Whether you are just getting into anime or the manga series, it can feel a little daunting when considering where to start. It might seem like a huge endeavor but rest assured, we got you covered as the list we have created for you, we can say with utmost certainty that there is likely no better place to begin your watchlist than what we have right here.
Some of these were what we started with back in the #Toonami days, if you remember that, and others were introduced to us later as we started to branch out and expand our pallet, as it were. Regardless, we really think you are going to find something here you are going to like.
First off, we should start by clarifying; this list in no way is representative of the best anime has to offer. We just felt like this would be a good place to start before heading off into more complex shows and territory that might be more difficult to start with. After all, you probably wouldn’t give a six-year-old a Stephen King novel for their first book.
One last thing- we are not ashamed to admit that we prefer some of these in English over Japanese and we certainly would never stick our noses up at those that prefer one over the other. However, you should probably know that in most anime communities, a handful of gatekeepers might treat you differently if you don’t say you watch anime in Japanese or at least start off watching it that way. Whatever the case, the choice is yours. You won’t get any judgment from us.
Now, let’s get started.
Rurouni Kenshin
RATING: 8/10
Plot
After his work against the Japanese Military, Hitokiri Battosai (“The Man-Slayer”) disappears to become Kenshin Himura, a wandering samurai who protects the people of Japan with a vow of never to take another life.
Why You Should Watch
Easily making our list, Kenshin is one of the most beloved characters in all of anime. Maybe it is his style of fighting, using his Reverse Blade Sword (one side is sharp enough to cut through steel like butter, and the other side is dull and used to knock enemies on the flat of their backs) to defeat enemies without killing them, or his struggle to avoid becoming the Man-Slayer of legend he once was. Kenshin’s love and admiration for his friends and peers make him a unique warrior with humility and a sense of humor unlike anyone else in the show.
Sword Art Online (I+II)
RATING: 8/10
Plot
Kirito is a young gamer, with an obsession with Virtual Reality-based MMOs. The latest, Sword Art Online (SAO), promises an immersive experience with the Nerve Gear, a VR helmet that links all of the human senses into the game, creating a sense of realism like you are literally present in the setting of the VR world.
On the day of launch, the “Log Out” option mysteriously vanishes from within the game, trapping thousands of players inside. SAO’s creator, Akihiko Kayaba appears to tell players that the only means of escape is to see the game through to the end and beat it, or die in-game, which kills the player in real life. The news creates widespread panic, causing friends and family to remove the Nerve Gear of those trapped inside, thus killing players instantly. The players have no choice but to stay in the game and abide by the rules, which leads to many developing in-game lives while leaving them trapped for months, and even years.
Why You Should Watch
Kirito is an interesting character to be sure, having been one of the game’s testers allowing him many in-game advantages over other players. Coined with the term “Beater”, Kirito’s development with other players constantly puts him at odds, with many feeling like he is a cheater and only out for himself. The means by which he develops relationships and plays the game is perhaps the most intriguing aspect of SAO, as he is left to his wits and trust-building to get anywhere, despite usually being a “Solo Player”. With treachery, romance, epic fights, and lots of references to present-day games, SAO fits the bill for any anime lover, especially if you are an anime-gamer hybrid like us.
Naruto Shippūden
RATING: 8/10
Plot
Naruto Uzumaki, an adolescent ninja who constantly searches for recognition and dreams to become the Hokage, the ninja in his village who is acknowledged as the leader and the strongest of all.
Why You Should Watch
Naruto and its sequel series Naruto Shippūden are constantly among the top-ranked anime series and manga series of all time. If that is not enough, the franchise has become a household name with many awards showcasing the epic fight sequences, the likability of the wide array of characters, and the excellent music that supports the action taking place on-screen. Regardless of whether you like anime, ninjas, or both, Naruto is a must-watch series for any who are wondering what to add next on their list of shows to watch, though we bet if you are reading this, you have already seen the entire list of available episodes on stream.
Hunter x Hunter
RATING: 9/10
Plot
A young boy named Gon Freecss, who discovers that his father, who he was told was dead, is actually alive and a world-renowned Hunter, a licensed profession for those who specialize in fantastic pursuits such as locating rare or unidentified animal species, treasure hunting, surveying unexplored enclaves, or hunting down lawless individuals. Despite being abandoned by him, Gon departs upon a journey to follow in his footsteps, pass the rigorous Hunter Examination, and eventually find his father. Along the way, Gon meets various other Hunters and also encounters the paranormal.
Why You Should Watch
Truth be told, the original run of the series in 2000 was not met with as much popularity as the manga, however, the reboot of the series, which is only in Japanese, that was released in 2011 was met with critical acclaim and widespread praise among viewers and fans alike. One of the more popular evaluations of the series comes from the varying themes in the series, such as the tone and meaning behind the characters and what they represent, such as the most common theme, asking what it feels like to be human and against odds in the face of diversity. This series is the only one on the list that we have yet to experience ourselves but it is easy to place on this list from what fans and critics have said about it; incredible.
PS: It is called “Hunter Hunter” – the X is silent.
Attack on Titan
RATING: 8.5/10
Plot
The story is set in a world where humanity lives inside cities surrounded by enormous walls as a defense against the Titans, gigantic humanoid creatures that eat humans seemingly without reason. The story initially centers on Eren Yeager, his adopted sister Mikasa Ackerman and childhood friend Armin Arlert, who joins the military to fight the Titans after their hometown is invaded and Eren’s mother is eaten. However, as the story progresses and the truths about the Titans are slowly revealed to the reader, the main narrative shifts to center more around Historia Reiss, one of the top soldiers from the Survey Corps.
Why You Should Watch
Perhaps one of the most recognized anime franchises over the past several years, Attack on Titan stands on its own for being a massively successful manga, anime series, and live-action movie series (coming to NA in September 2015).
The emotions and pain of constant loss the characters go through put this anime series on par with the struggles of popular shows like The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones. Characters die, emotions are stirred, and viewers are left with their jaws agape while wondering what type of world would it be to live in where you could watch your loved ones bitten in half by giant flesh-eating humanoids.
The series is graphic, and at times hard to watch, but that only comes from the sheer horror of watching people devoured without mercy. The Japanese version with English subtitles leaves nothing to be desired, with the music and scenes left in their original horrific glory. The English version cuts out some of the violence but still makes it worthy to watch if you do not want to read the dialogue of the subs.
Dragon Ball (Z, GT, Super)
RATING: 8.5/10
Plot
Dragon Ball follows young spiky-haired monkey-boy Goku, a strange kid who crash-landed on earth in a space pod that looks like a tennis ball. He is raised by his adoptive grandfather Gohan who teaches him martial arts. Goku then uses what he learns to release massive amounts of energy against bad guys while saving the planet several times over.
Dragon Ball Z picks up many years later with Goku an adult and a father. Most fans start with this series as it fills you in on anything you need to know from the first series. Goku and his friends learn of a great alien threat and team together to face one wave of enemies after another. From space pirates to galactic tyrants, to Androids, to mythical magical beings, Goku and his friends face enemies of all shapes and sizes while working up quite an appetite.
Dragon Ball GT is a non-canon series, meaning that it doesn’t fit into the franchise timeline and isn’t considered an official part of it. And due to series creator Akira Toriyama’s limited involvement in GT, you can sort of tell. The show follows Goku, now a child through an accidental wish, traveling across the galaxy with his granddaughter and his rival’s son on a journey that does have some cool moments. In fact, despite all the issues the show has, and the endless amount of gatekeeping you will undoubtedly hear from nerds, GT is worth a watch, at least once or so. Still, we don’t recommend starting here as you will be super confused.
Dragon Ball Super is the fourth major series under the Dragon Ball name and picks up right after Z, ignoring the events of GT completely. In fact, Super actually overlaps the events of Dragon Ball Z sharing some events between the two shows. It technically takes place way before GT as well and continues on with the sort of Charisma Z had but with only half the animation quality. Apparently, in order to keep up with demand, the studio behind Super rushed to get episodes out so quickly that the series took a massive hit of criticism for it. It became a huge meme online for months and deservedly so. Home releases of the series actually had to be redone to counter all the backlash from fans and critics alike.
Why You Should Watch
Admittedly, we never really watched Dragon Ball all the way through. The first entry in the franchise features Goku as a kid beating up bad guys in a tone that wasn’t immediately to our liking. The nice part is, many skipped out on that series and started with Dragon Ball Z which does a good job of keeping you updated on anything worth noting that you may have missed out on before.
The series manages to deliver some of the most intense action around while also carrying a rather light heart about it. The characters go through some major changes, both emotionally and physically during each major story arc but the plot sort of feels repetitious as each new season involves a new stronger enemy that is unlike anything they faced before. Sort of a rinse and repeat that gets old after a while. Still, the shows are fun and it’s definitely something should check out early on your watchlist.
Trigun
RATING: 9/10
Plot
Trigun revolves around a man known as “Vash the Stampede” and two Bernardelli Insurance Society employees, Meryl Stryfe and Milly Thompson, who follow him around in order to minimize the damages inevitably caused by his appearance. Most of the damage attributed to Vash is actually caused by bounty hunters in pursuit of the sixty billion double dollars bounty on Vash’s head for the destruction of the city of July. However, he cannot remember the incident due to retrograde amnesia, being able to recall only fragments of the destroyed city and memories of his childhood past. Throughout his travels, Vash tries to save lives using non-lethal force. He is occasionally joined by a priest, Nicholas D. Wolfwood, who, like Vash, is a superb gunfighter with a mysterious past. As the series progresses, more about Vash’s past and the history of human civilization on the planet Gunsmoke is revealed.
Why You Should Watch
Vash is one of our favorite anime characters, particularly through the excellent English voice work of actor Johnny Yong Bosch (Adam Park, Black Mighty Morphin’ Power Ranger). The actor brings the character to life with quips and style that make Vash extremely likable and silly, while also being serious and dangerous to the point where it’s a miracle he does not kill more people with his massive hand cannon.
That said, much like Kenshin Himura above, Vash is the best at what he does and proves it by never really killing a soul, despite using one of the most dangerous weapons in the show- himself.
Samurai Champloo
RATING: 9/10
Plot
Set in an alternate version of Edo-era Japan with an anachronistic, predominantly hip-hop, setting, Samurai Champloo follows Mugen, an impudent and freedom-loving vagrant swordsman, and Jin, a composed and stoic ronin. Together with Fuu, a brave girl who asks them to accompany her in her quest across Japan to find the “samurai who smells of sunflowers”, the three would-be heroes are at odds with constantly having to battle enemies and warriors who get in between them and their goals of finding the Sunflower Samurai while fighting among themselves with constant stubborn behavior.
Why You Should Watch
The tone of SC is anything but boring, but the hip-hop music put the series on a unique level all its own. Quick swordsmanship and witty banter make the show worth the watch, if the awards, accolades, and critical acclaim were not enough.
Shinichirō Watanabe directed the series after the massive success and popularity of his previous project, Cowboy Bebop.
Cowboy Bebop
RATING: 10/10
Plot
The story follows the adventures of a bounty hunter crew traveling on their spaceship, the Bebop, in search of criminals and those with a price on their heads they can profit from. With one thing leading to another, and it usually is the wrong move, Spike and his crew do whatever they can to survive day by day while dealing with the mysteries of each other’s past.
Why You Should Watch
Cowboy Bebop is easily one of the greatest anime shows of all time, but don’t just take our word for it. The series has been featured in dozens of magazines, and web articles, and lists more authoritative on the subject of what is “the best” than us. The Anime News Network, for example, gave the series an ‘A’ rating for the subbed version, and an unprecedented ‘A+’ rating for the dubbed version adding that Cowboy Bebop is “one of the most popular and respected anime titles in history.”
The English dub of the series was something series director Shinichirō Watanabe stated was better than the original, something you do not hear all that often in the realm of anime.
YuYu Hakusho – Staff Favorite
RATING: 10/10
Plot
After being hit by a car, middle school punk, Yusuke Urameshi is killed and sent to the afterlife before being brought back to life as the Spirit Detective of earth. Now, with the awareness of the spiritual realm and the supernatural, Yusuke must join together with a crew of miscreants to keep our realm safe from demons and various other undead demonic bad guys while learning about his own heritage, and his unique link to the Spirit World.
Why You Should Watch
This show is without a doubt my personal favorite by a landslide. The English dub is every bit as good as the Japanese with a well-rounded group of characters that expands beyond the typical anime arch-type by going so far in-depth with character development while maintaining a strong sense of danger and excitement. The sagas in the series are unique on their own, never making the audience think that it is just a rehash of the previous, with demonic powers and characters that can be the show’s worst enemy before joining forces and becoming the best of friends.
The humor in the show is what makes this so unique, in that it feels fresh and accents the fighting sequences perfectly. The English cast from FUNimation delivers such a good time with the series that you can not help but shed a tear when it ends, though it does so on a somewhat of a high note making viewers realize that while you can have too much of a good thing, this is one series that you want to keep on going.
Hard-headed stubborn characters like Hiei the Swordsman, and the brilliant Kurama play to each other’s strengths and add to the humor in some of the best ways anime can. If there is one series you are going to watch next, this would be it. Just be sure to give it a chance and stick with it as the first 7 or so episodes start off sort of slow and do not allude to what the rest of the series has to offer.
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So there you have it, our list of shows you should give a try. Keep in mind, that the list is a compilation of shows we enjoy that we feel you should check out, but in no way is this a representation of the Top anime shows of all time. Although many of you may agree that this list is pretty strong, perhaps even having several on your own Top 10 List.
