2020 essentially robbed people of the big action movies and Summer blockbusters that make life worth loving. Fortunately for some people, the wonderful world of anime kept up their quotas for explosions and fight scenes up (for the most part).
During a time when people couldn't go to movie theaters, play outdoor sports with friends, or avenge their alien fathers from a safe distance, streaming anime became a fine replacement for all of that and more, and 2020 in particular had plenty of great additions for people's backlogs. For people who're in the mood for sweet, anime action, MyAnimeList has a few recommendations.
10 A Certain Scientific Railgun T (8.26)
The A Certain series has delighted fans for years with the action-packed, fantastical world of Academy City. 2020 saw the return of its A Certain Scientific Railgun series when Academy City began hosting its Daihaisei Festival.
While most school festivals are simple carnival and fundraising events, the Daihaisei Festival is an entire competitive event putting Academy City's superpowered children against one another. Mikoto Misaka returns as the girl to beat, but she's up against an army of other students who can't wait to usurp her as well as a few conspirators waiting to take advantage of the festival.
9 Golden Kamuy 3rd Season (8.39)
For fans of Japanese history who always wished that there was a little more color in their history lessons, then Golden Kamuy is the series to see. Set in Hokkaido after the Russo-Japanese War, Sugimoto the Immortal, an ex-soldier, desperately tries to raise funds to support his fallen friend's family.
While begging on Hokkaido's cold streets may seem glamorous, Sugimoto quickly ditches it when he discovers that a thief had apparently hidden some grand treasure within the prefecture. Teaming up with a little girl named Asirpa, Sugimoto sets out to find it while also competing with some other zealous treasure hunters.
8 Kingdom 3rd Season (8.41)
Kingdom is one of the more underrated series under the Jump banner. While franchises like One Piece and My Hero Academia get to dominate the Shonen realm, Kingdom is a strong standard bearer for long-running Seinen series. In it, Li Xin tries to rise up through China's Warring Period as a slave to one day become one of its greatest generals.
In Kingdom 3rd Season, the Li Xin and the Qin army are closer than ever to unifying all of China but also find themselves against the greatest threat that they've seen yet.
7 Great Pretender (8.42)
Great Pretender rose to becoming the Netflix anime of 2020. Made by Wit Studio, this eclectic series focuses on the clandestine world of a mass, grifting organization. With the help of a loveable group of thieves and liars that would make the movie The Sting proud, Makoto Edamura and Laurent Thierry go from country to country to steal from some of the richest and most corrupt people on the planet.
For fans of Ocean's Eleven or Now You See Me, Great Pretender hits all the right buttons with its colorful world, witty dialogue, and some of the most elaborate and convoluted heist scenes ever to make their way unto the small screen.
6 Jujutsu Kaisen (8.44)
While it's going to be a while before Shonen fans can see the rest of Shonen Jump's modern anime lineup, such as Demon Slayer or The Promised Neverland, the Fall 2020 anime season did release a new series that could quench people's thirsts and more. In a world where humanity and spirits struggle to co-exist, Yuuji Itadori was once a simple, high school kid who just wanted to be able to visit his sickly grandfather after classes.
His world gets turned upside down, however, when he finds himself the possessor of a great, cursed power. Now having to help the secret world of Jujutsu sorcerers, Itadori fights against evil spirits while training his abilities at the Jujutsu sorcerer school.
5 Haikyuu!!: To The Top (Part 1: 8.42, Part 2: 8.54)
Averaging at around 8.48 of a combined score from MyAnimeList, Haikyuu!! returned in 2020 with plenty of dynamic games for its voracious, volleyball fans.
Never before has high school volleyball ever looked so epic, as the journey of Shoyo Hinata and Karasuno High School's volleyball team "to the top" has inspired and thrilled people for a good portion of the last anime generation. To The Top sees them inch ever closer to playing in the nationals and, with that, plenty of action, heartache, and laughs to go along the way.
4 Heaven's Official Blessing (8.53)
Heaven's Official Blessing is a Chinese web novel/anime series that has quietly been seeing acclaim over the years. Its story focuses on Xie Lian, a benevolent prince who was once beloved by his people at a young age.
However, after ascending to Heaven and being banished twice, Xie Lian has lost all of that love and remained a laughingstock to people despite ascending to godhood for a third time. His adventure seems to change, however, when he comes across Hua Cheng, a demon ruler of ghosts who terrifies the rest of the Heavens.
3 Re:Zero 2nd Season (8.56)
Re:Zero's first season did a great job of establishing Subaru Natsuki's plight while also getting the fans plenty invested in some of the series' lead characters. That, however, was all a ruse to lower people's guards for the series' second season.
Famous at this point for gut punch after gut punch, Re:Zero 2nd Season explored much more than a typical isekai adventure and had Subaru struggle to save his friends, survive demonic threats, and grapple with his own mortality and sense of purpose. Resurrection starts looking a lot less fan after watching this season.
2 Demon Slayer Movie: Infinity Train (8.68)
Demon Slayer saw monstrous success after Ufotable first released its first season. Combining classic, Japanese settings, intense action, and some stunning animation together, Demon Slayer created a story that Shonen anime fans were quick to latch on to, especially given that the series has now been setting sales record after sales record. This is no different for the anime's first theatrical film which acts as a direct continuation of the anime and the adaptation of the series' Mugen Train Arc.
Tanjiro follows the Flame Hashira, Kyojuro Rengoku, to investigate some mysterious goings-on aboard a train but finds himself and his team against another member of the Twelve Kizuki. Much like the manga, the film is also setting new sales records in Japan, making it an easy pick for people hungry for more Demon Slayer content.
1 Fate/Stay Night Movie: Heaven's Feel - III. Spring Song (8.86)
The Fate series has been seeing astronomical success after the release of its first anime, Fate/stay night, and has seen all manner of sequels, spinoffs, and adaptations of its fantastical world. With the Holy Grail War rising once again, seven different mages must summon a mighty servant from history to help them take the Holy Grail and its power for themselves.
Fate/Stay Night Movie: Heaven's Feel - III. Spring Song's is the final installment of the series' films exploring the original games' third route where Shiro Emiya pursues and gets lost in the dark adventures of Sakura Matou.