KissAnime

The head

At the top of every page, the KissAnime logo fills the left of the head in large letters, Kiss in lime and Anime in pale grey, underlined with a thin olive rule. On the right, a white search box ends in a green button with a magnifier, and beneath it a small lime link reads Advanced Search.

The search box reads English and Japanese titles alike, so typing Shingeki no Kyojin or Attack on Titan finds the same series. Advanced Search opens a page with filters for genre, year and rating.

On a phone, a green Menu button appears beside the logo and the search box stretches across the width of the screen.

The tab bar

Beneath the head, a dark bar holds a row of rounded tabs in bright lime-green: Home, Anime list, Movies, Ongoing, Genres, Top rated and My List. The tab for the page you are on turns deep olive with white letters, and the others brighten when you point at them.

A narrower olive sub-bar runs under the tabs with quick links separated by thin bars: New anime, Completed, Studio Ghibli and Help.

The layout of tabs and sub-bar follows the original site, where the tabs sat on a dark gradient and the sub-bar carried a line of shortcuts.

The random anime banner

The main column opens with the banner. On the left sits a cover in a thin grey frame that turns red when you point at it; on the right, the words Random anime in small capitals, then the anime's title in the site's large yellow-green type, its genres, its status and number of episodes, a few lines of story and a green Watch now link.

At the moment the banner shows Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, the story of an elf mage who sets out on a new journey after her hero companions grow old.

The banner is the quickest way to discover something new: one series, one click, one Watch now button.

The Latest update box

Below the banner, a box titled Latest update holds a scrolling row of covers, each with the anime's name in lime and its latest episode number in grey beneath. A small Page 1 label sits at the right of the title bar.

The row is led by the ongoing series fans follow week by week, such as Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Bleach, Detective Conan and JUJUTSU KAISEN.

On a phone, the row scrolls sideways with a swipe.

The tabbed listing

Next comes a box with three tabs across its title bar: Most popular, New series and Top rated. The active tab is filled in lime, and a click on another switches the list at once.

Each tab shows a table with the anime title in lime, its latest episode in grey and its year, with alternate rows slightly darker and every row lighting up grey as you point at it, just like the original anime list.

At the moment Most popular is led by Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Bleach, Detective Conan and Pokémon.

Anime movies

After the listing, a box titled Anime movies shows ten film covers, each with its title in lime and its year and runtime in grey, and a More link to the full movies list.

The box holds favourites such as Spirited Away, Your Name. and Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle.

Anime films are a good way to try a new studio or director in a single evening.

The right-hand boxes

On a computer, a narrow column of boxes runs down the right of the page, each with a grey title bar. Welcome explains in bold type that every anime opens on the official services in your country.

Ongoing series lists the series still airing, each with a small lime bullet and its latest episode number, such as One Piece Episode 1180. Top rated lists the ten highest-rated titles, led by Frieren: Beyond Journey's End and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.

A final box lists the help pages. On a tablet the boxes sit side by side under the main column, and on a phone they follow one another.

The anime page

Every anime has its own page. At the top, the cover sits beside the English title, the Japanese title and a row of tags: HD, the type, the year, the status, the number of dated episodes and the genres.

A few lines of story follow, then the lime Watch now button and an Add to My List button. Below, a panel titled Where to watch explains the viewing options, and a grid of facts lists the original title, the first air date, the original language, the country, the studio, the audience score and other names the anime is known by.

Series pages add a list of seasons, each opening to its episodes with titles and air dates, which matters for series with hundreds of episodes.

The Watch now button

Press Watch now on any anime page, choose your country in the panel that opens, and press it again. KissAnime sends you to the anime's page on JustWatch, the independent guide to streaming services around the world.

There you see which services carry the anime in your country, whether it is included in a subscription, available to rent or buy, or free with adverts.

Choose one and the anime opens in that service's app or website, where you can pick subtitles or a dub and start from the first episode or the latest.

Choosing your country

Anime rights vary more than most, with a series on Crunchyroll in one country and on Netflix or Hulu in another. KissAnime asks for your viewing country once and remembers it for every anime.

The United States comes first in the list, followed by India, the Philippines, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Sweden, France, Germany, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brazil, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa and Japan.

Change it from the viewing panel at any time, and every Watch now button follows the new choice.

The anime list

The anime list is the heart of KissAnime. It holds more than a hundred series and forty films, chosen by how many fans watch them and how highly they rate them, from the classics of the 1990s to the hits of the latest season.

Every series page lists its seasons and episodes with air dates, so a newcomer can see at a glance whether a series is a single cour of twelve episodes or a journey of a thousand.

The where to start guide suggests first series for newcomers.

The long-running giants

A handful of anime have run for so long that they have become part of childhood around the world. One Piece has followed Luffy and the Straw Hat pirates for more than a thousand episodes, and Detective Conan has solved more than a thousand cases with a detective trapped in a child's body.

Pokémon has followed Ash and Pikachu for more than twelve hundred episodes, and Naruto, Naruto Shippūden and Boruto: Naruto Next Generations together tell a ninja saga across two generations.

Bleach, Fairy Tail, Black Clover and Dragon Ball Super add hundreds more episodes of adventure. The long-running anime guide explains how to find your place.

This season's favourites

Recent seasons have produced some of the most talked-about anime ever. Frieren: Beyond Journey's End quietly became one of the highest-rated series of all time, and Solo Leveling turned a web novel about the weakest hunter into a global hit.

Dan Da Dan mixes aliens, ghosts and high-school romance at breakneck speed, Kaiju No. 8 follows a man who can turn into a monster, and The Apothecary Diaries solves mysteries in an imperial palace.

Dragon Ball DAIMA brings Goku back in a new form, and Hell's Paradise sends condemned warriors to a deadly island.

Shounen action

Shounen anime, written for young readers but loved by all ages, fill much of the list. My Hero Academia follows an ordinary boy who dreams of joining a world of heroes, and Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba follows a young swordsman seeking a cure for his sister.

JUJUTSU KAISEN follows a student who swallows a cursed finger, Chainsaw Man a young man fused with a chainsaw devil, and Tokyo Revengers a man who travels back to his school days to save his friends.

Hunter x Hunter, Yu Yu Hakusho and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood are the classics the new series look up to. The shounen guide has more.

Series fans call masterpieces

Some series are named again and again as the best anime ever made. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood tells a complete, carefully plotted story of two brothers and the price of their mistake, and Steins;Gate turns a microwave that sends messages to the past into a gripping time-travel thriller.

Attack on Titan grows from a monster story into an epic about war, and Vinland Saga from a Viking revenge tale into a meditation on peace.

Monster, Death Note, Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion and Cowboy Bebop complete a shelf that every anime fan eventually explores.

Comedy

Anime comedy comes in many flavours. SPY x FAMILY builds a fake family of a spy, an assassin and a telepathic child, Kaguya-sama: Love Is War turns a crush into a battle of wits, and One-Punch Man follows a hero so strong he wins every fight with one punch.

Mob Psycho 100, Assassination Classroom, MASHLE: MAGIC AND MUSCLES and The Way of the Househusband are all built on a single brilliant joke, and Komi Can't Communicate is a gentle comedy about a shy girl making friends.

Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid, Teasing Master Takagi-san and Himouto! Umaru-chan are light and warm, ideal one episode at a time.

Isekai

Isekai, stories of people transported to other worlds, are some of the most popular series on the list. Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- sends its hero back in time each time he dies, and That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime reincarnates an office worker as a friendly slime who builds a nation.

Overlord traps a player in his game as an all-powerful undead king, The Rising of the Shield Hero follows a hero armed only with a shield, and KONOSUBA - God's blessing on this wonderful world! is a comedy that pokes fun at the whole genre.

Sword Art Online, Saga of Tanya the Evil, TSUKIMICHI -Moonlit Fantasy- and The Misfit of Demon King Academy complete the Isekai shelf.

Sports

Sports anime turn games into drama. Haikyu!! follows a short volleyball player with enormous jumps, and Kuroko's Basketball a team with an invisible sixth player.

Slam Dunk made basketball a craze in Japan in the 1990s, BLUE LOCK turns football into a battle royale for the best striker, and Captain Tsubasa has inspired real professional footballers.

Yuri!!! on Ice follows a figure skater and his coach, and Fighting Spirit a bullied boy who finds boxing.

Mecha

Giant robots are one of anime's great traditions. Neon Genesis Evangelion reinvented the genre in 1995 with teenagers piloting giants against mysterious angels, and Gurren Lagann turned it into an exuberant climb from underground to the stars.

Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion mixes mecha with political strategy, and DARLING in the FRANXX pairs its pilots in two-person robots.

The Mecha shelf gathers them all.

Romance

Romance anime range from comedy to heartbreak. Toradora! follows two classmates helping each other with their crushes, Your Lie in April follows a young pianist and a free-spirited violinist, and Horimiya follows two classmates with hidden sides.

Kaguya-sama: Love Is War, TONIKAWA: Over the Moon for You, Maid Sama!, Kamisama Kiss and Golden Time are lighter love stories, and Orange follows a girl who receives letters from her future self.

The Romance shelf gathers them all.

Dark fantasy and horror

Anime is unafraid of darkness. Tokyo Ghoul follows a student who becomes half ghoul, Parasyte -the maxim- a boy whose right hand is taken over by an alien, and The Promised Neverland children who discover the truth about their orphanage.

Made in Abyss sends a girl and a robot boy into a vast, beautiful and deadly pit, Dororo follows a young warrior reclaiming his body from demons, and Hellsing Ultimate follows a vampire who hunts other vampires.

Berserk, Another, The Future Diary, Deadman Wonderland and Dorohedoro complete a shelf for viewers who enjoy something grim.

Mystery and thrillers

Death Note pits a student who can kill by writing a name against a brilliant detective, and Monster follows a surgeon hunting the boy he once saved.

ERASED sends a man back to his childhood to prevent a kidnapping, Classroom of the Elite turns a school into a game of strategy, and Bungo Stray Dogs follows detectives with literary superpowers.

Banana Fish is a crime drama set in New York, and Black Lagoon follows a crew of mercenaries in Southeast Asia.

Stories that move

Some anime are remembered for making viewers cry. Violet Evergarden follows a former soldier who writes letters for others and learns what love means, and Your Lie in April is a story of music and loss.

Charlotte, Orange and The Ancient Magus' Bride mix gentle fantasy with deep feeling, and BEASTARS uses a school of animals to tell a story about prejudice and belonging.

Keep a box of tissues near for these.

Classics from before 2010

The Classics shelf gathers anime from before 2010. Cowboy Bebop, TRIGUN and Samurai Champloo brought a jazz-age cool to anime in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Rurouni Kenshin, InuYasha, Ranma ½ and Cardcaptor Sakura were favourites of their generation, and Digimon: Digital Monsters and Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters filled Saturday mornings.

Fullmetal Alchemist, xxxHOLiC and Neon Genesis Evangelion complete a shelf of anime that still hold up today.

Studio Ghibli

Studio Ghibli's films are among the most loved animated films in the world, and they have a shelf of their own. Castle in the Sky was the studio's first film, a flying adventure in search of a floating city.

My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service and Ponyo are gentle stories for every age, Princess Mononoke and Warriors of the Wind are epics about people and nature, and Porco Rosso follows a pilot cursed to look like a pig.

Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, Whisper of the Heart, The Cat Returns, Arrietty, When Marnie Was There and The Boy and the Heron complete the Studio Ghibli shelf.

Makoto Shinkai and Mamoru Hosoda

Two directors have become as famous as Ghibli for their films. Makoto Shinkai's Your Name., Weathering with You and Suzume pair luminous skies with stories of young people bound by fate.

Mamoru Hosoda's The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and Wolf Children are warm stories about growing up and family.

These films are ideal introductions to anime for viewers who usually watch live-action films.

Landmark films

Some anime films changed animation worldwide. Akira and Ghost in the Shell imagined future cities that inspired filmmakers everywhere, and Satoshi Kon's Perfect Blue and Paprika blurred dreams and reality.

Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion and Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time bring the Evangelion story to its conclusions, and A Silent Voice: The Movie and Look Back are tender stories of friendship and regret.

The anime films guide has more.

Films from favourite series

Many series have films that continue their stories. Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Train and Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle became some of the highest-grossing anime films ever.

Jujutsu Kaisen 0 tells a prequel to the series, One Piece Film Red brings Luffy's crew to a concert that goes wrong, and Chainsaw Man - The Movie: Reze Arc adapts a favourite storyline.

The Last: Naruto the Movie, Road to Ninja: Naruto the Movie, My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising and Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F' complete the shelf.

Computer-animated films

The list also holds Japanese computer-animated films. The Resident Evil films, Resident Evil: Degeneration, Resident Evil: Damnation, Resident Evil: Vendetta and Resident Evil: Death Island, follow the heroes of the famous games.

They are made with the same care for action and atmosphere as the games themselves, and suit a late-night viewing.

The Anime movies shelf holds every film.

Sub or dub

Every anime fan eventually takes a side in the great debate: subtitles or dub. Subtitled anime keeps the Japanese voice actors, whose performances are a large part of what makes a series special; dubbed anime lets you follow the pictures closely, which suits action-heavy series and younger viewers.

Most popular series, such as Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, My Hero Academia and SPY x FAMILY, are offered both ways. On most services you switch in the player's audio menu; on some, the dub is listed as a separate version of the series.

The sub or dub guide explains the options.

Simulcasts and seasons

New anime arrives in four seasons a year: winter, spring, summer and autumn. Each brings dozens of new series, and many are streamed as simulcasts, with subtitled episodes appearing within hours of their Japanese broadcast.

The Ongoing shelf and the Latest update box follow the series currently airing. One Piece, Solo Leveling and Kaiju No. 8 are among the series fans follow week by week.

The simulcasts guide explains how the seasons work.

Where anime streams

Crunchyroll carries the largest anime catalogue in most countries, including most simulcasts. Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video and Disney+ carry many popular series, some as exclusives, and HIDIVE carries many niche titles.

Studio Ghibli's films stream on Max in the United States and on Netflix in many other countries, and anime films often arrive for rent or purchase after their cinema run.

The guide to anime services compares them, and the Watch now button lists every option for your country.

Picture quality

KissAnime's tagline has always promised high quality, and today's official services deliver it. Most anime streams in 1080p, and a growing number of series and films in 4K.

The clean lines and bright colours of series such as Frieren: Beyond Journey's End and Violet Evergarden look superb on a good screen, and the detailed backgrounds of Ghibli films reward a large one.

A connection of about 5 megabits a second suits HD, and about 25 suits 4K.

Phones, consoles and televisions

KissAnime works in any browser. On a phone, the tab bar folds into a green Menu button, the Latest update row scrolls sideways, and the listing table keeps the title and latest episode.

To watch on a television, open the anime in the same service's app on the television, or cast it with Chromecast or AirPlay. Crunchyroll and the major services have apps for PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch.

Many apps let you download episodes on Wi-Fi to watch later on the move. The apps and devices guide has more.

Free and legal anime

Plenty of anime can be watched free and legally. Tubi and Pluto TV carry many series with adverts, and studios and distributors publish full episodes and films on their own YouTube channels in many countries.

Crunchyroll and other services offer free trials, and some library services carry anime films.

The Watch now button marks free options for your country. The free and legal guide gathers more.

My List

My List keeps track of the anime you are watching or plan to watch. Press Add to My List on any anime page, and it joins the My List page.

Many fans keep one list for the current season, another for classics to catch up on, and a third for films.

The list lives in your browser and works right away. Export My List saves a small file; Import a saved copy merges it on another device. The My List guide has more.

More ways to find anime

The Anime list, the A-Z page and the Genres page cover the whole catalogue, and the collections page gathers every shelf.

The finding anime guide explains search and advanced search, and the how to watch guide walks through each step.

The Top rated page ranks the hundred highest-rated anime.

The official KissAnime

KissAnime has one fixed address, shown in your browser, and its own writing and anime pages: the dark page, the lime links, the green tab bar, the random anime banner and the Latest update and Ongoing series boxes.

Bookmark it or add it to your home screen, and it opens with your country and My List in place. Every Watch now button leads to JustWatch and official services.

The official site and site status guides explain what to check.

Staying safe

KissAnime shows covers, stories, episode lists and links to JustWatch and official services, and every button goes exactly where its label says.

Official services keep your devices safe, and every legal view helps fund the studios and animators behind the next season. Keep your browser and devices updated for security fixes and better playback.

Elsewhere, leave pages that open windows on their own, ask you to install a player or ask for card details to watch something free. The safety guide has a short checklist.

How anime is chosen

The KissAnime list is built from the anime fans watch and rate most: popular series from every era, the best-rated series of all time, and the anime films audiences love.

Series are sorted into Ongoing and Completed by their broadcast status, and into shelves such as Shounen, Sports, Isekai, Mecha and Romance by their themes.

KissAnime is a site for a general audience. Fan-service and ecchi titles are left out, so every shelf is comfortable to browse with anyone nearby.

Where the information comes from

Covers, titles, Japanese titles, stories, genres, seasons, episodes, studios and audience scores come from TMDB, the community film and television database used around the world.

Where to watch comes from JustWatch, updated daily for every country. The help pages and this guide are written for KissAnime.

The list is refreshed regularly, so new episodes and new series appear as they air.

Your first anime

If you are new to anime, a short, complete series is the best first step. Death Note tells its whole story in thirty-seven episodes, ERASED in twelve, and Cowboy Bebop in twenty-six self-contained adventures.

For something warm, SPY x FAMILY is funny for the whole household, and for something epic, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood tells one complete story across sixty-four episodes.

A Studio Ghibli film such as Spirited Away is an ideal first anime film, and Your Name. an ideal second.

Studios to follow

Anime fans often follow studios the way film fans follow directors. MAPPA made JUJUTSU KAISEN, Chainsaw Man and the final seasons of Attack on Titan; Madhouse made Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, Death Note, Hunter x Hunter and One-Punch Man.

Bones made Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Mob Psycho 100 and My Hero Academia; Ufotable made Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba and its films; Kyoto Animation made Violet Evergarden; and Wit Studio made SPY x FAMILY and Vinland Saga's first season.

Each anime page lists its studio, and searching a studio's name gathers its work.

Openings and endings

Anime openings and endings are an art form of their own, and many fans watch them every time. The openings of Attack on Titan, Naruto Shippūden, JUJUTSU KAISEN and Cowboy Bebop are among the most famous, and many became hit songs in Japan and beyond.

Joe Hisaishi's scores for Studio Ghibli, from My Neighbor Totoro to Howl's Moving Castle, are some of the most loved film music ever written.

Good headphones or a soundbar bring out every layer.

From manga to anime

Most anime series begin as manga, Japanese comics published week by week or month by month. One Piece, Naruto, Bleach, Chainsaw Man and SPY x FAMILY all ran in weekly magazines before they were animated.

Light novels are another source: Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-, Overlord and Sword Art Online began as illustrated novels, and Solo Leveling began as a Korean web novel.

Many fans read ahead in the manga while waiting for the next season of the anime.

Marathon planning

Long series need a plan. One Piece and Detective Conan are journeys of a year or more at a few episodes a day, while Naruto and Naruto Shippūden together take a few months.

A weekend suits a single cour of twelve or thirteen episodes, such as ERASED or Violet Evergarden, and a month suits Attack on Titan or Hunter x Hunter.

The episode list on each series page helps you keep your place, and My List keeps the next series ready.

Anime for the whole family

Many anime suit every age. My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service and Ponyo are gentle and joyful, and Pokémon, Digimon: Digital Monsters and Cardcaptor Sakura have delighted children for decades.

SPY x FAMILY and Haikyu!! are funny and uplifting for children and parents alike, and Dr. STONE makes science an adventure.

Services add their own age ratings and parental controls, which you can set in each app's profile settings.

Reading the scores

Every anime page shows a TMDB audience score out of ten. Scores above eight mark the anime fans love most, and the Top rated box and page are made almost entirely of them.

The number of votes matters too. A series rated by thousands of fans has a settled score, while a new series may move as more people watch.

Scores are a helpful guide rather than a final word, and some of the most enjoyable anime sit just below the top.

Worth rewatching

Many anime reward a second viewing. Steins;Gate, Death Note and Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion are full of plans and clues that only make sense once you know the ending.

Attack on Titan hides foreshadowing from its first episode that pays off years later, and Neon Genesis Evangelion feels different at every age.

Keep a small shelf of favourites in My List for the next rewatch.

Watching with friends

Anime is often a shared passion. Many services offer group-watch features that keep playback in step across devices, and a weekly episode of an ongoing series makes a natural meeting point for friends.

Series with big reveals, such as Attack on Titan or The Promised Neverland, are especially fun to watch together.

My List makes it easy to agree on the next series.

One episode tonight

Most anime episodes run about twenty-four minutes, which makes them easy to fit into a busy evening. Comedy series such as Kaguya-sama: Love Is War and Teasing Master Takagi-san are ideal one at a time.

Episodic series such as Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo tell a complete story in most episodes, perfect for a quick watch before bed.

Save the long arcs and the films for the weekend.

Enjoy KissAnime

KissAnime exists to help fans find their next anime, from a thousand-episode adventure to a single perfect film, and to make each one easy to watch legally wherever they live.

From the random anime banner to the Latest update box, the tabbed listing and the Ongoing series box, every part of the page is there to get you to a great series quickly.

Bookmark KissAnime, build your list, and enjoy the next episode.

Dragon Ball

Dragon Ball has shaped action anime for four decades. Dragon Ball Z Kai retells the classic Saiyan and Frieza battles in a tighter, remastered form, and Dragon Ball Super continues Goku's story after the defeat of Majin Buu.

Super Dragon Ball Heroes offers short, fast promotional adventures, and Dragon Ball DAIMA turns Goku and his friends into children for a new journey.

The film Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F' brings back one of the saga's most famous villains.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure follows the Joestar family across generations, from Victorian England to modern Italy, each part with a new hero and a new style.

Its dramatic poses, colourful fights and inventive powers have made it one of the most quoted anime ever.

Each part stands mostly on its own, so the series page's season list is a good guide to where each story begins.

Martial arts and fighting

Fighting anime have their own devoted fans. BAKI and Baki Hanma follow a young fighter's quest to surpass his father, and KENGAN ASHURA stages corporate disputes settled in the ring.

Record of Ragnarok pits gods against humanity's greatest warriors, and The God of High School turns a martial arts tournament into a battle of legends.

These series are all about the fights, animated with great energy.

Slice of life

Slice-of-life anime find drama in everyday moments. Komi Can't Communicate follows a shy girl's attempt to make a hundred friends, and Horimiya two classmates who discover each other's hidden sides.

Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid imagines a dragon working as a maid in a Tokyo flat, and Himouto! Umaru-chan follows a perfect student who becomes a lazy gamer at home.

These series are gentle company for a quiet evening.

Spirits and the supernatural

Japanese folklore fills many anime. Noragami follows a minor god who takes odd jobs for five yen, Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun a ghost who grants wishes in a school bathroom, and Kamisama Kiss a girl who becomes a local deity.

xxxHOLiC follows a boy who sees spirits and works in a shop that grants wishes at a price, and Blue Exorcist a boy who learns he is the son of Satan and trains as an exorcist.

Bungo Stray Dogs gives famous authors supernatural powers named after their books.

Science fiction

Science fiction anime range from the playful to the profound. Dr. STONE rebuilds civilisation from the Stone Age with science, and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners follows a street kid in a neon future city.

Steins;Gate is a time-travel thriller, The Promised Neverland a dark fable about a perfect orphanage, and BNA follows a girl who turns into a raccoon in a city of beastmen.

Tower of God follows a boy climbing a mysterious tower in search of his friend, with a new challenge on every floor.

Swords and samurai

Swordplay runs through many of the best anime. Rurouni Kenshin follows a wandering swordsman who has sworn to protect rather than kill, and Samurai Champloo mixes Edo-period Japan with hip-hop.

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba follows a swordsman whose breathing techniques turn each fight into a painting, and Dororo and Hell's Paradise bring swords to dark fantasy.

Seraph of the End and Black Clover pair blades with magic and vampires.

Heroes and villains

Some of the most memorable anime tell stories from the villain's side. Death Note follows a student who decides to judge the world, Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion a prince who leads a rebellion in a mask, and Saga of Tanya the Evil a ruthless officer in a magical war.

Overlord follows an undead king building an empire, and The Misfit of Demon King Academy a demon king reborn two thousand years later.

These series make fascinating viewing, asking what makes a hero at all.

School stories

School is the setting for countless anime. Assassination Classroom follows a class ordered to assassinate their alien teacher, Classroom of the Elite a school that ranks its students in every way, and My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU a cynical student in a volunteer club.

Haikyu!!, Kuroko's Basketball and Slam Dunk are set in high-school sports clubs, and Maid Sama! follows a student council president with a secret job.

School stories are a good place to start for viewers who enjoy character and comedy.

Romantic comedies

Romantic comedies are among the most popular series of every season. The Quintessential Quintuplets follows a tutor and five identical sisters, and Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai mixes romance with gentle supernatural mysteries.

TONIKAWA: Over the Moon for You follows a newly married couple, and Teasing Master Takagi-san a boy who keeps losing, happily, to his classmate's teasing.

These series are light, warm and ideal for an episode before bed.

Magical girls

Magical girl anime have inspired generations of fans. Sailor Moon Crystal retells the story of Usagi and the Sailor Guardians, and Cardcaptor Sakura follows a girl who must recapture a set of magical cards.

These series are bright, hopeful and full of friendship, and they suit younger viewers as well as nostalgic grown-ups.

Both are listed on the Classics and Completed shelves.

Crime and gangs

Crime stories take many forms in anime. Tokyo Revengers sends its hero back to his school days to change the fate of a gang, and Banana Fish follows a young gang leader in New York.

Black Lagoon follows a Japanese office worker who joins a crew of mercenary smugglers, and Detective Conan solves a new case in almost every episode.

The Mystery and thriller shelf gathers them all.

Adventure worlds

Some anime build worlds you want to live in. Made in Abyss descends into a vast pit full of wonders and dangers, Hunter x Hunter follows a boy searching for his father across a world of hunters, and One Piece sails the Grand Line island by island.

Fairy Tail follows a guild of wizards on endless quests, and The Ancient Magus' Bride opens a quiet world of English faeries.

These series reward viewers who love exploring a story's geography as much as its plot.

Underdog heroes

Anime love an underdog. My Hero Academia follows a boy who must work harder than anyone to become a hero, Black Clover a boy born magicless in a world ruled by magic, and Solo Leveling the weakest hunter who keeps levelling up.

Haikyu!! follows a short player in a tall sport, and Fighting Spirit a shy boy who becomes a boxer.

These stories are full of hope and effort, and they make uplifting viewing on any night.

Fantasy journeys

Fantasy anime often take the form of a long journey. Frieren: Beyond Journey's End retraces an old quest with new companions, The Rising of the Shield Hero follows a hero rebuilding his reputation, and Vinland Saga follows a young warrior across the Viking world.

TSUKIMICHI -Moonlit Fantasy- and That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime build peaceful towns in fantasy lands, and Dororo travels through feudal Japan.

These series are ideal for viewers who love a story that unfolds slowly over many episodes.

Time and memory

Time travel and memory are favourite anime themes. Steins;Gate, ERASED and Tokyo Revengers each send a hero back to change the past, and Orange sends letters from the future.

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time turns time travel into a summer romance, and Your Name. connects two teenagers across time and distance.

These stories are full of surprises and reward close attention.

Evangelion

Few anime have been discussed as much as Evangelion. Neon Genesis Evangelion began in 1995 as a giant-robot series and became a deep psychological drama, and Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion gave it a famous, much-debated ending.

Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time closed the later film series in 2021, bringing a quarter-century story to a new conclusion.

Watching the series and films in order is a rewarding project for any fan.

Space westerns

A few anime blend the western with science fiction. TRIGUN follows a gunslinger with a huge bounty on his head and a gentle heart, wandering a desert planet.

Cowboy Bebop follows a crew of bounty hunters across the solar system to a jazz soundtrack, and it remains one of the most admired anime ever made.

Both suit a relaxed evening, one self-contained episode at a time.

In short

Search by name, pick from the random anime banner, the Latest update box or the tabbed listing, and open any anime to reach its Watch now button.

Choose subtitles or a dub in the player, keep series in My List, and choose your country once.

The help pages cover every step, from sub or dub and simulcasts to the official address and staying safe.

Questions