There’s a certain corner of anime where things get… steamy. We’re talking about the shows that walk right up to the hentai line but never quite cross it, technically still ecchi, but with clear sexual scenes, full nudity, and nothing left to the imagination except the explicit anatomical details. These are often called “borderline hentai,” “softcore hentai,” or “explicit ecchi.”
These anime deliver erotic storylines, daring scenes, and characters who very obviously do the deed on screen. Yet, thanks to clever camera angles, light beams, and just-enough censorship, they remain officially in the ecchi category.
10 Explicit Ecchi Anime That Push the Limits
Warning: Most of these titles have uncensored versions available, and the content may not be suitable for all viewers. Viewer discretion is advised.
These anime don’t just flirt with ecchi tropes; they plunge headfirst into explicit territory. Whether it’s taboo romance, fantasy brothels, or aggressive seduction, every series here pushes the limit of what anime can show before falling into full hentai.
Redo of Healer (2021)
- Studio: TNK
- Source: Light Novel by Rui Tsukiyo
- Format: TV (Censored), AT-X (Less Censored), Uncensored Blu-ray
- Stream: ANIPLUS, HIDIVE
Keyaru is a healer abused by heroes and royals until he discovers a way to turn back time. Using his reset, he exacts brutal vengeance through manipulation, violence, and sexual domination.
Why It’s Borderline: Dark fantasy revenge story, infamous for its graphic sexual violence and on-screen intercourse. TV versions were heavily censored, but even the uncensored cut avoids showing genitals, keeping it technically ecchi while earning its “borderline hentai” reputation.
Chūhai Lips: Canned Flavor of Married Women (2025)
- Studio: Studio Seven
- Source: Original (DereGura Label)
- Format: Short-form TV (Censored) & Deregula Web Edition (Uncensored)
- Stream: OceanVeil
A short-form adult romance about a college student who becomes entangled with older married women.
Why It’s Borderline: Short-form romance anime with two releases: a censored TV cut and an uncensored Deregula version. The Deregula cut shows full sex scene choreography without mosaic censorship, though never revealing explicit anatomy.
Interspecies Reviewers (2020)
- Studio: Passione
- Source: Manga by Amahara & masha
- Format: TV (Censored), AT-X (Less Censored), Uncensored Blu-ray
- Stream: BiliBili
Set in a fantasy world where adventurers visit and “review” brothels staffed by monster girls.
Why It’s Borderline: Nearly every episode features sex acts, extensive nudity, and playful raunch, all while avoiding explicit shots. It’s infamous for being “too hot for TV” after streaming platforms dropped it mid-season.
World’s End Harem (2022)
- Studio: Studio Gokumi × AXsiZ
- Source: Manga by LINK & Kotaro Shōno
- Format: TV (Censored), Uncensored Web & Blu-ray
- Stream: Crunchyroll, Vidio
In a future devastated by a virus that wipes out nearly all men, a few immune survivors awaken to find themselves tasked with repopulating humanity.
Why It’s Borderline: A sci-fi harem anime. Contains frequent, uncensored-looking sex scenes with all the motions, but strategically framed to stay ecchi.
Harem in the Labyrinth of Another World (2022)
- Studio: Passione
- Source: Light Novel by Shachi Sogano
- Format: TV, AT-X, and uncensored Blu-ray
- Stream: Crunchyroll
Michio Kaga, transported to a fantasy world, gains wealth and power to build his own harem. The anime explores his journey through dungeons, battles, and his relationships with slave companions.
Why It’s Borderline: Isekai fantasy where the main character acquires a harem of slave girls and sleeps with them on screen. The uncensored home release is essentially a softcore fantasy anime.
Aki Sora (2009 OVA)
- Studio: Hoods Entertainment
- Source: Manga by Masahiro Itosugi
- Format: OVA
This OVA revolves around siblings grappling with forbidden attraction. Torn between guilt and longing, they cross into an incestuous relationship.
Why It’s Borderline: Incest-themed OVA in which siblings engage in intercourse. Explicit in scenario and movement, yet official classification stayed ecchi due to careful censorship.
Yosuga no Sora (2010)
- Studio: feel.
- Source: Visual Novel by Sphere
- Format: TV (Censored), Uncensored Blu-ray
- Stream: Anime Onegai
This anthology series follows Haruka Kasugano as he reconnects with childhood friends after moving back to the countryside.
Why It’s Borderline: Visual novel adaptation with romantic drama and taboo relationships. Some arcs end in actual sex scenes, including the infamous sibling relationship that stirred controversy. Tame in framing but still unusual for TV anime.
Devilman Crybaby (2018)
- Studio: Science SARU
- Source: Manga by Go Nagai
- Format: Netflix Original Series (Uncensored)
- Stream: Netflix
Akira Fudo becomes a “Devilman” after merging with a demon, retaining a human heart while gaining demonic power.
Why It’s Borderline: Visually and thematically extreme sex and violence. Not ecchi by genre, but its uncensored depictions of intercourse and nudity push it close to hentai’s aesthetic, albeit within a literary, horror-driven context.
Nukitashi the Animation (2025)
- Studio: Studio 1st
- Source: Eroge (VN) Nukitashi: I’m Not A Pervert! by Qruppo
- Format: OVA, DereGura Web (Uncensored), Blu-ray
- Stream: OceanVeil
Junnosuke Tachibana, a self-proclaimed virgin, opposes the oppressive “Pervert Law.” He forms a resistance group named No Love No Sex (NLNS) with a few like-minded allies.
Why It’s Borderline: Overt sexual content is visible (including background characters openly engaging in sexual acts), yet it stays within the ecchi classification by purposefully avoiding explicit genital detail.
Kiss x Sis (2010)
- Studio: feel.
- Source: Manga by Bow Ditama
- Format: TV, OVA
Keita, a high school student, is constantly pursued by his flirtatious twin stepsisters, Ako and Riko.
Why It’s Borderline: A risqué step-sibling comedy where most episodes contain heavy sexual innuendo, groping, and near-sex scenarios. The OVAs in particular step closer to the hentai line.
Final comments and thoughts on this list
Surprised by how many incest-themed anime made this list? You’re not alone. I am too. It’s a trope that continues to push the envelope in the borderline hentai and explicit ecchi space, often hiding behind clever censorship, controversial storytelling, or visual ambiguity.
Borderline hentai sits right between the commercial and the taboo, and often has surprisingly strong animation quality compared to outright hentai titles. Whether you’re shocked, intrigued, or ready to explore, one thing is clear: these anime prove that the ecchi genre is capable of going much further than many realise, sometimes right to the very edge.
Whether you call them borderline hentai, softcore ecchi, or just explicit anime, these titles prove that the line between ecchi and hentai isn’t just thin, it’s downright blurry. For some viewers, that teasing “almost hentai” quality is the appeal; for others, it’s simply shocking that these aired outside of adult video stores.
So…
Have you watched any of these borderline hentai/explicit ecchi anime?
Let’s hear your thoughts (or confessions) in the comments.
Sources Consulted: MyAnimeList AniList Anime News Network LiveChart.me
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