The 18 Best Anime of 2025
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Here’s a fun fact: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle is the fifth-highest-grossing film worldwide in 2025 so far. That’s not just for animated features—but for all movies released this year. The $20 million theatrical sequel is currently sitting at around $780 million at the box officewhich also makes it the highest-grossing Japanese film of all time. Where major film studios are struggling to break evenanime is flourishing.
How about some more impressive numbers? According to NetflixSakamoto Days spent 14 weeks on their list of the top 10 non-English shows in 2025. The assassin anime garnered over 14.3 million viewers during its first two weeks on the platform. Meanwhileanime streaming hub Crunchyroll crossed the 17 million subscribers mark this past summer.
There’s no greater time to join the club of anime fansespecially since 2025 boasted some of the best series we’ve seen sincewell2024! Many of last year’s stellar new titles—such as DandadanBlue Boxand Solo Leveling—returned for a second season in 2025 to deepen their stories and expand their fanbases. At the same timeclassics like One Piece continued to delight fans even as the franchise pushed through their 20-year anniversary on air.
For everything else we loved this yearcheck out our favorite anime of 2025 below.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle
Outside of some surprise successes including A Minecraft Movie and the Lilo & Stitch live-action remake (which somehow surpassed a billion dollars worldwide)very few films had a bigger global box-office haul than the latest Demon Slayer film. The story of a young swordsman who seeks revenge against the demons who murdered his family has been overwhelmingly popular since its initial run as a Japanese comic book (a.k.a. manga). After the TV series debuted in 2019the fantastic animation brought Demon Slayer to another level entirely. The latest installmenttitled Infinity Castleis also the first part of the story’s planned finale film trilogy. Naturallyit’s an experience made for the theater.
In theaters
Spy x Family (Season 3)
Tatsuya Endo’s cutesy drama returned this fallcontinuing the story of a spy named Loid Forger who forms a fake family as part of his undercover operation into a shady political leader. Forger finds his way into his target’s inner circle by adopting a child and joining his son’s schoolleading to humorous antics and adorable side quests featuring his new daughterAnya. Season 3 continues the story as Anya grows closer to their target’s son and finds another way in for the super-spy.
The Summer Hikaru Died
Some anime are inspiring. Other titles carry ridiculous plots... like whatever the hell Reborn as a Vending MachineI Now Wander the Dungeon is about. The Summer Hikaru Died is something else entirely. The supernatural story follows a boy named Yoshiki who slowly realizes that his friend Hikaru was replaced by some sort of body-snatching monster. The series explores themes of grief and loss of friendship in an animated story dripping with unsettling dread.
Chainsaw Man — The Movie: Reze Arc
As much as Chainsaw Man is a story about a teenager who fights demons by transforming his head and arms into chainsawsthe show’s ridiculously fun action is also intercut with a heartbreaking coming-of-age story. Soit makes sense that in the franchise’s first filmour titular Chainsaw Man comes face to face with his first major foe: dating.
In Theaters
To Be Hero X
This Chinese animated series burst onto the scene this year on Crunchyroll as viewers fell in love with its unique power system. Basicallythe world of To Be Hero X is filled with superheroes who gain their powers from transparent willpower. If enough of the world believes that a particular person could turn invisiblethen they gain that ability. Sounds a little chaoticno? Soevery two years a massive tournament takes place to sort out who deserves the title of the besta.k.a. X.
My Dress-Up Darling (Season 2)
Not to be confused with any of the genre’s NSFW animation in the cosplay departmentMy Dress-Up Darling is a story about an unlikely teenage duo who fall in love with dressing up as their favorite characters from TVvideo gamesand movies. More wholesome than anythingthe show's second season dives into the joys and intricacies of the makeup and costume world.
Dandadan (Season 2)
The best new anime of 2024about high schoolers who investigate ghosts and aliensreturns for a second season just half a year after season 1 wrapped back in December. Kicking off this summer with an absolutely insane plot about a haunted house and a giant death wormDandadan looks to keep the infectiously fun and comically bright vibes going.
Blue Box (Season 2)
I’m a sucker for sports anime. They’re often formulaic and a bit too gung-hobut I just mop it up every time. Blue Boxon the other handhas a little bit of something for everyone. Sureyou can root for Chinatsu to nail a three-pointer during her basketball tournament or Taiki to score a point in badmintonbut winning the game isn’t everything in Blue Box. The two also fall in love.
Kaiju No. 8 (Season 2)
Kaiju No. 8 is about a man named Kafka Hibino who sets out to protect Japan from giant killer monstersonly to find himself inexplicably turned into a monster himself. It’s a bit like Godzilla if Godzilla could transform into a human when he wasn’t on a rampage. In season 1Kafka joined the defense force that aims to protect the city from monsters (like himself)but his secret was accidentally revealed in the finale. Now back for season 2Kaiju No. 8 will follow Kafka as he seeks to find his way out of this new pickle—and maybe use his monstrous transformation to help the defense force fight back.
Let’s Go Karaoke!
YesLet’s Go Karaoke! is an anime about karaoke. It’s just not a sing-along. The story starts when choral student Satomi Oka is approached by a gangster who is desperate to improve his singing skills and win a bet against another Yakuza member. Trapped in this ridiculous endeavorOka must help the ruffian learn how to sing before the annual competition lest he risk his own life.
Gachiakuta
Gachiakuta’s story won’t feel that outside-the-box to anime fans. The plot follows Rudoa young abandoned boy who is sick of the backward ways of his society and then given the power to actually do something about it. The big difference here is in Gachiakuta’s animation. While its 3D may not be for everyoneit’s captivating to see the reaction to the studio Bones’s mixed-media approach so far.
Dragon Ball Daima
Even after series creator Akira Toriyama’s passing last yearGoku and his friends are still going strong in 2025. Daima remixes element of Dragon Ball GT into a new story for the Super Saiyans as they travel to the demon world to defeat a new threat. The latest series is the last Dragon Ball story written by Toriyama before his death. So farthe animation is some of the best that the series has seen yet.
The Apothecary Diaries (Season 2)
Long-running anime franchises can feel daunting. Apothecary Diaries works with more of a medical-mystery-of-the-week formula—and it’s so damn refreshing. The story follows a young girl named Maomao who serves as an apothecary to the Imperial Palace during the Ming dynasty. With intriguing ailments and even more clever solutionsApothecary Diaries is easily one of the breakout hits of the past two years.
Devil May Cry
Speaking of untraditional source materialDevil May Cry’s fantasy story originates from a popular Capcom video game series. The story follows a demon hunter named Dante who tracks down sinister terrorists out for revenge against humanity. The series is directed by Castlevania’s Adi Shankarwho is also developing an Assassin’s Creed series for Netflix.
One Piece (Season 21)
One Piece and its seafaring pirates adapt the expertly animated Egghead arc for season 21 (!) this year. The series remains one of the most popular anime of all timeas One Piece’s animation team continues its never-ending warpath. Season 21 features even more important battlesas well as a remastered adaptation of season 15. Yesthat’s right. While fans wait for new episodesOne Piece will entertain viewers year-round with a revamped version of the Fishman Island saga from 2012. PlusNetflix is currently entering production on season 2 of the live-action series. As alwaysOne Piece fans are eating good.
Sakamoto Days (Season 2)
Though Sakamoto Days is one of the best manga of the past decadethe anime entered Netflix’s streaming portal to mixed reviews. While some critics cited problems with the less-than-fluid animation compared with that of its contemporary rivalsthe story about a retired killer who is roped back into the insane world of assassins for hire is truly just heating up for viewers. As a readerI can promise that Sakamoto Days is the gift that keeps on giving.
Turkey
Remember when I said I was a sucker for sports anime? Wellhere’s another recommendation: Turkey. The story follows Mai Otonashicaptain of the Ikkokukan High School Bowling Clubwho is pursuing her final chance to win the tournament. While Turkey is mostly a cutelighthearted story about the difficulties of maintaining friendshipsit’s also about learning to work together to succeed—a lesson we could all learn once in a while.
Solo Leveling (Season 2)
Ever wonder what it would feel like to experience a video-game-like “leveling up” in real life? Wellthat’s what happens to Sung Ji-woo in this South Korean fantasy anime. When monsters invade his worlda mystery ability grants him the power to increase his skills with every new villain he defeats. Solo Leveling surprised audiences last yearespecially since the web comic’s story didn’t originate from one of the trusted powerhouses in Japanese publishing. If there’s one rule about animeit’s to never judge a book by its cover!
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