10 must-watch anime for road trips

Anime and road trips are a perfect combination—many great anime feature journeying characters that inspire a sense of adventure. The captivating stories make the time fly by and add to the road trip experience.

Anime is the perfect traveling companion, with its immersive stories and visuals that transform mundane views into new dimensions. Here are 10 binge-worthy, must-watch anime for road trips to include on your next open highway getaway itinerary.

From self-reflection prompted by philosophically rich tales to the adrenaline rush from stylishly animated action, these 10 series cover all the vibes to revitalize any road trip. Their characters take inspiring journeys through stunning environments, making viewers feel like they're on epic adventures, too.

Long drives, great anime: 10 best anime for road trips

1) Laid-Back Camp

Laid-Back Camp is a cozy series that follows Rin, a high school girl passionate about solo camping. Viewers accompany Rin on her outdoor adventures across beautiful locales in Japan. It captures the joy of outdoor exploration, from camping in scenic mountains to lakeside cooking at sunset, all at a relaxing pace.

With its gentle soundtrack and endearing bits of humor, Laid-Back Camp epitomizes the spirit of meandering journeys where the goal is simply to immerse oneself in the present. Rin's independence inspires travelers to wander freely and chart their own courses through life's landscapes.

Her reverence for the little joys along the way is a reminder to notice and appreciate subtle wonders that enrich trips. As the open road stretches ahead on a long-haul road trip, its vibrant scenery and cozy camping vibe enhance the pleasure of passing vistas.

2) Samurai Champloo

This hip-hop-infused anime for road trips follows Mugen and Jin, two polar opposite samurai, on a trip across Japan's Edo period in search of the elusive "samurai who smells of sunflowers."

Its creative mix of sword-wielding action backed by a dynamic hip-hop soundtrack brings viewers' pulses up. As Mugen and Jin journey across the countryside and through various towns, their route features a string of standalone escapades with eclectic guest characters.

The variety keeps road trip viewing fresh since the audience never knows what sort of samurai-slashing adventure might unfold in the next episode. Beyond adrenaline-filled fight sequences, Samurai Champloo also packs thoughtful ruminations on purpose and freedom, giving psychological pit stops during long drives.

3) Kino's Journey

In Kino's Journey, viewers accompany the young traveler Kino and her talking motorcycle, Hermes, as they traverse a mystical world, spending only three days in every country they visit.

From nation-states rife with tradition to lawless lands rich in modern advancements, Kino learns the cultures of various civilizations while contesting the concept of what an ideal world looks like.

With thought-provoking ideas and enigmatic visuals, Kino's Journey prompts self-reflection on what truly matters most in life – perfect anime fodder for when existential questions invariably arise during long open road getaways. The series inspires making the most of every leg in life's grand adventure.

4) Cowboy Bebop

Hailed as one of the most influential series ever made, Cowboy Bebop encapsulates the restless spirit of the open road.

Set in a vibrant future reminiscent of the Wild West, the jazz-infused neo-noir series chronicles the adventures of Spike Spiegel, Jet Black, Faye Valentine, Edward, and their data dog Ein. These bounty hunters take on various jobs while traveling across the solar system aboard their Bebop spaceship.

Cowboy Bebop makes traditional road trip scenery feel exhilarating and new, from its genre-bending style to its fully realized world. The anime's Western influences suit open-road drives, while its musings on freedom and purpose offer thought-provoking pit stops.

5) Mushishi

For those enraptured by quiet transformation and natural wonder while journeying along backroads, Mushishi makes for meaningful viewing.

The supernatural series follows the mushishi Ginko, a stoic traveler studying the otherworldly Mushi – primordial beings inhabiting all phenomena. As Ginko aids those afflicted by mystical occurrences, the anime's hushed tone and stunning environments enthuse spiritual connection with one's surroundings.

Like memorizing mile markers whizzing past along a woodland highway, Mushishi prompts present-moment awareness of subtle shifts in the currents of change.

6) Great Pretender

Centered on thrilling heists and tricks, Great Pretender fuels excitement for the detours and unexpected escapades synonymous with meandering road trips.

The globe-trotting anime for road trips follows small-time con artist Makoto Edamura as he unwittingly gets wrapped up in advanced hoaxes orchestrated by the charismatic Laurent Thierry across exotic international locales like Los Angeles, Singapore, and London.

Backdropped by vibrant metropolises brimming with fast-paced action, Great Pretender ignites infectious zeal for spontaneous adventure on the open blacktop. Its storytelling and animation breathe new dimension into even the most familiar interstate drives.

7) A Place Further Than The Universe

A Place Further Than The Universe (Image via Madhouse)

A Place Further Than The Universe delivers inspiration in spades for journeying into the unknown. This emotional anime for road trips charts a group of girls who come together for different personal reasons and embark on an ambitious quest to travel from Japan to Antarctica.

While ice-capped mountain ranges stretch endlessly along the highway, this series' themes of overcoming insecurity and seizing youth wholeheartedly resonate. Vast icy vistas hold as much internal possibility for self-discovery as sweeping desert plains swelling with opportunity outside one's car window.

8) Spice and Wolf

For history buffs enamored with Old World adventure, Spice and Wolf makes for engaging viewing across state lines.

An endearing fantasy romance, the show centers on the travels of merchant Kraft Lawrence and pagan wolf deity Holo across a fictional world inspired by medieval Europe. As the countryside rolls by, Holo's playful wisdom and the anime's rich folklore inspire reflection on lost traditions.

Like discovering hidden gems beyond big city borders, Spice and Wolf's immersive period details bring renewed intrigue to glimpsing vestiges of bygone eras dotting small-town main streets.

9) Violet Evergarden

Violet Evergarden (Image via Kyoto Animation)

In a long-haul journey following years of hardship, Violet Evergarden's cathartic emotional arcs keep the gas tank full through challenging relapses.

After sustaining severe injuries in the war and losing both hands, Violet embarks on a quest to understand emotions as she navigates civilian life as an Auto Memory Doll ghostwriter for road trips in this anime.

Much like tracing state lines tinged with personal history, Violet's intimate character study teaches that no matter how many breakdowns surface along the road, deep-seated strength lies in continuing one's slow recovery stride by stride.

10) Michiko & Hatchin

Centered on an unlikely pair seeking lost family across a fictional Latin America-inspired setting, Michiko & Hatchin injects needed doses of perspective into repetitive highways, evermore outstretching towards the horizon.

After escaping from prison, the flamboyant Michiko rescues young Hatchin as they chase clues regarding Hatchin's missing father across international borders. Mirroring the ups and downs of endless offramp odysseys, the duo's infectious dynamic revives optimism for second chances.

Despite misfortunes lurking behind the next hairpin turn, they find ways to move forward.

Conclusion

For transforming mundane views into philosophical vistas, summoning old-soul excitement, or finding inspiration that reminds us life’s a daring adventure, these 10 anime for road trips rev up the spirit, no matter which direction the wheels drift.

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Edited by Toshali Kritika