Best Anime Where Guy Goes Back in Time: Top Time Travel Stories

If you’ve watched and loved Kimi No Na Wa (Your Name), which is one of the most famous movies seen in theaters, you’re probably grasping into something longer to watch with. Something that could really satisfy you compared to a 2-hour-long movie marathon. In fact, time travel narratives could really have that particular impact on the audience, making it one of the most intriguing concepts ever made. 

With a bit longer narrative compared to movies, time travel anime series is the plot many are interested in—whether the guy goes back for love or to just simply change his buried past. So, if you’re more than ready to explore, here’s the list of the top pick anime where guy goes back in time.

Steins;Gate

With scientific curiosity into loose, Rintaro Okabe, an eccentric self-proclaimed mad scientist, together with his friends Mayuri and Itaru, run the Future Gadget Laboratory where bizarre inventions are taken care of. Their most infamous creation is a microwave that disappointingly turns bananas into goo. But it seems like this is not only it as Okabe later on discovers that it can send text messages to the past! 

What will happen after this revelation? That’s for you to find out.  Steins;Gate is a great pick for this kind of theme because of its captivating concept and the mystery that comes with time travel. 

Link Click

With a unique setting because of a world where photographs holds more than just memories, Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang are two men that capture these moments in their shop, Time Photo Studio. Interestingly enough, they have the ability to enter images, helping clients’ wishes while also trying to manage the consequences of changing reality itself. This becomes their usual job, not until the stakes become personal. 

Link Click is also one of the top anime where guys go back in time due to its thrilling and imaginative elements. The refreshing take on their friendship also adds a definite layer of intensity and emotions to the overall story. 

Summertime Rendering

After the tragic drowning of Ushio, Shinpei Ajiro’s childhood best friend, the latter finally returns to his hometown to mourn for her death, only to find mysterious and suspicious bruises on her neck. Shinpei then draws himself into intriguing entities, including a haunting vision of Ushio, asking him to save Mio. This is when he takes a step forward, discovering more of the dark secrets of his hometown to uncover and protect his loved ones. This anime where guy goes back in time will show you both emotional depth and suspense that will surely have your attention stuck on it. 

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni

What if a seemingly peaceful village hides a chilling legend of past murders and crimes? With luck, after moving into the village, Keiichi Maebara quickly bonds with his friends Rena, Mion, Satoko, and Rika. However, at the moment of preparation for the village’s annual festival, Keiichi suddenly discovered something about the legends of the past, which pushed him to attempt to seek answers from his friends.

But all he ever received was an uncomforting silence, leading to paranoia and distrust as he digs deeper into the mystery. This anime builds psychological tension with time loops that will surely keep your interest along. 

Re:Zero

After being transported into another world and caught in a time loop with the ability to return back after death, Subaru Natsuki’s life takes an unexpected turn. As he continues he journey, he encounters deadly challenges and even deadlier enemies with his one goal being to help his crush, Emilia. However, shortly after their meeting, both of them are murdered, but Subaru awakens once more.

Re:Zero not only captures the theme but adds a layer of complexity and intrigue to each episode. With hints of romance in between, this will intrigue you even more for Subaru’s exploration of his fate and resilience. 

Erased

Possessing a unique ability of being able to go back is both a curse and a gift for 29-year old manga artist, Satoru Fujinuma. With the ability to time travel, his power sends him back just moments before the actual tragedy strikes, which allows him to save lives. But this also leads to the worst accusation of him murdering someone close to him.

He then once again finds himself transported back to the past, where he must be able to make things right. Erased is one of the gems in this theme and is considered by most to be one of the best anime where guy goes back in time, intertwining elements of both mystery and nostalgia that could reshape your standard for time travel stories.

Zipang

Everything falls into a mysterious chaos, when a modern battlecruiser, Mirai, was suddenly transported back into World War II’s Battle of Midway. This follows the blowing story of Commander Kadomatsu, together with his crew, as they find themselves back during the historical event when Kadomatsu rescues one of the battle’s victims, Kusaka. As they intervene in crucial events in the past, sets off a chain reaction that could eventually change the course of history. 

Intriguing as it actually seems, the story embarks on questions about fate and even history that could truly impact the viewers’ perspective. This will also remind them of the balance between past and present as everything has a cause and effect.

Nobunaga Concerto

Thinking it could just be another day for him, Saburou suddenly wakes up facing one of history’s most notorious warlords. As he gets transported into that new world, instead of fighting the urge to go to school, he embraces the Sengoku Era, challenging himself as he becomes the stand-in for legendary Nobunaga Oda. With little to nothing of knowledge about the lord’s life, he tries his best to navigate Oda’s life using all the information that he can remember, and convince everyone he’s the real deal. 

Adding the bonus of comedy amidst the historical drama, it can really set you off an interesting aura and narrative, answering most of your curiosity about history while keeping yourself entertained. It might be the first time you’ll realize learning can be fun while watching anime where guy goes back in time.

Remake Our Life!

Struggling with his awful life in the industry, Kyouya Hashiba would have wished for something to get out of his miserable and boring life. And that is exactly what happened to him, as a dramatic turn of events takes place and suddenly finds himself back in time, ten years before his video game career went into the drain. Altering his future, he goes into a different university to pursue his real passion where he meets people that will join him in making the best versions of themselves. 

Remake Our Life! will seriously hook you up with the characters’ relatable experiences, making it an inspiring narrative to watch. And if you’re an adult struggling with their current situation, this series might just give you the push you need to remake your life!

Tokyo Revengers

Time could really change a person’s life—this is the ultimate realization after looking at the tragic and ridiculous present life of Takemichi Hanagaki. With no better job and him learning about his ex-girlfriend’s tragic death, he is hopeless of his life and future. Well, that was until he finds himself once again back in his middle school days, giving him the opportunity to alter the past and save his loved ones from their tragic end. 

This anime where the guy goes back in time is literally worth the hype with its well-written narrative about themes like redemption and resilience. And to prove that, it doesn’t only have one, but several seasons. It might just be one of the best time travel anime in the past couple of years.

Conclusion

Even then, stories about time travel are one of the most hyped genres and themes in anime. The flavor of its plot twists and emotional depth could truly capture the interest and emotions of the viewers, making them ask for more, and leading to the production of more such series as well. 

Each story in this list includes unique complexities of changing the past, which gives you a diverse options on what to watch first. Be ready to choose an anime that resonates with you a lot and enjoy! Also be sure to check out other anime, especially ones that involve a lot of action between demons and angels.