The Christmas season is here along with some well-deserved free time that you can spend streaming Christmas-themed anime series. It is the perfect time to cozy up with a blanket and a steaming cup of hot chocolate to watch some heart-warming anime. So here is a list of the best Christmas anime shows and movies centered around Xmas, New Year, love, and warmth.
Table of Contents
5. The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya (2010 Movie)
The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya is the sequel to The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya anime. The story takes place in December as the group of protagonists make plans to have a get-together nabe party on Christmas. Unfortunately, things go south as Kyon finds out that the nature of his reality has changed.
Despite being a mystery anime film, it is an apt watch for the holidays due to the details provided to the audience to figure it out themselves. The storyline of the musical course, everything is on point and you will remain engaged throughout the mystery. The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya also portrays winters in all its muted and dreary glory, with Kyon describing it as:
December 16. It was a morning so cold, it felt like if you were to hit the earth with an ice pick, it would break into nice clean chunks. – Kyon (The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya)
4. Yuri!!! on Ice (2016 Anime: 12 Episodes + 1 OVA)
Yuri!!! on Ice is not just a Christmas anime, but rather an all-season series. It is a sports anime about competitive figure skating. After a crushing defeat, Yuri puts his figure skating career on hold, only for the Russian figure skating champion Victor to crash into his life and offer to be his coach.
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It is one of MAPPA’s earlier works and one that received several awards. While the anime portrays the sports realistically, it also sneaks in wholesome moments between Victor and Yuri as they fall for each other. The anime does have a Christmas episode in which the duo confronts each other about their relationship status. Overall, it’s an anime you can’t miss, whether you are a fujoshi or not. Yuri tries his best to not give up, and even cheers himself up by saying:
You are the femme fatale of the pork cutlet bowl. -Yuri (Yuri!!! on Ice)
3. Saint Young Men (2013 Movie)
What better way to spend the Christmas holidays than to watch Jesus come alive on your screen? Saint Young Men portrays Jesus Christ and Gautama Buddha, the founders of Christianity and Buddhism taking a vacation on Earth. They choose to live as roommates in Tokyo, while spending their days doing sightseeing, understanding modern Japanese society, drinking, gaming, and much more.
The highlight of the film is its slow slice-of-life nature and the plenty of gags that reference the two religions. Rather than mocking the religions, the anime goes for a funny approach without taking anything too seriously. Buddha and Jesus bicker with each other like normal roommates and they get used to human amenities, with Jesus commenting:
I can’t give up delicious food and a decent internet connection! -Jesus Christ (Saint Young Men)
2. Buddy Daddies (2023 Anime – 12 Episodes)
Buddy Daddies begins and ends with Christmas. In fact, it is on Christmas Eve that two assassin roommates, Kzuki and Rei, kill a smuggler, only to find out they are now stuck with his daughter. The story deals with the duo’s struggle with balancing their work life with a kid who has sprung out of nowhere.
With a perfect balance of action, comedy, drama, and a cute yet annoying kid, Buddy Daddies is a perfect holiday watch. The two crooks lack parental figures in their own life, which makes raising Miri on their own an additional struggle. While the anime will make you approach it for its wholesomeness, you are bound to get captivated by the action scenes on the way. Buddy Daddies offers a realistic approach with dialogues like:
I can’t have a cat, but you can have a kid? -Rei (Buddy Daddies)
1. Tokyo Godfathers (2003 Movie)
Tokyo Godfathers is the perfect movie to make you believe in Christmas miracles and that kindness still exists in humans. It usually makes every Christmas anime list and rightfully so. From the maker of mind-benders like Paprika and Perfect Blue; Satoshi Kon, Tokyo Godfathers chooses to concentrate on a wholesome story with an oddball trio.
The protagonists of the story are Miyuki, a teenage runaway, Hana, transgender woman, and Gin, an alcoholic gambler. The story takes place on Christmas Eve when the homeless trio finds an abandoned baby in the garbage and decides to find her parents against all odds. This ragtag group of heroes faces several obstacles and Christmas miracles, but at the end of the day, they will make you feel warm and fuzzy all over your body. Of course, the story also has iconic lines like:
Hey, wait a minute. We’re homeless bums, not action-movie heroes. -Gin (Tokyo Godfathers)
Did we miss any? Let us know on X.
