I’ve been watching anime for years, and it’s incredible to see how much it’s blown up, especially in the last decade! Back in the 90s, it was starting to gain traction, but now, thanks to streaming and seriously improved animation quality, it feels like everyone’s getting hooked. What I love about anime is that it’s just so different – the art is stunning, the stories are original, and the characters really stay with you. It’s easy to fall into these amazing worlds! It’s crazy to think that over a hundred anime come out each year, but a few really break through and become global hits. Looking at the last decade or so, from 2015 to now, there have been so many genre-defining shows that have just captured people’s hearts – and honestly, that’s what’s driving this huge wave of popularity!
I’m a huge anime fan, and honestly, there are so many amazing shows that don’t get the attention they deserve. But some really break through and offer something truly special – unique stories, incredible animation, you name it. I’ve been putting together a list of what I think are the very best anime from the last decade, and here’s how I’d rank them!
10) Dandadan
I was completely hooked by Dandadan from the very first episode! It exploded in popularity after it came out in Fall 2024, and for good reason. Science SARU did an amazing job bringing Yukinobu Tatsu’s manga to life. It’s about Momo and Okarun, and watching them discover a world full of supernatural and alien stuff is just wild. They keep stumbling into trouble, but each encounter helps them unlock these incredible powers they have. It’s a total rollercoaster!
As the story progresses, the characters encounter others their age who also develop unique abilities. The manga is still being created, and the anime has aired for two seasons. A third season is planned, but the studio hasn’t announced when it will be released or even shared a preview.
9) Jujutsu Kaisen
The popular manga series by Gege Akutami, originally published in Weekly Shonen Jump, was adapted into an anime in 2021 and quickly gained fans around the globe. The story centers on Yuji Itadori, a typical high school student who gets pulled into a dangerous world of curses when he meets Megumi Fushiguro, a skilled sorcerer.
To rescue Megumi, Yuji unknowingly consumes a powerful, cursed object, which makes him the host for a tremendously strong sorcerer from the past. The original manga finished in September of last year, and the anime’s third season will begin airing in January 2026. Due to the manga’s huge success, Akutami launched a sequel, Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo, in September 2025.
8) Black Clover
The Black Clover anime got off to a slow start, but gradually became more popular as the animation quality improved. Even though it debuted in 2017, when many anime were released seasonally, Black Clover continued with a weekly release schedule until 2021, and the creators have hinted at a possible return. The series takes place in a magical world where everyone is born with magical abilities, and a person’s power determines their place in society.
In a world filled with magic, two orphaned friends – Asta, who has no magical ability, and Yuno, a naturally gifted commoner – both dream of becoming the Wizard King, the most powerful mage in the land. The manga is nearing its end, and the anime is coming back after almost five years, picking up the story from where it left off with a dramatic cliffhanger.
7) Dr. Stone
The manga Dr. Stone, which won the Shogakukan Manga Award in 2019, finished its run in 2023. The story is known for its original idea: it takes place 3,700 years in the future, after a mysterious event has turned all of humanity to stone. Senku Ishigami, a brilliant high school student, manages to break free and dedicates himself to restoring civilization, even though it’s a difficult task.
To save as many people as he can and rebuild the world, he needs to discover what’s causing everyone to turn to stone. The final part of the anime’s story, Science Future Part 3, will conclude in 2026, though we don’t have a specific release date yet.
6) Orb: On the Movements of the Earth
This popular anime, Madhouse, is based on a highly-regarded manga with the same title and tells the complete story across 25 episodes. It’s set in 15th-century Poland, a time when questioning established beliefs about astronomy could be considered a crime against the church.
During a time of great unrest, anyone who questioned the Church faced severe punishment, often being burned alive. Young Rafal, a brilliant 12-year-old studying religion, found himself caught in this dangerous world. After meeting a thinker labeled a heretic, Rafal became fascinated with astronomy, a subject the Church had forbidden.
5) Spy x Family
Spy x Family is a remarkably heartwarming anime series. New chapters of the manga come out every two weeks, and the third season of the anime is scheduled to premiere in Fall 2025. The story centers around Twilight, a top spy from Westalis, who is assigned a mission to build a fake family to get close to Donovan Desmond, a prominent political figure in Ostania. Desmond is suspected of plotting to start a war between their two nations.
To maintain a delicate peace, he takes in a young girl named Anya who has telepathic abilities and pretends to marry Yor Briar, a skilled assassin. Throughout the story, this fake family keeps their real identities secret from each other, even as they face numerous dangerous challenges.
4) Demon Slayer
I’ve been watching the incredible success of Demon Slayer this year, and it’s truly historic! The newest movie has already earned over 100 billion yen worldwide, and that number keeps growing. The anime, created by Ufotable, has always been known for its beautiful animation and heartfelt story. It’s set in the Taisho era and follows Tanjiro Kamado, a normal boy whose life is completely shattered when a demon brutally murders his family.
Tanjiro’s sister, Nezuko, is the sole person who survived a terrible tragedy, but she’s been transformed into a demon. While seeking a cure for her, Tanjiro meets an enigmatic swordsman who guides him to become a Demon Slayer. The manga finished in 2020, and the anime is nearing its end, with two final movies from the Infinity Castle arc still to be released.
3) My Hero Academia
The anime series My Hero Academia, which first aired in 2016, has released new seasons every year. It will finish its run next month, over a year after the original manga ended. The story takes place in a world where most people develop superpowers, called quirks, and explores the challenges that come with having a society full of both heroes and villains.
Izuku Midoriya is born without any superpowers, but he dreams of becoming a hero like his idol, All Might. After meeting All Might, he discovers a way to potentially achieve his dream, though it won’t be easy and will require overcoming many challenges.
2) The Apothecary Diaries
The novel The Apothecary offers a fresh take on stories for young adult men by combining palace intrigue with a medical mystery. It follows Maomao, a brilliant apothecary with expertise in both medicine and poisons, who also has a talent for solving puzzles. Her life changes when she’s kidnapped and forced to work as a servant in the Rear Palace, where she becomes involved with Jinshi, the powerful eunuch who oversees the emperor’s concubines.
The original light novel series is still being written, over ten years after it first came out. The anime adaptation recently finished its second season, but a third season has been announced, split into two parts, along with a movie that the novel’s author, Natsu Hyuuga, is writing.
1) Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End
The anime Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, which premiered in 2023, quickly became the top-rated series on MyAnimeList, surpassing Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. A second season is scheduled for January 2026, and fans are eager to see what happens next in Frieren’s story. The series is a beautifully sad tale that explores themes of loss and how quickly time passes, and it begins after a great adventure has already ended.
After the Hero Himmel and his team defeated the Demon King, Frieren, a long-lived elf mage, decided not to get close to humans, aware that their lives are much shorter than her own. But when Himmel dies, she finds herself regretting her distance and sets out on a new adventure with a different group of companions, hoping to learn more about the hero and his life.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
https://comicbook.com/anime/list/7-overlooked-anime-you-should-feel-bad-for-ignoring/embed/#
Read More
- Hazbin Hotel season 3 release date speculation and latest news
- 10 Chilling British Horror Miniseries on Streaming That Will Keep You Up All Night
- Dolly Parton Addresses Missing Hall of Fame Event Amid Health Concerns
- Where Winds Meet: How To Defeat Shadow Puppeteer (Boss Guide)
- The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu is a 4-Player Co-Op Survival Horror Game Inspired by Lovecraft’s Works
- 10 Best Demon Slayer Quotes of All Time, Ranked
- Zootopia 2 Reactions Raise Eyebrows as Early Viewers Note “Timely Social Commentary”
- World of Warcraft leads talk to us: Player Housing, Horde vs. Alliance, future classes and specs, player identity, the elusive ‘Xbox version,’ and more
- You Won’t Believe What Happens to MYX Finance’s Price – Shocking Insights! 😲
- 5 Perfect Movie Scenes That You Didn’t Realize Had No Music (& Were Better For It)
2025-11-29 04:42