Anime went from a niche medium that only existed in the West thanks to a geeky subculture, to a mainstream entertainment form available all over the world, but where would someone coming into the hobby even begin today?
Anime is a medium, and not a genre, so coming up with suggestions that will help you figure out what you like and ground you in the culture and history of anime is tricky. However, I’ve put together a list of classic and modern titles that are available on streaming services right now. That should give you a great sampling board of the length and breadth of the hobby. You don’t have to watch all of these shows, but each one can act as a springboard into a broader experience.
9
Dragon Ball (Crunchyroll)
You’ve probably heard of its more famous sequel Dragon Ball Z, but the 1986 anime Dragon Ball is what really set the stage for the absolute juggernaut that shōnen (young boy) anime would become. There’s no Naruto or One Piece without the pioneering work Akira Toriyama did with Dragon Ball.
Despite the anime being as old as I am, it still holds up to this day, and it’s a fun watch that doesn’t require too much of you as the viewer. Especially if you’re older than twelve. It’s an inventive story about an adopted boy with a monkey tail (inspired by Journey to the West) who goes on an adventure involving fights with a rogue’s gallery of bad guys, and guys who seemed bad but later become allies. It’s also a gentle introduction to the anime phenomenon of “fan service”, but don’t worry, Dragon Ball is very much a PG show, though the Japanese attitude towards nudity might cause a little culture shock for American audiences.
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8
Great Teacher Onizuka (Netflix and Crunchyroll)
Drawn in that beautiful 90s style I personally love very much, Great Teacher Onizuka (also on Crunchyroll) is about a former bike gangster named Eikichi Onizuka, who’s gone straight and finished a teaching qualification. He ends up getting a job at a fancy middle-school, where his tough-guy persona and earnest beliefs bring him into conflict with the other teachers, but also helps various students with serious personal problems overcome them.
I have watched this entire 43-episode series multiple times over the years, and it just gets better with every viewing.It’s funny, it’s more than a little crass, and it’s definitely going to pull at your heart strings.
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7
Record of Lodoss War (Crunchyroll)
This anime franchise began life as a Dungeons & Dragons tabletop campaign published as transcripts of the game sessions, but the story was so good it was adapted into various media, starting with high-fantasy novels and, of course, the anime series we’re looking at here.
With beautiful character designs, epic adventure, and two of the most iconic romances in all anime, this is one you cannot miss if you like high fantasy at all. After watching Record of Lodoss War be sure to check out Chronicles of the Heroic Knight.
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6
Naruto (Crunchyroll)
If Dragon Ball is the foundation of modern shōnen anime, then Naruto is the house that stands on that foundation. I started watching Naruto 23 years ago, and it’s still going in the form of Boruto, which I won’t explain thanks to the inherent spoilers.
Running concurrently with the manga the show is based on, Naruto is set in an interesting ninja-based world that has an odd mix of modern technology and feudal Japan. Some people will, of course, rate One Piece as the poster-child for shonen anime, but for my money, the noisy ninja from the Hidden Leaf Village is the shonen king. It’s still a great watch today, but be warned that this show has plenty of filler episodes from when the TV program outpaced the manga. These episodes have no impact on the main plot, so you can skip them if you like, using a filler guide.
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5
Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End (Netflix and Crunchyroll)
Frieren won a bunch of awards, including best anime of 2024, so yes, this is a very mainstream, and very obvious suggestion. However, Frieren is a great example of how anime can often get away with violations of audience expectations and can have unique pacing and settings.
This is a high fantasy show set after the big adventure has already happened. It’s like a story set after Frodo tossed the ring into the fires of Mount Doom. Frieren is an immortal elf, and doesn’t experience or think about time in the same way as mortal races do. Since she’s our viewpoint character, we get to experience the shock of seeing her party members and other people she meets on her travels age and fade away in what seems to be moments. However, the premise of the show is that Frieren learns to value those fleeting moments and becomes more grounded in the present, while still taking care of some epic long-term responsibilities.
The show is both a “vibe” as the kids say these days, and a darn good story wrapped up in beautiful artwork, so don’t skip it.
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4
Mobile Suit Gundam Wing (Crunchyroll)
One of the biggest tropes in anime that even people who don’t really watch it know about is the “mecha” or giant robot genre. Prior to the original Mobile Suit Gundam series in 1979, giant robot anime was of the super robot variety, whereas Gundam was the first show to really treat these mechs as real military equipment, limited by the laws of physics and mundane things like fuel and ammo supply lines.
The original 1979 show is great and worth watching, but the mid-90s Gundam Wing is the most iconic Gundam series, in my opinion, and brings together pretty much everything that made 90s anime great together in one package. Sick mech designs, beautiful character art, and an interesting sci-fi plot make this one of the best mecha anime to dip your toes with.
3
Toradora! (Crunchyroll)
There are a lot of romance, and particularly high-school romance shows in anime, and honestly, I could write several articles listing the best ones, but for me, Toradora! will feature at or near the top of all of them. Taiga and Ryuji are the quintessential odd couple who start out disliking one another, but eventually developing feelings for one another. Taiga is also a a great introduction to the “tsundere” character archetype. This is a type of (usually) female character that starts out with a harsh, cold, and even hostile personality, but starts to show their warmer side as they develop.
If you like romantic comedies in other media, you’re going to love Toradora!
2
Tonari No Seki Kun (Crunchyroll)
A rather unique sub-genre found within anime is the “slice of life” show, where there really isn’t a big overarching plotline, but you just follow a group of characters as they go about their usually mundane lives. Now, slice-of-life isn’t exclusive to anime by any means. Think of Western shows like King of the Hill, Seinfeld, Parks and Recreation, or Friends, and you’re in the right ballpark. It’s just that the anime version of this genre tends to be even more laid back and mundane, with very little real drama.
The most archetypal show I can think of in this genre is Azumanga Daioh, but I personally can’t stand that show, so instead I present to you Tonari No Seki Kun (My neighbor Seki), a slice-of-life short-form anime that’s wholesome, fun, and perfect when you just want to relax and de-stress a little.
The show is cast from the perspective of a schoolgirl named Rumi, who can never concentrate on her classes because of her class neighbor Seki and his antics. Seki is always bringing toys to school or improvising little games on his desk, which engross Rumi, and end up getting her in trouble while Seki always manages to weasel out of it.
Oh, and the outro is catchy and adorable, so I watch it every time.
1
Neon Genesis Evangelion (Netflix)
Neon Genesis Evangelion isn’t just my favorite anime of all time, it’s my favorite media franchise. Period.
Of course, that doesn’t explain why I think people getting into anime should watch it, and to be clear, I don’t think this should be the first anime you watch. However, Evangelion is an important show to watch if you want to understand the medium on a deeper level and how it differs from Western animation, or at least animation from North America.
My collection of Neon Genesis Evangelion physical media.
On the surface, Evangelion is another mecha anime, but just as Mobile Suit Gundam marked a turning point from super robot anime to more serious military mecha, Evangelion marks the beginning of a major deconstruction of the mecha genre, and the mainstreaming of some pretty surreal and philosophical themes.
It’s a heavy show, and there’s a lot of accumulated Evangelion media to go through, but the original TV series hadn’t been legally available for years until Netflix managed to secure the license. So this is a rare opportunity to watch this classic show, albeit with a new English dub. But for someone watching for the first time, that won’t make a difference.
Once you’ve watched the original 26-episode TV series, and the two original movies, you can catch the four “rebuild” films on Amazon Prime Video.
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