The best anime to watch on Netflix (August 2023)

Netflix’s continued funding in anime has yielded fruit over the previous couple of years. The streaming service has amassed a choice of a few of not solely the preferred and iconic anime sequence in latest reminiscence, but in addition a bunch of spectacular unique anime titles. It has secured the platform’s place as of the go-to streaming companies for the medium. With over 100 titles to select from throughout a smorgasbord of subgenres together with sci-fi, fantasy, slice-of-life comedy, mecha, motion, and extra, the fitting anime for the fitting temper has by no means been extra out there and concurrently tougher to discover.

Don’t sweat it; we’ve obtained you lined. Poring over Netflix’s wealthy catalog of anime titles, we’ve assembled a listing of the best anime to stream on Netflix proper now. From basic sequence like Cowboy Bebop and Neon Genesis Evangelion to Netflix originals like Cyberpunk: Edgerunners and Devilman Crybaby, listed below are the very best anime sequence the platform has to supply.

Our newest replace added Mononoke and Vinland Saga.

Aggretsuko

Image: Netflix/Sanrio

Based on mascot firm Sanrio’s unique character, Netflix’s unique animated comedy Aggretsuko follows Retsuko, a 25-year-old anthropomorphic crimson panda working within the accounting division of a Japanese buying and selling firm. Frustrated along with her thankless job, domineering boss, and boring love life, Retsuko vents her millennial rage in the one means she is aware of how: by demise steel karaoke. Eventually, Retsuko’s distress and the information of her after-work exercise meet up with her skilled life, forcing the younger crimson panda to expertise a sequence of significant revelations and modifications whereas struggling to work out what simply precisely she needs out of life and who she needs to construct that life with. Eccentric, humorous, and deeply relatable, Aggretsuko is anime’s reply to Bojack Horseman. With 4 seasons of 15-minute episodes, now’s the proper time to catch up and see what all of the hubbub is about. —Toussaint Egan

Beastars

Image: Orange

Beastars tells the story of a wolf who needs to have intercourse with a rabbit however worries he’ll devour mentioned rabbit. I feel it’s a metaphor for puberty. Maybe it’s holding a magnifying glass to sexual violence on campus. Or maybe it’s a coming-of-age story a couple of era of younger folks disconnected from their mother and father by quickly altering norms. Frankly, I’ve stopped caring about what it’s about.

Beastars works once I give up attempting to make a one-to-one connection between our world and its metropolis of sexy teenage carnivores and herbivores. I benefit from the present best once I take its inner logic on its personal phrases. In that means, Beastars is like Romeo and Juliet. A horny, violent, and sometimes irritating story of star-crossed lovers saved aside by society. And just like the works of Shakespeare, Beastars could be contorted into no matter else you need it to be. —Chris Plante

Carole & Tuesday

Image: Bones/Netflix

Directed by Shinichirō Watanabe (Cowboy Bebop) and produced by anime studio Bones (My Hero Academia), Carole & Tuesday is a spirited drama that hones in on one of the persistent ardour matters of Watanabe’s profession: music. Set on a terraformed Mars within the distant future, the anime follows the story of Tuesday Simmons and Carole Stanley, two teenage ladies from starkly totally different backgrounds who bond over their shared dream of changing into musicians.

Teaming up as a singer-songwriter duo, the pair navigate the thorny challenges and euphoric highs of their nascent musical profession as they develop and convey out the best in each one another and people round them. Featuring the return of Cowboy Bebop screenwriter Keiko Nobumoto and unique music and vocal performances courtesy of Thundercat, Flying Lotus, Denzel Curry, and extra, Carole & Tuesday is a bubbly and exquisite musical anime bursting with coronary heart the place it issues most. —TE

Cowboy Bebop

Image: Sunrise/Crunchyroll

Speaking of Shinichirō Watanabe, Cowboy Bebop, his 1998 sci-fi Western noir anime produced by Sunrise, is taken into account by many to be one in every of most exemplary anime sequence ever made. Set within the yr 2071, the sequence follows the tales of 4 folks: Spike Spiegel, Jet Black, Faye Valentine, and “Radical” Edward as they traipse throughout the photo voltaic system searching criminals and chasing bounties.

A piece of retro-futuristic pastiche that pulls from a number of dozen influences within the creation of its personal universe, Cowboy Bebop is an everlasting basic of the medium for its wealthy storytelling, heady themes, and a spectacular and eclectic rating by composer Yoko Kanno. If you’ve by some means by no means seen Cowboy Bebop earlier than, (1) now’s the proper time to and (2) I’m each jealous of and excited for you. —TE

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners

Image: Studio Trigger/Netflix

Studio Trigger’s 2022 anime spinoff set within the universe of CD Projekt Red’s Cyberpunk 2077 and Mike Pondsmith’s unique TTRPG not solely earned a spot on our record of the best anime of 2022, however took dwelling the prize for Anime of the Year on the 2023 Crunchyroll Anime Awards. It’s not arduous to see why. As critic Kambole Campbell wrote in his evaluation for Polygon, “[Cyberpunk: Edgerunners] is easily the most exciting thing to come out of the game’s redemption arc.”

The sequence facilities on David Martinez, a streetwise teenager rising up within the dystopian metropolis of Night City who, after shedding his mom in a horrific accident and crossing paths with a ravishing and mysterious netrunner named Lucy, chooses to change into a high-tech mercenary (or “Edgerunner”) so as to make a residing and obtain his dream of someday changing into a “legend.” With Hiroyuki Imaishi (Promare) on the helm and Yoh Yoshinari (Little Witch Academia) serving because the sequence’ chief animation director and character designer, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners shortly asserted itself as not solely one of the spectacular online game anime diversifications in latest reminiscence, however as one in every of Studio Trigger’s most memorable inventive efforts to date.

Stepping sideways from its supply materials, the sequence leaned into thematic and emotional territory heretofore unexplored by CD Projekt Red’s open-world motion RPG, and in doing so created a forged of characters whose respective arcs, motivations, and personalities formed by a determined grasp for stability and group in a predatory world left an impression on audiences that lasted far past its comparatively brief 10-episode run. Edgerunners is the closest a up to date anime sequence has are available years to emulating the hyper-violent, risque, and kinetic vitality of a late-’90s anime OVA. To paraphrase Cyberpunk 2077’s protagonist, V: You’re both gonna love Cyberpunk: Edgerunners or need to burn it, no center floor. But in the event you wanna know for certain, you simply want to attempt it for your self. —TE

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

Image: Ufotable/Crunchyroll

Based on Koyoharu Gotouge’s acclaimed manga sequence, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba has shortly change into an shōnen anime powerhouse on par with My Hero Academia and Naruto because the sequence premiered in 2019. Set in Taishō-era Japan, the anime follows the story of Tanjiro Kamado, a kind-hearted younger boy who trains to change into a demon slayer so as to discover a treatment for his sister, Nezuko, who was reworked into half-demon hybrid within the wake of the assault that claimed the lives of the remainder of his household.

With jaw-dropping motion sequences, good hybrid animation mixing conventional and 3D-modeled backgrounds, and a genuinely stirring story centered on the ability of household and discovering power within the harshest of circumstances, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is likely one of the hottest anime sequence at the moment for good motive. With a extremely anticipated third season developing, you completely should discover the time to watch Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba now in the event you haven’t already. —TE

Den-noh Coil

Image: Madhouse

Mitsuo Iso’s sci-fi slice-of-life anime Den-noh Coil is likely one of the most extremely acclaimed but underseen anime of the late aughts. Set in a future the place augmented actuality and internet-connected visors have change into the norm, the anime follows Yūko Okonogi and her youthful sister Kyōko, who transfer to the small city of Daikoku to reside with their grandmother, Sanae. There, the 2 be part of the Coil Cyber Detective Agency, a small group of native children who carry out odd jobs and examine mysteries that skew the road between the technological and the supernatural.

Drawing inspiration from Japanese folklore and then-cutting-edge know-how to inform a narrative stuffed with wealthy characters, delicate themes, outrageous humor, and novel creativity, Den-noh Coil is the definition of an anime cult basic and an absolute gem value watching. —TE

Devilman Crybaby

Image: Netflix

Based on Go Nagai’s massively influential manga and directed by Masaaki Yuasa (Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!), Devilman Crybaby was Netflix’s first unique anime sequence and one of many breakout anime premieres of 2018. The sequence follows highschool pupil Akira who, after reuniting along with his childhood good friend Ryo, is made conscious of the existence of demons. Convinced that the one means to drive the demons again and save humanity is to create a human-demon hybrid — a so-called devilman — Ryo asks for Akira’s assist by volunteering to fuse with one himself. Known for its unsparingly graphic motion, ecstatic visible fashion, and emotionally gripping story, Devilman Crybaby is an outstanding adaptation that breathes beautiful new life right into a bona-fide anime basic. —TE

Dorohedoro

Image: MAPPA/Netflix

Based on Q Hayashida’s darkish fantasy sci-fi manga, Dorohedoro follows the story of Caiman, a reptilian-headed amnesiac residing in a dystopian metropolis often called the Hole the place people are preyed upon by malevolent sorcerers from one other dimension. With the assistance of his good friend Nikaido, Caiman hunts down these sorcerers in his search of the one who reworked him, devouring their heads into his mouth the place a mysterious face behind his throat passes judgment on their destiny. Yeah, and that’s not even the sequence at its weirdest. Comical, hyperviolent, and oddly endearing, Dorohedoro is likely one of the most weird, distinctive, and spectacular anime to grace Netflix because it first premiered in 2020. —TE

Great Pretender

Image: Wit Studio

Directed by Hiro Kaburagi (Speed Grapher) and produced by Wit Studio (Vinland Saga, Attack on Titan), the Netflix unique anime Great Pretender is a rollicking comedy-drama with equal components fashion, brains, and explosive motion. Centering on the story of Makoto Edamura, a small-time Japanese conman who’s taken underneath the wing of the dashing heist maestro Laurent Theirry, the sequence follows the intrepid band of thieves as they swagger from one stunning locale to the following of their marketing campaign to swindle probably the most infamous criminals out of their ill-gotten beneficial properties. Aside from the flowery antics of the core forged, Great Pretender is totally beautiful in its visible design, with unique cities and international locations rendered in picturesque layouts and backgrounds impressed by the British artist Brian Cook. Not solely that, however with character designs courtesy of Yoshiyuki Sadamoto (Neon Genesis Evangelion) and an infectiously jazzy rating by composer Yutaka Yamada, Great Pretender is a feast for the senses and absolute blast to watch unfold. —TE

Hunter x Hunter

Image: Madhouse

Hunter x Hunter is a 165-episode present. Yes, there’s a cannibal furry arc. Yes, the clown man (OK, magician) is bare on a regular basis. But look past the truth that I can’t describe this sequence in a means that can persuade my pals to watch it. Hunter x Hunter is the top of shōnen anime. There’s not a shred of filler in it. A specific arc that includes Gon and friends combating within the 251-floor Heavens Arena is the proper instance of Hunter x Hunter’s economic system of storytelling: it solely spends 10 episodes there, and the narrative payoff is so good.

By the time I reached the 61-episode-long Chimera Ant arc (shut up), I’d have died for these characters, and Hunter x Hunter is at occasions so emotionally wrenching that I practically did. —Simone de Rochefort

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure

Image: David Production

You know that factor you probably did as a child when your good friend would shoot their finger weapons at you, however you’d say you have been made out of steel, after which they’d say that their bullets are made out of metal-melting acid, however you then’d say that final evening you snuck into their base and ate all their bullets? JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is strictly like that, besides as an alternative of imaginative children, everyone seems to be an especially stunning absolutely grown grownup man with a reputation like “Robert E.O. Speedwagon” or “Kars.”

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is pure spectacle. It’s a sequence constructed round absurd confrontations the place the stakes aren’t all the time clear and the foundations may as effectively not exist, however it’s a pleasure to take a look at. Characters strut round in avant-garde, impractical outfits and strike dramatic poses. They’re all named (seemingly arbitrarily) after basic rock musicians. It’s the form of sequence that encourages you to maintain watching, not with a compelling plot or nice thriller, however simply with the promise of seeing stunning and peculiar males do issues. I feel that’s OK. —Patrick Gill

Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans

Image: Sunrise

Set 300 years after a lethal battle between Earth and Mars often called the Calamity War, Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans follows a ragtag group of kid troopers who break free from the management of their grownup commanders and kind their very own mercenary group. With the help of the traditional Mobile Suit Gundam Barbatos, piloted by orphan Mikazuki Augus, the group accepts a contract to escort Kudelia Aina Bernstein, an idealistic noblewoman, again to Earth to negotiate Martian independence, all whereas surviving repeated clashes towards the corrupt navy outfit Gjallarhorn.

With intense mecha motion, attention-grabbing characters, and engrossing political intrigue, Iron-Blooded Orphans is often cited as one of many best Mobile Suit Gundam sequence in latest reminiscence. —TE

Mononoke

Image: Toei Animation/Discotek Media

Kenji Nakamura’s 2007 sequence Mononoke is a cult favourite amongst anime fans preferring a extra eccentric and esoteric take on your common supernatural horror fiction. A derivative of the 2006 anthology anime Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Tales, Mononoke follows the adventures of the “Medicine Seller,” a mysterious, wandering exorcist of types who travels throughout Edo-period Japan seeking wayward spirits whose unresolved emotional attachments have brought about them to rework into malicious entities that feed and prey on detrimental human feelings. Divided into roughly 5 totally different storylines, the 12-episode anime sees the Medicine Seller utilizing his numerous supernatural skills to deduce the trigger behind a spirit’s lack of ability to half from the bodily aircraft and efficiently exorcise them utilizing a sword that may solely be unsheathed when the identification and motivations of the spirit are made recognized.

The actual power of Mononoke is thru its animation and avant-garde artwork fashion, drawing inspiration from classical Japanese illustration and portray strategies to create a world of shiny palettes, flamboyant characters, and exquisite textures that really feel like a ukiyo-e portray introduced to life. If you’re a fan of Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo, you need to make the time to watch this sequence, and even in the event you’re not, you need to take the chance to catch up on the sequence earlier than the feature-length anime movie premieres subsequent yr. —TE

Monster

Image: Madhouse/Viz Media

Whenever I’m requested how to get into anime, I all the time reply with a query in flip. I by no means ask “What anime have you seen already?” and even “What kind of animation do you like?” however all the time “What kinds of stories do you like? What’s the last book, movie, or scripted television show that really caught your attention?” Anime is a various and multifaceted medium, one with a breadth of tales and experiences past the everyday shonen motion fare that many come to erroneously equate with the sum whole of anime as a complete. My private, prime instance of that is Monster, the 2004 anime adaptation of Naoki Urasawa’s 1994 manga sequence, and I can’t inform you how excited I’m to lastly find a way to advocate it to of us new to anime.

An outlier compared to most different widespread anime, Monster is a psychological crime thriller set in postwar Germany. The sequence facilities on Kenzo Tenma, an esteemed Japanese mind surgeon residing and dealing in Düsseldorf, who’s confronted with a spur-of-the-moment alternative of saving the life of a kid with a gunshot wound to their head or the town’s mayor — and donor to Tenma’s hospital. Tenma chooses to function on the kid, and in doing so irrevocably alters the course of each of their lives without end.

With his profession repute tarnished within the wake of the mayor’s passing, Tenma is additional haunted by the following disappearance of the kid, who vanished shortly after the operation to save his life. Several years later, Tenma is implicated within the homicide of a number of of his hospital’s senior workers, and the wrongdoer is none aside from the kid he saved — now a prolific and elusive serial killer. With no different alternative, Tenma embarks on a quest seeking proof of his former affected person’s identification and transgressions so as to clear his identify, all whereas hounded by German police.

If you take pleasure in slow-burn procedural crime thrillers like True Detective, Zodiac, or The Fugitive, Monster is totally the anime for you. At 74 episodes, Masayuki Kojima and Madhouse’s sequence is a trustworthy adaptation of Urasawa’s manga and a riveting drama, patiently and meticulously unspooling a forged of distinctive characters whose respective storylines interweave into a sophisticated tapestry of homicide, intercourse, lies, and conspiracy. After being troublesome procure within the states for over a decade, Netflix lastly added Monster to its library earlier this yr. If for no different motive than its rarity, you need to make time to watch this wonderful and well-crafted piece of Japanese animated storytelling. I promise you received’t remorse it. —TE

Neon Genesis Evangelion

Image: khara/Project Eva

Director Hideaki Anno’s apocalyptic mecha drama Neon Genesis Evangelion is likely one of the undisputed titans of latest anime, commanding a passionate legion of followers because it first premiered in 1995 and amassing such a reverential repute that it spawned a tetralogy of movies devoted to reimagining its huge universe. Set 15 years after a worldwide cataclysm, the unique sequence facilities on Shinji Ikari, a 14-year-old boy who’s enlisted by his estranged father to pilot an unlimited bio-weapon often called an Evangelion so as to fight a mysterious legion of creatures codenamed “Angels.” Together along with his fellow pilots Asuka Langley Soryu and Rei Ayanami, in addition to his authorized guardian/commanding officer Misato Katsuragi, Shinji should wrestle with the pangs of rising up whereas defeating the Angels to save humanity. Of course, there’s far more to this premise than meets the attention. By equal turns psychological and eschatological, Neon Genesis Evangelion subverts viewers expectations at each flip to ship one of the memorable anime tales of all time, culminating in one of the divisive and impressed finales ever produced for tv. —TE

The Orbital Children

Image: Production +h/Netflix

Mitsuo Iso, the legendary animator recognized for his work on such basic movies as End of Evangelion and Ghost within the Shell, made his return to directing with the 2022 unique anime The Orbital Children. Produced 15 years after his first unique work, the cult favourite sci-fi coming-of-age anime Den-noh Coil, Iso’s 2022 sequence noticed the director revisit his fascination with speculative augmented actuality know-how and adolescence.

Centered on 5 youngsters who discover themselves stranded aboard a industrial house station within the wake of an unexpected catastrophe and subsequent terrorist assault, The Orbital Children is definitely one of the visually fascinating and conceptually forward-thinking anime in latest reminiscence. While the story might admittedly develop a tad unwieldy within the sequence’ latter half, Iso’s sequence as a complete proves itself to be a exceptional expertise to behold all the identical. Here’s hoping it doesn’t take him one other 15 years to grace us with yet one more beautiful imaginative and prescient of the long run. —TE

Rilakkuma and Kaoru

Image: Netflix

Similar to fellow Netflix unique Aggretsuko, Rilakkuma and Kaoru is one other anime based mostly on cutesy mascot character designs created by a stationery firm. While the latter is superbly realized in spectacular stop-motion animation, the 2 share a standard focus in centering on disgruntled workplace staff craving for a change of tempo. The sequence follows a yr within the lifetime of Kaoru, a younger human lady residing along with her three roommates: a big brown anthropomorphic bear named Rilakkuma, a small white bear named Korilakkuma, and a child chick named Kiirotori. Heartwarming, whimsical, and powerfully cathartic, Rilakkuma and Kaoru is a superb anime with lovely characters and a surprising artwork fashion. With a follow-up sequence titled Rilakkuma’s Theme Park Adventure slated for launch later this yr, now’s the proper time to catch up on the sequence. —TE

Tiger & Bunny

Image: Sunrise

Set in a futuristic metropolis the place superpowered heroes compete on reside tv to seize criminals and promote sponsors, Tiger & Bunny follows veteran hero Kotetsu T. Kaburagi (aka Wild Tiger), who’s compelled to workforce up with a brand new associate, Barnaby Brooks Jr. Despite sharing the identical skills, the 2 conflict over their conflicting objectives and concepts of what it means to be a hero. However, when a harmful new adversary threatens to plunge the town into turmoil, the pair could have to put apart their variations and work collectively in the event that they’re to have any probability of saving the day.

The brainchild of producer Masayuki Ozaki (Tales of the Abyss) and director Keiichi Sato (The Big O), Tiger & Bunny failed to muster a powerful reception when it first aired in 2011, however a cult following of followers amassed by way of sufficient word-of-mouth reward over the following decade that Netflix commissioned a second season of the sequence, albeit now directed by Mitsuko Kase (Ristorante Paradiso) and produced by Bandai Namco Pictures.

If you’re in search of a enjoyable superhero anime within the vein of My Hero Academia or Samurai Flamenco however with a heavier satirical bent, look no additional than Tiger & Bunny. —TE

Vinland Saga

Image: Wit Studio/Sentai Filmworks

Set in England round A.D. 1013, the historic motion journey anime Vinland Saga follows Thorfinn, the son of a former Viking commander, who embarks on a journey for vengeance towards the band of mercenaries employed to kill his father. Inspired by the lifetime of Thorfinn Karlsefni, an Icelandic explorer who adopted Leif Eriksson on his short-lived journey to set up a colony in North America, Vinland Saga is likely one of the most unconventional and rewarding anime sequence in years. It is a visceral story of a younger man’s try to resolve his grief by violence, solely to subsequently embrace the ideology of nonviolence his father tried to impart on him earlier in life.

The first season is an thrilling and action-oriented story focusing on Thorfinn’s strained relationship along with his nemesis (and begrudging father determine) Askeladd, parallel to the ascendency of King Canute the Great. The second season is an altogether extra deliberate and somber story that finds Thorfinn trying to search a brand new objective in life past vengeance. Vinland Saga is an incredible anime with a life-affirming story of discovering peace despite hardship, and an absolute must-watch for anime fans. —TE

Violet Evergarden

Image: Kyoto Animation/Netflix

The extremely acclaimed Kyoto Animation brings the Netflix unique Violet Evergarden to life with the gorgeous scenes you’d count on from the studio. The foremost character, who shares her identify with the sequence, is a younger lady beforehand used as a killing machine by the navy throughout a struggle. After shedding each of her arms and having them changed with steel prosthetics, she has to find out how to combine again into society as an Auto-Memory Doll, which is actually a skilled ghostwriter for books and letters. It’s candy and satisfying to watch Violet develop and study concerning the complexity of human feelings, a journey complemented by attractive animation. The 13-episode sequence is on the market in its entirety in English and Japanese with English subtitles as well as to dubbed voices and subtitles in a number of different languages. —Julia Lee