Attack on Titan is horrifying, but it isn’t really a horror anime. If you can stomach the grotesque, inside-out appearance of the titular titans, and the brutal finality of the way they devour their victims, you’ll find an action anime that’s also heavy on plot, character development, and atmosphere. While there are probably more great action anime shows than any other genre, Attack on Titan is the best because the virtual lack of plot armor means nobody is ever truly safe, and the stakes are always very real. The various Dragon Ball series, which follow the adventures of Son Goku and his friends, has been the subject of parodies, jokes, and anime memes. Without Dragon Ball, the fighting anime genre as we know it today probably wouldn’t exist. Dragon Ball started as a mostly lighthearted take on the ancient Journey to the West. By the time Dragon Ball Z came out, the franchise fully transformed into the archetype of the genre that’s influenced much of what came after. It’s fine to joke about Goku and his foes spending entire episodes charging up their ultimate attacks. Maybe that isn’t for everyone, which is why there’s an official abridged version called Dragon Ball Kai on Funimation. There are a ton of great adventure animes, but most cross over into another genre. Shows like Fullmetal Alchemist, Dragon Ball, and One Piece are full of adventure, but they get pigeonholed into specific categories. Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure defies categorization, but it absolutely belongs on a list like this. It’s one of the longest-running, most-beloved manga of all time and it finally received an anime adaptation that does justice to the source material. Each season of Jojo constantly reinvents itself as it follows the lineage of the Joestar family. Each scion of the family has a name that can be conveniently reduced to the eponymous Jojo moniker. The first season starts off slow, but stick with it and you’ll find yourself on one of the wildest, weirdest adventures anime has to offer. The high of My Hero Academia isn’t really that original. It’s basically Harry Potter for the superhero set. You’ll find an unlikely hero studying at an elite school for the differently-gifted alongside a tremendously colorful cast of characters. The show is set in a world where superheroes aren’t only real, they’re everywhere. Every hero has a quirk or power that may be familiar, like super strength, or completely bonkers, like tape-dispensing elbows. The thing that makes My Hero Academia such a great show is that everything about it is fun. The character designs are visually interesting, the powers are bizarre and inventive, and both the characterization and plot keep you coming back for more. The reason Fullmetal Alchemist is the best fantasy anime of all time is that it paints a fully realized, unique world with internally consistent rules that have real consequences. Building on that foundation, it delivers a story about two brothers that’s as grounded as the setting is fantastic. There’s no question about whether the story of the Elric brothers belongs on any list of the best anime of all time. The more contentious issue is whether to choose Fullmetal Alchemist or Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. For the uninitiated, Fullmetal Alchemist and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood are based on the same manga. The difference is the former was produced while the manga was in production, so the end of the show has nothing to do with the manga. Brotherhood came later, and it faithfully adapts the entire manga. Both have great animation, engaging stories, and fantastic dubs. Brotherhood is a good choice if you prefer a faster pace, more action, and more humor. The original has an even pace and more drama. Isekai, which means “another world” in Japanese, is a massively popular genre that typically plucks an unassuming person out of their daily life and inserts them into a fantasy or science-fiction setting. Some of the most popular examples include Sword Art Online and Spirited Away. Our top pick for the best Isekai anime is Rising of the Shield Hero, which follows the titular shield hero as he’s drawn into a strange world, treated terribly, and forced to learn harsh lessons. It elicits real emotions, specifically anger, in the viewer. If getting mad at anime isn’t your cup of tea, check out some of our honorable mentions for somewhat lighter fare. Samurai Champloo isn’t your typical samurai anime, which is what makes it the best, most stand-out title in the genre. You don’t have to like samurai for Samurai Champloo to hook you with its sense of style, slick visuals, fantastic dub, and hip-hop aesthetic. Fans of the genre are more likely to get the anachronistic gags and appreciate the alternate history version of the Edo period portrayed in the show, but a deep knowledge of the history isn’t a prerequisite to enjoying it. A lot of fantasy and supernatural anime incorporates fantastic elements into real-world settings, like shinigami descending on Karakura Town in Bleach. Shin Sekai Yori, or From the New World, takes it to a new level. The series starts off a little slow. That’s mainly because the first several episodes focus on establishing the characters and the fascinating supernatural world they live in. That attention to detail, and the complex themes explored throughout the series, make it the best supernatural anime around and a legitimately great work of speculative fiction. The magical girl genre has been around for a long time and has many well-established tropes. The basic idea is that a young girl, or a group of girls, discover the ability to transform and use magic to fight an adversary. In the west, Sailor Moon is one well-known example. While a lot of series in this genre are aimed exclusively at kids, and specifically at girls, the best ones have broad appeal and feature a range of themes. Puella Magi Madoka Magica is the best magical girl anime because kids, or at least young teens, can enjoy it, but it’s mature enough to appeal to a wider audience. It’s solidly rooted in the magical girl genre, but with a darker approach and subversion of many genre tropes. It delivers an emotional payload that elevates it to a new level. Most anime horror series are referred to as horror because of the monsters, like High School of the Dead. These series tend to be light on what western audiences think of as horror. Still, When They Cry straddles the line. It has a tremendously creepy atmosphere, which should satisfy fans of Japanese horror. It also has more than a little touch of mystery, psychological horror, and the type of gore that most Western horror fans expect. No medium does sci-fi technobabble quite like anime, but there are also a ton of real gems that explore interesting themes and concepts. For example, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex is a worthy companion to the movie, Psycho-Pass is a disturbing crime thriller inspired by Blade Runner, and Noein is a fascinating look at quantum physics. Steins;Gate revolves around time travel, but it doesn’t use it as a plot device. It explores the concept in a fascinating way, establishing internally consistent rules as to how time travel works and features a tight time loop plot that’s a cut above the rest. If you want to dip into the world of visual novels, check out the Steins;Gate source material on the Steam platform. In a genre known for excess, Gurren Lagann takes things to a different level with a wink, a nod, and a shouted admonishment to believe in yourself. Viewers who aren’t into the giant robot anime genre might be turned off by a mecha wearing sunglasses. Still, what seems like an embarrassing mess works much better than it has any right to. Gurren Lagann is fun, plus it packs an emotional punch that’s strong enough to pierce the heavens. Slice of life is a genre devoted to the mundane. If you want a quintessential anime that’s about nothing in particular, Azumanga Daioh may be your jam. Anime is known for mixing genres, which is how you get shows like The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. While Haruhi is a slice-of-life anime on a superficial level, there’s a lot more weirdness going on there. The show elevates itself beyond genre limitations, with elements of mystery and science fiction. Of the many great romance anime series out there, Toradora! takes the top spot primarily because of the characters. Good romance stories are inherently character-driven, and the people in Toradora! have their own motivations and reasons for behaving the way they do. Unlike a harem anime, the mystery in Toradora! isn’t who the main character is going to end up with. An observant viewer will figure that out early on. The story is about the characters growing and learning what love is. The best dramas are emotionally manipulative, and Your Lie in April fits the bill. If you have any feelings left to feel, there’s a good chance this show will tease them out, along with plenty of tears that can’t be easily explained away as allergies. What really drives it home and makes Your Lie in April the best drama anime is the ending. Instead of petering out, or leaving things hanging, it wraps things up in an emotionally impactful way. High School DxD is a harem anime with heavy fantasy elements, some romantic beats, and a tremendous amount of fan service. This show earns its TV-MA rating with an endless stream of violence and nudity, so it absolutely isn’t for children. Because of the rating on this series, if you access it through Crunchyroll, you must register for the site and verify your age. It takes the title of best harem anime because it doesn’t shy away from what fans of the genre want. It doesn’t get too deep into the harem aspect until after the first season. However, it carries you through with a legitimately interesting plot and story. Comedy is a hard nut to crack when it comes to anime. The funniest series out there rely on Japanese puns that don’t translate. A prime example is Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo, which Western audiences know for its surrealist, nonsensical humor. In the original Japanese, the humor was primarily based on puns and double-talk. Ghost Story is another example where the humor was introduced almost entirely in the dub. The original played the material straight, while the dub is one of the most hilarious anime series of all time. Gintama straddles a fine line where some jokes may be lost on Western audiences. Still, the show manages to be legitimately funny, which is why it takes the title of best comedy anime. Some of that comes from jokes that land despite the language barrier. The show also has absurdist humor and sight gags that work regardless of your frame of reference. Sports anime is a huge genre that often focuses on an outsider, or group of outsiders, doing their best to win against all odds. The genre sometimes resembles fighting anime, with the fights replaced by games. Major is somewhat unique because the series spans several seasons and iterations, which allows the story to have a larger impact than a typical sports anime. It starts as the story of a young boy who, having recently lost his father, resolves to follow in his footsteps as a baseball player. He grows up over subsequent seasons. The most recent iteration follows his son’s debut on the baseball diamond. Some purists only watch anime in Japanese based on the logic that Japanese voice acting is superior to the English voice acting featured in anime dubs. There is some truth to that, as there are many awful dubs out there. Still, other shows feature fantastic English voice work. The best anime dub of all time is Cowboy Bebop. Although the Japanese voice acting is top-notch, the English cast knocks it out of the park. This is one of the first great anime dubs, coming in a time where most were mediocre. While the main voice actors do great work, Steve Blum’s Spike, in particular, fits the character perfectly. See you, space cowboy. Selecting the best anime series of all time is inherently subjective, even more so than selecting the best series in a particular genre, because there are radically different shows that are excellent in their own right. Death Note tops the list for many people because of its dark themes, interesting premise, and a complicated protagonist that’s more of a villain than a hero, depending on your point of view. It’s a complicated story that asks tough questions, which resonates with many viewers. Akira isn’t only a great anime movie, and it isn’t only great animation, even though it’s both of those. It’s a great movie, full stop. There are a ton of great anime movies, and more come out every year. Akira still stands as a high watermark. It’s a beautiful film to watch, with tremendous attention to detail, a cool story, and fantastic, action-packed animation sequences. Anime has a reputation for being kid stuff, because of the connection between animation and kids cartoons in the West. The truth is that most anime isn’t for kids, as evidenced by all the TV-14, TV-MA, and R ratings on this list. If you’re looking for a great anime kids movie, the best place to start is Studio Ghibli. Ponyo, Spirited Away, and others are fantastic, beautiful, and entertaining movies that tweens, teens, and adults can enjoy together. My Neighbor Totoro, which is also a Studio Ghibli film, is the best kids anime because anyone can watch it. It gets the nod because it’s a legitimately good movie. It’s also rated G, so it’s a great introduction to anime for kids of all ages. Anime is a fantastic medium for world-building. Some interesting fictional worlds have come from anime and manga. One Piece is a shounen anime, which is a genre aimed at kids, so it might seem like a strange choice for this category. Especially since many anime series do a great job at constructing fictional worlds. One Piece has been on the air for almost 20 years, and creator Eiichiro Oda hasn’t taken his foot off the gas. Every island in the world of One Piece has a history, culture, and other tidbits to make it feel fully realized. There are many slick anime series and movies, and pinning down the coolest anime is tough. FLCL gets the nod because it’s short, sweet, visually beautiful, and somehow extremely relatable. The series only got six episodes, but that plays to its benefit. Each episode is jam-packed with no sagging in the middle. The whole thing blasts forward to the tune of a fantastic soundtrack from The Pillows. One of the best things about FLCL is you can binge it in a day without feeling too guilty. It’s a concentrated shot of cool that’s easy to come back to over and over again.
