10 Best Anime Everyone Was Watching In 2025

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As 2025 ends, it’s clear it was another fantastic year for anime. Both returning favorites and brand new shows became huge successes, providing great entertainment all year long. And with everything that happened, 2026 promises to be even more exciting!

2025 was a fantastic year for anime, offering both beloved classics and exciting new series. Several shows really stood out, and even just one of them demonstrates why it was such a memorable year for fans.

10) Zenshu

MAPPA’s Zenshu follows Natsuko Hirose, a reclusive animator who finds herself inside the world of her beloved film, A Tale of Perishing, after she dies. There, she gains the ability to make her drawings real and decides to use this power to rewrite the movie’s sad ending, giving all the characters a happy one instead.

With beautiful animation, a heartfelt story, and clever insights about anime itself, Zenshu is consistently impressive, both to look at and to follow. This is particularly noteworthy for an original anime series, and it made for a fantastic start to 2025, even with its brief run.

9) Witch Watch

Bibury Animation Studios’ Witch Watch follows Morihito “Moi” Otogi, an ogre who becomes the magical companion to his witch friend, Nico Wakatsuki. Nico hopes their arrangement will lead to romance, but Moi is clueless, and he also has to protect her from a predicted disaster.

Created by Kenta Shinohara, known for Sket Dance, Witch Watch successfully blends hilarious comedy with touching and dramatic moments. The anime’s excellent animation further enhances these qualities, and it’s helped Witch Watch gain more recognition. Hopefully, a second season will build on this success.

8) Umamusume: Cinderella Gray

CygamesPictures’ Umamusume: Cinderella Gray is a prequel to the popular Umamusume: Pretty Derby series. It follows the journey of Oguri Cap, showing how she rose from an unknown racer in the countryside to become a legendary champion, despite facing many challenges along the way.

I was really blown away by Umamusume: Cinderella Gray. The animation is gorgeous, but what really stood out was how well-developed the characters were. It’s a fantastic sports anime, consistently charming from beginning to end. It perfectly built on the popularity of Umamusume, and I can definitely understand why it was a highlight of the fall 2025 anime season.

7) New Panty & Stocking With Garterbelt

Studio Trigger’s New Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt is the follow-up to the 2010 anime Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt. The new series quickly wraps up the original’s cliffhanger and then returns to the familiar antics of Panty and Stocking – indulging in sweets, having fun, and battling evil. This time around, they’ve got some help from Scanty and Kneesocks, who are now fighting on their side.

I was so thrilled when Panty & Stocking finally came back! And New Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt didn’t just deliver on the amazing animation we loved, it somehow cranked up the hilarious, over-the-top comedy even further, while still managing to be surprisingly sweet. Honestly, it totally lived up to all the excitement, and I don’t think we’ll see anything quite like it for a long, long time. It’s just that good!

6) City The Animation

Kyoto Animation’s City The Animation follows the everyday lives of people in a town simply known as City. While much of the story focuses on Midori Nagumo and her friends, it’s really about all the quirky residents and the unusual things that happen to them each day.

After a seven-year gap, Kyoto Animation returns with City The Animation, and it’s a fantastic comeback. The show boasts a funny and endearing cast, clever writing that balances humor and emotion, and truly stunning, imaginative animation. It’s already shaping up to be one of Kyoto Animation’s best works ever, and it’s likely to stay that way for a long time.

5) Dandadan Season 2

In 2025, the second season of Science Saru’s Dandadan finally arrived. Picking up after the dramatic ending of season one, Momo and Okarun faced the challenge of Jiji being possessed by a powerful, aggressive spirit called the Evil Eye. This intense situation both strained and strengthened their relationships with each other.

Dandadan was a major success in 2024, and the second season continued that momentum. It wasn’t just visually impressive; the show also did a fantastic job of developing its characters through a blend of humor and heartfelt moments. Fans are eagerly anticipating the third season, which is scheduled for 2027, and hoping it lives up to the high standard set by the first two.

4) My Hero Academia: Final Season

Bones Film’s My Hero Academia: Final Season concludes the My Hero Academia series. The epic final battle against Shigaraki and All For One has reached its peak, and Izuku and his friends must fight with everything they have to achieve victory and finally save the day.

Even though the My Hero Academia anime has had its ups and downs, My Hero Academia: Final Season was truly impressive thanks to its beautiful animation, strong direction, and a moving story that reached a satisfying conclusion. While the anime isn’t over yet, this felt like the perfect way to wrap up the series.

3) Rock Is A Lady’s Modesty

In the anime Rock Is a Lady’s Modesty, Lilisa Suzunomiya gives up playing guitar, hoping to become more refined. However, after she meets Otoha Kurogane – a seemingly proper lady who secretly loves to drum and isn’t afraid to swear – Lilisa rediscovers her love for both music and colorful language. She then decides to secretly pursue her dream of becoming a guitarist.

Initially, Rock Is a Lady’s Modesty appeared to be a typical lighthearted anime about girls. However, it quickly became something special thanks to its unexpectedly crude humor, impressive 3D animation, and well-developed characters – all enhanced by a fantastic soundtrack. It ultimately became one of the year’s most popular and surprising successes.

2) Takopi’s Original Sin

I recently watched Takopi’s Original Sin, and it’s a really interesting story. It centers around Takopi, a cheerful alien who comes to Earth with the simple goal of making people smile. He starts by trying to help a girl named Shizuka who’s being bullied, but because Takopi is so innocent and clueless about how things work here, his efforts actually end up making the situation much, much worse – in a surprisingly unsettling way.

Takopi’s Original Sin immediately grabbed viewers with a surprisingly intense beginning, and it delivered on that promise. The anime’s unique visuals powerfully supported its deeply emotional story about dealing with trauma. Although shorter than most anime series, its brevity actually highlighted how impactful the story truly is.

1) Gachiakuta

In the film Gachiakuta, Rudo is falsely accused of murder and exiled to a desolate, garbage-filled area called the Pit. There, he learns he’s a Giver – someone with the ability to grant magical powers to objects. Driven by a desire for vengeance, Rudo vows to use his newfound abilities to return to the Sphere and punish those who betrayed him.

Everyone was incredibly excited for the release of Gachiakuta, and it didn’t disappoint. Its beautiful animation and touching, energetic story exceeded all expectations. With a second season already planned, Gachiakuta has the potential to become a classic, but right now, it’s easily the best anime of 2025.

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2025-12-25 20:12