Great Shows to Start to Get into Anime

Japanese animation has always been a niche thing here in the United States. But as it’s grown in popularity, more and more people are hoping on the internet to find out more about the crazy, hilarious, horrifying, and bombastic world of anime. While I’m no expert myself, I do know some good shows/movies to help newbies dip their toes into the world of anime. In no particular order, let the games begin!

Avatar: The Last Airbender and Legend of Korra

Yes this is cheating by listing two at the same time. Yes there is controversy over whether this counts as anime. I don’t care. Because this show follows a mostly anime style and is an absolute treat to watch. The characters are fantastic, the dialogue is witty and natural. The world is expansive and fleshed out. The themes the stories tell can last with you for a lifetime.

Anything Myazaki:

The guy practically invented modern anime and everything attached to his name is a home run. Spirited Away is to this day one of my favorite films of all time and so much fun.

Cowboy Bebop

Awesome music. Funny characters. Intense action. Cowboy Bebop is a great starter because it’s got a bit of a western feel to it. A lot of anime can be alienating with just how well… Japanese it is. The cultural differences can be a bit off putting for watchers who never saw anything before.

YuYu Hakusho

If you’re interested in fantasy action with tournaments demons and the like, Yu Yu Hakisho is a great place to start as well.  Great action scenes abound and if you’re something a little darker it’s a great place to dip your toes.

Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z , and Dragon Ball Super

The granddaddy of the last generation of anime Dragon Ball and it’s follow ups are all great fun to watch. The original series is probably the strongest in terms of storytelling but the fights and power levels keep rising like crazy. You really never no what could happen next.

Naruto

This anime has two things going for it. An awesome premise (Super powered ninja countries) and really great characters. You’ll want to check what filler you can avoid before starting this, but it’s a great show for any genin. (Newbie)

Little Witch Academia

This is a fun little show that has a great art design. Not everything has to be super dark, gritty, or explosions everywhere. Sometimes you just want to escape into a world of magic and watch a little slice of life television.

One Punch Man

This show is balls to the walls hilarious. One Punch Man’s power is that he can win every fight in exactly one punch. No matter how big or bad the enemy is it doesn’t matter. He’s gonna win and it’ll be awesome.

Fullmetal Alchemist

Another great show that ticks all the boxes and provides great action, characters, and a deep and interesting stories. There are some genuinely heartwrenching and horrifying scenes that will stick with you no matter how much you want to forget it.

Soul Eater

This is a show that just screams Japan-ification. It’s like Halloween just threw up on the world and everything got either gory, scary, or sexy. Or a combination of any three of them. It’s awesome an a nice way to see how anime can get a little weird at times too.