Anime Glossary: 40 Terms Every Fan Should Know
New to anime and confused by words like shonen, isekai, OVA or filler? Here is every term you'll keep running into, explained in plain English with shows you can look up. Ready to start watching? See our best anime to watch picks.
Audience & Demographics
- Shonen
- Anime and manga aimed at teenage boys. Expect action, rivalries, training arcs and themes of friendship and perseverance. Shonen describes the target audience, not the genre, so plenty of adults and girls watch it too.Examples: One Piece, Naruto, Jujutsu Kaisen
- Shojo
- Aimed at teenage girls. Usually centred on relationships, emotions and personal growth, often with a romance at its heart.Examples: Fruits Basket, Sailor Moon
- Seinen
- Aimed at adult men. Tends to be darker, slower or more complex, with mature themes and morally grey characters.Examples: Vinland Saga, Berserk, Monster
- Josei
- Aimed at adult women. Realistic stories about work, relationships and adult life.Examples: Nana, Chihayafuru
- Kodomomuke
- Anime made for young children: simple, upbeat and educational.Examples: Doraemon, Anpanman
Genres & Story Types
- Isekai
- "Another world". The hero is transported, reborn or summoned into a different world, often one that works like a fantasy video game.Examples: Re:Zero, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime
- Mecha
- Stories built around giant robots, usually piloted by people.Examples: Neon Genesis Evangelion, Gundam
- Slice of Life
- Gentle stories about everyday life with little or no big plot. The appeal is the characters and the mood.Examples: Yuru Camp, K-On!
- Iyashikei
- "Healing" anime: a calm, comforting subgenre of slice of life designed to relax the viewer.Examples: Natsume's Book of Friends, Aria
- Mahou Shoujo
- "Magical girl". Girls who transform to gain magical powers, often to fight evil. Some modern entries deconstruct the genre darkly.Examples: Cardcaptor Sakura, Madoka Magica
- Harem
- One main character surrounded by several love interests. A reverse harem flips this: one woman, several male suitors.Examples: The Quintessential Quintuplets
- Sports anime
- Stories following athletes or teams through training and tournaments, heavy on teamwork and growth.Examples: Haikyu!!, Blue Lock
- Ecchi
- Anime with sexual humour and fan service, short of explicit content.Examples: High School DxD
Formats & Releases
- TV series
- The standard format: episodes of about 24 minutes airing weekly on Japanese TV. A cour is usually 12–13 episodes.
- Cour
- A three-month broadcast block, roughly 12–13 episodes. A "2-cour" anime runs about 24–26 episodes across six months.
- OVA
- Original Video Animation: episodes released straight to home video instead of TV. Often side stories or extra episodes.Examples: Hellsing Ultimate
- ONA
- Original Net Animation: made to premiere online, typically on a streaming service or YouTube.Examples: Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
- Movie
- A theatrical film. Some are standalone stories; others continue or retell a TV series.Examples: Your Name, Demon Slayer: Mugen Train
- Special
- A one-off extra episode, such as a recap, a holiday episode or a short comedy segment.
- Simulcast
- An episode streamed abroad with subtitles within hours of its Japanese broadcast.
- Seasonal anime
- Anime premieres in four seasons each year: Winter (January), Spring (April), Summer (July) and Fall (October).
Watching & Story Terms
- Sub
- The original Japanese audio with translated subtitles.
- Dub
- A version with the voices re-recorded in another language, such as English.
- Filler
- Episodes not adapted from the source manga, usually made so a long-running anime doesn't catch up to the manga. They can often be skipped.Examples: Large parts of Naruto and Bleach
- Canon
- Events that officially happen in the story, as opposed to filler or fan theories.
- Arc
- A self-contained chunk of story within a longer series, like the Marineford Arc in One Piece.
- Adaptation
- An anime based on existing material: a manga, light novel, video game or web novel. An anime-original has no source material.
- Light novel
- Short Japanese novels with manga-style illustrations. Many isekai and fantasy anime are adapted from them.
- OP / ED
- The opening and ending theme songs with their animated sequences. Many fans rate them as highly as the show.
- Watch order
- The recommended order for a franchise with several seasons, movies and spin-offs. It's usually release order, but not always.
Production & Fandom
- Seiyuu
- A Japanese voice actor. Popular seiyuu have big fan followings, and many are singers too.
- Sakuga
- A scene with exceptionally high-quality animation, usually a fight or emotional climax where the animators go all out.
- Studio
- The company that animates an anime, such as MAPPA, ufotable, Kyoto Animation or Studio Ghibli. Fans often follow studios as well as stories.
- Otaku
- A devoted fan of anime, manga or games. In Japan it can carry a negative tone; abroad, fans often use it proudly.
- Weeb
- Internet slang for a non-Japanese person obsessed with Japanese culture. Used both as an insult and as a self-aware joke.
- Waifu / Husbando
- A fictional character a fan jokingly calls their wife or husband: their favourite character in a romantic sense.
- Tsundere
- A character who acts cold or hostile but is secretly caring, especially towards the one they like.Examples: Taiga in Toradora!
- Yandere
- A character whose love turns obsessive and dangerous.Examples: Yuno Gasai in Future Diary
- Kuudere
- A calm, emotionless-seeming character who slowly reveals warmth.Examples: Rei Ayanami in Evangelion
- Senpai / Kouhai
- Senior and junior at school or work. "Notice me, senpai" became a meme about wanting a senior's attention.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between anime and manga?
Manga are Japanese comics, read on paper or online. Anime is Japanese animation for TV, streaming or cinema. Many anime are adapted from manga, so the same story often exists in both forms.
What does shonen mean in anime?
Shonen means anime or manga aimed at teenage boys, usually action-heavy stories about friendship, rivalry and getting stronger, like One Piece or Jujutsu Kaisen. It describes the audience, not a genre.
What does isekai mean?
Isekai means "another world". The main character is transported or reborn into a different world, often a fantasy one with game-like rules, as in Re:Zero or That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime.
Should I watch anime subbed or dubbed?
Both are fine. Subs keep the original Japanese performances and arrive first; dubs let you watch without reading. Try an episode of each and keep whichever you enjoy more.
Can I skip filler episodes?
Usually yes. Filler isn't part of the source story, so skipping it won't make you miss the main plot. Check a filler list for long series like Naruto, Bleach or One Piece.
Know the lingo now? Browse what's airing this season, check the airing schedule, or let us pick a random anime for you.