
Many of us have grown up watching anime series. Some are so good that even trying to rate them would be a difficult task. Here is an attempt to give a few snippets of the best anime series around.
Osamu Tezuka is known as the God of Manga and Anime. He is also the first one to introduce the Robot genre.
Anime is the abbreviation for the word ‘animation’ in Japanese language. It is a distinct style of animation that the Japanese invented, which involves heavy martial arts, dynamic characters, colorful graphics, and extraordinary themes. Anime is particularly popular in the Eastern countries. Only recently, it has become popular in the US and other western countries.
With the plot summaries and animation techniques getting better, these anime series make for some great entertainment. Another major reason for their popularity is that their content is not restricted to only children; even adults can watch them and have fun.
Popular Anime Series
Death Note
Episodes: 37
Plot Summary »
Light Yagami — the central character of this series — is a seventeen-year-old, whose life changes when he gets hold of a mysterious notebook, The Death Note, which has been dropped by the Death God, Ryuk. This book allows Light to kill anyone by writing the person’s name in it while envisioning the person’s face. Check out this series to find out how he uses this book to stop crime and how he plays the ballgame with detective L.
One Piece
Director: Konosuke Uda, Munehisa Sakai, Hiroaki Miyamoto
Episodes: 582
Plot Summary »
This series is about Monkey D. Luffy, a boy who unknowingly eats a fruit named Gum-Gum Fruit — bearing supernatural powers — and his body gets the properties of rubber. He along with his crew of pirates leave on a voyage with the aim of acquiring the legendary treasure — One Piece. This series will take you along with all the adventures of Luffy who aspires to become the next Pirate King.
Naruto
Episodes: 220
Plot Summary »
This anime is a story of an adolescent ninja in the Konoha village, where a nine-tailed Demon Fox had launched an attack twelve years ago, and the leader sealed this demon inside the newborn Naruto. Facing a lot of mistreatment in his childhood from all the village people, young Naruto strives hard to become the Hokage (leader) of the village. Find out how Naruto learns all the techniques of ninja and fights his way through, in this series.
Bleach
Director: Noriyuki Abe
Episodes: 366
Plot Summary »
Ichigo Kurosaki, the protagonist of the series, is a teenager who is gifted with a quality of seeing spirits. He meets a Soul Reaper named Rukia Kuchiki who is in search of Hollow — a lost soul who absorbs energy from other souls. Ichigo’s life takes a turn when Rukia transfers her energy to him. Check out this series to find out how Ichigo handles the duties of a Soul Reaper.
Dragon Ball Z
Director: Daisuke Nishio
Episodes: 291
Plot Summary »
Dragon Ball Z, also known widely as DBZ, is a sequel of the Dragon Ball series. Here, the story continues with the adventures of Goku who has to find the seven dragon balls which are capable of summoning the great dragon and then grants a wish to the one who collects all of them. This series will take you through the extraordinary experiences of Goku, who is in his adulthood, and his son Gohan.
InuYasha
Director: Masashi Ikeda, Yasunao Aoki
Episodes: 167
Plot Summary »
InuYasha, the son of the great dog demon, is half human, and through the power of the Jewel, wishes to become a full-blooded demon. Kagome Higurashi, the second lead of the series, is the reincarnation of Kikyo in modern-day Japan who travels back in time to recollect all the shards of the Sacred Jewel of Four Souls. This anime will take you to the land of medieval Japan, which is full of mysterious creatures and demons.
Cowboy Bebop
Director: Shinichiro Watanabe
Episodes: 26
Plot Summary »
This anime will take you to the future — year 2071 — where the Earth is almost abandoned by the humans due to severe explosions, and hence, they are seen settling in the inner planets and the moons of Jupiter. The story revolves around the adventures of the bounty hunters named ‘Cowboys’ who deal with criminals and terrorists. Check out this series to enjoy the new technology used and to see the future world adventures.
Fullmetal Alchemist
Director: Seiji Mizushima
Episodes: 51
Plot Summary »
This is a story of two brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric who are gifted with the capacity of performing Alchemy. It is believed that a Philosopher’s Stone is capable of granting the possessor with unlimited power. The two brothers who have lost their mother to a terminal illness wants to find this stone and bring her back to life. This series has been awarded for Best Anime Series (Long) at the American Anime Awards. So, don’t you miss it!
Code Geass
Director: Goro Taniguchi
Episodes: 25
Plot Summary »
In the world of Code Geass, Japan is a colony of Holy Britannian Empire. It has been invaded for the purpose of controlling its mineral resources. In Code Geass, there are immortals who are capable of bestowing destructive powers to other humans. Eventually, the receiver of these powers will also become immortal. It has received an award for the Best Anime Series (Short) at the American Anime Awards.
Vampire Knight
Director: Kiyoko Sayama
Episodes: 13
Plot Summary »
Yuki Cross, the lead of the series, is the adopted daughter of Kaien Cross, who is the headmaster of the Cross Academy. In the series, it is shown that Yuki’s earliest memory is of a stormy winter night, when she was assailed by a vampire and then rescued by another. After a duration of ten years, Yuri has become the guardian of the vampire race and is stuck in between the game of secrets and trust.
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
Director: Kenji Kamiyama
Episodes: 26
Plot Summary »
This is a futuristic series, and the main antagonist in the series is Motoko Kusanagi. She is generally referred to as ‘Major’ in the series. A bionic cyborg body gives her the advantage of performing great feats during a fight. Almost everyone in her team is a cyborg. Her team, known as ‘Section 9’, is an expert in covert operations. In the series, section 9 faces internal as well as external conflict.
Soul Eater
Director: Takuya Igarashi
Episodes: 51
Plot Summary »
This is a story of a school which is run by Shinigami, known as Death God. Here, training is provided to those humans who have the capability to turn into different weapons. The series takes you through the ups and downs of the three teams who are aiming to create the ‘Death Scythe’, by collecting souls of 99 evil humans and one witch. It is quite a different story and strange world!
Trigun
Director: Satoshi Nishimura
Episodes: 26
Plot Summary »
Vash, the legendary gunman, is the main character of the Trigun series, who has a bounty of 60 billion double dollars on his head. He is the reason for a lot of destruction as his pursuers (bounty hunters) follow him all the time wherever he goes. Two employees from the insurance company are sent behind Vash so as to control the damage he is causing. Watch the series and find out the different behavioral ways of Vash, his struggle with retrograde amnesia, and his mysterious past.
Wolf’s Rain
Director: Tensai Okamura
Episodes: 26
Plot Summary »
The series is based on the old legend which states that, when the world will come to an end, Paradise will make an appearance, and wolves will be the only medium to find the route. The story focuses on four wolves who are on their way to seek Paradise by following the scent of the Lunar Flower. Follow these wolves to get a glimpse of Heaven.
Full Metal Panic!
Director: Koichi Chigira
Episodes: 24
Plot Summary »
Sousuke Sagara who is a member of Mithril — a covert anti-terrorist private military organization — is sent to Jindai High School with the task of protecting Kaname Chidori. Kaname is a sixteen-year-old high school girl but due to her technological abilities, she is the target of the terrorist organization. Check out how Sousuke protects her from all sorts of danger in a very comic way.
Samurai Champloo
Director: Shinichiro Watanabe
Episodes: 26
Plot Summary »
This series focuses on three dynamic personalities: Fuu — a waitress in a tea shop; Mugen — a violent warrior; and Jin — a mysterious and traditional warrior. Here, Fuu gets harassed by a group of samurai and she is saved by Mugen and Jin. Mugen launches an attack on Jin — he being a suitable opponent — which unluckily leads to the death of a magistrate’s son, Shibui Tomonoshina. As a result, they face execution. They escape with Fuu, who convinces both of them to travel with her in search of ‘the samurai who smells of sunflowers’. Thus, their journey begins with a lot of mysteries and adventures.
Pokémon
Director: Kunihiko Yuyama, Masamitsu Hidaka, Norihiko Sudo, Yuji Asada
Episodes: 750+
Plot Summary »
A young boy named Ash Ketchum starts his journey along with his first Pokémon, Pikachu, and some other friends with the aim of becoming ‘The Pokémon Master’. They travel to many places collecting new Pokémons and fighting for gym badges. They come across the Team Rocket, known for stealing Pokémon, but Ash and his team always find out a way to ruin their plans.
Rurouni Kenshin
Director: Kazuhiro Furuhashi
Episodes: 95
Plot Summary »
The series takes you back to the old days, after the end of the Bakumatsu war, where Kenshin Himura was an assassin. After that war, he vows not to take any other life ever. While wandering in the different parts of Japan, he comes to Tokyo where he gets involved with the protection of the Opium ring. Here, his vow of not killing anyone is tested as the people with whom he is with are getting threatened. Check this anime series to see how Kenshin handles these situations.
Crayon Shin-chan
Director: Mitsuru Hongo, Keiichi Hara
Episodes: 700+
Plot Summary »
This series is set in Kasukabe — a place in Japan, where a boy named Shinnosuke (Shin-chan) Nohara and his family stays. The story follows the adventures of the five-year-old who does everything that can annoy his parents and teachers. The little boy is shown to be very mischievous, and with his weird jokes and behavior, he amuses everyone.
Fruits Basket
Director: Akitaro Daichi
Episodes: 26
Plot Summary »
Tohru Honda, the protagonist, has to live on her own after her mother’s death in a car accident, till her classmates ask her to stay with them in the palace. Tohru finds out a secret of the Sohma family with whom she stays. The 13 family members are controlled by spirits of the Chinese zodiac. If they are hugged by the opposite gender who is either weak or stressed out, they change into their zodiac animal. Tohru’s positive influence helps in breaking the curse. Check out the everyday adventures and dark secrets that Tohru solves in this series.
Other Popular Ones
While the ones featured above have always been popular, there are many other anime series that are not short of being famous.
- FLCL
- Karin
- Basilisk
- Hellsing
- Berserk
- Monster
- Initial D
- Toradora!
- Gungrave
- Mushishi
- Ranma 1/2
- Fairy Tail
- Slam Dunk
- Dragon Ball
- Erufen rito
- Case Closed
- Afro Samurai
- Paranoia Agent
- Eyeshield 21
- Kino’s Journey
- Lovely Complex
- Hajime no Ippo
- Flame of Recca
- Fate Testarossa
- FMA Brotherhood
- Hunter x Hunter
- Future Boy Conan
- Persia, the Magic Fairy
- Black Blood Brothers
- Fist of the North Star
- Great Teacher Onizuka
- Neon Genesis Evangelion
- Legends of Galactic Heroes
- Ouran High School Host Club
The above-mentioned list is just a few of the many. Anime has had an outstanding past, and I’m sure the future of anime holds a lot of promise.