Beam me up, Scotty! Space stations also count. Basically, this category is to tell if the setting takes place onboard a spaceship in space. This category is not applicable if the spaceship lies on a planet and never actually gets into space.
Top 19 Shipboard Anime to watch
- 1. Cowboy Bebop
- 2. Mobile Suit Gundam
- 3. Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans
- 4. Legend of the Galactic Heroes
- 5. Macross
- 6. Kanata no Astra
- 7. Top wo Nerae! Gunbuster
- 8. Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu Gaiden (1999)
- 9. Space☆Dandy
- 10. Fena: Pirate Princess
- 11. Mobile Suit Gundam SEED
- 12. Ginga Tetsudou 999
- 13. Seihou Bukyou Outlaw Star
- 14. Planetes
- 15. Urusei Yatsura
- 16. Top wo Nerae 2! Diebuster
- 17. Kidou Senkan Nadesico
- 18. Vandread
- 19. Terra e... (TV)
1. Cowboy Bebop

In the year 2071, humanity has colonized several of the planets and moons of the solar system leaving the now uninhabitable surface of planet Earth behind. The Inter Solar System Police attempts to keep peace in the galaxy, aided in part by outlaw bounty hunters, referred to as "Cowboys". The ragtag team aboard the spaceship Bebop are two such individuals.
Mellow and carefree Spike Spiegel is balanced by his boisterous, pragmatic partner Jet Black as the pair makes a living chasing bounties and collecting rewards. Thrown off course by the addition of new members that they meet in their travels—Ein, a genetically engineered, highly intelligent Welsh Corgi; femme fatale Faye Valentine, an enigmatic trickster with memory loss; and the strange computer whiz kid Edward Wong—the crew embarks on thrilling adventures that unravel each member's dark and mysterious past little by little.
Well-balanced with high density action and light-hearted comedy, Cowboy Bebop is a space Western classic and an homage to the smooth and improvised music it is named after.
Cowboy Bebop is finished and has 26 Episodes. It is also Known as: カウボーイビバップ, COWBOY BEBOP
2. Mobile Suit Gundam

It is year 0079 of the Universal Century. Mankind has moved to space, living in colony clusters known as "Sides." One of these Sides declares itself the "Principality of Zeon" and declares war on the Earth Federation, the governmental body currently ruling Earth. Using powerful humanoid robots known as "mobile suits," Zeon quickly gains the upper hand.Nine months into the conflict, the Earth Federation has developed its own powerful mobile suit called the Gundam. When Zeon launches an attack on the colony holding the Gundam, a 15-year-old civilian named Amuro Ray suddenly finds himself thrown into a conflict that will take him all across Earth and space, pitting him against the enemy's ace pilot, Char Aznable.
Mobile Suit Gundam is finished and has 43 Episodes. It is also Known as: Kidou Senshi Gundam, 機動戦士ガンダム, First Gundam, Mobile Suit Gundam: 0079, MSG
3. Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans

300 years after a great conflict between Earth and Mars known as the "Calamity War," a woman named Kudelia sets out on a journey to Earth to speak for the independence of the Martian city of Chryse, which is under the control of the Earth government. Escorting her is the private security company CGS members Mikazuki Augus and Orga Itsuka. When a group named Gjallarhorn attacks CGS and Kudelia, Orga sees this as a chance to rebel against CGS and launch a coup. Mikazuki and Orga are thrust into a new conflict. To fend off Gjallarhorn, Mikazuki rides an old mobile suit from the Calamity War, powered by a nuclear reactor, the Gundam Barbatos.
Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans is finished and has 25 Episodes. It is also Known as: Kidou Senshi Gundam: Tekketsu no Orphans, 機動戦士ガンダム 鉄血のオルフェンズ, G-Tekketsu
4. Legend of the Galactic Heroes

For 150 years the galaxy has been locked in an interstellar war between the Galactic Empire and the Free Planets Alliance, fighting battles with thousands of spaceships and millions of soldiers on both sides. The crumbling Goldenbaum dynasty rules the Empire while the Alliance is in an increasingly dysfunctional democratic state.
Two new commanders enter the stage: Imperial Admiral Reinhard von Lohengramm and the FPA's Yang Wen-Li. Reinhard is a talented minor aristocrat given a high station—and a powerful grudge—after the Kaiser took his older sister as a concubine. Wen-Li originally joined the military only to fund his university education, but has become a brilliant though reluctant leader. Each begins to attract a circle of similarly gifted soldiers, generals and thinkers around him, and in time the rivalry between these two very different men will shatter the existing stalemate. As they deal with superiors and subordinates, maneuver through personal and political problems, plot strategies and fight battles, both will bend the course of events to their will and, in turn, be tested and changed by the greatest war in human history!
Legend of the Galactic Heroes is a vast, sentimental and thoughtful military space opera. This 110-episode OVA is the central part of the franchise, and the other connected titles are supplements to it.
Legend of the Galactic Heroes is finished and has 110 Episodes. It is also Known as: Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu, 銀河英雄伝説, LoGH, LotGH, Gin'eiden, GinEiDen, Heldensagen Vom Kosmosinsel
5. Macross

After a mysterious spaceship crashes into Earth, humanity realizes that they are not alone. Fearing a potential threat from space, the world pushes aside their nationalism, conflicting interests, and cultural differences, unifying under the banner of the United Nations. The newly formed UN forces decide to repurpose the alien spacecraft, naming it SDF-1 Macross. Unfortunately, on the day of its maiden voyage, a fleet of spaceships belonging to a race of aliens known as Zentradi descend upon Earth, and the SDF-1 Macross, acting of its own accord, shoots down the incoming squadron, sparking an intergalactic war.
In an attempt to escape, the Macross tries to launch itself into the Moon's orbit, but the ship—as well as the city was in—is teleported to the far reaches of space. Caught up in the mess are Hikaru Ichijou, a free-spirited acrobatic pilot, and Minmay Lynn, an aspiring idol. Together, alongside Macross's bridge officer Misa Hayase, they experience an epic journey rife with grief and drama as they begin their trek back to Earth, facing with the cruelties of war along the way.
Macross is finished and has 36 Episodes. It is also Known as: Choujikuu Yousai Macross, 超時空要塞マクロス, Choujikuu Yousai Macross, Cho Jiku Yosai Macross, Super Dimensional Fortress Macross, SDF Macross, Robotech (U.S.)
6. Kanata no Astra

In the year 2063, eight high school students and a kid are flown out to Planet Camp, tasked with surviving on their own for a few days. But shortly after arriving, an ominous glowing orb warps them to an unknown quadrant of space, nearly 5,012 light years away. Now, the only way back home is a slow, dangerous trek across the universe—a journey that’ll test them in ways Planet Camp never could.
ASTRA LOST IN SPACE is finished and has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: 彼方のアストラ, Kanata no Astra
7. Top wo Nerae! Gunbuster

In the near future, humanity has taken its first steps towards journeying into the far reaches of the galaxy. Upon doing so they discover a huge race of insectoid aliens known as “Space Monsters.” These aliens seem dedicated to the eradication of mankind as they near closer and closer to discovering Earth. In response, humanity develops giant fighting robots piloted by hand-picked youth from around the world.
Shortly after the discovery of the aliens, Noriko Takaya, the daughter of a famous deceased space captain, enters a training school despite her questionable talents as a pilot. There, she meets her polar opposite, the beautiful and talented Kazumi Amano, and is unexpectedly made to work together with her as they attempt to overcome the trauma of war as well as their own emotions.
Gunbuster is finished and has 6 Episodes. It is also Known as: トップをねらえ! GunBuster, Top wo Nerae!, Aim for the Top!
8. Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu Gaiden (1999)

A prequel to The Legend of the Galactic Heroes, focusing on the FPA's Yang Wen-li. A chronicle on how he earned the title "The Hero of El Facile" and his handling of assignments he received after the historic event.
Spiral Labyrinth also continues with the background of Reinhard and Kircheis where the first Gaiden left off.
Legend of the Galactic Heroes Gaiden (1999) is finished and has 28 Episodes. It is also Known as: 銀河英雄伝説外伝 螺旋迷宮, Legend of the Galactic Heroes Gaiden: Spiral Labyrinth, LoGH Gaiden: Spiral Labyrinth
9. Space☆Dandy

The universe is a mysterious and strange place, full of even stranger and more mysterious aliens. Dandy's job is to hunt down unclassified aliens and register them for a reward. It sounds easy enough, but something weird always seems to happen along the way, like chance meetings with zombies, mystical ramen chefs, and adorable orphans. Hunting down aliens may not be easy, but it's definitely never boring.
With the help of his sidekicks, the adorable robot vacuum QT and cat-like alien Meow, and his slightly-used ship the Aloha Oe, Dandy roams the galaxy searching for new alien species. What he usually finds, however, is adventure, danger, and romance, and no two journeys are ever the same. This is Space☆Dandy, baby!
Space Dandy is finished and has 13 Episodes. It is also Known as: スペース☆ダンディ, Space☆Dandy
10. Fena: Pirate Princess

Fena Houtman is a young orphan girl that has been raised on an Island where there is no hope of becoming anything more than a chattel, to be used and discarded by soldiers of the British Empire. But Fena is more than just another powerless orphan. When her mysterious past comes knocking, Fena will break the chains of her oppressors. Her goal: forge a new identity, free of bondage, and search for a place where she can truly belong and find out the true mysteries behind a keyword, "Eden." It is the story of a lifetime adventure she and her crew of misfits and unlikely allies will have, in pursuit of her goals!
Fena: Pirate Princess is finished and has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: Kaizoku Oujo, 海賊王女, Fena: Pirate Princess
11. Mobile Suit Gundam SEED

C.E. 71: In the midst of war between the Naturals and Coordinators , a unit from ZAFT is dispatched to hijack the Earth Alliance's newly developed mobile suits on the neutral colony of Heliopolis. Orb Civilian Coordinator Kira Yamato attends the technical college on Heliopolis. After ZAFT hijacks 4 of the 5 mobile suits, Kira stumbles upon the last one, Strike, forced to pilot it to save his and his friend's lives. During this confusion, Kira also reunites with his childhood Coordinator friend, Athrun Zala, who ironically turns out to be a ZAFT soldier and one of the hijackers at Heliopolis. Having control of Strike, Kira joins the Earth Alliance boarding the ship known as Archangel, to protect his friends while despairing over becoming the enemy of his childhood friend and people.
Mobile Suit Gundam Seed is finished and has 50 Episodes. It is also Known as: 機動戦士ガンダムSEED, Kidou Senshi Gundam SEED
12. Ginga Tetsudou 999

In the distant future, humanity has found a way to live forever by purchasing mechanical bodies, but this way to immortality is extraordinarily expensive. An impoverished boy, Tetsurou Hoshino, desires to purchase a pass on the Galaxy Express 999—a train that travels throughout the universe—because it is said that at the end of the line, those aboard can obtain a mechanical body for free. When Tetsurou's mother is gunned down by the villainous machine-man hybrid Count Mecha, however, all seems lost.
Tetsurou is then saved from certain death by the mysterious Maetel, a tall woman with blonde hair and a striking resemblance to his mother. She gives him a pass to the Galaxy Express under one condition: that they travel together. Thus, Tetsurou begins his journey across the universe to many unique planets and thrilling adventures, in hopes of being able to attain that which he most desires.
Galaxy Express 999 is finished and has 113 Episodes. It is also Known as: 銀河鉄道999, Ginga Tetsudo 999, GE999
13. Seihou Bukyou Outlaw Star

Gene Starwind has always dreamed of piloting his own ship out into the vast sea of stars. Unfortunately, not all dreams come true, as he spends his days working odd jobs alongside his partner, James Hawking, on the small planet Sentinel III instead. However, this all takes a turn when the duo takes on a job from Rachel Sweet who, unbeknownst to them, is actually a treasure-hunting outlaw. Tasked with protecting a mysterious girl known as Melfina, the meeting irrevocably changes the pair's lives as they are sent out into the great unknown aboard the highly advanced ship, Outlaw Star.Seihou Bukyou Outlaw Star follows Gene and his ragtag crew as they brave the final frontier, navigating the stars in search of answers to the mysteries surrounding Melfina. Encountering dangerous bounty hunters, space pirates, Taoist mages, and even catgirls, there is sure to be an exhilarating adventure around every corner.
Outlaw Star is finished and has 24 Episodes. It is also Known as: 星方武侠アウトロースター, Future Hero Next Generation Outlaw Star, Starward Warrior Knight Outlaw Star
14. Planetes

In 2075, space travel is no longer just a dream, but an everyday reality for mankind. Advancements in science and technology have led to the colonization of the moon, the commercialization of outer space, and the formation of large space corporations. Ai Tanabe, an upbeat woman whose interests lie in the cosmos, joins Technora Corporation as a member of their Debris Section, a department dedicated to the removal of dangerous space junk between the orbits of the Earth and Moon.
However, Ai soon discovers how unappreciated her job is. As the laughingstock of Technora, the Debris Section is severely understaffed, poorly funded, and is forced to use a dilapidated spaceship nicknamed the "Toy Box" for debris retrieval. Undeterred, Ai perseveres and gradually becomes acquainted with the strange personalities that make up the Debris Section's staff, such as the bumbling but good-natured chief clerk Philippe Myers; the mysterious and tight-lipped temp worker Edelgard Rivera; and the hotheaded and passionate Hachirota Hoshino, who longs for a spaceship to call his own.
Winner of the Seiun Award in 2005, Planetes is an unconventional sci-fi series that portrays the vastness of space as a backdrop for the personal lives of ordinary people—people who may have been born on Earth, but whose hopes and dreams lie amongst the stars.
Planetes is finished and has 26 Episodes. It is also Known as: プラネテス, ΠΛΑΝΗΤΕΣ
15. Urusei Yatsura

Earth faces a huge crisis. Aliens want to invade the planet. Humanity's only hope rests with Ataru Moroboshi, who was chosen to represent Earth in a one-on-one duel with the aliens' chosen warrior. There is only one problem with this plan. Ataru is a womanizing, stupid loser. How in the world can he hope to succeed?
Selected to fight for the aliens' right to take over Earth is Lum, their curvaceous, bikini-clad princess. Luckily for Ataru, the duel takes the form of a game of tag. All he has to do to win is grab Lum's horns. Not so luckily for him is the fact that she can fly and, being a normal human, he most definitely cannot. Just when it looks like Ataru is destined to fail, his girlfriend Shinobu makes him a promise: she will marry him if he can win.
The encouragement is enough to motivate Ataru to succeed. But just when it looks like Earth is saved, he faces another problem. Lum misinterprets something he said and thinks that they are now married! Urusei Yatsura follows the unlikely relationship between the lecherous Ataru, the beautiful alien Lum, and all of the strange people they meet along the way.
Urusei Yatsura is finished and has 195 Episodes. It is also Known as: うる星やつら, Lamu, Lum, Those Obnoxious Aliens
16. Top wo Nerae 2! Diebuster

While Gunbuster's final mission destroyed the space monsters' star system, the intergalactic war still continues. Earth's only hope lies in the hands of "TOPLESS," an elite mecha group with children possessing supernatural powers and new Buster Machines. Among their ranks is a rookie named Nono and the ace pilot Lal'C—whom Nono looks at as a "big sister." Together with their teammates Nicholas and Chiko, they must aim for the top and protect all of mankind from the wrath of the space monsters.
Gunbuster 2 is finished and has 6 Episodes. It is also Known as: トップをねらえ2!DIEBUSTER, Aim for the Top! 2, DieBuster
17. Kidou Senkan Nadesico

Akito doesn't want to fight. Despite a childhood spent on the anime Gekiganger 3, a Mecha show, he'd rather cook than pilot a Mecha. Fate intervenes when his home on Mars is destroyed, and he is transported instantly to the Earth, mysteriously. He has questions no one can answer fully, but follows a girl from a chance meeting in hopes to discover any. The girl, Yurika, is captain of the private battleship Nadesico, and in order to follow her, he enlists as their cook. Possessing the nanite implants that allow to control mechas, he's a handy backup pilot for the mechas of the Nadesico. He joins a crew bent on avenging Mars that seems to be composed of only misfits, otakus, and ditzes; however, in reality, they are handpicked experts. They take their own private war back to Mars to face the harsh reality that life may not always be like a Giant Mecha series.
Martian Successor Nadesico is finished and has 26 Episodes. It is also Known as: 機動戦艦ナデシコ, Kidou Senkan Nadesico
18. Vandread

In Vandread, men are from Mars and women are from Venus! Well, not quite. Technology has allowed mankind to colonize the entire Milky Way galaxy, and in one star system, the men and women live on two different planets, Taraak and Mejere. A bitter and very literal gender war rages, to the point where they don't even see each other as the sames species anymore!
Hibiki Tokai, a male third-class laborer from Taraak, ends up stuck on a battleship after a botched attempt at stealing a robot. When female pirates capture the Taraakian Vanguard, things don't look like they could get any worse for Hibiki. Unfortunately, they do; when the male crew of the Vanguard fire on their captured vessel out of desperation, they created a giant wormhole, which sucks the Vanguard and the Mejeran pirate's ships into itself! Now, stuck far away from their home planets, these men and women must learn to work together if they ever wish to make it back home.
Vandread is finished and has 13 Episodes. It is also Known as: ヴァンドレッド, Vandread Stage One, Vandread First Stage
19. Terra e... (TV)

In the future, humans are living on colonized planets and are controlled in every aspect of their life by a system of computers. Evolution has resulted in the birth of people with extraordinary powers. This new race is called Mu. Hated and feared by the humans, the Mu dream of a place to live in peace: Earth—a mystical far away planet—for humanity had to leave their home long ago as pollution and destruction increased and made it impossible to stay there any longer.
Jomy is a boy excitedly awaiting his birthday, the day he will enter the world of adults. Yet he knows nothing about the unknown powers sleeping in him and the shared dream of returning to Earth one day.
Terra e... (TV) is finished and has 24 Episodes. It is also Known as: 地球へ…, Terra e... (2007), Terra he..., Chikyuu he, Towards the Terra...