Japanese perspective. It’ll be hard not to talk like these mafioso after watching it.
2Lupin The 3rd Part 4: The Italian Adventure
Lupin the 3rdisanother great animethat goes all over the globe. That was the case for the first three iterations of the anime. They were all designed to be capers of the week. This all changed when the fourth series aired which was centralized in Italy.
Lupin and his cohorts still go all over the globe, but it always comes back to Italy. This changed the series for the better as it also gave each season a central story arc and was no longer episodic. The fifth series takes place in France while the current season is in London.
1Nadia: The Secret Of Blue Water
Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water is an older anime but it is still a classic. Hayao Miyazaki, before he started Studio Ghibli, worked on this anime and many others. It’s easy to see his influence in the show from the story beats to the animation style.
It’s about a young girl named Nadia who is trying to get to Africa from France. Jean, a young French investor, decides to help her get back and fight off her pirate pursuers as much as possible. It’s another trek across Europe in this low fantasy anime.
