Anime Series Favorites
by samuel-z-bach | created - 30 Jul 2014 | updated - 21 Jun 2022 | PublicThis list represents my favorite anime series. I only add animes that I loved watching and would watch again. I basically use this list to recommend animes to friends.
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1. Attack on Titan (2013–2023)
TV-MA | 24 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
After his hometown is destroyed and is traumatized, young Eren Jaeger vows to cleanse the earth of the giant humanoid Titans that have brought humanity to the brink of extinction.
Stars: Jessie James Grelle, Bryce Papenbrook, Trina Nishimura, Yûki Kaji
Votes: 512,521
2. No Game, No Life (2014– )
TV-14 | 23 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
Siblings Sora and Shiro make up the most feared team of pro gamers in the world, The Blank. When they manage to beat God himself in a game of chess, they are sent to a world where all disputes are settled with games.
Stars: Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, Ai Kayano, Yôko Hikasa, Scott Gibbs
Votes: 18,489
3. FLCL (2000–2001)
TV-14 | 151 min | Animation, Action, Comedy
Mysterious things start happening when 12-year-old Naota meets a strange woman on a Vespa wielding a big guitar.
Stars: Jun Mizuki, Mayumi Shintani, Izumi Kasagi, Suzuki Matsuo
Votes: 19,789
4. Gurren Lagann (2007)
TV-14 | 24 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
Two friends, Simon and Kamina, become the symbols of rebellion against the powerful Spiral King, who forced mankind into subterranean villages.
Stars: Tetsuya Kakihara, Shizuka Itou, Yuri Lowenthal, Marina Inoue
Votes: 21,140
5. Space Battleship Yamato 2199 (2012–2013)
TV-14 | Animation, Action, Adventure
In the year 2199, the space battleship Yamato embarks on a voyage to the planet Iscandar, to retrieve a device that will rejuvenate a war-ravaged Earth.
Stars: Mallorie Rodak, Monica Rial, Jamie Marchi, Mike McFarland
Votes: 1,178
6. Ergo Proxy (2006)
TV-14 | 25 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
In a post-apocalyptic future humans live in peace with androids in a domed city. However, a strange series of murders has intruded into bored inspector Re-l Mayer's life.
Stars: Kôji Yusa, Akiko Yajima, Liam O'Brien, Rachel Hirschfeld
Votes: 16,524
7. Samurai Champloo (2004–2005)
TV-MA | 24 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
Fuu, a waitress who works in a teahouse, rescues two master swordsmen, Mugen and Jin, from their execution to help her find the "samurai who smells of sunflowers."
Stars: Kazuya Nakai, Ginpei Sato, Ayako Kawasumi, Steve Blum
Votes: 55,545
8. Cowboy Bebop (1998–1999)
TV-14 | 24 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
The futuristic misadventures and tragedies of an easygoing bounty hunter and his partners.
Stars: Kôichi Yamadera, Unshô Ishizuka, Megumi Hayashibara, Steve Blum
Votes: 139,530
9. Steins;Gate (2011–2015)
TV-14 | 24 min | Animation, Comedy, Drama
After discovering time travel, a university student and his colleagues must use their knowledge of it to stop an evil organization and their diabolical plans.
Stars: Mamoru Miyano, Asami Imai, Kana Hanazawa, Ashly Burch
Votes: 73,724
10. Baccano! (2007–2008)
TV-MA | 24 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
A crazy fantasy caper involving alchemists, immortals, gangsters, outlaws and an elixir of immortality, spread over several decades.
Stars: Michael C. Pizzuto, J. Michael Tatum, Caitlin Glass, Akemi Kanda
Votes: 12,770
11. Durarara!! (2010)
TV-14 | 24 min | Animation, Action, Comedy
Tired of his mundane life, Mikado Ryugamine decides to move to Ikebukuro, a district in Tokyo, when a friend invites him. With everything from invisible gangs to rumored beings, Ikebukuro is full of connected mysteries where people's pasts intertwine with the present.
Stars: Yuri Lowenthal, Kari Wahlgren, Bryce Papenbrook, Johnny Yong Bosch
Votes: 7,959
12. Black Lagoon (2006)
TV-MA | 25 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
A Japanese businessman, captured by modern-day pirates, is written off and left for dead by his company. Tired of the corporate life, he opts to stick with the mercenaries that kidnapped him, becoming part of their gang.
Stars: Megumi Toyoguchi, Daisuke Namikawa, Brad Swaile, Maryke Hendrikse
Votes: 17,988
13. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (2006–2009)
TV-14 | 24 min | Animation, Comedy, Drama
The crazy adventures of the SOS Brigade, led by the insane but charismatic Haruhi.
Stars: Tomokazu Sugita, Aya Hirano, Yûko Gotô, Daisuke Ono
Votes: 9,194
14. Eden of the East (2009)
TV-MA | 23 min | Animation, Action, Comedy
On November 22, 2010 ten missiles strike Japan. However, this unprecedented terrorist act, later to be called as "Careless Monday," does not result in any apparent victims, and is soon ... See full summary »
Stars: Ryohei Kimura, Saori Hayami, Jason Liebrecht, Leah Clark
Votes: 4,041
15. Gantz (2004)
TV-MA | 22 min | Animation, Action, Drama
After their deaths, two teens are transported to an apartment with an ominous black sphere and must participate in a gory alien-hunting "game."
Stars: Hiroshi Kamiya, Daisuke Namikawa, John Swasey, Chris Ayres
Votes: 8,662
16. Charcoal Feather Federation (2002)
TV-PG | 25 min | Animation, Drama, Fantasy
A young girl is reborn as an angel-like creature called a haibane, with no memory of who she once was.
Stars: Ryô Hirohashi, Junko Noda, Eri Miyajima, Fumiko Orikasa
Votes: 4,161
17. The Future Diary (2011–2013)
TV-MA | 25 min | Animation, Action, Drama
A young man competes with people around the world for a chance to become the succesor of God, with a diary that is able to tell the future.
Stars: Brina Palencia, Jessie James Grelle, Leah Clark, Emily Neves
Votes: 20,121
18. Mushi-Shi (2005–2014)
TV-14 | 25 min | Animation, Drama, Fantasy
Ginko is an expert travelling around to investigate a primeval life-form, the "Mushi," and helping people with Mushi-related supernatural problems.
Stars: Yûto Nakano, Travis Willingham, Kôjun Itô, Jennifer Seman
Votes: 14,665
19. Soul Eater (2008–2009)
TV-14 | 24 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
Set in the Shinigami technical school, the series revolves around a partnership between a weapon meisters and a human weapons. Trying to reach a ranking of "Death Scythe" they must collect the souls of 99 evil humans and 1 witch.
Stars: Laura Bailey, Chiaki Omigawa, Micah Solusod, Brittney Karbowski
Votes: 14,486
20. Desert Punk (2004–2005)
TV-MA | 580 min | Animation, Action, Comedy
In the future, Japan is a wasteland with scattered humans in the Great Kanto Desert. A short-statured man named "Sunabozu" makes a living as a bounty hunter, but he has a weakness for the opposite sex.
Stars: Eric Vale, Cole Brown, Chihiro Suzuki, Luci Christian
Votes: 1,448
21. Texhnolyze (2003)
TV-MA | Animation, Drama, Sci-Fi
In a man-made underground society, descendants of a banished generation vie for control of the crumbling city of Lux. Ichise, an orphan turned prize fighter, loses a leg and an arm to satisfy an enraged fight promoter.
Stars: Michael Forest, Liam O'Brien, Patrick Seitz, Shizuka Itou
Votes: 3,124
22. Serial Experiments Lain (1998)
TV-14 | 316 min | Animation, Drama, Horror
Strange things start happening when a withdrawn girl named Lain becomes obsessed with an interconnected virtual realm known as "The Wired".
Stars: Kaori Shimizu, Bridget Hoffman, Dan Lorge, Randy McPherson
Votes: 17,253
23. Welcome to the N.H.K. (2006)
TV-MA | 24 min | Animation, Comedy, Drama
This surreal dramedy follows Satou Tatsuhiro as he attempts to escape the evil machinations of the NHK.
Stars: Yutaka Koizumi, Yui Makino, Michael C. Pizzuto, Monica Rial
Votes: 7,983
24. Eureka Seven (2005–2006)
TV-MA | 25 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
14-year-old Renton joins the rebel GekkoState ship, co-pilots the TypeZero with the mysterious Eureka, and unknowingly becomes part of a grand scheme.
Stars: Yûko Sanpei, Keiji Fujiwara, Kaori Nazuka, Johnny Yong Bosch
Votes: 3,317
25. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (2002–2005)
TV-MA | 24 min | Animation, Action, Crime
The futuristic adventures of a female cyborg counter intelligence agent and her support team.
Stars: Shirô Saitô, Atsuko Tanaka, Osamu Saka, Mary Elizabeth McGlynn
Votes: 21,066
26. Trigun (1998)
TV-14 | 24 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
Vash the Stampede is the most infamous outlaw on the planet Gunsmoke and with a 60 billion double dollar price on his head the most sought after.
Stars: Masaya Onosaka, Hiromi Tsuru, Satsuki Yukino, Johnny Yong Bosch
Votes: 24,303
27. Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995–1996)
TV-MA | 24 min | Animation, Action, Drama
A teenage boy finds himself recruited as a member of an elite team of pilots by his father.
Stars: Megumi Ogata, Megumi Hayashibara, Kotono Mitsuishi, Spike Spencer
Votes: 85,615
28. Knights of Sidonia (2014–2015)
TV-MA | Animation, Action, Adventure
A thousand years after the destruction of Earth by gigantic aliens called Gauna, mankind is living on massive spaceships. One of these space ships is Sidonia, which is protected by large pilot controlled exosuits called Gardes.
Stars: Sayaka Ôhara, Pete Sepenuk, Ryôta Ôsaka, Takahiro Sakurai
Votes: 4,637
29. Psycho-Pass (2012–2019)
TV-MA | 25 min | Animation, Action, Crime
Believing in humanity and order, policewoman Akane Tsunemori obeys the ruling, computerized, precognitive Sibyl System. But when she faces a criminal mastermind who can elude this perfect system, she questions both Sibyl and herself.
Stars: Kana Hanazawa, Miyuki Sawashiro, Noriko Hidaka, Shizuka Itou
Votes: 22,437
30. Code Geass (2006–2008)
TV-14 | 24 min | Animation, Action, Drama
After being given a mysterious power to control others, an outcast prince becomes the masked leader of the rebellion against an all-powerful empire.
Stars: Jun Fukuyama, Takahiro Sakurai, Johnny Yong Bosch, Yukana
Votes: 80,534
31. Dragon Ball (1995–2003)
TV-14 | 24 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
Dragon Ball tells the tale of a young warrior by the name of Son Goku, a young peculiar boy with a tail who embarks on a quest to become stronger and learns of the Dragon Balls, when, once all 7 are gathered, grant any wish of choice.
Stars: Brice Armstrong, Steve Olson, Stephanie Nadolny, Zoe Slusar
Votes: 65,561
32. Golden Boy (1995–1996)
Not Rated | 165 min | Animation, Comedy
A University drop-out rides Japan on his bicycle, taking part-time jobs and trying not to take women.
Stars: Doug Smith, Matt Greenfield, Mitsuo Iwata, Gorô Naya
Votes: 7,196
33. Death Note (2006–2007)
TV-14 | 24 min | Animation, Crime, Drama
An intelligent high school student goes on a secret crusade to eliminate criminals from the world after discovering a notebook capable of killing anyone whose name is written into it.
Stars: Mamoru Miyano, Brad Swaile, Vincent Tong, Ryô Naitô
Votes: 380,187
34. Great Teacher Onizuka (1999–2000)
TV-MA | 24 min | Animation, Comedy, Drama
About Eikichi Onizuka, a 22-year-old ex-gangster member and a virgin. He has one ambition that no one ever expected from him. His sole life purpose is to become the greatest high school teacher ever.
Stars: Steve Blum, Kirk Thornton, Jun'ichi Suwabe, Wataru Takagi
Votes: 11,299
35. Puella Magi Madoka Magica (2011)
TV-14 | 24 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
A creature named Kyubey offers Madoka and Sayaka a wish if they agree to become 'magical girls' and fight abstract beings called 'witches'. However, a magical girl named Homura is, for uncertain reasons, determined to stop this agreement.
Stars: Aoi Yûki, Chiwa Saitô, Emiri Kato, Cristina Valenzuela
Votes: 11,374
36. Angel Beats! (2010)
TV-14 | 25 min | Animation, Action, Comedy
Rebellious teens fight in armed combat against one dispassionate girl's supernatural powers in an afterlife high school.
Stars: Hiroshi Kamiya, Harumi Sakurai, Kana Hanazawa, Ryohei Kimura
Votes: 16,149
37. Your Lie in April (2014–2015)
TV-PG | 23 min | Animation, Comedy, Drama
A piano prodigy who lost his ability to play after suffering a traumatic event in his childhood is forced back into the spotlight by an eccentric girl with a secret of her own.
Stars: Natsuki Hanae, Risa Taneda, Ayane Sakura, Ryôta Ôsaka
Votes: 37,944
38. Parasyte: The Maxim (2014–2015)
TV-MA | 22 min | Animation, Action, Drama
17-year-old Shinichi Izumi is partially infected by a Parasyte, monsters that butcher and consume humans. He must learn to co-exist with the creature if he is to survive both the life of a Parasyte and a human as part monster, part person.
Stars: Aya Hirano, Nobunaga Shimazaki, Rinka H.B.B., Brittney Karbowski
Votes: 48,770
39. Violet Evergarden (2018)
TV-14 | 24 min | Animation, Drama, Family
In the aftermath of a great war, Violet Evergarden, a young female ex-soldier, gets a job at a writers' agency and goes on assignments to create letters that can connect people.
Stars: Yui Ishikawa, Erika Harlacher, Raissa Bueno, Aya Endô
Votes: 29,660
40. Made in Abyss (2017– )
TV-14 | 325 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
A girl and her robot companion search for her mother, who's lost within a vast chasm.
Stars: Luci Christian, Brittany Lauda, Miyu Tomita, Mariya Ise
Votes: 15,231
41. One Punch Man (2015– )
TV-PG | 24 min | Animation, Action, Comedy
The story of Saitama, a hero that does it just for fun & can defeat his enemies with a single punch.
Stars: Makoto Furukawa, Kaito Ishikawa, Max Mittelman, Zach Aguilar
Votes: 186,680
42. My Hero Academia (2016– )
TV-14 | 24 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
A superhero-admiring boy enrolls in a prestigious hero academy and learns what it really means to be a hero, after the strongest superhero grants him his own powers.
Stars: Daiki Yamashita, Justin Briner, Nobuhiko Okamoto, Clifford Chapin
Votes: 78,581
43. Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma (2015–2020)
TV-14 | 24 min | Animation, Comedy, Drama
Soma Yukihira enrolls in an elite culinary school to become a full-time chef and surpass his father's culinary skills.
Stars: Kappei Yamaguchi, Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, Minami Takahashi, Maaya Uchida
Votes: 12,304
44. Space Dandy (2014)
TV-14 | 24 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
The cosmic and comic adventures of Space Dandy, a handsome space explorer tasked to tour the universe and discover new alien beings.
Stars: Jun'ichi Suwabe, Uki Satake, Hiroyuki Yoshino, Ian Sinclair
Votes: 4,662
45. Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju (2016)
26 min | Animation, Comedy, Drama
The life and career of Eighth Generation Yakumo Yurakutei, a legendary 20th century rakugo artist whose journey is greatly influenced by his incredibly gifted but hot-headed best friend.
Stars: Akira Ishida, Tomokazu Seki, Kôichi Yamadera, Megumi Hayashibara
Votes: 1,433
46. Blue Period (2021)
TV-14 | 24 min | Animation, Drama
Bored with life, popular high schooler Yatora Yaguchi jumps into the beautiful yet unrelenting world of art after finding inspiration in a painting.
Stars: Johnny Yong Bosch, Amber Lee Connors, Griffin Burns, Chris Tergliafera
Votes: 3,526
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