10 Fan-Service Anime That Actually Have Great Stories

Fan service anime get a bad rap for being all skin, no story. Fair. A lot of them are exactly that. But some of these shows actually bring legit plots, big stakes, and clever worldbuilding along with the, you know, fan service. If you want series that lean ecchi but still keep you invested, here are 10 that do both. Heads up: the range goes from cheeky innuendo to full-on graphic, and I’ll flag where things get extra wild.

1. High School DxD (Studio TNK)

   Probably the poster child for this corner of anime. It’s a harem setup centered on Issei Hyodo and a sprawling crowd of female characters. Yes, it has graphic nudity and a steady stream of sexual innuendos. But the hook is the mythological sandbox: angels, fallen angels, and devils locked into a chess-inspired ranking system. The story is surprisingly expansive and plays a long game across arcs. It’s adapted from Hiroji Mishima’s manga.

2. Sekirei (Studio Seven Arcs)

   Starts with a college washout, Minato Sahashi, literally bumping into Musubi as she drops from the sky. From there it becomes a harem action series about superpowered women known as Sekirei who are essentially lab-made combatants. Each one bonds with an Ashikabi and then fights in the Sekirei Project to survive. It stretches across multiple seasons, piles on the cliffhangers, and does not hold back on the fan service — like, at all.

3. High School of the Dead (Madhouse)

   Back in 2010, Madhouse took the classic zombie-outbreak setup and filtered it through a group of high schoolers trying to survive as Japan collapses. The fan service is there but milder than some of the titles on this list. What makes it sting is that the anime ends early because mangaka Daisuke Sato passed away, leaving fans with one strong season and a lot of what-could-have-been.

4. Kakegurui - Compulsive Gambler (MAPPA)

   At Hyakkaou Private Academy, grades don’t matter — gambling does. Transfer student Yumeko Jabami tears through the school’s power ladder, and the show leans into the sensual charge of high-stakes bets. There’s not a ton of nudity, but the sexual innuendo hits especially hard during matches, and Yumeko’s thrill over risk and victory gets pretty feverish. It’s intense, twisty, and very easy to binge.

5. Kill la Kill (Studio Trigger)

   A cult favorite for a reason. Ryuko Matoi hunts for the truth about her father’s death, crossing swords (and outfits) with student council president Satsuki and her mother, Ragyo Kiryuin. The fan service comes more from costume design than explicit scenes, but it’s still bold. Paired with her living outfit Senketsu, Ryuko fights through a tightly wound, escalating mystery. Big style, bigger momentum.

6. Prison School (J.C. Staff)

   Five guys transfer into a formerly all-girls academy, get busted for peeping on day one, and wind up in a secret prison on campus run by the Underground Council — a setup the principal doesn’t even know about. It’s raunchy, often violent, and surprisingly smart at stacking schemes and reversals. Honestly one of the best-plotted shows in this lane; every escape attempt detonates into another twist.

7. Please Put Them On, Takamine-san (Liden Films)

   This one is... unique. Takane Takamine, the school’s queen bee and student council president, can time travel — but every jump costs her a specific piece of underwear, which then vanishes. The result is constant fan service, comedic panic, and a lot of compromising setups across its debut season. There are both censored and uncensored versions available.

8. Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma (J.C. Staff)

   Come for the cooking battles, stay for the weaponized food reactions. Characters hit full-on 'foodgasm' mode with hilariously over-the-top imagery, and there’s method behind the madness. A decade on, it’s still one of J.C. Staff’s best-looking productions. The story’s a classic underdog-at-an-elite-academy jam, and the culinary visuals are ridiculously polished.

9. Elfen Lied (Studio Arms)

   A grim, foundational title that absolutely needs a content warning: lots of nudity and graphic violence. Lucy is a Diclonius — a mutated human — who escapes an experimentation lab, wreaks havoc, and is injured on the way out. Two locals, Kouta and his cousin Yuka (both university students), take her in, which puts all three in the crosshairs of a Special Assault Team desperate to recapture her.

10. No Game No Life (Madhouse)

    Gamers will vibe with this one immediately. It skirts the ecchi line with some graphic nudity used mainly for comedy, but the brains of the show live in its rules-and-wits battles. Fights aren’t brawls — they’re puzzles, strategies, and psychological traps, all under strict, no-cheat frameworks. It’s stylish, suspenseful, and better watched solo for obvious reasons.

That’s my mix of shows where the fan service is loud but the storytelling is louder. Which one are you queuing up next? Drop your picks and hot takes below.