Summary

• Netflix has a wide variety of anime series, and some of the best ones include:
• Vinland Saga: A war story that follows the growth of Thorfinn from child soldier to explorer in medieval Scandinavia.
• The Great Pretender: A jazzy series about a conman named Makoto who teams up with a French tourist to target societal elites in heists.

With Netflix possessing a large catalog of anime, it is sometimes easier just to quickly see which of them are considered a must-see. Netflix's best anime span a wide breadth of genres and art styles, ensuring that viewers get the best experience seeing old classics and current critical darlings. Whichever a viewer picks, they are certain to not feel their time has been wasted.

Netflix's large library of anime is both a blessing and a curse. After scrolling through the thumbnails and imaginative titles, paralysis by indecision seems inevitable. However, the best anime on Netflix stand head and shoulders above the rest, making themselves well-known among the fandom due to their incredible stories, art styles, and characters.

15 Beastars

Based on the Manga Created By Paru Itagaki

Best described as "noir Animal Farm", Beastars, like the best stories about animals, use animal dynamics as a vehicle to examine human problems. In a world where humanoid carnivores and herbivores live in uneasy peace, Legoshi, a meek wolf, is accused of murder simply because his teeth are a dangerous weapon. This sets the stage for a murder mystery as the wolf tries to clear his name. Studio Orange specializes in smooth, high-quality 3D animation; while they've most recently been lauded for their game-changing animation work on Trigun: Stampede, it was Beastars that put them on the map by bucking stereotypes about cheap anime CGI.

14 Violet Evergarden

Based on the Light Novel Created By Kana Akatsuki & Akiko Takase

Kyoto Animation has a reputation for focusing on slice-of-life anime, and Violet Evergarden is what happens when they turn their expertise to post-war drama. Set in the fictional war-ravaged Telsis, the series follows the emotionally numb veteran Violet who now works as an Auto-Memory Doll, a combination of postal worker and ghostwriter who delivers both messages and their feelings. This setup lets viewers explore the war-torn country, its survivors, and both the beauty and horror of life. Kyoto doesn't skimp out on quality, drawing lush countrysides and detailed cities in order to bring the world of Violet Evergarden to life.

13 Dorohedoro

Based on the Manga Created By Q Hayashida

This black comedy is proof of how imaginative anime can be at its very best. Caiman, a man whose head has been replaced with a lizard's and who lost his memories, is out to beat down every sorcerer in the slums of Hole, even if it puts him in the crosshair of a magical mafia. This gritty post-apocalyptic fantasy is filled with detailed urban sprawls, bizarre characters, and wild powers. MAPPA's 3D CGI might not be a high point, which makes everything in the anime a little stiff and flat, but the unmistakable visuals and the absurdity of the world make Dorohedoro unforgettable.

12 Cardcaptor Sakura

Based on the Manga Created By Clamp

A classic from the '90s, Cardcaptor Sakura makes the traditional magical girl genre accessible to all audiences. Sakura's quest to recapture the magical creatures released from the Clow Cards might be a child's adventure, but it never becomes childish. In fact, as the story continues, the tale grows darker in tone as the budding magician's predecessor starts looming over the original "monster of the week" formula. This early work by Madhouse shows them during their peak, and while the 70 episodes are a bit intimidating, it's worth watching at least a season to see one of anime's most beloved stories.

11 My Happy Marriage

Produced by Kinema Citrus; based on the original light novel by Akumi Agitogi

One of the shining examples of the recent shojo renaissance comes from the anime adaptation of My Happy Marriage, which originally dropped on Netflix's streaming platform in 2023. My Happy Marriage is a fantastical blend of both Cinderella and a hint of Beauty & the Beast, following Miyo Saimori, a young girl living in an alternate version of Taisho era Japan wherein people are born with magical powers. Miyo was born without any magical gift, and her abusive stepmother pushes her into an arranged marriage with Kiyoka Kudou – a military commander rumored to be so callous that all his former brides ran away.

As their relationship progresses, Miyo begins to learn that Kiyoka is deeply misunderstood, and the two begin to develop genuine romantic feelings for one another. The series is beautifully animated, with charming color palettes and gorgeous character designs to compliment the story.

10 One-Punch Man

Based on the Manga Created By ONE & Yusuke Murata

This superhero comedy is its own legend, as it began as a simple webcomic and eventually received Madhouse's full effort, with animators purportedly working overtime for free to create as high-quality a parody as can be. One-Punch Man spoofs everything it can reach and tosses it all - alien invaders, underground civilizations, psychics, giant monsters, mad scientists, and more - into one giant mashup. The lighthearted comedy is ed by Madhouse's sleek animation that makes every scene a visual spectacle. While One-Punch Man may be a lighthearted comedy, the quality oozing off every image can only be considered a celebration of animation.

9 Vinland Saga

Based on the Manga Created By Makoto Yukimura

A historical fiction tale about the life and adventures of an 11th-century Viking is not what one would expect from an anime, but this adaptation, handled by both WIT studio and MAPPA, was highly anticipated for good reason. One half of the story is an unrelenting war story where blood and guts fly free, and the other is about the bittersweet growth of Thorfinn from child soldier to wizened explorer. Medieval Scandinavia is not for the faint of heart but for those willing to brave it, Vinland Saga is a unique drama that makes one man's life a sweeping epic.

8 Great Pretender

Produced by Wit Studio

Amid Wit Studio's strong catalog is a heavily underrated original titled The Great Pretender – named after the Freddie Mercury song, which also happens to be the anime's ending theme. Despite having two full seasons and a feature-length film, this incredibly jazzy series has gone mostly overlooked by mainstream anime fans despite how accessible it is.

The Great Pretender begins by introducing a young man named Makoto, a self-renowned conman from Japan running petty schemes on unsuspecting victims. Thinking he finds easy prey in a French tourist, named Laurent, ends up fooling him instead, and subsequently pulls Makoto into a much bigger scheme that leads to a number of heists wherein Makoto teams up with Laurent to target societal elites and robbing them of their fortunes. While the anime initially seems to have an episodic story structure, there's a deeper narrative lurking beneath Laurent's suave facade that make this anime surprisingly emotional.

7 Cyberpunk: Edgerunners

Based on the RPG Series Created By Mike Pondsmith

This award-winning anime Cyberpunk: Edgerunners was a critical darling last year; so great was its reception that it actually salvaged the reputation of the video game it was spun off from. Studio Trigger's high-energy, sometimes almost zany animation surprisingly complements the short, dark story. Thanks to their work, Night City truly becomes the neon-drenched capitalist playground that tempts David Martinez and many other victims to find a way to die famous, rather than live well. With a short 10 episodes and a familiar sci-fi locale, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is a great gateway into anime, even if it is experienced as a bitter tragedy.

6 Kakegurui

Produced by MAPPA

Over-the-top and outrageous are just a couple of words to describe the madness that is Kakegurui. Animated by studio MAPPA and adapted from the original manga by Homura Kawamoto and Toru Naomura, Kakegurui takes place in a private academy designed for high-class elites that's been transformed into a playground for the upper-class children to partake in violent and dangerous gambling matches, betting anything from their futures to their actual lives. Enter Yumeko, a mysterious transfer student with a gambling addiction who sets out to gamble against and defeat the school's student council.

Using anything and everything at her disposal, Yumeko gets very excited at the prospect of winning – and even losing – if the games excite her enough. The series is far removed from reality, and perfectly self-aware of what it is. While it can be raunchy, the gambling matches are genuinely exciting to watch, even if they push the bounds of what a high school student – one-percent or otherwise – should be capable of doing.