Anime has seen a tremendous amount of growth in its popularity since the pandemic. New titles like SPY x FAMILY, Jujutsu Kaisen, and Chainsaw Man have gone on to garner a huge mainstream following and with the massive hype and social media buzz surrounding the latest seasons of Demon Slayer, Jujutsu Kaisen, and the final seasons of Attack on Titan, it is evident that some of these mainstream anime are now even mentioned in the same breath as popular Netflix shows like Stranger Things and Bridgerton.
Anime as a medium has come a long way from what it used to be before the pandemic, and there is not as much of a stigma surrounding this genre as it used to be. With its growing popularity and recognition, we thought it’s the perfect time to delve into what the mainstream audience and TV viewers deem to be the top anime of all time and today, with the help of IMDb, we are doing just that and taking a look at what the masses have chosen as their Top 10 Best Anime of All Time.
It should be noted that for this list, we’ll only be taking titles that have over 10,000 user votes on IMDb. Let’s get started.
Attack on Titan tops IMDb as the Highest-Rated Anime Ever.
1. Attack on Titan
Attack on Titan is a profound and gripping exploration of the cycle of hatred, racism, and the brutal realities of war. Isayama’s expertly crafted storytelling, with meticulously planned major plot points from the outset, ensures that the series never fails to deliver shocking reveals and powerful climactic confrontations. The anime features some of the most iconic and nuanced ensembles in modern anime, and the fact that the series is also incredibly action-packed has further helped in driving its success.
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Attack on Titan also boasts some of the highest-rated TV episodes on IMDb, with over 60% of its episodes receiving ratings of 9 or higher, firmly establishing it as the Best Anime of All Time on IMDb.
2. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is often rated as the Best Anime of All Time by critics and most anime review aggregate websites alike and is wildly appreciated and loved more than a decade after its climax. Rightfully so, it’s one of the most complete stories in the medium, packed with action, emotions, mystery, and plenty of moral and profound philosophical arguments.
The One Piece anime is now ranked among the Top 3 Best Anime on IMDb.
3. One Piece
One Piece was winning hearts before the turn of the century, and perhaps the greatest compliment you can give this anime is that even twenty-five years later, it is still managing to do so with new fans falling in love with this series every day and the old guard continuing to stick by its side; a true testament to the quality and longevity of the anime.
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It is fair to even argue that, somehow, the One Piece anime has been getting better and better as Toei continues to push the bar on the production. Wano’s stellar adaptation and Luffy’s Gear 5, clubbed together with Netflix’s live-action adaptation, have propelled the anime’s growth worldwide into the next gear, and its IMDb score is further proof of that.
In January 2022, the anime had an IMDb score of 8.7 with over 103,000 ratings and was the 7th Highest-Rated Anime of All Time on the popular review-aggregate website. Since then, One Piece has leapfrogged Hunter x Hunter and Death Note and has taken the third spot in IMDb’s list for the Best Anime of All Time.
It currently has an aggregate score of 9.0 with over 240,000 ratings.
4. Hunter x Hunter
Hunter x Hunter is a unique shonen in its own right. The series subverts the usual trope of Shonen anime and goes into some really different territories in every single arc. Chimera Ants arc, especially, is a masterpiece in storytelling, and love letters could be written analysing various parts and aspects of that arc alone.
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5. Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War
Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War debuted as the Second Highest-Rated Anime Ever on IMDb, and even after almost two years since the premiere, it still impressively ranks among the Top 5.
Many anime fans picked up the series in the 2000s, and by the time its initial eight-year run concluded, we had all grown up with the series.
In 2012, the anime went on an indefinite hiatus. And as the years passed by, the fans could only stay hopeful that they would see the return of Ichigo and the Soul Society someday soon. 10 years later, in 2022, their prayers were answered, and they were finally rewarded after much anticipation with the release of Thousand Year Blood War.
The Bleach anime returned in full glory and style, supplemented by the production of a more intricate and lengthy arc than the manga, with Pierrot at the helm doing an exceptional job with the production and animation.
If you are wondering how the fans felt about the latest adaptation, you can take a guess judging by the fact that it is currently the Fifth Highest-Rated Anime on IMDb.
6. Death Note
Death Note was the introduction to the medium for many, and it certainly is an edge-of-the-seat entrance to the world of anime—an extravagant cat-and-mouse game of epic proportions where everything is at stake.
It’s an anime that many of us love and enjoy, and it is no surprise that it is sixth on this list.
Frieren is the newest anime among the Top 10 Highest-Rated Anime on IMDb.
7. Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End
Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End is the latest anime to make the Top 10, and not only that, in MyAnimeList, it is even rated the Highest-Rated Anime of All Time.
It’s largely different from fantasy shows like The Witcher and Shadow and Bone, but it certainly is the more impressive one with its larger-than-life characters and its rich and emotionally poignant narrative, which appeals to the human in you and gives you this sense of feel-good nostalgia and this sense of appreciation for the world you see in your screen and the world you see outside of it.
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Frieren is charming, Frieren is calm, it is quiet, and it is mundane, and that’s what helps the series capture the essence of the fantasy genre and this beautiful post-war world. And while the anime is a slice-of-life story, it does not shy away from giving you extremely intense and gorgeously animated action sequences every now and then.
Madhouse have captured the tone of the series beautifully and have done a sublime job with it. Frieren is, without a doubt, one of the best fantasy shows in recent memory.
8. Cowboy Bebop
Cowboy Bebop blurs boundaries. On the surface, it’s a Space Western, but there are so many different elements blended together throughout the anime. Sometimes, it’s a crime drama, and sometimes, it is like a buddy cop show. It is action-packed, but there’s a great sense of romance, loss, and tragedy. Sometimes it’s a film noir, and sometimes it is jazz itself.
The anime is a classic and is one of the first anime to take off in the West, and all of us have fond memories of this show, especially the episode “The Ballad of Fallen Angels”, which is something the anime’s fans will probably never be able to get out of our heads.
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9. Vinland Saga
Vinland Saga is another one of the profound seinen body of work that is enriched with stunning action pieces and has a fascinating historical setting.
Season 1 was insanely bloody and full of action, but within all of that had some of the most beautiful and brilliantly written character arcs in the medium. Especially as far as first seasons go, there’s probably not quite topping the prologue of this spectacular anime adaptation by WIT Studio.
But somehow, Season 2 took things to a whole new level and was an instant masterpiece like none other. It was a spiritual character-driven journey about a man’s awakening packed with powerful themes and arguments on war, suffering, and humanity in general.
Dragon Ball Z takes the final spot on IMDb’s list of the Top 10 Best Anime of All Time.
10. Dragon Ball Z
Dragon Ball Z is not just an undisputed classic in the world of anime, but it is an undisputed pop-culture classic. So many of us grew up watching Goku’s epic journey as he conquered formidable foes across the universe, and the original series will always be a super special and unique experience for millions. The series features action and characters that were some of our first and most core memories of anime and introduced the majority of the world to the idea of shonen.
From the intense showdowns with Vegeta and Frieza to the heart-pulsating battles against Cell and Majin Buu, Dragon Ball Z has delivered countless iconic moments that have left a lasting impact on not only its fans but also inspired future creators and authors as well, truly defining and marking its authority over a generation.
Source: IMDb.
What do you think of this list of IMDb’s Top 10 Best Anime of All Time? What is your favorite anime of all time? Comment below and let us know.
