The best anime on Amazon Prime Video

The Prime Video platform streams video, but also sells it. Confusing, but for simplicity, we’re going to cover anime you stream from the platform as part of the platform, not ones you have to purchase separately. In other words, ones that are available with Amazon Prime Video natively.

Finally, one more distinction. There are some excellent anime on Amazon Prime without complete seasons. For example, Pokemon the Series is on Amazon Prime. However, the service only has seasons six through nine (the Ruby and Sapphire part of the series). We still recommend it, but this happens more frequently on Amazon Prime Video than most other streaming services. Just a heads up.

Best anime on Amazon Prime Video:

Editor’s note: We’ll update this post of the best anime on Prime Video with new titles as they launch.

Avatar: The Last Airbender

Avatar: The Last Airbender is arguably the best anime for anime beginners and veterans alike. The show follows the story of Aang, who is encased in ice for 100 years before returning to a world ruled by the Fire Nation. He and his friends work together to put a stop to the wrong things happening. Sorry if that’s a lame description but I don’t want to spoil anything. The show was wildly praised with great storytelling despite only lasting three seasons. Amazon Prime Video also has the spiritual sequel, The Legend of Korra, but you need a Paramount Plus subscription to view it. Despite not actually being Japanese, it’s still one of the best anime.

Dororo – Dark fantasy

Dororo is one of the oldest properties on the list. The manga originally launched in the 1960s with an anime in the late 1960s. However, a modern adaptation aired in the late 2010s and this is that newer version. The show revolves around a ronin (a Samurai without a master) who was born massively disfigured because his father struck a deal with some demons. Dororo joins up and helps the ronin defeat more demons. There is obviously more there but we don’t want to spoil anything. It’s a darker show as the genre implies. The show runs for 24 episodes.

Elfen Lied – Horror/gore/thriller

Elfen Lied is another classic anime, but this one is a horror show. This one is not for the faint of heart and often features very violent scenes along with nudity. The story revolves around Lucy, a Diclonius with special abilities. An agency tries to recapture her after she escapes from a research lab. The anime is often cited by the Duffer Brothers as a major influence to the Netflix show Stranger Things. Fun fact, it’s also banned in China. The show lasts only 13 episodes and all of them are on Amazon Prime Video.

Girls’ Last Tour – Drama/Sci-fi

Girls’ Last Tour is a dystopian drama and science fiction show. The show revolves around two girls, Yuuri and Chito, as they navigate and explore the ruins of civilization. It’s basically an anime version of a classic survival simulator. The girls spend episodes exploring things, learning about their surroundings, and finding food and water in order to survive. Unlike many dystopian shows, this one is more about the day-to-day life kind of stuff rather than action or violence. Amazon has the entire show in its 12 episode entirety.

Grand Blue Dreaming – Slice of life

Grand Blue Dreaming is an interesting and fun slice of life anime. It revolves around Iori Kitahara, a mechanical engineering student who can’t swim. He gets swept up in the antics of a local diving club while in college and hilarity ensues. It straddles the line between slice of life and comedy, but we filed it under slice of life because it basically just follows the adventures of Iori without any real story arcs. In any case, it’s comfortable, fun, and the entire first season is available.

Grimoire of Zero – Fantasy

Grimoire of Zero is a fairly standard fantasy anime with a lot of the usual tropes. It revolves around Zero, a witch, and her body guard, Mercenary. The two agree to hunt down a magical tome together in exchange for Zero making Mercenary a full human. The unlikely duo adventure together for the show’s entire run. The show only lasts for 12 episodes, but it’s a good romp and it scratches that itch for fantasy fans.

Pokemon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire – Action/Adventure

Pokemon is one of the biggest and most successful anime shows in the world. Everybody recognizes the show’s hallmark theme song, artwork, and characters. Unfortunately, Amazon doesn’t have the entire show. What it does have the entire Ruby and Sapphire section. It comprises of seasons six through nine. Each season has three parts and roughly 30 episodes per part. The result is over 100 episodes of Pokemon. This is a classic action-adventure style show. Ash and his friends roam the world while Ash tries to become a Pokemon Master. In any case, this is the action-adventure series of choice, especially for anime beginners.

Re:CREATORS – Action

Re:CREATORS is one of the flagship original anime on Amazon Prime Video. It’s an isekai, an anime subgenre where characters are pulled into another world and live life there for at least a while. The main character launches into a mechan anime he’s watching on a tablet and the adventure begins there. He eventually leaves and fictional characters are dragged into the real world with him. The cast is divided between creations and their creators, a neat dynamic that underlines the entire show’s story. Amazon has the show’s entire 22 episode run along with some bonus commentary episodes.

Toradora! – Romance/Slice of Life

Toradora! is a romance, slice of life with a bit of comedy thrown it. It revolves around two high school students. Each one has a crush on the other’s friend so they help each other win over their crush. Their plans have the unintended effect of making the two closer than they originally intended. It’s a cute little romance story with bits of comedy as their plans to set each other up consistently backfire. The show is actually one of the better romance anime on any streaming service and one of the hidden gems on Amazon Prime Video.

Vinland Saga – Historical fiction

Vinland Saga is another Amazon exclusive and a surprisingly good anime. It’s a fictional story based on real events. A Viking boy sets out on a journey to avenge his murdered father. The story takes place during the same era as the Danish invasion of London. Even the main character, Thorfinn, is loosely based on the Vinland explorer Thorfinn Karlsefni. The animation and storytelling is quite good in this one, even if it’s a bit dry by anime standards. It compares well to older anime like Berserk in terms of tone. It’s also a nice break away from anime aimed at younger viewers because this one is definitely intended for adults.

Honorable mentions

Just because a show isn’t the best in its category doesn’t mean it’s not good. We wanted to give a shout out to some other great anime on Amazon Prime Video.

• After the Rain – A romantic comedy about a girl who falls in love with an older shopkeeper after he cheers her up one day. It’s a bit weird to watch, but the underlying tone is cutesy and fun.
• KOKKOKU – KOKKOKU is a horror mystery show with elements of drama as well. A family has the secret ability to stop time and enter the Statis, a place with weird monsters and other strange people.
• Made in Abyss – Made in Abyss is a fantasy-adventure show about a little girl looking for her mother inside of a multi-layered ruin (the Abyss). She stumbles on a boy who seems tailor made to fight and deal with the horrors of the ruin. This show is occasionally rough to watch, but it’s an endearing anime with some good storytelling. The first season is on Amazon and the second season isn’t out yet.
• Rage of Bahamut: Virgin Soul – This one is another adventure-fantasy show about a huge dragon (Bahamut) that is about to destroy everything and it’s up to a gritty team of adventurers to put it to a stop. Technically, Virgin Soul is the second season. However, Amazon doesn’t have the first and you can start here without being too far out of the loop to know what’s happening.

Check out the best anime on other streaming services:

• The best anime on Hulu
• Funimation’s best anime shows