From One Piece to Slam Dunk, here are BTS favorite anime and manga

We’ve long known that celebrities are also nerds at heart — they’re just like us, for real. Some of them are even weebs and are just as obsessed with anime as we are. Lately, we’ve seen multiple artists sharing their favorite anime and characters with fans more than ever before. It became a phenomenon. But do you know who’s also been quite vocal about their anime love before this new wave? That’s right, K-Pop’s trendsetting weebs, BTS.

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After nearly a decade, every ARMY ought to know how the members are absolute geeks. Jin is obsessed with indie video games, Jungkook has Marvel figurines at his place, and RM is surely active on Book Twitter; so, their absolute and complete obsession with anime doesn’t come as a surprise. With that said, here are BTS’ favorite anime.

Jujutsu Kaisen

Jujutsu Kaisen is the talk of the hour, with everyone and their mothers glued to the screen (or the pages) for the latest episodes and chapters from Gege Akutami’s magnum opus. However, the BTS member who most frequently boasts about JJK is none other than BTS own JJK himself, aka Jeon Jungkook. The youngest BTS member has often hosted live streams where he claimed Gojo as his favorite character in the anime, and shared his current hyper-fixation is Jujutsu Kaisen. Relatable.

Haikyuu

At least three BTS members have shown a thorough obsession with Haikyuu. The earliest mention came from V, who recommended fans watch Haikyuu during a Japan Fanclub video. He was often spotted watching the latest Haikyuu episodes during photoshoot breaks, showing where his priorities lie. Additionally, Jimin and Jungkook, the other two members who also enjoy Haikyuu, mentioned and imitated blocking during episode 138 of RUN BTS!.

Mermaid Melody

Perhaps the most unexpected entry on this list is none other than the Shojo mermaid anime, Mermaid Melody. Lucia, Rina, and Hanon quite literally raised me, and it appears that they did the same for RM. During the VLive interview, when asked about the group’s favorite childhood anime, Namjoon quickly responded with Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch!. The answer took the rest of the members by surprise, and some even cackled at his choice, but not me, RM — I get you.

Slam Dunk

We certainly appreciate some Slam Dunk love, and SUGA has consistently been the most vocal advocate for Takehiko Inoue’s masterpiece. In an old VLive interview, BTS was asked about their favorite childhood anime, with SUGA promptly mentioning Slam Dunk — unsurprisingly given the rapper’s passion for all things basketball. What’s more, during episode 66 of RUN BTS!, when the members were tasked with selecting a manga, SUGA once again chose Slam Dunk — duh.

Fullmetal Alchemist

Jungkook is the only BTS member to declare Fullmetal Alchemist as one of his all-time favorite manga and anime. In episode 66 of RUN BTS!, Jungkook specifically chose the original 2001 manga by Hiromu Arakawa, telling the story of two young alchemist brothers: Alphonse and Edward. I wonder if he prefers the original 2003 anime or the 2009 remake — though there is only one acceptable answer in my very humble opinion.

One Piece

For many avid BTS fans, it’s not surprising at all that most BTS members are huge One Piece fans. There are countless moments where BTS mentions One Piece, but I’ll highlight a few of my favorites. In the song “Cypher Pt.2: Triptych,” One Piece‘s Whitebeard is referenced — one of the rare anime mentions in the group’s music. Additionally, the maknae line — including Namjoon — are big One Piece fans. Jimin has been gifted One Piece merchandise multiple times, including a Zoro figurine from Jungkook, and SUGA has given Jimin several One Piece manga sets. We all need friends like BTS.

Digimon

After J-Hope, Jin is very likely the least vocal about the anime he has been watching, possibly because he’s one of the members who watch the most anime of all. There is just too much to talk about. However, in the Vlive interview, Jin mentioned that Digimon was his favorite childhood anime to watch. Considering it was always getting re-runs on television, it’s safe to say it was nearly everyone’s favorite anime at the time.

Dragon Ball

Quite a few members have also boasted about Dragon Ball — unsurprisingly. While not considered part of the big three of Shounen, Dragon Ball is quite up there on everyone’s list — especially for SUGA, Jimin, and Jin. It was also during Nosey’s interview that Jin said Dragon Ball was “a masterpiece,” with SUGA echoing the sentiment by vividly choosing Dragon Ball as his favorite of the options given. As for Jimin, the singer previously said that Dragon Ball was his favorite childhood anime.

Naruto

Naruto has been referenced over the years by several BTS members. In 2015, during a Halloween-themed concert, the members dressed as various pop culture figures, with SUGA’s Naruto cosplay becoming viral across the universe. In episode 28 of RUN BTS!, all the members enthusiastically sang along to one of Naruto’s openings in a very iconic performance, and a few years prior, in an interview by Noisey, Jungkook and J-Hope chose Naruto as their favorite anime out of Dragon Ball, Naruto and One Piece. Taste but also, One Piece was right there.

My Hero Academia

Every BTS fan knows, by now, that V is one of the biggest anime fans in the group. He constantly makes references to several anime behind the scenes, and one of the anime that he’s often seen mentioning and watching is My Hero Academia. In 2017, as the members got ready to perform on stage for the big MAMA awards, V was caught by the cameras watching My Hero Academia on his laptop. A year later, during a FujiTV interview with BTS, once again, V talks about having just finished My Hero Academia and being a huge anime fan.

My Guardian Characters

This is one of the few Shojo mentioned on this list, and of course, it couldn’t belong to anyone other than the biggest babygirl in the group — Jungkook. During the VLive interview, Jungkook shared that his favorite childhood anime was My Guardian Characters. It’s a fantasy Shojo anime that is both wholesome and filled with magic — just like Jeon Jungkook, in his own way. Weirdly enough, Jungkook’s current favorite is possibly the biggest fight anime on television at the moment.

Chainsaw Man

The internet nearly exploded when Jungkook started singing Chainsaw Man‘s opening during a live stream, and we were right there alongside with them. The maknae of the group appears to like all the trendiest anime, and Chainsaw Man deserves all his attention. Aside from having Jujutsu Kaisen as his favorite anime at the moment, the 26-year-old appears to be quite a big fan of Chainsaw Man as well — just like any good Gen Z’er.

Pokémon

Unsurprisingly, most members have also watched Pokémon. Over the years, we’ve seen plushie toys and even Pokémon cards that some members collected through the years, but Jin and RM are clearly some of the biggest fans of this long-lasting franchise. Jin has shared several pictures of himself with his Pokémon plushies, while RM has shared pictures of his Pokémon card collection on Instagram — aside from his obsession with finding Pokémon bread. According to Koreaboo, other members have allegedly also ditched practice to play Pokémon Go, and to be quite honest, I can’t say I haven’t done the same (shh).

Atashinchi

It isn’t every day that we see J-Hope talking about anime or manga, but once in a full moon, the rapper does admit to having watched at least some anime. When asked what his favorite childhood anime was, the dancer said it was Atashinchi. While this particular manga and anime didn’t become widely known here in the West, it was a huge success in Japan and Korea, and it seemed to have made an impression on the designated anime hater of the group.

Crayon Shin-Chan

Surprisingly, Atashinchi and Naruto weren’t the only anime that J-Hope openly claimed to enjoy. During an interview with Naver, all the members talked about some of their favorite anime, with J-Hope’s choice being Crayon Shin Chan. Let’s be honest, we’ve all watched Crayon Shin Chan, and it truly is a masterpiece. This light-hearted kid’s anime matched Hoseok’s personality like a glove if we’re being real here. Somehow, Shin Chan and Atashinchi also have the same energy.

Bleach

In an old interview with Naver, Jin talked about some of his favorite anime, where he immediately claimed Princess Mononoke as his favorite anime movie. However, in that same interview, Jin admits that his former favorite anime and manga was Bleach. The singer didn’t expand on his connection to Bleach, but he did admit that it was eventually dethroned by Dragon Ball and One Piece, but hey, we’re not mad about that at all.

Phantom Thief Jeanne

The biggest Shojo anime fan in the group, however, is seemingly V. The singer has the widest range in anime out of all the members, and apparently, as a kid, both his favorite manga were Shojo stories — Namely, Phantom Thief Jeanne and Full Moon o Sagashite. According to the singer, those types of stories and manga were all he read as a child, and I can just tell that Taehyung would have loved to watch Mermaid Melody with Namjoon.

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