Best Anime That Released in the Recent Years

Picking standout anime from the last few cycles is tough because there has been a steady flow of fresh ideas, bold adaptations, and smart original projects. To make this list useful, each entry highlights what the show is about and what makes its production tick, from the source material to the studio and key release details that help you find it fast.

You will see a mix of action, drama, comedy, and mystery here, with each title offering clear reasons it caught on. Plot essentials come first so you know if the premise fits your taste. Then we cover studio credits, format details, and where it first reached fans so you can jump in with confidence.

‘Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End’ (2023–)

This fantasy follows an elf mage who outlives her human comrades after the demon king is defeated. The story shifts from battles to memory, regret, and the quiet search for meaning as she travels with new companions and tries to understand the feelings she missed the first time.

The anime adapts the manga by Kanehito Yamada and Tsukasa Abe. Madhouse handles the animation with lavish backgrounds and patient pacing across multi-cour arcs, and the show rolled out on major global streaming platforms with an extended premiere that set the tone for its reflective style.

‘Oshi no Ko’ (2023–)

This industry drama starts with a shocking twist and follows twin child stars navigating fame, lies, and the machinery of pop culture. It blends thriller elements with idol life and showbiz politics while tracking a long game of revenge and truth.

The series adapts the manga by Aka Akasaka and Mengo Yokoyari. Doga Kobo leads the production with striking concert sequences and sharp color design, and the debut arrived as a feature-length episode before settling into a weekly simulcast that helped it explode across social feeds.

‘Chainsaw Man’ (2022–)

A down-and-out teenager merges with a chainsaw devil and gets pulled into public safety devil hunting. The tone whips between bleak humor, brutal fights, and raw coming-of-age beats as the cast stumbles through a world where every contract has a price.

MAPPA animates the series from Tatsuki Fujimoto’s manga with a rotating ending scheme that pairs each episode with a unique song and credits sequence. The adaptation uses cinematic layouts and grounded sound design, and it premiered globally with fast subtitled and dubbed releases.

‘Spy x Family’ (2022–)

A spy forms a fake family to complete a delicate mission, unaware that his adopted daughter can read minds and his new wife moonlights as an assassin. The setup fuels a warm blend of secret identities, school politics, and soft espionage that works for family viewing.

The anime adapts Tatsuya Endo’s manga and is a joint production from Wit Studio and CloverWorks. It features crisp action, pastel cityscapes, and a seasonal rollout that split its cour across the year, supported by broad international streaming and quick home video placement.

‘Blue Lock’ (2022–)

Hundreds of teenage strikers enter an isolated training program designed to forge a ruthless goal scorer. The show turns soccer into a psychological battle where tactics, ego, and survival games push players to reinvent themselves or go home.

The adaptation comes from the manga by Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yusuke Nomura, animated by Eight Bit. It uses bold typography, freeze-frame tactics boards, and stylized effects for match moments, and it landed as a weekly simulcast with swift dub tracks that kept momentum between cours.

‘Ranking of Kings’ (2021–)

A small prince who cannot hear or speak sets out to prove his worth with the help of a shadow creature. The tale looks like a children’s picture book but unfolds into palace intrigue, monster battles, and questions about what true strength really is.

Based on Sōsuke Tōka’s manga, the series is animated by Wit Studio with fluid character acting and storybook palettes. It aired in split cours, earned rapid global streaming distribution, and later added a side-story season that deepened arcs without requiring prior knowledge beyond the main run.

‘Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation’ (2021–)

A shut-in dies and is reborn in a world of magic where he keeps his memories and vows to live better. The plot tracks long-form growth across travel, apprenticeships, and messy relationships while building a dense setting with languages, geography, and history.

Studio Bind animates the adaptation of Rifujin na Magonote’s light novels with bespoke backgrounds and new music cues for each region. It released across multiple cours with consistent staffing that preserved visual continuity, and it streamed widely with uncensored home video later on.

’86 Eighty-Six’ (2021–)

In a sanitized republic, a hidden group fights in unmanned war machines while the public pretends no humans are at risk. The show follows a handler and a frontline squad as they confront propaganda, prejudice, and the grinding cost of a forever war.

A-1 Pictures adapts Asato Asato’s light novels with detailed mecha designs and aerial soundscapes. Schedule pauses were used to maintain quality, and the broadcast returned with polished episodes that landed on major platforms, supported by a high-resolution home release.

‘Jujutsu Kaisen’ (2020–)

A student swallows a cursed object and joins a school for sorcerers to battle malevolent spirits. It balances tight choreography, snappy banter, and escalating stakes while threading arcs that pay off across tournaments, city-level threats, and mentor rivalries.

MAPPA animates Gege Akutami’s manga with dynamic camera moves and clear power systems. The franchise includes a prequel film that feeds directly into the show, consistent seasonal runs, and day-and-date global release windows that kept the momentum strong between arcs.

‘The Apothecary Diaries’ (2023–)

A sharp-tongued apothecary is taken to the imperial court and solves medical and political mysteries through observation and chemistry. Each case peels back court customs, hidden motives, and the quiet risks faced by people with no power.

The anime adapts the novels by Natsu Hyūga and Touko Shino. Animation is led by OLM with Toho Animation Studio involvement, emphasizing ornate costume work, period interiors, and careful food and medicine details, and it streamed weekly with quick translations that boosted word of mouth.

‘Hell’s Paradise’ (2023–)

An immortal assassin and a stoic executioner team up on a deadly island to find an elixir while rival criminals and inhuman guardians close in. The plot mixes survival horror with character studies as each fighter’s past fuels brutal choices.

MAPPA adapts Yuji Kaku’s manga with painterly foliage, visceral effects, and elaborate creature designs. It aired in a single cour that set up larger mysteries, landed on mainstream platforms, and drew fast international dubs that expanded its reach beyond action fans.

‘Bocchi the Rock!’ (2022)

A painfully shy guitarist joins a high school band and learns performance by failing in public and trying again. Comedy scenes lean on exaggerated visuals while live sets capture the rush and mess of playing together for the first time.

CloverWorks animates Aki Hamaji’s manga with inventive mixed-media gags, real-world gear references, and careful concert cinematography. The show released weekly with music singles, official performance videos, and tie-in albums that helped it linger on charts well past its broadcast.

‘Kaiju No. 8’ (2024–)

A cleanup worker in a monster-infested world gains the power to transform into a kaiju and joins the defense forces. The series focuses on late-bloomer ambition, team dynamics, and the blurred line between the creatures and the people fighting them.

Production I.G leads animation from Naoya Matsumoto’s manga, with Studio Khara contributing creature concepts. It premiered with synchronized global streaming and a consistent weekly slot, supported by a clear mission-based structure that makes it easy to follow from the start.

‘Solo Leveling’ (2024–)

A weakest-rank hunter discovers a system that lets him gain strength by clearing dungeons and starts climbing through lethal raids. The story moves from street-level gigs to international stakes while revealing how the system came to be.

A-1 Pictures adapts the web novel by Chugong and the manhwa illustrated by DUBU, preserving iconic set pieces and menus through slick UI overlays and shadow effects. Episodes arrived in a steady seasonal block with fast multilingual support and official soundtrack drops that matched major boss fights.

‘Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead’ (2023–)

An overworked office drone greets a zombie outbreak as freedom and writes a bucket list to reclaim his life. Road-trip chapters mix comedy, found family, and action as the group chases small dreams in a ruined world.

The adaptation of Haro Aso and Kotaro Takata’s manga comes from studio Bug Films with bold color shifts that mark mood and genre turns. It launched with immediate international streaming, later added bonus releases, and paired its episodes with lively marketing that leaned into travel and hobby themes.

Share your own recent favorites in the comments and tell us which titles you think deserve a spot here next.