30 Greatest Anime of All Time
Check out the 30 greatest anime series, including new releases and old favorites!
30. Demon Slayer/ Kimetsu no Yaiba
Alternative Titles:
Synonyms: Blade of Demon Destruction
Japanese: 鬼滅の刃 KIMETSU NO YAIBA
English: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
Synopsis:
Tanjirou Kamado has been shouldering the responsibility of maintaining his family since his father's death. One night, Tanjirou is forced him to seek shelter in the home of a strange man, who warns him of flesh-eating demons lurking in the woods at night.
When he returns home the next day, he discovers that his entire family has been slaughtered by demons and that his sister Nezuko has been transformed into one, leaving him as the solitary survivor.
Tanjirou will go to any length to battle the demons and safeguard the last vestiges of his beloved sister's humanity, working alongside the enigmatic Demon Slayer Corps.
29. Jujutsu Kaisen
Alternative Titles:
Synonyms: Sorcery Fight, JJK
Japanese: 呪術廻戦
Synopsis:
Yuuji Itadori spends his days in either his high school Occult Clubroom or the hospital, where he visits his ill grandfather. However, when he unwittingly comes across a cursed artifact, a chain of supernatural events are triggered, causing him to eat what is revealed to be a finger belonging to the demon Sukuna Ryoumen, the "King of Curses". Yuuji finds himself propelled into the world of Curses—dreadful monsters produced by human malice and negativity.
After being introduced to the Tokyo Metropolitan Jujutsu Technical High School, he begins to walk down a path that he will never be able to return from: the path of a Jujutsu sorcerer.
28. Ranking of Kings / Ousama Ranking
Alternative Titles:
Synonyms: King Ranking
Japanese: 王様ランキング
English: Ranking of Kings
Synopsis:
The people of the realm look down on the young Prince Bojji, who is deaf and mute. He's dubbed "The Useless Prince" by those who mock his alleged weakness. Although he is not physically powerful, he has a strong heart. He begins meeting with Kage, a shadow assasin, on a regular basis, and the normally harsh creature begins to warm up to him.
The unexpected bond between Kage and Bojji provides the groundwork for the prince's journey to overcome his insecurities. Despite the frequent mockery, Bojji is determined to achieve his goal of becoming the finest king he can be.
27. Anohana: We Still Don't Know the Name of the Flower We Saw That Day/ Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai
Alternative Titles:
Synonyms: AnoHana, The Flower We Saw That Day
Japanese: あの日見た花の名前を僕達はまだ知らない。
English: anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day
German: AnoHana: Die Blume, die Wir an Jenem Tag Sahen
Spanish: anohana: The Flower We Saw that Day
French: Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day
Synopsis:
Introverted Jinta Yadomi spends his time playing video games by himself and is annoyed when, one summer, his childhood friend Meiko "Menma" Honma shows up and talks about granting her a forgotten wish. He ignores her, since she has been died years ago.
After realizing Menma isn’t a mere hallucination and is indeed a ghost, Jinta gets back in touch with his estranged childhood friends in order to allow her spirit to rest. Years of guilt and pain are brought into light during this journey as the friends try to help Menma.
26. Pokémon
Alternative Titles:
Synonyms: Pocket Monsters, Indigo League, Adventures on the Orange Islands, The Johto Journeys, Johto League Champions, Master Quest
Japanese: ポケットモンスター
English: Pokémon
German: Pokémon
Spanish: Pokémon
French: Pokémon
Synopsis:
Satoshi (Ash Ketchum) has always wanted to be a Pokémon trainer, as well as a "Pokémon Master," and with his tenth birthday approaching, he will finally have the opportunity to do so. Unfortunately for him, all three Pokemon available to new trainers have been claimed, leaving just Pikachu, a defiant Electric-type Pokemon. This fortuitous meeting, on the other hand, would be the start of a lifelong friendship and an extraordinary trip!
Satoshi and Pikachu embark on a quest to become the best with their friends, Kasumi (Misty), a Water type trainer, and Takeshi (Brock), a Rock type trainer, across beautiful, wide landscapes.
25. Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-/ Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu
Alternative Titles:
Synonyms: Re: Life in a different world from zero, Re:Zero, ReZero
Japanese: Re：ゼロから始める異世界生活
English: Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-
German: Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-
Spanish: Re:Zero -Empezar de cero en un mundo diferente-
French: Re:Zero -Starting Life in Another World-
Synopsis:
While leaving the convenience store, Subaru Natsuki is wrenched away from his mundane life and transported into a fantasy world. His bad luck takes a turn for the worse when he is beaten up by some goons shortly after his arrival. Fortunately, he is saved by a beautiful girl named Emilia, who is seeking her lost insignia, and he helps her find its location in order to return the favor.
However, they are brutally murdered by an evil force minutes after locating the insignia, and stranger still, Subaru wakes up confronting the same group of thugs he met earlier, and being saved by Emilia all over again. The mystery magnifies as Subaru repeats the experience over and over again.
24. InuYasha
Alternative Titles:
Synonyms: Inu Yasha
Japanese: 犬夜叉
English: InuYasha
Synopsis:
Kagome Higurashi’s ordinary high school life is changed when she is dragged into a cursed well by a demon and teleported 500 years into the past. The demon’s target, a wish-granting jewel, is reborn within her. However, after the jewel is shattered in a fight, Kagome has to team up with a dog-demon/human hybrid named Inuyasha in order to collect the jewel shards to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands.
Kagome and Inuyasha must venture through the violent Sengoku era together, and work through their differences to deal with dangerous foes.
23. The Fate series
Alternative Titles:
Japanese: フェイト
Synopsis:
The Fate series follows the unfolding of events known as Holy Grail Wars. Individuals called “Masters”, people who are proficient in the ways of Magecraft, summon spirit servants and heroes in order to battle other Masters, until the last remaining pair can take the Holy Grail, a mass of pure magical energy that can grant the wishes of the person who wields it.
The series has multiple movies and spinoffs, as well as prequels and sequels, and all of them have titles beginning with the word “Fate”.
22. My Hero Academia/ Boku no Hero Academia
Alternative Titles:
Synonyms: MHA
Japanese: 僕のヒーローアカデミア
English: My Hero Academia
Synopsis:
With the appearance of "quirks," 80 percent of humanity possess varied powers ranging from element manipulation to shapeshifting. This renders the rest of the world powerless, and Izuku Midoriya is one of these people. Izuku admires heroes and takes notes on them whenever he has the opportunity. After meeting All Might, the number one hero, he is chosen as the successor to the hero’s one-of-a-kind ability that can be passed down through the generations.
Izuku enrolls in UA High, a prestigious high school known for its superb hero training program, and discovers what it means to be a hero, thanks to his odd but gifted classmates and the rising danger of a wicked organization.
21. Steins;Gate
Alternative Titles:
Japanese: STEINS;GATE
English: Steins;Gate
Synopsis:
Rintarou Okabe, a self-titled mad scientist, and colleagues spend their time fiddling with their strange creation known as the "Phone Microwave," which has the unusual ability to transform bananas into mounds of green gel.
Despite being miraculous in and of itself, the phenomenon offers no concrete help in Okabe's quest for a scientific breakthrough; that is, until the lab members are spurred into action by a series of mysterious events before stumbling upon an unexpected success—the Phone Microwave can send emails to the past, altering the flow of history.
Okabe is forced to carry the hardships that come with holding the key to the domain of time as he is forced to cross the dividing threads of history and present.
20. Haikyu!!
Alternative Titles:
Synonyms: High Kyuu!!, HQ!!
Japanese: ハイキュー!!
English: Haikyu!!
German: Haikyu!!
Spanish: Haikyu!! Los Ases del Vóley
Synopsis:
Shouyou Hinata, a small-statured boy, gets inspired after watching a short-statured volleyball ace, nicknamed "Little Giant" in action. But his first volleyball battle is a defeat, as his team is viciously destroyed by Tobio Kageyama, the "King of the Court." Hinata resolves to beat Kageyama and later joins the volleyball team at Karasuno High School—only to discover that his sworn adversary, Kageyama, is now a teammate.
The two dedicated players go on a volleyball journey as they seek to patch up a tense rivalry in order to make their high school volleyball team the greatest in Japan.
19. Death Note
Alternative Titles:
Synonyms: DN
Japanese: デスノート DEATH NOTE
Synopsis:
Light Yagami, a brilliant 17-year-old Japanese student, and Ryuk, the sadistic god of death, share one belief: their worlds are rotten.
Ryuk releases his "Death Note" into the human world for his own entertainment. Light comes across it and reads the first of its rules: the human whose name is written in this letter will perish. He succumbs to the temptation and, under the identity of "Kira," follows his wicked sense of justice with the ultimate objective of purging the world of all evil-doers.
The meticulous mastermind detective, L, is already on his tail, but as Light's intelligence approaches that of L's, the epic search for Kira becomes a gripping war of wits that can only be finished when one of them is dead.
18. Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion/ Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch
Alternative Titles:
Japanese: コードギアス 反逆のルルーシュ
English: Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion
Synopsis:
Following the rapid defeat of the Holy Empire of Britannia, Japan was renamed Area 11 and has faced substantial resistance from dictators in an attempt to reclaim its independence.
A Britannian student, Lelouch Lamperouge, is tragically caught in the crossfire between the Britannian and Area 11 rebel armed forces. However, he is able to flee thanks to the timely appearance of a mysterious girl named C.C., who bestows Geass, the "Power of Kings," upon him. Realizing the tremendous potential of his newfound "power of total obedience," Lelouch sets out on a perilous voyage as Zero, a masked vigilante who leads a savage assault on Britannia in order to exact revenge once and for all.
17. Gurren Laggan/ Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
Alternative Titles:
Synonyms: Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann, Making Break-Through Gurren Lagann, Heavenly Breakthrough Gurren Lagann, TTGL, Gurren Laggan
Japanese: 天元突破グレンラガン
English: Gurren Lagann
Synopsis:
Simon and Kamina grew up in a subterranean, underground town hidden from the world's surfaxe. Simon is a shy young guy with no real ambitions, whereas Kamina is a free-spirited loose cannon intent on creating a name for himself. Simon discovers a weird thing while excavating the dirt one day, which turns out to be the ignition key to an ancient battle artifact they call Lagann.
With the help of Yoko Littner, a fiery redhead with a big gun who explores the world above, Simon and Kamina use their new weapon to fend off a surprise onslaught from the "Beastmen," humanoid beings who terrorize humanity's survivors in powerful robots known as "Gunmen."
16. Sailor Moon/ Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon
Alternative Titles:
Synonyms: Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon
Japanese: 美少女戦士セーラームーン
English: Sailor Moon
Synopsis:
Usagi Tsukino’s mundane existence is flipped upside down when she saves a cat with a crescent moon on its head from harm. Usagi is destined to become Sailor Moon, a planetary guardian with the capacity to safeguard the Earth, as revealed by the cat, Luna.
She is given a magical brooch that allows her to morph, and she must utilize her new abilities to find the lost princess of the Moon Kingdom, the other Sailor Guardians, and the Legendary Silver Crystal to save the city from the villainous Queen Beryl of the Dark Kingdom's energy-stealing monsters.
15. One-Punch Man
Alternative Titles:
Synonyms: One Punch-Man, One-Punch Man, OPM
Japanese: ワンパンマン
English: One Punch Man
Synopsis:
Saitama, who appears to be unremarkable, has a somewhat unusual hobby: being a hero. After training for three years and losing his hair, Saitama is now so powerful that he can defeat any foe with a single punch. However, he no longer enjoys the excitement of combat and has grown bored.
One day, Saitama catches the attention of Genos, a 19-year-old cyborg who sees Saitama's prowess and aspires to become his pupil. Saitama embarks on a new voyage as a member of the Hero Association, meeting new allies and facing new opponents in order to relive the thrill of battle he previously felt.
14. Neon Genesis Evangelion
Alternative Titles:
Synonyms: Shinseiki Evangelion
Japanese: 新世紀エヴァンゲリオン
English: Neon Genesis Evangelion
Synopsis:
The planet faces a new threat fifteen years after a cataclysmic event known as the Second Impact: monstrous celestial entities known as "Angels" invade Tokyo-3 one by one. NERV, a mysterious organization directed by the cold Gendou Ikari, holds the sole hope for human salvation. NERV uses "Evangelions," huge humanoid robots with cutting-edge weaponry and safety barriers known as “Absolute Terror Fields,” to confront the Angels.
Gendou calls his 14-year-old son, Shinji Ikari, back to Tokyo-3 after years of abandonment for one purpose: Shinji is the only child capable of flying Evangelion Unit-01, a new robot that syncs with his biometrics, with ease. Shinji protects Tokyo-3 against the Angels, naive to his father's sinister ambitions, despite the horrific psychological damage inflicted on him due to flying an Evangelion.
13. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex/ Koukaku Kidoutai: Stand Alone Complex
Alternative Titles:
Synonyms: Ghost in the Shell SAC, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
Japanese: 攻殻機動隊 STAND ALONE COMPLEX
English: Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
Synopsis:
In the near future, humanity has progressed to the point where complete body transplants from flesh to machine are achievable. The Japanese government has established Section 9, an autonomously operating police section that deals with extremely sensitive crimes, in response to criminals who take full advantage of this technology.
Section 9, led by Daisuke Aramaki and Motoko Kusanagi, deals with such crimes across the social spectrum, with varying degrees of success. When the team is confronted with a new A-level hacker known as "The Laughing Man," they are forced to play a perilous cat and mouse game, following the hacker's trail as it leaves its mark on Japan.
12. Fighting Spirit/ Hajime no Ippo
Alternative Titles:
Synonyms: The First Step, Hajime no Ippo: The Fighting
Japanese: はじめの一歩 THE FIGHTING!
English: Fighting Spirit
Spanish: Hajime no Ippo: Espíritu de Lucha
French: IPPO Le Challenger
Synopsis:
Makunouchi Ippo has spent his entire life being bullied. Ippo has always dreamed of changing himself, but has never had the passion to do it. In the midst of yet another round of abuse, he is rescued by Takamura Mamoru, a boxer.
Despite encouraging Ippo to start boxing, Takamura believes Ippo lacks the necessary skills and assigns him an impossible mission with a one-week deadline. Ippo trains intensely to achieve the goal within the time restriction, motivated by a sudden urge to become stronger for himself and his hardworking mother. Thus begins Ippo's ascension to the top of the boxing world.
11. Dragon Ball Z
Alternative Titles:
Synonyms: DBZ, Dragonball Z
Japanese: ドラゴンボールZ
English: Dragon Ball Z
Synopsis:
Goku is now living a calm life with his wife and son, five years after winning the World Martial Arts tournament. This changes when a mysterious foe named Raditz appears, claiming to be Goku's long-lost brother. He discloses that Goku is a fighter from the Saiyan species, and he was sent to Earth as a baby to conquer and destroy the world; but, after suffering amnesia as a result of a head injury, he was instead nurtured as a loving and well-mannered youngster, now battling to protect others.
Raditz informs Goku's friends about a new threat that's swiftly approaching Earth, one that might plunge Earth into interplanetary warfare and cause the sky to quake. In Dragon Ball Z, a war will be fought over the seven mythical dragon balls, and only the strongest will live.
10. Bleach
Alternative Titles:
Japanese: BLEACH - ブリーチ -
Synopsis:
Ichigo Kurosaki is a typical high school student—until his family is attacked by a Hollow, a demonic spirit bent on devouring human souls. Then he encounters Rukia Kuchiki, a Soul Reaper who is injured while protecting Ichigo's family from the assailant. Ichigo accepts Rukia's offer to take her powers in order to save his family, and as a result, he becomes a Soul Reaper.
However, because Rukia is unable to reclaim her abilities, Ichigo is tasked with tracking down the Hollows who plague their village. However, the young Soul Reaper soon discovers that the Hollows aren't the only serious threat to humanity.
9. Naruto
Alternative Titles:
Japanese: ナルトNARUTO
Synopsis:
A demon known as the Kyuubi, the Nine-Tailed Fox, assaulted Konohagakure, the Hidden Leaf Village, and inflicted destruction moments before Naruto Uzumaki was born. The village's leader, the Fourth Hokage, gave his life to lock the horrific beast inside the newborn Naruto, putting a halt to the Kyuubi's rampage.
Naruto is now a hyperactive, knucklehead ninja who still resides in Konohagakure. Naruto struggles to find his place in the town after being shunned because of the Kyuubi within him, while his burning desire to become the Hokage of Konohagakure leads him not just to some wonderful new friends, but also to some terrible opponents.
8. Mob Psycho 100
Alternative Titles:
Synonyms: Mob Psycho Hyaku, Mob Psycho One Hundred, MP 100
Japanese: モブサイコ100
English: Mob Psycho 100
Synopsis:
Shigeo "Mob" Kageyama, an eighth-grader, has accessed his innate wellspring of psychic prowess at an early age. When he sees the inherent danger in his abilities, however, the power rapidly becomes a burden.
To gain control over his abilities, Mob enlists the help of Arataka Reigen, a scam artist who claims to be a psychic and exploits Mob's abilities for profit. However, if Mob’s unbridled emotions go mad, a cataclysmic event will occur, rendering him entirely unrecognizable. The likelihood of Mob exploding is increasing, and attempting to stop it is pointless.
7. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure/ JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken
Alternative Titles:
Synonyms: JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken (2012), JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (2012), Battle Tendency, Phantom Blood, Sentou Chouryuu, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure The Animation
Japanese: ジョジョの奇妙な冒険
English: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
Synopsis:
The series focuses on various members of the Joestar family, who find out that they are destined to defeat supernatural enemies using the intense powers and abilities that they uncover.
Each season focuses on a new generation of the Joestar family, with the protagonist bearing the nickname “JoJo”.
6. Hunter X Hunter
Alternative Titles:
Synonyms: HxH
Japanese: HUNTER×HUNTER（ハンター×ハンター）
English: Hunter x Hunter
Synopsis:
Hunters exist to carry out perilous missions such as arresting criminals and seeking buried treasures in unfamiliar territory. Gon Freecss, a twelve-year-old Hunter, is driven to become the greatest he can be in the hopes of finding his father, a Hunter who had long abandoned him long ago.
Joined by the vivacious doctor-in-training Leorio, the spiteful Kurapika, and the rebellious ex-assassin Killua, the team goes on a quest that will take them through many trials and tribulations while learning what it takes to be a Hunter.
5. Samurai Champloo
Alternative Titles:
Synonyms: SAMURAI CHAMPLOO
Japanese: サムライチャンプルー
English: Samurai Champloo
Synopsis:
Fuu Kasumi is a clumsy young waitress who spends her days working calmly at a tiny teahouse. That is, until a fight breaks out in the teahouse and she has to seek the help of Mugen and Jin, two samurai who wind up attacking each other and murdering the local magistrate’s son by mistake —a crime for which they are sentenced to execution.
After saving them from their sentence, Fuu recruits them as bodyguards as she undertakes a journey to locate a certain samurai who smells like sunflowers. Despite their initial reservations, the two finally agree to help the girl in her quest, and the three set out on an expedition to discover this mystery warrior—if Fuu can keep Mugen and Jin from killing each other.
4. Attack on Titan/ Shingeki no Kyojin
Alternative Titles:
Synonyms: AoT, SnK
Japanese: 進撃の巨人
English: Attack on Titan
German: Attack on Titan
Spanish: Ataque a los Titanes
French: L'Attaque des Titans
Synopsis:
Humanity was nearly wiped out by giant humanoid beings known as Titans centuries ago, forcing humans to hide in dread behind massive concentric walls. However, when a massive Titan manages to breach the allegedly unassailable outer wall, the fight for survival against the man-eating abominations is reignited.
Eren Yeager dedicates his life to the eradication of these creatures after experiencing a tragic personal loss by joining the Survey Corps, an elite military organization that fights Titans outside of the walls. Eren, his adoptive sister Mikasa Ackerman, and his childhood friend Armin Arlert join the fight and race to find a means to defeat them before the final walls are breached.
3. Cowboy Bebop
Alternative Titles:
Japanese: カウボーイビバップ
English: Cowboy Bebop
Synopsis:
By the year 2071, humanity had spread across the galaxy, with communities similar to those on Earth covering the surface of other worlds. Murder, drug usage, and robbery plague these new societies, and intergalactic outlaws are pursued by a growing number of fierce bounty hunters.
Spike Spiegel and Jet Black pursue criminals and meet new crewmates throughout space while dealing with their troubling memories. However, the Bebop crew's lives are interrupted by a threat from Spike's past. As a rival’s psychotic plot unfolds, Spike must choose between life with his newfound family and revenge for his previous wounds.
2. One Piece
Alternative Titles:
Synonyms: OP
Japanese: ONE PIECE
Synopsis:
Gol D. Roger was renowned as the "Pirate King," the strongest and most infamous pirate to cross the Grand Line. His final words, said just before his execution, disclosed the existence of the world's greatest treasure, One Piece, which promised an endless supply of wealth and fame, as well as the possibility of attaining the height of glory and the title of Pirate King.
Monkey D. Luffy, an easygoing yet determined 17-year-old, also sets out on the quest for the sake of an exciting adventure that leads him to intriguing people and, ultimately, the promised treasure. Following in the footsteps of his childhood hero, Luffy and his crew go across the Grand Line, encountering outrageous adventures, uncovering dark mysteries, and fighting formidable foes, all in pursuit of the most desired of all fortunes—One Piece.
1. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Alternative Titles:
Synonyms: Hagane no Renkinjutsushi: Fullmetal Alchemist, Fullmetal Alchemist (2009), FMA, FMAB
Japanese: 鋼の錬金術師 FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST
English: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
French: Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood
Synopsis:
Two brothers attempt to resurrect their recently deceased mother despite the alchemical principle prohibiting human transmutation. Instead, they endured terrible personal losses: Alphonse's body was destroyed, and Edward lost a leg before sacrificing an arm to preserve Alphonse's soul in the physical realm by binding it to a massive set of armor.
After years of study, the Elric brothers set out on a journey to heal their bodies by finding the Philosopher's Stone, a powerful gem that permits an alchemist to violate the traditional laws of Equivalent Exchange.
The boys' adventure becomes embroiled in a rising conspiracy that threatens the fate of the world as Edward becomes an infamous alchemist and earns the moniker "Fullmetal."
With the rise of streaming and the popularity of anime, 2022 has been a great year for fans. With so many great shows out there right now, we thought it would be fun to take a look back at what was popular in 2022.