Thousands of anime series take place in different, unique locations. However, one classic location for a series is on a boat or a ship, with the characters exploring the seas. From beach episodes to pirate-themed series, ships have become a classic form of transportation in anime. It has become an avenue for characters to find treasure, make memories, or learn life lessons that will help them in future episodes.
With the rapid expansion of anime, countless boats and ships have been featured in different series. However, some ships have been long forgotten. Only a few are memorable, and those have a special place in fans’ hearts.
10/10 The Speranza’s Strange Purpose
Classroom Of The Elite
The Speranza is introduced in episode six of Classroom of the Elite. The Speranza is a luxurious cruise ship with countless amenities for the students to enjoy, such as five-star restaurants and a theater, and is a symbol of wealth. Not only can the school send its students aboard the luxury cruise line, but they appear to be the only people there.
What makes the ship interesting is its purpose. After completing a survival task, the students are given no time to relax. On the ship, the students are tested with a Special Exam, allowing them to earn VIP Points. With tension in the air, the luxurious cruise line in Classroom of the Elite becomes a battlefield of wits.
9/10 The Haunted Ghost Ship
Pokemon
The Ghost Ship was featured in Episode 95 of Pokemon. It used to be a delivery ship, going to and from islands to deliver things. However, it was caught in a terrible storm, causing it to sink.
The ship was initially abandoned at the ocean’s bottom near Moro Island. However, it is lifted to the surface after researchers find the boat and retrieve the trophy, knocking down Ghastly and Haunter’s Poke Balls while doing so. The two were angered that their master’s trophy had been stolen, leading them to haunt the ship. The vessel is only left in peace after Gastly and Haunter retrieve the trophy. The Pokemon telekinetically lift the boat, placing it where no one can disturb them.
8/10 (Almost) Mass Destruction On Princess Bulma
Dragon Ball Super
Princess Bulma is featured in the third episode of Dragon Ball Super. The luxury cruise ship is remarkable in both size and amenities and could hold a plane, a car, and an enormous diamond – all in one room. The Princess Bulma resembles the Oasis-class cruise ship from Royal Caribbean International.
The ship is used for Bulma’s birthday party, which everyone enjoys until Vegeta is informed that Beerus and Whis are visiting Earth. Though warned not to anger him, Vegeta ends up in a fight with Beerus that almost destroys the planet. He nearly unleashes mass destruction, though ultimately does not. The Princess Bulma of Dragon Ball Super almost became the venue of the world’s end.
7/10 The Hatamoto Family Cruise Ship Was A Crime Scene
Case Closed
The Hatamoto Family Cruise Ship was featured in episodes 22 and 23 of Case Closed. This episode is special to fans as it is the first time a crime has occurred on a boat. This is also the first time a Detective Conan episode was divided into two.
The Case Closed episode starts with the ship sailing calmly. However, things take a turn when the body of Gozo Hatamoto is found dead. Suddenly, the ship is transformed into a crime scene. After, the body of Tatsuo Hatamoto is located on the deck, while Ichiro Hatamoto is found in a bathroom. Though the ship sails calmly, the events unfolding on board are dark and twisted.
6/10 The Espoir Is The Last Chance For Many
Kaiji
The Espoir, also known as The Ship of Hope, is featured heavily on Kaiji. Managed by the Teiai Corporation, this large ship is not for luxury cruises, nor does it boast amenities for entertainment. Instead, it is used for a darker premise.
In Kaiji, debtors who are desperate to escape their debt gamble at The Espoir after taking a loan from Teiai. If they lose, they drown in more debt, forcing gamblers into years of manual labor. However, skilled players use the ship to win and earn money constantly. Neither happiness nor friendship will be found on this boat; instead, only debtors struggling for another chance at life are found.
5/10 The Floating City On The School Ship
Girls Und Panzer
The School Ship is a gigantic carrier that hosts the high school students in Girls und Panzer. Each high school owns its ship and is responsible for its operation and maintenance. The vessel is maintained in a way that the occupants feel like they are living a normal life on land.
This is no ordinary vessel. The Girls und Panzer ship features infrastructure and commercial buildings. It even has scenery such as mountains, fields, and farms. The School Ship ensures that every occupant’s needs are taken care of. It is truly a city on the sea.
4/10 The Solaris And Its Advanced Tech
The Mysterious Cities Of Gold
The Solaris was featured in the seventh episode of The Mysterious Cities of Gold. The Solaris is a Spanish sun-powered ship with a Greek-inspired solar power boost. For a boat that was meant to be from the 1500s, the technology it carries is far beyond what people expect from the era.
In The Mysterious Cities of Gold, it was described as the vessel of the Emperor of Mu, a high civilization race destroyed in a disaster. When found by Mendoza and his sailors, they initially had no idea how to enter the galleon. However, by the end of the episode, the crew has used the Solaris to enter The New World.
3/10 The Black Dragon Is Connected To The Flying Dutchman
Soul Eater
The Nidhogg, also known as the Black Dragon, is a ghost ship controlled by the Flying Dutchman in Soul Eater. It is located in the Baltic Sea and is surrounded by a thick mist. This old wooden pirate ship is adorned with black sails and spikes, and the front of the boat looks like a giant mouth.
What makes this ship creepy is what is inside it. The ghost of people’s trapped souls inhabits the ship, imprisoning them. Additionally, the ship is a direct link to the Flying Dutchman. This signifies that in Soul Eater, the Flying Dutchman cannot be defeated without sinking Nidhogg, as the two are intertwined.
2/10 Titanic Deja Vu
Black Butler
The Campania is a luxury passenger ship featured in Black Butler. The ship is divided into a front and stern and is separated into the first, second, and third classes. The ship is known to have an extraordinary amount of boiler rooms.
What makes the ship so interesting is how it parallels the sinking of the real-life RMS Titanic. In Black Butler, the Campania crashes into an iceberg at night, causing the ship to sink. After evacuating some passengers, it began capsizing, and those unable to get on lifeboats passed away. The same happens to the Titanic. Grelle Sutcliff and Ronald Knox even recreated the iconic Jack and Rose scene from the 1997 movie Titanic.
1/10 The Going Merry Is More Than A Ship And Better Than Home
One Piece
The Going Merry was first featured in episode 17 of One Piece. The Going Merry was the first full-size ship that the Straw Hat Pirates owned, and it served as the crew’s main method of transportation through the East Blue, the Grand Line, and Water 7.
The Going Merry is one of the most recognized symbols of One Piece. The boat’s figurehead, the sheep, is closely tied to the series alongside the skull logo on the sail. Throughout the series, the figurehead shows different expressions, almost as if they were real. Sadly, the well-loved ship – treated like a home and a friend for the Straw Hat Pirates – suffered significant damages throughout its lifetime.