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I’ve noticed anime does more than just borrow the surface-level elements of superhero stories – the costumes, the powers, and so on. It really gets into the why behind heroism. What truly makes someone a hero? Is it simply physical strength, or is it something deeper? Instead of focusing on wealthy, established heroes, anime often tells the stories of ordinary kids striving to prove themselves, those who feel like outsiders fighting for acceptance, and people who are struggling to overcome their own challenges. I’ve put together a list of seven anime that really exemplify this approach. They’re packed with action, cool powers, and great designs, of course, but what sets them apart is how they explore what it really means to be a hero when there’s no audience and no spotlight.

As a big Marvel fan, it’s always bothered me that we’ve seen so many versions of both Spider-Man and Kingpin in movies and TV shows, but they’ve never actually fought! Kingpin first showed up in the comics way back in 1967, and for nearly 60 years, we haven’t seen that rivalry play out on screen. But things are finally changing! The new Daredevil: Born Again series revealed that Wilson Fisk knows about Spider-Man, and it looks like our friendly neighborhood wall-crawler is going to get caught up in Kingpin’s plans to take down vigilantes. I’m really excited to see this finally happen in the MCU’s more grounded, street-level stories!

While Stephen King has written many successful books, Pennywise the Dancing Clown, also known as IT, remains his most enduring creation. Tim Curry’s iconic portrayal in the 1990 miniseries cemented the monster’s place in pop culture, and Bill Skarsgård’s recent work in the IT films and the Welcome to Derry TV series has only increased its popularity. Interestingly, IT isn’t limited to its own novel and occasionally appears in other King stories, hinting at the possibility of more to come for this terrifying creature.

Many popular and highly-rated TV shows, including Lost, Stranger Things, Game of Thrones, and Black Mirror, have suffered from at least one weak episode. However, seven original Netflix shows stand out because they consistently deliver quality – not a single episode feels like a letdown, even across multiple seasons. This makes them excellent choices for a binge-watching session.

Okay, so from what I’ve been reading, don’t expect the next Xbox or PlayStation anytime soon – we’re probably looking at 2027 or 2028 at the earliest. Honestly, I think that’s a good thing. The current consoles, especially with the PS5 Pro coming out, are already pretty powerful, and it feels like there isn’t a huge leap possible with today’s tech. Plus, consoles used to get cheaper over time, but now they’re actually getting more expensive! With things like tariffs driving up costs, it makes sense to hold off on new hardware until things stabilize. A rushed launch would probably mean a more expensive console, and nobody wants that.

The ranking of influential manga artists this year held a surprising twist: Eiichiro Oda, creator of One Piece, landed in 10th place, at the very bottom of the list. According to a report from the Japanese media outlet Courrier, Tatsuki Fujimoto, the creator of Chainsaw Man, topped the list. Courrier explained that the release of Chainsaw Man: The Movie – Reze Arc was a key factor in Fujimoto becoming a worldwide phenomenon in 2025, but there’s another interesting reason why he was named the most influential mangaka of the year.

Electronic Arts had a strong year, with three of the top ten best-selling games. This is largely due to their consistently popular sports titles. However, the biggest hit of 2025 was actually Battlefield 6. Remarkably, Battlefield 6 only being on sale for 82 days out of the year – it was released on October 10th – didn’t stop it from selling over 20 million copies and continuing to fly off the shelves.