Top 20 Best Anime Shows of All Time That Worth Binging

There are thousands of anime movies available on different streaming platforms. Finding the best one to watch can be a daunting task; however, with lists such as this, it is easy to pinpoint the best ones to binge-watch over the weekend with the family or friends.

Anime movies are really interesting to watch; they are available in categories; thus, you can easily find the most suitable ones for adults, preteens, and teenagers. However, most popular anime movies are produced with Japanese subtitles, but you could get their dubbed versions on Funimation.

Crunchyroll is another place to find loads of anime movies across different categories. Without saying much, let’s get over to the main topic of today.

Top 20 Best Anime Shows of All Time That Worth Binging

These movies are not listed in any particular hierarchy; thus, regardless of the position, each of them is really worth watching.

1. The Dragon Ball Z Series

Number of Seasons: 9

Main Characters: Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, Bulma, and Frieza

Dragon Ball Z is one of the best anime movies to watch anytime. It is full of action, humor, and comedy. The series is quite a long one you could watch for a whole week. Yes, there are 9 seasons of this series available, with each having up to 20 episodes or more.

Actually, Dragon Ball Z follows the adventures of a renowned anime superhero, Goku, and his warlords - the Z Warriors. Goku and the Z warriors took it on themselves to defend their world against all kinds of evil. There are lots of lessons to learn from this series - both kids and adults.

2. Death Note 2006

Duration: 2 hours 20 minutes

Main Characters: Detective L, Ryuk, Light Yagami, Misa Amane, and Watari.

It’s quite a scary anime to watch, but it’s one of the action-filled anime movies you’d ever watch. There are many versions of the Death Note movie, but the 2006 version is the one to watch. If you love horror movies, then you’d definitely love this anime movie. More so, there’s a non-anime version of this movie available on streaming platforms. Well, it’s not a seasonal movie, but it’s pretty lengthy.

The plot of the movie is quite interesting; a young college boy discovers a book that can kill anyone whose name is written on it. He uses the book to eliminate anyone he wants until a highly intelligent detective (Detective L) surfaces and tries to track him down. Death Note can also be classified as a "Sad Anime" because of the sad ending.

3. Prison School

Number of Seasons: 1

Main Characters: Kiyoshi Fujino, Shingo Wakamoto, Gakuto, and Reiji Andou.

It’s just one season (with rumors of being renewed for season 2); notwithstanding, Prison School is an anime movie worth watching - however, not with kids around. Prison School is generally categorized as “Sex comedy.” This movie has 12 episodes, plus OVA.

The storyline is all about the activities and lifestyle of the students of Hachimitsu Academy, which is one of the strictest girls' academies in Tokyo. However, the school decided to admit boys, and only five boys got in among 1000 girls. How would they cope with all the girls and still keep with the strict school policies?

4. Darwin's Game

Number of Seasons: 1

Episodes: 11

Main Characters: Kaname Sudō, Shuka Karino, Rein Kashiwagi, and Ryūji Maesaka

Ready for some serious gaming? Darwin's Game is an anime where a young boy is tricked into accepting an online game invitation; he gets in and noticed that the game wasn't as easy as he thought, and he has to fight till death.

This anime movie revolves around the activities and situations of Sudou Kaname in a mysterious Darwin's Game. The game is a tough one and players are gifted different items depending on their abilities. Kaname got trapped in this game, and he seeks to kill the actual Game Master.

5. Cowboy Bebop

Number of Seasons: 1

Episodes: 22

Main Characters: Faye Valentine, Spike Spiegel, Edward Wong Hau Pepelu, and Jet Black.

When looking for the best anime movies to watch, Cowboy Bebop is definitely worth mentioning. It is a sci-fi, action anime TV series to binge-watch over the weekend. Although it has just one season, the movie has about 26 episodes, so it's pretty going to be a long watch.

However, Cowboy Bebop is an old anime movie, first released in 1998. But the characters and background don't look "old." The movie is pretty intriguing - and would surely get you glued to your device or TV for a long time.

6. My Hero Academia

Number of Seasons: 4

Main Characters: Ochako Uraraka, Shoto Todoroki, Katsuki Bakugo, and Tsuyu Asui

This action anime movie is an adaptation of a manga series of the same name. It has four seasons, and there are rumors for the fifth one to be released soon.  My Hero Academia is a top-notch anime series with interesting characters and a good plot.

In this anime movie, superheroes (people with extra powers) are referred to as "Quirks." The movie tells the story of a young lad who wishes to become a hero someday, but, in the meantime, he's not even a "Quirk." What could become his fate in My Hero Academia?

7. Baccano!

Number of Seasons: 1

Episodes: 16

Main Characters: Chane Laforet, Firo Prochainezo, Claire, and Czeslaw Meyer.

Do you love action anime movies, here’s one for you. Baccano is an anime movie that would take you through different moods and emotions. It is quite difficult to pinpoint the kind of anime this movie is.

Baccano is all about alchemists, gangsters, immortals, and outlaws, spread over decades. It's really an interesting anime to watch and would keep you engaged for a very long time.

The plot is mainly about a few alchemists who obtained a secretive elixir of life from the “demon,” and then split themselves to different parts of the world. But what could happen when they reunite again?

8. The Comic Artist and His Assistants

Number of Seasons: 1

Episodes: 12

Main Characters: Arisa Noto, Manami Tanaka, Saori Hayami, and Yoshitsugu Matsuoka.

A story of a perverted Manga author, Yuuki Aito, who wants to love everyone around him and also draw panties. His actions are pretty annoying to his assistants, but they have to find a way to cope with Aito's mischief. How long do you think they can hold up?

This movie is pretty interesting and it's going to make you laugh really hard. Each of the 12 episodes of this movie lasts for 13 minutes, so you're really going to have a great weekend.

9. Gurren Lagann

Number of Seasons: 1

Episodes: 12

Main Characters: Yoko Littner, Kamina, Anti‑Spiral, and Simon.

This movie is liked by 93% of Google users, and it is rated high on various movie review platforms. Gurren Lagann is a sci-fi anime with lots of action scenes. It is basically an action anime movie - still worth to be mentioned among the best anime movies of all time.  In all the 12 episodes, this movie takes you through a roller coaster of themes you'd find interesting and intriguing.

10. Naruto: Shippuden

Number of Seasons: 21

Main Characters: Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, Itachi Uchiha, and Madara Uchiha.

Now you should be in for real binge-watching. Naruto: Shippuden is a very long anime movie; with about 21 seasons and hundreds of episodes to watch, you could be on this movie for several weeks. Notwithstanding, it is a very interesting movie, which talks about the adventures and misadventures of Naruto and his friends.

This anime movie's plot circles on the main character, Naruto, who is a problematic student, yet he never got popular until he unlocked the hidden power of the Nine-Tailed Fox on him. He actually has a dream to become the leader of a Fire Village of ninjas, but is that ever going to be possible?

11. Fullmetal Alchemist

Number of Seasons: 1

Episodes: 64

Main Characters: Edward Elric, Roy Mustang, Winry Rockbell, and Alphonse Elric

This anime movie is an adaptation of a manga series of the same name. It is a well-rounded story filled with lots of intriguing scenes. Fullmetal Alchemist is available on Netflix, and a few other streaming services.

Fullmetal Alchemist would take you through different emotions. It features action, tragedy, tough political climates, romance, racial issues, and many scenes. More so, the characters are pretty interesting to watch, and you’d definitely find the movie worthwhile.

12. Bleach

Number of Seasons: 15

Episodes: 100+

Main Characters: Ichigo Kurosaki, Yoruichi Shihouin, Rangiku Matsumoto, and Kisuke Urahara.

The Bleach anime series ran from 2004 to 2012, and it’s undoubtedly one of the best to watch. This is liked by 92% of Google users has a positive rating of 8.1-10 on IMDB. It is a top-notch movie you’d love to watch over and again.

With about 15 seasons available, Bleach is an anime movie you'd binge-watch for many days or even weeks. The plot is quite complicated, but it's an interesting one too. A young Ichigo Kurosaki turned to a soul reaper to protect the innocent and help tortured spirits find peace.

13. Noragami

Number of Seasons: 2

Episodes: 12

Main Characters: Yato, Yukine, Kofuku, and Hiyori Iki

Each episode of this movie lasts for up to 24 hours, so, you'd be spending a lot of hours binge-watching this anime. Noragami was produced from 2014 - 2015. It features astonishing characters, and the movie plot is quite interesting.

How would you feel calling a telephone number and then you're up on the line with a "god?" Noragami follows the story of a self-proclaimed "delivery god," Yato. This movie is an adaptation of a manga series of the same name.

14. Deadman Wonderland

Number of Seasons: 1

Episodes: 12 + OVA

Main Characters: Ganta Igarashi, Shiro, Karako Koshio, Minatsuki Takami, and Yo Takami.

Not including this movie in this list of the best action anime movies would be questionable. Deadman Wonderland is an intriguing series you probably won’t get tired of watching.

Ganta, the sole survivor of a massive attack on his class is tasked to carry out different operations in a privately managed prison, Deadman Wonderland. This movie features a lot of fight scenes and intriguing moments.

15. Sakamoto desu ga?

Number of Seasons: 1

Episodes: 13

Main Characters: Acchan, Yoshinobu Kubota, and Fujita Megumi

Sakamoto desu ga? Which also means, “Haven't You Heard? I'm Sakamoto” is an adaptation of the manga series of the same name. It is an interesting and educative anime for the family to watch.

Best English Anime Shows of all Time

Mainly, these anime shows are dubbed, and they are available on platforms like Netflix, Hulu, and the likes.

16. One Punch Man

Number of Seasons: 2

Episodes: 25+

Main Characters:  Kaito Ishikawa, Makoto Furukawa, Zach Aguilar, and Max Mittelman.

Is a superhero capable of killing anyone with just a single punch?! Yes, that's Satima -the One Punch hero. This anime movie features several comic and emotional scenes, as well as fight scenes. It tells the story of Saitama, who is a superhero just for the fun; he can defeat any enemy with a single punch. However, as time goes on and he doesn't find a challenging opponent, he got bored with the "easy" challenges.

17. Hunter x Hunter

Number of Seasons: 6

Number of Episodes: 60+

Main Characters: Megumi Han, Issei Futamata, Mariya Ise, and Cristina Valenzuela.

With over 60 episodes available on streaming networks, Hunter x Hunter is one of the best English anime shows of all time. It is mainly about a young Gon Freecss trying to follow in his father's footsteps to become a Hunter. This anime movie is suitable for all ages, and it's really interesting to watch.

18. The Seven Deadly Sins

Number of Seasons: 5

Number of Episodes: 25

Main Characters: Meliodas, Hawk, Elizabeth Liones, and Ban

Well, the story is quite complex to keep up with as you move from one season to another; however, this movie is one of the most colorful anime shows to watch on platforms like Netflix. The story is about a young princess who tries to win back the kingdom and deal with the rebellion.

19. Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day

Number of Seasons: 1

Number of Episodes: 11

Main Characters: Meiko Honma, Naruko Anjo, Jinta Yadomi, and Yukiatsu.

Do you believe in the afterlife? If you do, then you'd love to watch this anime movie. Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day is a colorful English anime show that plays how Menma's friends reunite five years after her death to fulfill a wish that could make her reappear in the afterlife. It is a multi-genre movie that would take you through different emotions.

20. Castlevania

Number of Seasons: 4

Number of Episodes: 28

Cast: Richard Armitage, James Callis, Alejandra Reynoso, and more.

How about binge-watching a horror anime movie? Sounds good? Then Castlevania is the ideal. This anime movie is pretty interesting, but it's definitely not fit for kids. There are quite a lot of fight scenes, murder, and other strong scenes played in this anime. Notwithstanding, it is voted high on many movies review sites, and worth mentioning as one of the best anime shows of all time.