Beach episodes are very common inanime, usually serving as a reprieve when the show has been heavy to add some comedic relief, but they are also often used as a tool to move romantic relationships forward. It’s often refreshing to see the main characters drops their usual threads for a cute swimsuit too.
These are used in all kinds of anime: romantic, dramas, fantasy, action, adventure, and within these, while some beach episodes follow the tropes exactly, others are more ridiculous. Keep reading to discover the most standout beach episodes of all time.
9Sailor Moon
The Summer, The Beach, Youth And Ghosts
Sailor Moonhas multiple beach episodes, but there’s one that stands out. Episode 20: The Summer, The Beach, Youth and Ghosts.Usagi, Ami, Rei and Luna take a vacation to train at the beach but end up in a haunted hotel. They try to enjoy the beach without spiritual interruptions, but to no avail.
This is a beach episode with a twist, which is one of the reasons that it’s so great. Since it’s not related to the main storyline, it’s one of the only episodes that isn’t dubbed. It’s weird in the best way, and totally worth the watch.
8Black Clover
A Black Beach Story
Black Clover’s beach episode involves all the main characters. When a couple of people are coming home from a mission, they hear a screamand immediutely think something is wrong, only to find out it’s just the girls trying on swimsuits. There’s that beach episode comedy for you. The Black Bulls, minus Gordon, all head to the beach together.
It’s a great episode that really shows off the personalities of the cast, with Noelle working hard to get Asta’s attention, Asta trying to finish the mission, and Yami literally burying people in the sand.
7Tomo-Chan Is A Girl
Junichiro’s Promise / When Tomo Puts On a Swimsuit…
The big theme of Tomo-Chan is a Girl is that the titular character Tomo feels that her crush, Jun, doesn’t see her as a girl, because she’s always been labelled as one of the guys. This episode is particularly great as it’s one of the few moments when Jun actually gets flustered by Tomo because he sees her in a swimsuit for the first time.
This show is very much a coming-of-age anime, and there are a lot of awkward, jealous moments in this episode. But overall, it’s sweet, and helps advance the romance forward.
6Attack On Titan
The Other Side Of The Sea
The Other Side Of The Sea is the first episode of season four ofAttack on Titanand introduces a lot of new characters who are at war with the Mid-East Allied Forces. This episode gets its name from Eren Jaeger’s poignant line, “On the other side of the sea is freedom.”
Attack on Titan is a serious show, so while this beach episode has less fanfare when compared to other anime beach outings, it does have a feeling of hope as they discuss potential freedom from the Titans.
5Ouran High School Host Club
The Sun, The Sea, And The Host Club!
Ouran’s beach episode is a great exampleof a couple becoming closerduring a quieter moment. For a romance, it’s actually one of the heavier episodes in the show as there are a group of thugs at the beach that throw Haruhi in the ocean. As a result, Tamaki and Haruhi get into a fight because he’s upset she didn’t call for help.
Haruhi learns that people care about her more than she thinks, while Tamaki realizes that Haruhi is used to solving her problems alone. He also learns about her fear of thunder and helps her through a bad storm. This episode stands out as though beach episodes are usually just a bit of fun, we see some great character development here as the two achieve a deeper understanding of one another.
4Kamisama Kiss
God Goes To The Beach
Kamisama Kiss has to be the most underrated beach episode on this list. Tomoe isn’t allowed to touch the water, which makes it difficult to protect Nanami, but when Nanami’s friend starts to drown, Tomoe is forced to go into the water to save her.
This introduces the Dragon King, which is a small arc in the show. He claims that Tomoe stole his eye, and Nanami has to go to the past to retrieve it. It’s a really cool episode, and though the arc is short, it’s important for Nanami and Tomoe’s relationship.
3Bleach
Summer! Sea! Swimsuit Festival!!
Bleach is one of the more serious anime on this list, so having a reprieve with a beach episode was well-needed. As well as the usual swimsuit trying out scenes, the group has a sand castle competition, and plays games, and the episode works well to showcase their personalities.
Of course, it wouldn’t be bleach without some kind of commotion. A tentacled creature called a Hollow rises out of the water and attacks. It takes all the tropes of beach episodes and runs with them to create something different and more obscure. It’sa filler episode, but one of the best that Bleach has.
2Fruits Basket
Beach Arc
In Fruits Basket, the beach isn’t just one episode, but a two-episode arc that advances many relationships. Tohru and Kyo become much closer and have a few really sweet moments together, and Tohru experiences a couple of firsts: she meets Akito face to face for the first time, but she hurts her for the first time, too.
The group has to go back and forth between where Tohru is staying and where Akito is staying. There’s a clear distinction between how they are treated by each of them, and it ends up with each character feeling closer to Tohru than ever, much to Akito’s dismay. These episodes are fan favorite parts of the show because of how much deeper they are than usual beach episodes.
1Blue Exorcist
Demon Of The Deep
This episode is one of the coolest and most unique beach episodes out there. The anime’s main characters all go to the beach to have a relaxing day, but end up having to fight a demonic kraken and protect a young boy in the process.
This episode has a twist, which is that the kraken actually saved the boy’s father. The cast must face the fact that some demons aren’t as horrible as assumed, as the kraken is actually benign.
