10 Hilarious Slapstick Comedy Anime, Ranked
Burlesque comedy is simplistic, but it is also one of the earliest forms of humor, dating as far back as William Shakespeare. Slapstick has certainly lost some of its charm over the years, but it’s still a popular form of comedy today, especially for cartoons and children’s shows.
Burlesque humor often relies on over-the-top circumstances and props, which is why it works so well in animated content where the only limit is your imagination. Classic cartoons such as Tom and Jerry and the Looney toons rely heavily on the slapstick for their humor and these cartoons have managed to stand the test of time. Like cartoons, Japanese anime also uses the medium of animation, so there are plenty of anime that use slapstick humor in their gags.
ten Pop Team Epic mixes slapstick with absurd and surreal humor
Burlesque humor is at home in this series, especially given nearly every situation in Epic pop team is strange and exaggerated. Not all of the skits in the series feature the physical type of gags the slapstick is famous for, but he still enjoys slapstick humor whenever he gets the chance. One of these sketches features the main characters of an idol concert where Popuko unceremoniously breaks a bottle on the head of one of the spectators. Suffice it to say that such action is not an idol gig standard, which makes the scene dripping with physical comedy.
9 Aho-Girl Uses Extreme Physical Humor In Her Gags
Yoshiko Hanabatake, the titular aho-girl (or “idiot girl” in English), is often struggling with the fist of another character. While her love interest Akuru Akutsu is often the one that inflicts the punishment, the other cast members don’t hesitate to give her a crush every time she says (or does) something stupid. The physical humor here is very over the top and often achieved without the use of a tool or weapon, with several scenes showing characters putting Yoshiko in the air. Aho-Girl is a must-have for aficionados of slapstick humor.
8 Bludgeoning Angel Dokuro-chan is a dark comedy that uses Slapstick to great effect
Dokuro-chanThe main gadget of the series is an overuse of blood and death, resulting in countless literal murder scenes throughout the series. The series follows the angel Dokuro, who was sent by God from the future to prevent Sakura Kusakabe from inadvertently inventing a method that grants humans immortality. Dokuro ends up falling in love with Sakura instead and decides to keep him in line rather than kill him. Ironically, Dokuro’s superhuman strength and the spiked demon club, Excalibolg, often kill Sakura anyway. But she always resuscitates him after the literal blood showers.
7 Azumanga Daioh became a classic comic anime using Slapstick
Azumanga Daioh relies heavily on absurd, surreal humor, albeit in a more down-to-earth form. Being a Slice of Life anime, it has to stick with some sort of continuity, so viewers won’t see the wacky antics of shows like Epic pop team which have much less continuity.
Nonetheless, the slapstick antics of this series make it an endearing title for longtime anime fans. Yukari’s violent temper, Sakaki’s bad luck with cats, and Chiyo’s occasional awkwardness are all fun moments that have helped this classic series stick.
6 Nichijou uses overly dramatic humor to accentuate his bizarre comedy
Nichijou is surprisingly similar to Azumanga Daioh in its plot: a slice of life that follows a group of high school girls in their daily life. Something a little different had to be done to stand out, so they decided to go over the top with the slapstick gags. There’s the moment when Yukko accidentally stabbed his thumb on the sharp side of a mechanical pencil and let out a cry of pain that pierced the sky, the times Misato pulled out an entire arsenal of weapons on his crush. Kojiro, and the time Mio knocked out every character who accidentally saw the pages of her boys’ love manga starring her classmates, to name a few.
5 Zombie Land Saga takes advantage of the living dead to pull off many physical pranks
It can be disconcerting for some to see slapstick humor along Dokuro-chan and Aho-Girl, who are incredibly violent towards living things. Zombie Land Saga has fans covered as most of the slapstick violence targets the zombies! In other words, there is less reason to feel bad since Franchouchou’s members are dead and ostensibly immortal anyway. Kotaro isn’t afraid to slap and yell at a bunch of dead girls, with great comedic effect … especially when they return that violence to him.
4 Mr. Osomatsu is a slapstick tribute to a 1960s gag manga
Originally known as Osomatsu-kun, the series follows the Matsuno sextuplets in their daily lives. The original series followed the siblings through their childhood, but the 2015 anime shows the siblings as adults. The original cast is still here, including sibling mutual crush Totoko-chan. This series draws on surreal comedy and various skits, so slapstick gags are welcome and plentiful. Much of the series focuses on each of the individual personalities of the Matsuno sextuplets and how they collide with each other.
3 KonoSuba uses slapstick antics to punish its morally bankrupt main cast
KonoSuba: God’s blessing on this wonderful world! is a fantastic parody of the isekai genre that breaks all expectations. The figure of the usually competent goddess is represented by Aqua, a completely inept and arrogant crybaby. The mighty chariot is portrayed by Darkness, an incorrigible masochist who cannot strike the wide side of a barn. The mage character is portrayed by Megumin, a powerful mage who insists on using the “Explosion” spell exclusively, even though she could learn and use a multitude of powerful spells.
And the usually fastidious and honest main character is portrayed by Kazuma, a shameless pervert who wants an easy life.
2 Asobi’s absurd comedy Asobase benefits greatly from slapstick gags
Slice of Life anime can be a bit boring for the uninitiated, so slapstick humor is always a welcome addition to these types of shows. It’s not always enough to see cute girls doing cute things every day, so why not have them play an overly violent game of Look-The-Other-Way? Or how about a completely absurd punishment game that results in a character shooting a fictional Kamehameha blast at a teacher, only to have that teacher comically hug his back while playing the game? Asobi Asobase: Workshop of pleasure can offer viewers just that, and more
1 Panty & Stocking w / Garterbelt is a one of a kind comedy that’s best dubbed
Panties and stockings is unapologetic in its approach to comedy, as nothing is off limits here, whether it’s sex jokes, morals, or full-fledged parodies. This series is heavily influenced by American culture and standards, which makes it arguably more enjoyable than an English dub. The animation of the series is both unorthodox and eye-catching, resembling something like a cross between the Powerpuff Girls and South Park. Slapstick gags feel right at home in such a cartoony art style, making the gags in them Panties and stockings incredibly effective as a result.
