10 Anime That Break The 4th Wall All The Time

A lot of humor can be derived from the anime characters realizing that they are anime characters who star in a series and try to interact with the audience. This phenomenon is called the 4th wall breaking, and a lot of anime shows, especially gag ones, use it to make the viewers giggle. Some do it in a pretty subtle way; others slam into the 4th wall with a bulldozer, not leaving a single brick (and trampling over common sense in the process, too).

We've got a list of shows that have humorous moments based on this concept.

Gintama

The fourth wall is practically nonexistent in this series. Quite often the characters are delving deep into the process of how the anime is created, are pitying the animators that were forced to work on the show, and mock them for using still frames with voice-overs in order to meet the deadlines and save the budgets. Gintama loves to laugh at itself and its production, despite following a story of a war veteran who got surrounded by a very diverse cast of characters and who changed so many lives — and got his life changed, too. It never stops characters from riling each other — and their creators — up.

The Disastrous Life of Saiki K (Saiki Kusuo no Ψ-nan)

The psychic Saiki Kusuo can change reality with his abilities, and he fully understands that his reality is one of the animated series. This creates a lot of hilarious situations, which become even funnier in Saiki's deadpan presentation.

Joshiraku

This show that follows the stories of five rakugoka — rakugo storyteller girls — breaks the fourth wall on a daily basis. The characters are very much aware of how much work is put into animating them and how gruesome the situation in the animation industry is, and they also talk to their audience (either in the theater or in front of the screen) about their daily lives. The discussions sometimes turn into very unexpected directions, which makes it even more entertaining.

Good Luck Girl! (Binbougami ga!)

Ichiko is an extremely lucky girl, and it happens that her luck is not her own: she drains it from everyone who surrounds her. She fights for her luck with the Goddess of Poverty, Momiji Binboda, who is tasked to strip Ichiko of her ability so she wouldn't drain the luck from the whole world. The fourth wall breaking in this series is ever-present, mostly in the bickering of the characters and in the way the fights are staged.

Cromartie High School (Sakigake!! Cromartie Koukou)

In a series centered on a famous school of delinquents and a boy who enrolls in it while not being a delinquent a lot of weird things are bound to happen, and the breaking of the fourth wall is only one of them. Characters address the viewers and the staff quite often, especially considering the bizarre cast of the show.

The Eminence in Shadow (Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute!)

The 4th wall break in this series comes from the Cid being aware that he's been isekai'd after dying and became a very overpowered character. He always wanted to be strong but still wished to blend in with the crowd, and in the series, he tries to destroy all the isekai stereotypes by bluntly addressing them and as such creates a wonderful blend of serious satire that still allows the main character to have badass moments.

The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You (Kimi no Koto ga Daidaidaidaidaisuki na 100-nin no Kanojo)

It's a very self-conscious story of a boy who ends up being loved by a hundred girls after having a hundred rejections. And he has to get into a relationship with every single one of the girls who fell in love with him, otherwise, they will die. You can see how the anime cleverly plays with the fourth wall even in the first episode, and manga readers say that further down the way things get even more hilarious.

Life Lessons with Uramichi-Oniisan (Uramichi Oniisan)

Uramichi Omota here is the person who would destroy your giddy mood in one phrase and always remind you of the harsh reality of adult life. A lot of his fourth wall breaking is connected with the unpleasantness of adulthood, drowning the viewers in humorously relatable nihilism.

Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei

A similar thing happens in this show about a teacher who tries to end his life every time a minor mishap happens. Throughout the series, though, his crass and depressing remarks help his students make their lives better, but some of them are directed at the audience and the staff, though there are not many of them.

Monogatari Series

From Koyomi's monologues that address his helplessness and stupidity and are directed to the audience throughout the whole series to the Senjogahara Hitagi admitting that her voice actress is amazing in Bakemonogatari, this show is a pure spectacle that perfectly balances the fourth wall breaks with serious moments and unique SHAFT-style humor delivery.