The Top 13 Anime Set In Fukuoka (City and Prefecture)

Fukuoka is the sixth largest city in Japan and is the capital city of the Fukuoka prefecture. It is placed along the shore of Hakata Bay in southern Japan and this is the reason why this particular area is specialized in commerce.

It has been considered sort of a gateway to the country and Fukuoka has developed a very recognizable dialect called the Hakata-ben, a Japanese dialect.

This article will list some of the best anime set in the Fukuoka area, so we will be referring to both the city and the Prefecture.

We ranked anime according to our opinions and knowledge.

13. Hakata Mentai! Pirikarako-chan

The anime from 2019 is a series of short episodes primarily aimed at kids.

It revolves around Pirikarako-chan, a little fairy busy in her daily adventures. She tries every time to solve problems for her fairy friends living in other commercial areas of the town.

It is set in a fictional shopping center in Fukuoka and it is a cute light animated series that you should watch if you want to relax.

12. Namiuchigiwa no Muromi-san

In Namiuchigiwa no Muromi-san the main character is Muromi, a mermaid speaking in Hakata-ben. This gives the character an edge because she is speaking the language that originated in the commercial district of Fukuoka.

She gets suddenly caught by Takurou Mukoujima, a high school student enrolled in the fishing club. This will create many comic and borderline situations.

This makes it a decent anime to watch if you are looking for something short and sweet, given also its short duration of only 13 episodes.

11. Heaven’s Lost Property

Heaven’s Lost Property blends ecchi and comedy with supernatural and Sci-Fi with some unexpected character development.

The main character Tomoki Sakurai often dreams of an angel and his wish will be granted once a mysterious being falls from the sky. It’s no one else than a female angel, called Ikaros, who will treat Tomoki as her master.

The New World Discovery Club, formed by the protagonist and his friends, will investigate the mysteries of this New World infested with Angeloids.

The author Suu Minazuki takes a lot of inspiration from the place he was born and raised for the setting of the show, the city of Asakura in the Fukuoka Prefecture.

You can easily figure out that the author has extensive knowledge of the setting because it is portrayed in detail his hometown with a very light vibe.

10. Ai Yori Aoshi

This anime premiered in the Spring of 2002 and tells the story of Kaoru Hanabishi, a student who is set to take over his father’s business.

Karou had both of his parents die and this took quite a toll on his mind so he exiled himself.

There was still someone who cared about him, his betrothed fiancee called Aoi. The marriage between the two was already arranged but it was called off when Karou disappeared.

She will track him down and the two will meet again in Fukuoka, where Karou fled to avoid his past life.

During the run of this show, the viewer can enjoy the natural landscape of the Fukuoka area. The well made animations can effectively portray the peaceful setting where this anime takes place.

9. Sentimental Journey

This anime stems from Sentimental Graffiti, a dating simulator that came out in the late ’90s for PlayStation 1 and Sega Saturn.

Sentimental Journey premiered in 1998 as an anthology collection of 12 episodes, each of them starring a different main character.

Some of the stories took place in Fukuoka and were focused on the first love experience of the protagonist. There are light references to the area but this show is more about the characters and their struggles to find love.

8. Pet Girl Sakurasou

Pet Girl Sakurasou is a 24-episode sentimental school comedy released in 2012.

It follows the events of a high school sophomore student called Sorata Kanda who lives at Sakurasou, a boys’ dormitory within the school he attends.

One day Mashiro Shina, a beautiful girl and a brilliant artist, who hides an awkward, closed and reserved side, moves into the same institution.

She is capable of brilliance in her art but she also displays difficulties in performing the most basic daily tasks.

Sorata ends up taking care of Mashiro. The two will develop a strong relationship and learn a lot from each other.

Pet Girl Sakurasou is not really set in Fukuoka but the town is featured in the anime sometimes.

For example, halfway through the show, Sorata and his friends will visit the main character’s hometown during the winter break and spend the holidays in Fukuoka.

At the end of the episode, the whole family is seen greeting the new year with the Fukuoka skyline in the background, in a powerful but yet adorable scene

7. Yuyushiki

This slice-of-life anime premiered in 2013 and is a very light and funny show that you’re going to enjoy if you just want to relax and laugh a little.

The plot revolves around three high school girls with very different attitudes. They join their school’s Data Processing Club but the plot is mostly focused on them and their relationship with each other.

This creates the perfect premise for a show with a weird and wacky sense of humor set in Fukuoka.

Although the setting definitely takes a back seat during this show, you can really appreciate how simple life could be in a random little town in Fukuoka Prefecture.

6. Sketchbook: Full Color’s

Sketchbook: Full Color’s premiered in the Fall of 2007 and tells the story of Sora Kajiwara, a girl with a passion for drawing, especially cats.

She is a very shy character but despite that, she summons the courage to enroll in her school’s art club. There she will meet other like-minded girls who share her affection for capturing things with pencil and paper.

Sora will grow and manage to put herself out there while continuing to draw everything she sets her eye on.It is never mentioned explicitly but the series takes place in Shime, Fukuoka. This is a little town famous for its natural landscapes, which is perfect for our main character Sora.

5. AIR

AIR is a franchise spawned from a videogame developed by Key and initially released on Windows as an adult game. Following the game’s successful release, AIR made the transition into other media like manga, movies, and a 15-episode anime that premiered in 2005.

The plot follows Yukito Kunisaki in his quest to find the Winged Maiden, a mysterious character who was supposed to come back centuries ago, according to a tale his mother told him as a kid.

He meets a girl named Misuzu, who invites him to stay with her in the peaceful town of Fukuoka. The viewer is forced to ask himself if the friendship with Misuzu and this quiet lifestyle will distract Yukito from his final goal.

During the course of the show, you can appreciate many sides of Fukuoka, from the commercial district to the peaceful natural setting with its immense fields.

4. Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens

This anime from 2018 revolves around the two main characters. The first is Zenji Banba, a detective who is keeping an eye on the hitmen in the area. The second is Xianming Lin a cross-dressing male hitman who struggles with being paid for his tasks.

One day the employer of Xianming Lin gives him the task to kill Zenji Banba. The killer breaks into Zenji’s house but once they face each other Xiaming offers him to work together.

This is the premise of a show that explores the underground of Fukuoka and what goes on behind its reputation as a peaceful little town.

The city is shown in great detail and many landmarks like the Hakozaki neighborhood and the Fukuoka Tower appear many times.

3. Excel Saga

Excel Saga is a show from 1999 and gets its name from the protagonist. Excel is a girl who joins the organization called ACROSS because she is obsessed with its founder, Lord Il Palazzo.

This is a classic exaggerated show from the late ’90s, where even the names of the characters are inspired by locations in Fukuoka. The name of the protagonist, for example, is taken from the Hakata Excel Hotel, a 4 stars hotel in the center of town.

The plot revolves around Il Palazzo, an enigmatic figure wants to take over the world but he figures that it is better to start from the small city of Fukuoka, called the ‘F City’, where ACROSS is based.

Il Palazzo sends his agents, like our main character, to accomplish missions for him in his quest to rule the world.

The result is a weird and quirky anime where Excel is an over-the-top protagonist who steals every scene she’s in along with her partner Hyatt and the dog Menchi, who they have deemed to be their emergency food supply.

2. Ghost Hound

Ghost Hound is an anime released between 2007 and 2008 consisting of 22 episodes.

It takes place in Fukuoka, in the small town of Suiten, where paranormal phenomena take place due to the encounter between the real world and the spirit world.

These events are mostly perceived by Taro, Makoto, and Masayuki, three boys who had traumatic experiences in their childhood.

Although no other human can do so, these three students will repeatedly succeed in entering the spirit world, thus having a way to come to terms with their traumas and solve the mystery of the increasingly deserted city.

During the show, you can hear the characters using a peculiar Japanese accent, typical of Suiten. This gives the show a very grounded vibe because many people can recognize that accent and instantly connect it to that part of Japan.

This anime is a thriller, at times horror, focused on psychology and psychoanalysis, through scientific, pseudo-scientific, and religious themes.

1. Ghost in the Shell

Based on the manga by Masamune Shirow, Ghost in the Shell is the apotheosis of the thriller genre, examining themes like existentialism and the breakdown of the self.

It’s 2029 and the world is almost completely automated. Much of the population consists of individuals who have cybernetic grafts that can enhance their senses and faculties. Coupled with this, it’s possible to find completely artificial people, cyborgs.

One of these is Motoko Kusanagi, and she is part of Section 9 of the police. It will be up to her to solve the case concerning a particular terrorist called the Puppeteer, who operates through cyborgs themselves.

Ghost in the Shell is set in a dystopian world after WWIII, where Tokyo has been wiped out by nuclear bombardments and the Japanese government has been transferred to Fukuoka.

The layout of the town is reimagined but the viewer can clearly see many landmarks like the Fukuoka Dome and the Fukuoka Tower.