List of Top Martial Arts-Cultivation Chinese Anime

I will first discuss the 2D Chinese anime as it is very similar to the traditional Japanese animation in style and fashion. Furthermore, the medium where anime could be literally defined. Therefore, I have here some of the best martial arts, cultivation Chinese anime that you should add in your watchlist.

© G.C May Animation & Film

First in our list is Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation (Mo Dao Zu Shi) or also known as The Founder of Diabolism. It is Yu Alexius’ best Chinese anime of 2018, and actually one of the most solid Chinese animations that I had seen so far. 

A little bit of warning – the anime is based on a popular Chinese BL (boys-love) novel, though the BL factor is quite limited in the anime and mostly focus on the drama, actions, and investigation cliches. Currently, Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation sits at 2nd place in my list of top 10 Chinese anime of all time.

FACTS

• Chinese Title: Mo Dao Zu Shi
• English Title: Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation
• No. of Season: 2
• Total Episodes: 23
• Studio: G.CMay Animation & Film

© Samsara Animation Studio

This anime is an upcoming project from Samsara studio and Nice Boat Animation. Cuchallain from Donghua Reviews once dubbed Fog Hill of the Five Elements as the biggest Chinese anime of 2019 during his video discussion about the Top Chinese Anime of Summer 2019. Looking at the available trailers and teasers, I believe it’s legit to say that Fog Hill of the Five Elements is a beast in the making. The animation quality could even challenge some of the best-animated work from Japan; nonetheless, it is not safe to jump into conclusion as it is still subject to everyone’s opinion when it officially premieres.

The story is about various people who can use the five elements in Chinese legends, and the ensuing in the anime is truly ecstatic for the eyes to see.

[Update] Fog Hill of the Five Elements was delayed and is now currently listed as part of 2020 Chinese anime lineup.

FACTS

• Chinese Title: Wu Shan Wu Xing
• English Title: Fog Hill of Five Elements
• No. of Season: n/a
• Total Episodes: n/a
• Studio: Samsara Animation Studio

Psychic Princess or Tong Ling Fei is a 2018-2019 shoujo Chinese anime that invaded the donghua community with its addicting opening theme and interesting story. It is more like a romantic-comedy series but there are fight scenes in the anime that falls to martial-arts genre and these scenes were really done pretty good.

The anime is in the boundary of action, comedy, romance, satire, and parody which makes the entire journey of watching it entertaining. It runs for a total of 16 episodes so far, although fans are expecting for Psychic Princess Season 2 to be green-lit soon, especially that its 16^th episode (finale) is such a big cliffhanger.

FACTS

• Chinese Title: Tong Ling Fei
• English Title: Psychic Princess
• No. of Season: 1
• Total Episodes: 16
• Studio: Haoliners Animation League

© iQiyi

If you’re looking for an anime like Soul Land or Battle Through the Heavens but in 2D style, then The Grand Lord is a must-watch for you. It is the final installment of the novel trilogy where Battle Through the Heavens, and Martial Universe were based from. The Grand Lord is inspired by the novel The Great Ruler and the anime premiered on August 8, 2019. As of writing, I am actually at the 8^th episode of The Grand Lord and I could say that it has been a fun ride with good animation quality, solid fight scenes, and interesting Chinese anime cultivation cliché.

FACTS 

• Chinese Title: Da Zhu Zai
• English Title: The Grand Lord
• No. of Season: 1
• Total Episodes: ongoing
• Studio: iQiyi

© KJJ Animation

Another shoujo anime in our list, it’s the closest anime that I could compare with the Psychic Princess and it so hard to separate these two Chinese anime since they also aired in almost exactly the same time frame. The twist with The Demonic King Chases His Wife is that it’s an isekai anime, yes the isekai cliché which is very rampant in the Japanese animation industry. It’s a story about a professional assassin who traveled back in time or has been brought to another world after she was betrayed and stabbed by her then-lover. There, she experienced the life of another person, with respect to this plot; this actually reminds me of Soul Land and Battle Through the Heavens.

FACTS

• Chinese Title: Xie Wang Zhui Qi
• English Title: The Demonic King Chases His Wife
• No. of Season: 1 (season 2 already announced)
• Total Episodes: 13
• Studio: KJJ Animation

© MMT Technology Co., Ltd

Supernatural creatures in one boarding house? That is what we get from the Chinese anime Journal of Mysterious Creatures. The anime project is a combined work by both Japanese and Chinese animation company and this could be seen easily in the animation quality of the series.

FACTS

 

• Chinese Title: Yichang Shengwu Jianwenlu
• English Title: Journal of the Mysterious Creatures
• No. of Season: 1
• Total Episodes: 13
• Studio: MMT Technology Co., Ltd

© Nippon Animation

Here we have a real classic in our list. The anime is adapted from one of the most popular novels of the 20^th century which had been adapted in so many versions in the last 4 decades. It was based on The Return of the Condor Heroes – the 2^ndpart of the Cordor Hero trilogy by author Jin Yong.

FACTS

 

• Chinese Title: Shen Diao Xia Lu
• English Title: The Legend of Condor Hero
• No. of Season: 3
• Total Episodes: 78
• Studio: Nippon Animation

One of the Chinese anime that is quite popular among viewers of Japanese animation. Hitori no Shita or simply known as The Outcast is a fantastic ride filled with great fight scenes, martial arts, and hilarious humors. I must say, this is one of my personal favorites when it comes to comedy anime from China as well as 2D martial arts.

I have come to learn about this Chinese anime because of its live-action adaptation. Ze Tian Ji or Way of Choices is an action-fantasy donghua from Shanghai Foch Film Culture Investment that aired in 2015.

Alright, so we are done with the 2D Chinese anime, let’s proceed with the martial arts/cultivation donghua in 3DCG format. In this section, I will share some of the most popular and the best Chinese martial arts cultivation anime that you will surely enjoy if you’re looking for fantastic fight scenes and pretty solid animation.

© Sparkly Key Animation Studio

In the top of my 3DCG list of Chinese action anime is Qin’s Moon: Nine Songs of the Moving Heavens – a spin-off series to the donghua classic The Legend of Qin, however it is also independent of it as the story took place several years prior to the start of the main series. Personally, Nine Songs of the Moving Heavens is one of the biggest surprises for me as I never thought that it could be this good when I first watch it. The fight scenes were among the best that I had seen from a Chinese anime, the visuals and characters’ designs were both exemplary with a heavy emphasis on politics and ancient Chinese history.

FACTS

• Chinese Title: Qin Shi Ming Yue: Tian Xing Jiu Ge
• English Title: Qin’s Moon: Nine Songs of the Moving Heavens
• No. of Season: 2
• Total Episodes: Ongoing
• Studio: Sparkly Key Animation Studio

© Shanghai Motion Magic

Here we have Martial Universe, along with Battle Through the Heavens and The Great Ruler – they made up a trilogy and were all written by the same author. I am not a big fan of the story of Martial Universe; however, its anime adaptation is a solid one and definitely deserves praise. The anime had been released on January 2019 and run for a total of 12 episodes.

FACTS 

• Chinese Title: Wu Dong Qian Kun
• English Title: Martial Universe
• No. of Season: 1
• Total Episodes: 12
• Studio: Shanghai Motion Magic

© Shanghai Foch Film Culture Investment

Stellar Transformation or The Legend of Immortals is another cultivation anime that really worth checking out. It may follow the same cliché as Martial Universe, The Grand Lord, Soul Land, and Battle Through the Heavens but it somehow offers a different approach to the same plot.

I was quite skeptical when I first watch the anime last December 2018, however, it turns out to be a pretty decent ride with an obviously handsome main character (cough cough) which also the same case with almost all the anime I had mentioned in the previous paragraph. Stellar Transformation, along with Battle Through the Heavens, and Martial Universe shared the same cliché of achieving enormous strength from the help of external power, and later on assimilate it within themselves.

[Update: Stellar Transformations season 2 had been scheduled to premiere on May 3, 2020 as part of Tencent’s 2020 Chinese anime lineup]

FACTS

 

• Chinese Title: Xing Chen Bian
• English Title: Stellar Transformation
• No. of Season: 1
• Total Episodes: 12
• Studio: Shanghai Foch Film Culture Investment

© Sparkly Key Animation Studio

Soul Land or Douluo Dalu is among my first Chinese anime series and it is an amazing one to watch especially the fight scenes and the world-setting of the anime as a whole. So far, only Soul Land and Battle Through the Heavens had entered deeper into my system and captured me with its interesting world and how everything works in it.

FACTS

 

• Chinese Title: Douluo Dalu
• English Title: Combat Continent, Soul Land
• No. of Season: 2
• Total Episodes: Ongoing
• Studio: Sparkly Key Animation Studio

In 2020, Soul Land is slated to release a live-action drama series starring Chinese actor Xiao Zhan as Tang San.

© Shanghai Motion Magic

We have here one of my personal favorites. Battle Through the Heavens is based on a novel with the same title and it is the first Chinese web novel that I had finished reading. It’s a great ride I may say and if the anime will continue to cover the entire novel, I won’t have any complaint as long as they could give justice to it.

FACTS 

 

• Chinese Title: Doupo Cangqiong
• English Title: Fights Break Sphere, Battle Through the Heavens
• No. of Season: 3
• Total Episodes: Ongoing
• Studio: Shanghai Motion Magic

© Sparkly Key Animation Studio

Here we have an anime that I have to admit but didn’t watch yet, but why am I recommending it? Kind of easy since I have this friend who is quite addicted to shounen anime and The Legend and the Hero is among his most hyped and recommended anime to me. I actually have it in my watchlist but don’t have some spare time to watch it yet. However, based on available teasers and videos of the anime – this anime is a good one if we will simply talk about fight scenes. And since I am recommending martial arts and cultivation anime, I am strongly confident to recommend The Legend and the Hero because I am quite hyped to watch it too very soon.

FACTS

 

• Chinese Title: Wu Geng Ji, Feng Shen Ji
• English Title: The Legend and the Hero, Chronicles of the God’s Order
• No. of Season: 3
• Total Episodes: Ongoing
• Studio: Sparkly Key Animation Studio

If you’re looking for a long and exciting Chinese anime binge-watching mode, Tales of Demons and Gods is a highly recommended piece to everyone. It is an amazing cultivation anime and actually have the same vibes as the other donghua that I have mentioned above. At some point, I felt like having some problem liking or connecting with the main protagonists but I think it’s just a matter of personal preferences but its story is a fantastic one filled with actions, drama, and more.

FACTS

 

• Chinese Title: Yao Shen Ji
• English Title: Tales of Demons and Gods
• No. of Season: 3
• Total Episodes: 120
• Studio: 

© Sparkly Key Animation Studio

A real classic in the Chinese animation industry, The Legend of Qin had been a great influence on many new Chinese anime shows especially those in the historical-action genres. The Legend of Qin has a total of 5 seasons and the journey of following it had been a great one. The fight scenes were pretty sharp and it really feels great to see some of the characters from Nine Songs of the Moving Heavens present in the current timeline of the main series.

FACTS 

 

• Chinese Title: Qin Shi Ming Yue
• English Title: The Legend of Qin
• No. of Season: 6
• Total Episodes: Ongoing
• Studio: Sparkly Key Animation Studio

Lord of the Universe

Wanjie Shenzhu or also known as The Lord of No Boundary is an adventure-fantasy Chinese anime from Ruo Hong Culture. As of writing, it has a total of 2 seasons, and an upcoming 3rd season.

Alright, this ends my list of recommended Chinese anime about good martial arts and cultivation aspects in its story. In the end, it always depends on how someone perceives the entertainment value of every anime series that they saw and if we simply based on the criteria about martial arts or cultivation anime, I am confident that everyone will surely enjoy this list of Chinese anime series.