After launching with a relatively restrictive catalog aimed mostly at a younger audience and Disney adults, Disney+ has gradually opened itself to a much larger range of programming. Case in point, the streamer has dramatically expanded its selection of anime over the years, piggybacking off Hulu’s sizable catalog to deliver a solid lineup, even after a recent purge removed around 20 shows (including Cowboy Bebop). Having sorted through these offerings, we have a list of the best anime on the service that includes battle shonen hits, cerebral sci-fi, inspiring sports sagas, and a few longstanding classics. Let’s run down the best anime that the Mouse has to offer.
25. Dr. Stone
Dr. Stone is this generation’s Mr. Wizard or Bill Nye the Science Guy. What it lacks in practical science demonstrations you can do at home (with your parents’ permission), it more than makes up for with an adventurous narrative, characters you can’t help but care about, and an unfailing optimism that ingenuity and cooperation will always save the day.
The manga series, written by Riichiro Inagaki and illustrated by Boichi, has been wrapped up for over a year now, but there’s still plenty of animated adventure left to be adapted. So watch it from the beginning or jump in right now as super-scientist Senku and his crew speed through the technological advances of human history to solve the mystery of global petrification and rebuild civilization from the ground up. —Dave Trumbore
24. My Hero Academia
Beloved anime My Hero Academia (based on the manga) kicks off with a protagonist who is bullied for not having a superpower (in a world where they are the norm), but who is soon bestowed with a particularly powerful one after, indeed, saving a bully. From there, young “Deku” goes into training at an elite academy where he must balance his schoolwork and friendships with his requirements as a hero.
It’s not too soon to liken My Hero Academia to a quintessential shonen, because the show is heavy on what the genre does best: Izuku is refreshingly emotional (so, of course, he helps his classmates open up enough to alter their lives), and villains are undergoing a renaissance thanks to the fumbles of hero society. It’s a fresh spin on a genre that’s laden with tropes, and—not for nothing—the fights are very good. —Sarra Sedghi and Allison Keene
23. Demon Slayer
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is popular among American anime fans but downright inescapable in Japan. The manga is still on the bestsellers list years after it concluded, and the movie broke Spirited Away’s record for the highest-grossing Japanese film of all time — in the middle of a pandemic before there were even vaccines available!
What’s the key to Demon Slayer’s success? The tale of young demon slayer Tanjiro Kamado and his quest to save his demon-transformed sister Nezuko might not be the most original action series to emerge from Weekly Shonen Jump, but it hits all the most likable tropes of the genre with exceptional style. The Taisho era setting is well-realized, the characters are instantly sympathetic, and the animation from studio Ufotable is out of this world. —Reuben Baron
22. Jujutsu Kaisen
At first glance, it’s easy to dismiss Jujutsu Kaisen as an on-par action anime due to its seemingly familiar story beats. But although MAPPA’s stalwart successor to Attack on Titan (and Demon Slayer’s strongest competitor at the moment, we might add) is a master of none, it proves to be quite excellent across the board, having an ironclad combo of rich characters, beautiful animation, smooth fight scenes, intriguing but not overblown lore, and a killer soundtrack. Kaisen has already made a name for itself by pushing the boundaries of what a shounen anime can be, making bold choices in its plot beats, and doing justice to its female cast, something nearly every big action anime struggles to make up for.
Jujutsu Kaisen is a strong entry point to anyone new to anime as well as just different enough from the pack to merit a watch from seasoned, even cynical watchers of similar shows. It’s a marvel to do anything new in such a saturated genre. —Austin Jones
21. Tengoku Daimakyo/Heavenly Delusion
Tengoku Daimakyo (otherwise known as Heavenly Delusion) was one of the most visually impressive series in recent memory, with powerful shot compositions and consistently dynamic animation that communicated the fundamental brokenness of its world. Through its imagery and characters, it makes for a rare post-apocalyptic setting that contains both kindness and the types of unimaginable cruelty you’d expect from this setup. For its first 11 episodes, it successfully weaved together two parallel stories, one following Maru and his bodyguard Kiruko as they try to find a place cryptically referred to as “Heaven” in a post-disaster Japan, and another about a group of kids with strange abilities being raised at a mysterious institute. Unfortunately, its last two episodes are marred by a sordid turn that doesn’t treat its heavy subject matter with the respect it deserves (content warnings for extreme violence and sexual assault throughout). It’s a thorny one that I wish had made some different choices, but it can be undeniably spellbinding when it comes together.—Elijah Gonzalez
20. Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead
While Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead couldn’t maintain the blistering momentum of its opening episode, I was pleasantly surprised that it continued to reiterate the main argument of its premiere: working under modern capitalism sucks so bad that a zombie apocalypse would be a welcome change of pace. As Akira realizes he won’t have to return to his exploitative job ever again, he starts on a bucket list to make up for lost time. Even after our protagonist finally embraces the idea he won’t be going back to the office, the series continues to hammer home its themes about work as other characters reconcile their miserable relationships with their labor. We see how most couldn’t realize their dreams, and even if they did, broken economic systems spoiled what should have been fulfilling. Even if its later stretches couldn’t quite match the freneticism of the premiere, vibrant animation captures the contrast between these characters’ newfound freedom and their tedious pasts. This isn’t to imply that the zombie apocalypse is entirely a vacation, as the group has to deal with plenty of life-or-death situations, but these stretches are usually more campy (i.e., zombie shark) than tense in a way that feels consistent with the generally lighter tone compared to its peers.
However, one unavoidable issue is the show’s massive production problems. Multiple delays hurt its weekly pacing and production quality, hamstringing its full potential. And far worse are the likely implications for its staff, as these kinds of botched releases generally mean that the studio is being overworked to meet unreasonable deadlines—in other words, the exact thing this story is harping against. It all makes engaging with the series’ messaging much harder than it should be.—Elijah Gonzalez
19. The Promised Neverland
It’s to The Promised Neverland’s credit that after a shocking early reveal that could have come across as a bit too much, it was able to build up enough pathos and intrigue to keep us invested in this deadly psychological battle. The story primarily follows Emma, Ray, and Norman, a trio of kids who grow suspicious of the Grace Field House orphanage they’ve all been raised in. When they discover the horrific truth behind this place, it sets the stage for a thrilling battle against time as they attempt to escape their captors for good and save as many as they can in the process. While the story works in a precarious mode, dangling the fates of literal children in front of our eyes, it largely avoids unearned emotional manipulation because of how it establishes the deep bonds between its central characters. In particular, Emma is the heart of this group, a girl whose kindness and tenacity holds everyone together as these kids devise ingenious means of outsmarting the adults around them. All that said, there’s a problem: the series drives off a cliff in its second season. Do yourself a favor and stop after the first 12 episodes; you’ll be treated to a gripping suspense story without the caveats.—Elijah Gonzalez
18. Undead Unluck
Undead Unluck has quickly proven to be one of the more quietly bonkers action anime in recent memory. Similar to Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure before it, this series is about duels between opponents with outlandish abilities, resulting in puzzle-box battles that are as much about brains as brawn. But perhaps even zanier than these powers is how its worldbuilding slowly reveals the extremes of this setting, nonchalantly dropping exposition bombs that carry all sorts of fascinating implications. We continue to follow Andy and Fuko, a pair who come into the crosshairs of an enigmatic organization that hunts down “Negators,” people who can nullify the rules of reality. David Productions and director Yuki Yase capture these negation abilities through idiosyncratic editing and layouts that convey the strangeness of these metaphysical powers while also heightening the juicy melodrama surrounding its characters. Although this one was visually impressive from the jump, perhaps the biggest point of improvement is that it’s done a much better job building out the relationship between Andy and Fuko, pairing down the disconcerting sexual harassment “gags” between them in the process. With that gross element largely tossed aside, the show has continued to build on its avant-garde animation and premise to deliver an exciting action romp. —Elijah Gonzalez
17. Spy x Family
Spy x Family is an action-comedy that has quickly taken the anime world by storm, largely thanks to the adorable antics of one Anya Forger. We follow Loid Forger, an undercover agent in the Cold War-esque city of Berlint, who is forced to form a “fake” family and infiltrate an enemy country’s political circles to avert war. He ends up adopting Anya, an orphan with telekinetic mind-reading abilities, and—at least on paper—marrying Yor, an assassin working for a rival government. While its premise may sound similar to self-serious prestige TV like The Americans, Spy x Family is a (mostly) light-hearted spoof of the nuclear family that is deeply hilarious, often cool, and sometimes touching.
So far, Wit Studio and Cloverworks have gone above and beyond to bring this adaptation to life, and the first season is full of well-delivered gags that I still find myself randomly chuckling over months later. While Loid is technically the protagonist, Anya is the star of the show, as she oscillates between being a little goblin and a precious bean attempting to help her dad with his mission of avoiding a war. And in addition to the many goofs, it convincingly portrays a found family who find solace in each other. Thankfully, the second season once again demonstrates the series’ ability to operate as both a tense spy-thriller and family comedy. As long as its production doesn’t run into issues (something which is unfortunately quite common given the state of labor in the anime industry), it will continue to be must-watch television. —Elijah Gonzalez
16. Star Wars: Visions
Despite the broad possibilities that the Galaxy Far Far Away provides for storytellers, Disney’s take on Star Wars has been downright parochial. Aside from a few brilliant strokes like Andor, recent films and shows have generally been hyper-fixated on the same locales and time periods, almost always afraid to deviate from the living memory of the original trilogy. In that context, Star Wars is all the more surprising. It’s an animated anthology series made by a mix of different studios that provides unique perspectives alongside some familiar fun. “The Village Bride” taps into how those outside the Jedi tap into a spiritual connection with the Force, “Lop and Ochō” explores what it’s like for cultures to be ideologically torn apart by encroaching forces of imperialism, and “The Ninth Jedi” is a subversive mystery story with some great twists.
Oh, and there’s plenty of action too: “The Duel” brings Star Wars’ influences all the way around as it quotes chanbara films, and “The Twins” embodies Studio Trigger’s in-your-face maximalism as its showdowns go interstellar. Sure, there are a few duds in the bunch, but the big swings make it worthwhile. While technically, only the first season is anime (the second is made by studios from all over the globe instead of just Japan), the second is similarly creative and worth checking out. By letting these creatives follow their whims without dogged devotion to established canon, Visions gives a glimpse of what Star Wars can be without its usual restrictive guardrails. —Elijah Gonzalez
15. Chainsaw Man
Going into Fall 2022, it’s fair to say the most anticipated show in a stacked season was MAPPA’s adaptation of Chainsaw Man. As someone who recently devoured the manga (as well as almost everything else written by author Tatsuki Fujimoto) and whose brain was subsequently filled with a chorus of revving chainsaws, I shared that borderline unreasonable degree of anticipation. Thankfully, this adaptation has largely captured the soul of Fujimoto’s work so far, providing nearly everything fans of the series and first-timers could have hoped for. It’s transgressive, hilarious, and brutal, frequently all of these at once, and is defined by flawed but frequently lovable characters who exist in a bleak alternate-universe ‘90s where powerful monsters called devils wreak havoc.
Although studio MAPPA’s highly polished aesthetic seems like it would clash with the scratchy, off-kilter sensibilities of its source material, its cinematic flourishes feel in line with the author’s obsession with movies. And more importantly, the fluid character animation helps convey that in this world, tenderness and humanity exist within a razor’s edge from heartbreaking violence. When the scales tipped in Episode 8, and it was made clear this tale is a tragicomedy, one where death can strike anyone at any moment, MAPPA proved they have the chops to deliver what makes the manga so special. While this story won’t be for everyone due to its protagonist’s immature aspirations and its penchant for extreme violence, Chainsaw Man is a wholly unique ride. —Elijah Gonzalez
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
