Japanese culture and technology has influenced compact electronics, digital and audio recording, and the emoji. They have also made a huge impact on TV and films with their animation. The Japanese art form is truly in its own genre, but gives a distinctive art style as well as storytelling that most other animation doesn’t even try. It is always a good time to start watching anime, but it’s always hard to know where to start. What’s the best series to begin to watch? Newer stuff, or old hidden gems? The 2010s had made some of the best anime series for starters.
In the anime TV sphere, the 2010s has provided audiences with shows that are highly regarded internationally. Some viewers would even say that they are borderline iconic and will be forever cemented into pop culture like Dragon Ball Z or Cowboy Bebop. It is also a genre that doesn’t seem to slowing down or running out of ideas. With each passing year, anime just keeps getting better and better. The 2010s debuted a lot of anime series that are already becoming legends within their own rights. Here are the best anime series of the 2010s, ranked.
10 My Hero Academia
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The mindset of the superhero, along with superpowers or "quirks," has become the norm among the planet's population. In My Hero Academia, Izuku "Deku" Midoriya loves the superheros and is one of the few without a Quirk, but wants to be a hero. Deku meets his idol who is the best of the best superheroes and then is given his idol's powers after showing his worthiness. He now enrolls in a superhero school that trains new generations of costumed masked crusaders. The non-stop action can get anyone sucked in, but viewers will stay for the heart-warming characters.
9 Erased
Satoru Fujinuma is a man in his late-20s that has the ability to travel back in time to avert cataclysmic events. After his mother is murdered, Satoru is forced 18 years into the past where a serial killer is targeting kids. He quickly learns that the two events are connected and goes on an adventure to change the future to save his mom, but also the killer's victims. Erased is a psychological thriller with elements of sci-fi/fantasy that Fandom Spot says is a masterpiece in its own right.
8 Re:Zero
Subaru gets stabbed and then finds himself back at his house. He goes through this cycle again of getting stabbed and winding back at his house. Subaru learns he has a curse placed on him that brings him to his last bonfire every time he gets killed. He also meets a girl named Satella that offers to help him. They uncover dark secrets of the kingdom that leads them to being murdered. It is a modern isekai that has overtaken the fantasy anime genre that Re:Zero transports the audience into.
7 Assassination Classroom
A strange yellow octopus blows up a huge chunk of the moon and gets the attention of every world government. As soon as he lands on Earth, he gives the world one year to meet his demands, or he will destroy the planet. His demand is to teach a group of kids to assassinate him before graduation. Assassination Classroom is classified as a shounen that incorporates iconic shounen. No one expects an entire class of kids to open fire on an octopus, but it is somehow the entire premise of the show.
6 Naruto
Naruto Uzumaki wants to be the best ninja in his village in hopes of becoming the next Hokage, which is the leader of his village. He has done pretty well so far, but now the mysterious Akatsuki organization poses a threat. Naruto must train harder than ever if he wants to defeat the Akatsuki. He must leave his village to train harder and push himself to his limits. Naruto is probably one of the most popular anime out there right now and worth the watch.
5 Hunter X Hunter
Gon Freecss is an orphan who recently discovered that his father is still alive. He left home years ago to become a Hunter, which is an elite person that locates rare items, unusual creatures, and dangerous fugitives. After learning of his father, Gon decides to join his parents' profession in order to find him. During his search, he meets a variety of people and supernatural elements. Hunter X Hunter is the second adaptation, but is way better due to its characters, animation quality, and story arcs.
4 KonoSuba
After an embarrassing and unexpected death, Kazuma Sato is given the choice to be reincarnated into an RPG-inspired world of fantasy and adventure that Collider says he agrees to. However, he sometimes questions whether that was the right decision as he is stuck with some annoying companions. His group is made up of a narcicisstic goddess, a sorceress obsessed with explosions, and a female crusader with masochistic tendencies. KonoSuba embraces the weird and intelligence between Kazuma and his friends that is funny and endearing.
3 One-Punch Man
Saitama is a part-time superhero that has trained himself to take down any enemy with one powerful and deadly blow. He becomes bored by his job and needs a challenge, which is when he decides to take on a rookie superhero and join the Hero Association. The Association was created to take on any global threat. One-Punch Man came out during the height of the superhero genre in anime. The show pokes fun at its own genre while providing interesting characters that audiences can't stop watching.
2 Demon Slayer
Tanjiro Kamado returns home to find his family brutally murdered and his sister Nezuko turned into a man-eating demon. She manages to not eat her brother, and the two siblings go on a journey to cure Nezuko. They also need to destroy the Demon King Muzan Kibutsuji who was the one that slaughtered their family. Along the way, they make allies and Tanjiro learns to become a sword-wielding demon slayer. The action sequences in Demon Slayer are off the charts with characters that are hysterical one minute and heartbreaking the next.
1 Attack on Titan
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Titans have taken over the Earth and walled cities are the only thing protecting the last of humankind. Eren Yeager survives a Titan attack on his hometown, but it takes his mother. Eren seeks vengeance and enrolls in the Survey Corps, which is the humans' task force for fighting the beasts. Once in the corps, he learns that he has the ability to turn into a Titan and giving him an edge against these monsters. Eren's new abilities also lead him down a dark path. Attack on Titan is a new form of anime as it is a dystopian story. It is dark, gut-wrenching, violent, and interesting which makes the show a must-see.