Quick start with anime

 Looking for good anime to watch? Here are the best anime shows of all time, ranked by fans everywhere. Top anime series include popular shows like Death Note, Attack on Titan, and many more. Plus, with so much new anime debuting each year, the list of best anime will only grow. The blanket term "anime" in the US can refer to any animation originating in Japan, and specifically differentiates a few aspects of Japanese animation from more Western styles. For example, the top comedy animes can be be much more explicit in their humor. This includes the Japanese propensity to feature adult themes, cool action scenes, and stories in animation, as opposed to Western "cartoons" aimed primarily at children, as well as the exaggerated, fantasy-oriented and colorful style of Japanese animated visuals.

Anime TV series first found popularity outside of Japan in the 1980s and have continued to find larger audiences in the West. A number of famous anime shows originating in Japan - such as Cowboy Bebop or Dragon Ball Z - have found enthusiastic audiences for dubbed versions in English speaking countries. The anime style has grown so popular in the US, it has stared to significantly influence the style and aesthetics of American animation. Shows such as Avatar: The Last Airbender, Afro Samurai, and Samurai Jack have borrowed heavily from anime in terms of pacing, subject matter, and design.

Naruto: Shippuden

• Naruto: Shippuden (TV Tokyo, 2007), also known as Naruto Shippuden, is a Japanese action anime series based on the manga by Masashi Kishimoto and a sequel to the original Naruto anime from Studio Pierrot animation studio. It tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, a young ninja who seeks recognition from his peers and dreams of becoming the Hokage, the leader of his village....  more on Wikipedia

Attack on Titan

• Attack on Titan (MBS, 2013) is a Japanese fantasy anime television series adapted from the manga of the same name by Hajime Isayama from Wit Studio. It is set in a world where humanity lives inside cities surrounded by enormous walls due to the Titans, gigantic humanoid beings who devour humans seemingly without reason....  more on Wikipedia

Hunter x Hunter (2011)

• Hunter × Hunter (Fuji TV, 2011), also known as Hunter x Hunter (2011), is a Japanese action anime series based on the manga by Yoshihiro Togashi from Madhouse animation studio. Twelve-year-old Gon Freecss is determined to become the best Hunter possible in hopes of finding his father, who was a Hunter himself, and meets new friends and challenges along the way....  more on Wikipedia

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

• Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (JNN, 2009) is a Japanese fantasy anime series based on the manga by Hiromu Arakawa from Bones Studio. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is the second anime television series based on Fullmetal Alchemist, the first being 2003's Fullmetal Alchemist. The series follows the story of two alchemist brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric, who want to restore their bodies after a disastrous failed attempt to bring their mother back to life through alchemy....  more on Wikipedia

One-Punch Man

• One-Punch Man (TV Tokyo, 2015) is a Japanese action anime series based on the webcomic by ONE from Madhouse animation studio. Saitama, a superhero who can defeat any opponent with a single punch, seeks to find a worthy foe after growing bored by a lack of challenge due to his overwhelming strength....  more on Wikipedia

My Hero Academia

• My Hero Academia (MBS, 2016) is a Japanese action anime series based on the manga by Kohei Horikoshi from Bones Studios. Izuku Midoriya, a boy born without superpowers (called Quirks) in a world where they have become commonplace, is scouted by Japan's greatest hero, who shares his Quirk with Midoriya after recognizing his potential....  more on Wikipedia

Mob Psycho 100

• Mob Psycho 100 (Tokyo MX, 2016) is a Japanese action anime series based on the webcomic by ONE from Bones studio. Average middle-schooler Shigeo Kageyama realizes that he is a powerful esper, and that his psychic abilities are strengthening and becoming more dangerous....  more on Wikipedia

Tokyo Ghoul

• Tokyo Ghoul (Tokyo MX, 2014) is a Japanese dark fantasy anime series based on the manga by Sui Ishida from Studio Pierrot animation studio. A Tokyo college student is attacked by a ghoul, a superpowered human who feeds on human flesh, and becomes a half ghoul....  more on Wikipedia

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

• Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (ufotable, 2019), also known as Blade of Demon Destruction, is a Japanese supernatural anime series based on the manga by Koyoharu Gotoge. After his family is slaughtered by demons, Tanjiro sets out to become a demon slayer to avenge his family and cure his younger sister Nezuko, who has become a demon as well....  more on Wikipedia

FAQ

Q: Is This Stuff OK For My Kids To Watch?

It depends. Some movies, yes (for example Ponyo). Others, definitely not. Most of the anime in this list don’t really seem right for kids. However, some can be suggested. For example, an anime like Dragon Ball Z or Super are safe to watch, and another is Naruto for the most part. However, anime like Berserk! is definitely far from kid-friendly, so we suggest you read our reviews and go through what seems right for kids to watch.

Q: Is An Anime Of My Choice OK For Somebody Who Don’t Like Strong Language, Violence Or Nudity?

Again, if the movie or anime you’re wondering about has a review in this list, check the notes. They cover a great amount of what kind of objectionable material is in an anime. Regardless, these anime focus more on fighting in the first place, so there may be a subtle scene of nudity or strong language, but violence? For sure. However, the violence can also range from having no traces of blood during the fights to a full-blown red bloodbath. It depends.

Q: What’s With The Huge Eyes In Anime?

No, it’s not some inferiority complex, and not quite all anime has the big eye style. But, most of it does, and the fact of the matter is that no one is 100% sure why. However, the first person to use that style is usually credited as Osamu Tezuka, the creator of the old Astro Boy TV series among various other very popular TV shows that became the foundation for Japan’s entire animation and comic industry. As to where Tezuka got the idea, Fred Ladd, who worked with him, has said that he said he was emulating Betty Boop, who was popular in Japan at the time. Other early US-produced animated characters that predate the anime style also have very large eyes.

Q: Why Is There So Much Nudity Even In Kids Shows?

First of all, Japanese attitudes about nudity are far less strict than those in the US, and it is even legal to show some nudity on TV in Japan. Since attitudes toward nudity are less strict in Japan, it’s also not entirely uncommon to see nudity in anime, including shows targeted at children, though the context is rarely erotic in those situations. There is also, of course, a significant market for anime specifically targeted at young-adult males, which feature everything from a great deal of skin to outright you-know-what. Don’t take the existence (or popularity) of this sort of anime to mean that everything with some adult themes is low-brow, because you’d be missing some very impressive cinema.

Q: Who Created Anime, And When?

The art form we now call “anime” doesn’t have a specific birth date, and it wasn’t exactly created by anyone. But, partly as a result of being either the first or among the first to use the big-eyed style, Tezuka Osamu is generally considered the “father” of anime. He started creating manga in 1947, which were extremely popular, and at the beginning of 1963, Tetsuwan Atomy (Astro Boy) began airing. That is generally considered the first anime-style animated production. Animation had been produced in Japan as early as 1917, but the style was generally different from what is now considered anime.

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