We are almost at the end of another year, which is the perfect time to talk about our top anime of the year. 2025 has been interesting with lots of variety throughout the season.
We got non-Japanese shows that got really popular, returning shows that never faltered in popularity, and some incredible movies. In the list below, we will jot down our ten favorite anime this year.
The Best Anime of 2025
Gachiakuta
Without a doubt, Gachiakuta is one of the best anime of the year. It was already building up its hype, considering how well-drawn the original source material is. When it was finally released, it absolutely knocked things out of the park in those initial episodes.
Gachiakuta comes from the talented mind of Kei Urana, who was an assistant for Atsushi Ohkubo, the legendary creator of Soul Eater. Through her illustrations and story for this work, she bears the torch for Soul Eater. This is why Gachikauta is our top contender for anime of the year.
Chainsaw Man – Reze Arc
Chainsaw Man blew everyone’s mind when the anime came out, finally adapting Tatsuki Fujimoto’s most well-known work. After the first season ended, fans were left wanting more. Some scurried to read the rest of the story in the manga. While others waited for an eventual new season.
But what fans got was even better than they could have ever imagined. An official adaptation of one of the source material’s most important arcs by studio MAPPA.
Chainsaw Man – Reze Arc lived up to the hype on release. Fans and newcomers have not stopped expressing their hype about the film after they came back from the theaters. This is why Chainsaw Man – Reze Arc is definitely one of our biggest contenders for anime of the year.
Dandadan Season 2
Another huge heavy hitter from last year has to be Dandadan, which took everyone by surprise when the manga first dropped. Eventually, an adaptation was announced with Science Saru working on it.
This news had fans excited after the initial trailers, and when it did drop, it did so with a bang. Dandadan combines the tried and true shounen action tropes of high schoolers being mashed up with the supernatural and extraterrestrial.
The second season just dropped, which gave us a deeper look into where the series is finally heading. Rest assured, this show had a mandatory spot on our anime of the year list.
Clevatess
Once in a while, we are introduced to works of anime that are really good but not enough to remember for the rest of the year. Some might say that such unconditional feelings are not good enough to warrant them a place on the pedestal of anime of the year.
But we are of the contrary belief, and we want to change views by reminding everyone of the amazing adaptation of Clevatess that was released this year. The source material comes from a manga written by Yuji Iwahara.
Clevatess is our unconditional choice for anime of the year. It shines bright among the plethora of fantasy anime that have been dominating the medium for a while now.
Uma Musume: Cinderella Gray
The words ‘Uma Musume’ might be new to some, but definitely not to all who have been around the anime and video game spaces this year. Uma Musume Pretty Derby game was finally localized outside Japan, which instantly brought in a plethora of fans.
The original anime series, conceived by CyGames, predates the localization, but has found a new fanbase now. This was just in time for the release of Uma Musume: Cinderella Gray, which chronicles an action-packed offshoot story with Oguri Cap.
This anime about anthropomorphic derby horse racing takes up one of our spots for anime of the year. Do not miss out on it if you are looking for some great shows this year.
Tokapi’s Original Sin
At first glance, Tokapi’s Original Sin may not look like a show worthy of one’s time. But do not be fooled, because this show will shoot you down in cold blood with its shocking premise from the very first episode.
It is adapted from the manga illustrated and written by a creator with the pen name Taizan 5. Tokapi’s Original Sin tells us the gut-wrenching story of an Alien named Happian, who wants to help save his only friend on earth from ending her life.
It can be regarded as a contemporary and much darker take on works such as Doraemon. But done in a way that keeps viewers glued to their seats, and that’s why it’s on our list for anime of the year.
The Summer Hikaru Died
The Summer Hikaru Died is another show that has been hovering over everyone’s mind for the entirety of 2025. The original manga was already popular and fresh on everyone’s mind. But the show further elevated the narrative with amazing animation by CyGames Pictures.
There are a lot of works in the horror space when it comes to anime and manga, especially Junji Ito’s works. But they don’t really translate well on screen, and some turn out to be a disaster, like the recent adaptation of Uzumaki.
Thankfully, The Summer Hikaru Died avoids this with precision, finally giving fans of the genre a weird horror anime that is going to stick around for a while. The Summer Hikaru Died is going on our list for anime of the year.
Solo Leveling Season 2
We have been talking about Japanese anime throughout this whole list, but let’s not forget to address the elephant in the room. Solo Leveling barged in as a Korean webcomic and spread through the fandom like wildfire.
In 2024, it received an anime adaptation that further took its reputation to new heights. It was animated by A1 Pictures, the studio well known for anime adaptations of the Persona and Black Butler.
Season 2 of the show aired this year, continuing the momentum without faltering behind; that’s why we have to put it on our list of best anime of this year.
My Hero Academia Final Season
Solo Leveling is not the only show with a returning second season that took away everyone’s breath. Another show that has been dominating the shounen anime genre with debates for over a decade is going through its final climax.
My Hero Academia has created new anime fans for years now, long before Demon Slayer or Chainsaw Man anime saw the light of day. This time, even more people have their eyes glued to the screen, because it is the finale of the series. We have to do the honors and give it a place on our anime of the year list.
Blue Box
Blue Box is a show that released at the end of 2024 and followed through to 2025, becoming one of the best ways to start the new season. It is adapted from the original manga created by Kouji Miura.
At first glance, Blue Box looks like a very well-made slice of life sports anime, but the more you read, you find out it is something special. It follows the story of young individuals who are involved with sports, but there is also a hint of blooming romance.
But what sets Blue Box apart from other obvious romance anime is that it actually does not rely on the usual tropes of the genre. These characters choose to seek out their own improvement arcs, and that’s why Blue Box is going into our list of top anime of the year.
