Anime Crossover Paradise Awaits
Ah, the anime crossover. While it is indeed a type of fan-service, anime lovers don't seem to hate it as much as the much maligned ecchi (though, i'd take any panty shot over Goku vs Saitama any day - snooze). Let's be real, some of the examples listed below are definitely just cheap titillation (Lupin x Conan, looking squarely at you), but some are actually really quirky, cool, make a lot of sense, and are genuine treats for the fans. Let's get the anime crossover show on the road.
Shonen Jump Crossovers
(Dream 9 Toriko x One Piece x Dragon Ball Z Super Collaboration Special)
Toriko x One Piece x Dragon Ball Z
Toriko_One Piece_Dragon Ball Z_Anime Crossovers
Fans of action-fighting anime often ask themselves who would win in a battle royal between anime characters. To answer this question, characters from three of the greatest shounen anime of all time were thrown into the ring, and by ring we mean anime special, of course. Goku, Luffy, and Toriko, as well as their respective friends, battle it out in a mega tournament, with the prize being drumroll... a hefty chunk of meat! Part one of this special is featured in episode 99 of Toriko while part two is in episode 590 of One Piece.
Rumiko Takahashi Crossover
(It's a Rumic World: 50th Anniversary Weekly★Shonen Sunday)
InuYasha x Urusei Yatsura x Ranma ½
Rumiko Takahashi is no slouch when it comes to manga writing, seeing as she has been doing it for over 50 years! Back when her career hit the big five-o, a special short featuring characters from InuYasha, Urusei Yatsura, and Ranman ½ was created. The skit is a mere 3 minutes long, but the characters' interactions and the way they are constantly breaking the fourth wall is absolutely hilarious.
CLAMP Crossovers
Tsubasa Chronicle x xxxHOLiC x Cardcaptor Sakura x Blood-C x Chobits x Cardcaptor Sakura x Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch x Kobato. x X
The manga group CLAMP is famous for mixing characters in their shows, but Tsubasa Chronicle takes the concept to a whole other level. Basically they were like “You know what would be cool? A story with practically ALL of our characters in it.” and wah-lah. While this sounds crazy, it gets even more ridiculous with our next show.
xxxHolic is the sister series to Tsubasa Chronicles. Both of these shows take place in the same timeline, making it just short of impossible for viewers to completely understand either show without watching them both. Going so far above and beyond, CLAMP may be the most obvious example of an anime crossover at this time.
Digimon Xros Wars Crossover
Digimon Xros x Digimon Adventure x Digimon Tamers x Digimon Frontier x Digimon Savers
The grand finale of the three season long Digimon Xros Wars show features our heroes surrounded by a city full of enemies. As the situation seems dismal, help arrives in the form of all five main protagonists from the rest of the entire Digimon franchise. Each character’s partner Digimon transitions to their most powerful form and a chaotic brawl between good and evil commences.
Dragon Ball (General Blue Saga Arc) Crossover
Dragon Ball x Dr. Slump
Dragon Ball_Dr. Slump_Anime Crossovers
Before the massive success of Dragon Ball, Akira Toriyama created the series Dr. Slump. A few episodes of Dragon Ball feature Goku inexplicitly (seriously, they don’t really explain it) chasing a villain through an inter-dimensional rift. On the other side, the two foes find themselves in Penguin Town, the setting of Dr. Slump, and Goku spends a few episodes teaming up with Arale to defeat the menace.
Fairy Tail x Rave Crossover
Fairy Tail x Groove Adventure Rave
Fairy Tail x Rave_Fairy Tail_Groove Adventure Rave_Anime Crossovers
Prior to the epicness that was Fairy Tail, series creator Hiro Mashima produced the somewhat less epic series Groove Adventure Rave. While one of these (cough Fairy Tail cough) was better received than the other, Mashima nonetheless chose to mash the characters up in a one-shot adventure that actually turned out to be pretty entertaining.
Kyoushirou to Towa no Sora Crossover
Kyoushirou to Towa no Sora x Kannazuki no Miko x Koutetsu Tenshi Kurumi x Magical Nyan Nyan Taruto x UFO Princess Valkyrie
Kyoushirou to Towa no Sora more or less follows the same formula as Tsubasa Chronicles. Creator Kaishaku took his previous series (Kannazuki no Miko, Koutetsu Tenshi Kurumi, Magical Nyan Nyan Taruto, and UFO Princess Valkyrie) and mashed their characters together into one show. While the series has met somewhat mixed reviews, it is notably one of the few anime crossovers to mash together over two series.
Lupin and Conan Crossovers
(Lupin III vs. Detective Conan, Lupin III vs. Detective Conan: The Movie)
Lupin III x Detective Conan
Lupin III_Detective Conan_Anime CrossoversLupin III_Detective Conan_Anime Crossovers
Beyond the crossover shenanigans of its own series, Lupin III also features not one but two anime crossovers with Detective Conan. The world’s greatest detective first chased after the renowned thief in a television special and their conflict later continued into a feature film. What exactly happens when the thief who always gets away is pursued by the detective who always solves the case? You will just have to watch this anime crossover to find out.
Cyborg 009 VS Devilman
Cyborg 009 x Devilman
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Cyborg 009 and Devilman were two of the most prominent anime of the 1970s. Despite the age of both series, a crossover OVA between the two aired just last year. After decades in the making, this anime crossover featured practically everything fans wanted to see in this conflict between two legendary protagonists.
Type-Moon Crossover
(Carnival Phantasm)
Carnival Phantasm x Canaan x Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya x Fate/Prototype x Fate/stay night x Fate/Zero x Kara no Kyoukai (Chapter 1) x Shingetsutan Tsukihime
To the people of the world in Fate/stay night, the Holy Grail war is a long and bloody conflict that could make or break the destiny of humanity for countless generations to come. But for the people of every other story created by Type-Moon, it’s a nifty game show! This anime crossover is a mix of Type-Moons' works and puts all of their most popular characters in hilarious situations. Who doesn't want to see what Saber looks like in a maid outfit?
Turn A Gundam Crossover
Turn A Gundam x Mobile Suit Gundam x Moblie Suit Zeta Gundam x Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ x Mobile Fighter G Gundam x Mobile Suit Gundam Wing x Mobile Suit Victory Gundam x After War Gundam X
Turn A Gundam was originally created to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Gundam franchise. Over the course of the show, mobile suits featured in previous Gundam shows are excavated and used in an ongoing war. This was done in an attempt to unite all of the Gundam timelines into a single continuity. It did not go over too well with the fans.
Mazinger Z Crossovers
(Mazinger Z vs Devilman, Mazinger Z vs Dr. Hell, Mazinger Z vs Ankoku Daishougun)
Mazinger Z x Devilman x Getter Robo x Violence Jack x Great Mazinger
Mazinger Z_Devilman_Getter Robo_Violence Jack_Great Mazinger_Anime Crossovers
Go Nagai has done anime crossovers with his various series for literally decades and no one has received more collaborations than the iconic Mazinger Z. This giant robot has come up against Devilman, Getter Robo, Violence Jack, Great Mazinger, and just about every other character created by Go Nagai in movies, OVAs, mangas, and even promotional videos.
Kamen Rider Fourze x Crayon Shin-chan Crossover
Crayon Shin-chan x Kamen Rider Fourze
Crayon Shin-chan is one of the longest running anime series to date (it started in 1992 and is still going strong), with more movies and specials than you can count. But little Shin-chan doesn't stop there. He has taken his adventures all the way into other franchises, with guest appearances in the popular Kamen Rider series Kamen Rider Den-O and Kamen Rider Fourze (see above video).
