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In most of these shows, there is no time machine. The one people know best is a microwave: in Steins;Gate, a few friends wire one to a phone and find it sends text messages into the past. Everyone else gets there some other way, by taking a running leap, shaking a hand, reading a letter, falling into a well, or dying and waking up a few days earlier.
What sends a character back decides what they can do once they are there. A text message can only change someone's mind. A letter can warn but cannot act. Dying keeps the memories but not the body, and whether he is allowed to tell anyone is the difference between Summer Time Rendering and Re:Zero. The list starts with the shows where only words cross time and ends with the ones where people go back in person.
I have watched three of these, the leap, the loop that gets shared and the time machine in the boarding house, plus Steins;Gate 0, the follow-up to the text messages. For the rest, the entry tells you how the character gets back, who made it and where it streams, and nothing I could not know from the outside.
The 10 Picks at a Glance
| Title | Format | Length | MBTI | What sends them back |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steins;Gate | Anime series | 24 episodes | INTP | A text message |
| Orange | Anime series | 13 episodes | ISFJ | A letter from her future self |
| Erased | Anime series | 12 episodes | INFJ | An ability he cannot control |
| Summer Time Rendering | Anime series | 25 episodes | INTJ | Dying, and sharing what he learned |
| Re:Zero - Starting Life in Another World | Anime series | Season 1: 25 episodes | INFP | Dying, and telling no one |
| Tokyo Revengers | Anime series | Season 1: 24 episodes | ESFP | A handshake |
| The Girl Who Leapt Through Time | Anime film | 98 minutes | ENFP | A running leap |
| The Tatami Time Machine Blues | Anime series | 6 episodes | INTJ | A time machine in the boarding house |
| T・P BON | Anime series | 24 episodes | ENFP | Joining the Time Patrol |
| InuYasha | Anime series | 167 episodes + The Final Act (26) | ESTP | An old well |
Nine of the ten are on Netflix, Hulu, Crunchyroll or HBO Max. The exception is Orange, which streams on Rakuten Viki. InuYasha is also free with ads on Tubi. Click a title to jump to its entry.
1. Steins;Gate
| Format | Genre | Length | Emotional tags |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anime series | Sci-Fi, Thriller | 24 episodes | Suspenseful, Moving |
Akihabara, 2010. Rintaro Okabe, an 18-year-old who calls himself a mad scientist, runs a cramped "lab" with two friends. Their homemade gadget, a microwave hooked up to a phone, turns out to send text messages into the past, and each message changes the present a little. Then an organization that has been researching time travel on its own starts paying attention to them.
Based on the 2009 visual novel by 5pb. and Nitroplus. White Fox made the 24-episode series, which aired in Japan from April to September 2011. This is the Japanese promo that ran just before the broadcast.
Only Words Go Back
Nobody in Steins;Gate travels at first. Only a few lines of text do. A message can change what someone decides, but the sender has to live with whatever present comes out the other end.
I have only seen the 2018 follow-up, Steins;Gate 0, which branches off near the end of this series and assumes you know it. So this is the one to start with, which is not the order I managed.
| Service (US) | Status |
|---|---|
| Crunchyroll | Streaming |
| Netflix | Not available |
| Hulu | Not available |
| Amazon Prime Video | Add-on |
| HBO Max | Not available |
| Disney+ | Not available |
| Apple TV+ | Not available |
Streaming on Crunchyroll. Prime Video carries it only through the Crunchyroll add-on channel.
2. Orange
| Format | Genre | Length | Emotional tags |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anime series | Romance, Drama | 13 episodes | Tearjerker, Bittersweet |
On the first day of her second year of high school, Naho Takamiya receives a letter written by herself, ten years in the future. It describes that day exactly, including the arrival of a transfer student, Kakeru Naruse, and it asks her to watch over him, because the Naho who wrote it lives with regrets about what happened to him.
Based on Ichigo Takano's manga. Telecom Animation Film made the 13-episode series, which aired in Japan from July to September 2016. This is TOHO animation's first Japanese promo.
Nobody Travels; Only the Warning Does
Like Steins;Gate, only words cross time here, but the sender cannot change anything herself. Present-day Naho still has to find the nerve to act on each instruction, and the letter cannot make her.
Nothing travels but the letter. The story is about a group of friends in their last years of high school.
| Service (US) | Status |
|---|---|
| Crunchyroll | Not available |
| Netflix | Not available |
| Hulu | Not available |
| Amazon Prime Video | Not available |
| HBO Max | Not available |
| Disney+ | Not available |
| Apple TV+ | Not available |
Not on any of the services in the comparison table. In the US it streams on Rakuten Viki.
3. Erased
| Format | Genre | Length | Emotional tags |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anime series | Mystery, Thriller | 12 episodes | Suspenseful, Moving |
Satoru Fujinuma is a 29-year-old struggling manga artist with an involuntary ability he calls Revival: shortly before something terrible happens, it sends him back a few minutes so he can stop it. After his mother is murdered, Revival sends him back 18 years, to 1988 and his fifth-grade self, shortly before a classmate went missing.
Based on Kei Sanbe's manga. A-1 Pictures made the 12-episode series, which aired on Fuji TV's Noitamina block from January to March 2016. This is Aniplex of America's second trailer.
An Adult Mind in a Child's Life
Satoru does not choose when Revival happens or how far it sends him. In 1988 he knows how things turned out, but he has only the reach of an 11-year-old to change them.
Twelve episodes, with no second season to wait for.
| Service (US) | Status |
|---|---|
| Crunchyroll | Streaming |
| Netflix | Not available |
| Hulu | Streaming |
| Amazon Prime Video | Add-on |
| HBO Max | Not available |
| Disney+ | Not available |
| Apple TV+ | Not available |
Streaming on Crunchyroll and Hulu. Prime Video carries it only through the Crunchyroll add-on channel.
4. Summer Time Rendering
| Format | Genre | Length | Emotional tags |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anime series | Mystery, Sci-Fi | 25 episodes | Suspenseful, Shocking |
Shinpei Ajiro comes home to a small island off Wakayama for the funeral of Ushio, the girl he grew up with. Something on the island is copying people. When Shinpei dies, he wakes up a few days earlier with his memories intact, and he starts using each loop to find out what killed her.
Based on Yasuki Tanaka's manga from Shueisha. OLM made the 25-episode series, which aired in Japan from April to September 2022. This is the second Japanese promo.
A Loop He Reports Back From
Shinpei never tries to escape the loop. He treats each death as a run he can learn from and report on, and what he learns gets passed on to the people around him, so the loop works as a group effort rather than a private curse.
I reviewed it at 8.2 out of 10. The first half is island folk horror and the second half turns into longer fights, so expect the tone to shift.
| Service (US) | Status |
|---|---|
| Crunchyroll | Not available |
| Netflix | Not available |
| Hulu | Streaming |
| Amazon Prime Video | Not available |
| HBO Max | Not available |
| Disney+ | Not available |
| Apple TV+ | Not available |
Streaming on Hulu.
Read the full review: Summer Time Rendering (full review)
5. Re:Zero - Starting Life in Another World
| Format | Genre | Length | Emotional tags |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anime series | Fantasy, Thriller | Season 1: 25 episodes | Suspenseful, Shocking |
Subaru Natsuki walks out of a convenience store and finds himself in a fantasy world, with no powers and no idea why. The one thing he has is what he calls Return by Death: when he dies, he goes back to an earlier point and tries again. He cannot tell anyone about it.
Based on Tappei Nagatsuki's light novels, published under Kadokawa's MF Bunko J imprint. White Fox, the studio behind Steins;Gate, made the anime; the first season aired in 2016 and more seasons have followed. This is the Blu-ray collection promo from the UK distributor Anime Limited.
The Loop Nobody Else Knows About
Next to Summer Time Rendering, this is the same mechanism with the opposite rule. Shinpei can share what he learns; Subaru has to carry every failed attempt alone, and the people he is trying to save remember none of it.
He lands in a fantasy world, but the premise is the rule, not the world: nobody can know he has died. The first season runs 25 episodes.
| Service (US) | Status |
|---|---|
| Crunchyroll | Streaming |
| Netflix | Not available |
| Hulu | Streaming |
| Amazon Prime Video | Add-on |
| HBO Max | Not available |
| Disney+ | Not available |
| Apple TV+ | Not available |
Streaming on Crunchyroll and Hulu. Prime Video carries it only through the Crunchyroll add-on channel.
6. Tokyo Revengers
| Format | Genre | Length | Emotional tags |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anime series | Action, Drama | Season 1: 24 episodes | Hype, Suspenseful |
Takemichi Hanagaki is 26, working a part-time job and getting nowhere, when he hears that Hinata, his girlfriend from middle school, has been killed in a fight involving the Tokyo Manji Gang. The next day someone pushes him off a subway platform, and he lands twelve years in the past, back in the year he was dating her.
Based on Ken Wakui's manga, serialized in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine from 2017 to 2022. Liden Films made the anime; the first season aired from April to September 2021, and a fourth season began in October 2026. This is Pony Canyon's first Japanese promo.
Going Back Means Joining the Gang
Takemichi's way back to the past is a handshake with Hinata's younger brother, Naoto, and he has to come back to the present each time to see whether anything changed. The only route to saving her runs through the gang itself.
Most of the story takes place inside the gang in the past, with the handshake as the way in and out.
| Service (US) | Status |
|---|---|
| Crunchyroll | Streaming |
| Netflix | Not available |
| Hulu | Streaming |
| Amazon Prime Video | Add-on |
| HBO Max | Not available |
| Disney+ | Not available |
| Apple TV+ | Not available |
Season 1 is streaming on Crunchyroll and Hulu. Prime Video carries it only through the Crunchyroll add-on channel.
7. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
| Format | Genre | Length | Emotional tags |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anime film | Sci-Fi, Romance | 98 minutes | Bittersweet, Moving |
Makoto Konno is a high school student in Tokyo whose summer revolves around playing catch with two friends after school. After an accident in the science lab, she finds that she can jump back in time, literally, by taking a running leap. She uses it to redo bad days, retake quizzes and dodge awkward conversations.
Mamoru Hosoda directed it at Madhouse, and it opened in Japan in July 2006. It takes off from Yasutaka Tsutsui's 1967 novel of the same name with a new story; the novel's heroine appears as Makoto's aunt. This is GKIDS's English trailer for the 4K remaster.
A Power Spent on Small Things
The world is never in danger here. What Makoto changes is her own after-school schedule, and the film's point is that every do-over she takes is paid for by someone else, usually without her noticing.
I gave it a full review. It is 98 minutes, one summer and three friends, and the stakes never grow past them.
| Service (US) | Status |
|---|---|
| Crunchyroll | Not available |
| Netflix | Not available |
| Hulu | Not available |
| Amazon Prime Video | Add-on |
| HBO Max | Streaming |
| Disney+ | Not available |
| Apple TV+ | Not available |
Streaming on HBO Max. Prime Video carries it only through the HBO Max add-on channel.
Read the full review: The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (full review)
8. The Tatami Time Machine Blues
| Format | Genre | Length | Emotional tags |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anime series | Comedy, Sci-Fi | 6 episodes | Funny, Uplifting |
It is August 12 in a run-down student boarding house in Kyoto, and someone has spilled cola on the remote for the only air conditioner. When a time machine turns up in the building, the unnamed narrator decides to go back one day and rescue the remote before it breaks. His friend Ozu cannot leave the past alone.
Based on Tomihiko Morimi's 2020 novel, which puts the cast of The Tatami Galaxy into the plot of Makoto Ueda's play Summer Time Machine Blues. Science Saru made the six-episode series, which premiered in Japan on Disney+ in September 2022 and began streaming on Hulu in the US that November. This is the Japanese 60-second trailer.
One Day Back, for a Remote Control
The trip is one day back, and the stakes are a remote control, which is the joke. Every change to yesterday threatens to undo the universe, and the characters argue about that in a room with no working air conditioning.
I have watched it. It helps to know The Tatami Galaxy's cast, but you do not need it; six episodes tell the whole story.
| Service (US) | Status |
|---|---|
| Crunchyroll | Not available |
| Netflix | Not available |
| Hulu | Streaming |
| Amazon Prime Video | Not available |
| HBO Max | Not available |
| Disney+ | Not available |
| Apple TV+ | Not available |
Streaming on Hulu.
9. T・P BON
| Format | Genre | Length | Emotional tags |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anime series | Adventure, Sci-Fi | 24 episodes | Uplifting, Moving |
Bon is an ordinary middle schooler until he accidentally gets involved in a Time Patrol case. He ends up joining the patrol alongside an agent named Ream, and their job is to save people in the past without changing the course of history.
Based on the manga by Fujiko F. Fujio, the creator of Doraemon. Bones made the series for Netflix, released in two parts of 12 episodes in May and July 2024. This is Netflix's official trailer.
Saving People History Forgot
Every episode is a different time and place, and the rule is strict: they may only save someone whose survival does not change the course of history. That makes each rescue a small story about one person nobody remembers.
With a middle schooler as its lead and the creator of Doraemon behind it, this is the entry aimed at the youngest viewers, and since each episode is a separate case, it can be watched one at a time.
| Service (US) | Status |
|---|---|
| Crunchyroll | Not available |
| Netflix | Streaming |
| Hulu | Not available |
| Amazon Prime Video | Not available |
| HBO Max | Not available |
| Disney+ | Not available |
| Apple TV+ | Not available |
Streaming on Netflix.
10. InuYasha
| Format | Genre | Length | Emotional tags |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anime series | Fantasy, Adventure | 167 episodes + The Final Act (26) | Hype, Moving |
Kagome Higurashi is a 15-year-old from modern Tokyo whose family runs a shrine. She falls into the old well on the grounds and climbs out in Japan's Warring States period, where she meets Inuyasha, a half-demon. When the Shikon Jewel she was carrying shatters into fragments, the two set out to collect them, going back and forth through the well between her school life and the past.
Based on Rumiko Takahashi's manga. Sunrise made the anime: 167 episodes from 2000 to 2004, then InuYasha: The Final Act, 26 episodes from 2009 to 2010, which finishes the story. This is VIZ Media's extended English trailer.
Two Lives, One Well
Kagome does not go back once; she commutes. She still has exams in the present, and the well goes both ways, so the premise is two lives at once.
It is the longest commitment here by far. The Final Act is the ending, so plan to watch it after the original run.
| Service (US) | Status |
|---|---|
| Crunchyroll | Not available |
| Netflix | Streaming |
| Hulu | Streaming |
| Amazon Prime Video | Streaming |
| HBO Max | Not available |
| Disney+ | Not available |
| Apple TV+ | Not available |
Streaming on Netflix, Hulu and Prime Video. It is also free with ads on Tubi and Pluto TV.
US Streaming Comparison at a Glance
| Title | Crunchyroll | Netflix | Hulu | Amazon Prime Video | HBO Max | Disney+ | Apple TV+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steins;Gate | ◎ | ✕ | ✕ | △ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ |
| Orange | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ |
| Erased | ◎ | ✕ | ◎ | △ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ |
| Summer Time Rendering | ✕ | ✕ | ◎ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ |
| Re:Zero - Starting Life in Another World | ◎ | ✕ | ◎ | △ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ |
| Tokyo Revengers | ◎ | ✕ | ◎ | △ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ |
| The Girl Who Leapt Through Time | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | △ | ◎ | ✕ | ✕ |
| The Tatami Time Machine Blues | ✕ | ✕ | ◎ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ |
| T・P BON | ✕ | ◎ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ |
| InuYasha | ✕ | ◎ | ◎ | ◎ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ |
All ten were checked in the US region on October 19, 2026. ◎ means included with the base subscription, △ means a paid add-on channel or a rental, and ✕ means that service does not carry it. The △ marks on Prime Video are the Crunchyroll or HBO Max channels sold inside Amazon, which cost extra on top of Prime.
Where to Begin, by What Sends Them Back
For one evening, start with the leap: The Girl Who Leapt Through Time on HBO Max. For a weekend, Erased's Revival plays out in 12 episodes, and the boarding-house time machine in The Tatami Time Machine Blues needs only six if you would rather laugh.
If you want a longer series built on the mechanism itself, Steins;Gate on Crunchyroll and Summer Time Rendering on Hulu are the two to pick between: one goes back with words, the other by dying. I have only finished Summer Time Rendering, and it is where I would send you, with one warning: it keeps you guessing until the end, and that is part of the deal. For a handshake that is also airing new episodes this season, Tokyo Revengers started its fourth season in October; reports say that season streams on Disney+, while the earlier seasons are on Crunchyroll and Hulu.
For more stories that hinge on a turn like Summer Time Rendering's ending, see my anime plot twists list.
Streaming information was verified in the US region on October 19, 2026 and can change without notice.
