If you’ve been sleeping on Netflix’s anime library, wake up — because the platform is absolutely stacked right now. We’re talking about some of the best anime on Netflix spanning every genre imaginable: brutal shonen action, gut-punch drama, psychological horror, dark fantasy, and a few hidden gems that don’t get nearly enough love in the community. Whether you just finished your first series and want to go deeper or you’re a veteran looking for something new to sink your teeth into, this list of the best anime on Netflix has you covered. We pulled together 15 series that represent the absolute cream of what’s streaming in 2026 — ranked, reviewed, and broken down so you know exactly what you’re getting into before you hit play.
Not sure where to start with anime in general? Check out our beginner’s guide to anime before diving in. For veterans, we’ve got deep-cut picks on this list that’ll give even longtime fans something fresh. Let’s get into it.
1. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
Genres: Action, Dark Fantasy, Shonen
Demon Slayer follows Tanjiro Kamado, a kindhearted boy whose family is slaughtered by demons — leaving only his sister Nezuko alive, though she’s been turned into a demon herself. Tanjiro joins the Demon Slayer Corps to find a cure for Nezuko and destroy the demon responsible for his family’s deaths: the near-immortal Muzan Kibutsuji. What unfolds is one of the most visually spectacular anime series ever made, full stop. Ufotable’s animation doesn’t just raise the bar — it’s in a different stratosphere entirely.
The reason Demon Slayer exploded isn’t just the animation. The emotional core hits like a freight train. Tanjiro’s unwavering compassion — even for his enemies — is something you rarely see in shonen. He mourns demons. He acknowledges their humanity. That’s a choice that elevates the entire series above typical fight-of-the-week storytelling. Every arc escalates perfectly, and the Mugen Train arc (now available as both a film and a series arc) is one of the most emotionally devastating experiences anime has to offer.
This one is for literally everyone. New to anime? Start here. Burnt out on shonen? Give this one more shot. Want to show a non-anime friend what the medium is capable of? Demon Slayer is the answer every single time.
2. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
Genres: Sci-Fi, Cyberpunk, Action, Tragedy
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is a 10-episode original Netflix anime set in the universe of the Cyberpunk 2077 video game, produced by Trigger — the studio behind Kill la Kill and Gurren Lagann. It follows David Martinez, a street kid from the slums of Night City who loses everything and claws his way up through the mercenary underworld by installing illegal cybernetic implants. The story burns fast and bright, and it is absolutely not afraid to destroy you emotionally. This one goes hard from the first episode and doesn’t let up.
Trigger’s visual style is perfectly suited to Night City’s maximalist, oversaturated aesthetic. The action sequences are some of the most kinetic, stylish fights you’ll see anywhere — anime or otherwise. But what separates Edgerunners from “cool sci-fi action show” is its devastating humanity. The relationship between David and Lucy is written with real tenderness, and the show understands that in a world that grinds people down, love is the most radical act of resistance. The ending will wreck you. You’ve been warned.
This is mandatory viewing for sci-fi fans, cyberpunk fans, and anyone who wants proof that a 10-episode anime can hit harder than most prestige TV dramas. Even people who bounced off the Cyberpunk 2077 game have called this one of the best things they’ve watched in years.
3. Jujutsu Kaisen
Genres: Action, Dark Fantasy, Shonen, Horror
Jujutsu Kaisen follows Yuji Itadori, an extraordinarily strong high schooler who gets pulled into the world of Jujutsu sorcerers — warriors who battle Curses, monstrous beings born from the negative emotions of humanity. After swallowing a finger belonging to the legendary King of Curses Ryomen Sukuna, Yuji becomes Sukuna’s vessel and is recruited (and simultaneously sentenced to death) by the Jujutsu world’s governing body. He’ll be allowed to live only long enough to consume all of Sukuna’s fingers. No pressure.
The appeal of JJK is its refusal to play it safe. Characters die. People fail. The world is genuinely dark and dangerous, and the sorcerers protecting it operate under a corrupt system that doesn’t always value human life. Gege Akutami writes villains with real ideology — Mahito’s arc in Season 1 is a masterclass in how to make a villain genuinely disturbing without making them cartoonish. And the action? The Shibuya Incident arc in Season 2 is some of the most intense, emotionally brutal storytelling in recent shonen history. Check out our picks for the most shocking anime plot twists — JJK earns multiple spots on that list.
Perfect for fans of darker shonen who want stakes to actually mean something. If you’re tired of anime where the heroes always pull through unscathed, Jujutsu Kaisen is your antidote.
4. One Piece
Genres: Adventure, Action, Comedy, Shonen
One Piece is the longest-running and arguably the greatest adventure manga and anime ever created. Monkey D. Luffy wants to be King of the Pirates and find the legendary treasure One Piece. That premise sounds simple — and it is. The genius of One Piece is what creator Eiichiro Oda does with that simple premise over thousands of chapters and hundreds of episodes: he builds a world of extraordinary depth, populates it with unforgettable characters, and crafts arcs that pay off seeds planted hundreds of episodes earlier. The Netflix live-action adaptation brought a wave of new fans; now many of them are digging into the anime.
Look, the episode count is intimidating. Over 1,000 episodes is a lot. But the community consensus is this: get to Arlong Park (around episode 31), and you’ll understand why people have been hooked for 25+ years. The Marineford arc is widely considered one of the greatest story arcs in all of fiction. The Wano arc’s conclusion will leave you completely unhinged. And Gear 5 — when it finally arrives — is a genuine religious experience for One Piece fans. Netflix carries a solid selection of arcs, making it easier than ever to start or catch up.
One Piece is for everyone with patience and a taste for epic, world-spanning adventure. It rewards long-term investment in ways that are almost impossible to describe to someone who hasn’t experienced it. Just start. Trust the process.
5. Violet Evergarden
Genres: Drama, Slice of Life, Fantasy, Romance
Violet Evergarden is about a young woman — a former child soldier who was used as a weapon throughout a brutal war — who is now learning to live in peacetime. She becomes an “Auto Memory Doll,” a ghostwriter who composes letters on behalf of clients who can’t find the words themselves. Through the act of writing for others, Violet slowly learns to understand the human emotions she never had the chance to develop: grief, love, longing, and the weight of connection. This show is not loud. It’s quiet, precise, and absolutely devastating.
Kyoto Animation made this, and that alone should tell you the level of craft on display. Every episode is a short story about a different client, and each one peels back another layer of Violet’s emotional awakening. The episodic structure might feel slow at first, but by episode 10 you will be completely broken. The show understands grief with a maturity and specificity that most media never approaches. Watch this one on a night when you have tissues and no plans afterward.
Violet Evergarden is for anyone who loves slow-burn character drama, literary storytelling, or simply wants to feel something deep. It’s not for action fans looking for spectacle — but for those willing to be still and pay attention, it’s among the most rewarding experiences anime has to offer.
6. Death Note
Genres: Psychological Thriller, Mystery, Supernatural
Death Note is the starter drug for an entire generation of anime fans, and it holds up completely. Light Yagami is a bored genius high schooler who discovers a supernatural notebook: any human whose name is written in it dies. Light decides to use it to create a utopian world free of crime — by becoming its judge, jury, and executioner. Opposing him is L, a reclusive, eccentric genius detective who is the only person on earth who might be able to stop him. What follows is a 37-episode cat-and-mouse thriller that will have you changing sides every other episode.
Death Note works because it takes its central moral question — is it justice to kill criminals? — completely seriously. Light is not a simple villain. He genuinely believes in what he’s doing, and the show gives his ideology real weight before systematically dismantling it. L is one of the most beloved characters in all of anime for good reason: he’s brilliant, weird, and just human enough to make you root for him fiercely. The first half of the series, through a certain pivotal moment around episode 25, is some of the tightest suspense storytelling you’ll find anywhere in fiction.
If you’re new to anime, Death Note is one of the best starting points precisely because it feels so unlike what people expect anime to be. It’s a prestige thriller that happens to be animated. Non-anime fans regularly fall hard for this one.
7. Hunter x Hunter (2011)
Genres: Adventure, Action, Shonen, Dark Fantasy
Hunter x Hunter follows Gon Freecss, a sunny, fearless kid who wants to become a Hunter — an elite class of individuals licensed to do basically anything: explore uncharted lands, hunt rare beasts, track criminals, seek treasure. His main motivation is to find his absent father, the legendary Hunter Ging Freecss. But Gon’s journey takes him deep into darkness, and what starts as a classic adventure story quietly becomes one of the most subversive, emotionally complex shonen ever written. Yoshihiro Togashi has been writing the manga for decades, and his 2011 anime adaptation is the definitive version of a masterpiece.
The Chimera Ant arc — which begins around episode 76 — is one of the most discussed story arcs in anime history. It’s a meditation on humanity, empathy, evolution, and the cost of war that uses its ant villain Meruem to ask questions most fiction wouldn’t dare. Killua’s arc throughout the entire series is one of the best depictions of trauma, friendship, and self-worth in the medium. And the Nen power system is genuinely one of the most creative, logically consistent magic systems ever designed for anime. Hunter x Hunter demands your full attention and rewards it extravagantly.
Essential viewing for anyone who’s heard people talk about “peak shonen” and wants to understand what that means. Fair warning: the anime ends without completing the story because the manga is perpetually on hiatus — but what exists is so good it’s worth every ounce of the heartbreak.
8. Mob Psycho 100
Genres: Action, Comedy, Supernatural, Slice of Life
Mob Psycho 100 comes from ONE — the creator of One Punch Man — and it shares that series’ irreverent approach to the genre while being, somehow, even more emotionally resonant. Mob (real name Shigeo Kageyama) is an incredibly powerful psychic, capable of catastrophic destruction. He deliberately suppresses his powers because he doesn’t want to rely on them, and he genuinely wants to become a better person through hard work and human connection. He works part-time for the world’s most fraudulent spirit consultant, Reigen Arataka, who is both an absolute charlatan and, unexpectedly, one of anime’s best mentors.
The animation from Bones is genuinely experimental — fluid, chaotic, and spectacular in a way that breaks conventional anime visual language. But the real reason Mob Psycho is one of the best anime on Netflix is its emotional intelligence. The show is fundamentally about a kid learning that his worth as a person has nothing to do with his powers. Every arc circles back to Mob’s relationships: with his brother, his friends, his manipulative master Reigen, and himself. Season 3’s finale is one of the most cathartic endings in anime history. The community cannot stop talking about it.
Perfect for anyone who wants their action anime to have actual things to say. Mob Psycho 100 is funny, visually bonkers, and will sneak up and absolutely destroy you emotionally when you least expect it.
9. Spy x Family
Genres: Action, Comedy, Family, Slice of Life
Spy x Family is the ultimate comfort anime with teeth. Loid Forger is a master spy who needs to create a fake family as cover for a critical intelligence mission. He adopts a little girl named Anya — who is secretly a telepath — and enters into a fake marriage with Yor, a woman who is secretly an assassin. Nobody knows anyone else’s secret. Anya can read all their minds and is absolutely delighted by the chaos. The mission: get Anya into the elite Eden Academy and infiltrate the social circle of a dangerous political figure. The family that spies together, stays together.
What makes Spy x Family special is that the fake family slowly becomes real. Every episode, Loid gets a little more attached to Anya and Yor despite his best efforts. Every episode, Yor gets a little more attached to the family she stumbled into. And Anya, who knows it’s all fake, wants it to be real more than anything. The comedy is sharp and genuinely funny — Anya’s expressions became internet-famous for a reason — but the warmth underneath is what keeps you coming back. It’s a show about people learning to belong somewhere.
This one is for everyone. Anime fans, casual viewers, couples, families — Spy x Family has universal appeal. It’s the rare action-comedy that earns its emotional moments completely.
10. Vinland Saga
Genres: Historical, Action, Drama, Seinen
Vinland Saga is set in the age of the Vikings and follows Thorfinn, the son of a legendary warrior who is murdered by the mercenary leader Askeladd. Thorfinn joins Askeladd’s crew, driven by a singular obsession: to avenge his father in honorable single combat. What unfolds over four seasons is a brutally honest examination of violence, vengeance, masculinity, and the question of what it means to be a true warrior — or whether being a warrior means anything at all. Based on Makoto Yukimura’s celebrated manga, Vinland Saga is one of the most mature, thoughtful anime series ever made.
Season 1 is exceptional action drama. Season 2 is something else entirely: a slow, almost spiritual story about a broken man trying to become human again. The tonal shift is dramatic and intentional, and some viewers bounce off it — but those who stay are rewarded with one of the most profound character arcs in anime. Thorfinn’s journey from weapon to person is handled with extraordinary care and patience. The historical detail is meticulous, the action is visceral without being gratuitous, and the philosophical core — that there is no true warrior who has no enemies — lands every single time.
Vinland Saga is for adult anime fans who are done with power fantasies and want their stories to have real moral weight. This is anime as literary fiction. It belongs in the conversation with the best historical dramas of any medium.
11. Blue Eye Samurai
Genres: Action, Historical, Revenge, Adult Animation
Blue Eye Samurai is technically not a traditional anime — it’s an American-produced Netflix original — but the community has largely embraced it as a peer to the best of the genre, and the comparison is earned. Set in Edo-period Japan, the series follows Mizu, a mixed-race swordsperson who passes as a man to hide their European heritage in a xenophobic society. Mizu is hunting the four white men who could be their father, driven by a lifelong obsession with revenge. The animation is absolutely stunning — some of the most beautifully choreographed action sequences in any animated medium, ever.
What elevates Blue Eye Samurai above a stylish revenge thriller is its writing. The characters are complex and contradictory in the best way. Mizu’s obsession with revenge is presented without glamour — it’s consuming them, destroying relationships, costing them everything. The supporting cast, particularly Akemi and Taigen, get fully realized arcs of their own. The show understands that historical Japan’s beauty and its brutality are inseparable, and it doesn’t flinch from either. Season 1’s finale is an absolute tour de force of action filmmaking. The community lost its mind when it dropped, and rightfully so.
Blue Eye Samurai is for anyone who wants a sophisticated, mature action series with extraordinary visual craft and real things to say about identity, revenge, and belonging. Highly recommended for Vinland Saga fans as a companion piece.
12. Scott Pilgrim Takes Off
Genres: Comedy, Romance, Action, Meta
Scott Pilgrim Takes Off is one of the most genuinely surprising anime on Netflix because it does something incredible: it takes Bryan Lee O’Malley’s beloved graphic novel and the Edgar Wright film and uses their premise as a launching pad for an entirely new story. Without spoiling the pivot — and the pivot happens fast — the series shifts focus to Ramona Flowers and uses the Scott Pilgrim universe to tell a story about female agency, self-discovery, and the exhausting experience of being the love interest in someone else’s story. It is funny, clever, visually inventive, and absolutely aware of exactly what it’s doing.
Science SARU’s animation is immaculate — it captures the graphic novel’s visual language while bringing it fully to life in ways the 2010 film couldn’t. The voice cast from the original film returned, which adds a layer of meta-joy for fans. But the real accomplishment is thematic: this is a show that takes a story fans thought they knew completely and asks what happens when you center the women instead of the lovable idiot they’re fighting over. It’s witty, warm, and has a genuinely satisfying emotional arc across its eight episodes.
Ideal for Scott Pilgrim fans, obviously — but also for anyone who enjoys self-aware media that plays with genre expectations. This rewards engagement with the source material but isn’t required reading. It works as a standalone piece of weird, joyful anime.
13. Pluto
Genres: Sci-Fi, Mystery, Psychological, Seinen
Pluto is a reimagining of Osamu Tezuka’s classic Astro Boy story arc “The Greatest Robot on Earth,” written and drawn by Naoki Urasawa — the genius behind Monster and 20th Century Boys. The Netflix anime adaptation, produced by Studio M2, faithfully adapts Urasawa’s manga into one of the most intelligent, emotionally devastating science fiction anime in years. Set in a world where humans and robots coexist with uneasy equality, the series follows Gesicht, a robot detective investigating a series of murders targeting the world’s most powerful robots. Someone — or something — is systematically destroying them.
Pluto asks enormous questions with quiet, methodical precision: Can robots feel grief? What is the nature of hatred? What are the true costs of war, and who pays them long after the fighting ends? The pacing is deliberate, the mystery is layered, and the emotional payoff is extraordinary. This is Urasawa doing what Urasawa does best — building toward a revelation that recontextualizes everything you’ve watched and hits you somewhere deep and unexpected. The final episodes are genuinely haunting. This is the kind of anime that sits with you for weeks.
Pluto is for fans of thoughtful science fiction in the tradition of Blade Runner and Asimov. It demands patience and attention, but it is one of the most rewarding anime Netflix has ever distributed. Absolutely do not sleep on this one.
14. Castlevania
Genres: Dark Fantasy, Action, Horror, Gothic
Like Blue Eye Samurai, Castlevania is American-produced — but it’s been accepted by the anime community as one of its own, and the quality makes that a no-brainer. Based on Konami’s legendary video game series, it follows Trevor Belmont, the last of a disgraced monster-hunting family, as he forms an unlikely alliance with the magician Sypha Belnades and Alucard — the dhampir son of Dracula himself — to stop Dracula’s genocidal war against humanity. The first two seasons are 12 episodes of some of the best dark fantasy animation ever produced, featuring jaw-dropping action, razor-sharp dialogue, and a Dracula whose grief is genuinely sympathetic.
Warren Ellis’s writing on the first two seasons is exceptional — the characters are intelligent, the world has weight and history, and the villains are given real dimension. The fight choreography, handled by Frederator Studios and a largely Asian animation team, set a new standard for western animation action. The follow-up series Castlevania: Nocturne, which focuses on Richter Belmont during the French Revolution, continues the tradition with its own brilliant cast and a thematic sharpness that makes it feel contemporary without losing the gothic atmosphere that makes Castlevania special.
Essential for fans of dark fantasy, gothic horror, and anyone who plays FromSoftware games and wants those vibes in animated form. Castlevania proves that the western animation industry can go toe-to-toe with Japan when it has the right creative vision.
15. Dorohedoro
Genres: Dark Fantasy, Action, Comedy, Seinen
Dorohedoro is the most chaotic, weird, uniquely itself anime on this list, and it is absolutely magnificent. Set in the Hole — a crumbling, industrial hellscape at the bottom of the world — the series follows Caiman, a man with a lizard head and no memory of his past, as he searches for the magic user who transformed him. Together with his partner Nikaidou, he hunts magic users, biting their heads off to let the mysterious figure living in his throat identify them. Meanwhile, in the Magic Users’ world above, a pair of low-level sorcerers named En, Shin, and Noi are tasked with eliminating Caiman. The whole thing is absurd, blood-soaked, and somehow one of the most heartwarming shows on this list.
MAPPA’s adaptation uses CG animation that initially puts some viewers off, but it fits the chunky, grotesque aesthetic of Q Hayashida’s manga perfectly. Dorohedoro has a tone unlike anything else in anime: it’s simultaneously horrifying and cozy. The world is brutal, but the found family at its center — Caiman, Nikaidou, and the ragtag crew of the Hole — radiates genuine warmth. There are mushroom-filled parties, elaborate holiday celebrations, and moments of such unexpected tenderness they’ll completely blindside you in the middle of all the decapitation and sorcery. The community calls it a “Dororo-shaped hole in the heart” for a reason.
Dorohedoro is for fans who’ve watched enough anime to crave something genuinely strange. If you liked Chainsaw Man’s energy, if you appreciate dark comedy that doesn’t apologize for its weirdness, or if you just want something nobody else is talking about at the watercooler — this is your pick. It’s a singular experience.
How to Find More Anime on Netflix
Netflix doesn’t make it easy to browse anime specifically, but there are tricks. The direct URL for Netflix’s anime genre page is netflix.com/browse/genre/7424 — bookmark it. From there, you can filter by sub-genres including shonen, anime series, anime films, and more.
A few tips for finding gems:
- Search by studio: Type “Studio Trigger,” “Ufotable,” or “MAPPA” in the search bar. Netflix often surfaces associated titles.
- Use the genre codes: Netflix has hidden genre pages for sub-categories. Anime action is genre 2653, anime horror is genre 10695, and anime sci-fi is genre 1492.
- Check “New & Popular”: Netflix promotes seasonal anime drops here. Currently it’s one of the best places to catch up with new seasons as they release.
- Follow the community: Subreddits like r/anime and r/NetflixAnime are essential for staying current on what’s newly added and what’s about to leave the library.
- Keep tabs on seasonal releases: Check our guide to the most anticipated anime of spring 2026 to know what’s coming and when it might land on Netflix.
Netflix’s anime library rotates, so series do occasionally leave. If something’s on your watchlist, don’t wait too long. The FOMO is real.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Netflix good for anime?
Yes — and it’s gotten significantly better. Netflix has heavily invested in anime licensing and original productions over the last several years. The library now covers everything from classic titles like Death Note and Hunter x Hunter to brand-new originals like Edgerunners and Scott Pilgrim Takes Off. It’s not a substitute for dedicated anime platforms like Crunchyroll or Funimation, but for casual fans or people without multiple streaming subscriptions, it’s a genuinely solid starting point.
What’s the best anime on Netflix for beginners?
Demon Slayer, Death Note, and Spy x Family are the three strongest entry points. Demon Slayer has spectacular animation that immediately demonstrates the medium’s potential. Death Note has a thriller plot structure that feels accessible to non-anime viewers. Spy x Family has universal appeal and none of the genre conventions that can feel alienating to newcomers. For a deeper breakdown, visit our beginner’s guide to anime — it walks you through everything step by step.
Does Netflix have anime dubbed in English?
Yes, many titles have English dubs. Demon Slayer, One Piece, Death Note, Hunter x Hunter, Spy x Family, Mob Psycho 100, Castlevania, and Violet Evergarden all have quality English dubs available on Netflix. Blue Eye Samurai and Scott Pilgrim Takes Off are English productions, so that’s their native language. The sub vs. dub debate is eternal in the community, but the honest answer for beginners is: watch in whatever format lets you actually enjoy it without distraction.
How often does Netflix add new anime?
Netflix adds new anime episodes and titles on a roughly monthly basis, with major drops often aligned with Japanese seasonal release schedules (January, April, July, and October). Netflix originals and exclusives sometimes release all episodes at once in Netflix’s binge model. For ongoing series from other studios, Netflix often batches episodes or releases a season after it has finished airing in Japan — which means less waiting between episodes but more waiting for the full season. Keep your watchlist updated and check in during seasonal transition periods for the freshest content.
The Bottom Line: Our Top 3 Picks for Best Anime on Netflix
If you can only start with three, here’s where we’d point you:
1. Demon Slayer — The single best entry point into anime that Netflix offers. Visually jaw-dropping, emotionally resonant, and welcoming to newcomers without being shallow for veterans. Watch this first.
2. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners — Ten episodes. One sitting. Complete emotional devastation. The best standalone anime Netflix has ever produced, and a masterclass in what the medium can do with a constrained format and the right creative team.
3. Pluto — The dark horse pick. Most casual viewers scroll right past it, and that’s a tragedy. Naoki Urasawa’s adaptation of the Astro Boy mythos is sophisticated, haunting science fiction that deserves to be discussed alongside the best work in the genre. Don’t sleep on it.
Whatever you choose from this list, you’re in for something special. Netflix’s anime library in 2026 represents the medium at some of its highest points across genres, styles, and emotional registers. There’s genuinely never been a better time to be an anime fan — or to become one. Happy watching.