Anime is the best thing that happened in this existence. If you do not agree with this, then you just haven’t landed on your best anime yet. Netflix has its separate category for anime. There are so many quintessential series, and some originals that are also equally pitting against the veterans.
A plethora of genres are staked together for audience likeability: action, comedy, horror, romance, sci-fi, and so on. If you are worried about what to watch next or even if you just want to start watching anime we have got you. Here are the top 25 anime to watch on Netflix, specially curated for you.
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Top 25 Anime On Netflix
1) Hunter x Hunter
Any hardcore anime fan would blindly say ‘Hunter x Hunter’ is one of the best anime out there in the wild. Even the non-anime (muggles pfft) fans would know about this series, even if they haven’t seen them. The series begins with the typical savior-figure protagonist’s entry. Here, the savior is a hunter named Gon Freecss. If you are someone who always sees the good in people, or vice-versa you want people to see the good in you, then you would readily attach yourself to this series. Gon is a person, who always sees the best in people and is very dedicated. He makes friends with a young boy from a family of assassins, and their polarized dynamic creates a connection that makes the series inspiring. The compelling relationship between these two boys demands emotional investment from you.
2) Naruto
Oh come on! At point or another I bet you would have heard about ‘Naruto’. The intricate magic world, companionship, teaching, hand-to-hand combat, epic fights with evil forces, the background music and much more will definitely grab your attention. However, be aware of the excessive flashbacks and the repetitive slogans. The series introduces us to a number of villages, especially the hidden leaf village where Naruto lives. In these villages, a community of ninjas live and die to protect their community. This series emphasizes a lot on commonality in the face of danger, friendship, and the relentless determination to save the companion who joined hands with the evil. The show also focuses on vengeance and gradually ends with forgiveness to emphasize healing and peace. Netflix has also launched ‘Naruto: Shippuden’, the successor of ‘Naruto’ recently.
3) Demon Slayer
‘Demon Slayer’ broke many records and is one of the popular anime among American fans. The manga is still on the bestsellers list years after it concluded. The movie broke the record of ‘Spirited Away’ for the highest-grossing Japanese film of all time- in the middle of the pandemic when there were no vaccinations available. The series is the tale of young demon slayer Tanjiro Kamado and his quest to save his demon-transformed sister Nezuko. It is set in the Taisho era and the characters immediately win our sympathy.
4) Neon Genesis Evangelion
‘Neon Genesis Evangelion’ is a Japanese mecha anime. It features robots in battle. It is set fifteen years after a worldwide cataclysm, particularly in the futuristic fortified city of Tokyo. The protagonist, Shinji Ikari is a teenage boy who was recruited by his father Gendo to the shadowy organization Nerv to pilot a giant bio-machine named ‘Evangelion’ into combat against beings known as ‘Angels’. This series explores the emotions of those in flight and fight. It also emphasizes the ultimate cause of the events to understand the motives for human action.
5) Cowboy Bebop
‘Cowboy Bebop’ features a traveling group of space cowboys who hunt bounties across the solar system. The stories of the weird and exciting individuals they come into contact with are what drive the fans to re-watch this series again and again. It is safe to say, this is one of the most re-watched anime series of the decade. The magnificent jazz soundtrack fits perfectly with the complex and flawed characters’ plot.
6) Baki
‘Baki’ is a high-action anime, full of tense showdowns. The hyper-tough voices and the characters flexing their muscles have their own fanbases. The protagonist features his personal strength and also challenges its relevance to mercy and freedom. This show focuses on a hyper-masculine young fighter training to surpass his father.
7) One Punch Man
A 25-year-old college graduate saves a rosy-cheeked boy from the murderous clutches of a lobster man-monster. He then acknowledges his need to save the world and abandons his search for a salaried job to devote himself to training. This three-year training regimen to become a hero, made his hair fall out (I know, it’s funny!). The protagonist Saitama then becomes the world’s strongest hero, gifted with the awesome power to defeat enemies with a single punch. Yes! You heard that right! With a single punch!
8) Spy x Family
You probably would have seen numerous reels by now about the cute girl in this series who always says ‘chi chi’ in such an endearing way. This is by far the most comforting and entertaining light-hearted anime. ‘Spy x Family’ follows a spy who has to build a family to execute a mission. The twist here is that the girl he adopts is a telepath and the woman he married is a skilled assassin. If there was a page in this series, then this would be a gripping page-turner. Oh, wait! It does have a page. I mean book. This is an adaptation of the manga series written and illustrated by Tatsuya Endo. Action, comedy, and spy stuff! These are the words for this amazing entertainer.
9) Jujutsu Kaisen
‘Jujutsu Kaisen’ follows a high school student Yuji Itadori as he joins a secret organization of Jujutsu sorcerers to eliminate a powerful curse named Ryomen Sukuna, of whom Yuji becomes the host. The manga series has sold more than 70 million copies in circulation, including related novels and has become one of the best-selling manga series of all time. It is nail-bitingly gripping!
10) My Hero Academia
The anime series, ‘My Hero Academia‘ is set in the modern-day, except that some people have special powers called ‘Quirks’. These people with ‘Quirks’ are trained in a Hero Academy. In a world full of confusion and conflict, pro-heroes have to rise to their potential to fight off powerful supervillains. The protagonist Izuku Midoriya, whilst born ‘Quirkless’, dreams of becoming a great hero one day. If you are someone who falls into the character-building trope where the hero has to work hard from nothing to become the famous and powerful one. Then this is your go-to click the ‘My Hero Academia’ square on Netflix.
11) Little Witch Academia
Many fantasy fans have described this series as “The Harry Potter of anime.” The series, ‘Little Witch Academia’, follows a group of girls who attend a prestigious academy of young witches. A wholesome anime for fantasy lovers, that never fails to show the innocence and quirky nature of the characters. Such an uplifting and reliable drama to watch whenever one needs a break from the muggle life.
12) Assassination Classroom
This is an action packed comedy anime, which focuses on a bunch of ‘misfits’ in a class. The series follows the daily life of an extremely powerful octopus-like being working as a junior high homeroom teacher. The students are dedicated to the task of assassinating their homeroom teacher to prevent Earth from being destroyed. The series has received a lot of critical acclaims and has been adapted into movies and video games.
13) The Way of the Househusband
‘The Way of the House Husband’ is a short series about a gangster who has turned into a househusband. The protagonist is a former Yakuza member Tatsu. He was once known as ‘The Immortal Dragon’. After leaving the horrendous life of crime and marrying the career-driven Miku, he has taken up the job of a househusband. This show makes such entertainment by abolishing the stereotypical standard and bringing in the genuine efforts of the main character to take care of his family. Between cleaning the home and fighting for the best deals on cabbage, Tatsu applies his fighter mentality in his daily chores, making the show double-entertaining. This show guarantees laughter!
14) Haikyu
This series is the best one could offer for sports fanatics. The story follows a boy named Shoyo Hinata. He is determined to become a great volleyball player despite his small stature. Hinata joins his school volleyball club only to find out that he is the sole member. He then spends the next two years trying to convince his fellow students to help him practice. The show hits every spot of excitement, nail-biting anticipation, sentiment, endearing friendship and healthy rivalry.
15) Black Clover
‘Black Clover’ follows the story of a young boy Asta who is born without magical powers in a world where people are born with magical powers. You can guess, how this would turn out, bullying, insults, and the unerring determination of the character to become strong and powerful. With his fellow mates from the Black Bulls, Asta plans to become the next Wizard King. Yes! Yes! It does strike one or two chords of ‘Naruto’ but trust the process, you will be amazed at how it’s similar yet so distant from Naruto. Disclaimer: Has a lot of repetitive flashbacks like Naruto and also repetitive slogans like (Yes, your guess is right, but trust the process, it gets better) ‘Naruto’.
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16) The Disastrous Life of Saiki k: Reawakened
This series is about a teenage boy born with psychic powers. One might think, he would use his powers to be a self-righteous covenant or a masked vigilante, spoiler alert, he is neither! He just wants to get back home after school, without hearing spoilers of his favorite shows from the minds of the people he passes by and his peers. All of his classmates are a bit cranky, and he has to keep his powers secret from them. This is a Netflix original and the writers are catering the animation to the audience’s demand. The writers have balanced sarcasm and comedy nature in traditional Japanese anime drama to cater to today’s audience.
17) Beastars
If you are a philosophical person, then this would be the ‘it’ anime for you. ‘Beastars’ focuses on the binaries ‘nature vs nurture’, and ‘instinct vs rational thought’ that needs to be in tandem. A carnivore’s desire to attack and devour a herbivore might seem irrational from the point of civilized society. So, the civilized member would find a way to resist and deflect the urge to live without killing each other. This is the push-and-pull conflict, the show is set. Sometimes, people would fail to laugh at the jokes and ponder on the animals’ actions that reflect humans.
18) The Seven Deadly Sins
‘The Seven Deadly Sins’ is one of Netflix’s original fighting series. In this series, 7 titular knights represent the seven deadly sins. These 7 titular characters are the most powerful and loyal knights. Each of the 7 has committed an unpardonable sin that made them wanted criminals. The series starts ten years after they were framed and exiled, when a young woman named Elizabeth stumbles across a bar, looking for the Seven Deadly Sins. Many loyal fans of the manga and the series have praised the anime for its storyline and the anticipation it raised to know what power these sins held.
19) Aggretsuko
‘Aggretsuko‘ is probably one of the relatable anime on Netflix. This series is created by the mascot company ‘Hello Kitty’. Retusko is a bright-eyed red panda who begins her first office job fresh out of university. Five years later, her optimism fizzles away and she turns into a cynic. Frustrated at her tiny apartment, the crowded commute and a chauvinist boss, she lets out her steam every night through death metal karaoke. One of the funniest, cathartic and relatable series about the drawbacks of office life.
20) Ouran High School Host Club
‘Ouran High School Host Club’ is a satirical take on the classic manga tropes. This romantic comedy follows the lives of young boys in a school club called ‘Ouran High School Host Club’. These boys spend their free time entertaining and flirting with young women of their private upper-class school. If you are looking for a sophisticated, funny, flirty and romantic trope, this drama would not fail to check all these boxes. The depiction of class separation and gender expectations are depicted from an interesting angle which makes the show much more fun and entertaining. To all the high school drama fanatics, this is your key!
21) Cells At Work
If you are a parent and want to show your kids educational entertainment, then this is your pick. This series centers on anthropomorphic cells in the body that engage in endless labor cycles to keep one alive, healthy and safe from bacteria, viruses, parasites, diseases and other pathogens. Even if you are not a kid and just want to know what happens in your body in a not-so-boring way, this is the fundamental place to start.
22) Carole & Tuesday
This series starts 50 years after humans colonized mars. Humans are so technologically advanced that all sub-cultures are produced by AI. In this AI world, two girls want to change history. The titular characters Carole and Tuesday are destined to give a musical performance that will forever be remembered as the “7-minute miracle”.
23) Kotaro Lives Alone
As the title suggests, it is about a boy named Kotaro Sato, who lives alone. The twist here is that the boy is 4-years-old. He moves into the apartment next door to a manga artist named Shin Karino. How the neighbors of Kotaro take care of him and how Kotaro finds a family in these strangers is what the series is all about. Such a pleasing, heartfelt, gentle show for anyone going through a lot in your life in terms of abandonment, distress, and loneliness.
24) Death Note
This series has received universal acclaim for its dark concept. ‘Death Note’, follows a cat-and-mouse game between a high school student named Light Yagami who possesses a notebook with the ability to kill anyone just by writing their name down in the book, and L, a quirky yet brilliant teen detective tasked with finding Light and stopping the killings. The entertaining element here is that there is no villain in this series. Both the characters strive for justice but follow different paths to achieve it.
25) Violet Evergarden
This is one of the most picturesque anime series of all time. The series follows an Auto Memory Doll named Violet Evergarden. She is an ex-child soldier who is now basically working as a ghostwriter for rick people while trying to find meaning behind the last words her former major said to her. The meticulous art style and animation have turned even the act of using a typewriter and pressing its keys into an art form.
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