Anime is nothing short of a juggernaut in 2026. With multiple anime franchises ranking among the highest-grossing franchises in the world, there’s little doubt that the medium’s dominance is only growing. Naturally, given the sheer scope of anime fandom, discussions about what does and doesn’t rank among the best anime of all time are quite popular.
While individual fans might have their own criteria for what makes an anime, there are a variety of qualities that can generally be agreed upon. Great animation, art direction, music, plot, characters, thematic depth, hype moments, and industry impact are all important qualities an anime must have to be truly ranked among the greatest of all time.
Another important element is consistency, which unfortunately knocks some fan-favorite anime out of the conversation. Naruto and One Piece are both landmark anime, but the wildly inconsistent quality of their filler makes it difficult to rank them among the industry’s best. It’s also worth considering whether an anime adaptation is adding anything to its source material.
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Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket
Animated By Sunrise, Based on the Franchise Created By Yoshiyuki Tomino & Sunrise
Gundam is one of the most important anime franchises ever created, with countless incredible series. Though Western fans may prefer the incredibly popular Gundam Wing or Gundam SEED, it’s difficult to deny that one of the franchise’s most effective entries is Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket.
Taking place in the series’ main continuity, War in the Pocket follows a rookie pilot named Bernie who’s tasked with destroying a prototype Gundam. While Bernie waits for his own mech to be repaired, he befriends a young boy named Al who views war as exciting and cool.
Bernie also becomes infatuated with a woman his age named Chris, who, unbeknownst to him, is the prototype Gundam’s test pilot. What follows is a heartbreaking story about the emotional cost of war.
If there’s one thing consistent across most Gundam series aside from the iconic mechs themselves, it is the prevalence of anti-war themes. Never have Gundam’s anti-war themes been more apparent than they are in War in the Pocket.
There’s an almost tragic sense of inevitability to the series as viewers dread the moment Bernie and Chris finally come to blows. All of it is grounded by Al, a character who is far from the annoying kid sidekick he could have been.
Bernie isn’t some next evolution for humanity like many of the newtype heroes of other Gundam series, he’s one of thousands of faceless mooks who would die an unremarkable death in any other Gundam series
Gundam, just like many other anime franchises, is filled with tales of uniquely talented and special individuals.
In contrast, War in the Pocket flips the script by focusing solely on normal people just trying to survive. Bernie isn’t some next evolution for humanity like many of the newtype heroes of other Gundam series; he’s one of thousands of faceless mooks who would die an unremarkable death in any other Gundam series. Filled with many twists and turns, War in the Pocket remains the absolute peak of Gundam.
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Jujutsu Kaisen
Animated By MAPPA, Based on the Manga Created By Gege Akutami
MAPPA is one of the biggest names in the anime industry, working on a wide variety of critically acclaimed series, including Attack on Titan, Chainsaw Man, and Hell’s Paradise. Given this impressive pedigree, it’s all the more impressive that the true jewel in MAPPA’s crown is Jujutsu Kaisen.
No other anime adaptation released by MAPPA pushes the medium forward quite like Jujutsu Kaisen. While season 1 of the series is a fairly standard manga adaptation, MAPPA truly cut loose with seasons 2 and 3, creating something distinct that, somehow, does the impossible and exceeds its manga source material in pretty much every way that matters.
What starts as a fairly standard story about a boy fighting for survival after becoming the vessel for a ridiculously powerful cursed spirit grows into a meditation on the oppressive power of societal structures.
Truly, Jujutsu Kaisen is the rare anime that has it all. Gorgeous, funny, epic, and often heartbreaking, the only thing holding Jujutsu Kaisen back is that it’s not over yet. Jujutsu Kaisen is easily MAPPA’s best anime, and time can only tell how it impacts the industry at large.
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Wolf’s Rain
Original Anime Series Created By Keiko Nobumoto & Animated By Studio Bones
Few anime are quite as much of an emotional gut-punch as Wolf’s Rain. The anime takes place in a dystopian future on the verge of collapse. At the end of the world, four wolves with the ability to take human form seek out the Flower Maiden so that she can lead them to paradise.
Wolf’s Rain was ahead of its time, as its plot had a large focus on the emotional fallout of living in a world doomed by climate change. Each character’s response to the impending apocalypse shows the psychological toll of being burdened with saving a doomed world.
As if the deep themes weren’t enough, Wolf’s Rain is also gorgeous with beautiful visuals and an absolutely haunting soundtrack from the legend herself, Yoko Kanno. Wolf’s Rain does have its missteps, but none of them are enough to damage this profound anime.
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Neon Genesis Evangelion
Original Anime Series Created By Hideaki Anno & Animated By Studio Gainax
Despite its controversial nature, Neon Genesis Evangelion was a landmark series that changed anime forever. Mech anime are a staple of the medium, but Evangelion’s take on it is still unique even with a tide of imitators rising in its wake. Though some have labeled it pretentious, the series’ unique mech/monster designs and memorable characters more than earn this series its mythic status.
Evangelion is a story about the depths of depression and the psychological trauma of living in a world on the brink of collapse. Shinji might come across as whiny to many, but a closer look paints a much more nuanced portrait than the series’ critics give it credit for.
In the real world, young adults are frequently told that they’re the future and that responsibility for saving the planet is on their shoulders, but the psychological effects of that burden are made abundantly clear in Evangelion.
Though the original Evangelion is only on Netflix, all of the Rebuild films are available with a dub on Prime Video.
Teenaged heroes like Shinji, Asuka, and Rei are not the cause of the world’s sorry state; powerful people like Gendo are, and yet the burden for fixing that mess too often lies with the children. Each young adult illustrates a different response to that burden. Rei is cold and emotionless, Asuka’s perfectionism and need to feel valued make her quick to anger, and Shinji is psychologically broken by his father’s neglect.
Unfortunately, Evangelion ultimately loses ranking for its philosophically interesting but plot-devoid finale. Given the last few episodes had to be rewritten due to unintended similarities to the 1995 sarin gas attacks, these faults are understandable but worth mentioning. Evangelion also suffers from having a better version of its story exist with the Rebuild films.
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Serial Experiments Lain
Original Anime Series Created By Yasuyuki Ueda & Animated By Triangle Staff
Serial Experiments Lain is a difficult series to describe. The quintessential turn-of-the-century cyberpunk anime is about a young girl named Lain whose life becomes increasingly strange after the death of a classmate named Chisa.
As a result, Lain becomes increasingly involved with a conspiracy surrounding the anime’s virtual reality version of the internet, called “The Wired”. What follows is a seriously strange series of events that will challenge how Lain and viewers see reality.
Though the plot might be hard to follow at times, what remains consistent about Lain is its thoughtfulness. The series is very much of its era, as it’s seriously grappling with the transformative nature of the internet.
The internet is one of the biggest technological innovations in human history, and few anime really grappled with what that would mean and how that would change people like Lain did. There are parts where Serial Experiments Lain’s version of cyberpunk feels downright prophetic, and for that alone, it deserves praise.
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Ping Pong the Animation
Animated By Tatsunoko Production, Based on the Manga Created By Taiyō Matsumoto
Though many anime fans might have been put off by Ping Pong due to its avant-garde animation style, those who stuck with it found one of the most refreshing sports anime of all time. The series tracks the journies of a handful of young Ping Pong prodigies as their lives and goals intersect.
The main thrust of the story is about two best friends, Smile and Peco, who are both close to greatness but have mental blocks holding them back from truly reaching their potential.
Despite the controversy surrounding how the anime looks, Ping Pong is absolutely brilliant. Director Masaaki’s Yuasa’s loose style fits the source material well, emphasizing the movement and fluidity that’s so key to understanding in a game of ping pong.
The story is also uniquely introspective, really taking the time to drill down and understand the psychology behind each player. Yuasa is one of the most distinctive directors working in anime, and his take on sports with Ping Pong is still one of the best sports anime of all time.
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Monster
Animated By Madhouse, Based on the Manga Created By Naoki Urasawa
Monster follows a surgeon named Kenzo Tenma who feels personally responsible for saving the life of serial killer Johan Liebert. What follows is one of anime’s best thrillers as Tenma deals with the guilt of saving a mass murderer, inevitably going to extraordinary lengths to rectify what he feels was his biggest mistake.
Perhaps the most un-anime anime series, it’s not impossible to look at Monster’s premise and see it easily given the prestige of an HBO series like True Detective (and indeed it almost was an HBO series).
Like all good anime series, any potential live-action adaptation would miss out on what makes Monster so special and unique. The series’ atmosphere and tension would be completely lost without the beautiful animation provided by Studio Madhouse. Naoki Urasawa’s original manga is a classic, and luckily, the series’ anime adaptation is worthy of its beloved source material.
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Fruits Basket
Animated By TMS & 8PAN, Based on the Manga Created By Natsuki Takaya
Fruits Basket is one of the most beloved Shojo series of all time for good reason. The series follows a young woman named Tohru who comes to live with the Sohma family after the loss of her mother.
Though the family is divided in many aspects, what unites them is the shared curse that turns them into one of the Chinese Zodiac animals when they’re under duress. What follows is a story about trauma and healing as Tohru helps the Sohmas reconnect with one another and become a true family.
What makes Fruits Basket such an incredible anime is how it refines what makes Shojo such a compelling genre. Without flashy battles or action scenes, drama series like Fruits Basket need to pay extra attention to things like characterization and theme.
All the series’ characters are trying to process loss in their own way, and that thematic consistency allows the series to examine the theme of grief from many different angles. As one of the most well-loved Shojo series of all time, Fruits Basket more than earns its rank among the best anime series ever made.
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Mushi-Shi
Animated By Artland, Based on the Manga Created By Yuki Urushibara
Mushi-Shi is a supernatural anime series by Artland that ran from 2005 to 2006 before getting a second season in 2014. The series follows a man named Ginko who helps people deal with mysterious spirits known as Mushi.
Ginko makes for a suitably mellow protagonist, and it’s consistently delightful to watch his process for working with each Mushi. Ginko’s respect for these mysterious creatures ultimately fits so well with the series’ themes about man’s relationship with nature that it’s difficult to imagine anyone else filling his role.
What stands out most about the series, though, is its quietly beautiful depiction of Edo-era Japan. Fitting for a series so concerned with nature, Mushi-Shi’s atmosphere is its real star. Like a lullaby, the soundtrack and art direction beautifully harmonize to imbue every scene with quiet terror or wonder. Serene, poignant, and dripping with atmosphere, Mushi-Shi is the perfect anime to watch right before bed.