The 55 Best Anime Movies Ever

Anime isn't a genre. It's a medium, one that's still fighting for mainstream acceptance in the West. Its hold on American audiences is stronger than ever, with Studio Ghibli blockbusters and franchises like "My Hero Academia" earning critical acclaim and global adoration. However, too many people still associate animation with children's viewing. While there are plenty of great anime films that parents can show to their kids, this attitude still leads to confusion. Not only is some anime emphatically not child-safe, but if you dismiss it as kids' stuff, you're missing out on some great movies.

If you've never watched an anime film before, rest assured that it's not all sailor uniforms and jiggly bits, just like how action movies aren't all gravelly-voiced men and sexy ladies. There's something for everyone, although we also confess that you're going to see a lot of Hayao Miyazaki and Mamoru Oshii here, and for good reasons. Whether your tastes lean towards science fiction or drama, or if you simply want to find the best classic anime films to start with, there's something on this list for you.

"A Silent Voice" deals with tough topics, which may be difficult for some viewers. The film opens with Shoya Ishida's close call with suicide, and the film doesn't flinch as it explores his reasoning and his flaws. Shoya's a former bully, and director Naoko Yamada doesn't sugarcoat what he did to his deaf schoolmate, Shoko. The consequences send him spiraling into despair, but it's his choice to seek redemption when a chance presents itself.

Redemption is a hard thing to work towards, but Shoya's efforts have valuable results. Painful in places, all too real, and with so much to say, "A Silent Voice" is a beautiful reminder that what we do matters — and so does what we do next.

• Starring: Miyu Irino, Saori Hayami, Aoi Yuki

• Director: Naoko Yamada

• Year: 2016

• Runtime: 130 min

• Rating: NR

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%

If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline​ by dialing 988 or by calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255)​.

What "Begotten" is to religious horror, the elegant "Angel's Egg" is to ... well, you decide. A collaborative effort with Yoshitaka Amano ("Final Fantasy," "Vampire Hunter D"), Mamoru Oshii's dreamlike curio is either a thoughtful hit or a bizarre miss when it comes to understanding its layered visual themes, but it's absolutely worth the experience either way.

Mostly unvoiced, "Angel's Egg" puts its unnamed characters in a strange, apocalyptic wasteland. The titular egg is a metaphor, possibly for the broken hope God left behind as It abandoned this ruined world, which is flooding slowly, as Noah's Ark no longer sustains life. We think. Tarkovsky fans, this one's for you.

• Starring: Jinpachi Nezu, Mako Hyodo

• Director: Mamoru Oshii

• Year: 1985

• Runtime: 71 min

• Rating: NR

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: N/A

"Hatsune Miku meets 'Beauty and the Beast'" is a valid description of "Belle," but it doesn't do this fairy tale justice. Belle is the virtual persona of Suzu, a young woman drawn into a mythical online world full of music and magical beasts — and the real-life tragedies these digital masks are hiding. As Belle, Suzu is no damsel, and to save this Beast she's going to have to be stronger than any Disney princess. Survivors of abuse take note; our heroes earn a happy ending, but the real villain is the specter of parental violence.

• Starring: Kaho Nakamura, Takeru Satoh, Ryo Narita

• Director: Mamoru Hosoda

• Year: 2021

• Runtime: 124 min

• Rating: PG

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%

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It may not be the best place to start watching "Cowboy Bebop," but this action-packed adventure does everything it can to ease in new viewers and make sure they experience the full impact of its jazz-fueled aesthetic. Set between two late episodes of the series, the film follows Spike Spiegel and his bounty hunter crew as they become entangled in a terrorist plot straight out of a good "Batman" arc. A former military man turned test subject is out of control, and he's about to drop a deadly nano-virus on the entire civilization of Mars. All that can stop him is the Bebop crew, which includes a corgi. He's the best.

• Starring: Koichi Yamadera, Uncho Ishizuka, Megumi Hayashibara

• Director: Shinichiro Watanabe

• Year: 2001

• Runtime: 115 min

• Rating: R

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 66%

The folks behind "Dragon Ball" make their movies easy for anyone to enjoy, even if you haven't been following the plot for decades. You'll get more out of the experience as a long-time fan, sure, but "Broly" is a terrific entry point regardless. This slick blockbuster introduces you to the origins of Goku and Vegeta by way of the titular powerhouse's own story. Broly is an exiled Saiyan child, sent away to ensure the rise of Prince Vegeta. However, this feral brawler becomes the pet of two Frieza Force dorks; you know this is going to end in a throw down between Broly, Vegeta, and Goku himself. "Dragon Ball Super: Broly" is comfort food anime at its finest.

• Starring: Bin Shimada, Masako Nozawa, Ryo Horikawa

• Director: Tatsuya Nagamine

• Year: 2018

• Runtime: 100 min

• Rating: PG

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 82%

It's okay if you don't watch all of the original "Neon Genesis Evangelion" series, or any of the reboots, before sitting down with this movie. You probably won't understand what the hell is going on at first watch anyway. Still, it's a wild, lurid experience worth savoring. 

Like "Akira," "End of Evangelion" earns its liberal comparisons to "2001." It's as sprawling and strange a commentary on alienation and the evolution of humanity as its peers. Despite its darkness and Shinji's painfully mortal flaws, the whole thing even ends on a note of hope. We're pretty sure it does, anyway.

• Starring: Megumi Ogata, Megumi Hayashibara, Kotono Mitsuishi

• Director: Hideyaki Anno

• Year: 1997

• Runtime: 87 min

• Rating: NR

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90%

There's some stuff in "Galaxy Express 999" that's impenetrable without knowledge of Leiji Matsumoto's brilliant manga, but that's okay. This atmospheric fairy tale about a real boy who wants to become a robotic Pinocchio is something you feel your way through. Along the way, you'll get to meet some of Matsumoto's most famous creations, like Captain Harlock and Queen Emeraldas. But the mysterious Maetel is the heart of this tragedy — literally. This galactic train's strange journey is her longest road home.

• Starring: Masako Nozawa, Kaneta Kimotsuki, Masako Ikeda

• Director: Rintaro

• Year: 1979

• Runtime: 129 min

• Rating: PG

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: N/A

If "Grave of the Fireflies" doesn't break you, you're not human. Similar to "Barefoot Gen," it explores the aftereffects of human brutality and the scars left by war. This time, the tragedy is the firebombing of Kobe, and the savagery is found in a selfish aunt who turns the children out of her home. The traditions and rigidity of Japan come under quiet assault as the kids die of starvation, forgotten by the living and embraced by the spirits of their ancestors. Born from the agony of survivor's guilt, this is a movie you must see — once. A single viewing is all most people can take.

• Starring: Tsutomo Tatsumi, Ayano Shiraishi, Yoshiko Shinohara

• Director: Isao Takahata

• Year: 1988

• Runtime: 89 min

• Rating: NR

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%

No, this isn't a Japanese version of that Timothée Chalamet cannibalism movie. In fact, it has no actual pancreas-eating at all. Behind the attention-grabbing title, "I Want to Eat Your Pancreas" is a bittersweet coming-of-age tale in which our unnamed protagonist befriends a dying girl. Sakura is keeping her condition a secret, but the protagonist is determined to treat his new friend like an ordinary person, which endears him to her. Not a total tragedy — but not exactly a lark, either — "I Want to Eat Your Pancreas" captures the melancholy of getting to experience something special, if far too transient.

• Starring: Lynn, Mahiro Takasugi, Yukiko Fujii

• Director: Shinichiro Ushijima

• Year: 2018

• Runtime: 108 min

• Rating: NR

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%

Mamoru Oshii's Kerberos saga is already bleak, but this stand-alone movie is a perfect downer. In a world where the Nazis won, a fascist Japan uses special squads to maintain peace. Fuse, a Kerberos soldier, ends up embroiled in the politics between these squads, with a girl's life hanging in the balance. As Fuse and the girl realize they're living the story of Red Riding Hood, it's not clear who will survive: the girl, or the wolf? Hint: This is not a fun movie, but it is brilliantly designed and plotted.

• Starring: Sumi Motoh, Yoshikatsu Fujiki, Hiroyuki Kinoshita

• Director: Hiroyuki Okiura

• Year: 1998

• Runtime: 102 min

• Rating: NR

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 55%

Little Kiki and her black cat familiar, Jiji, are the best witchy pair you could introduce your kids to. Kiki's undergoing some sympathetic crises about growing up, which impact her self-esteem and her magical abilities. Meanwhile, Jiji is simply adorable while he flirts with the pretty white cat up the lane. Forget that dry English boarding school and come to this bucolic village, where you'll find fresh bread and a reliable mail service. "Kiki's Delivery Service" is a delight you won't forget.

• Starring: Minami, Takayama, Rei Sakuma, Keiko Toda

• Director: Hayao Miyazaki

• Year: 1989

• Runtime: 103 min

• Rating: G

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 98%

Inspired by Fritz Lang's silent masterpiece, "Metropolis" explores themes of humanity and social stigma. Robots suffer discrimination, but not for their inhumanity. Rather, the prejudice ensures division, allowing the elite to retain control while everyone else fights for scraps. Sound familiar? Yeah. This power structure begins to collapse as the two children of Duke Red, one human and one not, become the center of a greater struggle for the soul of Metropolis itself. "Metropolis" is intricate, thoughtful, and downright unforgettable.

• Starring: Kei Kobayashi, Yuka Imoto, Kosei Tomita

• Director: Rintaro

• Year: 2001

• Runtime: 113 min

• Rating: PG-13

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 87%

"Mirai" touches on the same themes that made "Labyrinth" such a touchstone for girls coming of age. "Mirai," however, focuses on a young boy: Kun, who's unhappy with the amount of attention his new baby sister gets. At first, the lad is understandably put out, but as his tantrums increase, he finds himself dealing with time-traveling versions of himself and his sister as a way to cope with his responsibilities as a big brother. It's a little arcane for the youngest viewers, but there's still a sweet, "Bluey"-style sensibility to be found in Kun's growth.

• Starring: Moka Kamashiraishi, Tasuka Hatanaka, Haru Karoki

• Director: Mamoru Hosada

• Year: 2018

• Runtime: 98 min

• Rating: PG

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91%

Post-apocalyptic and filled with adorable giant bugs, "Nausicaa" is an instant recommendation for fans of "Dune." Generations after a nuclear war, the environment has turned hostile towards humanity. Frankly, most humans aren't doing much to endear themselves to the Earth, either. Amongst this chaos rises Nausicaa, a princess from a realm that's clinging to a prophecy of a blue-robed savior, who discovers that the answer to the world's life-destroying riddle begins with kindness, shared freely.

• Starring: Sumi Shimamoto, Yoji Matsuda, Goro Naya

• Director: Hayao Miyazaki

• Year: 1984

• Runtime: 117 min

• Rating: PG

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89%

"Ninja Scroll" is not remotely kid-friendly, but it was the introductory anime for many Gen-X teens regardless. Blending the real-life history of Edo-era Japan with supernatural horrors, it's the tale of Jubei, a warrior who finds himself defending the Tokugawa shogunate from ninjas empowered by a terrible darkness. The kunoichi Kagero becomes his ally, though it's not easy for her to love. Poison runs through her blood, creating a situation where both rape and consent become important plot points. Despite her introduction, however, she's not a damsel in distress. An anime classic with strong art and rich color, don't watch this one with your parents.

• Starring: Koichi Yamadera, Emi Shinohara, Takeshi Aono

• Director: Yoshiaki Kawajiri

• Year: 1993

• Runtime: 94 min

• Rating: NR

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%

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Most film fans have at least heard of "Paprika"; rumors suggest that Christopher Nolan borrowed from it liberally when he created "Inception." This complex film keeps its focus away from the melodrama of lost love. It's more interested in exploring the duality of our selves, using dreams and nightmares as a bridge. The science fiction elements are window dressing, allowing this exploration to happen in both literal and symbolic ways; Dr. Chiba and her alter ego, Paprika, scour the subconscious world for clues about dream "terrorists" who seek to use Dr. Chiba's work for their own ends.

• Starring: Megumi Hayshibara, Toru Emori, Katsunosuke Hori

• Director: Satoshi Kon

• Year: 2006

• Runtime: 90 min

• Rating: R

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 85%

Watch out, Ariel. There's another adorable redhead on the watery block. "Ponyo" is, vaguely, a riff on Hans Christian Anderson's classic story, but it's much more interested in cool fish and the delicate balance of nature. A little girl lives a peaceful life with her sisters under the sea, as well as her daffy wizard dad. But when an accident pushes her far away from home, a little boy rescues her and names her Ponyo. "Ponyo" is the gentlest of love stories, one built on innocence and hope, and it's a great introduction to the magic of fairy tales for younger viewers.

• Starring: Yuria Nara, Hiroki Doi, George Tokoro

• Director: Hayao Miyazaki

• Year: 2008

• Runtime: 101 min

• Rating: G

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91%

Like "Paprika," Satoshi Kon's "Perfect Blue" is also linked to a Western filmmaker. Darren Aronofsky borrows Kon's cinematography in both "Black Swan" and "Requiem for a Dream," but again, the original stands alone. "Perfect Blue" is for Hitchcock fans and lovers of frightening psychological thrills. Young Mima is ready to leave the J-pop scene behind and become an actor, but her work is quickly derailed by a dangerous stalker so keyed into her personality that Mima begins suffering a psychotic break. Taut and terrifying, "Perfect Blue" hides some brilliant twists on the standard tropes surrounding women in danger.

• Starring: Junko Iwao, Rica Matsumoto, Maasaki Okura

• Director: Satoshi Kon

• Year: 1997

• Runtime: 81 min

• Rating: R

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 83%

The more that you know about early '70s and '80s anime tropes, the funnier that sci-fi satire "Project A-Ko" is. It's all here: sailor uniform-wearing girls with way too much personality, gravity-defying boob armor, random mecha fights, and a plot that's more than a little reminiscent of "Jupiter Ascending." We promise it's not hentai. It's too sweet-natured and self-deprecating for that. One note of warning, though: There's an alien race that's set up as an old-school transphobia joke. It's unfortunate that, in anime as elsewhere, this is a relatively common issue.

• Starring: Miki Ito, Emi Shinohara, Michie Tomizawa

• Director: Katsuhiko Nishijima

• Year: 1986

• Runtime: 84 min

• Rating: NR

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: N/A

A bizarre but delightful anthology, "Robot Carnival" was the gateway anime for '90s teens watching Toonami at weird hours of the night. Bookended by a pair of bonkers shorts by "Akira" director Otomo that feature the titular Robot Carnival, the film explores the human condition in various ways. Of special note is the hand-drawn short "Cloud," a silent tale of a lone robot and its guardian angel, and "Presence," an "Ex Machina"-style ghost story that lingers long after it ends.

• Starring: Kei Tomiyama, Kohji Moritsugu

• Directors: Katsuhiro Otomo, Manabu Ohashi, Yasuomi Umetsu

• Year: 1987

• Runtime: 91 min

• Rating: NR

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: N/A

With the child soldiers of "Gundam" and the aerial combat of "Top Gun," Oshii's "Sky Crawlers" is both psychologically unsettling as well as a spectacle to behold. There are no more wars in this alternate history, yet private military corporations run combat operations against each other to satisfy some perceived societal need for conflict. Like the Replicants in "Blade Runner," the Kildren are genetically engineered, disposable, unaware of the reality of the fight they're engaged in, and locked in a cycle of death and possible reincarnation. Melancholy weirdness aside, it's one of Oshii's most gorgeous films.

• Starring: Ryo Kase, Rinko Kikuchi, Shosuke Tanihara

• Director: Mamoru Oshii

• Year: 2008

• Runtime: 122 min

• Rating: PG-13

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 80%

What happens if you strip all of the out-of-date fanservice garbage out of "Ready Player One" while also adding commentary about what might occur if Zuckerberg's VR dreams get out of hand? The "Summer Wars" happen, that's what. A young moderator for a virtual world doesn't think hard enough about why he's been sent a random cypher and creates a system exploit. The ensuing chaos brings both old family history and futuristic near-disasters to the forefront. It's wild stuff that makes more sense as an experience than an explanation.

• Starring: Ryunosuke Kamiki, Nanami Sakuraba, Mitsuki Tanimura

• Director: Mamoru Hosada

• Year: 2009

• Runtime: 114 min

• Rating: PG

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 79%

If the eccentric crew from "Yakuza: Like a Dragon" tried to re-enact "Three Men and a Baby," it would look a lot like this classic Christmas film. Kicking things off with a heartwarming nativity gag, three homeless people find a newborn in the trash and promptly become its caretakers. Savvy fans will recognize strains of John Ford's "3 Godfathers" in the film, but this version of the story relies on Christmas miracles to get you through Tokyo's grimier side. With a transgender lead who's not treated like a joke and a worthy struggle that culminates in an honest happy ending, "Tokyo Godfathers" is a panacea against all the grimdark going around.

• Starring: Toro Emori, Yoshiaki Umegaki, Aya Okamoto

• Director: Satoshi Kon

• Year: 2003

• Runtime: 92 min

• Rating: PG-13

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91%

Director Yoshiaki Kawajiri ("Ninja Scroll") frequently adapts Hideyuki Kikuchi's works, and this adaptation of his third "Vampire Hunter D" novel, "Demon Deathchase," shows off Amano's art style with a languid but violent beauty. D's after another Noble with a penchant for abduction, the vampire Meier Link. But this abductee, Charlotte, is a willing lover, despite what her father told the dhampir, and D ends up at odds with another pack of vampire hunters, the mutant town of the Barbarois, and a far deadlier vampire Noble — the Countess Bathory. A personal favorite.

• Starring: Hideyuki Tanaka, Koichi Yamadera, Megumi Hayashibara

• Director: Yoshiaki Kawajiri

• Year: 2001

• Runtime: 102 min

• Rating: R

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 72%

From small beginnings, director Shinkai became one to watch. "Weathering with You" brings more of his signature magical realism to the table with a story about social ostracization and environmental turmoil. Hodaka is a runaway who works odd jobs to avoid his troubled home. He eventually meets Hina, a fast-food worker with a powerful secret: She can control the weather. With the rainy seasons becoming longer than ever, that's a valuable gift. Unfortunately, reality is not as simple as either of our young protagonists would like.

• Starring: Nana Mori, Kotaro Daigo

• Director: Makoto Shinkai

• Year: 2019

• Runtime: 112 min

• Rating: PG-13

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92%

Hayao Miyazaki and Hideo Kojima have a weird similarity: Both respect the beauty of machines, including those built for combat, even as they really, really hate war and its aftereffects. Here, Miyazaki funnels his love of aircraft into the semi-biographical journey of real-life engineer Jiro Horikoshi, whose Mitsubishi A5M and its successor, the Zero, sculpted the Pacific Theatre of World War II. The film doesn't ignore what the Zero could do in combat, contrasting its abilities with Horikoshi's pain that the beauty of flight has become a weapon of war.

• Starring: Hideaki Anna, Miori Takimoto, Hidetoshi Nishijima

• Director: Hayao Miyazaki

• Year: 2013

• Runtime: 126 min

• Rating: PG-13

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88%

"Wolf Children" isn't furry bait. These half-werewolf children are a metaphor for the dirty realities of raising kids when you're on your own and feeling overwhelmed. It may not be the full truth of the human experience — you're rarely as alone as you think — but anyone dealing with a toddler at that age would buy that their kid is part wolf. Once you're past the "Bluey" years, parents, load this one up for yourself and take heart that you're doing your best. Then watch it with your older kids, because they'll like it, too.

• Starring: Takao Osawa, Aoi Miyazaki, Haru Kuroki
• Director: Mamoru Hosoda
• Year: 2012
• Runtime: 117 min
• Rating: PG
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%