Top 10 Summer 2025 Anime

The Summer 2025 anime season has unfortunately come to an end. As it stands, the Summer 2025 anime season has easily been my favourite of the year so far, and one of my favourite seasons of anime in a very long time. It felt like all bases were covered when it came to Summer 2025 anime – we had some great shonen releases, some top-tier romance shows, and some of the most heartfelt passion projects we’ve seen from the industry in a very long time. It was truly an anime season to behold, and now, it’s time to rank the best of the best that the industry had to offer.

Today, we’re ranking our top 10 Summer 2025 anime shows. We’ll be avoiding spoilers during this ranking, so feel free to read ahead if you’re looking for some anime recommendations to watch for yourself! It should also be noted that this list will only be including anime that began as part of the Summer 2025 anime line-up. Unfortunately, you won’t be seeing any mention of To Be Hero X or Witch Watch here, but their continuation certainly contributed to the great time that was the Summer 2025 anime season! With that being said, let’s get into our ranking!

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10. Kaiju No. 8 Season 2

Image by Production I.G.

Kaiju No. 8 was certainly one of the most anticipated series of the Summer 2025 anime line-up, but for me, it failed to deliver on the hype that it had built-up prior to its release. As far as the shonen industry goes, it’s pretty rare these days for any show to break free from the established mould that leads to a series’ success. Unfortunately, Kaiju No. 8 doesn’t even try to challenge any of the conventions that have led to the staling of shonen anime, and though this was a crime committed by the anime’s first season, the second season actually worsened the issue.

Kaiju No. 8 Season 2 is an extremely safe season of anime, relying on brute-force entertainment as opposed to genuine storytelling to captivate its audience. Any of the series’ unique traits that made the first season stand out, even in the slightest, are completely left behind in exchange for action and explosions. Sure, the action and explosions are entertaining, but in many ways, Kaiju No. 8 Season 2 feels like the human equivalent of entertaining a cat with a laser-pointer. I cannot fault the season for its thrills, but beyond this, the show continues to be burdened by an overwhelming lack of substance.

Read our full Kaiju No. 8 Season 2 review here.

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9. My Dress-Up Darling Season 2

Image by CloverWorks

Ah, My Dress-Up Darling. A show that seems dead-set on undercutting its solid premise and characters with copious amounts of fanservice and cringeworthy sexualisation. I’m in quite a minority when it comes to this show, as I truly believe that this second season was an improvement over the first season of the series. What once felt like a show to be ashamed of now felt like a wholesome rom-com, even if this season was lacking a little in the comedy department – and, to be honest, the romance department.

Each and every week of the Summer 2025 anime season, My Dress-Up Darling Season 2 was a show to look forward to, as it finally seemed to lean into the strengths that set it apart from its competitors. As far as representation goes, My Dress-Up Darling is a very respectable anime, and though the series’ central romance took a back-seat this season, the dynamic between its two main characters is one of the more enjoyable love stories in anime. The season was, unfortunately, weighed-down a little by its comparatively stagnant animation, and a far too streamlined focus on the details of cosplaying, but for the most part, My Dress-Up Darling Season 2 was an enjoyable show to unwind with once a week.

Read our full My Dress-Up Darling Season 2 review here.

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8. Secrets of the Silent Witch

Image by Studio Gokumi

Secrets of the Silent Witch is a strange show. Because I wasn’t going to be covering the series formally, it was one of the few anime this season that I was able to completely relax to. Luckily, the vibe of Secrets of the Silent Witch was perfect for this sort of viewing experience – the animation, the music, the characters, everything just clicked to make for a truly calming experience each week. The issue with this series begins to arise when you look at the story, a story that doesn’t seem to know what it wants to do with what it has.

We often see high-quality production given to anime series that have a lackluster story, and I fear that Secrets of the Silent Witch is another such case. Secrets of the Silent Witch doesn’t seem to know what it wants to be, setting up an epic fantasy world, and doing very little with it beyond Monica finding herself in quirky, funny situations. It almost feels like a Komi Can’t Communicate spin-off, where everyone is enrolled in a magic academy. The potential for this series is infinite, and yet, it seems to want to play it disappointingly safe. An enjoyable time for sure, but I wish it had done more with what it had to work with.

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7. Gachiakuta

Image by Bones

Ok, before you come at me with your pitchforks and torches, rest assured. I think that by the time Gachiakuta wraps up at the end of the Fall 2025 season, it’s going to be a real contender for one of 2025’s best shonen series. For now though, it still feels like the series is finding its footing amongst a sea of Summer 2025 anime series that dive right into their premise with no hesitation. On the one hand, this means that Gachiakuta is taking the respectable approach to its pacing. It’s taking its time, not rushing to the finish line, and thankfully, not confined to a 12-episode first season.

On the other hand, it does leave Gachiakuta in the dust a little as far as its existence goes as a Summer 2025 anime. As a Fall 2025 anime, this series is going to be the one to watch, I can feel it. This is not to say that Gachiakuta’s run so far has been weak in any way. The series is gritty, stylish, fun, and thrillingly obnoxious, and has solidified its identity as one of the most bold and insane shonen series we’ve seen in a long time. In fact, all of this groundwork is what makes me so excited to see the rest of the season unfold throughout the Fall season. For now though, the series’ humble beginnings simply don’t stack up against its fully-realised seasonal competitors.

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6. The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity

Image by CloverWorks

This is the point in our list where all of the entries from here on out are truly stellar anime shows, and I would be happy for any of them to take the top spot on someone else’s list. In fact, the only reason that The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity is not higher on this ranking is purely down to my own personal genre preferences. Romance anime is not my go-to, but as far as romance anime goes, this series is one of the best I’ve ever seen. Heartwarming, soft, and bursting with joy – The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity is a romance anime that breaks conventions in all of the right ways.

The series is filled with a cast of characters that are all loveable in their own right, which means you root for them, as opposed to other romance anime where you wish some of the cast would get isekai’d. The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity is also a refreshingly realistic series, feeling like we’re watching two actual human beings pursue love, as opposed to the overly-caricaturist approach that some anime can take with its characters. All-in-all, if you like a slow-burn romance series, The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity is the Summer 2025 anime for you.

Read our full The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity review here.

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5. Call of the Night Season 2

Image by LIDENFILMS

Call of the Night returning with a second season that skyrocketed to being one of my favourite anime seasons in a very long time was absolutely not on my Summer 2025 anime bingo card. However, what this season did was truly something special. Call of the Night took a first season that was good, but not much more than that, and built on its foundations to create one of the most striking vampire stories I’ve seen across any medium in a very long time. Where the first season of Call of the Night was all about vibes, the second season puts the pedal to the metal and presents an emotional, action-packed thrill ride involving all of the characters that the first season worked to introduce to us.

Unfortunately, in exchange for these new heights, the second season of Call of the Night did end up sacrificing its main character somewhat, as Kou takes a real back-seat to just about everything going on. However, his sacrifice was not in vain, as the time that the season takes to explore its side characters is absolutely time well spent. I worry a little that Call of the Night Season 2 will end up being a once-off triumph for the series, with the third season returning to the show’s regular quality. However, even if this is the case, that takes nothing away from the phenomenal experience that was Call of the Night’s Summer 2025 showing.

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

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4. Grand Blue Dreaming Season 2

Image by Liber

I do regret not reviewing Grand Blue Dreaming Season 2 somewhat, because I really would have loved to talk at length about all of the joy that this show gives me. However, what is there to say about this show that hasn’t already been said? Just like with the first season, Grand Blue Dreaming Season 2 remains one of the most eccentric, hilarious, and surprisingly wholesome anime on the scene, and this season further solidifies that when it comes to comedy anime, there are very few shows on Grand Blue Dreaming’s level. Ultimately, what you’re seeing with this Summer 2025 anime is an already-established triumph running a victory lap, and I loved every second.

I will say that viewers should prepare for the show to shift towards a focus on romance, a focus that wasn’t really present in the first season. The first season of Grand Blue Dreaming felt entirely comedy-centric, with one of the main critiques of the show being that its female characters ended up taking a back-seat, as the series didn’t seem to know what to do with them. The romance angle in this second season allows them to shuffle into the spotlight, but may end up alienating some of the series’ established fans who are here to laugh at slapstick comedy and nothing else. However, for those of us who truly enjoy watching these characters, and experiencing their stories unfold, Grand Blue Dreaming Season 2 is a huge success, and is the defining comedy anime of the Summer 2025 anime season.

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3. DAN DA DAN Season 2

Image by Science SARU

DAN DA DAN is a series that knows exactly what it wants to be, and funnily enough, embraces its lack of a concrete identity to the point that chaos has become its identity. You never know what to expect when you watch an episode of DAN DA DAN, and the show’s second season retains this glorious eccentricity, while combining it with a very solid shonen storyline. DAN DA DAN Season 2 is almost entirely devoted to the Evil Eye arc, the series’ first fleshed-out story arc. Where some DAN DA DAN fans may have feared any sort of structure being put to this show, Season 2 proves that the only thing better than chaos, is controlled chaos.

DAN DA DAN has experienced a meteoric rise since first blessing our screens back in Fall 2024, and though it unfortunately seems like the gap between Season 2 and Season 3 will be far longer than the gap between the anime’s first two seasons, I’m sure that the magic of DAN DA DAN will continue to retain a foothold in the shonen industry, because for the most part, this series is really towering over its contemporary shonen competitors. As a manga reader, I can assure you that great things are to come for this series, and I really hope Science SARU doesn’t drop the ball on this one. As far as Summer 2025 anime goes, DAN DA DAN Season 2 really made its mark, and as far as the numbers go, remains the most popular series of the season.

Read our full DAN DA DAN Season 2 review here.

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2. Takopi’s Original Sin

Image by Enishiya

Anime loves to make its viewers feel sad. With that in mind, I’m going to afford quite the accolade to Takopi’s Original Sin, as if you haven’t seen this series, you’ll just have to take my word for it. This series is the most unequivocally depressing show I’ve ever seen, and there is a lot of competition in this field. It’s difficult to recommend the show, purely based on how viciously sad it is, but if you can stomach it, Takopi’s Original Sin is one of the most remarkable anime I’ve watched in a very long time, and with its 6-episode season concluding early-on into the Summer 2025 anime calendar, it felt like this series cast a shadow that all of its contemporaries had to live in, knowing they couldn’t capture the emotional intensity that this show did.

Takopi’s Original Sin is a very sad anime, but more than that, it is a brave and unflinching exploration of the effects of generational trauma, child abuse, and the failure of adults to protect the children in their lives. Despite its cute exterior, there’s nothing glamorous about Takopi’s Original Sin, an anime that thrives on confronting the unpleasant reality of many children living in unloving homes. As far as memorability goes, what this series manages to achieve in only 6 episodes is pretty remarkable, and I don’t think viewers are likely to forget about Takopi any time soon. Easily the most difficult-to-watch anime of the Summer 2025 season, but in many ways, easily the most important anime of the season. Proceed with caution going into this one.

Read our full Takopi’s Original Sin review here.

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1. The Summer Hikaru Died

Image by CygamesPictures

Maybe I’m biased, but no series has gripped me like The Summer Hikaru Died did in a very long time. A relatively obscure manga adapted by a pretty unknown studio, a horror anime dealing with queer storytelling. Just about everything was working against The Summer Hikaru Died when it came to establishing its popularity, and yet, this passion project managed to find a foothold in one of the most competitive anime seasons in a very long time, purely thanks to its remarkability as a show. The Summer Hikaru Died is a very special anime, and establishes itself as one of the most brave series to release in recent memory, confronting topics that most anime don’t dare discuss, through a use of a genre that many anime completely fail in.

Dare I say, The Summer Hikaru Died is a masterpiece, an anime that spent every second of its runtime well, and gave equal attention to its haunting worldbuilding and character studies as it did its thrilling ghost encounters. As far as Summer 2025 anime goes, The Summer Hikaru Died manages to soar above its competition as not only a horror story, and not only a fantasy story, but as a love story, one of the most tragic love stories we’ve ever seen in anime. The Summer Hikaru Died is a passionate production, dedicated to making magic with its source material, and I couldn’t be happier with what it contributed to the Summer 2025 anime season. I’m sure this series will end up in the middle of many other fans’ lists, but for me, there was nothing like watching The Summer Hikaru Died this season. A near-perfect series for me, and without a doubt my pick for the best anime of the Summer 2025 anime season.

Read our full The Summer Hikaru Died review here.

See also: Lord of Mysteries Review

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Conclusion

I find it hard to believe that the Summer 2025 anime season is actually over, it was an amazing time from start to finish! Though not every show reached the heights I was hoping for, some truly special new shows were introduced to the world, as well as some redefining sequel seasons of already established shows. What did you think of our ranking? What was your favourite Summer 2025 anime? Be sure to let us know, and thanks for reading!

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