A collection of anime posters.

The Best Anime of All-Time

This is a live list where I rank anime. Everything within a tier is arranged alphabetically. If something isn’t on the list, it will be someday. Leave your comments and we’ll talk.

I give a lot of weight to scope, scale, and depth. If an anime is higher than you expect, it probably did one or all of those things very well. If it’s lower, well, it probably frustrated me.

Rankings: updated 4/8/25

Latest additions: Invincible (1-3) | Berserk 1997 | Dragon Ball Daima | Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man | My Hero Academia (S7)

Note: Shows within a tier are in alphabetical order

My Favorites

  1. Cowboy Bebop
  2. Death Parade
  3. Dragon Ball Z
  4. Escaflowne
  5. Gurren Lagann
  6. My Hero Academia (1-7)
  7. Re:Zero – Starting Life in Another World (1-2)

Wow

  1. Neon Genesis Evangelion
  2. Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man (1)

Impressive

  1. Attack on Titan
  2. Bleach (1-16)
  3. Death Note

Enjoyable

  1. Invincible (1-3)
  2. Dragon Ball Daima
  3. Sword Art Online (1-2)

Positives 

  1. Berserk 1997
  2. Dragon Ball Super
  3. Mob Psycho 100 (1-2)
  4. One-Punch Man (1-2)

Neutral 

  1. Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion

Almost 

  1. Hunter x Hunter
  2. Yu Yu Hakusho (1-3)

Not Quite

  1. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

Not For Me

Really Not For Me

  1. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure (1)
Chris Lambert
Chris Lambert

Chris Lambert is the co-founder and lead writer of Film Colossus. He specializes in film interpretation, narrative structure, and explaining how movies use story, imagery, and technique to create meaning. His work on Film Colossus has reached millions of readers, with more than 500 articles covering films ranging from Fight Club and Black Swan to Perfect Blue and The Odyssey.

Articles: 579

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