Summary

• Netflix's best anime span various genres and art styles, guaranteeing a worthwhile viewing experience filled with old classics and current critical darlings.
• The high-quality animation and captivating stories of Netflix's best anime set them apart from the rest, making them well-known and beloved among fans.
• From the dark and intriguing noir Animal Farm-inspired "Beastars" to the nostalgia-inducing classic "Cardcaptor Sakura," Netflix's best anime are a celebration of the medium's diversity and creativity.

With Netflix possessing a large catalog of anime, it is sometimes easier just to quickly see which of them are considered a must-see. Netflix's best anime span a wide breadth of genres and art styles, ensuring that viewers get the best experience seeing old classics and current critical darlings. Whichever a viewer picks, they are certain to not feel their time has been wasted.

Netflix's large library of anime is both a blessing and a curse. After scrolling through the thumbnails and imaginative titles, paralysis by indecision seems inevitable. However, the best anime on Netflix stand head and shoulders above the rest, making themselves well-known among the fandom due to their incredible stories, art styles, and characters.

10 Beastars

Based on the Manga Created By Paru Itagaki

Best described as "noir Animal Farm", Beastars, like the best stories about animals, use animal dynamics as a vehicle to examine human problems. In a world where humanoid carnivores and herbivores live in uneasy peace, Legoshi, a meek wolf, is accused of murder simply because his teeth are a dangerous weapon. This sets the stage for a murder mystery as the wolf tries to clear his name. Studio Orange specializes in smooth, high-quality 3D animation; while they've most recently been lauded for their game-changing animation work on Trigun: Stampede, it was Beastars that put them on the map by bucking stereotypes about cheap anime CGI.

9 Violet Evergarden

Based on the Light Novel Created By Kana Akatsuki & Akiko Takase

Kyoto Animation has a reputation for focusing on slice-of-life anime, and Violet Evergarden is what happens when they turn their expertise to post-war drama. Set in the fictional war-ravaged Telsis, the series follows the emotionally numb veteran Violet who now works as an Auto-Memory Doll, a combination of postal worker and ghostwriter who delivers both messages and their feelings. This setup lets viewers explore the war-torn country, its survivors, and both the beauty and horror of life. Kyoto doesn't skimp out on quality, drawing lush countrysides and detailed cities in order to bring the world of Violet Evergarden to life.

8 Dorohedoro

Based on the Manga Created By Q Hayashida

This black comedy is proof of how imaginative anime can be at its very best. Caiman, a man whose head has been replaced with a lizard's and who lost his memories, is out to beat down every sorcerer in the slums of Hole, even if it puts him in the crosshair of a magical mafia. This gritty post-apocalyptic fantasy is filled with detailed urban sprawls, bizarre characters, and wild powers. MAPPA's 3D CGI might not be a high point, which makes everything in the anime a little stiff and flat, but the unmistakable visuals and the absurdity of the world make Dorohedoro unforgettable.

7 Cardcaptor Sakura

Based on the Manga Created By Clamp

A classic from the '90s, Cardcaptor Sakura makes the traditional magical girl genre accessible to all audiences. Sakura's quest to recapture the magical creatures released from the Clow Cards might be a child's adventure, but it never becomes childish. In fact, as the story continues, the tale grows darker in tone as the budding magician's predecessor starts looming over the original "monster of the week" formula. This early work by Madhouse shows them during their peak, and while the 70 episodes are a bit intimidating, it's worth watching at least a season to see one of anime's most beloved stories.

6 One-Punch Man

Based on the Manga Created By ONE & Yusuke Murata

This superhero comedy is its own legend, as it began as a simple webcomic and eventually received Madhouse's full effort, with animators purportedly working overtime for free to create as high-quality a parody as can be. One-Punch Man spoofs everything it can reach and tosses it all - alien invaders, underground civilizations, psychics, giant monsters, mad scientists, and more - into one giant mashup. The lighthearted comedy is supported by Madhouse's sleek animation that makes every scene a visual spectacle. While One-Punch Man may be a lighthearted comedy, the quality oozing off every image can only be considered a celebration of animation.

5 Vinland Saga

Based on the Manga Created By Makoto Yukimura

A historical fiction tale about the life and adventures of an 11th-century Viking is not what one would expect from an anime, but this adaptation, handled by both WIT studio and MAPPA, was highly anticipated for good reason. One half of the story is an unrelenting war story where blood and guts fly free, and the other is about the bittersweet growth of Thorfinn from child soldier to wizened explorer. Medieval Scandinavia is not for the faint of heart but for those willing to brave it, Vinland Saga is a unique drama that makes one man's life a sweeping epic.

4 Cyberpunk: Edgerunners

Based on the RPG Series Created By Mike Pondsmith

This award-winning anime Cyberpunk: Edgerunners was a critical darling last year; so great was its reception that it actually salvaged the reputation of the video game it was spun off from. Studio Trigger's high-energy, sometimes almost zany animation surprisingly complements the short, dark story. Thanks to their work, Night City truly becomes the neon-drenched capitalist playground that tempts David Martinez and many other victims to find a way to die famous, rather than live well. With a short 10 episodes and a familiar sci-fi locale, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is a great gateway into anime, even if it is experienced as a bitter tragedy.

3 Mononoke

Original Anime Series Created By Toei Animation

This supernatural mystery anime is truly one of a kind, boldly choosing to portray its ghost stories with a colorful palette and art direction. The 12 episodes are broken up into multiple independent arcs, each tied to a folkloric monster and the mysterious medicine seller who seeks them out to exorcise them. Horror and mystery make for a perfect blend, as the medicine seller prods at characters, airing out all sorts of sordid secrets that led to the creation of each monster, and like a good detective tale, there is always a clever twist to keep audiences on their toes.

2 Jojo's Bizarre Adventure

Based on the Manga Created By Hirohiko Araki

As its title indicates, the multigenerational adventures of the Joestar family rarely involve anything familiar or typical, as they jump time periods and countries and involve things like Aztec vampires, rocks-paper-scissors duels to the death, detailed descriptions of obscure topics. While it comes at a hefty 6 seasons, the story cleverly changes the cast and stakes for each part, ensuring the plot is always fresh and self-contained. Through it all one can see how adept David Productions became at translating the manga's absurdities to screen with a mutable color scheme and voice talents willing to overact in the best ways.

For fans craving more from the JoJo world, Netflix also has the spinoff Thus Spoke Rohan Kishibe.

1 Pluto

Based on the Manga Created By Naoki Urasawa & Takashi Nagasaki

Netflix's most recent anime also happens to be its best, as Pluto is nothing short of an outright masterpiece. The series, loosely adapted from a classic Astro Boy story, follows a robot detective named Gesicht as he investigates the murder of his world's strongest robots. With the original manga often compared favorably to Watchmen, Pluto had a lot of expectations going in, which is why it's so surprising that the team at Studio M2 knocked it out of the park. The story is compelling, the themes are shockingly relevant, and the voice acting in both English and Japanese is nothing short of remarkable. Pluto isn't just Netflix's best anime, it's also one of the best anime ever made.

Fans of Pluto should also watch series creator Naoki Urasawa's other anime on Netflix, Monster.

With dozens of anime in its library, even the best of the best are just a drop in the bucket of what Netflix has to offer. Many fans would likely argue how some other series is more worthy of watching, which only goes to show how many of them are deserving of fans' time. Nonetheless, if time is at a premium, Netflix's best anime are definitely worth checking out. Not only do they have entertaining stories, but their inventive art styles and animation will also ensure that fans don't come away bored. Netflix's best anime are truly some of the best the medium has to offer.