Best Anime of 2024

As we reach the end of the year, and the Fall 2024 anime season reaches its closing weeks, there’s no better time to look back on the year than now! This was a somewhat divisive year for anime. I think there were definitely some big hitters, but a lot of shows also didn’t manage to make much of a mark on the industry as a whole. Admittedly, the year also felt quite unbalanced, with some great seasonal runs (Fall 2024), and some seasons that felt practically barren in comparison (Summer 2024).

Today, however, we’re looking at the year as a whole, highlighting the absolute best of the anime industry since the beginning of 2024. We’ve listed all of our favourite anime series from across the year’s four seasons, some of which are sequel seasons, and some of which burst onto the scene as original series. Without further ado, let’s get into the list!

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Kaiju No. 8

Image by Production I.G.

Every once in a while, an anime adaptation of a popular manga gets announced, and fans of the work rush to social media to tell everyone that this anime is going to change the game. Rarely do these adaptations ever truly live up to the hype surrounding them – in fact, as much as I enjoy every show on this list, one of the later entries falls into that exact category – however, Kaiju No. 8 came pretty close, despite the otherworldly hype surrounding it almost dooming it to underperform.

Kaiju No. 8, based on the Naoya Matsumoto manga of the same name, tells the story of Kafka Hibino, a young man who gains the ability to turn into a kaiju after a parasitic creature enters him – think Parasyte: The Maxim meets Godzilla. However, one of the areas in which Kaiju No. 8 is most successful is in its masterful blend of action and comedy, keeping the viewer’s spirits high as they watch destruction unfold before them. Shonen anime is a dime a dozen nowadays, but sometimes, they manage to stand out – and Kaiju No. 8 has certainly proven that point.

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Delicious in Dungeon

Image by Trigger

Delicious in Dungeon was somewhat of an underdog in this year’s anime line-up, in that, first of all, it went up against some hard-hitters in the Winter 2024 season, and second of all, it falls into that category of anime that many people never give a chance, or even a second look to. A lot of anime fans, particularly nowadays, would see what appears to be a cooking anime, with fantasy characters, in a dungeon setting, and just assume that this is just another, run-of-the-mill seasonal anime that everyone hates, yet gets renewed for several more seasons.

However, this is far from the case with Delicious in Dungeon. The story follows a group of explorers who journey through a dungeon to save one of their friends who had been eaten by a dragon. Much like Kaiju No. 8, the biggest asset to this series is how it manages to walk the line tonally between comedy and seriousness – in fact, in many ways based on its premise alone, this series can almost be considered a dark comedy, which I doubt many would expect from the series’ promotional material and outward-facing appearance alone. The series is set to make a big return in the future for a second season, so I recommend you get caught up as soon as possible.

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KonoSuba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World! 3

Image by Drive

It had been 7 years since the second season of KonoSuba aired, so in many ways, Season 3 was a grand return for this series – and it didn’t disappoint. KonoSuba has always been a conflicting show for me. Typically, I would never gravitate towards this kind of show. I’m not the biggest fan of ecchi, and though some people would say that this series leans into satire enough to disqualify itself from that genre, there’s enough elements at play here to bring it right back into it. However, KonoSuba is just so charming and funny, it manages to elevate my enjoyment of it over my dislike of ecchi.

The third season of this comedic isekai is potentially the strongest outing yet for the show, and made its mark as one of my favourite sequel seasons of the entire year. Spring 2024 was a fairly busy anime season, yet KonoSuba Season 3 managed to hold its own against some real industry titans. If, by some chance, you haven’t ever even heard of this series, I highly recommend you check it out – just be ready for some fanservice. Whether it’s played for laughs or not, it’s still there, and to be honest, it can get pretty central at times.

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Solo Leveling

Image by A-1 Pictures

The hype for Solo Leveling was absolutely otherworldly when this series was first announced. It almost got to the point where I was convinced people had to be making fun of it – it can’t actually be as good as people say, right? Well, to be completely honest, I don’t think this series was anywhere near as good as people made it out to be, but it was still pretty strong, and the direction the show has taken for Season 2 tells me that it may reach the heights people claimed when it returns in January 2025.

A sequel season releasing only a year after the original season aired? That’s how you know that the studio has faith in this thing. To be blunt, Solo Leveling breaks no barriers, doesn’t really innovate in any outstanding way, and doesn’t seem to offer much you can’t find in most other action anime – however, this is part of its charm. What it does, it does well. The plot follows a young man who must get stronger to protect the world from monsters – it isn’t exactly groundbreaking. However, the consistently strong animation, character portrayals, and writing is enough to elevate the series from forgettable shonen filler to its own lane. Certainly one of the breakout anime of the year, even if it was ever so slightly overhyped…

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Oshi no Ko Season 2

Image by Doga Kobo

Speaking of overhyped – the first season of Oshi no Ko did not register at all with me. I think the premiere episode was incredibly well-made, but I feel that the series’ popularity coasted off of that success for far too long. What promised to be a detective thriller, interpolating commentary on the nature of fame in Japan, ultimately turned into a relatively drab slice-of-life series. Especially when compared with Aka Akasaka’s other work, Kaguya-Sama: Love is War, I was incredibly disappointed with Oshi no Ko’s first season.

However, Season 2 marked a sort of turning point for the show for me. The choice to focus on a play as the central setting for most of the episodes, mixing characters’ personal struggles with their performance on-stage was a genius move, and had me way more compelled in these stories than ever before. I’ve heard that this season was based on the manga’s most popular arc, and I can see why – even if this does imply that the third season will ultimately be a step-down from this quality. Though I’m not the biggest fan of Oshi no Ko in the grand scheme of things, this season was far more deserving of the reputation the show has garnered, and ultimately felt like it carried the Summer 2024 anime season on its back – credit where credit is due with this one.

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Blue Box

Image by Telecom

My disparaging of Oshi no Ko’s slice-of-life elements, however, does not represent that I have a dislike for the genre. When done right, slice-of-life stories can be just as gripping as any other genre, and if any show proves that, it’s the ongoing Blue Box, which I believe is a strong contender for the best anime of the year. Ultimately, this series mixes the romance and sports genres – however, if neither of those genres appeal to you, and you feel like this series has lost your interest, I urge you to give it a chance. Something about this show just pulls you in and leaves you wanting more.

Comparatively the show is still in its early stages – as of the writing of this article, 8 episodes have aired, and this is a 25-episode season. There’s a lot to go for the story of Blue Box. However, the series has been incredibly strong so far, and fan reception has reflected that stance. The enthralling story is assisted by the beautiful animation, courtesy of Telecom. Definitely give this one a try – it’s managed to stand its ground as a slice-of-life series in Fall 2024 which, as a season, is absolutely stacked.

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Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 3

Image by Pierrot

Speaking of Fall 2024, here comes one of its biggest titans – the third part of the second part of Bleach. If I could have one wish granted, it would be that they shorten the name of this show. Speaking of wishes though, it feels like ever since it returned in 2022, the Thousand-Year Blood War has fulfilled every wish that Bleach fans have had since the series pseudo-ended in 2012. A grand return for a series feared forgotten, featuring incredible animation, anime-original scenes, and some of the best fights in anime history – what more could you want?

Sure, for those of you out there who have never seen Bleach, this pick might feel like a sort of throwaway – after all, you’re hardly going to catch up on hundreds and hundreds of episodes at this point, right? Well, I would actually urge that you do. There’s no better time than the present to get on board the Bleach train. Having never read the manga, I’m not sure if the end is in sight for the series just yet, but a part of me feels like the end of Bleach is on the horizon, and it’s a finale you’re going to want to be there for. Whenever it has aired, Bleach’s Thousand-Year Blood War has conquered the seasonal ratings with consistent greatness. Part 3 is no exception.

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DAN DA DAN

Image by Science SARU

My personal pick for anime of the year, though, has to go to this new challenger anime that has, at the very least, earned the crown for the breakout anime of 2024. Trailers circulated for DAN DA DAN a while back, and promised a very bizarre, yet endearingly authentic, experience like nothing we’ve ever seen before. However, at first, it seemed like this series was destined to fly under the radar. That was, until the first episode aired, and people saw just how incredible this show was destined to be.

DAN DA DAN tells the story of a young boy obsessed with aliens, and a young girl obsessed with the occult. When their paths cross, and the boy’s balls are stolen by spirits (yes, you read that right), they must work together to get them back, restore his former glory, and return to their normal lives. It’s a lot more wholesome than it might sound, with the story’s weirdness coming across as genuine rather than forced. To top it off, it also holds up as an incredible action anime, while also drawing from the romance, comedy, and horror genres. DAN DA DAN is a masterful cocktail of everything that makes your favourite anime great – if there’s only one series you watch from the 2024 anime line-up, it should be this one.

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Conclusion

Those are our picks for the best anime of 2024! A strong, if unbalanced, year for anime for sure! What do you think of our list? Did we miss any great shows that you came across this year? Be sure to let us know in the comments!

See also: Underrated Anime Series

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