10 Perfect Anime Series You Should Watch in 2026

Image via Tokyo MX/ Crunchyroll Published Jul 24, 2026, 6:09 AM EDT Lucas Kloberdanz-Dyck is a writer for Collider. He grew up creating lists, stories, and worlds, which led to his love of anime and video games. He attended Sheridan College where he earned an Honours Bachelor of Game Design. Lucas and his group won 1st place for technical innovation at LevelUp Toronto 2023, and he was also an intern for the Oakville Film Festival of Arts. Sign in to your Collider account After years, anime is finally cool to watch, with the medium being one of the most-viewed currently, with millions of fans everywhere in the world. That is largely thanks to the increasing quality and number of shows, such as Demon Slayer and Vinland Saga. However, anime continues to grow even further, so much so that 2026 is the biggest year for anime ever, and there are too many shows to watch. However, with so many incredible shows to watch nowadays, it can be hard to pick out something, which is why this list will highlight ten perfect anime series fans need to watch in 2026. Based on aspects such as writing, animation, creativity, influence, trendiness, popularity, importance, fan opinion, critical acclaim, and overall quality, these ten shows are a handful of recommendations that should be on everyone's watchlist. 10 'Death Note' (2006–2007) Image via Madhouse The 2000s were home to some of the greatest and most memorable anime, including Death Note, the cultural sensation. After a high schooler discovers a notebook that can kill anyone, he uses it to create a new crime-free world with himself as god. However, the world's smartest detective is on the case, creating the greatest game of cat-and-mouse as he searches for an uncatchable killer. Death Note is nearly 20 years old, but it is still relevant, especially since it deals with nuanced philosophical discussions. Outside its fascinating, thought-provoking narrative, the anime itself is engaging, specifically the beginning, which features some incredible writing and plot twists. Unfortunately, it loses the plot a bit, but that doesn't make it any less of a must-watch anime. 9 'Frieren: Beyond Journey's End' (2023-present) Image via Madhouse This list features a lot of modern anime, and one of the most defining series of the decade is Frieren: Beyond Journey's End. Years after her party defeated the demon king, the titular elf watches as they slowly pass away. Not saying everything she wanted to them, she goes on a nostalgic journey alongside their pupils to the land of the dead to say unsaid things. Frieren: Beyond Journey's End is one of the best anime series of the past decade, earning this title because of its fantastical appeal. This show proves fantasy shows don't have to be all about action and magic, but that true storytelling can be told through side quests. Quaint and relaxing at times, Frieren can also shake things up with magnificent animation, proving why it is the highest-rated 2020s anime. 8 'Serial Experiments Lain' (1998) Image via Triangle Staff Some anime are turn-your-brain-off entertainment, others are complex, thought-provoking masterpieces, such as Serial Experiments Lain. After receiving an email from her deceased classmate, Lain descends into the dark world of the deep web, becoming a god online and learning all the world's secrets in the meantime. As opposed to the other trending anime on this list, Serial Experiments Lain is a must-watch in 2026 because of its narrative relevance. Coming out in 1998, it predicted the dark side of the internet with eerie similarities. What was a caution back then is a reality now, with Serial Experiments Lain providing a profound commentary on the dangers of the internet. 7 'Witch Hat Atelier' (2026–Present) Image via Crunchyroll There are no better anime shows to watch in 2026 other than series that came out in the year, and one example is Witch Hat Atelier. Coco has always dreamt of being a witch, but it is a world beyond, that is, until she accidentally petrifies her mother. Now under the wing of a witch with secret motives, she learns the craft in hopes of being able to reverse the spell on her mom. Witch Hat Atelier is the biggest new show of the year, and it reached this level of popularity because of its unique power system, where drawing is magic. Not only that, but the animation and art are absolutely gorgeous, crafting a stunning fantasy world. Witch Hat Atelier is an anime of the year frontrunner, proving it is a show that viewers have to watch in 2026. 6 'Kaiji' (2007–2011) Image via Madhouse All the anime on this list have one reason or another to be on here, but Kaiji is simply a fun recommendation for fans. The titular character has money troubles, and when a sketchy stranger offers Kaiji a way to repay everything, he jumps on the deal. Now he must compete in a series of death-defying games to appease the rich, but he has one goal: winning as much money as possible. Kaiji has had a major influence on the death game genre in and outside of anime, but if that reason isn't enough for viewers, then maybe its tense story and suspenseful moments will. Fans want Kaiji to change, but they also can't help but want the plot to progress, and that means more trauma. Still, Kaiji is a riveting series that portrays the dangers of gambling while retaining its intensity. Collider Exclusive · Sci-Fi Personality Quiz Which Sci-Fi Hero Are You Most Like? Paul Atreides · Captain Kirk · Princess Leia · Ellen Ripley · Max Rockatansky Five iconic heroes. Five completely different ways of facing an impossible universe. One of them shares your instincts, your values, and your particular way of refusing to back down. Eight questions will tell you which one. 🏜️Paul Atreides 🖖Capt. Kirk ✊Princess Leia 🔦Ellen Ripley 🔥Max Rockatansky FIND YOUR HERO → 01 How do you lead when the stakes couldn't be higher? The way you lead under pressure is the most honest thing about you. AI absorb everything — every variable, every pattern — and move only when I know the path forward. BI read the room, make the call, and own the consequences. Hesitation costs more than mistakes. CI rally people. A cause needs a voice, and I refuse to let fear be louder than conviction. DI assess the threat, establish what needs doing, and get it done without waiting for permission. EI don't lead. I act. Others can follow or not — I'm already moving. NEXT QUESTION → 02 What is your greatest strength in a crisis? The quality that keeps you alive when everything else fails. APrescience — the ability to see further ahead than anyone else and plan accordingly. BImprovisation — I'm at my best when the plan falls apart and I have to invent a new one. CConviction — I know what I'm fighting for, and that certainty doesn't waver under fire. DComposure — I stay functional when everyone around me is falling apart. Panic is a luxury. EEndurance — I outlast things. I take the hit and keep moving long after others have stopped. NEXT QUESTION → 03 What is the thing you'd sacrifice everything else for? Your deepest motivation is your truest compass. AThe survival and dignity of my people — even if I have to become something frightening to ensure it. BThe safety of my crew — every single one of them. No one gets left behind. CFreedom — for my people, for every world still crushed under the weight of an empire. DThe truth — what actually happened, what's actually out there, whether anyone believes me or not. EThe one person — or the one memory — that still makes any of this worth surviving for. NEXT QUESTION → 04 How do you relate to the people around you? Who you are to others under pressure is who you really are. AWith intensity and distance — I care deeply, but the weight I carry makes closeness complicated. BWith warmth and irreverence — I take the mission seriously, not myself. CWith directness and trust — I say what I mean, and I expect the people I work with to rise to it. DWith professional care but clear limits — I'll protect you, but I won't pretend we're family. EWith wariness that slowly becomes loyalty — I don't trust easily, but when I do, it holds. NEXT QUESTION → 05 You're facing a threat that no one else believes is real. What do you do? How you respond when you're the only one who sees it defines everything. APrepare in silence. If they won't listen, I'll be ready when they finally have to. BKeep pushing until someone listens — and if no one does, handle it myself. CBuild the case, find the allies, and make the threat impossible to ignore. DDocument everything. The truth matters even if no one believes it yet. EStop trying to convince anyone. Survive it. That's the only argument that counts. NEXT QUESTION → 06 What has your heroism cost you personally? Every hero pays. The question is what — and whether they'd pay it again. AMy innocence — I've seen what I'm capable of, and I can't unsee it. BPeople I loved — the command chair has a view, but it's a lonely one. CA normal life — I gave up everything ordinary the moment I chose the cause. DMy sense of safety — I know exactly what's out there now, and I can't pretend otherwise. EAlmost everything — and I'm still not sure what I'm carrying it all for. But I keep going. NEXT QUESTION → 07 How do you feel about the rules of the world you're in? Every hero has a relationship with the system. What's yours? AI understand them deeply — and I know exactly which ones must be broken, and why. BI respect the spirit of them and bend the letter when the situation demands it. CThe system is the problem. I'm not here to work within it — I'm here to dismantle it. DI follow protocol until protocol stops being useful. Then I make the call myself. EThe rules collapsed a long time ago. What's left is instinct, and mine are reliable. NEXT QUESTION → 08 When everything is on the line, what keeps you going? The answer is the most honest thing about you. ADestiny — or something that feels so much like it that the difference no longer matters. BThe people on my ship — their faces, their trust, the fact that they're counting on me. CThe belief that what we're fighting for is worth every sacrifice, including this one. DSheer refusal to let it win — whatever it is. I don't stop. That's just who I am. EI'm not sure anymore. But the road is still there, and I'm still on it. REVEAL MY HERO → Your Hero Has Been Identified Your Sci-Fi Hero Is…Your answers point to the iconic sci-fi hero who shares your instincts, your values, and your particular way of facing the impossible. Paul AtreidesYou carry a weight most people would crumble under — the knowledge of what you're capable of, and the burden of what you might have to become. You see further ahead than others and you plan accordingly, even when the vision frightens you. You are driven by loyalty to your people and a sense of destiny you didn't ask for but can't escape. Paul Atreides is not simply a hero — he is someone who understands the cost of power and chooses to bear it anyway. That gravity, that willingness to carry what others won't, is exactly you. Captain KirkYou lead with instinct, warmth, and an absolute refusal to accept a no-win scenario — because you've always believed there's a third option nobody else has thought of yet. You take the mission seriously without ever taking yourself too seriously. Your crew would follow you anywhere, not because you demand it, but because you've earned it. Kirk's genius isn't tactical — it's human. He reads people, bends rules with purpose, and wills outcomes into existence through sheer conviction. That combination of warmth, audacity, and relentless optimism is unmistakably yours. Princess LeiaYou are the kind of person who holds the line when everyone else is losing faith — not because you're fearless, but because giving up simply isn't something you're capable of. You lead through conviction. Your voice carries because your belief is unshakeable. You gave up everything ordinary the moment you chose the cause, and you've never looked back. Leia is not a supporting character in her own story — she is the moral centre of the entire rebellion. That same fierce, principled, unbreakable core is what defines you. Ellen RipleyYou are not reckless, not grandiose, and not particularly interested in being anyone's hero — you just refuse to stop when it matters. You see threats clearly, you document the truth even when no one listens, and when the time comes you handle it yourself. Ripley's heroism is earned, not performed. She doesn't have a speech — she has a flamethrower and a plan. You share her composure under the worst possible pressure, and her refusal to pretend the monster isn't there. When it counts, you don't flinch. That's everything. Max RockatanskyYou have been through fire that would break most people — and what came out the other side is something the world underestimates at its peril. You don't ask for help, don't need validation, and don't wait for anyone to tell you the rules no longer apply. Your loyalty, when it finally arrives, is absolute — but it's earned in silence and tested in action, not in words. Max is not a nihilist. He is someone who lost everything and found, against his will, that he still has something worth protecting. That bruised, stubborn, ultimately human core is exactly yours. ↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ 5 'Dr. Stone' (2019–2026) Image via Tokyo MX/ TMS Entertainment/ Crunchyroll Battle shonen anime are the most popular because of their animation, action, and widespread appeal, but one of the more underrated shows is Dr. Stone. After all of humanity is petrified by a strange green light, thousands of years pass before Senku, a brilliant teenager, wakes up. He now makes it his life mission to revive the entire world and rebuild society. Dr. Stone has always deserved more recognition, but because it isn't battle-centric, the series didn't get too popular. Still, the series just ended in 2026, meaning this year is the perfect time to watch it now that they can get the complete experience. Dr. Stone is a universally beloved anime and a highlight of the triumph of humanity, willpower, and science, proving that the world is better when we progress. 4 'Jujutsu Kaisen' (2020–Present) Image via Gege Akutami/Shueisha, JUJUTSU KAISEN Project There are a certain number of decade-defining anime, and Jujutsu Kaisen is one of them. After Yuji Itadori accidentally swallows the finger of an ancient demon, he gains supernatural powers and becomes the sorcerer world's most valuable target. Some want him dead; others want to use him in their schemes, but all Yuji wants is to save as many people as possible. Jujutsu Kaisen is the most popular anime of the 2020s, meaning it is a must-watch in 2026 if fans somehow haven't seen it by now. Renowned for its animation and fight scenes, this show is exhilaration at its finest. Every new season introduces new characters for more battles, and each one raises the stakes and creativity. 3 'One Piece' (1999–Present) Image via Toei Animation While Jujutsu Kaisen is the most popular anime that came out in the 2020s, One Piece is the most famous in general. Monkey D. Luffy wants to become King of the Pirates, but to do so, he needs to make a name for himself and build a crew. He does this by picking fights with anyone he can, from other pirates to the world government to the marines, creating a war path of freedom and fun wherever he goes. Even after 20 years, One Piece is still the king of anime, and although it has thousands of episodes, there isn't a better time to watch it than 2026. The anime has never been more popular, but it isn't getting any newer, with the ending approaching sooner rather than later. There aren't many anime better than One Piece, and that is reason enough for viewers to bite the bullet and start this long-running masterpiece. 2 'Nippon Sangoku' (2026–Present) Image via Studio Kafka Witch Hat Atelier isn't the only must-watch anime that came out in 2026; another lesser-known title is Nippon Sangoku. After nuclear fallout created global cooling, society fell apart, and in Japan, the country reverted to warring states. Three states fight for land, but the tides of war shift when a young man named Aoteru decides now is the time to bring his brilliance to the battlefront. Nippon Sangoku came out of nowhere to become an anime of the year contender. Its political storyline is fascinating, plus each character has a specific role that slowly changes the fate of the battle. Nippon Sangoku also boasts a remarkable art style and stellar animation, using it to create a visual sensation that accentuates the chaotic sense of humor and dramatic plot. 1 'Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex' (2002–2005) Image via Netflix Ghost in the Shell is one of the most critically acclaimed anime films of all time, but they also made a spin-off TV show, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. Motoko Kusanagi leads Section 9, a special operative force that tackles cyber crimes of great importance. One case is the Laughing Man, a mysterious hacker with unknown motives. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex is set in 2030, which is only four years away from 2026, making it a fun series to watch and compare to reality. But there are more relations, because since it deals with technology and philosophical themes, it makes it intriguing to see what could potentially happen in the future while bringing up ethical dilemmas versus technological advancement and capitalistic greed. Plus, with a new Ghost in the Shell anime coming out in 2026, watching Stand Alone Complex now makes perfect sense. Besides that, this anime is perfect with no flaws, showcasing its endearing characters, mysterious narrative, and complex themes.