Death is one of many mysteries that has left humanity in the dark since the dawn of time. However, the burning question of what happens to the soul after one dies is soon answered to 17-year-old Yuzuru Otonashi. Waking up with no previous memories in a dimension between life and death, he discovers the unsettling truth of the afterlife.

Taking the form of a high school, this bizarre dimension is designated to shelter those who died unwanted deaths. Feeling wronged by God during their earthly lives, the school's residents have decided to form the Afterlife Battlefront—a rebellious faction determined to oppose their god-like student council president, Kanade "Angel" Tachibana. The group's leader, Yuri Nakamura, recruits Otonashi in their fight against Angel in order to take control of their own lives. However, questioning the morality behind their actions, Otonashi takes a step behind the enemy lines to understand the opposing side of their common fate.

Angel Beats! is an original anime that was created by screenplay writer Jun Maeda and directed by Seiji Kishi. A manga adaptation was later released by Jun Maeda and published by ASCII Media Works in Dengeki G's Magazine. The manga was used as a way to expand on elements of the plot that could not be fitted into the show's original running time. The show was chosen as a recommended work by the awards jury of the 18th Japan Media Arts Festival in the year 2014.