What Anime Was "Peak Ecchi" For You?

One of the unique elements of anime has always been that it was free to explore the sordid side of character interactions. This can take the form of visual fan service or coming up with innovative sexy situations for characters to find themselves in. For most of us, discovering the world of ecchi anime was an extremely liberating experience, as we all found a world where we could give our brains a hit of oxytocin any time we needed it. Let’s explore the concept of “peak ecchi” in this post!

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What Anime Represented Peak Ecchi For You?

When writing a post like this, it’s helpful that MAL has an “ecchi” tag for me to browse. That said, I don’t agree that every anime that offers jiggling boobs and pantyshots belongs on a list of ecchi anime. No Game No Life has some sexy moments, but the show is defined more by its excellent characters and isekai setting than its fan service. Similarly, the sexy visuals on display whenever a character eats Soma’s latest culinary creation in Food Wars are fun to watch. But that show is much more a “food battle” offering than an ecchi anime.

I would define the ecchi anime genre as:

There must be sexy fan service in every episode, with creators challenging themselves to create even more innovative situations to delight fans.
The fan service can contain nudity (like To LOVE-Ru) or be restricted to pantsu (like Agent Aika).
If a harem show, fans need variety, as well as a variety of breast sizes in order to settle on the perfect waifu. The more fans can obsess over which girl is best and why, the more fun they will have.
There must be an actual plot in addition to the “plot.” Even I’ve discarded an overly sexy anime if I thought there was nothing more than eye-candy.
Since ecchi and hentai are separate genres, the characters are expected to be restrained. They don’t usually cross the line into sex.

So here are 12 of the most influential ecchi anime I’ve selected that seem to define “peak ecchi” to me!

Golden Boy

The seminal (pun intended) anime by legendary ero manga-ka Tatsuya Egawa about a “freeter” named Kintaro, who travels around on his bicycle, having various sexual adventures with women along the way.

How did you get into hentai? I’ve got a blog post for you here!

Kiss x Sis

The series that launched the career of Queen of Incestrous Anime Sisters Ayana Taketatsu, this is probably my personal favorite ecchi anime. When Keita’s dad gets remarried, suddenly he has two twin older sisters, who love to sneak into his bed and tempt him with their bodies.

Rosario + Vampire

What happens when a normal human boy accidentally gets sent to a high school full of vampires, succubuses, and other supernatural youkai creatures. While the sexy fan service made the series a hit at the time, true fans of the manga are always asking for a remake that’s closer to the source material.

Heaven’s Lost Property

A ground-breaking 2009 show about a boy named Tomoki who acquires an angel known as Ikaros. It combined some of the best animation ever seen with some incredible ecchi visuals.

Prison School

Another show that was defined by its sexy fan service was Prison School. It’s the story of five boys who attend a former all-girls academy, but who get imprisoned after trying to peep at the girl’s bath.

Even More Examples of Peak Ecchi in Anime!

Highschool of the Dead

One of the best zombie stories from Japan, HOTD told a fast-paced story of some high school students trying to survive in a zombie apocalypse. In between the zombie action, the show manages to work in some of the sexiest camera angles anime has ever seen. Unfortunately, we never got the promised second season.

To LOVE-Ru Darkness

This is a continuation of the popular ecchi series written by Saki Hasemi and illustrated by Kentaro Yabuki. It provides me with hundreds of fun clips to post to the J-List X feed for your entertainment.

What do most anime studios that make sexy anime have in common? A tendency to go bankrupt. See details in this blog post!

Strike Witches

What if, instead of World War II, the Earth was invaded by an alien enemy called the Neuroi that had occupied Europe. In response to the threat, a crack team of flying soldiers is sent to defeat them. Can the 501st win the war on pantsu? This is probably an anime you might not want to watch with your significant other.

Daily Life with Monster Girls

What’s better than a harem of cute girls? When they’re all monster girls, of course! This influential 2015 anime told the story of a world in which humans and monster girls must learn to live together. Several girls get assigned to a “homestay” at Kurusu’s house. Suddenly he’s being fought over by a snake girl, a slime, a giant spider, a bird-brained harpy, and a proud centaur. Which monster girl will he choose?

Yuuna’s Haunted Hot Spring

Kogarashi wanted to exorcise the ghosts he heard lived at the Yuragi-sou hot spring inn. Instead, he ends up with a harem of weird girls, one of whom is a ghost with some odd sleeping habits.

More Peak Ecchi Anime: Dorm Mother of the Goddess Dormitory

Poor Koushi has nowhere to live, but lucky for him, a bunch of university girls are looking for a “dorm mother” to clean their living space. He ends up surrounded by five beautiful goddesses (and one childhood friend) who subject him to sexy situations constantly. A great example of the “straight Shota” genre.

High School DxD

A popular series that follows Issei, a perverted high school boy who gets adopted by a devil girl named Rias Gremory, with sexy results. This is the ecchi anime even all your normie friends have probably watched.

The Testament of Sister New Devil

Finally, my personal pick for “peak ecchi” in anime! Shinmai Maou no Testament follows our hero Basara as he acquires a harem of devil girls, each cuter than the last. I loved some of the sexy situations the anime came up with.