With every season in anime, there are new and exciting shows for anime fans to watch. Some are incredible and become fan favorites, some are not very well received, and in some cases, a new series can fall to the wayside if there is one that shines brighter than the rest.
When an exceptional anime begins to air, it’s all anyone can talk about. People will recommend these shows as a “must-watch.” However, more often than not, these shows don’t live up to everyone’s expectations or the hype surrounding them. On the other hand, there are some shows that are extraordinary for their world-building, art, and character development, and they've truly lived up to the hype.
10 A Young Boy Seeks To Destroy Humanoid Titans After Witnessing The Death Of His Mother (Attack On Titan)
Attack On Titan is a fantasy drama and mystery shonen anime with an R+ rating. In this series, giant humanoid beings known as Titans rampage across the world. The humans have relied on the giant walls surrounding their city to keep the Titans out, but their peaceful days come to an end when the Colossal Titan struck. One boy, Eren Yeager, dedicates his life to hunting down these Titans after the death of his mother. Even though this has military themes, which aren’t too popular in anime, Attack On Titan has lived up to its hype and became one of the most popular anime series to date.
9 A High School Student Resorts To Killing People To Rid The World Of The Corrupt (Death Note)
Death Note is a psychological drama and mystery anime that began airing in 2003. This anime follows the story of Light Yagami, who finds a mysterious book known as a Death Note. When a person’s name is written inside of the book, they will end up dead.
He decides to use this book to rid the world of people he believes to be corrupt. It’s interesting, dark, and enthralling. For those reasons and many more, Death Note is still popular and highly ranked after all this time and has lived up to everyone’s expectations.
8 Monkey D. Luffy Searches For A Legendary Treasure While Battling Tough Opponents (One Piece)
Despite having an unusual art style, One Piece is one of the most popular and highly ranked anime series of all time. In this anime, Monkey D. Luffy is on a quest to find the legendary treasure known as the One Piece. Along the way, he meets many enemies and makes wonderful friends who become a part of his pirate crew.
It has an interesting and consistent story, vast world-building, and unique characters. With over 900 episodes (and many more to come), this series continues to live up to fans' expectations.
7 A Teenager With Virtually No Abilities Keeps Reliving His Death (Re: Zero Starting Life In Another World)
Re: Zero Starting Life in Another World is a fantasy and drama anime that dives into the elements of suspense and psychology. This anime follows Subaru Natsuki, who ends up in an alternative world and unfortunately dies. But instead of going to heaven, he is sent back in time to relive the same day and meet the same people.
This isekai anime is intriguing and dark as it shows a side of fantasy that isn’t often seen in anime. On top of this, the main protagonist has an unusual personality compared to other isekai protagonists and isn't overpowered.
6 Tanjiro Kamado Becomes A Demon Slayer To Fight Demons And Protect His Sister (Demon Slayer)
Demon Slayer is a supernatural and action shonen anime set in a historical period. Tanjirou Kamado has spent his life taking care of his family. One day after coming back from the bottom of the mountain, he finds that all but his sister has been killed in a demon attack.
To his dismay, however, his sister has become a demon. He joins with the Demon Slayer Corps to fight demons and preserve his sister’s humanity. It’s dark, edgy, and the artwork is absolutely beautiful.
5 The Orphans Of Grace Field House Are Farmed Food For Demons (The Promised Neverland)
The Promised Neverland is an anime that has blown people’s expectations out of the water. This anime starts out wholesome and cute as Grace Field House is the home to many orphans. But when it's discovered that they’re actually the food for demons, it takes a darker and more sinister turn.
The eldest of the orphans do everything they can to save their family and prepare to escape. It’s dark and filled with mystery and horror, and it’s an exceptional anime that is even better than people expected.
4 A Former Tool Of War Transcribes People’s Thoughts And Feelings To Learn The Meaning Of Love (Violet Evergarden)
Violet Evergarden is a slice-of-life fantasy anime that may not seem like anything extraordinary at first glance, but it is an amazing anime with a touching story. Violet Evergarden, a tool used in war, begins her new life at the postal service as an Auto Memory Doll in the hopes of understanding what love is.
As a Doll, she transcribes people's thoughts and feelings and learns more about human emotions. It’s a heartbreaking journey of self-discovery.
3 A Young Boy With A Deep Psychic Well Could Destroy The World If He Doesn’t Learn To Control His Powers (Mob Psycho 100)
Mob Psycho 100 is a slice-of-life, fantasy, and comedy anime series about a young boy named Shigeo "Mob" Kageyama who has a knack for psychic powers.
What’s unique about Mob is that he doesn’t want to use his powers or show off. However, if he doesn’t do anything to learn to control his powers, he might destroy the entire world. In addition to its unique protagonist, the series also features a hilarious storyline and beautiful artwork.
2 Yuji Itadori Consumes The Finger Of The King Of Demons And It Changes His Life Forever (Jujutsu Kaisen)
Jujutsu Kaisen quickly rose through the ranks and became one of the most popular and highly-rated anime. The story follows Yuji Itadori who finds himself in a world revolving around curses after eating the finger of the King of Curses.
He must use his powers to help eliminate curses, but it’s a harder job than it looks. Jujutsu Kaisen offers a unique take on superpowers, the storyline is enticing and filled with mystery and horror, and it’s a refreshing take on the shonen genre.
1 Ryuuko Matoi’s Investigation Of Her Father’s Death Leads Her To A School With Dark Secrets (Kill La Kill)
Kill La Kill seems like every other superpowered and school-themed anime, but this isn’t the case. This story follows Ryuuko Matoi as she searches for her father’s killer which leads her to the prestigious Honnouji Academy. She soon learns that there’s more to this school and the student council president than she could imagine, and her answers are closer than she thinks. Unlike many school-life anime, this one has some very dark and horrific themes, but it’s also funny and full of action.