We all have our favourite anime that we can’t stop watching. But what are the most popular anime of all time? This list is based on my AnimeList members’ popularity, which means it’s a pretty accurate representation of the most-watched and enjoyed anime series of all time. You’ll find your favourites in this list but also some you may not have heard about before!
What is My Anime List?
My Anime List is a social network for anime fans. It’s the largest, most active anime community of its kind on the planet! You can create lists and catalog your amazing anime collection, watch related videos (such as AMVs), and interact with another anime fanatic to find new favourites or discover old ones you never knew existed.
How My Anime List rank shows
All scores given in the database are calculated as a weighted score.
Weighted Score = (v / (v + m)) * S + (m / (v + m)) * C
S = Average score for the anime/manga
v = Number users giving a score for the anime/manga †
m = Minimum number of scored users required to get a calculated score
C = The mean score across the entire Anime/Manga database
† Note that v does not correspond to the “number of scored users” as seen on the database page. Scores from users who have not viewed 1/5 of the series upon its completion are not included. Scores given from illegitimate accounts created to sway votes are also not included in the scoring algorithm.
Not Yet Aired anime series have no score and display N/A. Entries that may not meet the minimum number of scores users will also not display a calculated score.
Top Anime/Manga Rankings
The “Top Upcoming” or “Most Popular” rankings are also ordered by the number of users who have added the entry to their list. All other Top Anime and Top Manga rankings are ordered by weighted score, as calculated above. Please note that while R18+ entries calculate a weighted score, they are excluded from the rankings.
There are 30 entries on this countdown, so let’s get started!
One Piece ( 1.5 million members )
Gol D. Roger was a man with the most notorious reputation in history known as “The Pirate King,” and his capture by The World Government caused many changes throughout the world; however, his last words revealed an unimaginable treasure hidden away from all humans: One Piece. This revelation started “The Grand Age of Pirates,” where men dreamed of finding this unimaginably grand prize which promised infinite amounts of riches, fame, power & one’s ultimate dream come true-becoming The Pirate King!
One of the most popular anime series in history, One Piece, is a story of action and adventure. With an expansive cast that includes some truly lovable characters who find themselves caught up in one awesome quest after another, this show has something for everyone. Plus, it’s based on Eichiro Oda’s manga books, so you know there will be plenty to keep your eyes glued to every minute!
Erased ( 1.5 million members )
Erased is an anime with a unique and creative premise. It follows Satoru Fujinuma, a pizza delivery man living in Chiba with the power of Revival. Satoru can go back to moments before life-threatening events happen, but he’s never really been able to control it. When his mother has her life taken by someone, it sends him back 11 years where he has a chance to save not only his mother but also solve the mystery involving his childhood friends.
Check Out: 13 Anime Like Erased: Must Watch Anime If You Love Erased
Sword Art Online II ( 1.5 million members )
It’s been one year since Kazuto Kirigaya was able to escape Sword Art Online, but his peace is short-lived. When a new incident occurs in the game weapon Gale Online, it seems that players are being took the life of outside of the virtual reality world by Gun. The officials ask for Kirito’s help, and he goes back into this dangerous game, intent on putting an end to these losses of life once and for all!
Sword Art Online (SAO) is a perfect anime for those who love fantasy and video games. With the plots that are very typical of the genre, as well as adding in elements from MMORPGs to bring it all together, SAO delivers on many fronts!
Check Out: 30 Animes Like Sword Art Online That Will Transport You To A New World
My Hero Academia Season 3 ( 1.5 million members )
As summer arrives for the students at U.A. Academy, each of these superheroes-in-training puts in their best to become renowned heroes. They head off to a training camp run by U.A.’s pro heroes, where they will face one another and go through dangerous tests that push them past their limits. But then suddenly everything changes as villains from The League of Villains invade the camp with plans on taking some poor unsuspecting student hostage!
Akame Ga take the life of ( 1.5 million members )
In Akame ga Kill, the main characters work together in an effort to overthrow a tyrannical empire led by a corrupt dictator. Throughout their journey, they experience many tragic losses which challenge them and force them to grow as individuals while also learning more about themselves through introspection. All of this builds up into one story full of camaraderie, rebellion against tyranny, and self-discovery for these courageous warriors who are willing to risk everything because it’s what is right.
Check Out: 8 Of The Best Anime Like Akame Ga Kill
Seven Deadly Sins ( 1.5 million members )
Nanatsu no Taizai follows the adventures of Elizabeth, the third princess of the Kingdom of Liones. She seeks revenge with help from seven deadly sins in order to take back her kingdom as well as seek justice for all those who cannot fight anymore.
Check Out: 13 Must Watch Anime Like Seven Deadly Sins
A Silent Voice ( 1.6 million members )
A silent voice tells the heartwarming tale of reunion and how the protagonist tries to redeem himself while being continually haunted by past events.
Shouya Ishida was looking for ways to beat boredom in the cruelest way possible. That changed when deaf Shouko Nishimiya transferred into his class, and he, along with all of her classmates, relentlessly bullied her without remorse. However, as soon as her mother notified the school about their bullying behavior, they singled him out and blamed everything on him! Now, three years after an elementary school had ended, he is still plagued by what happened back then- regretting every action that led up to this point. He sets off to meet Shouko and make amends.
Check Out: 26 Of The Best Heart Warming Anime Films You Should Watch Today
Future Diary (Mirai Nikki) ( 1.6 million members )
The reclusive Yukiteru Amano finds himself whisked into a fierce game of survival by the god of space and time, Deus Ex Machina. All 12 contestants are people who regularly keep diaries, but there is one twist: each person’s diary has been turned into “Future Diary,” making it capable of telling future events to various degrees!
Your Lie in April ( 1.6 million members )
Your Lie in April is a story of the musical genius Kousei who learns that music can be more than just hitting each note perfectly and playing one melody.
Music accompanies the path of Kousei Arima, a prodigious pianist. But after his mother’s passing two years ago, he couldn’t hear the sound of his own piano or even see it as beautiful anymore. He left behind admirers and rivals alike; all that was in front of him were colorless days with friends Tsubaki Sawabe and Ryouta Watari until Kaori Miyazono came along to show him what music really is like again by stirring up everything within himself and setting off on an incredible journey.
Check Out: 41 Of The Best Shoujo Anime Of All Time: From The 70’s To The Present
Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- ( 1.6 million members )
One day, Subaru Natsuki leaves the convenience store and gets transported to a fantasy world. To make matters worse, he is then beaten up by some thugs! Fortunately, this mysterious girl Satella that was chasing after her insignia, saves him. Subaru helps Satella find her insignia, and they both end up losing their lives. Subaru opens his eyes to a familiar scene and relives the events leading to their loss of lives. He has a skill in this new world, but he has to experience loss of life to activate it.
Check Out: 10 Anime To Watch If You Can’t Get Enough Of RE:ZERO
Noragami ( 1.7 million members )
Yato is a minor deity who dreams of becoming famous, and so he spends his time doing odd jobs. One day Hiyori saves Yato from being hit by a car accidentally when she takes the hit for him while they were walking in the street. When this happens to her soul gets loose, and now he has to help bring it back.
Angel Beats! ( 1.7 million members )
Otonashi awakens to find himself in the afterlife; he can’t remember anything about his past life or . A rifle-toting girl namedexplains that they are fighting against an evil being called Tenshi and is unable to believe her claims that Tenshi is evil; Otonashi attempts to speak with her but finds it odd how she reacts when he tries talking sense into her. Trying to regain his memories and understand Tenshi, he gradually unravels the mysteries of the afterlife.
Check Out: Top 70 Anime Girls With Purple Hair
Toradora! ( 1.7 million members )
Taiga and Ryuuji embark on a quest to help each other with their respective crushes, forming an unlikely alliance in the process. One day, a mistake causes the two students to cross paths. Ryuuji discovers that Taiga has a sweet side and that she’s crushing on popular vice president Yuusaku Kitamura who happens to be Ryuuji’s best friend. And it only gets crazier when Ryuuji reveals he might have feelings for Minori Kushieda—Taiga’s best friend!
Check Out: 10 Must Watch Anime If You Like Toradora
Code Geass ( 1.7 million members )
Lelouch Lamperouge, a Britannian student who is unfortunately caught in the crossfire between rebels and Britannians, fortunately, escapes thanks to an appearance of a mysterious girl named C.C., that bestows upon him Geass – “The power of kings.” Realizing how vast his newfound powers are as he embarks on a journey with revenge once again being at stake, Lelouch becomes Zero-a masked vigilante well known for inflicting merciless attacks against Brittannia.
Check Out: 22 Must Watch Anime Like Code Geass
Naruto Shippuden ( 1.7 million members )
The adventures never stop for Naruto Uzumaki. From the beginning of his journey in the original series, he has been running in pursuit of a dream that many would call impossible: being Hokage. Even when ominous events loomed on the horizon and after drastic changes to both himself and those around him, nothing could shake this determination. This boy’s spirit is invincible! This is the second series for the Naruto franchise bringing back most of the favorite cast of characters.
Check Out: 12 Of The Best Anime Like Naruto & Naruto: Shippuden
Demon Slayer ( 1.8 million members )
Tanjirou Kamado‘s fatherlost life, and he was the one left to take care of his family. He lived in a little mountain village, but they were happy because their house had enough food for them – even during tough times. One day Tanjiro went down into town so that he could sell some charcoal from time to time and make extra money on top of what they already have at home. As night falls, Tanjiuro has just made it back up the hill when someone tells him about these people eating demons who come out only at night!
Upon his return home, Tanjirou is met with a horrifying sight. His entire family’s lives have been taken—although his sister Nezuko was spared that fate and transformed into a bloodthirsty fallen angel. Consumed by rage over the s of his loved ones and strong dislike for those who did this to them, Tanjirou swears to get revenge on all demons in order to stay close to what remains of his beloved sister’s humanity.
Check Out: 11 Of The Best Anime Likefallen angel Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba
My Hero Academia Season II ( 1.8 million members )
The U.A. Academy is famous across Japan for its sports festival, which many of the best heroes in the country attend to show off their skills. Izuku Midoriya‘s quirk has great power but also a cripplingly inefficient ability; will he be able to overcome his classmates and win at this prestigious event? The second season brings more development for the memorable characters of this popular anime series.
Attack on Titan Season II ( 1.9 million members )
In the shadowy depths of Wall Rose, Eren Yeager and others from 104th Training Corps are about to become full members of the Survey corps. But as soon as they began their preparations for battle against Titans again, everything is interrupted by an invasion on Wall Rose. As our heroes rush towards saving wall in a mad dash while unraveling mysteries behind forces attacking them–they uncover more dark secrets that lurk within the survey corps member.
Check Out: 50 Of The Best Opening Songs In Anime That You Need To Add To Your Playlist
No Game No Life ( 1.9 million members )
“No Game No Life” follows two shut-in NEET siblings named Sora and Shiro. They view the real world as just one lousy video game; however, their life changes forever after receiving a mysterious email about playing chess–they are plunged into some otherworldly realm where they meet Tet—the god of games.
The land of Disboard is a world where all forms of conflict are settled not through war but by way of high-stakes games. This system works thanks to the fundamental rule that each party must wager something they deem as being equal in value to what the other person wagered. In this strange land where humanity has been reduced down into child’s play, Sora and Shiro–the indifferent genius gamer duo–have finally found their real reason for playing games: To unite 16 races throughout Disboard; defeat Tet, and become kings!
Check Out: 19 Anime Like No Game No Life You Need To Watch Today
Steins;Gate ( 1.9 million members )
Rintaro Okabe is a self-proclaimed mad scientist who rents out a room in an old building. He spends his time there, inventing prospective future gadgets with fellow lab members like Mayuri Shiina and Hashida Itaru. They pass the time by tinkering on their most promising contraption yet: the Phone Microwave, which performs weird functions such as morphing bananas into piles of green gel! Dr. Okabe thought that the Phone Microwave wouldn’t be a huge breakthrough in his search for scientific discoveries, but not until he and lab members find out an unexpected success by sending emails to the past– changing history.
Hunter x Hunter 2011 ( 1.9 million members )
An anime adaptation of a 1998 manga by Yoshihiro Togashi and the second anime adaptation in the franchise. In the world of Hunter X Hunter, Gon Freecss is determined to become a hunter and find his father. However, he soon realizes that becoming an accomplished hunter isn’t easy at all!
Gon and his friends embark on a perilous journey of adventure. Along the way, Gon meets Leorio—a doctor-in-training; Kurapika—vengeful for what has been done to him; Killua — an ex-assassin with a rebellious streak. Together they take the Hunter Exam, which is dangerous because of its low success rate and high probability of .
Check Out: 10 Anime You Need To Watch After Hunter x Hunter
Your Name ( 2 million members )
Mitsuha Miyamizu is a girl living in the town of Itomori. She yearns for life in Tokyo as she’s sick of being stuck there, but at the same time, Taki Tachibana, who lives and breathes architecture, can’t stand to stay away from all that he loves so much. One day, Mitsuha dreams of herself as a boy living in the dense capital while Taki dreams about being a girl from rural town Itomori. As time passes by, they realize that these are not just simple dreams, but their bodies swap when one falls asleep! The movie revolves around two protagonists who experience the supernatural phenomenon and try to solve it together with both giving up on normal life for this purpose.
Check Out: 17 Best Romance Anime Movies That You Need To Watch Today
Naruto ( 2.1 million members )
The Fourth Hokage sealed the Kyuubi inside of Naruto. Moments before his birth, he sacrificed himself so that the people of the village may live in peace and without fear from a monsterfallen angel fox. Naruto is a hyperactive and knuckle-headed ninja still living in Konohagakure. He’s shunned because of the Kyuubi inside him, but that doesn’t stop Naruto from trying to become Hokage of his village while making some new friends along the way.
Tokyo Ghoul ( 2.1 million members )
Tokyo is a wretched city, where every day, the people are forced to live in fear of vicious creatures called “ghouls.” These bloodthirsty beasts roam freely alongside humans and thirst for people. But what’s worse? The ghouls have developed an ability that makes them virtually indistinguishable from regular folk.
Life as a half-ghoul/half-human who must find a way to integrate into both societies, Tokyo Ghoul follows Ken Kaneki’s story. Drawn to Rize Kamishiro like himself but not exactly what she seems, this unfortunate meeting pushes him straight into the dark depths of the ghouls’ inhuman world and eventually saved by the enigmatic waitress Touka Kirishima; his new life begins in secrecy.
Check Out: 14 Anime To Watch If You Can’t Get Enough Of Tokyo Ghoul
My Hero Academia ( 2.2 million members )
The Superpowers era has been steadily growing over the years, with 80% of humanity possessing various abilities from manipulating elements to shapeshifting. Only a remainder of the world’s population is completely powerless, and Izuku Midoriya is one such individual. One day while walking home from school, the middle-schooler Izuku Midoriya saw a man in an imposing suit and cape with tall boots. The kind of hero he had always dreamed about being when he was younger!
But what made this encounter special is that it turns out to be his favorite superhero, All Might–and more importantly, all might have selected him as his successor! Izuku is the newest student at U.A. High, and even though he’s only a freshman, he trains hard to be as good of a hero as his classmates. All throughout this school year, Izuku will witness first-hand what it takes to become one of them; both the joys and tragedies that come with being a hero.
Check Out: Must Watch Anime Like My Hero Academia
One Punch Man ( 2.4 million members )
Saitama has a rather unusual hobby for an unassuming hero: he trains. For three years, day after day, Saitama pushed himself to get stronger and discovered his inner talent of being able to defeat any enemy with just one punch—but this led him into boredom because it was too easy. Genos, a 19-year old cyborg, wishes to be Saitama’s disciple after seeing what he is capable of and proposes that the two join The Hero Association in order to become certified heroes. Once they do so begins the story of One Punch Man, an action comedy following our eccentric protagonist who longs for strong enemies that can hopefully give him excitement just like when he was younger.
Check Out: 10 Must Watch Anime Like One Punch Man
Sword Art Online ( 2.4 million members )
The year is 2022, and a game called Sword Art Online has been released. With the aid of “NerveGear,” players can control their avatars within this virtual reality by just thinking about it! Kazuto Kirigaya was lucky enough to get his hands on one of the first shipments for himself. He logged in to find that he’s not alone — with ten thousand other people who have bought into this new popular online role-playing game too– all at once, there appeared an elaborate world full of fantastic medieval weapons and gruesome monsters before them.” The players realize that they cannot log out; the game’s creator trapped them in his new world until they complete all levels. In order to escape Aincrad, Kirito will have to interact and cooperate with fellow players. Some are allies, while others are foes. The worst part: if you lose one’s life in the game, you lose one’s life in real life.
Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood ( 2.5 million members )
Alchemy is bound by the Law of Equivalent Exchange, a rule that Edward and Alphonse Elric only realize after attempting human transmutation. Though they pay for their transgression with terrible consequences – including Ed losing his left leg and Al’s body being lost to physical form – it was always in the hope that both would someday return to their original bodies.
The Elric brothers seek the Philosopher’s Stone, a mythical relic that allows the wielder to overcome the Law of Equivalent Exchange. But even with military allies Colonel Roy Mustang, Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye, and Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes on their side, they are caught up in a theory that leads them to the true nature of the elusive Philosopher’s Stone and to their country’s murky history.
Check Out: What Is Shounen Anime: History Of Shounen Genre
Attack on Titan ( 2.9 million members )
Centuries ago, humans were took the life of to near extinction by monstrous humanoid creatures called titans. These giants were terrifying because they ate humans out of pleasure rather than hunger, and people had few options for survival due to the threat posed by these beasts. Humanity found safety in giant concentric walls that ensured they would not be eaten alive, but a hundred years passed without any titan encounters until one colossal beast managed to break through the outer wall and wreak havoc on humanity once again.
After his mother dies at the hands of the invading creatures, Eren Yeager dedicates his life to their eradication by enlisting into an elite military unit that combats merciless humanoids outside of protection. Based on Hajime Isayama’s award-winning manga, Shingeki no Kyojin follows Eren and his friends as they join in a brutal war against titans and race to find a way to defeat them before the last walls are breached.
Check Out: Anime Like Attack On Titan: What To Watch After Finishing The Show
Note ( 2.9 million members )
Shinigami’s are gods of ; they can take the life of any person given the right conditions. One day Ryuk was bored and decided to drop a Note into our realm just for fun. The prodigy Light Yagami was a high school student with good grades. One day, he found the Note and started to test it out himself since he hated how bad things were in his world. He wrote down one of the criminals’ names on there to see what would happen if they lost their lives from this too-powerful notebook.
