Top 100 anime of the decade!
My personal favorite 100 series that aired from 2010-2019. It was harder than I thought to narrow down the list! I have watched all of these (some multiple times) and would recommend them all!
*Some of these are not inherently “good”, but were entertaining enough for me to include :9
**If I specify a season, then I probably dropped it at some point or watched all of it but didn’t like the later material
***Cutoff is October 2009. Unless there are multiple seasons, the majority of which aired after 2010.
100) Fairy Tail (2009-2019): Action, Adventure, Fantasy -328 Episodes
99) Black Clover (2017-Current): Action, Adventure, Fantasy -116+
98) Violet Evergarden (2018): Slice of Life, Coming of Age -13
97) O’Maidens in your Savage Season (2019): Slice of Life, Coming of age -12
96) Fate Apocrypha (2017): Action, Fantasy, Supernatural -25
95) The World God Only Knows (2010-2013): Romantic Comedy -36
94) Kobayashi’s Maiddragon (2017): Comedy, Slice of Life -13
93) Sword Art Online [season 1] (2012): Isekai, Action -25
92) Space Brothers (2012-2014): Comedy, Slice of Life, Sci-Fi -99
91) The Ancient Magus’ Bride (2017-2018): Fantasy, Supernatural -24
90) K: Project Kings (2012, 2015): Urban Fantasy, Action -26
89) Darling in the Franxx (2018): Mecha, Romance, Drama -24
88) My Love Story (2015): Romance, Comedy -24
87) Beyond the Boundary (2013): Romance, Fantasy, Supernatural -13
86) Kiznaiver (2016): Sci-Fi, Drama -12
85) Waiting in the Summer (2012): Slice of life, Romance, Supernatural -12
84) Rokka no Yuusha (2015): Mystery, Supernatural, Adventure -12
83) Arslan Senki (2015): Action, Historical, Drama -25
82) Nichijou (2011): Slice of Life, Comedy -26
81) Ozomatsusan (2015-2018): Comedy, Parody -54
80) Golden Kamuy (2018): Historical, Adventure -24
79) Danganronpa [season 1](2013): Mystery -13
78) Charlotte (2015): Comedy, Drama, Supernatural -13
77) Magical Girl Raising Project (2016): Magical Girl, Battle, Dark Fantasy -12
76) Letter Bee (2009-2011): Adventure, Fantasy, Supernatural -50
75) Bakuman (2010-2013): Slice of Life, Comedy, Coming of Age -75
-Manga is really good! By same creators as Death Note
74) Cells at Work (2018): Comedy, Slice of Life -13
73) Acca 13 (2017): Mystery, Drama -13
72) Assassination Classroom (2015-2016): Comedy, Action -47
71)Mekakucity Actors [Kagerou Project] (2014): Supernatural, Sci-Fi -12
-Good music. Story based on Vocaloid songs.
70) No.6 (2011): Dystopia, Shounen-ai, Sci-fi -11
69) Orange (2016): Romance, Slice of life, Coming of age -13
68) Dr.Stone (2019): Adventure, Post-apocalypse -24
67) Your Lie in April (2014-2015): Musical, Romance, Drama -22
66) Scums Wish (2017): Drama, Romance, Seinen -12
65) Children of the Whales (2017): Fantasy, Supernatural -12
64) Food Wars (2015-Current): Battle, Cooking, Ecchi -73+
63) Rage of Bahamut: Genesis [season 1] (2014): Adventure, Fantasy -12
62) Terraformars (2014-2016): Battle, Sci-fi, Seinen -26
61) Land of the Lustrous (2017): Action, Fantasy -12
60) Blood Blockade Battlefront (2015-2017): Supernatural, Urban Fantasy -24
59) Silver Spoon (2013-2014): Slice of Life, Coming of Age, Comedy -22
-By Hiromu Arakawa (Fullmetal Alchemist)
58) Death parade (2015): Psychological, Drama -12
57) Yona of the Dawn (2014-2015): Adventure, Fantasy, Romance -24
56) My Little Monster (2012): Romance, Comedy -13
-Anime unfinished. Manga is my fav shoujo romance
55) Little Witch Academia (2017): Fantasy, Magic, School -25
-Studio Trigger (Kill la Kill, Gurren Lagann, Promare)
54) Ajin (2016): Horror, Supernatural, Psychological -26
53) Magi (2012-2014): Adventure, Fantasy -50
52) Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet (2013): Sci-fi, Psychological -13
-By Gen Urobuchi (Madoka Magica, Fate/Zero, Psycho Pass)
51) Anohana (2011): Coming of Age, Drama -11
50) Sakamoto Desu Ga? (2016): Comedy, School, Slice of life -12
49) Fate/Unlimited Blade Works (2014-2015): Supernatural, Battle -26
48) Megalo Box (2018): Sports, Sci-fi, Drama -13
-Really awesome classic art style
47) The Promised Wonderland (2019-Current): Horror, Psychological -12
46) JJBA:Stardust Crusaders (2014-2015): Action, Adventure -48
45) Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun (2014): Comedy, Romance, Slice of Life -12
44) Wandering Son (2011): Coming-of-age, LGBT+ -12
43) Run With the Wind (2018-2019): Sports, Slice-of-life -23
42) Dororo (2019): Supernatural, Historical, Action -24
-By Osamu Tezuka (Astro Boy, Kimba the White Lion, etc…)
41) Yuri on Ice (2016): Romance, Sports -12
40) Demon Slayer (2019-Current): Supernatural, Action -26+
-Gorgeous art/animation. Great soundtrack.
39) Psycho Pass [season 1] (2012-2013): Dystopia, Psychological -22
-Smart, capable, well written female lead. Interesting social commentary.
38) Space Dandy (2014): Sci-fi, Comedy -26
-Very funny. Great leading character. Really good English dub!
-Directed by Shinichiro Watanabe (Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo)
37) Future Diary (2011-2012): Psychological, Romance, Mystery -26
-Murder game (so pretty trashy lol). Fun characters.
36) Banana Fish (2018): Drama, Romance, Crime Thriller -24
-Engaging characters. Great Story. Very emotional and tragic.
-Dark Themes. Check trigger warnings before watching!
35) Usagi Drop (2011): Slice-of-Life, Drama -11
-Incredibly sweet and heartwarming. Emotional. Bittersweet.
-DO NOT (and I cannot stress this enough) EVER! Read! The manga!
34) Erased (2016): Mystery, Psychological -12
-Good story. Endearing characters. Emotional. Bittersweet.
33) Free! (2013-2018): Sports, Slice of Life -37
-Fun characters. Beautiful art. Great animation.
32) JJBA: Phantom Blood (2012): Action, Adventure, Supernatural -9
-Unique and interesting characters. Engaging storytelling.
-If you haven’t watched any Jojo yet, start here!
31) Gintama (2006-2018): Comedy, Parody, Action -367
-Stupid funny bullshit. Fun characters. Emotional scenes done very well!
30) Fire Force (2019-Current): Action, Supernatural -24+
-Stunning visuals. Incredible fire effects. Top notch animation. Good characters. Great OP song! Good aesthetics. Good atmosphere.
-Manga by Atsushi Ohkubo (Soul Eater)
29) Parasyte (2014-2015): Horror, Supernatural, Sci-fi -24
-Among my all time favorite horror series. Creepy body horror and cool fights. Good animation. Good soundtrack.
28) Blue Exorcist (2011, 2017): Action, Supernatural -37
-Great characters. Good demon designs. Standard shounen done well.
-Anime is unfinished but manga is GREAT! Amazing art. Woman writer!
27) Deadman Wonderland (2011): Action, Thriller -12
-Great character designs. Cool powers (all blood based). Creepy Atmosphere
-Anime unfinished. Manga among my all time favorites! Great art.
26) Tsuritama (2012): Comedy, Sci-fi -12
-Charming characters. Feel good show. Super fun and sweet. Good vibes.
25) Gangsta (2015): Action, Drama -12
-Deaf main male! Nuanced characters. Thoughtful handling of difficult subjects. Female writer! Emotional and tragic.
24) Tatami Galaxy (2010): Slice of Life, Romance, Comedy -11
-One of the most unique series I’ve ever seen. Very unique characters. Engaging storytelling. Bizarre and funny. Defies expectations.
-Has an accompanying movie (Night is Short Walk on Girl, 2017)
23) Angel Beats (2010): Drama, Supernatural -13
-Emotional, bittersweet, tragic, heartwarming. Every character gets focus.
22) JJBA: Diamond is Unbreakable (2016): Action, Drama, Battle -39
-Unique characters. Cool powers. Good OST.
21) One Punch Man (2015, 2019): Action, Comedy: -24
-Incredible animation. Great fight scenes. Great characters.
20) Kids on the Slope (2012): Musical, Romance, Coming of Age -12
-Great jazz/blues style music. Good character growth.
-Shinichiro Watanabe (Cowboy Bebop, Carole and Tuesday)
19) Hunter X Hunter (2011-2014): Action, Adventure, Fantasy -148
-Good character dynamics. Great animation for a long running series!
18) Noragami (2014-2015): Supernatural, Action: -25
-Amazing atmosphere. Great use of color. Cool fights/powers. Fun characters
-Anime unfinished. Manga is great! Good art style.
17) The Eccentric Family (2013, 2017): Drama, Comedy, Romance -25
-Charming unique characters. Quirky storytelling. Very fun to watch.
16) JJBA: Battle Tendency (2012-2013): Action, Adventure -17
-The most fun JoJo part imo. Great villains. Fun characters. Colorful.
15) Natsume’s Book of Friends (2008-2017): Supernatural, Slice of Life -74
-Main chara is very sweet. Wholesome, funny, bittersweet, episodic stories.
14) Devilman Crybaby (2018): Action, Horror, Supernatural -10
-VERY intense scenes/gore. Unique art style. Leaves a lasting impression.
13) Haikyuu!! (2016-Current): Sports, Comedy -60+
-Huge cast of fun characters. Great animation. Good OP/ED songs
12) Kill la Kill (2013-2014): Action, Battle, Magical Girl -24
-Great supporting characters. Majority female cast. Good fight scenes. Very fun, over the top and weird. Fantastic OST.
11) Chihayafuru (2011-Current): Sports, Drama, Romance -74+
-My all time fav sports anime! Female lead. Well developed characters. Great character dynamics. Good art/animation.
10) My Hero Academia (2016-Current): Action, Fantasy -75+
-When they actually try, animation is great. Great character designs. Fun cast. Great character interactions. Great chara development. Cool powers. Basically everything a superhero series should be.
-If this were based on manga it would be my #1 pick haha
9) Mob Psycho 100 (2016, 2019): Action, Supernatural -25
-Animation consistently incredible. Good use of color. Unique art style. Unique and interesting characters. Shigeo is a national treasure. Great fight scenes.
8) JJBA: Golden Wind (2018-2019): Action, Adventure -39
-Unique characters. Unique powers. Great chara dynamics. Interesting fights. Probably the most unique character/ability designs of any series.
-As a collective whole, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure would be in my top 3. But since each part has its own complete story, I separated them.
7) Attack on Titan (2013-Current): Action, Mystery, Horror -59+
-Interesting premise. Impressive animation. Amazing art. Great atmosphere and tone. Engaging and interesting story. Good writing. Great OP/ED songs. Well executed plot twists.
-I would say best animation of the decade. Huge scale of characters and the world framed very well. Consistently great looking action. Best use of 3D animation in anime that I know of.
6) Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu (2016-2017): Drama, Romance -25
-Young (absolute best boy) ex-con Yotaro gets inspired by performative art form Rakugo. He begs Rakugo master, Yakumo, to teach him. Yakumo however is a bitter, depressed, gay old man with deep emotional wounds and a tragic past.
-Incredible voice acting (best of ANY series out there.) Emotionally captivating. Great story. Fully fleshed out depth of characters. Great character interactions. Great character growth.
-Funny when it tries. Heartbreaking and angsty. An amazing, thoughtful, heart wrenching series led by well rounded characters.
5) Made in Abyss (2017): Adventure, Horror, Fantasy -13+
-In the center of a certain city lies a massive abyss containing countless unimaginable sights, treasures and monsters. Once you enter, it is impossible to return. 12 year old orphan Riko ventures inside with robot boy Reg to find her mother who disappeared many years ago.
-Great art. Great concept. Mind blowing backgrounds and environments. Good monster designs. Great characters. Great atmosphere. Fantastic OST. Truly terrifying and horrific. Captivating and enchanting worldbuilding.
-Season 2 confirmed (with no date)
4) Madoka Magica (2011): Magical Girl, Psychological -12
-Great OST. Good characters. Plot very well done. Handles plot twists very well. Good character design. Leaves lasting impression.
-Among the most influential anime of the decade imo.
3) Fate/Zero (2011-2012): Fantasy, Action, Battle -25
-Interesting characters explored very well. Great animation (same studio as Demon Slayer). Great OST. Good story writing. Interesting premise.
-Prequel series to Fate/Unlimited Blade Works
-I hesitate to call it “historical”. But it includes many historical figures and mythos from a wide variety of the world and time periods. I have learned a lot of lore through the franchise and my own research.
-Those unfamiliar with Fate franchise, this is an acceptable starting point. My own first step into Fate (now I’m fully entrenched in lore).
2) From the New World(2012-2013): Psychological, Dystopia, Supernatural -25
-1,000 years in the future, after apocalyptic events, all remaining humans possess psychic abilities. All humans are considered ticking time bombs, and children are closely monitored and dealt with as the government sees fit. Saki and friends discover all the dark secrets of their society and human history.
-Great character development. Fantastic worldbuilding. Great storytelling. Plot twists delivered well. Good story.
-Plot twists are truly mind blowing. And really alter how you view the series. Grey morality explored and makes you question who is truly good or bad.
-Almost every main character is canon bisexual :9
-One of the best written villains I have ever seen.
-Avoid the manga :/
1) Durarara!! (2010-2016): Urban Fantasy, Drama, Romance -62
-Unique writing style. Great character development. Interesting character interactions. Good handling of a large cast. Multiple plot threads handled well. Good OST. Well rounded female characters.
-No one “main” character. Just central characters the plot tends to revolve around. Multiple plots and charas are thrown around until they all come together in a very satisfying way.
-I love series with a large cast. And DRRR handles it better than anything I have ever seen (which is why it’s my fav). The character progression through each arc is fantastic.
Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood (2009-2010): Action, Adventure -38
-One of, if not the best anime ever made
-Did not include bc majority of the show aired in 2009.
Mushishi (2005-2006, 2014) Supernatural, Adventure -46
-Majority aired far before 2010. Most of my fav stories in first season.
-Great episodic, surrealist anime. Explores interesting concepts and supernatural powers and entities.
Carole and Tuesday (2019): Drama, Musical -24
-I have not watched the recently released second half yet
-Great music. Charming characters. Good animation.
FGO/Absolute Demonic Front Babylonia (2019-2020): Action, Fantasy -12+
-Still airing, reserving judgement until full adaptation is complete
-Great OST, Fantastic animation, great story.
-My favorite story from FGO mobile game. So far the adaptation is done great. Fight scenes translated beautifully.
Stars Align (2019-20??): Sports, Drama, Coming of Age -12
-Unfortunately series was cut halfway through production. Big cliffhanger waiting on unconfirmed second season.
-Thoughtful handling of difficult subjects. Good characters. Nice art style.
-Surprisingly dark at times. Sharp changes in mood.
Kings Game (2017): Horror, Murder Game -12
-Awful. Hilariously awful. Incomprehensible.
-Truly baffling choices in direction and storytelling
-Character motivations and actions absolutely unintelligible.
-Actually watch it though. The roller coaster of terrible decision making and incompetence is a real treat to experience.
And with that, my top 100! Curating this list was a huge nostalgia trip. And very fun. Some older shows feel like they aired barely a year ago, while others feel like they’ve been around forever.
Let me know if you watch something from my list! (Or message me if you want to know more about a series. I would love to talk about it.) Also send me recommendations! I obviously can’t catch every show ever aired, so if something’s good I would love to know about it. This decade or otherwise.
If you read through everything, thanks so much! Happy New Year!
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