The 25 Best Anime of 2023
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In 2023, anime was close to the best it's ever been. I'll always hold a soft spot in my heart for the days of Dragon Ball Z, Naruto, and Cowboy Bebop, but what we can be achieved in animation today is on a whole new level. Jujutsu Kaisen, Demon Slayer, and My Hero Academia are the new big three, boasting exciting arcs and top-tier action.
The culminating adventure of One Piece’s massive Wano arc also hit just as Netflix did the impossible by creating a beloved live-action adaptation of the series. It's an unheard-of success story for the most popular manga series of all time, and I'm dying to know how many new fans of the adaptation have since started the 1,000-plus episode series.
If that wasn't exciting enough? We saw a truly shocking new direction for Pokémon as the series says goodbye to Ash after 25 years. Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War arrived to round out a series decades in the making, and Attack on Titan: The Final Season finally received its last batch of episodes. So, get ready to never look away from your TV, folks—because 2023 was another excellent year for anime.
Pluto
Pluto may just be the best animated series of the year. Based on the celebrated manga by Monster writer Naoki Urasawa, the story follows a robot detective who investigates a series of murders committed by mechanical hands. The only problem? Robots are programmed to not harm humans. Has one robot figured out how to ignore the laws of robotics?
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Birdie Wing
The world of sports anime has long been dominated by over-energized high-school boys yelling and thrashing their opponents. That's why Birdie Wing, a women's sports series about a determined, up-and-coming golfer and her rival, is such a refreshing take on the genre.
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Skip and Loafer
Skip and Loafer is one of the cutest school romance animes of the year, featuring an easygoing male love interest and a girl who has just moved to the big city. If you're looking for something simple and cozy to watch, look no further.
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Rurouni Kenshin
Rurouni Kenshin got a rare reboot this year, as Fuji TV airs a re-telling of one of the most popular manga series of the 1990s. The story follows a samurai looking for a new life post-war, even as his past comes back to haunt him.
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Onimusha
Onimusha is a bizarre bit of revisionist history. The Netflix series tell the story of the legendary samurai, Musashi Miyamoto, but quickly adapts his journey to be about hunting supernatural demons. Think Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, but for early 1600's Japan.
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Phoenix: Eden17
Based on an unfinished work by Astro Boy creator Osamu Tezuka, Phoenix: Eden17 follows the story of a young woman who travels across space to be reunited with her loved ones.
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Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury
Though Mobile Suit Gundam is one of the longest-running anime in the mech genre, The Witch from Mercury works as a jumping-on point for anyone interested in getting in a massive robot and fighting someone.
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The Fire Hunter
Created by Junji Nishimura (Ranma ½) and Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell), The Fire Hunter follows a fantasy Japan sent back to feudal society and the humans who protect the world from the new, mysterious Flame Demons.
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Golden Kamuy
The ongoing treasure hunting series continues in Part Four of the Golden Kamuy anime, following two unlikely partners in search of a massive stock of gold. The map is tattooed on the backs of dangerous prison escapees, meaning that tracking them down and tracing their tattoos in the only way to find the golden cache.
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Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead
If you were about to turn into a zombie, what would be on your bucket list? Forming that list is what's on Akira Tendo's mind after the apocalypse begins, coinciding with his new, zombie-like corporate job. Acting both as a commentary of the end times and the nature of boring, cyclical work life, Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead has a surprising amount of heart. Netflix even debuted a live-action adaptation.
Watch on Crunchyroll Watch on Hulu Watch on Netflix
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Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War, Part 2
Bleach fans have been waiting a long time for this moment. Now, the anime is finally gearing up for its big finale. Titled "Thousand Year Blood War," the final arc of Bleach sees Ichigo Kurosaki and his band of Soul Reapers finally bring the fight to Yhwach—the father of all Quincys.
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One Piece: Season 20, Wano Country Arc
One Piece is a mountain of a series. Watching all 170+ episodes of Season 20 so far is like climbing Mount Everest with your eyes—and there's still 19 other seasons before it. Usually, I'd recommend that people just read One Piece to save time, but the animation team has really stepped its game up for the final battles of Wano.
Watch on Crunchyroll Catch Up on Hulu Catch Up on Netflix
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Ranking of Kings: Season Two, The Treasure Chest of Courage
Ranking of Kings, the story of a tiny prince who learns to rule through kindness instead of fear, was one of the most unexpectedly amazing anime of last year. Returning with a little capsule collection of short stories to continue the (mostly) bookended story, the little prince is back for more adventures in his adorable kingdom—and I couldn't be any happier.
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Mashle: Magic and Muscles
For anyone done with Harry Potter, may I present to you the latest in wizard school hijinks. It's called Mashle: Magic and Muscles, and it follows a kid who goes to magic school even though he possess no magical abilities of his own. Can he prove that will and determination are stronger attributes that being born with an innate leg up?
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Buddy Daddies
Capitalizing on the success of Spy x Family, Crunchyroll must have known that there would be an immediate audience for Buddy Daddies. I mean, you have to check it out based on the title alone, right? Two single assassins (the titular buddy daddies), are forced to take in a little girl on a mission gone awry. It's cute.
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Hell's Paradise
When an assassin is captured and survives execution, his kidnappers offer him the chance for a pardon. If he can locate a magical elixir of eternal life and bring it back to the Shogunate, he'll be cleared of all former crimes. The only catch is that he must travel and return with his executioner—or the deal is off.
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Blue Lock
Blue Lock arrived right in time for the 2022 World Cup, following a fictionalized version of the Japanese soccer team. Starting a new development program titled “Blue Lock,” Japan trains young hopefuls competing to be the team’s next star player. There’s just one catch: those who fail the Blue Lock program are barred from representing Japan in any capacity.
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Boruto: Sasuke’s Story Arc
Boruto hasn’t been the beloved sequel to Naruto that anime fans once thought it would be, but the world of ninjas has a lot more to offer than Naruto’s lackluster son. In the Sasuke’s Story arc, which is getting its first official anime adaptation this year, one of the most popular anime characters of all time returns as an adult to embark on a special mission—going undercover in a jail full of criminals. With his wife, Sakura, in tow, the two attempt to find a cure to Naruto’s sudden, mysterious illness.
Watch on Crunchyroll Watch on Hulu
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Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba — Season Three, Swordsmith Village Arc
Demon Slayer has dominated anime for the past three years. Though the manga series it’s based on has come to an end, the animated series is still going strong—and showing no signs of stopping. The 2020 film, Demon Slayer: Mugen Train, shattered box office records in Japan. The second season, which covered one of the demon slaying series’ best arcs, also received massive ratings. Returning for a third season, Demon Slayer kicked things off with the “Swordsmith Village Arc,” which follows Tanjiro as he attempts to make amends for damaging the sword given to him by a master swordsmith.
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Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre
Horror writer Junji Ito will see 20 of his hair-raising short stories adapted into an animated Netflix series for the first time this year. The master of terror and dread, who has developed a cult following his terrifying and grotesque illustrations, personally selected the works in conjunction with the streaming service.
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Pokémon
After 26 years, everyone’s favorite Pokémon trainer, Ash Ketchum, is retiring. The boy and his partner Pikachu finally won the World Championships in the celebratory end to the most recent season this December, and he’s ready to pass the torch to another generation of young adventurers. But first, 2023 will say goodbye to Ash in 11 special episodes celebrating his storied Pokémon career. It’s a big (and risky!) move for one of the most popular children’s franchises of all time, but the new protagonists, Liko and Roy, are ready to set off on a brand-new adventure throughout the world of Pokémon.
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Trigun Stampede
Following the success of Trigun, an anime about a wanted gunman that originally aired back in 1998, Stampede hopes to continue the traditions of its predecessor while also moving the series forward. The sequel also takes inspiration from Cowboy Bebop and Ghost in the Shell, boasting dynamic 3D animation.
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Vinland Saga: Season Two
Say what you will about Vikings: Valhalla or The Northman, but no Viking story has ever been as good as Vinland Saga, a vast, decade-spanning manga written by Makoto Yukimura. Following Thorfinn, the son of a conquered warrior who now serves under the same mercenaries who killed his father, the series is set to return this year. Vinland Saga is also animated by MAPPA, the same studio behind hits such as Jujustsu Kaisen, Attack on Titan, and Chainsaw Man.
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Attack on Titan: The Final Season
Remember when Twitter freaked out over the shocking series finale of Attack on Titan last year? Well, guess what—that wasn’t the end. Buckle up for Attack on Titan: The Final Season — Part Three, which author Hajime Isayama swears will actually be the final end for this horrifying series.
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Jujutsu Kaisen: Season Two
Following high school student Yuji Itadori after he becomes cursed by a demon, Jujutsu Kaisen’s anime also went off like gangbusters. And it’s second season this year is even more popular. "If you accompany me for up to one more year,” author Gege Akutami teased, "I will be very happy." If you can spare the many shocks, it's one of the best anime of 2023.
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