Masaaki Yuasa—anime creator who turns the dial on creativity up to eleven and then breaks the knob off. This man has transformed animation into an uncharted playground, where imagination runs riot and “too weird” just doesn’t exist.
After years of pushing the envelope at studios like Madhouse and Tatsunoko Production, Yuasa decided to play by his own rules and co-founded Science SARU. It became a place where he could let his freak flag fly—until 2020, when he finally took a breather after a seven-year creative spree.
So, why should Yuasa’s work be at the top of your binge-watch queue? Simple. It’s like falling in love with anime all over again. I mean, I got so used to the recycled tropes and predictable plots, that I almost forgot what it felt like to be genuinely surprised. Then I watched The Tatami Galaxy, and I was on a Yuasa binge faster than you can say “mind-blown.” His work is a reminder that anime can be boundless and breathtaking.
So here is my selection of his best anime, starting with his debut, because you know how they say—the best place to start is at the beginning. Let’s go.
1. Mind Game
Film | 1hr 43min
Starting your binge with Yuasa’s gonzo debut is a no-brainer. It’s about a lovesick loser who gets shot in the butt, meets God, and ends up on a psychedelic quest. The story doesn’t follow any kind of human logic, and Yuasa goes nuts with the animation too. From stick figures to live-action bits, nothing is off limits. Your eyes won’t know what hit ’em.
SEE ALSO: Ranking the Weirdest Anime I’ve Ever Seen
2. The Tatami Galaxy
1 season | 11 episodes
Adapted from Tomihiko Morimi’s novel, this one follows a doofus trying (and failing) to ace college life in a trippy time loop. Yuasa is laser focused on the narrative structure, toning down the visual craziness for a smoother aesthetic. See that, skeptics? He can blend story and style in a more cohesive way. It’s smart, it’s darkly funny, and it’s Yuasa at the top of his game.
3. Ping Pong the Animation
1 season | 11 episodes
A sports anime? From Yuasa? I know it sounds off-brand, but Yuasa knocks it out of the park with the adaptation of Taiyō Matsumoto manga. The art style is raw and sketchy, almost like it’s unfinished. But once you get past the visual shock, you’ll see this for what it is—a masterstroke that captures the essence of motion and emotion.
SEE ALSO: Best Seinen Anime: Ping Pong the Animation & More
4. Kaiba
1 season | 12 episodes
Yuasa goes sci-fi with a universe where memories can be transferred and bodies swapped. The series looks like it could’ve been made for kids, with deceptively simple, almost Tezuka-esque characters. But then it smacks ya with themes of love, loss and humanity, leaving you a little too soggy around the eyes. Deeply philosophical, beautifully sad and wildly imaginative.
SEE ALSO: 10 Sci-fi Anime You’ll Binge in No Time
5. Kemonozume
1 season | 13 episodes
A romance with monster hunters and flesh-eating monsters? Only Yuasa could make this work without it turning into a trashy YA fantasy. The art style in Kemonozume looks like it was carved with knives and painted with blood—fugly, raw, and absolutely perfect for the messed-up, NSFW story it tells. You won’t find a romance more twisted than this.
6. Devilman Crybaby
1 season | 10 episodes
This is Yuasa with the gloves off, taking on Go Nagai’s classic and making it his own. It’s an apocalyptic rave of debauchery, violence, and existential dread, animated in a way that’s as fluid and mesmerizing as a lava lamp from hell. It’s not the first time that Yuasa is telling a story that’s as beautiful as it is horrific, but this time, he’s not holding back. At all. Hard R.
SEE ALSO: 10 Horror Anime Series That Are Actually Good
7. Lu Over the Wall
Film | 1hr 51min
Alright, we’re taking a breather from the intense. Yuasa goes full Miyazaki here and dials back the insanity for a family-friendly adventure with mermaids and boppy music. The animation is vibrant, bursting with color and energy, showing that Yuasa has *range*. Wholesome, heartwarming, and with just enough oddball charm to remind you who’s at the helm.
8. Ride Your Wave
Film | 1hr 35min
Yuasa-san has touched on themes of loss and moving on before Ride Your Wave, but never quite like this *tiny heart flutter*. It’s a story about surfing and love beyond death, with water visuals so beautifully rendered, they’ll make you want to reach out and touch the waves. It’s Yuasa at his most accessible, yet it never feels like he’s compromised his vision.
SEE ALSO: So You Want to Cry? No Problem, These 20 Anime Will Do the Trick
9. Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!
1 season | 12 episodes
The adaptation of Sumito Ōwara’s manga is a love letter to animation from someone who’s clearly smitten with every aspect of it. Yuasa gives us a behind-the-scenes look at the creative process, and all the blood, sweat, and tears that go into making anime. The art is a meta-commentary on itself—a delightful mix of sketchy characters and imaginative worlds.
10. Night Is Short, Walk On Girl
Film | 1hr 32min
This film is a booze-soaked adventure through one night in Kyoto. It’s Yuasa doing what he does best: blending the surreal with the deeply human. Coming after The Tatami Galaxy, it feels like a spiritual continuation, but with a focus on the joys and sorrows of adulthood. The only flaw? The night ends too soon.
11. Honorable Mentions: Cat Soup & Happy Machine
Even though Yuasa didn’t helm Cat Soup—Tatsuo Satō did—he let his creativity loose on the storyboard and script, crafting a bizarre and dark story about a cat on a mission in the afterlife. Then there’s Happy Machine, a piece of Studio 4°C’s anthology Genius Party, where reality gets a hard reset from a baby’s POV, exploring a world that’s anything but ordinary.
And that wraps up my list of best Masaaki Yuasa anime. I skipped the nitpicking to straight-up give you the why-to-watch. True, not every entry is flawless—sometimes the story plays second fiddle to the visuals, or the pacing might feel off. But, Yuasa’s works are always worth your time—thrilling, slightly intimidating, and 100% memorable. Even when he stumbles, this legend stumbles like a champ.