Many stories in the media show fantastic and strange situations, but there is nothing more strange than the concept of body swapping. Whether it's a permanent change or a temporary transition, being in another person's body can lead to a lot of crazy shenanigans.
Body swapping appears in all kinds of anime, be it fantasy or modern, but usually only as a brief escapade that doesn't last long. However, few shows focus entirely on the concept itself; thus, here the best body swapping anime ever.
Both characters must be from the same world to be considered. So, no reincarnations or isekai anime where the main character takes on someone else's body.
Updated on October 6, 2024 by Mark Sammut: This article has been updated with specs for each body swapping anime included, as well as featuring a new extra-long shounen series that explores the concept during one of the arcs.
12 Atashinchi movie
A decent classic body swapping formula
Atashinchi is a long-running manga and anime series featuring episodic segments of the Tachibana family's adventures. The main character of the series is 17-year-old Mikan, but her mother, father and younger brother Yuzuhiko are just as important in the series.
Atashinchi itself has nothing to do with body swapping, but the movie released in 2003 is a different story. In the movie, Mikan and her mother switched bodies when they were struck by lightning, forcing the two of them to live each other's lives while the other family members find a way to bring them back. The film is a classic body-swapping tale that any fan of the trope should appreciate.
11 The legendary hero is dead!
A variety comedy featuring a polarizing corpse-turned-hero
Tuka Scott is a farmer who has a fetish for thighs and stockings and a penchant for setting traps. When one of his traps accidentally kills Sion, the legendary Hero, Tuka finds himself inside the Hero's decomposing body. If Tooka ever wanted to return to his original body, he would have to finish Zion's work and seal the Gates of Hell.
The legendary hero is dead! brings the fantasy of the classic story of body swapping with a touch of dark humor. The anime “Spring 2023” is quite polarizing, primarily due to its main character. Tuck's antics and perversions make him quite hard to like, and the humor is hit-and-miss.
10 One Piece (Punk Hazard Arc)
A fun twist in a long and divisive saga
Given that it has been around for almost a quarter of a century, One Piece the introduction of the body-swapping element was bound to happen sooner or later. This situation occurs during the Punk Hazard Arc, when Law uses his Devil Fruit to make Sanji and Nami, Frankie and Chopper, and Smoker and Tashigi switch bodies.
While Punk Hazard is of great importance in the grand scheme of things, it is not usually considered the pinnacle One Piecewith a saga not expected in an anime adaptation. Still, the body-swapping gag leads to some pretty funny moments, particularly Robin's anger at seeing Chopper's charms twisted by Frankie's personality.
9 Gintama (Soul Switch Arc)
A short but fun Gintama arc where Gintoki and Hijikata switch bodies
Gintama is well known for parodying and subverting all sorts of tropes, clichés and archetypes due to its primary status as a comedy series. Although it may not be constantly concentrated around the object, Gintama also put his own spin on the body-swapping trope in the Soul Switch Arc, in which Gintoki and Hijikata's souls end up in the wrong bodies.
In truth Gintama fashion, the madness does not stop there. It turns out that half of Gintoki's soul has taken over the dead cat, turning it into a monster with amnesia. Other members of the Yorozuya and Shinsengumi also fall into disarray, and soon almost the entire main cast finds themselves with switched bodies. The result is one of the best examples of how Gintama can take a concept and spin it out of control in a matter of minutes.
8 Kokoro Connect
Body swapping is a minor part of this great coming-of-age anime
Five high school students, all members of the student cultural group, suddenly find themselves changing bodies. After trying to find out what is happening to them, they learn that they are the subject of an experiment by an unknown entity called Heartseed. As they try to adjust to their changing circumstances, their bonds of friendship will be tested.
Kokoro Connect is a highly dramatic series that focuses on friendships and emotional bonds between people. Through these trials and triumphs together, the group gradually begins to understand each other in a new way. While body swapping isn't the core of the show's main concern, it still plays a big part in a large portion of the series.
7 Punch line
Ridiculous antics at their best
After Yuta's bus hijacking, Iridatsu realizes this he was thrown out of his body. Among learned that he has various powers, such as possessing and gaining strength whenever he sees a girl's underwear; more importantly, he also learns that he must find the holy tome in order to get his body back.
Punch line is a wild supernatural series with a strange setting and increasingly strange circumstances. The various strange situations that Yuta has to deal with are a sight to behold, and the humor of the series tells the audience not to take things too seriously. The series was written by Kotaro Utikoshi from Zero escape series and was later made into a visual novel based on the anime.
6 Murder of the princess
A little-known OVA series that has a lot of fun with the Body Swap formula
After a rebellion in Forland Kingdom, the dying king sends his daughter Alita to find her brother Kaito. Fleeing through the forest, she falls off a cliff onto the bounty hunter Falis. Both manage to survive but they wake up to find their bodies switched. Now Fallis must pretend to be Princess Alita and defend your kingdom from any threats.

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Murder of the princess is a short comedy series that plays with the conventions of the high fantasy genre. The image of a stern and proper princess behaving like a rugged warrior is a sight to behold. While there's nothing high-concept about it, fantasy fans will definitely get a kick out of it.
5 Charlotte
Much more than just a body swapping anime
Every 75 years, the strange comet Charlotte passes over Earth, and its dust causes children who inhale it to exhibit supernatural abilities at puberty. Yuu Otosaka, becoming a high school student, gains the ability to possess othersand when his power is revealed, he is forced to transfer to Naa Tomori's Hoshinoumi Academy to protect users of such abilities.
Charlotte will appeal to fans of supernatural series, and while body swapping isn't the main point of the story, it's the main character's signature power. There's a lot of drama and fast-paced action in this series, and that's a lot more serious than most body-swapping anime.
4 Birdy The Mighty: Decoding
A cult classic worth seeking out
One day, while walking outside at night, Tsutomu Senkawa was mortally wounded in a fight between Birdie Kefon Altera and an intergalactic criminal. To save his life, Birdie decides to merge with him to keep him alive. Until Tsutomu's body is restored, the two of them are forced to share one body.
Birdy the Mighty: Decode there is a classic body swapping anime in which an ordinary schoolboy shares a body with a powerful superhero-like fighter. While the series is mostly based on action and intrigue, there are plenty of comedic moments in the dynamic and the interactions between the two characters are fun to watch.
3 Kaiba
The forgotten gem of science fiction
In a world where memories can be stored on memory chips, mind transfer to the body of another and memory theft is becoming more common. A man named Kaiba wakes up in a room with no memories and a locket with a girl's image inside. Kaiba sets off to explore the world, recover his memories, and meet the girl in the locket.

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2 Yamada-kun and the seven witches
A very entertaining anime that emphasizes body swapping (to an extent)
Criminal Ryu Yamada accidentally falls down the stairs on top student Urara Shiraishi and discovers that they have somehow switched bodies. After spending the school day trying to impersonate others, they eventually figure out the problem; when the two of them kiss they switch bodies with each other.
Yamada-kun and the seven witches starts with a fantastical premise, and gets even weirder when more characters and powers are involved. For now body swapping is only part of the madness this series achieves, he still manages to play a prominent role. This series is a fun romantic comedy with lots of supernatural shenanigans.
1 Your name
The Ultimate Body Swap Anime.
Mitsuha Miyamizu, who is bored with life in the country, wants to become a Tokyo boy in her next life. suddenly, she starts randomly switching bodies with a boy named Taki Tachibana. Not knowing how to cope with these new circumstances, the two must learn to live in each other's bodies, slowly getting to know each other.
Your name is a romantic drama film directed by Makoto Shinkai with some fantasy elements and it is very popular. It remains one of the most famous anime films of all time and Makoto Shinkai's best work, and anime fans are still in awe of the film.

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