The 22 Anime With a Sea, Ocean or Underwater Setting

Marine settings are beautiful, the wide variety of fauna and colors can make the most boring show entertaining.

Anime do a great job at representing sea, ocean, or even underwater scenes, as Japanese people have a very close tie to water. Most of what is listed here mention mermaids or other mythological creatures but also ships and fleets, artificial elements of the sea.

The shows in this list are ranked according to our personal preferences and have marine settings to some extent.

22. Azur Lane the Animation

A 12-episode anime based on the famous Chinese mobile video game of the same name.

The Azur Lane is a combination of all the different armies of the world, known for their success in repelling the underwater threat of the Sirens.

But a new threat income posed by the Red Axis, former allies who yearn to use the Sirens’ otherworldly technology for their evil purposes.

A war-centered anime with many fantasy and ecchi elements. Although you may have already guessed it, don’t expect great things, if not tons of fanservice.

21. Blue Submarine No. 6

Blue Submarine No. 6, a 4-episode OAV series, was released in 1998.

Water levels have risen so high as to submerge some major cities, and navigation in the seas and coastal cities are threatened by a new race of humanoids. They look like fishes and it will be up to Blue Submarine No. 6 to stop them.

War, science fiction, lots of action, and aquatic environments with a touch of vintage come together in this nice series.

20. High School Fleet

In an alternative world to our own, Japan now draws all its resources from the sea. Therefore, it’s necessary to train people to protect and safeguard it.

This is the case in girls’ schools in which the students become Blue Mermaids, young women who commit their entire lives to the care of the sea and its indiscriminate protection.

A very interesting hypothetical scenario with realistic and excellently realized underwater settings. This is the ideal show if you love moe and kawaii characters.

19. Umi Monogatari

Anime with a beautiful and very characteristic Japanese summer mixed with underwater settings and a touch of magic.

Marin, a girl living at the bottom of the ocean, accidentally finds a ring from the sky world, also known as the Earth. She then decides to venture there to return the precious object to the legitimate owner(s).

But something will go wrong, and a threat will be awakened from its slumber. The main issue with this show is that it combines a lot of different elements like drama and fantasy, but fails to produce top entertainment.

Recommended if you like vibrant colors and mermaids.

18. Namiuchigiwa no Muromi-san

In Namiuchigiwa no Muromi-san we see Muromi, a mermaid speaking in dialect, who is suddenly caught by Takurou Mukoujima, a high school student enrolled in the fishing club.

This will create many comic situations bordering on the demented.

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.

17. KanColle: Kantai Collection

Kantai Collection is super famous due to its enormous franchise and being present with almost every possible media, including CDs and videogames.

Mankind has lost control of the oceans due to the sudden appearance from the deep sea of mysterious and powerful enemies called the Abyssals.

The only forces capable of opposing the enemy are those of the Kan-Musume, girls who can turn into ships. These anthropomorphic weapons can use the strength of the famous ships of the past to fight evil and save the planet.

Since it’s an adaptation of the videogame, consider it a mediocre introduction to KanColle since many characters aren’t properly introduced. Still, it’s a way of getting to know the series.

16. Amanchu

Amanchu! chronicles the birth and development of the friendship between Hikari Kohinata and Futaba Ooki. These two girls are polar opposites character-wise but share a great passion for scuba diving.

A peculiar slice of life given the underwater setting but beautifully narrated, where between dives we will see friendship and love grow for the two protagonists.

15. Squid Girl

Pure comedy from 2010 that nevertheless hides a message in strong social criticism.

The story revolves around Ika Musume, a squid girl who dwells in the depths of the ocean. Due to man’s utter disrespect, pollution of the seas is now out of control.

For this reason, Ika decides to seek a way to repay mankind in the same coin.

A comic plot that hides a criticism against pollution, a practice that is slowly destroying our world.

14. Arpeggio of Blue Steel Ars Nova

Very interesting series that combines an aquatic setting with the theme of war aimed at possession of the sea with light Sci-Fi touches.

Suddenly Fleets of Fog, warships equipped with super-weapons, have appeared in every corner of the globe. Humanity, unable to defend itself, was crushed and lost dominion over the seas, consequently the ability to travel by water. Not until mankind’s revenge.

If you are a fan of anime about war, this is definitely the best choice on the list.

13. My Bride is a Mermaid

Comedy and ecchi series dating back to 2007 with 26 episodes.

Nagasumi can finally enjoy his summer vacation by traveling with his parents to his grandmother’s house, which lives a stone’s throw from the sea. But just as he’s swimming, the boy is caught in a leg cramp and is in danger of drowning.

Fortunately for him, he will be saved by none other than a beautiful mermaid. The law of the sea, however, provides a death sentence for mermaids who reveal their nature to a human. The only solution? Getting married.

Healthy laughter, ecchi moments, and a beautiful, very summery aquatic setting.

12. Mermaid Melody

One of the most distinguished names in the Majokko genre, dating back to the 2000s.

Two girls, Nikora and Lucia, run a public bathhouse. They are actually not just girls, but two beautiful mermaids tasked with saving the sea from a threat.

Maho Shojo and underwater settings come together excellently in this anime, where we will also see slice-of-life moments where love will be born for the protagonists.

11. Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet

The story of Garagantia on the Verdurous Planet is set in the distant future where the human race is engaged in battle against menacing beings called Hidiaasu. During one of the clashes, young Lt. Red is shot down and ends up in a space-time distortion.

Awakening from a state of hibernation, he finds himself on Earth at the edge of the galaxy, a planet now largely covered by the water where the population lives on giant ships fishing their resources from the seabed.

This show is a typical example of an anime that starts great and ends up taking a lot of wrong turns.

10. Nadia: Secret of Blue Water

The series tells the story of young Jean, a brilliant inventor who travels to Paris in 1889 for the Great World’s Fair to present his model of an airplane.

Here Jean meets young Nadia, an orphan girl who wears a mysterious blue jewel around her neck.

The origin of the stone and the girl herself are unknown, but the mystery attracts more than one shady figure interested in getting his hands on the pendant.

Jean will find herself launched into a daring aerial flight with her new friend, discovering evocative fantastical settings.

The sea setting will be very much present despite the expectations, but it will be very much present, with real subterranean settings related to the truth about Nadia’s stone.

9. Nanatsu no Umi no Tico

A movie with strong emotional moments, which also serves as a small documentary from which one can learn notions about the aquatic world.

Nanami is a young girl who travels by boat with her father Scott, a famous scientist, in search of the legendary Light Whale to study it.

However, the two explorers will have to deal with a ‘criminal association hunting the cetacean to extract a subastance from its bones to use for war purposes.

A simple plot as seen in this style but effective, with emotionally rich scenes.

8. Lu Over The Wall

A 2017 original movie, which as usual features outstanding and out-of-the-ordinary animation, thanks to director Masaaki Yuasa. The genres are comedy and slice of life, but we will see a touch of fantasy elements.

The film’s story centers on Kai, a sad-tempered middle school student whose life changes after meeting Lu, a little mermaid.

A very introspective and emotional movie, that is unfortunately not the best example of why Yuasa is a great director. Lu Over The Wall is nonetheless a great family show suitable for children and anyone that wants to approach anime.

7. Tsuritama

An anime with very interesting and memorable direction, character design, and animation style.

The story is set on Enoshima Island in the Shounan area, south of Tokyo, and follows the events of four young people in their daily lives. Can you imagine saving the world with fishing?

That’s what Tsuritama is all about! This underrated gem is just 13 episodes long and won’t disappoint you.

This slice-of-life anime combines sports and science fiction masterfully while using the friendship trope in a credible way.

6. Aria the Animation

A 2005 anime that is not very well known, but very worth watching mainly for its atmosphere.

The story of Aria is set on an alternate planet Mars in 2031, now terraformed and covered with water due to melting glaciers, thus ending up being renamed planet Aqua.

Here stands Neo-Venice, an imitation of the Italian city aimed at making the planet habitable and touristic.

This is where the protagonist Akari, a young, cheerful and sunny girl who can make all the people around her happy, will move to. A light and entertaining anime with relaxed and calm tones, suitable for noncommittal viewing.

5. Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea

Film produced by Studio Ghibli aimed primarily at children released in 2008. Don’t be put off by the target audience, it’s a good movie even if you are an adult.

The main character is Sosuke, a five-year-old boy who lives on top of a cliff with his mother.

One fine day Sosuke escapes his mother and runs to play on the beach, where he finds a strange goldfish. He decides to take it with him, but that little fish hides much more than it seems.

A film with breathtaking aquatic settings, rendered to the fullest by Ghibli’s always stunning animations.

4. Nagi No Asukara

If you’ve ever wondered what a hypothetical world might be like where mankind has colonized the sea, living in it, then this anime has the answer for you.

Nagi no Asukara, an anime released between 2013 and 2014, is based on just such a premise.

We follow the vicissitudes of four fourteen-year-old boys from the submarine village Shioshishio. After their underwater school closes due to the depopulation of the seas, they find themselves having to attend Mihama Middle School on the surface, where they will meet a boy named Tsumugu Kihara.

But life on land is completely new to them, and they have yet to discover customs and manners.

An anime that makes originality and the strangeness and beauty of the marine and non-marine environments in which it’s set its strong point, with a soundtrack and graphic style certainly up to the mark.

3. Ride Your Wave

Ride your Wave is a 2019 original movie with spectacular animations and breathtaking aquatic settings that would make anyone want to go to the beach.

To attend college, Hinako moves to Chiba, her hometown. She loves surfing and, when she is in the waves, all her fears disappear.

One summer night, smuggled fireworks end up hitting and setting fire to the apartment complex where she lives, and as the fire ravages the building, Hinako is rescued by young firefighter Minato.

Between the crazed fireworks and the flames, a love affair strikes, and under the guise of surfing lessons, the two spend more and more time together. If you are a romantic and love aquatic settings, see it now.

2. Grand Blue

Iori Kitahara is moving to the Izu Peninsula to prepare to attend college and start a new life. She will live with her uncle, who owns a store that deals in diving equipment called Grand Blue.

Although he has to concentrate on his college study, Iori will be constantly distracted by Shinji and Ryujiro, the two senpai at the university who drag Iori into their circle of friends.

Iori is inundated with a lot of booze and parties that will keep him perpetually busy by not letting him concentrate on studying. One of their activities will be scuba diving, giving us the aquatic setting.

A hilarious anime with a lot of adult comedy and dirty jokes that turn out to be one of the best choices if you are looking for laughter.

1. One Piece

Who doesn’t know One Piece, the colossus of battle shonen? We are talking about no less than the best-selling manga ever.

This masterpiece is not even finished and we have already seen a lot of islands, water sceneries, and unique places. One of these is the stunning underwater setting of Fish-Man Island, where the very first saga after the time-skip is set.

If you have not yet started watching or reading One Piece, now it’s the time to do so, as we are approaching towards the end of the series.