The Best Anime Series of 2025

In 2024, it felt similar the passionateness and hunger for anime was astatine its apex. But arsenic we've seen this year, that maturation shows nary motion of stopping. In fact, successful 2025 anime is being watched by much radical present than astir apt ever before. Thanks to streamers similar Netflix and Crunchyroll, we've begun to recognize conscionable however galore millions of radical are watching anime astir the world. We’re astatine a level of anime viewership we've ne'er had successful North America before, and this besides means we've gotten entree to galore unthinkable shows this past year.

This was the twelvemonth erstwhile adjacent the niche became mainstream successful anime spaces. No request for elemental set-ups oregon universally appealing themes; instead, we got immense swings, caller genre hits, and tons of perfectly manic action! Netflix audiences were unfastened to the slice-of-life assassin genre arsenic overmuch arsenic they were to the rom-com and shonen bid that were released into the world. Crunchyroll had a bigger twelvemonth than ever and announced a bid of anime screenings successful conjunction with the Alamo Drafthouse heading into 2026. Basically, anime is making a bigger interaction connected an adjacent larger assemblage than ever before, and we're each the amended for it.

Honorable Mentions

The smorgasbord of superb anime offerings this twelvemonth made it incredibly hard to constrictive down our finalists, but earlier we get to the pick of the crop, we privation to outcry retired immoderate of the different unthinkable bid that astir made our list. Netflix started its twelvemonth beardown with the charming and delightful Sakamoto Days. The communicative of an assassin turned convenience store proprietor ranked arsenic 1 of the biggest anime hits for the streamer this year, and 1 of the biggest instrumentality faves. There were besides outliers that became smash hits similar To Be Hero X, a Chinese animated bid that broke done the sound with its unsocial animation benignant and superhero lore – successful this series’ world, content allows superpowers to go real.

Another large inclination this twelvemonth was the powerfulness of the returning series. We had hugely anticipated shows similar Solo Leveling Season 2, which became the astir fashionable bid ever connected Crunchyroll and is besides 1 of the bid with the most-liked episodes connected the level too. It wasn't conscionable those epic enactment shows making waves though, arsenic determination was besides My Dress Up Darling Season 2, which took the character-focused portion of beingness deed astir 2 cosplay pals and elevated it into 1 of the champion 2nd seasons successful ages. We adjacent had people bid similar Dr. Stone Science Future Parts 1 & 2 return, bringing immoderate nostalgic vibes to our longlist.

Ultimately though, aft galore rewatches, rounds of voting, and deliberation, we came to a determination connected our champion anime of the twelvemonth and runners-up, which you tin find below!

Runner Up: Zenshu

A uncommon archetypal anime, aka not based connected an existing manga, airy novel, oregon different root material, Zenshu took the action-packed isekai genre and smashed it into the coziness of animation and portion of beingness to large success. While struggling to trade her 2nd anime bid aft the monolithic occurrence of her first, a young animator finds herself successful the satellite of her favourite puerility movie, called A Tale of Perishing. Once she arrives there, she discovers that the unthinkable and prodigious endowment arsenic an creator and animator that gave her occurrence means that present she's been transported to the fake satellite she grew up with, wherever she tin bring her illustrations to life.

Coming from Studio MAPPA, this is, arsenic to beryllium expected, 1 of the best-looking and astir amusive bid of the year, and it'll marque you nostalgic for the stories that shaped your puerility and tastes. But there's other magic excessively arsenic our leader tin hole the tragedies that plagued the fictional satellite that she erstwhile loved truthful much. If you bask quest anime, medieval isekai, oregon adjacent high-tech fantasies similar Sword Art Online, this volition beryllium cleanable for your popular civilization sensation buds.

Runner Up: Takopi's Original Sin

Taizan 5 has been devastating readers since his manga Takopi's Original Sin archetypal debuted successful 2021. But it was erstwhile the amusement deed screens this twelvemonth that it gained a existent cult following, and anyone who watches it volition instantly recognize why. The bid begins arsenic a beauteous communicative astir a saccharine alien being who wants to marque radical blessed but finds himself entangled alternatively with a profoundly depressed and dysfunctional assemblage of children. Warning: In lawsuit that small taster didn't marque it clear, this is simply a truly bittersweet bid that doesn't shy distant from the bleaker parts of life, love, increasing up and each the things that you suffer on the way. But what is truthful peculiar astir the amusement is that you inactive privation to support watching and support hoping for thing amended to happen.

Whether you're a instrumentality of haunting fearfulness similar Tomie oregon enigma thrillers similar Erased, you'll find thing to emotion successful this distressing yet engaging bid that asks what it takes to go blessed and whether it's ever close to genuinely prosecute that happiness to its extremity nary substance the cost. It's different motion of conscionable however overmuch anime is changing the mode that radical interact with stories too, arsenic this is not an casual jumping connected constituent for the creation form; it’s a dark, challenging, and often brutal communicative that inactive managed to link with a immense audience, including galore connected our staff.

Runner Up: The Apothecary Diaries Season 2

After the archetypal play of this awesome play enigma of the week made it onto our 2024 champion of list, it's nary astonishment that the superb follow-up did too. The bid is centered astir a young miss named Maomao who is sold into servitude successful the tribunal lone to emergence up its ranks acknowledgment to her knack for potions, detective work, and science. Expanding the satellite of the walled Imperial Court and those who inhabit it, this play became a tribunal intrigue of adjacent Game of Thrones-level proportions. With pregnancies, backstabbing, royal poisonings, and more, the archetypal play of The Apothecary Diaries was 1 of the astir engaging and talked astir anime erstwhile it debuted, but however bash you apical that? By shifting into a much superior and unexpected genre than the slice-of-life enigma of S1.

In its 2nd season, The Apothecary Diaries didn't play it harmless and alternatively turned towards a deeper governmental intrigue that delved into the interior workings of the Imperial Kingdom and those who tally it. It's the benignant of prime that tin either descend your anime oregon marque it an adjacent bigger hit, and present it was decidedly the second arsenic the heated tribunal play began to entice humanities anime viewers and adjacent shonen fans who stayed to effort to lick the acheronian mysteries astatine the show's heart.

Runner Up: Dan Da Dan Season 2

Probably the astir anticipated returning bid of the year, Dan Da Dan Season 2 easy made our shortlist contempt its arguable alteration of taxable song. After Dan Da Dan: Evil Eye, the movie previewing the archetypal 3 episodes of the 2nd season, opened to implicit $3 cardinal successful North America, it became precise wide that the 2024 smash was turning into a taste phenomenon. Whether you were counting Turbo Granny t-shirts astatine Comic-Con oregon proceeding radical speech astir Momo connected a regular basis, it's improbable you've yet to perceive astir this smash deed series, which successful its sophomore play managed to support up the prime and strangeness that makes it truthful great.

Following up the monstrously fashionable archetypal play was ne'er gonna beryllium an casual feat for workplace Science Saru, but arsenic ever they delivered successful spades. Back with each the aforesaid enactment and wit that made it specified a standout erstwhile it debuted, the continued adventures of Okarun and Momo followed the brace connected much paranormal and supernatural adventures. But it besides showcased an quality to displacement betwixt genres and grow beyond immoderate barriers that 1 mightiness expect from a massively fashionable enactment anime. If anything, it leaned into the weird and doubled-down connected what made it truthful fashionable successful the archetypal place.

Winner: The Summer Hikaru Died

This twelvemonth our victor offered up thing wholly unique: a haunting fearfulness that harkened backmost to the brutal yet melancholy cult movies of the ’00s similar Battle Royale, All About Lily Chou Chou, and A Tale of Two Sisters. This enigmatic and beautifully animated bid centers connected the disappearance and consequent reappearance of the titular Hikaru. Although it seems similar a origin for celebration, his adjacent friends soon statesman to fishy that their person didn't truly travel backmost and alternatively has been replaced by idiosyncratic oregon thing else...

To uncover immoderate much of the nonstop details of the communicative is to destruct astatine slightest a small of the magic that this esoteric, moody, atmospheric, gorgeous, and heartbreaking amusement has to offer.

Adapted from the manga of the aforesaid sanction by Mokumokuren, The Summer Hikaru Died centers connected a formed of funny, nimble, and precise overmuch live young characters who navigate the satellite successful a mode that'll spark your nostalgia portion inactive astonishing you. This is the benignant of amusement that you cognize is thing peculiar arsenic you watch, not lone conceptually but besides successful however it's brought to life. This has go an instant existential classical and acknowledgment to the immense level of Netflix it's been capable to find an arsenic ample and appreciative audience.

Although it was a precise adjacent battle, Hikaru yet pulled up connected our database and deservedly so. Strange, haunting, emotional, and ever profoundly entertaining, The Summer Hikaru Died is IGN's Best Anime of 2025.

So what bash you think? Did The Summer Hikaru Died merit the apical spot this year? Let’s speech astir it successful the comments, and don’t hide to ballot successful the canvass above. And marque definite to cheque retired each our IGN Awards for 2025 crossed film, TV, gaming, anime, and comics!

Note: For IGN's champion anime bid award, anime indispensable person completed airing their play oregon cour/parts successful the U.S. by our 2025 voting play successful bid to beryllium eligible. For example, Gachiakuta volition beryllium considered for the pursuing year.