Most Popular Anime Of All Time: Top 23 Must Watch

With the likes of Pokémon, Knights of the Zodiac and Dragon Ball Z we have a full list of the top 23 most popular anime of all time you shouldn’t miss. Continue reading this article as you will be pleased to see them all.

Talking of the most popular anime of all time we all know the Japanese cartoons which is better known for anime are extremely popular around the world. You may not be a fan of the style, but you have certainly seen many most-watched animes from them.

You can also get the best anime to watch on Netflix from the list of most watched anime of all time on this post.

With that in mind, we have prepared a list of the most watched anime of all time! Take note: this list is not ordered in the form of a ranking.

Most Popular Anime Of All Time – Updated List

What are the most popular anime of all time? Here is the full list of the most watched anime that will blow your mind;

1. Dragon Ball Z

One of the biggest anime phenomena in the West and also one of the most popular anime of all time. In Dragon Ball Z, little Son Goku grew up and now has a family with Chi-Chi and son Son Gohan. It all starts when the Saiyans arrive on Earth and tell Goku that he is actually an extraterrestrial named Kakaroto. They want Goku to help them dominate the planet, but this is their home and he will defend it in every way.

2. Naruto

One of the best known anime in history! A small ninja village is attacked by a fox with nine tails and its leader sees no alternative but to trap the spirit in the body of his baby son. Naruto grows up with this mystical being in his body and develops a big dream: to become the Hokage (best ninja) in his village. For this, he faces a strong training alongside teammates 7, Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno.

3. Naruto: Shippuden

The second part of Naruto’s story is the 2007 release with 21 seasons, already a teenager and a little more mature. Back in the village, after his training, Naruto must face the threat of the mysterious Akatsuki organization. The organization seeks to bring together the powerful Bijuus beasts, including the nine-tailed fox trapped in Naruto’s body. The Naruto Shippuden is one of the most watched anime of all time and that is why we have included it on this list.

4. Death Note

One day Light Yagami is faced with a notebook with several names noted and instructions for use. This notebook is a supernatural deadly weapon. When Light finds out that the notebook really works, he sets up a plan to get rid of all the bad guys in the world and make it a purer place. But with Detective L on the trail, it won’t be an easy task. Ryuk, the bored Shinigami and the real owner of the notebook, has fun with this situation. Death Note was released on the 3rd of October 2006, Death Note made it on the list of top 10 most watched anime of all time.

5. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is not a continuation of Fullmetal Alchemist. It is another version of the same story, but more faithful to the original manga, therefore being more complete and with a slightly lighter tone, since the first is quite dark.

6. My Hero Academia

In Japanese “Boku no Hero Academia,” the story is about Izuku Midoriya, a young man with no special powers in a place where almost everyone has them. Despite this, he is fortunate to be helped by the greatest superhero of all: All Might. With this, you can enroll in a school of superheroes!

7. Knights of the Zodiac

Another well-known anime. Five warriors are tasked with protecting the reincarnation of the Greek goddess Athena, Saori Kido. The armor is based on Greek mythology, constellations and the cosmos! Someone with nostalgia for this great anime?

8. Pokémon

This is without a doubt one of the most popular anime of all time! After all, it is so famous, it has even become different types of games. Ash, Pikachu and their friends have explored so many continents and faced so many challenges together, as gym leaders and the Rocket team.

9. Samurai X

Himura Kenshin, a murderer from the past, sets out to help the needy with his Sakabatou sword. A great anime about a swordsman fighting his old ghosts.

10. Cowboy Bebop

The complex and exciting Cowboy Bebop story takes place in the future and follows a team of bounty hunters in outer space aboard the Bebop spacecraft. The anime released in 1998 is considered a work of art with an unusual tone of noir given to the narrative full of space battles, in addition to exploring deep philosophical concepts such as existentialism and loneliness.

11. Fullmetal Alchemist

Set in a fictional world inspired by the European Industrial Revolution and where alchemy is one of the most advanced scientific techniques. The story revolves around the search for the brothers Edward and Alphonse to recover their bodies. After an unsuccessful attempt to resuscitate their mother, Edward had his arm replaced by a metal arm, while Alphonse was transformed completely into a robot.

12. Tokyo Ghoul

Make no mistake, Ghouls are not vampires! They eat human meat. But if you like stories of this genre, this may be an interesting anime for you. After surviving the attack of a Ghoul, Kaneki is transformed into a hybrid being and needs to learn to live with this new condition, while trying not to lose his own humanity.

13. Hunter x Hunter

When the boy Gon Freecss finds out that his father abandoned him as a baby to become a Hunter, a licensed elite hunter, he also decides to become a Hunter like him. But for that, you have to pass the difficult approval tests. What can go wrong? Well, he could end up dead! But with the help of friends he makes in training, he lives great adventures.

14. One Piece

In a world where piracy is the main activity and there are fruits that give you special powers, Monkey D. Luffy has a “very simple” objective: to find One Piece and become the King of Pirates. For this, he brings together a very special crew starting with the swordsman Rononoa Zoro, the thief and navigator Nami, the liar Usopp and the womanizing cook Sanji. One Piece is one of the longest animes in existence, with more than 600 episodes.

15. Code Geass

In a dystopian future, Britain took over the world using advanced weapons of war called Knightmare Frames. Japan succumbed and was renamed Area 11. There, the family of the young prince Lelouch Lamperouge suffered a terrorist attack, in which he lost his mother and his sister acquired sequels for the rest of his life. For that, he swore revenge and is determined to destroy the British Empire from the inside out.

16. Bleach

Ichigo Kurosaki can see and speak with spirits. This alone makes him quite different, but he was also accidentally transformed into a Shinigami (the personification of the god of Death in Japanese culture). He can only assume his powers and responsibilities in guiding good souls to the world after death, Soul Society and face the Hollows monsters.

17. Sword Art Online

In this story, Sword Art Online is an immersive virtual reality game released in the year 2022. At its launch, 10,000 players enter the game to discover they are trapped. The only way out is to win the 100 levels of the game. And there’s no use trying to reset, whoever dies in the game or tries to take off the helmet, dies in real life too.

18. Fairy Tail

Lucy Heartfilia wants to become a powerful magician, but she also needs to pay the bills. The solution is to join a wizard guild. That’s how you meet Natsu Dragneel, a dragon hunter and Happy, a blue cat.

19. Attack of the Titans

One fine day, the city of Shiganshina found itself invaded by titans, gigantic beings that devour human beings. Eren Yeager saw his mother eaten alive and this trauma spurs him to seek revenge, becoming a member of the Exploration Division with his adopted sister, Mikasa Ackerman, and his childhood friend, Armin Arlert.

20. Monster

An intense and deep anime that guarantees a lot of reflection. The story is about Dr. Tenma, who saves the boy Johan Liebert, a little psychopath. After being saved, this boy will kill many people in “thanks” to the doctor. And the worst: in the future the boy comes back to further disrupt the doctor’s life.

21Neon Genesis Evangelion

A great anime that also deserves space in our list of the most watched anime of all time! Teens are recruited to pilot giant robots from the NERV organization and defeat monsters known as angels. It can be considered a series of post-apocalyptic action.

22. One-Punch Man

This is an anime that, once released, became a success in visualizations! One-Punch Man features Saitama, a superhero looking for an opponent who is more difficult to defeat, as he is very strong and is tired of weak opponents. Saitama also has another curious fact: he is not big, like what is expected of a superhero, which causes him to be disrespected many times.

23. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure

Another anime that is on the rise, joining the most popular anime of all time. It tells the story of a strange family that will face, for generations, several villains with supernatural powers. And the best part: this anime is very creative and artistic in the construction of the characters and scenarios.

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