33 Best Anime on Netflix to Watch

Netflix has established itself as one of the leading streaming services for anime viewing, providing a mix of classic titles and popular new series.

Netflix has increased its already impressive anime collection in recent years. In addition to classic anime titles, Netflix subscribers can watch original anime series with unique concepts and shows based on some of the most popular manga ever written.

With so many options, anime fans must decide which shows to watch next. Furthermore, because Netflix is constantly replacing old shows with new ones, it’s worth reviewing what it currently has to offer, as there’s no guarantee that a show will be available in the near future.

Trigger’s Kill la Kill is a Japanese anime television series. The series follows vagrant schoolgirl Ryuko Matoi as she searches for her father’s killer, which brings her into conflict with Satsuki Kiryuin, Honnouji Academy’s iron-willed student council president, and her mother Ragyo Kiryuin’s fashion empire. Ryuko, Satsuki, and others acquire martial arts superpowers from their clothes, which appear to have their own will.

Death Note is a 37-episode anime series based on Tsugumi Ohba’s manga series of the same name, which was written and illustrated by Takeshi Obata. It was directed by Tetsur Araki at Madhouse and originally aired on the Nippon TV (NTV) network in Japan every Tuesday from October 3, 2006 to June 26, 2007. The series’ plot revolves primarily around high school student Light Yagami, who decides to rid the world of evil with the aid of a supernatural notebook known as a Death Note. This book kills anyone whose name is written in it, and it is passed on to Light by Shinigami Ryuk when he becomes bored in the Shinigami world.

Parasyte – the maxim aired on Nippon TV in Japan from October 9, 2014 to March 26, 2015. It was directed by Kenichi Shimizu and produced by Madhouse, Nippon Television, VAP, and Forecast Communications, with Shji Yonemura handling series composition, Tadashi Hiramatsu designing the characters, and Ken Arai composing the music. Shinichi Izumi, a high school boy whose right hand is possessed by an alien Parasite named Migi, finds himself in a battle against other Parasites who feast on other humans in the series.

Castlevania is an American adult animated dark fantasy action streaming television series created for the streaming service Netflix and produced by Kevin Kolde and Fred Seibert of Frederator Studios. When his wife is burned at the stake for falsely accusing him of witchcraft, the vampire Count Vlad Dracula epeş declares that all the people of Wallachia will pay with their lives. He summons a demon army to overrun the country, causing the people to live in fear and distrust. To counteract this, Trevor Belmont, an outcast monster hunter, takes up arms against Dracula’s forces, aided by the magician Sypha Belnades and Dracula’s dhampir son Alucard.

Blue Exorcist is an anime series based on Kazue Kato’s manga of the same name. Tensai Okamura directed it, and A-1 Pictures produced it. The plot revolves around Rin Okumura, who was raised by an Exorcist, Father Shiro Fujimoto, along with his younger twin Yukio Okumura. Rin discovers one day that he and Yukio are Satan’s sons. When Rin sees Shiro die to protect him, he draws the demon-slaying sword Kurikara, which limits his demonic powers. Rin gains demonic features such as fangs and a tail at that point, as well as the ability to ignite into blue flames that destroy almost everything he touches.

Yatora Yaguchi is a popular student who excels in school but frequently suffers from inner emptiness and frustration. One day, he became so enthralled by a painting at his high school’s art club that he decided to try his hand at painting. Later, he was inspired by a friend, Ryuji “Yuka” Ayukawa, and joined the art club, becoming more deeply involved, and applying to Tokyo University of the Arts as his choice of college.

The plot revolves around Satoru Fujinuma, a young man from Chiba who possesses the “Revival” ability, which sends him back in time moments before a life-threatening incident, allowing him to prevent it from happening again. When his mother is murdered by an unknown assailant in his own home, Satoru’s ability transports him eighteen years back in time, giving him the opportunity to not only save his mother, but also prevent a kidnapping that killed three of his childhood friends.

Production I.G and Kazuto Nakazawa created the original net animation (ONA) anime series B: The Beginning. Crime and action sweep through the archipelagic nation of Cremona, inspired by the real city of Cremona in Italy and other cities of Lombardy such as Milan, in a world powered by advanced technology. Among the major players is “Killer B,” a vigilante serial killer who has wreaked havoc on the city. The stories of the protagonist Koku, Keith, a legendary Royal Investigation Service (RIS) investigator, and a mysterious criminal organisation intertwine on the path to achieving their goals.

The Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma anime television series was produced by J.C.Staff and directed by Yoshitomo Yonetani. Shueisha first announced the series in October 2014. The majority of the series takes place at Totsuki Saryo Culinary Institute, an elite culinary school in Tokyo, Japan, from which only a small number of students graduate each year. Its students are mostly from Totsuki’s junior high school, but transfers are permitted if the entrance exam is passed. The campus is a sprawling resort with numerous research societies (clubs), cooking classrooms, and large competition arenas. The Polaris Dormitory, where characters must impress the dorm matron with a dish in order to secure residence, is the most affordable.

Totsuki also operates a chain of resort hotels, the largest of which is the Totsuki resort run by Gin Dojima, which Soma visits during her first year at Totsuki. Aside from the school director, the top student chefs serve on the Council of Ten Masters, the school’s highest governing body. Students can start a shokugeki (anime: food war), a cooking competition with stipulations, with any other student or alumnus. Battles in this manner could be fought for cooking utensils, research society facilities, council membership, or even expulsion from school.

The plot revolves around Auto Memory Dolls, who were initially hired by a scientist named Dr. Orland to help his blind wife Mollie write her novels, but were later hired by others who required their services. In today’s context, the term refers to the business of writing for others. The plot follows Violet Evergarden’s journey of reintegrating back into society after the war, as well as her search for her life’s purpose now that she is no longer a soldier, in order to comprehend the last words her mentor and guardian, Major Gilbert, had told her: “I love you.”

The plot revolves around Chakuro, a young boy who lives on a massive vessel known as a Mud Whale that floats across the sand sea. The Mud Whale’s society is divided into two types of people: the Marked, who can move objects with their minds using a strange power called “thymia,” but at the expense of shorter lifespans, and the Unmarked, who lack thymia but have longer lifespans. Chakuro and his friends have never seen anyone from the outside world, and they spend their days longing to discover and learn more about it. The Mud Whale encounters a lonely island in year 93 of the vessel’s exile, and Chakuro discovers a girl inside, beginning an adventure that changes everyone’s lives.

The series is based on a number of stories from One Thousand and One Nights, most notably the stories of Aladdin, Ali Baba, and Sinbad the Sailor. The story is set in an alternate recreation of the ancient Old World, with several regions and nations resembling their real-life counterparts from that era. All living beings in this world have an essence known as Rukh, and when they die, this essence returns to the massive flow of Rukh that gives life to all subsequent beings in an eternal cycle of rebirth known as “Fate.” When a person is overcome by sadness, anger, and hopelessness, their Rukh becomes corrupted, unstable, and black, deviating from the main guidance in a process known as “Fall into Depravity.”

The Seven Deadly Sins are a band of knights in Britannia who disbanded ten years ago after being framed for plotting a coup of the Liones Kingdom, the Holy Knights who sequestered them before seizing control in the aftermath of a rebellion they organised. Elizabeth Liones, Liones’ third princess, locates the Seven Deadly Sins’ leader, Meliodas, before searching for his comrades in order to clear their names and free Liones from the Holy Knights, who were duped by a demon named Fraudrin into releasing the Demon Race from their prison. Meliodas is revealed to be the Demon King’s cursed son whose destiny is linked to Elizabeth’s as the Sins fight against the Ten Commandments led by his brother Zeldris.

One-Punch Man is a Japanese anime series based on One’s webcomic and the manga adaptation illustrated by Yusuke Murata. Saitama, who appears unimpressive, has a rather unusual hobby: he is a hero. Saitama relentlessly trained for three years to pursue his childhood dream, losing all of his hair in the process. Saitama is now so powerful that he can defeat any foe with a single punch. However, the fact that no one can match his strength has caused Saitama to face an unexpected problem: he is no longer able to enjoy the thrill of battle and has grown quite bored.

One day, Saitama attracts the attention of Genos, a 19-year-old cyborg who witnesses his power and wishes to become Saitama’s disciple. Genos suggests that the two join the Hero Association so that they can become certified heroes and be recognised for their positive contributions to society. Saitama, who is surprised that no one knows who he is, agrees quickly. Saitama embarks on a new journey as a member of the Hero Association, meeting new allies and facing new foes in order to relive the thrill of battle that he once felt.

Sword Art Online is a science fantasy anime series based on the same-named light novel series written by Reki Kawahara and illustrated by abec. The plot revolves around the exploits of Kazuto “Kirito” Kirigaya and Asuna Yuuki, two players trapped in the virtual world of “Sword Art Online” (SAO). To be released from the game, they must clear all 100 Floors and defeat the final boss. Three months after the death game, Kazuto discovers that Asuna is imprisoned in “ALfheim Online” (ALO), a spiritual successor to SAO in which players take on the roles of fairies. Kazuto enters the game and joins forces with his sister Suguha “Leafa” Kirigaya to free Asuna.

The comedy series follows the exploits of Haruhi Fujioka, a scholarship student at the prestigious Ouran Academy, a fictitious school for wealthy children in Bunkyo, Tokyo. Haruhi is looking for a quiet place to study when she comes across the abandoned Third Music Room, where the Ouran Academy Host Club, a group of six male students, gathers to entertain female “clients” with sweets and tea. During their first encounter, Haruhi inadvertently destroys an antique vase valued at 8,000,000 (approximately US$80,000) and is forced to work off the debt as the club’s errand boy.

The Hosts mistake her for a male student due to her short hair, slouching attire, and gender-ambiguous face, but they quickly realise her true gender and the fact that she’s a “natural” at entertaining girls, promoting her to full-Host status.

Fate/Zero, based on Gen Urobuchi’s light novel, depicts the events of the Fourth Holy Grail War—ten years before Fate/stay night. Witness a battle royale in which no one can be certain of survival. The omnipotent Holy Grail, with the promise of granting any wish, sparked three wars in the past, each too cruel and fierce to leave a victor. Despite this, the wealthy Einzbern family is confident that the Fourth Holy Grail War will be different, because they now have a vessel of the Holy Grail in their possession. The Einzberns hire the despised “Magus Killer” Kiritsugu Emiya solely for this reason, with marriage to their only daughter Irisviel as a binding contract.

Kiritsugu is now at the centre of a brutal survival game, pitted against six other players, each armed with an ancient familiar and driven by their own set of desires and ideals. The notorious mercenary, accompanied by his own familiar, Saber, soon finds his greatest opponent in Kirei Kotomine, a priest who seeks salvation from the emptiness within himself in pursuit of Kiritsugu.

Gurren Lagann, also known as Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann in Japan, is a Japanese mecha anime television series produced by Aniplex and Gainax. Simon and Kamina grew up in a deep, underground village hidden beneath the fabled surface. Kamina is a free-spirited loose cannon determined to make a name for himself, whereas Simon is a timid young boy with no real ambitions. Simon discovers a mysterious object while excavating the earth one day, which turns out to be the ignition key to an ancient artefact of war, which the duo names Lagann.

Simon and Kamina use their new weapon to repel a surprise attack from the surface, with the assistance of Yoko Littner, a hot-blooded redhead with a massive gun who roams the world above.

The sky is now visible in the aftermath of the battle, prompting Simon and Kamina to embark on a journey with Yoko to explore the surface wastelands. Soon after, they join the fight against the “Beastmen,” humanoid creatures who terrorise the surviving humans in powerful robots known as “Gunmen.” Despite some difficulties and setbacks, the trio fights these new enemies bravely alongside other survivors to reclaim the surface, while slowly unravelling a galaxy-sized mystery.

The story is set inside the human body, where trillions of anthropomorphic cells each do their part to keep the body healthy. The series primarily focuses on two such cells: AE3803, a rookie red blood cell that frequently gets lost during deliveries, and U-1146, a tenacious white blood cell that fights off any germs that enter the body.

Hayato Date directs the Naruto anime series, which is produced by Pierrot and TV Tokyo. A huge demon known as the Kyuubi, the Nine-Tailed Fox, attacked Konohagakure, the Hidden Leaf Village, and wreaked havoc moments before Naruto Uzumaki’s birth. To end the Kyuubi’s rampage, the village’s leader, the Fourth Hokage, sacrificed his life and sealed the monstrous beast inside the newborn Naruto. Naruto is now a hyperactive, knucklehead ninja who still lives in Konohagakure. Shunned by the village because of the Kyuubi within him, Naruto struggles to find his place in the village, while his burning desire to become the Hokage of Konohagakure leads him not only to some wonderful new friends, but also to some lethal foes.

Attack on Titan is a Japanese dark fantasy anime television series based on Hajime Isayama’s manga of the same name. Centuries ago, monstrous humanoid creatures known as Titans slaughtered humanity to near extinction, forcing humans to hide in fear behind massive concentric walls. What makes these giants truly terrifying is that their desire for human flesh appears to be motivated by pleasure rather than hunger. To ensure their survival, humanity’s remnants began to live within defensive barriers, resulting in a hundred years without a single titan encounter. That fragile peace is quickly shattered when a colossal Titan breaches the supposedly impregnable outer wall, reigniting the battle for survival against the man-eating abominations.

After witnessing a horrific personal loss at the hands of the invading creatures, Eren Yeager dedicates his life to their abolition by enlisting in the Survey Corps, an elite military unit that battles the merciless humanoids outside the walls. Eren, his adopted sister Mikasa Ackerman, and his childhood friend Armin Arlert join the Titans’ brutal war and race to find a way to defeat them before the last walls fall.

Kakegurui is a Japanese anime series based on Homura Kawamoto’s manga of the same name, which was illustrated by Tru Naomura. Unlike many other schools, Hyakkaou Private Academy prepares students for life after high school. Because many of the students are the children of the world’s wealthiest people, the academy has its own quirks that set it apart from the rest. During the day, it functions as a regular school, teaching students about history, languages, and other subjects. However, at night, it transforms into a gambling den, where they are taught the art of dealing with money and manipulating people. Money is power; those who win the games are at the top of the school.

Yumeko Jabami, a seemingly naive and beautiful transfer student, is eager to dive into Hyakkaou’s specialised curriculum. She, unlike the others, plays for the thrill of the gamble, and her borderline insane gambling style may bring too many new cards to the table.

Devilman Crybaby is a 2018 Japanese original net animation (ONA) anime series based on the manga Devilman by Go Nagai. Without a living host, demons cannot take shape. However, if a person’s will is strong enough, they can defeat the demon and take its power for themselves, becoming a Devilman.

Akira Fudou, despite his frailty and unassuming demeanour, has always had a bleeding heart. So when his childhood friend Ryou Asuka asks for his assistance in locating devils, Akira gladly accepts. To Akira’s surprise, the destination is Sabbath: an immoral party of debauchery and degeneracy.

In the midst of bloodshed and death, demons possess the revellers, transforming their bodies into grotesque monsters and wreaking havoc. Akira unwittingly merges with the devil Amon and becomes a Devilman, gaining the power to defeat the remaining demons in his reckless attempt to save his best friend. Despite the fact that it gives him great power, this new alliance awakens an insatiable and primal part of Akira. Akira, who has the body of a devil but the crybaby heart of a child, works alongside Ryou to destroy those who harm humanity and his loved ones.

Night Raid is the covert assassination arm of the Revolutionary Army, an uprising assembled to depose Prime Minister Honest, whose avarice and greed for power has led him to exploit the child emperor’s inexperience. The rest of the country is left to drown in poverty, strife, and ruin in the absence of a strong and benevolent leader. Though the Night Raid members are all experienced killers, they understand that taking lives is not something to be proud of and that they will almost certainly face retribution as they mercilessly eliminate anyone who stands in the way of the revolution.

Tatsumi, the newest member of this merry band of assassins, is a naive boy from a remote village who had embarked on a journey to help his impoverished hometown and was won over not only by Night Raid’s ideals, but also by their resolve. Akame ga Kill! follows Tatsumi as he fights the Empire, encountering powerful weapons, enemy assassins, challenges to his own morals and values, and, ultimately, discovering what it truly means to be an assassin with a cause.

There is a cultural divide between herbivorous and carnivorous animals in a modern and civilised world populated by anthropomorphic animals. Legoshi, a large grey wolf, is a shy and reserved student at Cherryton Academy, where he shares a dorm with several other carnivorous students, including his outgoing Labrador friend, Jack. Legoshi, a member of the school’s drama club, works as a stagehand and assists the club’s actors, led by star pupil Louis, a red deer.

Tem the alpaca is brutally murdered and devoured in the middle of the night, causing a wave of unease and distrust among the herbivore and carnivore students. Simultaneously, Legoshi has a fateful encounter with Haru, a small dwarf rabbit in love with Louis, and begins to develop complex feelings for her.

Baki Hanma continues his quest to defeat his father, Yuujirou, the strongest man in the world, after winning a brutal underground tournament. When the tournament runner, Tokugawa Mitsunari, pays him a visit at school, he has no time to rest. He informs Baki that five extremely dangerous death row inmates from around the world, all skilled in martial arts, have escaped confinement and are on their way to Tokyo, each wishing to finally taste defeat. Tokugawa warns Baki that, due to his well-known strength, he will meet them sooner or later, and that he will not be their only target.

The story is set in Taish-era Japan, where a secret society known as the Demon Slayer Corps has been fighting demons for centuries. The demons are former humans who were turned into demons by Muzan injecting them with his own blood, and they feed on humans and have supernatural abilities such as super strength, “Blood Demon Art” powers that demons can obtain, and regeneration. Demons can only be killed by decapitating them with weapons made of an alloy known as Sun Steel, injecting them with poison extracted from Wisteria flowers, or exposing them to sunlight.

The Demon Slayers, on the other hand, are completely human; however, they use special breathing techniques known as “Breathing Styles,” which give them superhuman strength and resistance. This improves their chances of defeating demons.

Hunter Hunter is an anime television series based on Yoshihiro Togashi’s Hunter Hunter manga that aired from 2011 to 2014. Hunters devote their lives to dangerous tasks such as exploring uncharted territories and tracking down rare items and monsters. Before becoming a Hunter, one must pass the Hunter Examination, a high-risk selection process in which the majority of applicants become disabled or, worse, die.

Participants who are ambitious enough to take on the infamous exam have their own reasons for doing so. Finding Ging, his father and a Hunter himself, is what motivates 12-year-old Gon Freecss. Gon takes the first step toward becoming a Hunter, believing that by doing so, he will meet his father.

Gon befriends medical student Leorio Paladiknight, the vindictive Kurapika, and ex-assassin Killua Zoldyck during the Hunter Examination. While their motivations are vastly different, they band together for a common goal and embark on a perilous journey.

To the average person, psychic abilities may appear to be a blessing; however, for Kusuo Saiki, this could not be further from the truth. He considers his so-called blessing to be nothing more than a curse, despite the fact that he possesses a wide range of supernatural abilities ranging from telepathy to x-ray vision. As the inconveniences caused by his powers mount, all Kusuo wants is a normal, trouble-free life—a life where ignorance is bliss.

Unfortunately, the life of a psychic is anything but peaceful. Though Kusuo tries to avoid the spotlight by keeping his powers hidden from his classmates, he inadvertently attracts the attention of a slew of strange characters, including the empty-headed Riki Nendou and the delusional Shun Kaidou. Forced to deal with the craziness of those around him, Kusuo discovers that the ordinary life he has been pursuing is far more difficult to achieve than he anticipated.

Based on the same-named Shogakukan award-winning manga, InuYasha follows Kagome Higurashi, a fifteen-year-old girl whose normal life is turned upside down when a demon drags her into a cursed well on the grounds of her family’s Shinto shrine. Instead of reaching the bottom of the well, Kagome finds herself 500 years later, during Japan’s violent Sengoku period, with the demon’s true target, a wish-granting jewel known as the Shikon Jewel, reborn inside of her.

After a battle with a resurrected demon accidentally shatters the sacred jewel, Kagome enlists the help of Inuyasha, a young hybrid dog-demon/human, to collect the shards and keep them from falling into the wrong hands. Shippo, the orphan fox-demon, the intelligent monk Miroku, and the lethal demon slayer Sango join Kagome and Inuyasha on their quest. They must put aside their differences and work together to find the power-granting shards scattered throughout feudal Japan, as well as deal with the threats that arise.

Sunrise created and animated the Japanese neo-noir science fiction anime television series Cowboy Bebop. Crime is a timeless phenomenon. By the year 2071, humanity had spread across the galaxy, colonising the surfaces of other planets with settlements similar to Earth’s. Murder, drug use, and theft plague these new societies, and intergalactic outlaws are pursued by a growing number of tough bounty hunters.

Spike Spiegel and Jet Black scour space for criminals in order to make a living. Spike is haunted by the weight of his violent past beneath his goofy and aloof demeanour. Meanwhile, Jet deals with his own troubling memories while tending to Spike and their ship, the Bebop. Faye Valentine, a beautiful con artist, odd child Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky IV, and Ein, a bioengineered Welsh Corgi, join the duo.

The Bebop crew’s lives are disrupted by a threat from Spike’s past as they form bonds and work to apprehend a colourful cast of criminals. As a rival’s maniacal plot unfolds, Spike must choose between life with his newfound family and vengeance for old wounds.

The year is 1868, and after being rescued from a carriage accident, English nobleman George Joestar and his son Jonathan become indebted to Dario Brando. What the Joestars don’t realise is that Dario had no intention of assisting them; he thought they were dead and was attempting to ransack their belongings. After Dario’s death 12 years later, George adopts his son, Dio, in the hopes of repaying his debt.

While publicly adoring his new father, Dio is plotting to steal the Joestar fortune. His first step will be to create a schism between George and Jonathan. Dio solidifies his place in the Joestar family by consistently outdoing his foster brother. But when Dio goes too far, Jonathan defeats him in a brawl.

To the outside world, the two appear to be close friends years later. But trouble brews once more when George becomes ill, as Jonathan suspects Dio is behind the incident—and he appears to have more tricks up his sleeve.

Gainax produced and Tatsunoko animated the Japanese mecha anime television series Neon Genesis Evangelion. Fifteen years after the Second Impact, the world faces a new threat: monstrous celestial beings known as “Angels” invade Tokyo-3 one by one. Despite using the most advanced munitions and military tactics, humanity is unable to defend itself against the Angels. NERV, a mysterious organisation led by the cold Gendou Ikari, is the only hope for human salvation. NERV employs giant humanoid robots known as “Evangelions” to combat the Angels with cutting-edge advanced weaponry and Absolute Terror Fields.

Shinji Ikari, Gendou’s 14-year-old son, returns to Tokyo-3 after years of being abandoned by his father. Shinji fights a never-ending internal battle against the deeply buried trauma caused by his mother’s death and his father’s emotional neglect. Shinji’s life is forever changed after meeting 29-year-old Misato Katsuragi, a high-ranking NERV officer who shows him a free-spirited maternal kindness he has never experienced.

Shinji is forced into action after a devastating Angel attack, and Gendou reveals his true reason for inviting his son back to Tokyo-3: Shinji is the only child who can pilot Evangelion Unit-01, a new robot that syncs with his biometrics. Despite the brutal psychological trauma caused by piloting an Evangelion, Shinji defends Tokyo-3 against the angelic threat, completely unaware of his father’s dark schemes.