Netflix's slate of original programming includes a large number of anime series produced by Japanese studios and distributed as streaming series by Netflix. Several of these Netflix originals have become major hits with both critics and fans. With so much available on Netflix and that number constantly growing, anime fans are spoiled for choice when it comes to Netflix anime.
Of course, with so many anime shows available on Netflix and only so much time in the day, it can be hard for fans to know where to start or which shows are most worth a watch. To help navigate the sheer amount of anime available on Netflix, here's an alphabetical list of the 10 best Netflix original anime series:
1. Aggretsuko
Based on a mascot character created for Sanrio — the company that also created Hello Kitty —Aggretsuko often feels like Hello Kitty for millennials. The title is an abbreviation of the phrase "Aggressive Retsuko," referring to the fact that the red panda heroine Retsuko vents her frustrations with her life and job by going to a karaoke bar after work to sing heavy metal songs, eventually becoming a well-known singer.
Despite the cast consisting of cute animal characters in a fairly simple art style, Aggretsuko is actually a very mature, very insightful, and very relatable series. Most viewers in the millennial age bracket will likely share Aggretsuko's frustrations and stresses about life in the corporate world. Overall Aggretsuko does a great job balancing depicting the frustrations of being a young professional while also highlighting how a close-knit group of friends can help to navigate those frustrations.
2. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
Regarded as both a high point for Netflix original anime and the resume of Studio Trigger, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners won an impressive number of awards in 2023. Intended as a prequel to the similarly acclaimed Cyberpunk 2077 video game, Edgerunners deftly captures both the tone and aesthetic of its source material.
However, true to the spirit of both the cyberpunk genre generally and the Cyberpunk franchise specifically, Edgerunners is incredibly dark, bleak, and graphically violent. The dark story may be enough to turn off some viewers, but fans of adult animation will be won over by Edgerunners' tense, high-stakes heist story.
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is rated TV-MA for language, nudity, sex, smoking and violence and may be disturbing to some viewers.
3. Delicious in Dungeon
Another Studio Trigger production, the anime adaptation Delicious in Dungeon has quickly proven a hit for Netflix since debuting in April 2024.
Delicious in Dungeon is another Netflix original anime produced by Studio Trigger. Set in a fairly typical fantasy world that owes a clear inspiration to Dungeons & Dragons, Delicious in Dungeons puts a novel spin on its familiar setting by exploring how an adventuring party could conceivably survive on their quests on an all-monster diet. The various characters' reactions to monster-based meals drive most of the series's comedy.
Although Delicious in Dungeon is primarily a comedy, the plot arc of the first season does ramp up the stakes as it progresses. While Delicious in Dungeon never stops being oriented towards comedy, there are also moments of introspection, tension, and emotion that are delivered as effectively as the comedy beats.
While the first season ended on a rather open-ended and inconclusive note, a second season of Delicious in Dungeon has been confirmed.
Delicious in Dungeon is rated TV-MA for nudity and violence and may be disturbing to some viewers.
4. Drifting Dragons
Set in a steampunk world that treats the sky as an ocean, Drifting Dragons follows an airship crew as they make a living as drakers, hunting the dragons that inhabit the sky. The greatest strength of Drifting Dragons is its world-building, which sets it apart as a very unique series. This is strengthened by the art direction, which really helps to establish just how unique the world is. Notably, the designs of the dragons themselves are phenomenal.
The fact that Drifting Dragons basically depicts a fantastic version of whaling may be enough to turn off some viewers. While the series does present an unflinching depiction of a profession based around hunting majestic animals, it does so with an emotional weight and respect that makes it clear that none of the characters hunt dragons because they enjoy it. Notably, the main characters are depicted as one of the world's last draking crews as the profession is being rendered obsolete by changes in technology and society.
5. Godzilla Singular Point
Godzilla Singular Point is not Godzilla's first venture onto Netflix. From 2017-2018 a series of anime movies was distributed by Netflix. Thanks to a bleak plot and a human cast that was largely dismissed as unlikable, these movies were not particularly popular. Singular Point had a better reception, though its focus on high-level quantum mechanics has been controversial.
Singular Point's greatest strength is how well it re-imagines Godzilla. Instead of the typical metaphor for the perils of the Atomic Age, this Godzilla is an extra-dimensional abomination that threatens the world by being able to rewrite the laws of physics just by existing. It's an interpretation unlike anything else in the series. However, it's also an interpretation that requires the human characters to deliver fast-paced explanations of quantum mechanics that can be hard to follow.
Even when the plot is being dragged down by this constant exposition, the art style — especially for Godzilla and the other monsters — has been enough to redeem the series in the eyes of certain fans.
6. Pokémon Concierge
Stop-motion animation may not be what most people think of when they hear the word "anime," but both Netflix and the Pokémon Company consider Pokémon Concierge an anime. There's no point in splitting hairs preventing you from watching such a charming series that is one of the most memorable recent entries in the Pokémon franchise.
Pokémon Concierge follows Haru as she starts a new job at the Pokémon Resort. She learns how to help Pokémon guests have the best possible experience at the resort. Following Haru's day-to-day at the resort makes for a laid-back slice-of-life series with plenty of absolute heartwarming moments and an art style that's both technically impressive and absolutely adorable.
The production of more episodes has been confirmed, but a release date has not yet been announced.
7. Record of Ragnarok
When the gods of the various pantheons of world mythology convene to decide that they're tired of humanity's constant self-destructive impulses, the Valkyrie Brunhilde intervenes on humanity's behalf. Instead of just destroying humanity, the gods agree to hold a tournament to determine humanity's worthiness to survive. 13 gods will face off against 13 of the greatest figures from human history.
Record of Ragnarok feels a lot like an unofficial Mortal Kombat adaptation: larger-than-life characters with superhuman abilities, a tournament to determine the fate of the world, and brutal action. The show has an obvious appeal to fans of the Mortal Kombat tone as well as fans of world history and mythology. The art style is very cool, both in general and in how each of the combatants has a memorable and unique character design.
Record of Ragnarok is rated TV-MA for language, nudity, smoking, and violence, and it may be disturbing to some viewers.
8. Scott Pilgrim Takes Off
Previously, the best-known Scott Pilgrim adaptation was the 2010 live-action movie starring Michael Cera. Scott Pilgrim Takes Off adapts the original comic with an art style more faithful to the source material, though while telling an original story in the Scott Pilgrim universe rather than directly adapting the comic again.
In addition to capturing the quirky tone and sense of humor of the original comic, the comics-accurate art style is probably the best representation of the original art style in motion of any Scott PIlgrim adaptation yet. There's enough familiarity in Scott Pilgrim Takes Off to draw in fans of the original comic or the live-action film, while also taking the franchise in an intriguing new direction. In the English dub, the main cast of the 2010 live-action film reprise their roles as the same characters.
Scott Pilgrim Takes Off is rated TV-MA language, smoking, and violence and may be disturbing to some viewers.
9. Thermae Romae Novae
Even on the most basic level, Thermae Romae Novae — incidentally, that's Latin for "The New Baths of Rome" — is a fascinating concept, because there aren't many anime that depict the Roman Empire, especially not while attempting to maintain any real semblance of historical accuracy. Admittedly, Thermae Romae Novae does have a bit of a fantastical bent, as it follows the Roman architect as he travels through time and space between second-century Rome and present-day Japan.
Most viewers will likely find Thermae Romae Novae an educational watch. The series examines daily life in both the High Roman Empire and present-day Japan. The series highlights some truly fascinating shared cultural practices — the importance of public bathhouses especially — between two cultures divided by so much time and space that most viewers probably wouldn't think of as having many, if any, similarities.
Thermae Romae Novae is rated TV-MA for nudity and may be disturbing to some viewers.
10. Uncle from Another World
Uncle from Another World begins with Takafumi being told his comatose uncle Yōsuke has woken up after seventeen years. It quickly becomes apparent that Yōsuke's coma was not a normal medical condition. Yōsuke
not only demonstrates magical powers but also the ability to share his memories of his time in the world of Granbahamal.
Uncle from Another World has two basic storylines being told in parallel: Yōsuke adjusting to life in the present day after seventeen years in another world — his reaction to his beloved Sega's decline as a major figure in the gaming industry is a running gag — and him telling the stories of his adventures as a fantasy hero in Granbahamal.
Uncle from Another World is rated TV-MA for nudity and violence and may be disturbing to some viewers.
All Netflix original anime are available to stream on-demand via Netflix. A selection of licensed anime series from other production companies is also available, but not all series are available in all regions.