Top 10 Anime Series of All Time

WatchMojo

They're some of the greatest the anime scene has ever produced. Join Ashley as we look over our choices for the best anime series to ever be released

Transcript

00:00 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for what we believe to be the

00:12 greatest anime series to date.

00:17 10.

00:19 Vinland Saga

00:20 Historical action doesn't come bigger and better than this.

00:29 With a backdrop featuring the Danish invasion of England, this tale of revenge and redemption

00:34 sees a young Viking named Torfin as he learns the weight that comes with being a warrior

00:40 consumed by bloodlust.

00:49 And how time and reflection can change even the most violent of souls.

01:03 With stunning animation and one of the best character journeys of any anime in recent

01:08 memory, Torfin's tale is one that demands to be seen.

01:15 9.

01:19 Dragon Ball Franchise

01:20 If you want that classic shounen action, then you can't go wrong with watching Goku blasting

01:25 his opponents away with a Kamehameha.

01:31 A mixture of fantasy and flashy fight scenes, watching Goku take on both tournament arcs

01:36 and the greatest threats in the cosmos – sometimes both at once – will never not make for a

01:42 great time.

01:47 With the original's sense of wonder, along with Super's grandiose animation, the hype

01:52 here is non-stop.

01:53 There's a reason so many looked to the first time Goku went golden with such reverence.

02:02 8.

02:05 Neon Genesis Evangelion

02:07 Don't let the giant robots fool you.

02:16 While there are indeed plenty of mecha piloted by anime characters in impossibly tight jumpsuits,

02:22 along with all the sci-fi jargon you could expect, Evangelion is just as much a meditation

02:28 on the folly of humanity's existence as it is Shinji and his robot punching the Jesus

02:33 out of the intergalactic alien threat known as Angels.

02:41 The Eva pilots all come with their own special batch of trauma, and the more the story under

02:46 unravels, the more it seeps out until it becomes a case study in existential dread.

02:52 And yet, you'll be thankful for the ride all the same.

02:57 7.

03:00 One Piece

03:01 They don't call it the Great Pirate Era for nothing.

03:04 With dreams of finding the legendary treasure left by the Pirate King, Luffy and the Straw

03:09 Hats' exploits are among the most celebrated in the medium, and for good reason.

03:18 In between the hilarious companionship between the crew, you've got titanic battles, some

03:24 of the most creative locations ever to be conjured up, as well as moments of heartbreaking,

03:29 grounded characterisation.

03:39 That alone would be a tall order for any anime, but for one that's still at the top of its

03:44 game all these years later, it's a feat that keeps on rising to new heights.

03:55 6.

03:58 Code Geass

03:59 When it comes to anti-heroes in anime, none have made an impact quite like Lelouch V Britannia,

04:05 and his bloody crusade to overturn his home nation in the hopes of a better tomorrow for

04:09 the oppressed.

04:16 Armed with the secret identity of Zero, and the mind-altering power of the Geass, Lelouch's

04:22 story is a bittersweet one, illuminating how even those with the best of intentions can

04:27 be drawn down the darkest path.

04:35 With a killer sci-fi backdrop, watching Lelouch's machinations both fail and come to fruition

04:40 will have you, much like everyone in his life, be put under his spell.

04:50 5.

04:53 Attack on Titan

04:58 The dark fantasy modern masterpiece that astounded the world with its rich plotting, savage setting,

05:04 and so many shades of morally grey complexity, that every twist became an event.

05:10 With giant humanoids known as Titans consuming all in sight, the last of humanity is forced

05:16 to safeguard themselves behind the walls.

05:21 At least, at first.

05:22 What starts as a mission of vengeance for Eren and his fellow scouts, soon unravels

05:28 as they discover the many conspiracies, secrets, and enemies lying in wait both beyond and

05:34 behind the walls.

05:35 It's a bloody and brutal affair that will certainly stand the test of time.

05:46 4.

05:48 Hunter x Hunter

05:49 Taking every kind of trope the shonen genre has handed to us over the years, and polishing

05:53 them to an unmitigated shine, Gon's adventures as a hunter turned out to be more than a globetrotting

06:00 jaunt with his friends.

06:12 Things went dark and violent fast.

06:20 Between bouts with fellow hunters, sinister criminal organisations, not to mention the

06:25 apex horror that came from the chimera ants, there's so many hard-hitting brawls and

06:30 moments of genuine despair.

06:32 It's hard to believe this started off with a quirky kid in a fishing rod in search of

06:37 his absentee pops.

06:38 But make no mistake, the darker it gets, the more brilliant Hunter x Hunter reveals itself

06:43 to be.

06:49 3.

06:54 Daiguren Lagan

06:55 You want giant robots the size of whole galaxies going full throttle?

06:59 We got 'em.

07:05 You want the team that became Studio Trigger doing what they do best?

07:09 It's all right here.

07:15 You want an anime with countless outrageously macho moments, laced with genuine moments

07:20 of character, Team Daiguren got you covered.

07:28 Between the battle against the Beastmen and the galaxy-destroying Anti-Spiral, Kamina's

07:33 bottomless charisma and everything that is Yoko, there is so much fun to be found here.

07:39 That, by the end, you will truly believe one gaggle of humans can take on every star in

07:44 the sky with guts alone.

07:50 2.

07:53 Cowboy Bebop

07:54 There's nothing cooler in the known universe than the Space Cowboy.

07:57 That's not opinion, that's fact.

08:07 This space-faring neo-noir series sees Spike Spiegel and his fellow bounty hunters take

08:12 on everything dangerous and strange this pretty future has to offer, all in the most stylish

08:18 way possible.

08:24 Everything from the jazz-centric soundtrack to the genre shifts to the beautifully blood-soaked

08:28 fight scenes, it all layers together into a pseudo-anthology that remains as sharp as

08:34 it was back then.

08:35 No one does it quite like Spike.

08:57 4.

09:20 The sense of adventure is impeccable as the two traverse a world rife with conflict, opposing

09:26 cultures, and intriguing ideals.

09:32 The action is as creative as it is hard-hitting, with the art of alchemy at its centre.

09:38 The emotional beats, the sense of scale, the weaving narrative, Ed and Al's unbreakable

09:43 bond, the exploration of its themes, all of it is impeccably conveyed and tied together

09:49 in a saga that hardcore fans of the medium and newcomers alike will find thrilling.

10:01 Which anime will you eternally declare as the true GOAT?

10:05 Let us know in those comments below.

10:20 [Music]

10:25 (upbeat music)

10:28 (gentle music)

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