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The anime industry is filled with detailed stories that feature well-written characters and unique locations. Netflix has developed several of its own anime series, and, for the most part, they have been pretty good. Aside from its own original series, Netflix also offers well over a dozen pre-existing anime, and, although its catalog is vast, the best anime on Netflix stand above the rest in terms of quality and storytelling.
Vinland Saga (2019)
Vinland Saga is animated by Wit Studio, the studio that animated the first three seasons of Attack on Titan. The story centers around Thorfinn, the son of a former Viking commander who wishes to see the paradise known as Vinland. One day, a Viking comes to their home and enlists Thorfinn’s father, but the Viking’s actual goal is to have his father killed.
Thorfinn sneaks onto his father’s ship and watches his father die at the hands of Askeladd. He vows to avenge his father, and he wishes to do so by defeating Askeladd in a duel. The series has a good amount of action and bloodshed, and the animation is impressive. There is a good amount of politics in the series, and it shows how revenge can turn a sweet young boy into a rabid killing machine.
B: The Beginning
The first season of B: The Beginning premiered on Netflix in 201. It was created by Production IG, the same studio behind other supernatural series like Blood +, Noblesse, and Guilty Crown. The series takes place in the nation of Cremona, which is dealing with a very high crime rate despite being part of a technologically advanced world.
There is a vigilante serial killer on the loose, and a renowned investigator searches for him. The criminal organization that secretly runs Cremona also searches for him so that they can understand his powers. Koku is the main protagonist, and he is a demihuman who can morph parts of his body into wings and blades.
One-Punch Man
Anime fans have met plenty of strong protagonists over the years, but Saitama truly stands out. He is the main character of One-Punch Man and lives on a version of Earth with four moons and a supercontinent. Villains and monsters terrorize the world, and unlike other superheroes, Saitama performs heroic deeds as a hobby.
He has trained himself to the point that he can defeat almost anyone with a single punch, and he has dispatched a number of strong villains. The action scenes are at times over-the-top, but they are fun to watch, and Saitama’s boredom and reluctance provide a great deal of comedy.
BASTARD‼ -Heavy Metal, Dark Fantasy-
Anyone who enjoys heavy metal music and Dungeons & Dragons will find BASTARD‼ entertaining, but it should be noted that the series includes scenes that are intended for older audiences. A powerful demon appeared centuries ago and caused a cataclysm that wiped out most of humanity, plunging the Earth into a new dark age.
The demon was ultimately defeated and sealed away, but an evil army wishes to awaken it once again. In order to combat this army, a priest tasks his daughter with breaking a seal to summon Dark Schneider, the dark wizard who originally founded the evil army for world domination. Dark Schneider loves the priest’s daughter, and their relationship is amusing, to say the least. There are lewd moments, but there is plenty of action and comedy as well.
Beastars (2019)
Beastars’ first season debuted in February 2019, and it was adapted by Orange, a studio that specializes in 3DCG animation. It is set in a world filled with anthropomorphic animals, and it mainly focuses on a tall gray wolf named, Legoshi. He attends Cherryton Academy, and he stays in a dorm with other carnivores.
Things turn upside down when an alpaca named Tem is killed and eaten in the middle of the night. This obviously causes issues between the carnivores and herbivores. Legoshi is part of the drama club, and he takes it upon himself to solve Tem’s death. He ends up meeting a rabbit named Haru along the way, and he develops feelings for her.
Blue Exorcist (2011)
In Blue Exorcist, the world is split into two dimensions: the human world, and the demon world which is ruled by Satan. He wishes to take over the human world, but there are exorcists who stand in his way. Rin Okumura, who lives in the human world, is the main protagonist, but he is also Satan’s biological son.
When Satan kills Rin’s human guardian, he vows to become an exorcist in order to defeat his father. Rin may not be the best shonen protagonist, but he does wield a mythical sword, and he can manipulate powerful blue flames. Right now, Netflix only has the second season, which is fine because the 12 episodes have plenty of action.
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
It is true that Cyberpunk 2077 had a rocky launch, but it is now a well-made game set in a fun new world. Fans of the series returned to that world in September of 2022 with the premiere of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. The fate of the series is still unknown, but the first season received a great deal of praise for its characters, animation, and worldbuilding.
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners comes from Studio Trigger, which is responsible for series like Kill la Kill and Darling in the Franxx. It follows David Martinez, a young street kid who is just trying to live in a city obsessed with tech and body modifications. In doing so, he decides to become an outlaw mercenary.
SPRIGGAN (2022)
SPRIGGAN was released in June, and although it only has six episodes, it has done a great job of bringing Hiroshi Takashige’s world to life with stellar animation. A long time ago, an ancient yet technologically advanced civilization ruled the world until they destroyed themselves.
They left messages for later generations on a series of indestructible plates, and they left powerful relics behind as well. Armies and private military forces are looking to acquire these relics for their own needs. The ARCAM Corporation is trying to stop these groups from destroying each other. The story focuses on Yu Ominae, a Spriggan, otherwise known as an ARCAM elite special agent.
Erased (2016)
Erased is the type of seinen that battle shonen fans would enjoy due to the subject matter. The series follows Satoru Fujinuma, a 27-year-old man who has been accused of killing his own mother. One day, Satoru wakes up as his ten-year-old self, and he attempts to save his mother.
He also tries to prevent three of his childhood friends from being kidnapped. Erased may only be 12 episodes long, but it does a great job of incorporating the “butterfly effect” into anime. The performances are fantastic, and the final episode focuses on a great final confrontation.
Kakegurui (2017)
Kakegurui debuted on Netflix in 2017, and it focuses on an interesting high school girl named, Yumeko Jabami. She may not be a femme fatale, but Yumeko does have a trait that sets her apart from most female anime characters: she is a compulsive gambler.
The anime kicks off with Yumeko transferring to Hyakkaou Private Academy, a school with an elaborate gambling system. All the other students gamble to improve their social and economic status, and the losers become servants to the rest of the student body. Yumeko gambles for fun, and she doesn’t worry about logic. Her keen observation skills allow her to identify gambling scams.
Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans (2015)
Fans of 86 Eighty-Six will love Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans because they both feature mechs that are piloted by teenagers. The anime is set 300 years after a terrible interplanetary conflict called the Calamity War. The humans on Mars are actively trying to gain their freedom from Earth.
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Iron-Blooded Orphans follows a Martian mercenary group called, Tekkadan, who agrees to escort a Martian noblewoman to Earth. The series is filled with great, and at times, emotional action sequences, and it deals with a fair bit of politics as well. The ending is pretty mixed because the bad guys technically win, but it does set up a hopeful future.
Death Note (2006)
There are multiple live-action adaptations of Death Note, but most fans consider the 37-episode anime to be the best adaptation of the story. It also happens to be one of the best anime on Netflix thanks to its unique premise. Light Yagami starts off as an ordinary high school student, but when he discovers a Death Note on the ground, his entire life changes.
When a person’s name is written in the notebook, they will either die of a heart attack or from a specific cause which is also written down. Light uses this ability to kill criminals, and he does this to create a world without crime. These murders draw the attention of a world-renowned detective, and what follows is a spectacular game of cat and mouse.
Dota: Dragon’s Blood (2021)
Dota 2 is one of the best free strategy games available on Steam, but Valve wanted to bring the franchise to a new platform, which is how Netflix’s Dota: Dragon’s Blood came to be. The story mainly focuses on Davion, a Dragon Knight who merges with Slyrak-one of the eight great Eldwurm dragons.
The show features plenty of action, and the visuals of certain battles are incredible because of the magic involved. Davion and Slyrak may be enemies, but they join forces to try and stop Terrorblade, a demon who wishes to remake the universe. Dota also follows a set of side characters who wish to save their respective people from war and destruction. Book 3 began streaming in August, and it features an alternate timeline and an epic battle between Terrorblade and the heroes.
Cowboy Bebop (1998)
Netflix has released a number of live-action anime adaptations, but their attempt to bring Cowboy Bebop to life failed to live up to the source material. The live-action adaptation was unable to capture the essence of the anime, and the showrunners made several changes to the story and certain characters.
The anime came out in the late ’90s, but Cowboy Bebop is still considered to be one of the best anime series of all time. It takes place in the distant future, where humanity has colonized much of the solar system, and it follows Spike Spiegel-who became a bounty hunter after faking his own death. He wanted to leave his crime syndicate days behind, but they eventually catch up to him, and he teams up with several other characters, all of whom struggle with their own loneliness and pasts.
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure (2012)
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure has a fairly unique art style that may not be appealing to everyone, but it is definitely a series that deserves a watch as it is one of the best anime on Netflix. The show does not center around one specific character, instead, it follows several members of the Joestar family. Their names can usually be abbreviated to “JoJo.”
This universe mirrors the viewer’s own, except for the fact that it is home to several supernatural beings and abilities. There have been eight JoJos in total, and each of them has led very different lives until the need to combat supernatural beings arises. So far, the anime has covered the first five parts, all of which are available on Netflix. More excitingly, Netflix recently dropped the first 12 episodes of the STONE OCEAN Arc, which features the first female JoJo.
The Seven Deadly Sins (2014)
The Seven Deadly Sins are a group of Holy Knights who serve the Kingdom of Liones, and the anime’s first season sees the majority of the group reassemble after being framed for an attempted coup a decade earlier. The series features gods, demons, angels, giants, and fairies.
The series spans 100 episodes, and it features multiple battles between very powerful characters. The fight scenes are entertaining, and there is a war near the end of the series that offers several surprises. Aside from the action, the series has a fair bit of comedy, and it doesn’t shy away from darker themes either, which is good seeing as the series is essentially a love story.
Yasuke (2021)
Many anime take place in alternate realities, and Yasuke takes place in a version of 16th-century feudal Japan where advanced technology and magic exist. Yasuke is the main character, and he eventually becomes a warrior in Lord Oda Nobunaga’s service after coming to Japan with Jesuit missionaries.
When Nobunaga and his forces are defeated by the demonic warlord, Yami no DaimyÅ, Yasuke decides to put his past behind him to become a simple boatman. Fate has other things in store for Yasuke though, as he ends up having to protect a singer and her magical daughter from the warlord’s mercenaries.
Record Of Ragnarok (2021)
The anime world is filled with great underdogs, and in Record of Ragnarok, the underdog is the entire human race. This Netflix original series centers around a tournament to determine the fate of humanity, and it pits gods from various mythologies against human fighters from different time periods.
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The gods possess immense physical strength, speed, reflexes, and durability, and they can use special abilities as well, which is why humans are allowed to use special weapons made from valkyries to even things out. The fight scenes can be pretty brutal, and Netflix has already renewed the series for a second season.
Shaman King (2021)
The original Shaman King series became a popular kid’s show in North America, but it didn’t really follow the manga, which is where the 2021 reboot comes in. The series focuses on Yoh, a young shaman who is attempting to win a tournament that will determine the next Shaman King.
The King will be able to contact the Great Spirit, and doing this will allow them to reshape the world in their image. The main villain is Yoh’s twin brother, who wishes to wipe out all of humanity in order to create a world for shamans. The story is well planned out, and the fight scenes are pretty decent, especially since every shaman fights with a spirit of their own. New episodes of the revived series are gradually making their way onto Netflix
Baki (2018) + Baki Hanma (2021)
Baki the Grappler began its manga run in 1991, and in 2018 Netflix released an anime that covers the second half of the series. The story focuses on Baki Hanma, a young fighter who trains to become a powerful warrior like his father.
The series focuses on five inmates who break out of prison, and they all head to Japan to fight Baki in a series of no-rules hand-to-hand brawls. The animation is spectacular, and the action sequences are intense, especially since the fighters are capable of performing unnatural physical feats. A third season, Hanma Baki – Son of Ogre, debuted last September.
Sword Art Online (2012)
Of all the Isekai anime set in a game, Sword Art Online is one of the best. The first season deals with 10,000 players getting trapped inside a VR game, and if they die inside it, they die in real life too. Kirito is the main character, and he falls in love with another player named Asuna, who he rescues in the second half of the season.
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The second season deals with the remnants of a murderous group from the first game, and Asuna later meets a friend with a heartbreaking real-life disease. The third season has Kirito placed into a coma after an attack, and his consciousness is saved when it is placed into a new VR environment. All four seasons of Sword Art Online are now available on Netflix.
Violet Evergarden (2018)
Violet Evergarden is a 13-episode series, and it has since spawned two anime films. It focuses on an Auto Memory Doll named Violet who works as a ghostwriter for people who are physically unable to write or express themselves.
Prior to being a doll, Violet was an abandoned child who became a skilled soldier that fought in a large-scale war. Over the course of the series, Violet tries to reintegrate back into society, but viewers get to see just how hard such a task is for someone dealing with survivor’s guilt.
Hunter X Hunter (2011)
Many consider Hunter x Hunter to be one of the best shonen anime of all time, and it certainly deserves to be on that list. The series follows a young Hunter named, Gon Freecss, who meets a lot of friends and villains while searching for his father, Ging. His best friend Killua was raised to be an assassin, and his friend Kurapika is out to destroy the criminal group that wiped out his clan.
The series has a lot of light-hearted moments, but it does become violent and dark when it needs to be. Most of the characters fight with Nen, which is basically their life energy, and it happens to be one of anime’s more complex yet balanced powers.
Code Geass: Lelouch Of The Rebellion (2006)
Code Geass consists of two seasons and 50 episodes, and it tells the story of an exiled prince named Lelouch who leads a rebellion against the Holy Britannian Empire. He does this because he wants Japan to regain its freedom, but he also wants to eliminate his father, the emperor who had his mother killed.
Lelouch meets an immortal witch named C.C. who gives him a Geass, which allows him to command anyone he wishes, but he can only use this ability on someone once. The series is well-paced and features a lot of mech combat, but Lelouch steals the show by being one of the smartest and most fleshed-out characters in all anime.
Castlevania (2017)
Castlevania is a Netflix original series, and it is by far one of the best video game TV shows around as well as one of the best anime on Netflix. Well, technically it’s not an anime, but Castlevania does take quite a few cues from the industry. The series starts off with Dracula falling in love with a human woman, and when she is killed after being branded a witch, the legendary vampire decides to go to war with humanity.
Trevor Belmont takes up arms against Dracula, and he is joined by a female magician named Sypha and Dracula’s own son, Alucard. The trio takes on various demons and creatures, and they go toe-to-toe with Dracula and all of his generals. The series is pretty violent and bloody, so fans of the Castlevania games will absolutely love it. The series has now ended, but Netflix plans on revisiting the universe with a spin-off series that will follow Trevor’s descendants.
Demon Slayer (2019)
Demon Slayer offers stunning visuals and great characters, which is why it took the anime world by storm in 2019. The story focuses on Tanjiro, a teenage boy who joins the Demon Slayer Corps in order to find a cure for his sister’s demon curse.
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The series shows just how strong the bond between siblings really is, and it has quite a few action scenes. The demons are humans who gave up their humanity in exchange for power and long life, but the series does a fantastic job of making audiences care about these villains, who are all tragic in some way. Demon Slayer’s second season recently concluded, but there is currently no timetable for its Netflix debut.
What’s Coming To Netflix In January?
Netflix is making a huge addition to its anime catalog in 2023 with Monster, a psychological thriller that is considered to be one of the best anime of the mid-2000s. The 74-episode series follows Dr. Kenzo Tenma, a young brain surgeon who loses his social standing when he saves a young boy instead of the local mayor. A decade later, one of his former patients turns out to be a serial killer, and he takes it upon himself to stop the killings. Monster is a beautiful and complex series with great characters and fantastic pacing, and it will premiere on January 1st.
2023 will also see the return of the popular Viking series, Vinland Saga, and Netflix will be simulcasting the second season when it premiers on January 9th. This means that fans will get to see new episodes each week. The second season will focus more on King Cnut’s journey to become the King of England, but Thorrfin will still be the centerpiece of the story. Now that his quest for vengeance against Askeladd has ended, his true dream of finding Vinland will once again become a priority.
On January 18th, Netflix will release Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre. This series is based on the works of Junji Ito, who is considered to be one of the best horror manga authors of all time. The anime anthology series will focus on 20 of his more popular works, and they will each be drawn with his unique art style.
The second season of Record of Ragnarok will debut on January 26th, and it will look a bit different because Yumeta Company agreed to co-animate the season with Graphinica. The tournament to decide the fate of humanity will continue, and this time, Gods such as Shiva and Hercules will be fighting humans like Raiden Tameemon and Jack the Ripper. There is also the added twist of a God seemingly betraying his fellow Gods to fight for humanity.
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