There are so many great anime to choose from—too many fantastic stories and characters that made us laugh, cry, or be speechless. Making this list was hard, but we tried to list the five best anime ever. Do you agree with our choices?
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
This anime finds its way into every conversation about the greatest shows ever, and there is a big reason for that. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood has it all. Almost every single character in the show is meaningful and contributes to the story in a certain way. No matter if it’s a villain or a side character introduced halfway through the show, there is always a reason for you to connect to the character.
The story starts with the Elric brothers, who use forbidden alchemy to resurrect their mother. Unfortunately, they are punished by the alchemical laws, and Alfonso Elric loses his body while his brother, Edward, loses his arm.
The story focuses on the boys’ mission to recover what they’ve lost. While at it, they manage to get in the middle of a political conflict—and much more. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood’s world-building, pacing, and finale are top-notch in anime history, so be prepared to enjoy a one-of-a-kind adventure full of action, hope, humor, and emotion.
One Piece
One Piece is a must-have on this list. It’s a classic anime with an incredible run of nearly 20 years—and it isn’t planning on stopping soon. There isn’t a single anime with more than 1000 episodes that is still one of the world’s most talked-about shows (and movies). One Piece is still going strong and still breaking records.
The story stars Luffy, a boy anime fans know and love dearly. For those who don’t know, Luffy is the protagonist in this show who goes on one of the most epic journeys ever with the goal of finding One Piece and becoming the King of the Pirates.
One Piece is one of the most influential anime and has set the standards for everything that came after. It has also secured its place in the “Big 3,” a list of the best three shonen series, including the Naruto anime and Bleach.
Monster
Kenzou Tenma is a famous and promising Japanese neurosurgeon who works in Germany. One day, his morals are tested when he needs to decide whether to save the Mayor’s life or the life of a young kid named Johan. Despite being forced to operate on the Mayor, he saves the boy.
After some years pass, people in his town begin to die at the hands of an infamous criminal mastermind, who turns out to be—you guessed it—Johan.
Monster is one of the best manga ever, and this psychological thriller by Naoki Urasawa is also one of the best anime of all time. What makes this story special is its complexity—the scary fact of how real it is, the attention to detail, and the importance of every single character utterly suck you in.
This is also one of the few manga adaptations that stays true to the source material. Most of its scenes are the same or very similar to the comic panels. So, if you’ve heard that Monster is one of the best manga ever, but you don’t want to read it, you can get the same thrills from the anime.
Attack on Titan
In this anime, creatures called titans are on the top of the food chain, and the human race is on the brink of extinction. Nobody knows where the titans come from and to save themselves. People are hiding behind the walls on the island of Paradis.
The story follows a young boy named Eren who seeks freedom from the walls and aims to exterminate all of the Titans. Will he be able to accomplish this goal? He’ll need help from his friends Armin and Mikasa and encounter many battles along the way.
Attack on Titan is one of the most complex and clever anime that will leave you speechless countless times. If you are looking for an anime to blow your mind and leave you with many questions after every episode, this is the one.
Death Note
Death Note is another classic that has to be on this list. It was a huge hit when it was released and is still one of the most popular shows of all time. It was released in 2006 and remained the most popular anime of all time until it was dethroned by Attack in Titan in 2022! Today, nothing comes close to it in terms of suspense, cleverness, and uniqueness.
Death Note is a show about Light Yagami, a high-school boy who finds the Death Note, a mysterious notebook that allows you to kill a man by writing his name and the cause of death.
Light is now known as Kira and plans to kill every bad person in the world. However, things don’t go as planned as he is now a target of the mastermind investigator L. Will L find Kira’s true identity and arrest him, or will Light learn L’s real name and write it in the Death Note? Watch this amazing thriller to find out.