2025 has been a great year for anime, and The Beat has taken notice. Today, we present our picks for the Best Anime of 2025.
Chosen by our staff and contributors, the following list consists of new series that debuted this year, ongoing series that released new content, and even a few feature-length films. These titles span genre, artistic style, and themes—while there may not be something for everyone, there is a wide selection to explore.
Without further ado, here is The Beat‘s Best Anime of 2025.
100 Meters
Studio: Rock ‘n’ Roll Mountain
Platform: Netflix
Source Material: Manga
Original Creator: Uoto
When we last saw director Kenji Iwaisawa, he melted our faces off with the 2020 film On-Gaku: Our Sound. Now he’s back adapting a manga series by Uoto of Orb: On the Movements Of the Earth fame, this time with much higher production values. The result scales up On-Gaku‘s use of rotoscoping without compromising that film’s scrappy spirit. There’s a scene in the rain at the halfway point that, minute for minute, is one of the most stylish animated sequences I’ve seen all year. — Adam Wescott
Apocalypse Hotel
Studio: CyberAgent, Cygames Pictures
Platform: Crunchyroll
No. of Episodes: 12
Source Material: Original
Yachiyo and her colleagues run Gingarou Hotel in Ginza with a wink and a smile. You will not find better hospitality anywhere on Earth. There’s just one problem: Thanks to a worldwide pandemic, every human on Earth is dead. What’s a hotelier robot like Yachiyo to do without guests? But guests do come, even if they’re nothing like she expected.
The premise of Apocalypse Hotel made me expect a melancholy, post-apocalyptic story. Instead, the series keeps surprising me with absurd twists and turns: sandworm fishing, superhero brawls, even a top-tier mecha duel. Not every experiment lands. But at its best, Apocalypse Hotel is the funniest, strangest, and most life-affirming anime series this year. And when it finally does embrace post-apocalyptic melancholy in its 11th episode, it gets even better. — Adam Wescott
The Apothecary Diaries Season 2
Studio: Toho Animation Studio, OLM
Platform: Crunchyroll, Netflix
No. of Episodes: 24 (Season 2); 48 (Total)
Source Material: Novel Series
Original Creator: Hyuganatsu
Utterly brilliant historical-mystery series The Apothecary Diaries returned for its second season this year, continuing to delight with its wonderful central romance and fascinating palatial machinations.
Filled with humour and heart, guided with a deft hand by its quick-witted and razor-sharp writing, it’s an excellent example of a modern anime that seems to have cemented its reputation as a classic already. Maomao remains one of the most compelling and unique protagonists in modern anime, and the ever-evolving conspiracies and mysteries around her never fail to make for an amazing narrative. — Jared Bird
Chainsaw Man: The Movie — Reze Arc
Studio: MAPPA
Source Material: Manga
Original Creator: Tatsuki Fujimoto
In this era of adapting individual arcs from manga, the Chainsaw Man movie has to be the best since Demon Slayer: Mugen Train. Everyone’s favorite demonic goofball Denji encounters Reze after a date Makima. What follows is his internal struggle over feeling loved for the first time in his life and with which woman he wants to commit. Also, Denji has to fight demons including… well, you have to watch.
MAPPA goes all out on this theatrical release. There are some truly impressive fight sequences including one made to look like thermal imaging. If anime adaptations will continue adapting individual arcs, Chainsaw Man: The Movie sets a high bar. — D. Morris
Dandadan Season 2
Studio: Science Saru
Platform: Crunchyroll, Netflix
No. of Episodes: 12 (Season 2); 24 (Total)
Source Material: Manga
Original Creator: Yukinobu Tatsu
Depending on who you ask, some may feel that the second season of Dandadan was a letdown. That may be largely due to the first season leaving such a high watermark; the second season was pretty much fated to pale in comparison.
While it doesn’t quite surpass the first season (with the Acrobatic Silky origin episode arguably being the best or the one most likely guaranteed to make you shed a tear), the trademark weirdness is still on full display. As much praise as Dandadan gets for the supernatural elements, the big draw for me is the mundane aspects, such as Momo getting a part-time job at a maid cafe this season. The ongoing rivalry between Aira and Momo over the affections of Okarun is still hilarious as ever. With the introduction of a new character at the end of the season, it will only get more complicated. — Taimur Dar
Gachiakuta
Studio: Bones
Platform: Crunchyroll
No. of Episodes: 24
Source Material: Manga
Original Creator: Kei Urana
As someone who adored the anime adaptation of Atsushi Ohkubo’s Soul Eater and has been far less enthused about his ongoing Fire Force series, I’d happily anoint Gachiakuta, created by his ‘successor’ Kei Urana, as Soul Eater‘s spiritual successor. Gachiakuta gives the teen dystopia genre, which has been trampled into indiscriminate sludge from overuse over the last couple of decades, the same kind of rough-hewn, punk aesthetic as the horrendously underrated Dorohedoro (both, it’s worth pointing out, authored by women).
This is a world in which our hero is literally thrown out with the trash, lands in a toxic underworld, discovers he has superpowers, and fights giant garbage monsters in wasteland action sequences that look like Mad Max meets Dune with a hip-hop-grindcore soundtrack. The ‘magic system’ is truly unique and every single character design is a cosplay waiting to tear up convention halls. Some of the plot and pacing suffers from shonen cliche, but all in all, I’m fascinated to see where it goes next. — Hannah Collins
Maebashi Witches
Studio: Sunrise
Platform: Crunchyroll
No. of Episodes: 12
Source Material: Original
Do you have a problem you’re looking to solve? Well, if you live in the city of Maebashi, go and visit Yuina and her friends at their mysterious shop. They’ll use their magic to transform and sing a song that will inspire you to take the next step.
That’s Maebashi Witches, a new series that mixes old-fashioned magical girl storytelling with idol aesthetics. Thanks to scriptwriter Erika Yoshida, though, the series explores topics that the anime industry (much less kids media) rarely touches: fatphobia, gender identity, toxic friendships, even online sexual harassment. Combine that with a lovable cast and some genuinely nasty cliffhangers, and you have one of this year’s biggest surprises. — Adam Wescott
Mobile Suit Gundam: GquuuuuX
Studio: Khara
Platform: Amazon Prime
No. of Episodes: 12
Source Material: Mobile Suit Gundam
Original Creator: Yoshiyuki Tomino
Seeing Kazuya Tsurumaki finally direct a new series felt like a gift. — D. Morris
My Dress-Up Darling Season 2
Studio: Kyodo TV
Platform: Crunchyroll
No. of Episodes: 12 (Season 2); 24 (Total)
Source Material: Manga
Original Creator: Shinichi Fukuda
Three years after the first season, this darling, feel-good exploration of the world of cosplay returns. While the “will they/won’t they” relationship between main characters Gojo and Marin continues to be a factor, this season adds new characters to the mix and expands the duo’s cosplay friendship group. The standout new addition has to be crossplayer Amane Himeno, who showcases positive portrayal of gender fluidity without coming across as pandering.
Just like the first season and original manga, My Dress-Up Darling continues its thoughtful examination of cosplay culture and the meaningful purpose it provides. Like reading the manga, the anime is like a nice warm hug in these troubling times. Whether or not the anime will continue is up in the air. It would be a shame if the anime series is unable to fully adapt the entire My Dress-Up Darling manga, which wrapped up earlier this year. — Taimur Dar
My Melody & Kuromi
Studio: Toruku Studio
Platform: Netflix
No. of Episodes: 12
Source Material: Sanrio
Making licensed art these days can be a thankless task. So I was surprised by how much I loved My Melody & Kuromi, a stop-motion animated series directed by Tomoki Misato at Toruku Studio. It perfectly captures My Melody and Kuromi’s charm points—My Melody’s sweetness, Kuromi’s energy. Yet it also finds room for all of Misato’s favorite things, too, like car chases and gnarly horror sequences. It turns out that Toruku Studio is just as capable at rendering fluffy meringue as they are at depicting encroaching fields of creeping green mold.
Meanwhile, scriptwriter Shuko Nemoto grounds the story in real emotion without compromising what makes My Melody or Kuromi appealing in the first place. The final result succeeds as a cute and cuddly children’s series, a rollicking Miyazaki-esque adventure, and the scariest work to be associated with Sanrio since Ringing Bell. — Adam Wescott
Ranma 1/2 Season 2
Studio: MAPPA
Platform: Netflix
No. of Episodes: 12 (Season 2); 24 (Total)
Source Material: Manga
Original Creator: Rumiko Takahashi
The second season of the more accurate adaptation of Rumiko Takahashi’s gender farce remains an absolute delight to watch. Starting off strong with an introduction to Ranma’s fear of cats before barreling in with the visually impaired Mouse, the absolutely horrid Shampoo, and basically anything that has Ukyo is an immediate win. The show even does its best with Happosai by virtue of quarantining him to just one episode.
At time of writing, Ranma 1/2 has yet to conclude its second season (with “Ranma As Gremlin Girl Out to Ruin Ryoga’s Date” and “Romeo and Juliet” still to come), but every episode has put a smile on my face that has stretched from ear to ear. — Sean Dillon
Spy x Family Season 3
Studio: WIT STUDIO, CloverWorks
Platform: Crunchyroll
No. of Episodes: 13 (Season 3), 46 (Total)
Source Material: Manga
Original Creator: Tatsuya Endo
Few ongoing series are as endearing as Spy x Family, which continues to evoke pure joy as it follows the unlikely “fake” Forger family (IYKYK) through their strange lives. In Season 3, their mission is more chaotic than ever as outside forces put comical levels of pressure on Twilight, Yor, and Anya to not only maintain their united front, but achieve seemingly impossible goals without getting caught.
Tatsuya Endo’s manga is incredible and the anime adaptation is almost flawless. The animation, color work, voice acting, and score perfectly capture the absurdity and complexity of the story without losing any of its lightness. — Samantha Puc
The Summer Hikaru Died
Studio: Cygames Pictures
Platform: Netflix
No. of Episodes: 12
Source Material: Manga
Original Creator: Mokumokuren
Hikaru Indo and Yoshiki Tsujinaka have known each other for almost all of their lives. Despite being totally different from one another, they couldn’t be closer. When Hikaru dies alone, hiking in the mountains, an eldritch horror takes control of his body and Yoshiki must figure out if he can preserve the relationship he cared for most.
Balancing intimate slice-of-life with all-consuming cosmic horror, The Summer Hikaru Died feels unique in today’s oversaturated anime market, aided by its explicit portrayal of queer themes that feels remarkably progressive and brilliant. It’s not afraid to be horrific, leaning into the creepy and uncanny without reserve, but at the centre is a beautiful emotional core revolving around love and loss. — Jared Bird
Witch Watch
Studio: Bibury Animation Studios
Platform: Crunchyroll, Netflix
No. of Episodes: 25
Source Material: Manga
Original Creator: Kenta Shinohara
I’ll admit, after watching the first few episodes, I initially brushed off Witch Watch as a knockoff of Kiki’s Delivery Service. However, after giving it a chance, I found myself totally enraptured by the world and cast of characters. While it certainly does owe a bit to Kiki, protagonist Nico and the way she utilizes magic for mundane, slice-of-life situations make Witch Watch a truly unique narrative that can stand on its own.
Likewise, as the season progresses, the cast of characters continually grows with modern and clever reinterpretations of classic supernatural beings such as tengu, werewolves, and vampires. However, the most endearing aspects have to be the non-magical situations—in particular, an ongoing plot thread with Nico’s teacher and classmate and their blossoming friendship over a shared love of manga. It’s a guaranteed magical time! — Taimur Dar
Don’t miss all of our Best of 2025 lists:
Anime | Comics & Graphic Novels | Kids Comics | Manga & Manhwa | Movies | TV Series | Video Games | Webtoons & Webcomics
