Some lists rank by popularity. Some rank by nostalgia. This one ranks by quality — story, animation, character writing, thematic depth, and lasting impact. These are the 25 best anime ever made.
S Tier — Untouchable
1. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (2009)
Studio: Bones | Streaming: Crunchyroll, Netflix
The consensus greatest anime ever made. Brotherhood earns that title because it does everything well: a complete story with no wasted arcs, two of the best protagonists in the medium, themes about sacrifice and ambition that earn their weight, and animation that holds up against anything in 2026. Start here.
2. Frieren: Beyond Journey's End (2023–2026)
Studio: Madhouse | Streaming: Crunchyroll, Netflix
The only anime that challenges Brotherhood for the top spot. Frieren is a meditation on grief, memory, and what it means to know someone in the time you have. The quietest masterpiece in the medium and the most emotionally precise anime ever made.
3. Hunter x Hunter (2011)
Studio: Madhouse | Streaming: Crunchyroll, Netflix
The Chimera Ant arc alone places Hunter x Hunter in any all-time conversation. As a complete work, it is the most structurally ambitious shonen ever adapted.
4. Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995)
Studio: Gainax | Streaming: Netflix
The most influential anime ever made. Evangelion invented the psychological mecha genre and has not been surpassed in its particular register in thirty years. Difficult but essential.
A+ Tier — Essential Viewing
5. Attack on Titan (2013–2023)
Studio: Wit Studio / MAPPA | Streaming: Crunchyroll
The best anime of the 2010s. Seasons 1-3 are faultless. The final arc divides fans, but the journey is unmatched.
6. Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation (2021–2024)
Studio: Studio Bind | Streaming: Crunchyroll
The most complete isekai narrative in anime. Studio Bind's animation is among the finest ever produced.
7. Vinland Saga (2019–2023)
Studio: Wit Studio / MAPPA | Streaming: Netflix, Crunchyroll
A story about the cost of revenge and the harder work of finding purpose after violence. Season 2 is the most quietly devastating television of the 2020s.
8. Steins;Gate (2011)
Studio: White Fox | Streaming: Crunchyroll
The greatest time travel narrative in any medium. Episode 22 is the single best episode in anime history.
9. Demon Slayer (2019–present)
Studio: ufotable | Streaming: Crunchyroll, Netflix
The most beautifully animated anime ever produced. The Mugen Train arc is perfect action filmmaking.
10. Re:Zero (2016–present)
Studio: White Fox | Streaming: Crunchyroll
The isekai that became something else entirely. Subaru Natsuki is the most complex protagonist in the genre.
A Tier — Exceptional
11. Code Geass (2006–2008)
Studio: Sunrise | Streaming: Crunchyroll
The greatest political thriller in anime. Lelouch vi Britannia is the best morally ambiguous protagonist in the medium.
12. Jujutsu Kaisen (2020–present)
Studio: MAPPA | Streaming: Crunchyroll
The best pure action anime of the 2020s. The Shibuya arc is its permanent argument for greatness.
13. Bocchi the Rock! (2022)
Studio: CloverWorks | Streaming: Crunchyroll
The most creative use of animation in the 2020s. Funny, touching, and technically brilliant.
14. March Comes in Like a Lion (2016–2018)
Studio: Shaft | Streaming: Crunchyroll
The most emotionally sophisticated anime about depression ever made. Not widely known — genuinely one of the greatest shows in the medium.
15. Haikyuu!! (2014–2020)
Studio: Production I.G | Streaming: Crunchyroll
The best sports anime ever made and the definitive argument that sports can carry everything the best drama contains.
16. Kaguya-sama: Love Is War (2019–2022)
Studio: A-1 Pictures | Streaming: Crunchyroll
The best romantic comedy in anime history. Ultra Romantic contains the greatest romantic payoff in any animated work.
17. Spy x Family (2022–present)
Studio: Wit Studio / CloverWorks | Streaming: Crunchyroll
The most purely enjoyable anime of the 2020s. Anya Forger is the best new character the decade has produced.
18. Dandadan (2024)
Studio: Science SARU | Streaming: Netflix
The most visually innovative anime of 2024 and the most exciting debut in years.
Honourable Mentions
19. Apothecary Diaries — The sharpest mystery writing in recent anime.
20. The Dangers in My Heart — The most emotionally honest romance of the 2020s.
21. Dungeon Meshi (Delicious in Dungeon) — Worldbuilding and character writing at their absolute best.
22. Oshi no Ko — The most provocative industry commentary in anime.
23. Gurren Lagann — The definitive believe-in-yourself anime. Unmatched for pure cathartic spectacle.
24. Overlord — The isekai genre's most committed act of subversion.
25. Sword Art Online — Flawed but historically important: the anime that made isekai mainstream.
Final Thoughts
The best anime of all time share one quality: they use the medium in a way that could not be replicated in any other form. Start at number one. Keep going.
Check our currently airing anime guide for what is worth watching right now.
