The Top 10 Best 2025 Anime, Ranked

Today, we officially bid farewell to 2025, and with it, another solid year of anime. Being an anime fan can be a strange experience sometimes, what with how much content is constantly pumped out of the machine, so much of it solid, but so little of it exceptional. That’s why it’s important to use the time you have to watch the good stuff, the anime that manages to stand out amongst an ever-growing crowd.

That’s why in this article, we’re ranking the very best 2025 anime we were treated to this year! This list will include both sequel seasons and 2025 originals, but fear not! We’ll be avoiding any spoilers for the shows included on this list, so you can check out our picks for yourself after reading! It should also be noted that this list is based on personal preference, as opposed to any sort of public rating system. With that in mind, let’s say goodbye to 2025 in the best way we know how – a ranking!

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10. My Hero Academia: Final Season

Image by Bones Film

Despite how bumpy the ride to reach this point was, not even the biggest naysayer can deny that My Hero Academia went out with a bang this year, and left behind a legacy in pop culture that won’t be replicated anytime soon. While the show may never have the same golden reputation as its shonen competitors like Hunter x Hunter or Fullmetal Alchemist, this final season was an undeniably good time, an action-packed extravaganza that tied up all of the series’ loose plot threads, and left the door open for more to be explored in this universe with spin-off shows like My Hero Academia: Vigilantes.

This season barely makes it into our ranking based purely on the fact that I don’t love My Hero Academia all that much. However, it was practically impossible to not give it some acknowledgement here, based purely on what a crowd-pleasing final season it delivered, and how much I enjoyed it despite my reservations. Though the series may have felt like it was overstaying its welcome at times throughout the last few years, My Hero Academia: Final Season was a practically perfectly-paced send-off for some of the most recognisable characters in modern anime history. A season for the fans through and through, and there’s nothing wrong with playing to your strengths.

Read our full My Hero Academia: Final Season review here.

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9. The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity

Image by CloverWorks

Despite how often battle shonen flood the forums of any anime discourse online, it’s important to remember that there’s a massive audience out there for romance anime, shows that rely on emotion and character-building to tell their stories. As far as the past few years go, I can’t remember a pure, light-hearted romance anime that gets the job done quite like The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity, a surprisingly mature and good-natured take on a classic anime formula that would usually be plagued with an overabundance of fanservice and low-brow comedy.

In being whimsical, light-hearted, and wholesome, The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity breaks convention in all the right ways. The series is a slow-burn for sure, but you enjoy spending time with the show’s characters so much that you don’t feel each episode roll by. Soon enough, before you know it, you reach the end of the first season, and find yourself begging for information about Season 2 to hit social media. The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity thrives by being a realistic and profoundly human exploration of love between two people from incredibly different worlds – a romance anime done right.

Check out our full review of The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity here.

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8. Dr. Stone: Science Future

Image by TMS Entertainment

If you asked me where Dr. Stone would be in the 2025 anime landscape back when I started watching the show in 2019, I would tell you it would have kept its core fanbase intact, while the plot slowly sizzled out with an underwhelming ending. Never could I have guessed what Dr. Stone would be delivering this year, as fans were treated to not only one, but two parts of the Science Future arc in 2025. When an anime pumps out back-to-back content like this, it can be a little worrying. However, Dr. Stone has been delivering with its final season, with the frequency of its releases only bolstering fan hype.

We’re a long way from the early days of this anime, when our heroes were just learning how to make gunpowder and medicine, and some fans may argue that the initial, quaint charm of the show has worn-off as Senku and friends have taken their new world to such incredible heights. However, I think that Dr. Stone: Science Future is really delivering on all fronts, maintaining a sense of tension, while also providing some of the series’ biggest-ever emotional gut-punches. While the curtain hasn’t fallen just yet on Dr. Stone, the end of the show is within sight, and in 2025, the series delivered the perfect build-up to the end.

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7. The Apothecary Diaries Season 2

Image by OLM

As it currently stands, the second season of The Apothecary Diaries is the highest-rated 2025 anime on MyAnimeList, and I can’t argue with this praise. The first season took the industry by storm, and though follow-ups can always falter, The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 has maintained practically everything that made the first season magical, and has actually improved on it in some ways. It feels so good to see a show like this come out on top – a female-led drama series, with well thought-out characters, and a compelling plot. Considering the success of The Apothecary Diaries and Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, it looks like the anime industry is moving towards a decidedly more healthy relationship with its female characters, and that in itself is a big achievement.

My favourite thing about The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 is that nothing is wasted. No time is spent on irrelevant affairs, as even the smallest, most seemingly non-consequential scenes, add up to something in the end. Maomao herself continues to shine as the series’ lead, and one of the best anime protagonists in years, but this season actually lets her shine even more than before. Though the season started a little slow, it quickly evolved into a non-stop thrill ride, and delivered one of the best seasons of 2025 anime for sure. If you haven’t watched the first season of The Apothecary Diaries, now is the time to catch up! There’s a lot more to come with this story, and I can’t wait to see where it all goes.

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6. Call of the Night Season 2

Image by LIDENFILMS

For a show with such a middling first season, Call of the Night completely blew me away this year, with a second season that improved on the first in practically every way imaginable. Thanks to the first season, a lot of people relegated Call of the Night as a show about ‘vibes’, where colourful environments and excellent music substituted for any real plot motion or character development. Well, with Season 2, Call of the Night proved that it has a lot more to offer than just its visual and musical flare.

Prioritising story advancements, high-stakes action, and remarkable side-character development, Call of the Night Season 2 really rewards any fans that stuck around after the first season. This season felt like a real mystery-thriller, balancing its many moving plot points with ease, all while developing every character in the show at the same time. I’m not sure if the quality of Call of the Night Season 2 will be a once-off – perhaps Season 3 will return to the first season’s formula, and I won’t be praising it nearly as much. However, for now, Call of the Night Season 2 really made this show stand out for me, and as it stands, is easily one of my favourite 2025 anime. It’s worth sitting through Season 1 for this season alone, and that should tell you all you need to know.

Read our full review of Call of the Night Season 2 here.

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5. Gachiakuta

Image by Bones Film

It would have been so easy for Gachiakuta to be average. I think that with the success of any and all shonen shows these days, it actually encourages mangakas to rely on what will make them money, instead of taking any risks with the genre. In spite of this, Gachiakuta defies all the odds, and delivers a thrilling new shonen that, while it does honour some genre traditions, carves out its own lane in the 2025 anime landscape by being so darn unique. Gachiakuta presents a world bursting with colour, despite being filled with garbage, and complements this world to perfect effect with incredibly unique characters and unpredictable battles.

Gachiakuta hits all of the right marks that any good shonen should. The cast is huge, but is juggled extremely well, the fight scenes are unpredictable and consequential, and the storyline leaves viewers guessing at every turn. Gachiakuta also shines with its diversity, in both character design and behaviour. While the tone is mostly action-focused, the show also dives into some very dark themes, and yet handles them with incredible care. I have next to nothing bad to say about Gachiakuta, and though I’m sure some people will write it off as just another shonen series, I think sleeping on this show is a grave error. Give it your time if you haven’t yet – I think you’ll love it.

Check out our full review of Gachiakuta here.

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4. DAN DA DAN Season 2

Image by Science SARU

I’m going to do Science SARU the favour of forgetting about SANDA, and I’m going to say this was another strong year for the studio, as they delivered the second season of the beloved new kid on the block, DAN DA DAN, and did it in very close proximity to the first season. I’ve talked at length about how much I love what DAN DA DAN brings to the anime industry, but to reiterate, I don’t think any ongoing anime keeps me as consistently engaged and entertained as this one, and Season 2 only improved on what the first season delivered by upping the stakes, and bringing even more chaotic characters into the fold.

DAN DA DAN is a show that thrives on passion, from its voice actors, from its original author, and from the animation team behind it. There’s love and care put into each and every episode of this show, and sadly, that’s hard to come by these days in the 2025 anime industry. The show is incredibly eccentric, and I’m not sure I would recommend it to everyone. However, I think most people are going to have a blast with this show, as long as they lean into the craziness, and DAN DA DAN Season 2 proves that fans are right to put their trust in this series. Here’s to the future of one of the biggest breakout anime of the 2020s!

Check out our full DAN DA DAN Season 2 review here.

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3. Takopi’s Original Sin

Image by Enishiya

Never have I felt like an anime was as fearless as Takopi’s Original Sin. This show is absolutely heart-breaking, a visceral experience like no other, and yet, despite how deeply disturbing so much of this series was, the show managed to blend all of its trauma with some genuinely light-hearted and wholesome moments. As difficult as it was to watch this show, I never once wished I hadn’t seen it. I think that it’s important for any medium to explore the darker side of life every now and then, and when it comes to anime, Takopi’s Original Sin gladly steps up to the task.

It should be noted that, despite the presence of a pink octopus alien, Takopi’s Original Sin stands out as one of the most upsetting shows I’ve ever seen thanks to how realistic all of its painful moments are. The heroes in this show aren’t fighting against a magical monster or beast. Instead, the series follows the very real tragedies faced by so many young people, tragedies that they are extremely ill-equipped to face. It’s hard to recommend this show, but I think it’s an important watch, and its masterful handling of some of the darkest themes and storylines I’ve seen in an anime earns it a spot high on this list, even if I’ll never watch it again.

Check out our full review of Takopi’s Original Sin here.

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2. To Be Hero X

Image by BeDream

Sure, To Be Hero X is technically a donghua, which may disqualify it from this list for some of you, but I simply can’t list my favourite animated shows of the year without talking about this series. What a phenomenal show this turned out to be. From start to finish, To Be Hero X knew exactly what it wanted to be, and executed its concept to perfection, as we follow ten incredibly distinct superheroes on their journey to be the best of the best. What’s perhaps the most remarkable thing about To Be Hero X is how much it manages to make you love its characters in such a short amount of time. Across 24-episodes, the show covers ten distinct story arcs, and manages to make each and every one stand out and feel natural in the greater story that the series is telling. What a feat.

The animation in this show is also stunning, as the show seamlessly transitions between 2D and 3D animation, all while keeping the feeling of the show’s world intact. The last episode of this first season was a true crowning achievement in animation, and even if you don’t watch the show in its entirety, it’s worth seeing this final episode based on spectacle alone. I adored this show, and really considered awarding it the top spot, but one show won out. For you action fans out there though, this is easily my pick of the year, and though it may be out of place on a list about 2025 anime, the fanbase crosses over so much that it doesn’t really matter. Check this show out – you won’t regret it.

Check out our ranking of all 10 arcs in To Be Hero X here.

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1. The Summer Hikaru Died

Image by CygamesPictures

The Summer Hikaru Died is the only anime this year that I was able to confidently award a perfect score, and looking back, my love for this series has only grown. This series certainly isn’t for everyone – a queer-coded horror anime filled with genuine jumpscares doesn’t exactly make for what you usually see top the anime charts. However, this type of story was right up my alley, and as a horror fan, I can say with confidence that this is the best horror anime I’ve ever seen, on top of being my pick for the best 2025 anime out there.

There’s so much to dissect when it comes to this show, and I talked all about it in my review, so I won’t rehash everything here. All I’ll say is that it’s rare for an anime to be so respectful of both the horror genre, and LGBTQ+ themes, so we should savour The Summer Hikaru Died while it’s here. The first season is a real slow-burn, but there’s a lot of potential for the future of this show, and I know I’ll be along for the ride. There was some stiff competition, but ultimately, I always knew The Summer Hikaru Died would top our year-end list. A masterpiece from start to finish.

Check out our full review of The Summer Hikaru Died here.

See also: Top 10 Most Anticipated 2026 Anime

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Conclusion

So, that’s our list! 2026 is going to be a very fun year, but it feels bittersweet to bid farewell to a 2025 that gave us so many great shows! What did you think of our ranking? What is your pick for the best 2025 anime? Be sure to let us know, and thanks for reading!

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