Thanks to the genre growing in popularity worldwide, major streamers like Hulu have some of the best anime right now. The likes of Crunchyroll and Funimation cater specifically to the genre, but Hulu has a solid library to supplement its usual live-action dramas. It has a diverse selection of content as well, with Hulu having some of the best anime to stream right now from serialized TV to movies.
In addition to Hulu’s anime offerings, the Disney Bundle is another excellent opportunity to squeeze as much value out of your subscription fees. For a respectable combined price, fans gain access to a vault’s worth of content from Disney+, ESPN+, and the ad-supported Hulu plan. With this bundled deal, fans can enjoy all of the Star Wars and Marvel Studios content they could want, on top of live sports coverage.
Fans around the world are surely thankful for the anime genre’s newfound accessibility in the modern age, but it can still nonetheless be intimidating to know where to start. Thankfully, for prospective fans that might be feeling even a bit overwhelmed, we also have a guide on the best anime available on Netflix so fans can make the most of their options.
-
Inu-Oh2022
-
Gurren Lagann2007
-
Psycho-Pass2012
-
Dragon Ball1986
Directed by Masaaki Yuasa and produced by animation studio Science SARU, Inu-Oh is an inventive historical musical anime. Adapting the novel Tales of the Heike: Inu-Oh by author Hideo Furukawa, this story centers around the friendship between the titular dancer born with unique physical features and a blind musician.
The two characters bond over how 14th-century Japanese society has ostracized them from the world, morphing Inu-Oh into an anime rock opera with elements of magical folklore. Inu-Oh is one of the most creative and poignant anime movies in recent years and is worth a watch.
Trigun Stampede has proven to be an imaginative reboot of Yasuhiro Nightow’s classic manga, but 2010’s Trigun: Badlands Rumble is just as good. Directed by Satoshi Nishimura and once again produced by veteran animation studio Madhouse, Badlands Rumble tells an original story set sometime between episodes 10 and 12 of the ’90s anime adaptation.
Vash the Stampede travels to Macca City and is quickly caught in the crossfire of a massive gang war. Former gang leader Gasback Gallon Getaway returns to get revenge on the crew there that backstabbed him 20 years prior.
Manga writer Monkey Punch’s Lupin the Third franchise has evolved into an anime mainstay over the decades. It spawned various anime adaptations across film and TV, with director Takashi Yamazaki’s Lupin III: The First being one of the best recent additions to the IP.
Co-produced by animation studios TMS Entertainment and Marza Animation Planet, this movie sees the beloved Gentleman Thief and his colorful band of thieves attempt to secure the coveted Bresson Diary. The crew are attempting to find the diary before it falls into villainous hands aiming to revive the Third Reich.
Akihito Tsukushi’s Made in Abyss is one of the best ongoing manga and anime series today. Animation studio Kinema Citrus has done a great job of adapting the series to the screen, and Made in Abyss: Journey’s Dawn is a great new way to watch the anime.
A compilation movie, Journey’s Dawn condenses the first eight episodes of the TV show into a ~2-hour-long movie. This portion of the story follows orphaned and aspiring Cave Raider Riko with her robot friend Reg as they descend into the dangerous titular abyss to uncover its secrets. Along the way, Riko will also learn about her missing mother.
Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto was a mainstream juggernaut for the anime genre as a whole. The series begins with the titular protagonist, who grows up an outcast of the Hidden Leaf Village who is nonetheless determined to fulfill his lofty goals of eventually becoming an elite ninja and the village’s leader.
Filled with fantastical world-building and a wide cast of colorful characters, Naruto is an imaginative and action-packed spin on coming-of-age themes and fantasy worlds influenced by Japanese mythology.
Japan’s Mobile Suit Gundam franchise remains one of the most enduring anime IPs and media franchises in general. Set within a universe dense with lore and world-building, Mobile Suit Gundam 00 is among the best standalone stories for longtime fans and newcomers alike.
Telling a story with underlying themes, Mobile Suit Gundam 00 follows a paramilitary group determined to end the bloody internal warfare over scraps of usable energy.
Veteran studio Madhouse’s original TV anime adaptation of Yasuhiro Nightow’s Trigun is celebrated as a ’90s classic. However, studio Orange has come along with Trigun Stampede as a CG reboot of the original story.
This style of animation is infamously treated with caution in many fandom circles, but this reimagining shows the strides the technology has made. Likewise, it’s made some creative twists for this continuity, like having Meryl Stryfe as an up-and-coming investigative journalist under the mentorship of the original character, Roberto De Niro.
Editors' Recommendations
- The best shows on Disney+ right now (June 2023)
- The best movies on Apple TV+ right now (June 2023)
- Best new movies to stream on Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, Max (HBO), and more
- The 50 best movies on Netflix right now (May 2023)
- The best shows on Netflix in May 2023