Here’s a fun fact: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle is the fifth-highest-grossing film worldwide in 2025 so far. That’s not just for animated features—but for all movies released this year. The $20 million theatrical sequel is currently sitting at around $780 million at the box office, which also makes it the highest-grossing Japanese film of all time. Where major film studios are struggling to break even, anime is flourishing.

How about some more impressive numbers? According to Netflix, Sakamoto Days spent 14 weeks on their list of the top 10 non-English shows in 2025. The assassin anime garnered over 14.3 million viewers during its first two weeks on the platform. Meanwhile, anime streaming hub Crunchyroll crossed the 17 million subscribers mark this past summer.

There’s no greater time to join the club of anime fans, especially since 2025 boasted some of the best series we’ve seen since, well, 2024! Many of last year’s stellar new titles—such as Dandadan, Blue Box, and Solo Leveling—returned for a second season in 2025 to deepen their stories and expand their fanbases. At the same time, classics like One Piece continued to delight fans even as the franchise pushed through their 20-year anniversary on air.

For everything else we loved this year, check out our favorite anime of 2025 below.

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle

Outside of some surprise successes including A Minecraft Movie and the Lilo & Stitch live-action remake (which somehow surpassed a billion dollars worldwide), very few films had a bigger global box-office haul than the latest Demon Slayer film. The story of a young swordsman who seeks revenge against the demons who murdered his family has been overwhelmingly popular since its initial run as a Japanese comic book (a.k.a. manga). After the TV series debuted in 2019, the fantastic animation brought Demon Slayer to another level entirely. The latest installment, titled Infinity Castle, is also the first part of the story’s planned finale film trilogy. Naturally, it’s an experience made for the theater.

In theaters

Spy x Family (Season 3)

Tatsuya Endo’s cutesy drama returned this fall, continuing the story of a spy named Loid Forger who forms a fake family as part of his undercover operation into a shady political leader. Forger finds his way into his target’s inner circle by adopting a child and joining his son’s school, leading to humorous antics and adorable side quests featuring his new daughter, Anya. Season 3 continues the story as Anya grows closer to their target’s son and finds another way in for the super-spy.

Watch on Crunchyroll

The Summer Hikaru Died

Some anime are inspiring. Other titles carry ridiculous plots … like whatever the hell Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon is about. The Summer Hikaru Died is something else entirely. The supernatural story follows a boy named Yoshiki who slowly realizes that his friend Hikaru was replaced by some sort of body-snatching monster. The series explores themes of grief and loss of friendship in an animated story dripping with unsettling dread.

Watch on Netflix

Chainsaw Man — The Movie: Reze Arc

As much as Chainsaw Man is a story about a teenager who fights demons by transforming his head and arms into chainsaws, the show’s ridiculously fun action is also intercut with a heartbreaking coming-of-age story. So, it makes sense that in the franchise’s first film, our titular Chainsaw Man comes face to face with his first major foe: dating.

In Theaters

To Be Hero X

This Chinese animated series burst onto the scene this year on Crunchyroll as viewers fell in love with its unique power system. Basically, the world of To Be Hero X is filled with superheroes who gain their powers from sheer willpower. If enough of the world believes that a particular person could turn invisible, then they gain that ability. Sounds a little chaotic, no? So, every two years a massive tournament takes place to sort out who deserves the title of the best, a.k.a. X.

Watch on Crunchyroll

My Dress-Up Darling (Season 2)

Not to be confused with any of the genre’s NSFW animation in the cosplay department, My Dress-Up Darling is a story about an unlikely teenage duo who fall in love with dressing up as their favorite characters from TV, video games, and movies. More wholesome than anything, the show’s second season dives into the joys and intricacies of the makeup and costume world.

Watch on Crunchyroll

Dandadan (Season 2)

The best new anime of 2024, about high schoolers who investigate ghosts and aliens, returns for a second season just half a year after season 1 wrapped back in December. Kicking off this summer with an absolutely insane plot about a haunted house and a giant death worm, Dandadan looks to keep the infectiously fun and comically bright vibes going.

Watch on Crunchyroll

Blue Box (Season 2)

I’m a sucker for sports anime. They’re often formulaic and a bit too gung-ho, but I just mop it up every time. Blue Box, on the other hand, has a little bit of something for everyone. Sure, you can root for Chinatsu to nail a three-pointer during her basketball tournament or Taiki to score a point in badminton, but winning the game isn’t everything in Blue Box. The two also fall in love.

Watch on Netflix

Kaiju No. 8 (Season 2)

Kaiju No. 8 is about a man named Kafka Hibino who sets out to protect Japan from giant killer monsters, only to find himself inexplicably turned into a monster himself. It’s a bit like Godzilla if Godzilla could transform into a human when he wasn’t on a rampage. In season 1, Kafka joined the defense force that aims to protect the city from monsters (like himself), but his secret was accidentally revealed in the finale. Now back for season 2, Kaiju No. 8 will follow Kafka as he seeks to find his way out of this new pickle—and maybe use his monstrous transformation to help the defense force fight back.

Watch on Crunchyroll

Let’s Go Karaoke!

Yes, Let’s Go Karaoke! is an anime about karaoke. It’s just not a sing-along. The story starts when choral student Satomi Oka is approached by a gangster who is desperate to improve his singing skills and win a bet against another Yakuza member. Trapped in this ridiculous endeavor, Oka must help the ruffian learn how to sing before the annual competition lest he risk his own life.

Watch on Crunchyroll

Gachiakuta

Gachiakuta’s story won’t feel that outside-the-box to anime fans. The plot follows Rudo, a young abandoned boy who is sick of the backward ways of his society and then given the power to actually do something about it. The big difference here is in Gachiakuta’s animation. While its 3D style may not be for everyone, it’s captivating to see the reaction to the studio Bones’s mixed-media approach so far.

Watch on Crunchyroll

Dragon Ball Daima

Even after series creator Akira Toriyama’s passing last year, Goku and his friends are still going strong in 2025. Daima remixes element of Dragon Ball GT into a new story for the Super Saiyans as they travel to the demon world to defeat a new threat. The latest series is the last Dragon Ball story written by Toriyama before his death. So far, the animation is some of the best that the series has seen yet.

Watch on Crunchyroll Watch on Netflix

The Apothecary Diaries (Season 2)

Long-running anime franchises can feel daunting. Apothecary Diaries works with more of a medical-mystery-of-the-week formula—and it’s so damn refreshing. The story follows a young girl named Maomao who serves as an apothecary to the Imperial Palace during the Ming dynasty. With intriguing ailments and even more clever solutions, Apothecary Diaries is easily one of the breakout hits of the past two years.

Watch on Crunchyroll Watch on Netflix

Devil May Cry

Speaking of untraditional source material, Devil May Cry’s fantasy story originates from a popular Capcom video game series. The story follows a demon hunter named Dante who tracks down sinister terrorists out for revenge against humanity. The series is directed by Castlevania’s Adi Shankar, who is also developing an Assassin’s Creed series for Netflix.

Watch on Netflix

One Piece (Season 21)

One Piece and its seafaring pirates adapt the expertly animated Egghead arc for season 21 (!) this year. The series remains one of the most popular anime of all time, as One Piece’s animation team continues its never-ending warpath. Season 21 features even more important battles, as well as a remastered adaptation of season 15. Yes, that’s right. While fans wait for new episodes, One Piece will entertain viewers year-round with a revamped version of the Fishman Island saga from 2012. Plus, Netflix is currently entering production on season 2 of the live-action series. As always, One Piece fans are eating good.

Watch on Crunchyroll Watch on Netflix

Sakamoto Days (Season 2)

Though Sakamoto Days is one of the best manga of the past decade, the anime entered Netflix’s streaming portal to mixed reviews. While some critics cited problems with the less-than-fluid animation compared with that of its contemporary rivals, the story about a retired killer who is roped back into the insane world of assassins for hire is truly just heating up for viewers. As a reader, I can promise that Sakamoto Days is the gift that keeps on giving.

Watch on Netflix

Turkey

Remember when I said I was a sucker for sports anime? Well, here’s another recommendation: Turkey. The story follows Mai Otonashi, captain of the Ikkokukan High School Bowling Club, who is pursuing her final chance to win the tournament. While Turkey is mostly a cute, lighthearted story about the difficulties of maintaining friendships, it’s also about learning to work together to succeed—a lesson we could all learn once in a while.

Watch on Crunchyroll

Solo Leveling (Season 2)

Ever wonder what it would feel like to experience a video-game-like “leveling up” in real life? Well, that’s what happens to Sung Ji-woo in this South Korean fantasy anime. When monsters invade his world, a mystery ability grants him the power to increase his skills with every new villain he defeats. Solo Leveling surprised audiences last year, especially since the web comic’s story didn’t originate from one of the trusted powerhouses in Japanese publishing. If there’s one rule about anime, it’s to never judge a book by its cover!

Watch on Crunchyroll