All across the globe, animations are developed and distributed on a regular basis. It’s called “anime,” a Japanese word that originated in Japan and specifically refers to Japanese animated films.
On Netflix, you’ll find the finest anime series of all time, including both classic and new entries. If you’re new to anime or a seasoned veteran looking for something new to watch, here is the list for you.
- FullMetal Alchemist Brotherhood (Unanimous)
Brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric search for the Philosopher’s Stone, hoping to restore their bodies, which were lost when they attempted to use their alchemy skills to resurrect their deceased mother. Edward, who lost only limbs, joins the State Military, which gives him the freedom to continue the search as he tries to restore his brother, whose soul is tethered to earth by a suit of armor. However, Edward and Alphonse are not the only ones seeking the powerful stone. And as they search, they learn of a plot to transmute the entire country for reasons they cannot comprehend. (source: Netflix)
- Castlevania (Unanimous)
Inspired by the popular video game series, this anime series is a dark medieval fantasy. It follows the last surviving member of the disgraced Belmont clan, Trevor Belmont, trying to save Eastern Europe from extinction at the hands of Vlad Dracula Tepes. As Dracula and his legion of vampires prepare to rid the world of humanity’s stain, Belmont is no longer alone, and he and his misfit comrades race to find a way to save mankind from the grief-maddened Dracula. (source: Netflix)
- Demon Slayer (Unanimous)
Ever since the death of his father, the burden of supporting the family has fallen upon Tanjirou Kamado’s shoulders. Though living impoverished on a remote mountain, the Kamado family are able to enjoy a relatively peaceful and happy life. One day, Tanjirou decides to go down to the local village to make a little money selling charcoal. On his way back, night falls, forcing Tanjirou to take shelter in the house of a strange man, who warns him of the existence of flesh-eating demons that lurk in the woods at night.
When he finally arrives back home the next day, he is met with a horrifying sight—his whole family has been slaughtered. Worse still, the sole survivor is his sister Nezuko, who has been turned into a bloodthirsty demon. Consumed by rage and hatred, Tanjirou swears to avenge his family and stay by his only remaining sibling. Alongside the mysterious group calling themselves the Demon Slayer Corps, Tanjirou will do whatever it takes to slay the demons and protect the remnants of his beloved sister’s humanity.
(source: My Anime List)
- Cowboy Bebop (Unanimous)
Cowboy Bebop is a Japanese science fiction neo-noir anime television series created and animated by Sunrise, led by a production team of director Shinichirō Watanabe, screenwriter Keiko Nobumoto, character designer Toshihiro Kawamoto, mechanical designer Kimitoshi Yamane, and composer Yoko Kanno. (source: Wikipedia)
- Hunter X Hunter (Unanimous)
Hunter x Hunter is set in a world where Hunters exist to perform all manner of dangerous tasks like capturing criminals and bravely searching for lost treasures in uncharted territories. 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 had long ago abandoned his young son. However, Gon soon realizes the path to achieving his goals is far more challenging than he could have ever imagined.
Along the way to becoming an official Hunter, Gon befriends the lively doctor-in-training Leorio, vengeful Kurapika, and rebellious ex-assassin Killua. To attain their own goals and desires, together the four of them take the Hunter Exam, notorious for its low success rate and high probability of death. Throughout their journey, Gon and his friends embark on an adventure that puts them through many hardships and struggles. They will meet a plethora of monsters, creatures, and characters—all while learning what being a Hunter truly means. (source: My Anime List)
- Mobile Suit Gundam -Iron Blooded Orphans (Reel Will)
Roughly 300 years after the conclusion of a great conflict known as the Calamity War, the Earth Sphere has lost its previous governing structure, and a new system of government has created a new world. Far away, seeds of a new conflict are starting to form in the Mars Sphere. When private security company Chryse Guard Security (CGS) accepts a mission to help liberate a Martian city from being ruled by one of Earth’s major powers, a military organization attacks CGS to stop the rebellion before it gets off the ground. Some boys use this as a chance to revolt and lead a coup against the adults who have been oppressing them. (source: Netflix)
- Death Note (McKinley)
A shinigami, as a god of death, can kill any person—provided they see their victim’s face and write their victim’s name in a notebook called a Death Note. One day, Ryuk, bored by the shinigami lifestyle and interested in seeing how a human would use a Death Note, drops one into the human realm.
High school student and prodigy Light Yagami stumbles upon the Death Note and—since he deplores the state of the world—tests the deadly notebook by writing a criminal’s name in it. When the criminal dies immediately following his experiment with the Death Note, Light is greatly surprised and quickly recognizes how devastating the power that has fallen into his hands could be.
With this divine capability, Light decides to extinguish all criminals in order to build a new world where crime does not exist and people worship him as a god. Police, however, quickly discover that a serial killer is targeting criminals and, consequently, try to apprehend the culprit. To do this, the Japanese investigators count on the assistance of the best detective in the world: a young and eccentric man known only by the name of L.
- Blue Exorcist (Reel Will)
The series “Blue Exorcist” had its beginnings in manga form. In it, humans and demons reside in different realms — Assiah and Gehenna, respectively — that usually don’t intersect. But now, demons are starting to enter the tangible world of the human race and must be culled. Thankfully, there are people who can exorcise them. Rin Okumura, a young man of strange origins and exceptional power, sets out to rid the world of the evil spirits in an effort to be the ultimate exorcist and hero. Accomplishing that would mean defeating his own father, Satan. (source: Netflix)
- Akame Ga Kill (Reel Will)
Young villager Tatsumi heads to the Imperial Capital to try to raise money for his village. After arriving, he discovers that there is corruption in the area. He is recruited by Night Raid, an assassin group, to fight the Empire and end the corruption. As part of Night Raid, Tatsumi joins self-proclaimed “genius sniper” Mine; kind-hearted Sheele who can become a cold-blooded killer when it comes to achieving her goal of getting rid of “society’s trash”; and leader Najenda who spent years serving in the Empire before joining Night Raid. (source: Neflix)
- League of Legends (McKinley)
Arcane (titled onscreen as Arcane: League of Legends) is a 2021 animated streaming television series. It is set in the League of Legends universe. The series was announced at the League of Legends tenth anniversary celebration.[4] It was produced by Riot Games and Fortiche, a French animation studio based in Paris. Set in the past relative to the League of Legends universe, Arcane serves as a prequel to the game and retells the origin stories of several characters from Piltover and Zaun. Like the game which it is based on, Arcane is aimed at a “16+” audience. Many news outlets have also noted that the show appeals to both casual viewers who have never played League and to longtime fans of the game. (Source: Wikipedia)
Honorable Mention: No Game, No Life
No Game No Life is a surreal comedy that follows Sora and Shiro, shut-in NEET siblings and the online gamer duo behind the legendary username “Blank.” They view the real world as just another lousy game; however, a strange e-mail challenging them to a chess match changes everything—the brother and sister are plunged into an otherworldly realm where they meet Tet, the God of Games.
The mysterious god welcomes Sora and Shiro to Disboard, a world where all forms of conflict—from petty squabbles to the fate of whole countries—are settled not through war, but by way of high-stake games. This system works thanks to a fundamental rule wherein each party must wager something they deem to be of equal value to the other party’s wager. In this strange land where the very idea of humanity is reduced to child’s play, the indifferent genius gamer duo of Sora and Shiro have finally found a real reason to keep playing games: to unite the sixteen races of Disboard, defeat Tet, and become the gods of this new, gaming-is-everything world. (source: My Anime List)
