Top 15 Best and Most Popular Anime Movies of All Time

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Anime is a word that can elicit a myriad of different reactions from different people.

With so many different genres to choose from, creating a definitive list of the best anime series of all time is no simple task. A show that one viewer sees as being ultraviolent for the sake of it is a masterclass in realism to another.

From seminal shows that inspired generations of fans and creators to the modern-day classics that stand as shining examples of the medium.

Which are the Best Anime Movies of All Time?

1. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

2. Attack on Titan

3. One Piece

4. Akira

5. My Neighbor Totoro

6. Your Name

7. Demon Slayer

8. Spirited Away

9. Howl’s Moving Castle

10. Grave of the Fireflies

11. Gintama

12. One-Punch Man

13. Mob Psycho 100

14. Death Note

15. Vinland Saga

Top 15 Best Anime Movies of All Time

1. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

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The critically acclaimed "Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood" takes place in a world where alchemy (the science of decomposing and reconstructing physical matter) is widely practiced. When brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric attempt to use alchemy to resurrect their deceased mother, it goes horribly wrong. Bringing people back is a big no-no in the alchemist world, which operates on the law of equivalent exchange. Gaining something means losing something of equal value, and Edward loses a few limbs, while Alphonse loses his entire body. However, Edward is able to bind his brother's soul to a nearby suit of armor before he's lost forever. The show follows their efforts to find the philosopher's stone and fix their bodies.

This is the second adaptation of Hiromu Arakawa's hit manga series "Fullmetal Alchemist," and it's far superior to the first, which was made when the manga was still ongoing and therefore deviates from the source material significantly in its latter stages. This second iteration is considered by many to be the best anime series of all time (it holds a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and is the number one ranked show on MyAnimeList), and we have to agree. It's fun, full of heart, and boasts numerous memorable characters — especially the female ones. Part of that is because creator Hiromu Arakawa grew up on a farm, where the chores were neverending. "Everyone has to work hard to make ends meet, including women and kids," she said (via The Mary Sue). "That's the reason there are so many working women in 'Fullmetal.'"

2. Attack on Titan

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When it comes to the most talked about and popular anime currently airing, it’s pretty hard to beat the fever that is Attack on Titan. Every week, each episode is a water cooler event, with fans talking about the latest twist or turn that the series has taken.

Since debuting back in 2013, the anime has quickly gained traction for its storytelling, as it’s set in a world where humanity is driven to the brink of extinction after the emergence of giants called Titans. The story follows Eren Yeager, a victim of one of these Titan attacks, as he and his friends try to uncover the secrets surrounding the mysterious creatures.

With over 60% votes of an overall 10/10 amidst 300,000 voters, Attack on Titan is the highest-rated anime of all time on IMDB. With nine episodes getting at least 9.9 ratings (and one getting a perfect 10), it isn’t hard to see why the series is rated in first place.

Alongside acclaim from fans, Attack on Titan is also popular amongst mainstream media, appearing in everything from The Simpsons to Snickers commercials. Before the start of the San Diego Padres and the Los Angeles Dodgers game in 2019, the Colossal Titan mascot even performed the ceremonial first pitch before taking a photo-op with Dodgers pitcher Kenta Maeda who sported the Colossal Titan baseball glove.

Only time will tell if Attack on Titan will end up as the most popular anime of all time when it finally ends, as no anime has come close when it comes to matching the hype surrounding this franchise each week.

3. One Piece

Photo: Saostar

As the undisputed king of The Big Three, it goes without saying that One Piece is one of the most popular anime of all time through sheer force of will. With over 1,000 episodes and counting, this anime tells the story of Monkey D. Luffy, a boy with a body that has the property of rubber, which he gained after unintentionally eating a Devil Fruit.

Alongside a merry crew of pirate misfits, this rubber boy uses his newfound powers to find the world’s ultimate treasure, the One Piece, in order to become King of the Pirates. Viewers and critics alike have praised the series for its storytelling, art, characterization, and humor.

One Piece has had such an impact on culture that there has even been a fruit fly gene named after it, called Baramicin. The series is popular in both the east and the west, dominated polls when it comes to “what is your favorite anime” and “who is your favorite anime character.”

As an entire franchise, One Piece is worth around $14.5 billion thanks in large part to the merchandise and video games that were spun off from the anime.

4. Akira

Photo: Assorted Musings from an Unknown Historian

Hollywood has been trying to adapt "Akira" for years now, but Katsuhiro Otomo's visually striking anime film (based on his manga of the same name) has proved a difficult act to follow. Otomo's post-apocalyptic classic became a cult hit in the West when bootleg copies began to circulate, and it's still considered a benchmark in anime to this day. It follows a young biker gang in Neo-Tokyo, the neon-lit metropolis that sprang up after the previous capital was destroyed in a devastating explosion. When gang member Tetsuo Shima starts developing powerful psychokinetic abilities following an accident, his friends have to stop him from causing another catastrophe.

5. My Neighbor Totoro

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The distinctive silhouette of Studio Ghibli mascot Totoro is known the world over nowadays. Hayao Miyazaki's "My Neighbor Totoro" didn't capture the imagination of audiences right away (largely down to the fact that it was released alongside "Grave of the Fireflies" as a double feature), but the film and its eponymous forest spirit went on to carve out a place in Japanese pop culture. It follows sisters Satsuki and Mei, who just moved to the countryside with their father. Their new house is old and drafty, but it's near the hospital that's treating their sick mother. Totoro becomes a guardian to the girls after they discover him in a nearby forest.

6. Your Name

Photo: The Film Stage

Makoto Shinkai's "Your Name" was Japan's highest-grossing film of 2016, and it took the rest of the world by storm the following year. Shinkai's exquisitely animated coming-of-age fantasy follows Tokyo boy Taki and country girl Mitsuha, a pair of high schoolers who inexplicably wake up in each other's bodies one day. The phenomenon continues to occur throughout the film and the two teens begin to form a special bond, each embarking on a quest to learn the other's name.

7. Demon Slayer

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Another one of the newer anime to make this list, Demon Slayer, is so high up simply due to how big of an impact the series has managed to make. Despite only being around since 2019, the series is one of the most talked-about anime of all time, thanks in large part to the insanely detailed fight scenes and animation Ufotable has produced.

Demon Slayer follows Tanjiro Kamado, a teenager looking to avenge the death of his family and turn his sister back into a human by becoming a Demon Slayer. Along his journey, he meets many like-minded friends, some treacherous demons, and even a few misunderstood enemies.

Fans have latched on to this new series, as the show has insanely high satisfaction ratios (almost 50%) and has managed to break box office records. To be exact, the Demon Slayer – Kimetsu No Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train film made over $503 million from more than 41 million tickets sold, making it the highest-grossing film of 2020 as well as the highest-grossing anime and Japanese film of all time.

Alongside breaking box office records, the Demon Slayer franchise has an estimated annual sales revenue of $8.75 billion. This figure includes all of its merchandise and makes it one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time.

8. Spirited Away

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Another Studio Ghibli masterpiece, Spirited Away still holds up as one of the best anime films of all time, even though it was released back in 2001. The film tells the story of a sullen 10-year-old girl who, amidst her family’s move to the suburbs, stumbles into a world ruled by gods, witches, and spirits where humans are changed into beasts.

While magical at first, things soon turn dire, as the girl is trapped by a witch and forced to work. She must now find a way to get back to her mundane but comfortable life in the real world by any means necessary.

Spirited Away encapsulated its audience when it was released more than two decades ago, smashing box office records by earning $355,725,195 worldwide.

For 19 years, Spirited Away held the title of the highest-grossing Japanese film of all time. In that time, it won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and was voted the fourth-best film of the 21st century by BBC, proving that its acclaim and popularity spread even beyond dedicated anime filmgoers.

9. Howl’s Moving Castle

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Studio Ghibli is an absolute titan when it comes to popular anime, as just about every one of its movies is popular enough to be on this list. When it comes down to it, though, few are as beloved as Howl’s Moving Castle.

Originally released in 2004, this Hayao Miyazaki classic is set in a kingdom where magic and early 20th-century technology are common. Set against the backdrop of a war with another kingdom, it tells the story of Sophie, a young milliner who is turned into an old woman by a witch.

In order to lift the curse, she must trust a Wizard named Howl, exploring the world via his magnificent moving castle, which is fueled by magic. What follows is a tale of life, love, loyalty, and sorrow, as the film really dives into the destructive effects of living amidst a war.

To this day, Howl’s Moving Castle remains one of the most successful anime films of all time, ranking fourth with a total of $236,269,142 earned worldwide.

Alongside box office acclaim, Howl’s Moving Castle also received plenty of awards, including four Tokyo Anime Awards, a Nebula Award for Best Script, and a nomination for Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards.

10. Grave of the Fireflies

Photo: IMDb

One of the other great minds behind Studio Ghibli, the late Isao Takahata was best known for his haunting classic "Grave of the Fireflies." The film follows Seita and Setsuko, orphaned siblings clinging to life in the last days of World War II. Routinely ranked among the best wartime movies ever made, "Grave of the Fireflies" is a difficult but ultimately rewarding watch. Veteran film critic Roger Ebert called it "an emotional experience so powerful that it forces a rethinking of animation."

11. Gintama

Photo: RoomMe

Hopping right over to another monumentally huge Shonen series, it’s Gintama! Gintama fits into a lot of different genres, including adventure, shonen, comedy, science fiction, and mystery. But, primarily, the focus is on either the action or the gags. As far as the plot goes, it’s about as wacky as they come, set in an alternate version of Edo Japan where aliens came and took over.

But, as far as how plot-heavy Gintama gets, it mostly focuses on Gintama himself and his group of friends. It’s self-referential, fourth-wall-breaking, childish, satirical, and downright hilarious. Truly, Gintama is the perfect series for those looking for a comedy show that never seems to end.

12. One-Punch Man

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It's very hard to make an anime with a brokenly overpowered character that is actually entertaining to watch. This is the pitfall that a lot of Isekai fall into, such as Sword Art Online. However, Saitama from One-Punch Man is such an absurd and endearing character that he manages to still make it entertaining to watch his journey. This, coupled with all the other characters around him who aren’t impossibly strong, makes for a fantastic action-packed show.

Most of the time, these characters have to fight tooth and nail against villains just to keep those around them safe, and Saitama only shows up at the end, after all the character growth, to one-shot the big bad and move the story forward. Again, this doesn’t sound like the formula for an incredible series, but the mangaka named “One” wrote a fantastic story, Yusuke Murata’s art adds so much character, and the anime adaptation by Madhouse gives the characters life and motion. Don’t just take our word for it, check One Punch Man out for yourself and you’ll see just how high-quality this series is.

13. Mob Psycho 100

Photo: thegamer

Like One Punch Man, Mob Psycho 100 is all about over-the-top action. But rather than physical power, Mob Psycho is based around psychic powers of all different types. Sure, sometimes that boils down to punches and kicks while “cloaked” in psychic energy, but even then Bones makes sure it’s creatively animated so as not to feel too similar to standard shonen.

The art style of MP100, combined with the oddly mature narrative, hilarious characters, and ridiculous situations all combine to make a show that’s truly special. If MP100 can have us learn to love a character like Reigen then anything is possible.

14. Death Note

Photo: thegamer

Ah, an anime that needs no introduction. Even those who don't follow anime know the name "Death Note," even if it's thanks to the polarizing Netflix live-action adaptation. It's a series that is a gateway for people who want to seriously watch anime.

Receiving a book that ends the life of anyone whose name is written in it, Light Yagami uses the Death Note along with his Shinigami Ryuk to become a new god, while trying to outsmart L (a teen detective, because anime) at the same time. The fact that this anime has a stellar English dub is just icing on the cake because Death Note is a fantastic piece of media.

15. Vinland Saga

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Vinland Saga, originally created by Makoto Yukimura and adapted into an anime by Wit Studio in 2019, is a giant among iconic series. Frankly, this story is one of the only ones out there that are on the same level as something like Berserk, with an equally as “Odysseyesque” tale.

In it, a boy named Thorfinn learns what it actually means to be a warrior in 1013 AD, then he subsequently learns what it means to be human, and what it means to be “good.” Like Berserk, Vinland Saga starts out very violent, but it diverges in a major way after a certain point. Now, that point hasn’t quite been reached in the one season of the anime adaptation so far, but if Wit Studio keeps up the same level of quality and faithfulness they had in season one, Vinland Saga’s anime adaptation is sure to work its way onto many “best-of-the-best” lists in 2022.

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