Mob Psycho 100 and new episodes of Pokémon Horizons are some of the best anime to stream on Netflix right now.
Netflix continues to be among the most convenient platforms to stream the best anime out there. The service’s usual live-action originals like Dead Boy Detectives and One Piece are the bigger draw, but its anime catalog is an impressive supplement. The genre’s diversity in the library is excellent, ensuring every type of fan is well catered to.
Still, that great mix of quantity and quality can make it intimidating for newcomers to parse through. Thankfully for seasoned fans and prospective ones alike, this list trims the selection down to the highlights. This guide is updated monthly to offer fans a consistently curated list of the best anime to watch on Netflix right now.
If you want more options, check out our other guides to the best anime on Hulu and the best anime available on Amazon Prime Video.
Ash Ketchum is one of the faces of Pokémon’s anime franchise, and now he makes way for a duo of new protagonists. Pokémon Horizons: The Series stars fresh-faced trainers Liko and Roy as they embark on a globe-trotting quest to discover new locales and encounter unique Pokémon species.
The pair teams up with the Rising Volt Tacklers — a team of adventurers led by the Charizard rider Friede. Pokémon Horizons: The Series debuted on U.S. Netflix in March, and the streamer is releasing 12 more episodes of Liko and Roy’s journey. The series has earned a warm reception so far, with the new protagonists having plenty of charm and room to develop into well-rounded characters.
From the acclaimed creator of One-Punch Man, ONE’s Mob Psycho 100 is a unique coming-of-age story. Adapted by animation studio Bones, the series is about Shigeo Kageyama — known as “Mob” — a socially unassuming middle schooler who has powerful psychic abilities.
He works part-time after school for his con-artist boss Arataka Reigen, who claims to be a master spirit medium. Mob Psycho 100 is acclaimed for juggling oddball comedy, stunning action, and heartfelt storytelling with utmost sincerity. Mob’s reserved demeanor and suppressed psychic powers are clever representations of the story’s coming-of-age themes.
Creator Gege Akutami’s Jujutsu Kaisen is one of the most exciting ongoing shounen series, mixing intense martial arts action with the occult. Animated by studio MAPPA, the series begins with high school student Yuji Itadori being recruited into one of Japan’s elite Jujutsu Sorcerer academies.
These students train in supernatural and martial combat to defend citizens from malicious Cursed Spirits. Jujutsu Kaisen is praised for its stunning animation, adapting the action in the most visceral way possible. It depicts an exciting world with impressive detail in its mythos, as the modern-day Japanese setting meshes well with its dark fantasy elements.
Writer and illustrator Riichiro Inagaki’s Dr. Stone is one of the most imaginative shounen manga in recent years. Animation studio TMS Entertainment is helming the adaptation, following the adventures of Senku Ishigami, a scientific genius who wakes up 3,700 years after mankind was inexplicably petrified.
Along with the friends and allies he meets in this new world, the group aims to rebuild human civilization. Dr. Stone is an entertaining spin on the post-apocalyptic genre, combining it with prehistoric-inspired aesthetics. The series also smartly incorporates real-world biology, engineering, and chemistry elements in the cast’s adventures.
Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece pirate saga continues to excel across mediums with the series’ 15th movie. Directed by Goro Taniguchi and animated by Toei Animation, One Piece Film: Red takes Luffy and his pirate crew to an island to watch singer Uta’s first live concert.
The superstar musician is a childhood friend of protagonist Monkey D. Luffy, but tensions rise when Uta reveals her stance against pirates. One Piece Film: Red is a visual show-stopper that celebrates the elements that havemade this series so beloved since the late 1990s. It might not push the boundaries of what a licensed anime movie can strive for narratively, but it colorfully expands Oda’s world and offers new characters worth exploring.
From Hunter x Hunter creator Yoshihiro Togashi, Yu Yu Hakusho combines the supernatural with martial arts. Animated by studio Pierrot, the plot follows 14-year-old Yusuke Urameshi, a former high school delinquent who died saving a child from a car accident and is revived as an Underworld Detective.
Yusuke’s second lease on life leads him and his new companions on adventures that include demons and high-stakes combat tournaments. Yu Yu Hakusho is an anime classic acclaimed for its clever mix of occult atmosphere, exciting action, comedic relief, and sincere character development. The action becomes increasingly impressive as the martial arts elements are emphasized later in the story.
Haruichi Furudate’s Haikyu!! became the biggest sports-themed sensation in manga and anime. Animation studio Production I.G adapts young Shoyo Hinata’s quest to become an elite volleyball player at Karasuno High School.
Despite his small stature, Hinata is determined to hone his skills, but he soon encounters competition when his middle school rival Tobio Kageyama joins the team. Haikyu!! is critically acclaimed for its refreshing and down-to-earth story and relatable cast of young characters. The volleyball action is thrillingly animated, and Production I.G’s adaptation doesn’t lose sight of the emotionally investing coming-of-age themes.
Tooru Fujisawa’s Great Teacher Onizuka blends slice-of-life storytelling with oddball comedy to impressive effect. Animation studio Pierrot adapts the story of 22-year-old Eikichi Onizuka, a former gangster who starts a new life teaching at a private middle school.
However, his new ambitions are tested when Eikichi is assigned to an infamously delinquent homeroom class. On its face, Great Teacher Onizuka has a relatively basic premise, but it’s bolstered by raunchy comedy and a delightfully eccentric protagonist. The series does surprisingly well in switching between laugh-out-loud gags and surprisingly heartfelt drama touching on sensitive social topics.
Alongside Final Fantasy, the Dragon Quest franchise is the tentpole of gaming production company Square Enix. Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai adapts an exciting original story outside the video game source material. The anime series is an adaptation of writer Riku Sanjo and artist Koji Inada’s manga of the same name that tells the story of the titular hero as he’s called to action when a demonic evil is resurrected.
This force was defeated ages ago by an enigmatic figure simply known as “the hero,” and its revival seems to answer Dai’s desire to become a great hero in his own right. Along the way, however, he’ll discover the mystery behind the original hero’s identity and the origin of his hidden abilities.
if you’re looking for a combination of lighthearted slice-of-life and touching storytelling, Kotaro Lives Alone is among the best anime on Netflix. An adaptation of writer and artist Mami Tsumura’s manga, the story is about a peculiar 4-year-old boy named Kotaro who lives alone in an apartment complex and eventually meets a manga writer next door.
The premise is undoubtedly bizarre, with Kotaro’s neighbor, Shin Karino, initially baffled by the situation. What follows is a satisfying and concise story that explores how children and adults, despite having drastically different perspectives on life, can still strive to learn from each other.
