Anima can inspire us and gives life lessons like any other. You can find all that in anime, from attention to detail, drama, action, comedy, and romance!
Anime has a lot of genres, like fantasy and isekai, but some movies are a mix of a magical story with a spice of life.
Movie directors like Miyazaki have been embedded in every Anime fan with his inspirational and meaningful movies.
Stick with me as we go through 20 Motivational Anime movies with Important Messages.
1.) Only Yesterday
Only Yesterday is an underrated Studio Ghibli movie. This story follows Taeko Okajima, a young woman who visits a place she once visited as a child.
As she returns to her memories, she sees her childhood and a light appears. Only Yesterday’s movie evokes the little tragedies we experience as humans, such as the feeling of being a fraud, missing out on your life, and such.
Watching the movie makes me feel wondrous and emotional as the realization hits me.
2.) A Silent Voice
Shoya is a bully to a deaf person named Shoko Nishimiya when they were young. The bullying went too far, which led to Shoko getting hurt. By then, Shoya alienated himself from his classmates for doing so, and he became a victim of bullying.
This movie relays a solid anti-bullying message and depth that will resonate with anyone who watches it.
3.) One Piece Film: RED
One Piece is one of the best anime series, with ships as the setting for adventures, creative tales, and bizarrely endearing characters.
It’s also one of the most inspirational anime films about achieving one’s dreams no matter how difficult or unattainable they may seem.
The plot centers on a teenage pirate named Luffy who embarks on a grand journey in an effort to succeed the current Pirate King.
4.) The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
This sci-fi movie is about a teenage girl named Mokoto. Suddenly, she can travel back in time, unaware of the consequences of her actions and to others from the past.
Mokoto uses this advantage to fix the problems in her own life and, sometimes, for pleasure. This brings a fantastic life lesson on life, our choices, and the importance of never wasting our time.
5.) Tokyo Godfathers
This is a story of 3 homeless people discovering an abandoned baby on Christmas Eve and trying to search for its parents. This gives a sense of karma to the saying, “what goes around, comes around.”
It tells us a lesson that doing nice things will most likely be rewarded, but if you turn back and refuse to help someone in need will come back to haunt you when you have no one.
6.) A Letter to Momo
Momo is a young girl who travels to the Island of Shio. The memories of her late father haunted Momo. Momo then discovers that she has been followed by three weird imps named Kawa, Mame, and Iwa.
They helped Momo recover from the pain of losing her father, which can also set them free from their curse. It is a wholesome and heartwarming movie from Studio Ghibli.
7.) Wolf Children
The director of The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, this movie centres around Hana, a half-wolf, half-human hybrid. Hana is a single mom of 2 children. Hana’s lover died trying to get food for the family.
Being a single parent, Hana tries her best to provide for the needs of her children. It is a beautiful story about a loving family, growing up, and sticking by those you love.
8.) Grave of the Fireflies
This short story tells the emotionally harrowing life of Seito and his little sister Setsuko. They’re trying to live and survive during the aftermath of World War II after losing both of their parents.
This is not the wholesome movie you think it may be. It is an emotional and powerful movie that shows the struggle during the wars that happened in Japan.
9.) Princess Mononoke
Princess Mononoke is a heavy-hitting anime movie that tackles several issues regarding the conservation of nature and environmental crisis. This movie tells the story of Ashitaka, searching for a cure to a curse.
Ashitaka finds himself in a conflict between the forest spirits and an evil mining company. The movie may contain blood, but it is a brilliant film showing the consequences of battling nature.
10.) A Whisker Away
This wholesome and cute movie is about a girl named Miyo Sasaki that hated her life. That’s why she sold her human soul to become a cat and get close to her crush as a cat.
Whenever she hated living, she could turn into a cat to spend time with his crush. Until one incident in their family provoked her to sell her soul to turn into a cat.
That’s when she realized that she regretted spending her life with her friends and family as a human. Never wish for something you will regret later.
11.) Spirited Away
Spirited Away is a well-known movie. It is about a girl named Chihiro who moved out of their hometown. She despised her parents for moving out. Before arriving at their destination, they arrived at an abandoned theme park they didn’t know was a place for spirits.
Her parents became a pig, so she had to fend herself in this supernatural world. After getting a job at a bathhouse, she promised herself to save her parents before they were killed to be eaten.
12.) The Tale of the Princess Kaguya
This anime was based on an old Japanese folktale. The film references society at that time, how poor people were treated even more poorly, and the high standards of every elite family for their children.
Kaguya is expected to obey orders from her parents, and if she disobeys, she’ll lose everything. It is shown in the film as Princess Kaguya’s parents try to make her a high girl in society, but she only wants to be free.
13.) Drifting home
Drifting home is about an apartment that is whisked away to the ocean.
It shows the characters’ way of caring for each other and putting aside their differences. It conveys a comforting message on friendships and unity.
14.) Pom Poko
In Pom Poko, a clan of tanuki, or shape-changing raccoons, learn that people are gradually colonizing their mountain.
Hurt and perplexed by the sudden invasion of their territory, the tanuki begins to consider their options. Some decide to kill all humans, others try to explain what happened, and yet others turn to the practice of conversion for help.
It critically examines how humans interfere with natural habitats and how urban development ignores the environmental damage it causes.
15.) Big Fish & Begonia
Chun lives in Big Fish & Begonia with a group of magical beings known as “The Others,” who collectively regulate the natural occurrences in the realm of humans. Chun is supposed to inherit from her mother the ability to control the lives of begonia trees.
Still, before being regarded as an adult, she must travel for seven days with other children to observe natural laws in operation.
Chun makes amends for her disrespect for nature by returning to it and for the good of the community by sacrificing her very selfhood.
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16.) Flavors of Youth
In general, Flavors of Youth seeks to illustrate the fulfilment of life and the transition into maturity while also recalling the experiences and lessons we had in our youth.
As a result of these experiences, we will be better equipped to deal with reality and let go of hurt and regretful feelings that might prevent us from achieving our life’s goals.
Flavors of Youth taught us to take a deep breath, examine the past objectively, cherish its memories, and then refocus on the present while remaining optimistic and ready to face whatever the future may hold.
17.) Modest Heroes
Modest Heroes is a three-part short film. It showcases everyday heroes in a magical and heartwarming way. This first part focuses on a brother and a sister who find courage after their family is torn apart.
The second part concerns food allergies and how they should be taken seriously. The third one depicts a lonely man that is always ignored by everyone. But through his act of heroism, he regains his substance.
18.) From Up on Poppy Hill
In this anime, students attempt to stop their school’s clubhouse from being demolished in time for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. This story focuses mainly on the characters.
This anime movie has such strong characters, and friendship is a theme throughout the film.
19.) Garden of Words
Rain is pouring when 15-year-old Takao Akizuki skips class to sketch in Shinjuku Gyoen. Yakari Yukino, a 27-year-old office worker who has also gone to the garden to get away from her regular work schedule, is discovered by him.
Throughout the rainy season, the two develop a casual friendship and meet in the garden several times to catch up. However, one day, Yakari stopped coming.
Despite not having a conventional plot, the movie’s emotions and character growth will make you remember the story years after you’ve seen it.
20.) My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising
The best anime for encouraging hard effort and dream-following is My Hero Academia.
Even though the show occasionally has silly moments, it also has memorable and touching moments, potent antagonists, and some of the most terrifying anime stalkers ever.
You will be encouraged by the fighting spirit of Deku and his helping classmates. They always help each other be the best and never back down.
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