The 14 best anime on Netflix you can binge right now

Netflix is a better source for anime than many people might think. You can find older classics and new titles of all kinds. Netflix also licenses anime specifically for the platform. Some examples include the Little Witch Academia, Knights of Sidonia, and Seven Deadly Sins. The mixture of titles and genres is good enough for most anime fans, although Netflix naturally pales in comparison to Crunchyroll. Still, there is a ton of options. So, let’s take a look at the best anime on Netflix. Of course, we have a similar list for Hulu and Amazon Prime Video as well!

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The best anime on Netflix

Ingress: The Animation (2018-2019)

• Rating: 16+
• Seasons: 1
• Creator: Yūhei Sakuragi
• Main cast: Yoshiki Nakajima, Shigeo Kiyama, Kentaro Tone, Tarusuke Shingaki, Megumi Ogata, Reina Ueda, Hiroo Sasaki
• Genre: Animation, Action, Science Fiction
• IMDB rating: 6.5

Our first pick for this one is Ingress. It’s a relatively newer anime with an 11-episode first season. There is also a second season in the works. It follows the story of two people trying to understand and unlock the power of XM amidst a worldwide power struggle. The animation is a bit polarizing, but the breakneck pacing and the show’s no-fluff approach make it an entertaining watch. Keep an eye out for season two!

Ready to watch? You can find the show right here on Netflix.

Cowboy Bebop (1998-1999)

• Rating: 14+
• Seasons: 1
• Creator: Shinichirō Watanabe
• Main cast: Koichi Yamadera, Unsho Ishizuka, Megumi Hayashibara, Aoi Tada, Isshin Chiba, Norio Wakamoto, Toshihiko Nakajima
• Genre: Animation, Action, Adventure
• IMDB rating: 8.9

Possibly the most popular title on this list, Cowboy Bebop is certainly among the best anime on Netflix. A cult hit, it was even turned into a live-action series by the streamer. Cowboy Bebop follows a cool, easygoing bounty hunter and his crew aboard a spaceship in a futuristic solar system where Earth is no longer inhabitable. A stylish sci-fi romp, Cowboy Bebop provided some obvious inspiration for TV cult classic Firefly.

Ready to watch? You can find the show right here on Netflix.

The Seven Deadly Sins (2014-2021)

• Rating: 14+
• Seasons: 4
• Creator: Nakaba Suzuki
• Main cast: Rintaro Nishi, Yuki Kaji, Sora Amamiya, Tatsuhisa Suzuki, Misaki Kuno, Aoi Yuki, Jun Fukuyama
• Genre: Animation, Action, Adventure
• IMDB rating: 7.9

Seven Deadly Sins is a Netflix Original series currently in its third season. It’s a classic Shonen-style fantasy with action and adventure elements. It follows a group of warriors with checkered pasts trying to do good things for the world. Netflix has the show’s first and second season along with a little filler season between. Season three is in the works as we speak and should be out soon. It’s not for everyone, but it’s easily one of the best fantasy anime on the platform.

Ready to watch? You can find the show right here on Netflix.

Oni: Thunder God’s Tale (2022)

• Rating: 8+
• Seasons: 1
• Creator: Daisuke Tsutsumi
• Main cast: Momona Tamada, Craig Robinson, Archie Yates, Brittany Ishibashi, George Takei, Anna Akana, Charlet Chung
• Genre: Animation, Action, Adventure
• IMDB rating: 8.2

This anime miniseries from Oscar nominee Daisuke “Dice” Tsutsumi, a former Pixar art director, is a Netflix original with a distinct visual style thanks to the stop-motion animation used to bring it to life. A courageous girl tries to follow in her father’s footsteps to unlock her true potential in a mystical Japanese world full of gods and spirits.

Ready to watch? You can find the show right here on Netflix.

Carole & Tuesday (2019)

• Rating: 12+
• Seasons: 1
• Creator: Shinichirō Watanabe
• Main cast: Miyuri Shimabukuro, Nai Br.XX, Kana Ichinose, Celeina Ann, Akio Otsuka, Sumire Uesaka, Alisa
• Genre: Animation, Drama, Music
• IMDB rating: 7.8

Carole & Tuesday is one of the newer anime on Netflix from the director of Cowboy Bebop. It follows the story of a rich girl named Carole and a part-time worker Tuesday as they embark on a musical journey. The world is filled with grungy and undesirable folks, but there are some diamonds in the rough. It takes place in a futuristic city where computers normally make the music. It’s a more mature watch, but it’s heartwarming nevertheless. This may have gone better in the drama section, but it has a ton of slice-of-life elements.

Ready to watch? You can find the show right here on Netflix.

Little Witch Academia (2017)

• Rating: 5+
• Seasons: 1
• Creator: Yoh Yoshinari
• Main cast: Megumi Han, Michiyo Murase, Fumiko Orikasa, Chinatsu Akasaki, Yoko Hikasa, Noriko Hidaka, Arisa Shida
• Genre: Animation, Comedy, Family
• IMDB rating: 7.8

Little Witch Academia is a coming-of-age slice of life by Studio Trigger. It follows the adventure of Atsuko (Akko) as she enrolls in Nova Magical Academy to become a witch. She lives in a world that isn’t all that interested in magic anymore and wants to restore its good name. It has adventure elements and there is a fair bit more action than most slice-of-life dramas. However, the show is outstanding, despite a bit of controversy about Netflix not releasing the whole series at once.

Ready to watch? You can find the show right here on Netflix.

Violet Evergarden (2018)

• Rating: 14+
• Seasons: 1
• Creator: Taichi Ishidate, Reiko Yoshida
• Main cast: Yui Ishikawa, Daisuke Namikawa, Aya Endo, Haruka Tomatsu, Koki Uchiyama, Minori Chihara, Takehito Koyasu
• Genre: Animation, Drama, Fantasy
• IMDB rating: 8.4

Violet Evergarden is easily the most beautifully animated anime series on all of Netflix and possibly anywhere. It follows the journey of Violet as she recovers from being a tool for war and finding her commander. The show deals with her feelings for her commander that she doesn’t quite understand. The show is episodic with a short story arc over the last few episodes. Thus, the anime moves at a slower pace. However, the animation, soundtrack, and characterization are utterly flawless. A new movie also launched early in 2020 in case you want to watch more after you’re done binging the show.

Ready to watch? You can find the show right here on Netflix.

Castlevania (2017-2021)

• Rating: 17+
• Seasons: 4
• Creator: Warren Ellis
• Main cast: Richard Armitage, James Callis, Alejandra Reynoso, Theo James, Adetokumboh M’Cormack, Jaime Murray, Bill Nighy
• Genre: Animation, Action, Adventure
• IMDB rating: 8.3

Castlevania isn’t actually an anime in the traditional sense. It’s an American-made show with Japanese anime-style animation. It follows the basic plot from Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse from 1989. Netflix has the show’s entire three-season run to date. It’s an excellent nostalgia trip for people who played the original Castlevania games.

Ready to watch? You can find the show right here on Netflix.

Death Note (2006-2007)

• Rating: 13+
• Seasons: 1
• Creator: Tetsurō Araki
• Main cast: Mamoru Miyano, Shidô Nakamura, Noriko Hidaka, Nozomu Sasaki, Kimiko Saito, Naoya Uchida, Ryou Naitou
• Genre: Animation, Crime
• IMDB rating: 9

Good mysteries are hard to find on Netflix and Death Note is the most popular among them. It’s about a boy with a notebook. The notebook has the power to kill anybody whose name is written in it. Thus begins a cat-and-mouse game between the boy and a detective looking for the mass murderer. The show is dark and entertaining with some comedy bits to lighten things up from time to time.

Ready to watch? You can find the show right here on Netflix.

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure (2012-ongoing)

• Rating: 15+
• Seasons: 5
• Creator: Hirohiko Araki
• Main cast: Daisuke Ono, Takehito Koyasu, Unsho Ishizuka, Fuminori Komatsu, Daisuke Hirakawa, Kenta Miyake, Yuki Kaji
• Genre: Animation, Action, Adventure
• IMDB rating: 8.5

Blending paranormal, adventure, comedy, action, and fantasy elements to tell its story, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is a popular anime series and one of the best on Netflix. The latest seasons have in fact debuted exclusively on Netflix worldwide. The series, based on a popular manga, follows Jonathan “JoJo” Joestar as he battles his stepbrother, Dio Brando, for control of the family fortune. Dio, however, wields the power of an ancient stone mask, which turns him into a fierce vampire.

Ready to watch? You can find the show right here on Netflix.

One-Punch Man (2015-ongoing)

What you need to know:

• Rating: 13+
• Seasons: 3
• Creator: Shingo Natsume
• Main cast: Makoto Furukawa, Kaito Ishikawa, Kazuhiro Yamaji, Yuichi Nakamura, Kenjiro Tsuda, Aoi Yuki, Hiroki Yasumoto
• Genre: Animation, Action, Comedy
• IMDB rating: 8.7

One Punch Man is an extremely popular comedy-action anime about a dude who knocks basically anything out in a single punch. You would think a show like that would have no tension, but believe it or not, it does. The show is a quick watch with excellent dialog and fun action sequences. Season 2 is still in production as of June 2019 and we don’t know when or if it’ll show up on Netflix. You can watch season 2 on Crunchyroll, though.

Ready to watch? You can find the show right here on Netflix.

Aggretsuko (2018-2023)

• Rating: 10+
• Seasons: 5
• Creator: Rareko
• Main cast: Kaolip, Rareko, Shingo Katou, Rina Inoue, Sohta Arai, Maki Tsuruta, Yuki Takahashi
• Genre: Animation, Comedy
• IMDB rating: 8

Aggretsuko is something almost completely different. It’s a comedy slice of life about an anthropomorphic red panda trying to make it in the everyday world. The comedy comes from observational humor as well as its vast contrast in situations. If you don’t look up anything about the show before you watch it, the first episode is going to take you off guard. Keep at it, though. This is a good one.

Ready to watch? You can find the show right here on Netflix.

Devilman Crybaby (2018)

• Rating: 18+
• Seasons: 1
• Creator: Masaaki Yuasa
• Main cast: Koki Uchiyama, Ayumu Murase, Megumi Han, Ami Koshimizu, Atsuko Tanaka, Rikiya Koyama, Akio Hirose
• Genre: Animation, Action
• IMDB rating: 7.6

Devilman Crybaby is a gory dark fantasy about a race of demons trying to take the world from humans. It has excellent visuals, an active story, and plenty of gore. It revolves around Akira, a human who eventually gains the powers of a demon. The show is rather short at just ten episodes, but it’s a high-impact run. You should be able to get through this in a couple of days.

Ready to watch? You can find the show right here on Netflix.

Ajin: Demi-Human (2016-2017)

• Rating: 15+
• Seasons: 2
• Creator: Gamon Sakurai
• Main cast: Mamoru Miyano, Yoshimasa Hosoya, Aya Suzaki, Daisuke Hirakawa, Hiroyuki Kinoshita, Hochu Otsuka, Jun Fukuyama
• Genre: Animation, Action, Adventure
• IMDB rating: 7.6

Ajin: Demi-Human is a dark fantasy thriller with some horror elements. It follows the story of Kei, an Ajin that can regenerate when near death. Governments harvest these people for their organs and such since they immediately regenerate. The conflict drives the show forward for the majority of its run. It’s not horror in the traditional aspect, but it’s definitely gory and uncomfortable (in a fun way) to watch at times.

Ready to watch? You can find the show right here on Netflix.