Anime is the Japanese word for “animation” and refers to all animated shows and films in Japan. Initially, the name referred to all forms of animation originating in Japan. Still, it now commonly refers to animation originating in Japan that is specifically hand-drawn or computer-generated.
As anime continues to gain popularity in the Western world, more and more people are getting into the medium. But where to start? With so many anime series and movies to choose from, it can be overwhelming to decide where to begin. To help you out, we’ve put together a list of the best anime every year from 1960 to 2021. We’ve tried to include anime from as many genres as possible, so whatever your tastes, you should find something that appeals to you.
1960: Alakazam The Great
A monkey is crowned king and gains the wisdom of Merlin the Magician. When he begins to take advantage of his magical powers, he is sent on a long journey.
1961: The Littlest Warrior
An officer is falsely accused of setting on fire a forest he was supposed to protect. While he is under trial in Kyoto, his family receives an order to leave their mansion and surrender to the land’s new owner. The family flees, but they end up being tricked and separated by bandits. Sold as slaves, the two children start living a bitter new reality to struggle to survive doing harsh physical labor. Anju and her younger brother Zushio try to protect each other as they wonder if they will ever see their parents again.
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1962: Otogi Manga Calendar
This anime has the distinction of being the first anime series ever aired on television, followed by Tetsuwan Atom next year. Only the Three Tales special broadcast in 1960 preceded Manga Calendar.
1963: Ken The Wolf Boy
Ken is a young boy raised by wolves (similar to Mowgli) in a jungle in the Himalayan Mountains. One day a meteor hits the jungle, causing a drastic change. This eventually leads to famine and a need for certain animals to relocate. Ken tries to help the animals as much as possible. In particular, he watches over two young wolf cubs named Chichi and Poppo.
Jack, a one-eyed wolf, doesn’t like Ken as he is a human living among them. One day, Ken saves Jack’s life. Jack later can let Ken lose one’s life when he is bitten by a poisonous snake but decides to return the favor and save his life. This mutual affair causes a friendship to form between the two. They team up to protect the other animals from predators and humans.
1964: Shonen Ninja Kaze No Fujimaru
The story begins when Fujimaru is a little baby. His mother puts him in a basket while she works in the country. Suddenly, the baby is kidnapped by an eagle. Still, Sasuke, a samurai, recovers the baby and takes him as a disciple. Fujimaru grows until he becomes a gifted young man who can control the wind by learning ninjutsu.
He knows two strong techniques: ‘multiplication’ (which allows him to confuse his enemies by creating illusions of himself) and ‘leaves’ (which helps him to run away behind a wind swirl).
Fujimaru has two goals: to see his mother again and to find the ‘Ryuen Book.’ This handwritten parchment contains great but dangerous techniques. Fujimaru’s main enemy is Japusai, a master of fire techniques who is also searching for parchment.
In the end, Fujimaru attains both goals: he runs into his mother. He finds the parchment, but he decides to destroy it because it would be too dangerous in Japusai’s hands.
1965: Kimba The White Lion
The story of a white lion cub growing to become the king of the jungle. The movie is an edited version of the 1965 Japanese television series of the same name based on the eponymous 1950s manga.
1966: Robotan
Robotan is a Japanese anime and manga series created by Kenji Morita. The series revolves around the household robot Robotan, created By Kan-chan, and lives with an everyday Japanese family as a domestic servant and friend to the children. Like Doraemon, his good intentions don’t always work out, with comic consequences.
The original series was produced by Daiko Advertising. Production moved to Tokyo Movie Shinsha for the 20th-anniversary color remake New Robotan (1986) under director Masaharu Okuwaki.
1967: Golden Bat
Ōgon Bat (“Golden Bat”) is a Japanese superhero created by Suzuki Ichiro and Takeo Nagamatsu in 1931. They originally debuted in a kamishibai (paper theater). Golden Bat is considered by some to be the world’s first superhero and is a precursor to later superhero characters such as the Japanese kamishibai character Prince of Gamma (debut early 1930s) and the American comic book characters Superman and Batman.
1968: The Little Norse Prince
Young Horus lives in a mythical Scandinavia of the Iron Age. Recovering the stolen Sword of the Sun from a rock giant, he learns he must travel to the lands of his ancestors, encountering the beautiful but enigmatic Hilda as his journey leads to a series of adventures.
1969: Tiger Mask
Tiger Mask is a Japanese manga series written by Ikki Kajiwara and illustrated by Naoki Tsuji.
The series was first published in Kodansha’s Bokura Magazine from 1968 to 1971 and was later published in Weekly Shōnen Magazine from 1970 to 1971. It was later adapted into an anime series by Toei Animation, which first aired on Yomiuri TV or TV Asahi on October 2, 1969, and ended its run on September 30, 1971, airing 105 episodes.
The name has been used by a succession of Japanese professional wrestling characters as a gimmick in real life. The Tiger Mask persona is instantly recognizable by its trademark mask, designed to look like a tiger’s head and the combination of high-flying attacks and martial arts in the ring.
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1970: Kyojin no Hoshi: Dai League Ball
The story is about Hyūma Hoshi, a promising young baseball pitcher who dreams of becoming a top star like his father, Ittetsu Hoshi, in the Japanese professional league. Ittetsu was once a 3rd baseman until he was injured in World War II and was forced to retire; now an impoverished and bitter widower, he’s raised Hyūma and his older sister Akiko in a very severe environment.
The boy would join the ever-popular Giants team, and soon he realized the diffiy of managing the high expectations. From the grueling training to battling the rival Mitsuru Hanagata in the Hanshin Tigers, Hyūma would have to take out his best pitching magic to step up to the challenge
1971: Alibaba and the Forty Thieves
In the original version, Ali Baba is a poor woodcutter who discovers the secret of a thieves’ den and enters with the magic phrase “Open Sesame.” The thieves try to take the life of Ali Baba, but Ali Baba’s faithful slave-girl foils their plots. Ali Baba’s son marries her, and Ali Baba keeps the secret of the treasure.
1972: Mazinger Z
Mazinger Z is an enormous super robot, constructed with a fictional metal called Super-Alloy Z, which is forged from a new element (Japanium) mined from a reservoir found only in sediment Mt. Fuji, in Japan.
The mecha was built by Professor Juzo Kabuto as a secret weapon against evil forces, represented in the series by the Mechanical Beasts of Dr. the nether region.
1973: Koya no Shonen Isamu
Kōya no Shōnen Isamu (“Boy of the Wilderness Isamu”), is a manga written by Sōji Yamakawa and drawn by Noboru Kawasaki, published in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1971 to 1974. It was adapted into an anime by Tokyo Movie Shinsha, Shingo Araki, and Daikichiro Kusube created the character designs. Hayao Miyazaki was in the team of animators.
The series consisted of 52 episodes and was originally broadcast on TBS.
1974: Calimero
Calimero is an Italian animated television series about a charming but hapless anthropomorphized chicken;
The characters were later licensed in Japan as an anime series twice, titled Calimero (カリメロ, Karimero). The first was made by Toei Animation and ran from October 15, 1972, to September 30, 1975. The second, with new settings and characters, was created in 1992. Altogether, 99 Japanese episodes were made (47 in the 1972 Toei series, and 52 in the 1992 Toei series).
1975: Arabian Nights: Sinbad’s Adventures
Sinbad is a young boy and the son of a famous merchant from Baghdad. Sinbad especially enjoys listening to the adventure stories of his uncle Ali. The latter has brought Sinbad, a strange speaking bird named Shera, with him from his journeys.
Sinbad joins his uncle in the hope of being a part of his uncle’s next adventure. After a giant whale attacks the boat, Sinbad ends up on a deserted island. Separated from his uncle, Sinbad begins the adventure alone with only Shera for company.
When he returns home from his first adventures, he finds to his shock that his parents are missing since they have gone to see him and were apparently lost at sea. With no formal ties left at home in Baghdad, Sinbad sets out again in search of adventure.
1976: The Adventures of Huckleberry Film
Huck is kidnapped by his father but manages to fake his own and escape Jackson’s Island. He coincidentally meets up with Jim, a slave of the Widow Douglas’ sister, Miss Watson.
Jim is running for freedom because he has found out that Miss Watson plans to “sell him South” for $800. Together they construct a raft and travel on the Mississippi River, Jim hoping for freedom from slavery. Huck is searching for freedom from his not clear-headed father and controlling foster parent.
1977: Monarch: The Big Bear of Tallac
Monarch: The Big Bear of Tallac is a Japanese anime television series consisting of 26 episodes, based on the novel Monarch, The Big Bear of Tallac by Ernest Thompson Seton. It was directed by Yoshio Kuroda and was the first broadcast on Asahi Broadcasting Corporation in 1977
1978: Future Boy Conan
Future Boy Conan is a post-apocalyptic science fiction anime series, which premiered across Japan on the NHK General TV channel between April 4 and October 31, 1978, on the Tuesday 19:30-20:00 timeslot. The official English title used by Nippon Animation is Conan, The Boy in Future.
1979: Mobile Suit Gundam
Mobile Suit Gundam is a televised anime series produced and animated by Nippon Sunrise. Created and directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino, it premiered in Japan on Nagoya Broadcasting Network and its affiliated ANN stations on April 7, 1979, and lasted until January 26, 1980, spanning 43 episodes
1980: Tsurikichi Sanpei
Fisherman Sanpei is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Takao Yaguchi. The manga is serialised in Kodansha’s Weekly Shōnen Magazine from 1973 to 1983. Kodansha has published the manga’s 57 bound volumes between July 5, 2003 and October 5, 2005. The manga was adapted into an 81-episode anime series.
1981: Tiger Mask II
Tiger Mask II is a Japanese series produced by Toei Animation, which aired from April 20, 1981, to January 18, 1982, for 33 episodes.
1982: Aladdin and the Wonderful lamp
The story revolves around Aladdin, an impoverished but street smart kid who lives in an Arabian city somewhere in a desert with his mother. Along with his gang of friends, they steal from the local merchants and market sellers to survive.
One day he is approached by a wizard who offers to reward him great riches if he will accompany him to a cave somewhere in the desert, and retrieve a lamp from within.
1983: Captain Tsubasa
Captain Tsubasa is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yōichi Takahashi since 1981. The series mainly revolves around the sport of association football, focusing on Tsubasa Oozora. The series is characterized by dynamic and exciting football moves, often stylish and implausible
1984: Fist of the North Star
Fist of the North Star is a Japanese manga series written by Buronson and illustrated by Tetsuo Hara. It was serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump for 245 issues published from 1983 to 1988 and initially collected in 27 tankōbon volumes under the Jump Comics imprint by Shueisha.
1985: Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam
Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam is a 1985 Japanese television anime series, the second installment in the Gundam franchise, and a sequel to the original Mobile Suit Gundam.
1986: Dragon Ball
Dragon Ball is a Japanese media franchise created by Akira Toriyama in 1984. The initial manga, written and illustrated by Toriyama, was serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1984 to 1995. The 519 individual chapters were collected into 42 tankōbon volumes by its publisher Shueisha.
1987: Mister Ajikko
Ajiyoshi Youichi is a culinary prodigy who manages a restaurant with his mother. One day, Murata Genjirou appears in the restaurant and is surprised at the delicious taste and delicate culinary skills of the katsu-don prepared by Youichi.
Subsequently, Youichi is invited to the Ajiou (literally meaning taste emperor) Building. He is involved in a spaghetti match with the in-house Italian chef, Marui. Youichi’s novel culinary ideas, coupled with his enthusiasm for serving the best for his guests, allow him to defeat Marui in the match. From then on, Youichi begins to compete with other rivals in the race for the best tastes and dishes.
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1988: Sakigake!! Otokojuku
The genius principal of the private school, Heihachi Edajima, was a war hero during World War II. He trained his students to play an active role in politics, economics, and industries in Japan and worldwide. However, the way of training is highly anachronistic.
The martial arts depicted in this series are also highly choreographed using various forms of martial arts.
1989: Dragon Ball Z
Dragon Ball Z continues the adventures of Son Goku. He, along with his companions, defends the Earth against villains ranging from aliens (Vegeta, Frieza), androids (Cell), and magical creatures (Majin Buu). While the original Dragon Ball anime followed Goku from childhood to early adulthood, Dragon Ball Z is a continuation of his adult life, but at the same time parallels the life of his son, Gohan, as well as the development of his rival Vegeta.
1990: Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water
The series follows a young inventor named Jean and a former circus performer named Nadia, who wishes to return to her home in Africa.
1991: Getter Robo Go
Getter Robo Go or Getter Robot Go, also known as Venger Robo or Venger Robot Go outside Japan, is a Japanese mecha anime and manga series created by Go Nagai and Ken Ishikawa.
The anime was originally broadcast from February 11, 1991, to January 27, 1992, on TV Setouchi and TV Tokyo with 50 episodes.
1992: Yu Yu Hakusho
Yu Yu Hakusho follows Yusuke Urameshi, a 14-year-old street-brawling delinquent who, in an uncharacteristic act of altruism, is hit by a car and took the life of an attempt to save a young boy by pushing him out of the way.
His ghost is greeted by Botan, a woman who introduces herself as the pilot of the River Styx, who ferries souls to the “Underworld” or Spirit World where they may be judged for the afterlife.
1993: Slam Dunk
Slam Dunk is a Japanese sports manga series written and illustrated by Takehiko Inoue. It tells the story of a basketball team from Shōhoku High School in the Shōnan area of Japan.
It was serialized in Shueisha’s Weekly Shōnen Jump from October 1990 to June 1996, with the chapters collected into 31 tankōbon volumes.
1994: Captain Tsubasa J
The anime was originally broadcast by Fuji Television in Japan from 1994-10-21 to 1995-12-22 with 47 episodes.
The animation was done by Studio Comet. The second part of the anime series adapted the first 31 chapters of the Battle of World Youth manga, with the end of the match of Japan Youth vs. Uzbekistan Youth (pages 27-28). However, the series was suspended due to budget constraints as well the studio running out of material to adapt (during the anime’s run, the manga was still in progress).
1995: Gundam Wing
The story of Gundam Wing begins in the year After Colony 195, with the start of “Operation Meteor”: the scientists’ plan for revenge against OZ. The operation involves five teenage boys, who have each been chosen and trained by each of the five scientists, then sent to Earth independently in extremely advanced mobile suits (one designed by each of the scientists) known as “Gundams” (called such because they are constructed from a rare and astonishingly durable material called Gundanium alloy, which can only be created in outer space).
Each Gundam is sent from a different colony, and the pilots are initially unaware of each other’s existence.
The series focuses primarily on the five Gundam pilots: Heero Yuy (an alias, not to be confused with the martyred pacifist), Duo Maxwell, Trowa Barton, Quatre Raberba Winner, and Chang Wufei. Their mission is to use their Gundams to attack OZ directly to rid the Alliance of its weapons and free the colonies from its oppressive rule.
1996: Detective Conan
Jimmy Kudo (Japanese name: Shinichi Kudo) is a high school detective who sometimes works with the police to solve cases. During an investigation, he is attacked by members of a offense syndicate known as the Black Organization. They force him to ingest an experimental poison, but instead of taking the life of him, the poison transforms him into a child.
Adopting the pseudonym Conan Edogawa and keeping his true identity a secret, Kudo lives with his childhood friend Rachel Moore (Ran Mori) and her father Richard (Kogoro Mori) a private detective.
1997: Pokemon
The anime franchise consists of seven sequential series in Japan, each based on the Pokémon video game series’s main installment.
In the international broadcasts, these series are split across 23 television seasons, with the 23rd season streaming on Netflix in the United States as of June 12, 2020. Each of the series follows Ash Ketchum, a young trainer of fictional creatures called Pokémon.
Joined by his partner Pokémon Pikachu and a rotating cast of human characters, currently Goh, Ash goes on a journey to become a “Pokémon Master” and compete in various Pokémon-battling tournaments called known as the Pokémon League.
1998: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters
A shy high-school student named Yugi Moto receives the fragmented pieces of an Egyptian artifact, known as the Millennium Puzzle, from his grandfather.
When Yugi reassembles the puzzle, he is possessed by the 3,000-year-old spirit of an ancient pharaoh.
1999: Hunter x Hunter
Hunter × Hunter is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yoshihiro Togashi. It has been serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump since March 1998, although the manga has frequently gone on extended hiatuses since 2006.
As of October 2018, 380 chapters have been collected into 36 volumes by Shueisha. The story focuses on a young boy named Gon Freecss who discovers that his father, who left him at a young age, is actually a world renowned Hunter, a licensed professional who specializes in fantastical pursuits such as locating rare or unidentified animal species, treasure hunting, surveying unexplored enclaves, or hunting down lawless individuals.
2000: Hajime no Ippo
Makunouchi Ippo has been bullied his entire life. Always running errands and being beaten up by his classmates, Ippo has always dreamed of changing himself but never has the passion for acting upon it.
In yet another bullying, Ippo is saved by Takamura Mamoru, who happens to be a boxer. Ippo faints from his injuries and is brought to the Kamogawa boxing gym to recover. As he regains consciousness, he is awed and amazed at his new surroundings in the gym. However, he lacks the confidence to attempt anything.
Takamura places a photo of Ippo’s classmate on a punching bag and forces him to punch it. It is only then that Ippo feels something stir inside him and eventually asks Takamura to train him in boxing.
Thinking that Ippo does not have what it takes, Takamura gives him a task deemed impossible and gives him a one-week time limit. With a sudden desire to get stronger, Ippo trains relentlessly to accomplish the task within the time limit for himself and his hardworking mother. Thus Ippo’s journey to the top of the boxing world begins.
2001: the nether regionsing
Hellsing, an organization specializing in dealing with supernatural threats, is called in to eliminate a vampire turning the villagers of Cheddar into ghouls.
To put an end to this, Sir Integra Fairbrook Wingates the nether regionsing leader dispatches her most formidable asset: a powerful vampire known as Alucard.
Armed with only a single handgun, Alucard wreaks havoc on the monsters plaguing Cheddar. However, a young police officer, Seras Victoria, gets caught up in the chaos and becomes mortally wounded as a result. Taking pity on the girl, Alucard gives her a choice: lose one’s life as a human or live on as a vampire. Seras accepts his offer and begins a new life as a member of the nether regionsing.
Though it was her decision, Seras struggles with the fact that she is no longer human. Nevertheless, she must embrace being a creature of the night soon if she wants to survive on the front lines in the fight between humans and the supernatural.
2002: Naruto
Moments before Naruto Uzumaki’s birth, a giantfallen angel known as the Kyuubi, the Nine-Tailed Fox, attacked Konohagakure, the Hidden Leaf Village wreaked havoc.
To put an end to the Kyuubi’s rampage, the village leader, the Fourth Hokage, sacrificed his life and sealed the monstrous beast inside the newborn Naruto.
Now, Naruto is a hyperactive and knuckle-headed ninja still living in Konohagakure. Shunned because of the Kyuubi inside him, Naruto struggles to find his place in the village. At the same time, his burning desire to become the Hokage of Konohagakure leads him not only to some great new friends but also to some deadly foes.
2003: Fullmetal Alchemist
Edward Elric, a young, brilliant alchemist, has lost much in his twelve-year life. When he and his brother Alphonse try to resurrect their no longer living mother through the forbidden act of human transmutation, Edward loses his brother and two of his limbs.
With his supreme alchemy skills, Edward binds Alphonse’s soul to a large suit of armor.
2004: Bleach
Ichigo Kurosaki is an ordinary high schooler—until his family is attacked by a Hollow, an evil spirit that seeks to devour human souls. He then meets a Soul Reaper named Rukia Kuchiki, who gets injured while protecting Ichigo’s family from the assailant.
To save his family, Ichigo accepts Rukia’s offer of taking her powers and becomes a Soul Reaper as a result.
However, as Rukia is unable to regain her powers, Ichigo is given the daunting task of hunting down the Hollows that plague their town. However, he is not alone in his fight. He is later joined by his friends—classmates Orihime Inoue, Yasutora Sado, and Uryuu Ishida—who each have their own unique abilities.
As Ichigo and his comrades get used to their new duties and support each other on and off the battlefield, the young Soul Reaper soon learns that the Hollows are not the only real threat to the human world.
2005: One Piece
Gol D. Roger was known as the “Pirate King,” the strongest and most infamous being to have sailed the Grand Line. The capture and loss of life of Roger by the World Government brought a change throughout the world.
His last words before his revealed the greatest treasure in the world, One Piece. This revelation brought about the Grand Age of Pirates, men who dreamed of finding One Piece—which promises an unlimited amount of riches and fame—and quite possibly the pinnacle of glory and the title of the Pirate King.
Enter Monkey D. Luffy, a 17-year-old boy who defies your standard definition of a pirate. Rather than the famous persona of a wicked, hardened, toothless pirate ransacking villages for fun, Luffy’s reason for being a pirate is one of pure wonder:
the thought of an exciting adventure leads him to intriguing people and, ultimately, the promised treasure. Following in the footsteps of his childhood hero, Luffy and his crew travel across the Grand Line, experiencing crazy adventures, unveiling dark mysteries, and battling strong enemies, all to reach the most coveted of all fortunes—One Piece.
2006: Note
After an intelligent yet cynical high school student begins to cleanse the world from evil with the help of a magical notebook that can take the life of anyone whose name is written on it, international authorities call upon a mysterious detective known as “L” thwart his efforts.
Check Out: 9 Must Watch Anime After You Finished Note
2007: Naruto: Shippuden
More than two years have passed since the most recent adventures in the Hidden Leaf Village, ample time for ninja wannabe Naruto Uzumaki to have developed skills worthy of recognition and respect.
The hyperactive youngster has trained extensively with Jiraiya-sama and returned to Konoha to reunite with friends
Check Out: 12 Of The Best Anime Like Naruto & Naruto: Shippuden
2008: Code Geass: R2
The Holy Empire of Britannia conquered the country known as Japan and now call it Area 11. Its residents lost their rights to self-govern and are now called Elevens.
The Empire uses powerfully destructive robotic weapons called Knightmares to ensure control. Still, someone is about to stand up against it. Lelouch, the black prince, has endless ambition and uses Geass’s power to build a world based on his ideals.
2009: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Two brothers lose their mother to an incurable disease. With the power of “alchemy,” they use taboo knowledge to resurrect her. The process fails, and as a toll for using this type of alchemy, the older brother, Edward Elric, loses his left leg while the younger brother, Alphonse Elric, loses his entire body.
To save his brother, Edward sacrifices his right arm and can affix his brother’s soul to a suit of armor. With the help of a family friend, Edward receives metal limbs – “automail” – to replace his lost ones. With that, Edward vows to search for the Philosopher’s Stone to return the brothers to their original bodies, even if it means becoming a “State Alchemist”, one who uses his/her alchemy for the military.
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2010: Black Butler S2
In Victorian London, a 12-year-old orphan named Ciel Phantomhive ignores all possible dangers and searches for those who took his parents’ lives with a demonic butler named Sebastian.
2011: Hunter x Hunter
The story follows a young boy named Gon Freecss, who was told all his life that both his parents were no longer living. But when he learns from Kite, an apprentice of his father Ging Freecss, that he is still alive and has since become an accomplished Hunter, Gon leaves his home on Whale Island to take the Hunter Exam to become a Hunter like him.
Check Out: 10 Anime You Need To Watch After Hunter x Hunter
2012: Sword Art Online
Sword Art Online is a Japanese light novel series written by Reki Kawahara and illustrated by ABEC. The series takes place in the near future and focuses on protagonist Kazuto “Kirito” Kirigaya and Asuna Yuuki as they play through various virtual reality MMORPG
Check Out: 30 Animes Like Sword Art Online That Will Transport You To A New World
2013: Attack On Titan
When man-eating Titans first appeared 100 years ago, humans found safety behind massive walls that stopped the giants in their tracks. But the safety they have had for so long is threatened when a colossal Titan smashes through the barriers, causing a flood of the giants into what had been the humans’ safe zone.
During the carnage that follows, soldier Eren Jaeger sees one of the creatures devour his mother, which leads him to vow that he will take the life of every Titan. He enlists some friends who survived to help him. That group is humanity’s last hope for avoiding extinction at the hands of the monsters.
Check Out: Anime Like Attack On Titan: What To Watch After Finishing The Show
2014: Fairy Tail
The world of Earth-land is home to numerous guilds where wizards apply their magic for paid job requests. Natsu Dragneel, a Dragon Slayer wizard from the Fairy Tail guild, explores the Kingdom of Fiore in search of his missing adoptive father, the dragon Igneel. During his journey, he befriends a young celestial wizard named Lucy Heartfilia and invites her to join Fairy Tail. Lucy forms a team with Natsu and his cat-like Exceed partner, Happy.
Check Out: 22 Of The Best Anime Like Fairy Tail
2015: Food Wars! Shokugeki No Sama
Meet Souma, he is the son of the owner of a small eatery in Japan. For his age, Souma is a very talented person able to easily come up with new dishes; sometimes these dishes are some really weird combinations of the ingredients no one would use.
After some time, the Souma’s eatery owner, Souma’s father, leaves the family business to work with his friend. Souma’s restaurant is on the verge of closing. To improve his cooking skills and save the restaurant, Souma begins studying at Engetsu Teahouse Culinary Academy, regarded as Japan’s top culinary academy. The problem is that only a few can graduate from it. These few are the world’s best gourmet of culinary.
2016: My Hero Academia
In a world where those with powers are known as “Quirks,” Izuku Midoriya has aspirations to one day become a hero, but there’s a catch — he isn’t a Quirk.
After a tragic accident involving his friend Katuski Bakugo, Midoriya is the only one to have stepped forward to help protect Bakugo from a villain. Because of his acts, he is given a gift by the world’s greatest hero, All Might. Now, Midoriya attends UA School–a school that ivates the next generation of superheroes.
Check Out: Must Watch Anime Like My Hero Academia
2017: Black Clover
The story centers around Asta, a young boy seemingly born without magic, something that is unknown in the world he lives in. With his fellow mages from the Black Bulls, Asta plans to become the next Wizard King.
Check Out: 15 Animes That Are Just As Exciting Like Black Clover
2018: Stens: Gate 0
The story takes place after Rintaro Okabe fails to save Kurisu Makise in the original Steins; Gate series. After failing to protect Kurisu Makise to prevent a future war over time machines, Rintaro Okabe, traumatized over his experiences of meddling with the past with his Reading Steiner ability, chose to live in the beta world line where Kurisu stays no longer living.
After several months have passed, Rintaro meets Maho Hiyajo and Alexis Leskinen, two of Kurisu’s former colleagues who have been working on Amadeus, an artificial intelligence system using Kurisu’s memories from before her .
Rintaro accepts a request to help out with Amadeus’ development by becoming a tester, conversing with the Amadeus Kurisu through his phone.
2019: Dr Stone
After five years of harboring unspoken feelings, high-schooler Taiju Ooki is finally ready to confess his love to Yuzuriha Ogawa. Just when Taiju begins his confession, a blinding green light strikes the Earth and petrifies mankind around the world—turning every human into stone.
Several millennia later, Taiju awakens to find the modern world completely nonexistent. As nature has flourished in the years’ humanity stood still. Among a stone world of statues, Taiju encounters one other living human: his science-loving friend Senkuu, who has been active for a few months. Taiju learns that Senkuu has developed a grand scheme—to launch the complete revival of civilization with science.
Taiju’s brawn and Senkuu’s brains combine to forge a formidable partnership, and they soon uncover a method to revive those petrified.
However, Senkuu’s master plan is threatened when his ideologies are challenged by those who awaken. All the while, the reason for mankind’s petrification remains unknown.
Check Out: 20 Of The Best Anime Like Dr. Stone
2020: Attack On Titan
Centuries ago, mankind was took the life of to near extinction by monstrous humanoid creatures called titans, forcing humans to hide in fear behind enormous concentric walls.
What makes these giants truly terrifying is that their taste for human flesh is not born out of hunger but what appears to be out of pleasure. To ensure their survival, humanity’s remnants began living within defensive barriers, resulting in one hundred years without a single titan encounter.
However, that fragile calm is soon shattered when a colossal titan manages to breach the supposedly impregnable outer wall, reigniting the fight for survival against the man-eating abominations.
After witnessing a horrific personal loss at the invading creatures’ hands, Eren Yeager dedicates his life to their eradication by enlisting into the Survey Corps. This elite military unit combats the merciless humanoids outside the protection of the walls.
Based on Hajime Isayama’s award-winning manga, Shingeki no Kyojin follows Eren and his adopted sister Mikasa Ackerman and his childhood friend Armin Arlert, as they join the brutal war against the titans and race to discover a way of defeating them before the last walls are breached.
2021: Jujutsu Kaisen
Hidden in plain sight, an age-old conflict rages on. Supernatural monsters known as “Curses” terrorize humanity from the shadows, and powerful humans known as “Jujutsu” sorcerers use mystical arts to get rid of them. When high school student Yuuji Itadori finds a dried-up finger of the legendary Curse Sukuna Ryoumen, he suddenly finds himself joining this bloody conflict.
Attacked by a Curse attracted to the finger’s power, Yuuji makes a reckless decision to protect himself, gaining the power to combat Curses in the process but also unwittingly unleashing the malicious Sukuna into the world once more.
Though Yuuji can control and confine Sukuna to his own body, the Jujutsu world classifies Yuuji as a dangerous, high-level Curse who must be ended.
Detained and sentenced to , Yuuji meets Satoru Gojou—a teacher at Jujutsu High School—who explains that there is an alternative for him despite his imminent loss of life. Being a rare vessel to Sukuna, if Yuuji were to die, then Sukuna would perish too. Therefore, if Yuuji were to consume the many other remnants of Sukuna, Yuuji’s subsequent loss of life would eradicate the malicious fallen angel. Taking up this chance to make the world safer and live his life for a little longer, Yuuji enrolls in Jujutsu High, jumping headfirst into a harsh and unforgiving battlefield.
