It goes without saying that Star Wars has had an enormous influence on not only pop culture, but also culture in general. It has been well documented that Japanese culture and media had a huge influence on Star Wars. However, what is not talked about nearly enough is the effect that Star Wars had on Japanese culture and media, specifically anime. The success of Star Wars in Japan helped propel the space opera anime in Japan into popularity, which subsequently led to more anime being created. This cycle naturally continued from the 1970s through today, and the inspiration has come full circle several times. George Lucas has said in the past that he was a fan of anime, and it was part of the reason he chose Genndy Tartakovsky for the 2003 Clone Wars series. On the other hand, we do not hear much about the influences Star Wars has had on anime, even though it played a huge role in skyrocketing anime in popularity. The influences are not always as obvious as one might think. It is important to note that creators of some of the anime listed here never clearly stated that they drew inspiration from Star Wars. However, we could see elements from the saga sprinkled in the anime. Without further adieu, here are some anime that have been inspired by Star Wars.

Honorable Mention: Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion

Okay, admittedly the direct connections that this series has to Star Wars is loose at best, or that is how it would appear on the surface. It was not until I was researching anime for this very list that I noticed the similarities it shares with Star Wars. It may not have all the space battles and galactic journeys that Star Wars is known for, but its story follow similar beats. Code Geass is about a group of people aiding a rebellion against a tyrannical government. The main character, Lelouch, joins the rebellion, but he is given a magical power allowing him to impose his will onto others. Unlike Luke's altruistic reason for standing up against the Empire, Lelouch's motivation is revenge against his father, the ruler of the evil empire. While this might be purely coincidental, there seems to be a lot of elements drawn from Star Wars.

5. My Hero Academia

This anime is most directly inspired by western superhero comics, and its story is about as far from Star Wars as you can get. However, there are a few nuggets of inspiration from Star Wars and more than a few easter eggs. There are tons of references in the names of many locations in the My Hero world. There are Tatooine Station, Dagobah Municipal Beach, and even Hosu city, a clear reference to Hoth. However, a clear nod to Star Wars is in main characters Deku and All-Might’s mentor Gran Torino. Creator Kohei Horikoshi stated that Gran Torino is based on Yoda’s appearance and attitude in Empire Strikes Back. He is a wise, old, powerful teacher, who is also rather short and wrinkled.

4. Space Dandy

Space Dandy may lack any all the seriousness and drama that Star Wars has, but there are still some core elements from the saga. The main character of the anime, Dandy, is a space bounty hunter who travels the galaxy capturing bounties, identifying new life forms, and, well, slacking off. He travels with a feline alien companion named Meow, and a robot assistant named QT who shares a slight resemblance to R2-D2. The show not only derives from Star Wars but also the Buck Rogers serials that inspired it. There are massive space battles, cosmic powers, galactic governments, robot companions, mad scientists, and, most importantly, a fun journey. While the show may not take itself as seriously as Star Wars, it definitely behaves the way we all would if we were given the technology seen in the sci-fi epic.

3. Cowboy Bebop

Star Wars is often considered to be a space western, and it is probably one of, if not, the first franchise to coin that title. While there have been several other series since then claiming to be “space westerns,” none of them have ever captured the spirit of the genre as well as Cowboy Bebop. Like Space Dandy, Cowboy Bebop follows a group of space bounty hunters, and is directed by Shinichiro Watanabe. That is where the similarities end. Cowboy Bebop takes inspiration from the more serious side of Star Wars. It deals with a lot of the politics of the different planets in space. It may not have not quite as advanced weaponry as Star Wars, but the action pieces in it are still amazing with several dog fights in spaceships. While it may not have the strictest sets of Star Wars-inspired concepts in the series, it could not have existed without Star Wars. If anyone has not seen this series, I highly recommend checking it out if you are a Star Wars fan, or if you are just looking for an amazing series to watch.

2. Mobile Suit Gundam

Premiering in 1979, roughly 2 years after Star Wars, Mobile Suit Gundam pioneered sci-fi anime. The father of the “mecha” sub-genre of anime dives deep into the political aspects of space and the empires that occupy it. The political turmoil and rebellions that arise in the series would fit right into the galaxy far, far away. They even have their own lightsabers and blasters. The obvious difference is that Gundam’s version of those weapons are held by giant robots piloted by humans.

The series making up the Gundam franchise feature small rag-tag rebellions going up against massive empires with superweapons. While not all of these ideas and concepts are taken directly from Star Wars, Gundam actually owes a lot to Star Wars. It was one of the anime that was skyrocketed to popularity after Star Wars release in Japan.

1. Legend of the Galactic Heroes

Where most of the previous entries take some direct inspirations from Star Wars technology, powers, story beats, and sci-fi setting, this series takes most of its inspiration from the concepts of Star Wars. While Legend of the Galactic Heroes does share the space setting, it is all about politics. The Free Planets Alliance is fighting back against the rule of the Galactic Empire. The story focuses on the leaders of both sides, and the people caught in the middle. Concepts from the Star Wars original trilogy are on full display here and the series delves even deeper into those topics. It is a little less binary than Star Wars was in the original films, and one could argue that George Lucas may have borrowed some from this series when he was developing the prequels. Nevertheless, this is one great series, and you can see the drops of Star Wars sprinkled lightly throughout.

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5 Anime That Were Influenced By ‘Star Wars’