Thanks to Netflix (in part), it's safe to say anime is bigger than ever. With shows like Attack on Titan and One-Punch Man making their way into the American mainstream, the streaming service is chock-full of anime series old and new, including a few highly successful originals.

Netflix offers a wide variety of anime for audiences to choose from. Some are even the best shows the medium has to offer, so don't miss out.

Updated on June 20, 2022 by Bailey Jo Josie: Since Netflix's anime lineup is constantly changing, it's important to stay up to date with the shows still on the service. Because the streaming service has made access to anime easier than ever, a lot of Netflix subscribers are relatively new to the medium. Consequently, there's a great mix of recent hits as well as legacy favorites newer fans should check out.

24 Tiger & Bunny Takes Superheroing To The Commercial Level

tiger-and-bunny

The anime Tiger & Bunny combines a typical buddy-cop narrative with a unique superhero world. In it, heroes fight crime while being televised. Their effectiveness and popularity determine their status and the sponsors who pay them. Tiger & Bunny brings a lot of interesting ideas to the superhero narrative and has one heck of a twist that makes it worth the watch, especially with the recently added second season.

23 Pokémon Journeys Is The First Series In The Franchise To Not Air On U.S. Television

Ash and Goh with their Pokemon

In 2020, Netflix secured the American rights to all future Pokémon series, thus removing them from legacy networks. The first of these is Pokémon Journeys: The Series. The 23rd iteration of the anime introduces a new protagonist to the franchise: a boy named Goh. Together, he and Ash Ketchum explore the eight regions of the Pokémon universe.

22 Cells At Work! Teaches How Our Bodies Fight Disease In A Cute, Entertaining Way

Red and White marching in Cells At Work!

Premiering in 2018, Cells At Work! is a delightful, educational anime showing the intricacies of the body's cells (represented by tiny humanoids) doing their jobs. Each episode focuses on a different way the body can become ill and how our cells work to fight viruses and bacteria. Cell At Work! mainly follows a red blood cell and a white blood cell who often find themselves working together. The theme song is really catchy, making one forget just how often the human body is attacked.

21 Ouran High School Host Club Is The Ultimate Subversive Shojo Romantic-Comedy

Ouran High School Host Club All Characters

On the subject of gender and love, few anime handle shojo tropes half as well as Ouran. After Haruhi Fujioka – a scholarship honor student at the Ouran Academy – accidentally breaks an extremely expensive vase, she becomes the errand runner for the school's host club. They end up mistaking her for a boy, although this doesn't bother her. As Haruhi proves to be a natural host, she gets caught up in the world of the rich and receives affection from her fellow hosts.

20 JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Returns To Netflix After Fan Outcry

The six protagonists of the Jojo's Bizarre Adventure anime

After being previously removed from Netflix's lineup, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is back with 113 episodes – including Phantom Blood/Battle Tendency, Stardust Crusaders, and the latest season, Stone Ocean. Jojo is one of the longer-running serialized manga in Weekly Shōnen Jump, running from 1987 until 2004. The series chronicles individual members of the Joestar family, and each new JoJo uses their powers to confront supernatural villains throughout time. JJBA itself is broken into separate parts for each family member across generations.

19 Voltron: Legendary Defender Continues A Tale From The 1980s

Voltron: Legendary Defender Paladins

Like Castlevania, Voltron: Legendary Defender is an American anime. Nevertheless, its beautiful animation and fleshed-out characters make it a popular animated series on Netflix – to the point that its original run spanned eight seasons. This version of Voltron does more to expand on the universe of Princess Allura and the Lions than the original 1980s cartoon. In the end, Voltron, Legendary Defender is just as good without the powerful robot appearing in each episode.

18 The Disastrous Life Of Saiki K. Is About A Teen Who Uses His Incredible Psychic Powers To Keep A Low Profile

Kusuo Saiki from The Disastrous Life of Saiki K

A hilarious and absurd satire of shonen anime, The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. follows a pink-haired, green-spectacled teen with some cool antennae named Saiki who has incredible psychic powers. Despite these OP abilities, Saiki just wants to live a completely average life and will go out of his way to make sure everybody thinks he's uninteresting and just an average student — a plan that always backfires on him.

17 The Way Of The Househusband Takes Marriage To A New Level

Way of the House Husband" delves into domestic comedy

One of the best things about anime is how the medium isn't afraid to delve into multiple genres. For example, take The Way of the Househusband. Only five episodes long, Way of the Househusband focuses on Tatsu.

Once a powerful mercenary within the Yakuza, he vanishes. The series picks up with him as a house husband to his loving wife. Instead of battling police, Tatsu fights other shoppers during supermarket sales.

16 One Piece Is A Manga About A Band Of Pirates On The High Seas

Usopp Nami Zolo Sanji Monkey D Luffy

With over 100 episodes currently available on Netflix, One Piece is a must-watch for any fan who wants a good shonen filled with unique characters, a ragtag group of comrades, and swashbuckling pirates. The protagonist Monkey D. Luffy is the leader of the Straw Hat Pirates, named for Luffy's signature straw hat.

Luffy and the Straw Hats sail the seas searching for the One Piece – a lost treasure Luffy wants so he can become King of the Pirates. One Piece's length may seem intimidating, but few have regretted putting in the time to go on this long adventure with Luffy and the crew.

15 Castlevania Is Top-Notch Western Anime

castlevania

Based on the long-running Japanese video game franchise, Castlevania is still one of Netflix's top animated titles for adults. After Dracula's wife is falsely accused of being a witch and burned at the stake, the Dark Prince summons an army of demons to destroy those who played a part in her execution. It takes monster hunter Trevor Belmont and his team, including Drac's own son Alucard, to stop the Count.

14 Blue Exorcist Is About A Boy Who Wants To Get Rid Of Satan's Curse

Rin from Blue Exorcist

Perhaps the best way to describe Blue Exorcist is Hellboy in high school. This anime is one of the coolest series Netflix has to offer. Blue Exorcist follows Rin Okumura and his brother Yukio, who are twins born from the devil. However, only Rin takes after their father.

While he's demonic in nature, Rin is determined to be an Exorcist – someone who fights the demons that plague society. Although some might say Blue Exorcist is a bit too close to the likes of Hellboy, the anime still takes viewers on an interesting and exciting ride, forging its own path and identity.

13 Demon Slayer Follows A Young Man Trying To Find A Cure For His Demon Sister

demon slayer

Now that the latest episodes of Demon Slayer are all available on Netflix, it's the perfect opportunity to get immersed in one of the biggest modern anime franchises.

Demon Slayer follows a teen boy named Tanjiro as he embarks on his Demon Slaying journey. He wants to find a cure for his sister, who's been transformed into a demon herself. The series is emotional, action-packed, and filled with fascinating characters like Kyojuro Rengoku and Tengen Uzui.

12 Sword Art Online Features Players Trapped In Virtual Reality

Kirito and Asuna Sword Art Online

Sword Art Online follows a group of virtual reality MMOPRG players who get trapped within the game. If they die within it, they die in real life. After receiving initial praise, the series' reception has become divided. Many have criticized Kirito's poor characterization, the over-sexualization of female characters, and the overall sloppy writing. All that said, Sword Art Online is still worth checking out.

Anime aggretsuko-header

Aggretsuko follows Retsuko, a red panda who has a job she hates, a boss she hates, and a career path she hates. Her only relief from her life comes from singing speed metal karaoke. Aggretsuko is fun, relatable, and surprisingly deep.

10 Mobile Suit Gundam UC Continues The Mecha Tradition

Mobile Suit Gundam continues a tradition started four decades ago.

Mobile Suit Gundam UC has a similar premise to other Gundam series within and outside its continuity. Teenager Banagher Links meets the mysterious individual who directs him to the elusive Unicorn Gundam. From that point, Mobile Suit Gundam UC is a Star Wars-like battle to save his space colony's freedom from the evil Earth forces.

9 One-Punch Man Is About A Powerful But Bored Superhero

One Punch Man saitama fist superhero

A satire/parody of shonen anime and superheroes, One-Punch Man follows Saitama, a superhero-for-fun who's so powerful he defeats every enemy in one punch.

This leaves Saitama bored and angrily dissatisfied with his path of heroism. OPM is funny, explosive, and has some of the best action of all time.

8 Death Note Gives A Teenage Boy The Power To Kill

Light Yagami from Death Note

Death Note follows Light Yagami, a teenager who finds a notebook that kills whoever's name he writes in it. The premise and overall dark tone of Death Note might feel dated now, but there's a surprising amount of depth to the series. Light's development from a cynical teenager to a power-mad god and eventually fallen villain is one of anime's greatest character arcs.

7 Naruto Is A Classic Tale Of Growing Up

Naruto

Bullied for something he has no control over, Naruto fights to prove himself. In doing so, he makes friends with those who didn't believe in him, so he can show what he's made of. Naruto has a powerful theme that not only makes the series one of the best on Netflix, but one of the greatest anime ever.

6 Devilman Crybaby Shows The Messed Up World Of Demons

devilman crybaby

While Devilman Crybaby isn't for everyone, the way the story defies genre tropes and the beautiful animation are enough to rank it as one of the best Netflix originals. Crybaby is adapted from the 1972 Devilman manga and uses lewd, vulgar, and obscene imagery to depict the perverse nature of demons.

Devilman Crybaby is a powerful, wonderfully-drawn anime that deserves a watch – even if it leaves viewers with an overwhelming sense of dread once it's over.

5 Attack On Titan Has Elevated Anime To New Heights As It Reaches Its End

Eren From Attack On Titan Stands Ready To Fight The Colossal Titan

Undoubtedly one of the biggest manga and anime in the world, Attack On Titan is coming to a close, and with it comes tears and questionable feelings towards a complex protagonist like Eren Yeager. Way back in the earlier seasons, the world of AOT was all about fighting Titans, wildly ambitious animation, and the question, "when will fans learn what's in the basement?!"

Well, viewers have finally learned what's in the basement, and the show has never been the same. Episodes of the final season are being added to Netflix each week, making Attack on Titan one of the biggest anime series on the streaming platform.