Demon Slayer
Demon Slayer is the most popular anime on the planet right now – and for good reason: it boasts some of the most exciting and hard-hitting fight scenes ever committed to screen. Animation studio Ufotable has always been renowned for its mastery of action, but it soars past its own lofty standards here.
In the hit anime, Tanjiro seeks revenge for his family’s death at the hands of demons, leading him down a path to become a member of the Demon Slayer Corps. Throughout Tanjiro’s journey, he butts heads with fearsome demons from the Demon Moon clan.
Like most of the best anime, Demon Slayer juggles its intensity with a sprinkling of genuine laugh-out-loud moments. Tanjiro’s companions Zenitsu (a cowardly warrior who can only fight when he’s asleep) and Inosuke (a hot-headed boy who wears the head of a boar) are always on hand to keep things from ever getting too maudlin. The real highlight here is the show's brutal and balletic demon-versus-demon-slayer showdowns. They’re worth the price of admission alone.
Read more: Our guide to Demon Slayer season 4 and how to watch Demon Slayer in order
Fate/Zero
The Fate/stay night series is a sprawling universe that centers around the Holy Grail, a mythical object that allows whoever obtains it to have their wishes fulfilled. But it’s not that easy. Every few generations, magic users – known as Masters – clash in a battle royale-style conflict to get their hands on the Grail. They’re aided in that crusade by Servants, legendary warriors pulled from the pages of real-world history and legends, such as Gilgamesh and King Arthur.
Fate/Zero is the perfect starting point for the series. Acting as a prequel to the Fate/stay night anime, the Fourth Holy Grail War features mage assassin Kiritsigu waging war against his fellow Masters. It all culminates in a breakneck rush of entertaining action and plot twists that almost demand the show be binged in one sitting. The best thing? If you like it, there are several movies and series in the Fate series for you to dive into next.
Fruits Basket
As a premise, it’s pretty goofy – but belies the heart of Fruits Basket. Tohru is a compassionate soul, dedicated to helping fix the broken Sohma family. The slow, measured pace of this slice-of-life anime often takes some sharp turns, too, and will have you reaching for the tissues as it reaches its conclusion.
We’d also recommend picking the 2019 remake over the original as it’s a more definitive take on the source material.
Steins;Gate
From its very first moments, Steins;Gate grabs hold of you and doesn’t let go. After finding the body of a dead researcher at a time travel conference, ‘mad scientist’ Rintaro Okabe soon discovers he can send text messages back in time. Unfortunately for Rintaro, this draws the attention of shadowy organizations – who would kill to get their hands on Rintato’s ‘D-Mail’ device.
What starts as a goofy time travel adventure soon evolves into a fraught, nail-biting drama that’s filled with gut punch after gut punch. As the net closes in on Rintaro, he must make an impossible choice to save those close to him.
If you enjoy Steins;Gate, there’s also the sequel series – Steins;Gate 0 – which is just as brilliant.
Violet Evergarden
Following a teenage girl as she recovers from injuries suffered while serving in her nation's army, this Netflix anime is a powerful, affecting journey that will have you sobbing like a baby by the time its brief 13-episode run is over.
During the series, the stoic, robot-like Violet Evergarden sheds off the trauma and grief of the war (and her presumed-dead major) to take up letter writing as an 'Auto Memory Doll.' As a scribe, she helps uncover her own emotions while helping others express theirs. Throughout the 'letter of the week' format, mothers become closer to daughters, lovers find the right words to say, and fathers mourn the loss of their children. It's the sort of story that only anime can pull off: a deeply emotional character study on love, loss and longing as Violet slowly becomes more and more human.
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Possibly the greatest anime of all time? It’s not hard to see why Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is so revered thanks to its pitch-perfect blend of world-building, fantasy, action, and drama.
After a ritual to bring back their dead mother goes wrong, Edward’s younger brother, Alphonse, loses his body and his soul is trapped inside a suit of armor. As they search for the Philosopher’s Stone, they are dragged into a mystic war waged across nations – and a conspiracy that leads to the very heart of their nation’s government.
FMA: Brotherhood’s greatest strength lies in its impeccable pacing. It starts off pretty low-key – including that infamous Nina episode – and soon spirals out into epic battles as the seven Homunculus and the mysterious Father stand in Edward’s way. It’s all wrapped up in final act that is so inherently bombastic and entertaining that it could only be brought to life in anime.
Monster
Naoki Urasawa is one of the most critically-acclaimed manga writers of his time, adored by the literary community both within and outside of Japan and the author of some of the most densely plotted, character-driven, and experimental manga ever published. So it’s only natural that Monster, Urasawa’s fifth serialized manga and one of his best known outside of Japan, would translate into one of the greatest anime series ever put to the screen. Spanning 74 episodes, the show’s premise unspools in the way only the finest crime-thriller should: patiently, yet purposefully. Dr. Kenzo Tenma’s fall from esteemed brain surgeon to disgraced murder suspect on the run, and his frenzied search for the man who framed him, is a riveting saga from start to finish, darting from one corner of Europe to the next in a deadly contest of wills. If you ever have the chance to watch this series, jump at the opportunity. —Toussaint Egan
Michiko and Hatchin
Michiko and Hatchin has all the makings of an instant anime classic: a country-spanning road trip, an irrepressible sense of adventure, a funky samba soundtrack courtesy of Brazilian artist Alexandre Kassin, and two of the strongest leads in anime history. Where the show truly shines is in Sayo Yamamoto’s directorial sense, with each scene lovingly capturing the unforgiving allure of South America. The show leads with Michiko Malandro, a convict, breaking out of prison to find her supposedly dead lover Hiroshi. Her only lead is their daughter, Hana, who lives with an abusive foster family. After plowing through their house on a motorbike, the duo travel the country looking for the only mutual connection they share.
Tackling themes of poverty and exploitation, Michiko and Hatchin is a bawdy tale that centers women every step of the way. With an intense sense of liberation, it’s one of the only anime to capture the spark that made Cowboy Bebop legendary. It deserves nothing but praise. —Austin Jones
DRAGON BALL Z
In every practical sense, Akira Toriyama’s status as one of anime’s greatest creators was all but secured with Dragon Ball. Loosely inspired by the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West, the manga and subsequent anime series of Son Goku’s misadventures to collect all seven of the mythical dragon balls inspired whole generations of manga artists and animators in Japan. The original series was a classic, but it was Dragon Ball Z that marked the series’ transition from a national treasure into a worldwide phenomenon. With hyper-kinetic violence, flashy energy attacks, dizzying spectacles of mass destruction, and tense moments of serial escalation, Dragon Ball Z is a singularly important installment in the canon of martial arts action anime and an enduring entry point for newcomers to the medium to this day. —Toussaint Egan
BERSERK
Kentaro Miura’s Berserk is one of the most critically-acclaimed action series of the 1980s. Spanning 40 volumes and counting, the long-running manga, which follows Guts the Black Swordsman’s Sisyphean quest for revenge across the blighted plains of Midland, has spawned legions of fans over the series’ almost 30-year history. There’s been a handful of anime adaptations in that time, some more risible than others. The 1997 anime, produced by OLM, directed by Naohito Takahashi, and written by Yasuhiro Imagawa, is to this day widely regarded as the finest adaptation of Berserk ever made and considered a major contributing factor to the series’ ongoing popularity. With an iconic soundtrack by Susumu Hirasawa, intense battles, engrossing characters, and an ending that will shake you to your core, Berserk is a harrowing yet highly recommended plunge into a world fraught with feudal strife and cosmic cruelty. —Toussaint Egan
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