30 Best Anime of the Decade, Ranked

From 2015 through 2024, anime delivered a wave of ambitious series and films that pushed storytelling, visuals, and music into new territory. This list gathers thirty standout titles from the past ten years and arranges them from strong to strongest based on overall acclaim and audience reception during the period. You’ll find a mix of ongoing hits, complete series, and feature films, with notes on creators, studios, formats, and what each work covers so you can pick your next watch with confidence.

‘The Apothecary Diaries’ (2023–2024)

By TOHO animation and OLM, this historical mystery follows Maomao, a kidnapped apothecary who solves medical and court puzzles in an imperial harem. Season 1 runs 24 episodes and blends episodic cases with longer plotlines about poisonings and palace politics. The production emphasizes period pharmacology details and food safety practices alongside deductive reveals.

‘Horimiya’ (2021)

CloverWorks adapts HERO and Daisuke Hagiwara’s school-life manga into a 13-episode series focused on identity, friendships, and family routines. The show uses mosaic-style time skips to compress a multi-year romance arc into one cour. The 2023 follow-up, ‘Horimiya: The Missing Pieces’, animates additional chapters set during the same timeline.

‘Chainsaw Man’ (2022–)

MAPPA adapts Tatsuki Fujimoto’s manga into a 12-episode first season with high-frame-rate action, grounded gore effects, and insert tracks by multiple artists across unique end credits. The story follows Denji and Public Safety Devil Hunters as they confront devil contracts tied to real-world fears. Season 1 covers the early arcs through the Katana Man confrontation, with theatrical continuation announced.

‘The Promised Neverland’ (2019–2021)

CloverWorks brings the cat-and-mouse escape manga to screen with a 12-episode first season covering the Grace Field arc. It centers on Emma, Norman, and Ray as they uncover the orphanage’s secret supply chain and plan a breakout. The second season concludes the story with a compressed adaptation that moves rapidly through later arcs.

’86’ (2021–2022)

A-1 Pictures adapts Asato Asato’s light novels into two cours exploring unmanned drone warfare and the human cost hidden behind propaganda. The narrative alternates perspectives between Handler One, a noble in the safe zone, and the Spearhead squadron on the front. The series integrates battlefield tactics, radio chatter motifs, and geopolitical maps across 23 episodes.

‘Dr. Stone’ (2019–2024)

TMS Entertainment charts humanity’s reboot after a global petrification event, led by teenage scientist Senku. Across multiple seasons and a special, the story advances from stone-age tools to electricity, chemistry, and early navigation. The production uses on-screen formulae, fabrication blueprints, and step-by-step builds to visualize applied science.

‘Banana Fish’ (2018)

MAPPA relocates Akimi Yoshida’s crime manga to 2018 New York while preserving the original plot’s geopolitical threads. Over 24 episodes, gang rivalries intersect with the mystery drug “Banana Fish,” linking street conflicts to international conspiracies. The adaptation updates technology, communications, and city landmarks to modern settings.

‘The First Slam Dunk’ (2022)

Toei Animation and Dandelion animate Takehiko Inoue’s screenplay and direction, focusing on Ryota Miyagi’s perspective during the Sannoh match. The film blends stylized CG with hand-drawn accents to capture court movement, set plays, and possession momentum. It reconstructs key game sequences with play-by-play clarity and flashback intercuts.

‘Weathering with You’ (2019)

From CoMix Wave Films, this feature follows a runaway teen and a girl who can clear rain through a localized atmospheric phenomenon. The film maps modern Tokyo locations with detailed compositing and frequent inserts of forecast graphics. It pairs meteorological imagery with a soundtrack by RADWIMPS that includes diegetic performances.

‘Suzume’ (2022)

Makoto Shinkai directs a road-movie journey across Japan as a teenager helps close supernatural “Doors” linked to historical disasters. CoMix Wave Films combines large-scale disaster visuals with everyday travel logistics spanning ferries, highways, and regional towns. The production integrates traditional chair-repair craft and shrine customs into the plot.

‘Belle’ (2021)

Studio Chizu and Mamoru Hosoda reimagine a virtual world called U, where a rural student becomes a global singer. The film juxtaposes choral performance design with social-media moderation, anonymity, and doxxing protocols. Its art direction contrasts stylized online avatars with naturalistic countryside settings and school activities.

‘A Silent Voice: The Movie’ (2016)

Kyoto Animation adapts Yoshitoki Oima’s manga about bullying, sign language, and reconciliation. The film tracks time jumps from elementary school to high school, showing hearing-impaired communication through lip-reading, notebooks, and assisted devices. The production emphasizes environmental sound design, including deliberate dropouts and ambient cues.

‘Your Name.’ (2016)

CoMix Wave Films depicts body-swap phenomena tied to a comet event and rural traditions. The film employs timeline charts, braided-cord symbolism, and location scouting that connects Itomori’s fictional setting to real stations and city districts. It uses time-slip editing and phone-log continuity to track the characters’ crossed communications.

‘March Comes in Like a Lion’ (2016–2018)

Shaft adapts Chica Umino’s manga into two seasons covering professional shogi matches, tutoring, and family caregiving. Broadcasts integrate annotated boards, kifu records, and commentary boxes to explain openings and match flow. The series balances tournament schedules with school life and community support networks.

‘Land of the Lustrous’ (2017)

Orange delivers full 3D CG animation for a fantasy world of gemstone beings defending against Lunarians. Over 12 episodes, the show demonstrates physics-based hair and material shaders to represent hardness, fracture, and refraction. The adaptation tracks Phos’s changing composition with model updates and revised movement rigs.

‘Ranking of Kings’ (2021–2023)

Wit Studio adapts Sōsuke Tōka’s story of Bojji, a deaf prince, using bold outlines and storybook palettes. The series covers training arcs, underworld journeys, and palace coups across a 23-episode first season plus a side-story cour. Sign language, tactile cues, and lip-reading are integrated into character interactions and plot resolutions.

‘Violet Evergarden’ (2018)

Kyoto Animation follows an ex-soldier who becomes an Auto Memory Doll, ghostwriting letters for clients. The series and later film entries chart commissions across different towns, industries, and historical settings. Production highlights include fountain-pen mechanics, postal logistics, and typesetting details shown on screen.

‘Spy x Family’ (2022–)

CloverWorks and Wit Studio co-produce this adaptation about a spy, telepath child, and assassin mother forming a cover family. Seasons to date include school arcs, a cruise arc, and a theatrical film tie-in. The show uses mission dossiers, forged records, and Eden Academy protocols to structure episodic goals.

‘Oshi no Ko’ (2023–)

Doga Kobo adapts Aka Akasaka and Mengo Yokoyari’s series about idol production, viral trends, and revenge within show business. The anime details casting pipelines, streaming analytics, and variety-show scripting, with arcs on stage plays and reality TV. It employs on-screen social metrics and influencer collabs to drive plot turns.

‘OddTaxi’ (2021)

P.I.C.S. and OLM present a noir mystery set in a stylized Tokyo of anthropomorphic residents. The 13-episode series threads multiple POVs around a taxi driver whose dashcam and ride logs link crimes and disappearances. An end-title film epilogue expands the timeline and ties up unresolved case notes.

‘Cyberpunk: Edgerunners’ (2022)

Studio Trigger and CD Projekt produce a 10-episode standalone story set in Night City. It follows academy dropout David and his crew through mercenary contracts, cyberware upgrades, and fixer networks. The production maps game systems like cyberpsychosis risk, ripperdoc clinics, and netrunning gear into TV pacing.

‘Made in Abyss’ (2017–2022)

Kinema Citrus adapts Akihito Tsukushi’s expedition saga across TV seasons and films. The work documents diving rules, layer-specific fauna, relic classification, and survival gear for cave raiders. The 2022 season explores the Capital of the Unreturned with field notes, maps, and whistle ranks central to progression.

‘Jujutsu Kaisen’ (2020–)

MAPPA’s action series catalogs cursed energy mechanics, school hierarchies, and domain expansion techniques. Releases include a prequel film, a first season introducing core sorcerers, and a second season covering the Hidden Inventory and Shibuya arcs. The franchise provides power-system diagrams and mission briefings to frame combat strategy.

‘BOCCHI THE ROCK!’ (2022)

CloverWorks adapts Aki Hamaji’s band manga with frequent mixed-media cuts including live-action inserts and clay animation gags. The series documents instrument practice routines, live-house booking, audio mixing, and merch prep for indie shows. It tracks band growth through gig attendance, setlists, and demo recording milestones.

‘Kaguya-sama: Love is War’ (2019–2022)

A-1 Pictures maps student council mind games into staged “operations” with narrator commentary and on-screen rules. Seasons cover exam cycles, sports festivals, cultural festivals, and a feature film continuation. The adaptation uses split-screen strategies, faux legalese, and data overlays to visualize logic battles.

‘Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba’ (2019–2024)

ufotable adapts Koyoharu Gotouge’s saga across TV seasons and theatrical releases that stitch into the main timeline. The production tracks breathing styles, sword forging in the Swordsmith Village, and Corps structure including the Hashira. Arc coverage includes Final Selection through Infinity Castle teases as the adaptation progresses.

‘Mob Psycho 100’ (2016–2022)

Bones adapts ONE’s series into three seasons plus specials, following Mob’s growth alongside Spirits and Such Consultation Office. The show’s visuals employ paint-on-glass effects, limited animation bursts, and elaborate climaxes with hand-drawn impact frames. It documents spirit exorcism jobs, school clubs, and urban redevelopment subplots.

‘Vinland Saga’ (2019–2023)

Wit Studio and MAPPA adapt Makoto Yukimura’s historical epic across two seasons. The narrative moves from raiding campaigns to farm labor, treaties, and exploration planning toward the Vinland project. Real-world geography, Norse terminology, and period tools are presented with maps and agricultural workflows.

‘Attack on Titan’ (2013–2023)

Wit Studio and MAPPA complete Hajime Isayama’s series across four main parts and multi-special finales. The adaptation catalogs military branches, ODM gear upgrades, and Marley-island politics, with timeline charts covering time-skip years. The concluding specials close the Rumbling arc with full credit sequences listing combined staff units.

‘Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End’ (2023–2024)

Madhouse adapts Kanehito Yamada and Tsukasa Abe’s post-adventure fantasy into a 28-episode first season. The series follows certification exams, demon negotiations, and century-spanning travel logs as an elf mage reflects on companions and history. Broadcasts include extended premieres, consistent background art direction for northern regions, and a score built around recurring leitmotifs.

Share your favorites from the past ten years in the comments and let everyone know which titles you think deserve a spot.