Chainsaw Man is a smash-hit anime series based on author Tatsuki Fujimoto's brutal shonen manga of the same name. Chainsaw Man is somehow both a deconstruction of shonen and a classic shonen that vaguely resembles rivals like Demon Slayer and Jujutsu Kaisen, and it can easily compete with them on MyAnimeList.com.
So far, the Chainsaw Man anime ranks highly on MyAnimeList, and as of this writing, it ranks #26 among the top anime series on that site. This proves Chainsaw Man to be one of the community's favorite series of all. However, a handful of notable series are still more popular, some of which are shonen like Chainsaw Man, while others are entirely different.
10 Your Name. Is Makoto Shinkai's Masterpiece
MAL Score: 8.85
Director Makoto Shinkai has several anime movies to his name, but Your Name. is his most memorable and popular work to date, ranking #24 on MAL. This anime edged out Chainsaw Man because, while it lacks devils and gore, it has an incredible love story that blew moviegoers away.
Your Name. started as a body-swap story, but it soon became much more as Taki and Mitsuha learned more about each other's lives and the disaster that would soon strike Mitsuha's hometown. If Taki doesn't act soon, Mitsuha and her hometown might be lost forever.
9 A Silent Voice Is A Heartfelt Story About Communication
MAL Score: 8.94
A Silent Voice is an anime movie ranking #17 on MAL, based on the seven-volume manga of the same name. This anime features the ex-bully dandere Shoya Ishida, who learned a hard lesson after he drove away the kind Shoko Nishimiya with his nonstop bullying in 6th grade.
A Silent Voice is mainly about two teens trying to reconnect and understand one another, all packaged into the relatable themes of bullying and forgiveness. This anime movie packs a serious emotional punch but has solid humor too, hence its impressive rank as one of MAL's top anime.
8 Fruits Basket Is The Definitive Shojo Romance Anime
MAL Score: 9.02
The original 2001 Fruits Basket anime was a fun romp, but the 2019 reboot is the true anime adaptation of Natsuki Takaya's landmark shojo manga series. Fruits Basket's final season scored the #12 spot in MAL's top anime list, all thanks to this series' gorgeous animation, heartfelt characters, and unforgettable romance/drama.
Protagonist Tohru Honda will generously help the reclusive Sohmas break free of their zodiac curse, but that means facing the abusive family head, Akito. More than the curse, though, Tohru must contend with each Sohma's personal woes, and healing their broken hearts won't be easy.
7 Hunter X Hunter Persists Despite Hiatuses
MAL Score: 9.03
Hunter x Hunter has become notorious for its many hiatuses, and the anime probably won't resume anytime soon. At least the manga came out with new material recently, and the anime version has plenty of episodes even if it's far from finished.
As of now, the Hunter x Hunter anime ranks #11 on MAL's top anime list, and for good reason. It's a creative, exciting, and charming action story about the charming young hero Gon Freecss and his best friend Killua Zoldyck, and fans also love the villains and the Nen combat system.
6 Attack On Titan Stomps All Over Chainsaw Man
MAL Score: 9.06
Different seasons of Attack on Titan rank differently on MAL, but with Part 2 of Season 3 ranking at #6, it's safe to say Attack on Titan is generally more popular than Chainsaw Man. Despite the manga's iffy ending, countless fans still love Attack on Titan as the brutal, unpredictable, and exciting anime it is.
This legendary series blends zombies with mecha and gaslamp fantasy, all with a high body count, fascinating mysteries, and a complex political landscape. Denji may be a reckless antihero, but Eren Yeager is the anime antihero who truly captivated and horrified the anime community.
5 Gintama Is A Sci-Fi Comedy About Swords & Adventure
MAL Score: 9.07
Gintama is a comedy-action series taking place in an alternate Edo-era Japan. Aliens conquered the nation and banned all swords, but the silver-haired hero Gintoki Sakata wields one anyway, and he will do all kinds of odd jobs with his allies Kagura and Shinpachi Shimura.
Gintama ranks #5 on MyAnimeList thanks to its cool action scenes, its eccentric humor, and its unpredictable narrative. There are a few overarching plots, but overall, Gintama is a whimsical adventure where anything can happen. This includes a great deal of Deadpool-style meta-humor.
4 Steins;Gate Involves Time Travel & Cool Mysteries
MAL Score: 9.08
While most anime series are based on a manga series or a light novel, Steins;Gate is actually based on a visual novel game instead. The game's story and characters translated well to television, starting with researcher Rintaro Okabe the self-proclaimed "mad scientist" tinkering with time.
Rintaro and his allies learn that they can send messages back in time with a special microwave oven to change the present. They might even send memories back so they can effectively time travel. All this means Steins;Gate ranks well at #4 on MAL.
3 Kaguya-Sama: Love Is War Is The Top Seinen Romance
MAL Score: 9.09
Kaguya-Sama: Love is War is sometimes mistaken for shojo or shonen, but it's actually a seinen anime, and it's also the best-rated seinen anime on MAL's top anime list. This charming and brilliantly written rom-com anime depicts the wealthy heiress Kaguya Shinomiya and Miyuki Shirogane trying hard to make the other confess first.
Kaguya-Sama features plenty of charming romantic battles of wits, but it also features surprisingly deep drama and emotional stakes to keep everything grounded. And when the anime adds terrific animation, voice acting, and high school hijinks to the mix, it becomes clear why this anime is #3.
2 Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Shall Finish The Story
MAL Score: 9.10
The original Bleach anime was hugely popular in the 2000s as one of shonen's Big Three, but it eventually fell off, and it was officially taken off the air in 2012. For years, anime-only fans awaited Bleach's return, and in October 2022, it came back with the Thousand-Year Blood War arc.
This long-awaited final arc currently ranks #2 on MAL thanks to its outstanding action scenes, dazzling modern animation, and sheer nostalgia. Ichigo Kurosaki and his friends are back, and anime fans are being reminded of what a "Big Three" anime can really do.
1 Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood Takes The MAL Crown
MAL Score: 9.11
Chainsaw Man is a cool and popular shonen anime, but's a long way from unseating the #1 series, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. This anime dates back to 2009, but it persists as the community's top-ranked anime with its astonishing production values.
Brotherhood simply does everything right, from its great animation and memorable OST to its fun characters, deep worldly themes, cool combat system, and tight pacing. It may feel like conventional shonen at times, complete with familiar tropes and clichés, but Brotherhood is still showing Chainsaw Man how it's really done.