The Ultimate List of the Best Anime of All Time
Is it sexy waifus?
“Oh, so you like anime do you? Name three anime.”
How many times have you heard that question in your life? How many times have you talked about your favorite anime series at a party only for some turbo nerd to tell you that the anime you love isn’t “God tier.” Well, what DOES make a God tier anime, CRAIG? Is it sexy waifus? What about overpowered protagonists? Or maybe it’s something different, something more.
For the Craigs of the world, sexy waifus and OP protagonists may a God tier anime make, but use this list of ACTUAL God tier anime to prove them all wrong.
Cowboy Bebop
From the mind of Shinichirō Watanabe comes Cowboy Bebop, the coolest show ever made. It centers around a stoic, spacefaring bounty hunter named Spike Spiegel who is just trying to get by in a lawless universe while running from his criminal past. Part action movie, part mediation, and part freeform jazz concert, this series proves that while substance can indeed trump style—style is never to be underestimated.
Neon Genesis Evangelion
Neon Genesis Evangelion tells the story of the young Shinji Ikari, who is chosen by a group of scientists to pilot a giant biomechanical mech suit in order to fight off an ultraterrestrial alien race known as “angels”. Sounds like a fun little sci-fi romp right? WRONG. Neon Genesis Evangelion dives deep into the disturbed psyche of the fragile young boy, upon whose shoulders rests the entire weight of humanity. Far too much for one child to bear. Pair that with the greatest opening song in all of anime and you’ve got yourself a GOAT series.
Fullmetal Alchemist
Fullmetal Alchemist is the Breaking Bad of anime. Five tight, perfect seasons. It’s about two brothers, Edward and Alphonse, who attempt to resurrect their dead mother using the magical art of alchemy. It doesn’t go as planned. The pair lose their body parts in the process and embark on a journey across the kingdom to get their stolen parts back, uncovering a world-shaking political conspiracy along the way. Humor, pathos, A+ fight scenes, and a plot full of twist and turns make this anime not only one of the greats—but perhaps the greatest of all time.
One Piece
There’s a reason why One Piece has been running for over 20 years and still going strong. It’s just that good. The story concerns Monkey D. Luffy, a young boy who dreams of discovering a legendary treasure called the One Piece and laying claim to the title of Pirate King. While the story may appear to be a whacky shonen romp on the surface, a consistent watch will reveal oceans of drama and heart.
Death Note
The M. Night Shyamalan movie of anime, Death Note is RIDDLED with sharp psychological twists and turns. The brilliant but bored honors student Light Yagami discovers a little black notebook that—as the god of death that owns it explains to him—has the power to kill anyone whose name is written on its pages. Light uses the power of the notebook to kill criminals across society and solidify his rule as the god of a new world. That is if a crack team of detectives led by the equally brilliant high school-aged detective L doesn’t bring him down first.
Devilman Crybaby
Inspired by the long-running Devilman franchise, Devilman Crybaby may just be one of the most disturbing anime ever made. The short, one season series centers around a boy named Akira Fudo, who has been possessed by a powerful demon and transformed into a hybrid creature known as Devilman. With the help of his best friend Ryo Asuka, he attempts to rid the world of flesh-eating devils. However, Ryo may not have Akira’s best interests at heart after all.
Kill La Kill
Kill La Kill‘s Ryuko Matoi is a high school girl that you don’t want to mess with. She has traveled to Honnōji Academy, a high school that has achieved totalitarian rule over its home city, in order to assassinate its student council president who she believes murdered her father. She’ll do it all while wearing a sentient blood drinking sailor suit that gets more powerful the more skin it shows on Ryuko’s body. Kill La Kill is the greatest ecchi anime ever made, and its over the top fight scenes, ridiculous humor, and clever social commentary on the nature of shame make it one of the greatest anime titles ever conceived.
Trigun
On the distant planet of Gunsmoke, a wanted criminal named Vash the Stampede has amassed an unfathomable bounty of 60 billion double dollars. The kicker is, he’s actually a really nice guy. Trigun centers around Vash’s efforts to bring love and peace to the lawless desert planet, and defeat the actual criminals who wish to rule it with tyranny. Trigun is anime’s greatest Western and one of the greatest of all time.
Samurai Champloo
Cowboy Bebop creator Shinichirō Watanabe made not one, but TWO of the greatest anime series of all time. Samurai Champloo is the second of the two. Set in an anachronistic Edo-period Japan inspired by hip-hop, two vagrant warriors named Mugen and Jin lose a bet to a young woman named Fuu, and are forced to accompany her on her journey to find the “Samurai Who Smells of Sunflowers.” Champloo features bloody and gorgeous action sequences, deep character studies, and the chillest lo-fi hip-hop score ever made.
Revolutionary Girl Utena
Sorry Sailor Moon, but Revolutionary Girl Utena is the greatest magical girl anime ever made. The story centers around Utena Tenjou, a high school girl who becomes the spiritual protector of the magical girl Anthy after saving her from abuse at the hands of her student council fiance. In return for her service, Anthy promises herself to Utena as her “Rose Bride” giving Utena access to the magic sword that sleeps in Anthy’s heart. If this sounds like a sapphic dream to you, it’s because it is. These girls are canonically gay and MARRIED. It is one of the greatest LGBT anime titles of all time and blazed the trail for subsequent LGBT anime representation. We love to see it.
(featured image: Sunrise)
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