10 Best Kyoto Animation Anime Of All Time, Ranked

by

Kyoto Animation is widely considered one of the best anime studios in the world. For years, they’ve been known for consistently beautiful animation and compelling stories that skillfully balance humor and emotional depth – a rare combination that sets them apart.

Kyoto Animation consistently delivers high-quality anime, both in terms of animation and storytelling. Many of their shows are considered among the very best ever made, and their most popular titles clearly demonstrate why they’ve earned such a dedicated fanbase.

10) Love, Chunibyo, & Other Delusions

In the anime Love, Chunibyo, & Other Delusions, Yuta Togashi wants to leave his embarrassing “eighth-grader syndrome” days behind and just be a normal high school student. However, his new neighbor, Rikka Takanashi, is completely lost in her own delusions, just like he used to be. Though he’d rather forget his past, Yuta finds himself drawn into Rikka’s world, and they begin to develop feelings for each other.

Love, Chunibyo, & Other Delusions is a funny and charming anime about people who pretend to have fantastical powers. Kyoto Animation’s beautiful animation really shines during the series’ imaginative fantasy scenes. With a sweet romance at its heart, it’s a delightful show that deserves more attention.

9) K-On!

I watched K-On! from 2009, and it’s a really charming show about a group of girls who form a band called Houkago Tea Time. While the anime does show them improving as musicians, a lot of the episodes actually focus on their everyday adventures and funny situations – often completely unrelated to music! It’s less about the band’s progress and more about their fun, slice-of-life experiences.

K-On! is an anime known for its music, and it features a fantastic soundtrack. But what really makes it enjoyable is the hilarious dynamic between the characters and its charming animation style. Often considered the perfect example of the ‘cute girls doing cute things’ genre, it’s no surprise that K-On! remains popular with fans.

8) Lucky Star

The 2007 anime Lucky Star follows the everyday lives of Konata Izumi, a laid-back gaming enthusiast, and her friends and family. While the show is mostly a comedy based on the characters’ interactions, it also includes a lot of jokes and references to popular anime from the 90s and 2000s, especially The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya.

Though Lucky Star sometimes feels dated because of its references, its consistently funny writing—from the characters’ playful conversations to their silly everyday antics—more than compensates. While it may not hold up perfectly today, Lucky Star remains a surprisingly good and often overlooked classic within the slice-of-life anime genre.

7) Free!

The anime Free!, which premiered in 2013, centers around Haruka Nanase, a gifted swimmer who stopped competing after a difficult experience with his friend, Rin Matsuoka. Years later, when Rin returns to Japan, Haruka rediscovers his love for swimming and a desire to reconnect with Rin, leading to the story of Haruka and his teammates in the Iwatobi Swim Club.

With compelling characters and beautifully animated swimming scenes, Free! stands out as a top-tier sports anime, delivering all the emotional highs and lows you’d hope for. It’s unusual for a Kyoto Animation series to focus mainly on male characters, but it doesn’t diminish their signature storytelling style at all.

6) Clannad

The 2007 anime Clannad follows Tomoya Okazaki, a high school student who feels lost about his future because of problems at home. He unexpectedly decides to help Nagisa Furukawa revive the school’s drama club. Nagisa is repeating her senior year due to illness, and as they work together, both of their lives are transformed in surprising ways.

Many consider Clannad to be a landmark romance anime, and for good reason. The series expertly adapts the original visual novel into a touching, straightforward story. It’s rare for an anime to be as emotionally impactful as Clannad, and it continues to be a must-watch classic even today.

5) City The Animation

The 2025 anime series, City the Animation, takes place in a city known only as City. The show follows the everyday lives of its quirky residents, focusing on the adventures of Midori Nagumo and her friends, but ultimately highlighting the strange and wonderful experiences of everyone who calls City home.

City the Animation carries on the tradition of the beloved Kyoto Animation series Nichijou, delivering the same incredibly imaginative animation and hilarious comedy. It’s easily one of the best anime to come out in recent years. Though it didn’t get enough attention during its summer 2025 release, it’s poised to become a modern classic.

4) Kanon

In the 2006 visual novel Kanon, Yuichi Aizawa returns to a city he left seven years prior to live with his cousin. As he reconnects with the place, Yuichi starts to remember cherished memories and becomes entangled with several girls who have ties to his past – and often, strange connections to the supernatural that only he can resolve.

Though Clannad, its sequel, refined many of its elements, Kanon remains a delightful and touching drama. It consistently delivers a heartwarming experience from beginning to end, and is considered one of Kyoto Animation’s strongest early projects – a series fans shouldn’t miss.

3) Nichijou

The 2011 anime Nichijou follows the everyday lives of the people in the town of Tokisadame, focusing especially on the friendship between Yuko Aioi, Mio Naganohara, and Mai Minakami. Everyone in town is a bit odd, and the show’s stories usually take normal situations and turn them into hilarious, over-the-top adventures.

Kyoto Animation excels at both funny and emotional stories, and Nichijou perfectly showcases this talent. It’s a hilarious anime with wonderfully strange visuals and writing. Even after nearly fifteen years, Nichijou is still a top pick for short anime on Crunchyroll, and it’s likely to stay that way for a long time.

2) Violet Evergarden

Violet Evergarden, the main character of the 2018 anime series, begins a new life after a war leaves her orphaned and a former soldier. She becomes an Auto Memory Doll, a unique kind of ghostwriter, hoping to connect with others and, most importantly, to understand the meaning behind her commander’s last words – that he loved her – before his death.

Since its release, Violet Evergarden has been celebrated for its deeply moving portrayal of love and relationships. The show explores these themes in a mature and insightful way, accompanied by breathtaking animation and visuals. Many consider it to be one of Kyoto Animation’s finest works, and it’s easy to see why.

1) The Melancholy Of Haruhi Suzumiya

In the anime The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, a boy named Kyon is pressured into joining Haruhi Suzumiya’s SOS Brigade, a club whose purpose is to search for the supernatural. Unbeknownst to Haruhi, the other members of the club are supernatural beings, and they’re secretly watching over her, as she possesses incredible, god-like powers that they need to keep hidden from her.

With its imaginative style and smart storytelling that remains impressive even today, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya achieves artistic and narrative peaks rarely seen in anime. It’s a strong candidate for one of the greatest anime ever made, and it’s easily the best series produced by Kyoto Animation.

What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!

https://comicbook.com/anime/news/best-anime-of-all-time-myanimelist/embed/#

Read More

2025-11-02 21:12