Achieving your dreams is just a cliche, but it is a cliche we love.
Who does not enjoy watching someone rising from ashes and improving themselves in time-to-time?
Everyone has something that they want to achieve in their life. Watching others do it gives us motivation.
That is why it is satisfying when you see it in an anime. While assuming the story is written greatly, the characters generally have good character development.
Here are 13 anime series I do recommend about achieving your dreams and taking your life to the next level!
Anime Shows About Achieving Your Dreams:
1. New Game!
She has only one goal in life that she wants to achieve: working for a gaming company so she can live her dreams while also getting paid to do it.
Aoba ends up working for the gaming company: Eagle Jump, where her journey (and hardships) start.
Aside just from the comedy, New Game does a couple of things as well:
- It also shows you that doing what you love most also comes with hardships.
- Most people overlook the long, boring hours of putting in the work.
- The insecurities that some characters are dealing with along the way.
- And the challenges that characters like Aoba Suzukaze fights to succeed in life.
If your goal in life is in the gaming industry, you'll love the New Game's story.
But even if gaming is not in your stuff, you'll still find valuable things from the show that will give you a little motivational boost to follow your dream.
2. ReLife
ReLife is different than the usual "follow your dreams" anime shows.
Instead, it shows the dark side of life and what will happen when you give up (initially).
As the anime starts, the focus is mainly on self-improvement. Focusing the power of changing yourself from the inside out to be a better person.
Here's what ReLife does the best:
- It takes you on an adventure with the main character, Kaizaki Arata, and his character improvement along the way.
- You will see Kaizaki go from a person with very low confidence to someone with more self-worth.
- You also see other characters' journeys, their flaws and insecurities, and how they fight them.
- And not to mention the struggles all character faces.
- And the "ugly" side of success.
ReLife is maybe in a league of its own, and you may get anything like it anywhere.
3. Bamboo Blade
Bamboo Blade is also one of the "Kendo" anime shows that takes a unique approach, without any fan service to ruin it.
It's a hundred percent clean, and each character has its own unique role that makes them stand out.
Here are a few highlights:
- The show's main characters form a Kendo group and work hard to compete on a national level.
- The anime show teaches you a lot about teamwork and why you need to believe in yourself to get what you desire.
- You will see what it will feel like for the MC to "lose" for the first time. And you will also see how she is dealing with it.
It's also one of my favorites; you should watch it too.
4. The Royal Tutor
The Royal Tutor is a "classier" version of Assassination Classroom without violence and craziness.
The main character, Heine Wittgenstein, is hired to tutor 4 young princes. So that one day they will be worthy enough to become king.
Aside from the beautiful animation, The Royal Tutor is a motivational series with many life lessons and powerful messages.
- One particular character: Kai, is an introvert who's just awful at socializing.
- Licht is another character who becomes too easily distracted but has much potential.
- Leonhard is the one who is the most insecure of the 4 brothers, but he is also the kindest.
- And Bruno, the last one in them, is intelligent but arrogant and self-important.
Throughout the 12 episodes of this series, you are taken on an adventure of self-improvement between these 4 characters.
And at the show's end, they are better, sharper, and wiser people by any means.
There's so much to learn from this anime.
5. Food Wars
Food Wars is one of the best choices if you want to enjoy it while learning along the way.
- The comedy is very good.
- The "ecchi" scenes are also out of this world (used to exaggerate how GOOD the food tastes).
- The main character of this show, Soma, is so driven and ambitious, and it's also hard not to be inspired by it.
- And some of the other characters, too, have a lot to learn from.
Just think of Food Wars like DBZ or Naruto, except the point it's focused on food battles, working under pressure, overcoming personal difficulties, and more.
There's no better comparison for an anime show about achieving your dreams. Because it's so joyful and fresher than most Shounen anime.
6. Hanayamata
There's just only one word that can be used to describe this anime show: sweet.
It's a series about a group of girls who fall in love with Yaakov, a style of Japanese freestyle dancing.
So if you also want to learn about Yasakoi, this is the best show for you to learn it.
Aside from that, here are some of the Hanayamata's highlights:
- The main character, Hana Fountainstand, is determined to achieve her life goals.
- She also motivates the quiet MC: Naru Sekiya, to join her.
- You will learn from this series that if you want something so desperately, not even rejection will stop you from getting it.
- And that's why it's so important to always stay focused on what you desire, regardless of how difficult to get it is.
Hanayamata is the sweetest anime show about achieving your life goals and becoming a better person.
And even though it's subtle compared to other similar shows, it's also meaningful. And that's the reason why I recommend you to watch it.
7. Haikyuu!
Haikyu is one of the anime series that gets bigger every year.
The story is around a set of teenagers committed to becoming nationally recognized in the volleyball sport.
That's their dream to achieve.
A few things you'll also love about Haikyu are:
- The relation between the two main characters.
- Their personalities are very different, just like Goku and Vegeta from DBZ.
- But that's what makes it so entertaining to watch through character improvement.
- The balance between self-confidence, teamwork, hard work, and talent.
- And how everyone works together to become a stronger unit together.
8. Love Live School Idol Project
Love Live School Idol Project is a series that I'd recommend everyone to watch. Forgetting about gender.
It's about a set of 15-17+-year-old girls who desire to become idols while still studying.
Basically, the main character is very similar to Hana Fountainstand from Hanayamata.
Some highlights of this anime:
- The importance of teamwork and also working together to succeed in life.
- Creating a support system and why it's crucial in your life.
- Believing in something bigger than yourself and going for it without making excuses like "I'm not ready."
- And also having fun along the journey. If it's not fun, then why should you do it?
These are a few points you can take from Love Live. Besides the comedy, part of life and also semi-emotional episodes.
9. My Hero Academia
You knew this series was also coming, right? As known as it is, I still need to mention it.
The story revolves around the young Hero named: Izuku Midoriya. A teenager who believes he's worth less than shit at the beginning of the series.
You can't blame him because almost everybody doubts, criticize, and bullies him about his dream of becoming a hero.
This is what also makes MHA so inspirational.
- My Hero Academia is very relatable.
- The main character has a real goal and story.
- Izuku Midoriya's filled with insecurities and difficulties.
- He's not overpowered (just like many Shounen series).
- And also, he's not extroverted or charismatic in the slightest.
But he has great intelligence, good observation skills, and a pure heart.
That is the aspect of MHA, plus the concept of "achieving your goals" that's motivational in more ways than I can count.
10. Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple
"Weak-knees Kenichi" is the name that his bullies call him. Because when he's afraid, he shakes more than a leaf.
Kenichi's story shares are similar to Izuku Midoriya, except Kenichi trains in the martial arts to become stronger, more confident, and a better person.
- Kenichi's life goal is to protect others. Because he knows how it feels to be weak and have nobody that will fight for your safety.
- And by the end of the series, Kenichi pretty much achieves his goal. And also completely transforms as a person.
Let's put Fan-service aside; Kenichi's, The Mightiest Disciple, is a rare, forgotten anime you NEED to watch.
11. Little Witch Academia
Atsuko Kagari is a cheerful, impulsive, risk-taking, and rebellious character.
Just like myself, she doesn't care much for the rules.
Her goal is to become a witch who can inspire others and make them smile.
Like all the series on this list, none of the stories are mind-blowing. But how each anime tells these stories makes each series worth watching.
- In LWA, you will learn about failure through characters' experiences.
- You learn about why losing is impossible to avoid along the way at a few points.
- And how to respond to challenging situations. Not to mention the impact a "mentor" can also have.
12. Fairy Tail
Love it or hate it, Fairy Tail is popular for a very good reason.
It's an anime show that can take your emotions and squeeze them out like some anime can.
And this is despite the silly, "filler" episodes, which are full of fan service.
- One of the biggest highlights of Fairy Tail is friendship. And that is how it impacts your life.
- Like Love Live, "working together" is a big theme here. As well as having a support system.
- And let's not forget: doing just what you believe in, so you can live life without regrets.
If you want a series about achieving your dreams… I'd be a fool to not recommend watching Fairy Tail.
13. Barakamon
Barakamon is a different anime altogether.
- Subtly, it's all about achieving your dreams, but beyond, it's more about self-improvement.
- The main character, SeishuHanda, is a calligrapher who's just too arrogant and narcissistic for his own good.
- After being sent off to an isolated island, he's forced to change his ways and also grow as a person.
And that's exactly what you will see through Seishu's character improvement.
For a 12-episode anime, it's meaningful and very surprisingly fresh.
It's nothing like any anime I'd recommend on this list, so do watch a few episodes and see what you think.
Some Honorable Mentions:
The Ambition Of Oda Nobuna.
Naruto Shippuden.
Akame Ga Kill (in a dark kind of way).