40+ Recommended Netflix Anime Series You Can Start Watching Today

The anime library on Netflix has grown tremendously during the past 12 months. There are not just classic series but also a sizable number of original works competing well. Even with pieces that have already achieved canonical status.

Nevertheless, Netflix views the money it has spent as a wise investment.

Whether you prefer:

action
romance
dreamy fantasy

or cyberpunky sci-fi, the relevance of its anime genre isn’t lessening, even though specific titles come and go from the service.

We are here to help you if you are motivated to search even the oddest areas of Netflix for binge-worthy stuff.

Here are 40 lists of Anime to watch on Netflix.

1.) Attack on Titan

Attack on Titan, like any other depiction of ruthless naked giants tearing apart bodies with their jaws, is not for the faint of heart.

Even while the show has a thrilling, action-packed, and utterly captivating storyline, it can sometimes be challenging to watch. Its characters are damaged children who gradually grasp the authoritarian government they live in.

Its Titans are gory. The show accomplishes brilliantly conveys the wrong and complicated ways those children react to the violence around them (Attack on Titan’s fascist undercurrent is still controversial).

2.) Hunter x Hunter

Numerous shonen (and even American TV shows) center on a cast of young people who use paranormal skills and logical thinking to solve problems.

Hunter x Hunter is uncommon in this homogeneous type due to its focus on detail and emotional commitment.

This anime is full of amusing side stories, and it makes you know the individuals in this universe are real people before you began watching them.

3.) Beastars

Beastars is an excellent movie that combines slow-burn horror, high-school melodrama, and outright furry fantasy.

You don’t have to strain your eyes to see the remark on social variety; it’s all about the conflicts that inevitably arise when you mix herbivores and carnivores together and add hormones.

The connection between Haru, a female white dwarf rabbit, and Legoshi, a male gray wolf, is the heart and soul of the story.

4.) Neon Genesis: Evangelion

As they attempt to stop Angels from triggering any more cataclysms, the Evangelion pilots and Nerv members’ thoughts and feelings are observed in the series.

Throughout the process, they must comprehend the underlying causes of events and the driving forces behind human behavior.

The show has been called a deconstruction of the mecha genre. It uses archetypal imagery drawn from Jewish and Christian mystical traditions, such as Midrashic stories and Kabbalah, as well as Shinto mythology.

Also strongly highlighted are the psychoanalytic explanations of human behavior advanced by Freud and Jung.

5.) Cardcaptor Sakura

Cardcaptor Sakura contributed to creating the model for a specific subgenre of “magical girl” anime in the 1990s.

The fourth-grader Sakura and her journey to reclaim a collection of magical cards that she accidentally released into the world are the anime’s main characters.

Think of this anime as essentially an elementary school version of Sailor Moon.

One of the most well-known characters created by the all-female manga artist collective CLAMP is Sakura, a little firecracker.

6.) Cowboy Bebop

It is a semantic choice to say that Watanabe’s science-fiction masterwork is the apex of anime. It is, period.

Its unique fusion of Western ambience, martial arts action, space-based cyberpunk intrigue, and excellence in seinen form is unrivalled and intriguing.

Its tragic and existential themes are widely relatable. Its motley crew of bounty hunters is nuanced and fallible, but they nonetheless exude cool. It depicts a multicultural future that is uncannily prescient.

Its English dub, which features some of the best full-time voice actors in America, manages to match the quality of the Japanese original with subtitles.

7.) Cells at Work!

“What if every organ in your body was a lowly prole? ” is the idea, and a pandemic provides the perfect setting for the concept of Cells at Work.

This is one of the few anime series with episodes that serve as physiology courses. Our heroes are the red blood cells AE3803 and U-1146.

Each episode features them tackling a different issue affecting the body, or some poor soul’s body, such as “Food Poisoning,” “Influenza,” “Scrape Wound,” and more.

Relevant: These 11 Educational Anime Shows Will Teach You Something Brand New

8.) Demon Slayer

The story of adolescent demon slayer Tanjiro Kamado and his struggle to save his demon-changed sister Nezuko may not be the most inventive action show to come out of Weekly Shonen Jump.

Still, it masterfully employs all the most endearing tropes of the genre. The characters are instantly likeable, the Taisho era backdrop is convincing, and the animation from studio Ufotable is extraordinary.

The first season is available to stream on Netflix; if you watch it and decide you want more, you can rent it from most digital retailers.

The second season is accessible on Crunchyroll and Hulu.

9.) Children of the Whales

Children of the Whales explores the concept of an ecologically devastated post-apocalyptic planet. However, this time the ocean has been replaced by a vast desert.

Most survivors, who now populate a small area atop a massive floating city known as the Mud Whale, have acquired psychokinetic skills.

The tension that arises when the Mud Whale discovers an island with radically different beliefs is explored in its 12 episodes.

While all of that is fascinating, the show stands out for its stylized animation, settings that resemble watercolours, and leisurely pacing.

10.) Baki

Baki is an exhilarating display of hyper-masculine legends carrying out a classic plot about a kid warrior training to outperform his father.

This high-action shonen is packed with heated confrontations between the most physically appealing men that could be shown. It might be its own episode if Netflix released a little clip of all the images of men flexing and tensing their muscles.

These characters genuinely reflect the meathead tool attitude that motivates the story, as if their bulk and hyper-tough accents weren’t enough.

Baki upholds conventional notions of strength but questions its applicability to kindness and freedom.

11.) Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion

Lelouch vi Britannia is an intoxicatingly brilliant political manipulator with mind-control abilities on a quest for revenge against his family, which dominates the world.

Imagine Littlefinger from Game of Thrones crossed with Eric Draven from The Crow. In Code Geass, there is a sci-fi battle, bureaucratic intrigue, teen humour, and a dystopian future where caste and imperialism keep the people in check.

Lelouch isn’t particularly honourable in his efforts to seize the authority of the family he is separated from, like every revolutionary in history, but he is intriguing to watch.

12.) Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure has long been my go-to anime when I need to unwind. It’s an anime full of men constructed like classical sculptures talking as loudly as possible about psychic fights they appear to be having in molasses-slow time. Hence, nothing about it at first looks pretty relaxing.

In JJBA’s world, what seems like hours only lasts about a minute. JJBA, however, is so much more than that.

It’s a journey spanning a century that defies the conventions of how to tell an adventure story. It does this by liberally drawing inspiration from Indiana Jones, Versace, classic rock, and any other passing interests of mangaka Hirohiko Araki.

13.) Cyberpunk: Edgerunners

This Studio Trigger production from veteran anime director Hiroyuki Imaishi (Gurren Lagann, Kill la Kill, and Promare) stands out considerably more than its predecessor Cyberpunk 2077 did during its debut.

The show’s protagonist, David Martinez, decides to have cyborg technology implanted into his body after his mother is brutally shot.

His science fiction universe, where class distinctions manifest themselves in the technology kids use in school, and the cost of healthcare is being steadily destroyed by capitalism.

It functions because it is not too unlike our natural world.

14.) Devilman Crybaby

Masaaki Yuasa’s modern retelling of Nagai’s original manga’s “love” story between Akira Fudo and Ryo Asuka is a worthy tribute to both the author’s work and the illustrious history of the character.

From the Luciferian beauty of Berserk’s Griffith to the post-apocalyptic loneliness of Neon Genesis Evangelion, Devilman’s influence can be felt everywhere.

Due to all of these factors and more, Devilman Crybaby presents itself as one of the best television shows in recent memory and one that will endure for many years.

15.) Death Note

One of the darkest Macbeth villains of the past 20 years may be Light Yagami from Death Note.

He kills innumerable people throughout 37 episodes by writing their names in the show’s titular magic book, lies nonstop to almost everyone in his family or social circle, and aspires to become a god of death in his utopia.

He runs into trouble when a brilliant detective named L begins to close in on him using his own mental tricks, turning the program into a tense, suspense-filled cat-and-mouse chase for the ages.

16.) Little Witch Academia

Little Witch Academia is a delightful journey from start to finish and a must-see for any fan of animation.

The show’s first half maintains a somewhat lighter tone with parodies of Twilight fandom and slapstick humour obviously influenced by Chuck Jones’ Looney Tunes.

In contrast, the second half steadily ramps up the mystery.

17.) The Disastrous Life of Saiki K

The Disastrous Life of Saiki K extensively uses the purely routine aspects of his life, such as attending school, talking with his parents, or even watching anime, given that it is about a pink-haired teenage guy with psychic abilities.

Like any moody child, Saiki wants to be left alone and left alone, but he is hindered by the need to protect his secret from most of the people around him.

The series is driven by his dry voice and internal monologue. Each episode features a brand-new, hilariously meta-comedy of mistakes.

18.) Kakegurui

Kakegurui is an insane work that revolves around its unstable and unpredictable lead character and features rising stakes and a mental state’s evolution.

Kakegurui plays with warped power structures and repulsive eroticism in such a way that it reminds us of Yu-Gi-Oh! Enraged by the very unsettling psychological trauma.

Because of its maximalist bleed-out of style and strangely evocative philosophizing, this kind of anime is impossible to turn away from.

Few other shows are as quick to take you through all of the human emotions, especially ones with such a specific focus as gambling.

19.) Great Pretender

Great Pretender is a show that will unquestionably zag when you expect it to zag. Even though Edamura is the leading con artist in the series, he rarely has the upper hand.

Laurent, his closest colleague, is a true master con artist who, nevertheless, uses his skill for good, taking advantage of only the rich a$$holes who deserve it.

Using “The Great Pretender” by Freddie Mercury as the closing theme song was a great touch.

20.) Naruto

The storyline mostly centers on Naruto losing Sasuke and pursuing him willfully to bring him home. Still, the writers also strongly emphasize the village Naruto already had in the leaf village.

A vital element of the emotional framework in this metaseries addressing unconditional friendship, retribution, and the forgiveness that is the only path to peace is the togetherness the Hidden Leaf Village demonstrates in the face of conflict and terror.

21.) High-Rise Invasion

High-Rise Invasion is a fun adaptation of Tsuina Miura’s and Takahiro Oba’s same-named manga.

If you watch any of its episodes, you can expect blood and gore as the schoolgirl protagonist Yuri Honj is forced to flee from enigmatic killers in a maze-like world of skyscrapers.

As we watch her manoeuvre through and figure out her dilemma, eliminating her enemies and gaining allies along the way, the audience experiences her terrors.

22.) Gurren Lagann

In the future shown in Gurren Lagann, Lordgenome, the Spiral King, commands people to live in solitary underground settlements.

Since these towns are cut off from the outside world and other territories, earthquakes are a continual concern. To assist Simon in realizing his goal of travelling to the surface world, Kamina persuades him to join his group, Team Gurren.

One day, Simon finds a miniature mecha in the form of a face called a Gunmen, and a drill-shaped key called a Core Drill. Soon, massive Gunmen burst through the ceiling and started attacking the settlement.

A young woman named Yoko then appears and tries to fend the Gunmen off.

23.) Inuyasha

This epic anime tells the story of Kagome, a high school student transported hundreds of years into the past only to meet Inuyasha, a half-demon.

As the turbulent Sengoku period of the fledgling nation of Japan rages, their exploits take them across the country as they gather pieces of a mysterious jewel.

They make a merry band of companions along the road who help them in their mission to retrieve the shards and defeat the demons that stand in their way.

Inuyasha is a long-running story with 193 episodes. Still, it is propelled by character development that burns slowly and the killing of evil monsters.

24.) Fate/Zero

The Fourth Holy Grail War, which took place in Fuyuki City ten years before the events of Fate/stay the night, is the story’s subject in Fate/Zero.

The contest, started by the Einzbern, Matou, and Tohsaka families centuries ago, calls for seven mages to summon seven Heroic Spirits to compete for the power of the “Holy Grail,” which grants wishes to each member of the winning pair.

The Fourth War begins after three unsuccessful fights for the elusive Holy Grail.

25.) Japan Sinks: 2020

Japan Sinks: 2020, released in 2020, seemed almost too obvious.

The ten-episode series, the latest creation of visionary filmmaker Masaaki Yuasa (Devilman Crybaby, The Tatami Galaxy, Ping Pong the Animation), is adapted from Sakyo Komatsu’s acclaimed disaster novel Japan Sinks and set in the present day.

It follows two siblings who must flee Tokyo after a significant earthquake.

26.) Ouran High School Host Club

Ouran High School Host Club, primarily a shoujo genre parody, blatantly uses and frequently undercuts our assumptions of animated romantic comedies.

The narrative centers on Haruhi Fujioka, a typical young woman who is receiving a generous scholarship to attend the esteemed Ouran Academy.

She’s a realist who rejects superficial lives and is mistaken for a boy due to her messy hair and baggy clothes.

She becomes indebted to the school’s host club, where everyone gradually learns that Haruhi is a woman (not that she concealed it, per se) and is required to pose as a guy to host events until she repays what she owes.

27.) Kotaro Lives Alone

Despite being only 4 years old, Kotaro does, in fact, live alone, go to school alone, and visit the grocery store alone.

Before it gets serious and you realize how neglected he is, it is both inspiring and amusing to watch this petite little boy spunkily support himself while donning a plastic sword and a T-shirt that says “God.”

28.) Berserk the Golden Age

This grimdark tale, which takes place in a feudal country based in medieval Europe, centers on a sellsword named Guts. He is compelled to join the Band of the Hawk after its captain beats him twice in single combat.

From then on, everything turns to blood and gore as a genuinely terrible loop of wars, assassinations, sieges, and duels.

The like draws humans, bears, and demons into its vortex, with all parties vying to rip each other to shreds in the name of sex, power, and wealth.

29.) Kuroko’s Basketball

Very similar to its Production I.G. Haikyu, the brother show! After watching Kuroko’s Basketball, a sports anime, you will care about sports.

It shines when it concentrates on the inner lives of its characters, their team chemistry, and the strategies they utilize to prevail in high school basketball.

Shunsuke Tada, the director of Kuroko’s Basketball, is a veteran of several well-known anime series, including Samurai 7, The Prince of Tennis, and Legend of the Galactic Heroes.

30.) Pop Team Epic

Pop Team Epic is a strange experience that is neatly divided into 10-minute segments that cycle back with the exact same screenplay but different voice actors of the same sex.

The primary characters, Pipimi and Popuko, are voiced twice in each episode by two completely distinct voice actors, using seiyuu that are well-known to anyone who has ever watched anime.

All of this contributes to the show’s peculiar yet cosy atmosphere. The program draws on classic slice-of-life comedies like Azumanga Daioh and Nichijou with its Robot Chicken-like attention to surrealism, dark humour, and pop culture!

It encourages a playground of absurd scenarios and business inside jokes that is quick and destructive.

Relevant: 20+ Of The Greatest Comedy Anime Series Worth Getting Into

31.) One Piece

It is no surprise that multiple seasons of One Piece’s huge run (981 episodes and counting!) are now available on Netflix.

The streaming service is developing a live-action adaptation of this long-running anime hit.

One Piece follows the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy, a young man with magical, rubber-limbed abilities who aspires to become the most infamous pirate in the world.

Additionally, the show’s large variety of pirate characters, which Noboru Koizumi skillfully constructed in the first several seasons, make it an entertaining watch.

32.) Sword Art Online

Sword Art Online is a video game-based action/romance in which participants actually pass away when their HP reaches zero.

We start with Kirito, a lone player who appears unconcerned by SAO’s peril but struggles with the effects of a violent party experience.

He’s a likeable lead character, and most gamers will probably be able to relate to his “solo player’s hubris,” which fuels much of the series’ badassery.

Asuna, the equally charming female lead, matches that badassery. The intimacy of their relationship exemplifies a brilliant distraction from the loneliness that video games are intended to treat yet can make worse.

33.) One Punch Man

The protagonist of One Punch Man, Saitama, has a quarter-life crisis. Despite easily defeating any opponent who stands in their path, Saitama feels dissatisfied and wayward.

This is the secret to One Punch Man’s hilarious, action-packed sauce. Where do you go from there when you can defeat any enemy with a single punch (a fundamental conceit)?

Along with jaw-dropping action scenes and the schemes of a group of ranked heroes that Saitama and Genos attempt to infiltrate, One Punch Man shows us Saitama trying to answer that issue through the eyes of his cyborg protégé, Genos.

**34.) Pokémon (multiple series)**

You will frequently lose when it matters the most, according to this long-running anime adaptation of the top-rated video-game franchise, which isn’t meant for adults or teens.

After well over a thousand episodes, Ash Ketchum, the protagonist of the series and the young man who only wants to “be the very best,” has never won the Pokémon League Championship until recently.

Still, he’s never given up and hasn’t usually been a bitter loser about it for very long.

The show will continue as long as the Pokémon video games are popular. However, that lesson is still vital whether or not you (or your children) eventually get tired of it.

35.) Violet Evergarden

While war may be horrible, sometimes what follows is even worse. Violet must learn to live in a peaceful environment after a horrific career as a child soldier stole her arms and her emotional growth.

Her new work requires her to use her prosthetic hands to ghostwrite letters for individuals, which is not very helpful. This plodding program is fixated on feelings—what they are, how we express them, and why they have unanticipated effects on us.

The power of writing, counselling, support networks, and patience are demonstrated by Violet’s battle to re-discover her feelings after suffering a tragedy that wounded her so deeply that she had to cut herself off from them.

36.) The Way of The Household

The Way of the Househusband, a manga by Kousuke Oono adaptation, sets Tatsu, a former yakuza boss known as the Immortal Dragon, against his most formidable foe yet: home duties.

He gives up his mafia lifestyle to provide a home for his wife, who has her own career objectives.

Tatsu is the “fish out of water” at home or when conducting errands. He frequently needs to draw on his prior experience to get by.

37.) My Hero Academia

The plot of My Hero Academia is set in a world where most people can acquire superpowers known as “Quirks” (Kosei), which typically appear in children by the age of four.

It affects an estimated 80% of people worldwide.

There are infinite quirks, and unless two persons are related, it is pretty rare that they will have the exact same power.

38.) That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime

Satoru Mikami, an average 37-year-old employee of a corporate firm, resides in Tokyo. Even though he is single, he seems nearly pleased with his routine life.

A stranger appears out of nowhere and stabs him as he is having a casual conversation with his colleague. As he succumbs to his wounds, a mysterious voice replays a sequence of orders that he cannot understand in his head.

After regaining consciousness, Satoru realizes he has been resurrected as a Slime on an alien planet.

39.) Bungou Stray Dogs

Atsushi Nakajima, a young adult, is the story’s main character. After being expelled from his orphanage, Atsushi prevents a detective called Osamu Dazai from committing suicide by thinking the man is drowning in the river.

Atsushi discovers through encounters with Dazai that he possesses a mystical talent that can turn him into a berserker white tiger in the moonlight.

in the past, this caused the orphanage to torture him and expel him for his differences.

40.) Assassination Classroom

A mighty tentacled entity suddenly comes and smashes the Moon, leaving it in the shape of a crescent, putting Earth in danger.

The alien says he will next destroy the planet in a year. He does, however, provide humanity with a chance to escape this fate.

The creature begins working as a homeroom teacher in class 3-E, the End Class at Kunugigaoka Junior High School, where he instructs his students in conventional studies and assassination tactics.

The Japanese government offers a reward of 10 billion yen to any student who kills the monster, known as “Koro-sensei,” according to the kids.

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