It’s the series that propelled us into the 21st century! When your mum thinks of anime, she most likely thinks of Pokemon, recalling the adventures of Pikachu, the other one and that one that looks like a butterfly. Whilst it wasn’t nearly the first of its kind, Pokemon did an exceptional job of introducing a brand new world and sticking to its sensibilities. It wasn’t even close to a straight up adaptation, yet it managed to develop into something really fun all the way through. As something that rose to fame as a kids show, it is massively influential as adults around the world recall the adventures of Ash Ketchum and the gang as they travel across the Pokemon World making friends and solving crimes committed by the evil, yet comical Team Rocket. It’s the series that booted up the new millennium and has continued up until this very day with Pokemon XYZ.

Akira has been labelled a masterpiece by many critics and whilst I may not particularly agree with that, it certainly is a spectacle to watch. After an explosion destroys Tokyo and brings on World War 3, Akira starts in the aftermath in the new Neo-Tokyo. However, the power that destroyed Tokyo is not lost as Kaneda’s best friend, Tetsuo is discovered to have it. The film continues with Kaneda as he attempts to prevent Tetsuo from unleashing this power and essentially, to get his friend back. It’s a fairly simple story when you ignore the larger science fiction context as it really is about a persisting friendship despite the grotesque creature that Tetsuo ends up becoming. There’s so many studies to be written (and many that already have been) about Akira’s thematic brilliance and it’s the sort of film that you can learn more from in each and every rewatch. And that’s something that I strongly recommend you do.

I mentioned that Pokemon was hugely influential on modern day young adults but that isn’t the only one, by far. Sailor Moon is one of the biggest success stories when it came to a magical series being shown globally. Airing on Fox Kids, Cartoon Network and a whole variety of other channels worldwide, kids would wake up early in the morning just to join in on the latest adventures of the Sailor Soldiers. Sailor Moon is regarded so highly today that it was among the three series that Toei decided to reboot, alongside Digimon Adventure and Dragon Ball Z. Whilst Sailor Moon Crystal is regarded unfavourably amongst fans, it serves as a reminder of how much the series really was loved. And don’t worry, there’s still time to love it all over again. Despite it being 20 years old, Sailor Moon holds up surprisingly well today.

Are you having a bad day? Well, you can rest assured that it’s not nearly as bad as the day Guts would be having right now. Berserk is a dark fantasy in every definition of the word as this series adapts the famous “Golden Age Arc” that describes the rise and fall of Guts and the horrors of The Eclipse. As a manga with a huge cult audience, fans have been crying out for a full adaptation for years now. However, whilst we may not have that, we have the next best thing with this series. It may just be the setup, but every moment of Berserk is as special as the last as we explore who this character really is and what fuelled the revenge to come. But more than anything, it’s a story about Griffith and his insane insatiable ambition to become great. It’s fantastic writing through and through with little room for fluff as every small detail leads to this astonishing climax that shocked the world of fantasy anime as a whole.

Project A-ko is weird to say the very very least. It’s stupid. It’s dumb. And it’s also absolutely fantastic. Give it to a modern anime fan and the jokes may just fly past you, but if you’re reading this, then it may just be the thing for you. As a parody film, it includes references to mecha, sci-fi and action anime of the 70s and 80s and doesn’t let go of them for a single second, assimilating it into the core narrative rather than including them as brief easter eggs. During an alien invasion, “average” high schooler A-ko must work together with B-ko to save C-ko from the evil D. If there’s one thing I can say about the plot here, it’s that they’re pretty easy-going with the naming conventions. Honestly Project A-ko is a must-watch comedy film that can only really be understood by actually watching it. Well, ‘understood’ is probably a bit of an overstatement.

The Mobile Suit Gundam franchise is the vanguard of the mecha genre, bringing these robot battles into a political science fiction context, often investigating ideas of independence and ambition. 08th MS Team is special, though as it takes place during Universal Century 0079, concurrent to the original Mobile Suit Gundam series. It’s not about the big battle that decides the fate of the Earth Federation, but rather one of the many smaller battles at the time. And this time, it’s with guerilla warfare. 0079 is an awesome year to produce new Gundam entries in and recently Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt has been announced to also take place during this year. This is because, as the original series showed, there was so much going on in this all-out war and Earth is covered in Zeon troops fighting for their beliefs. But much like other Gundam series, the lines between friend and enemy are blurred once again. You don’t need to have seen other Gundam series to see this one, as it’s plot is fairly self-contained.

The late 90s was a great time for science fiction westerns. With Cowboy Bebop, Trigun and Outlaw Star all airing around the same time, it was heaven for anime fans with some of the decade’s most acclaimed works all available. Outlaw Star follows Gene Starwind and his steadily growing group as they go from working as bodyguards to saving lives as they’re caught up in something far bigger than they imagined. There’s something incredibly fun about Outlaw Star. Whilst it adopts a fairly simple structure, it’s the characters that really propel it into something special. It’s lovable in so many ways and it’s something that many older anime fans keep close to their hearts as a particularly special series that captures the same desires as Star Wars once did.

As someone who’s not a huge fan of Evangelion, Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water is the series that I consider to be Hideaki Anno’s best. Within an alternate version of 1889, Nadia and Jean must protect the blue gem that Nadia possesses from those that would use its power for evil. And as an adventure series, it offers so much as they travel around, discovering mysteries and protecting the world from the evil Neo-Atlantean forces. It’s not nearly as well known as it should be. Nadia is the hidden gem (If you’ll excuse the pun) of Hideaki Anno’s that is often forgotten when speaking about his library. There’s so few adventure series that put a focus on naval exploration and it offers a truly engrossing experience throughout every moment. It’s phenomenal in so many ways and you need to watch it, especially if you’re an adventure fan.

I had to include a Ghibli film, didn’t I? Princess Mononoke is one of Hayao Miyazaki’s best as it shows a conflict from two sides where the only evil is ignorance. Ashitaka, a villager cursed by a demon travels to Irontown, an industrial fortress fuelled by the forests that surround it. Led by a woman who genuinely cares about her villagers, she is not a bad person, despite her place as one of the antagonists. Despite it being at face value a film about deforestation, it delivers these simple ideas in an absolutely charming way, tapping into Japanese folk culture and showing both sides of the conflict in a fair and equal light, not going so far as to demonise either of the figureheads involved in this. And of course, it’s Ghibli so you can expect an incredible amount of charm and some phenomenal animation. Honestly, you should’ve seen this already and if not, for shame.

What else did you expect to see here? Cowboy Bebop defines the 90s single-handedly. An episodic space western that leaps into a confident stride partway through to deliver us the very definition of “cool”. By offering a smaller focused narrative in each episode, it allows us to build on who our protagonist, Spike Spiegal really is and what can really happen in this dystopian sci-fi world. In a way, Cowboy Bebop isn’t just one show as some of these smaller stories feel like short films within themselves and have a value that is entirely separate from what we might find among most TV anime. Cowboy Bebop isn’t groundbreaking, but it doesn’t stop it from being absolutely excellent. As more characters are brought into the fray, new dynamics play out and character direction completely changes within these stories. Each of them, with their own motives and desires sets out on their travel, hunting for criminals with bounties on their heads, which almost always leads into something far more. It’s been regarded as the best anime of all time by many outlets and honestly, I find it hard to argue with that claim.

In one word, Naruto. It’s a jutsu so ridiculous that no one even expects it. We have seen great ninjas like Hiruzen Sarutobi (The Third Hokage) getting a heavy nosebleed when seeing this jutsu or even when Naruto used this jutsu on his former teacher Jiraiya. Let’s just say Jiraiya completely lost it. It takes a spot on this list because even though it’s a funny jutsu, nevertheless it’s a jutsu that will distract your opponent for sure, creating a precious opening for the next attack.

Chidori is a powerful assassination technique created by Hatake Kakashi when he had become a jonin. Kakashi later taught the technique to Uchiha Sasuke whom he was training at the time, while Naruto was training with Jiraiya. The actual jutsu is an awesome and cool but also powerful jutsu because of the big amount of lightning it produces. When used, the user’s chakra is transformed into lightning in the users hand. So much so, that it is visible for everyone to see, especially your enemy. When enough lightning chakra is released, or in other words, when the technique is complete, the user charges the enemy and thrusts the Chidori into their opponent. This leads to maximum damage because of the power Chidori possesses.

Reanimation Jutsu is, simply put, a jutsu that will make the dead fight for you once again. Doesn’t matter if they were enemies or friends in the past, they will come back to life and fight for the caster of this jutsu. This jutsu was originally Tobirama Senju (Second Hokage)’s creation. But it was quickly declared a forbidden jutsu because of how it was performed and yes, all that about bringing the dead back to life. In order for this jutsu to work, the caster also needs a living vessel as a puppet of sorts for the reanimated person to take over and transform into who they were when they were alive. It’s a powerful technique because the reanimated ninja has unlimited chakra and can’t die unless sealed away.

This is a seal created by the Uzumaki clan and basically what the jutsu does is that the ninja who casts this jutsu summons a Death God (Shinigami) and can take an enemy’s soul, remove it, and seal it away. This can lead to death for the opponent or disablement, as with Orochimaru, where he lost the ability to use his arms when the Third Hokage sealed them away. The downside of this jutsu is that after the jutsu is completed, the user gets a mark on their stomach which looks similar to the eight trigrams sealing jutsu. And shortly afterwards, the user dies as the price to pay for taking another person’s soul. It’s a powerful jutsu with a heavy price.

Wind Style: Rasen-Shuriken is a powerful technique created by Naruto which he was able to do after he mastered the Wind Style: Rasengan. With the help of two shadow clones, Naruto is able to create a massive shuriken with wind styled chakra. The technique produces a loud high-pitched noise when the jutsu is being made as well as afterwards, when the formation of the large wind-formed shuriken is made. It’s a jutsu that will completely destroy it’s target when Naruto throws it at his opponent and it even expands to dish out the most damage possible. It’s an awesome and powerful attack Naruto created and we can even see Naruto using it against Pain in order to defeat him.

Amaterasu is a mangekyo sharingan jutsu and a very powerful technique it is. Just by looking at a target or spot, one can hit anything with black flames. Black flames appear on the target and will not stop burning until what it’s burning has died. It’s a very powerful technique which in a sense can kill anything the black flames have started to burn. It’s a technique both Uchiha Itachi and Sasuke have used a handful of times. It’s a jutsu which looks cool and is dangerous for anyone who comes close to the black flames as it will put an end to any opponent out there.

Is a technique which is used through the Deva Path, in other words, a wielder with the Rinnegan eyes. Another name for Chibaku Tensei is ‘’Planetary Devastation’’. In the Naruto series, we first see this attack when Naruto fights Nagato (Pain). When performed, the wielder releases a black sphere into the sky from his hands and the black sphere acts as its own centre of gravity, pulling everything close to it. Other users of this technique have been Uchiha Madara, when he had awakened the Rinnegan and later, also Uchiha Sasuke when he had obtained the power of the Rinnegan. When Nagato fought Naruto, this jutsu was even powerful enough to take on Naruto in his eight-tailed form when doing the Tailed Beast Ball. So in other words, it’s a powerful and original attack indeed.

Rasengan is a powerful A-rank jutsu created by The Fourth Hokage (Minato Namikaze). It’s a signature move of not only Minato but also our main character Naruto who learned how to perform this jutsu from his former teacher Jiraiya. It’s a jutsu which does not need any time focusing on hand seals. Not only is Rasengan a powerful jutsu, but it’s also hard to learn and to master. Rasengan purely relies on the user’s chakra and how well it is being controlled. When Rasengan is complete, it is self-sustaining which means it doesn’t have a limit to itself like the opposite jutsu, Chidori. When Rasengan comes in contact with whatever it touches, it goes through it with great force making the target launch, spiralling backwards. The creator of the Chidori jutsu, Kakashi, even states that because of the power and force Rasengan possess, it is a greater jutsu than the Chidori.

Susanoo is basically the ultimate defence, creating a massive creature out of the user’s chakra, all around the wielder, making it impossible for them to get hurt. And this defence even fights for the wielder as well. It is believed to be the strongest jutsu when it comes to the users of the Mangekyo Sharingan, but also one of the rarest abilities to acquire. In short, it’s like having a big warrior who fights and protects you no matter what the enemy throws at you. What also makes this jutsu so powerful is the fact that even when activated, the user can perform other jutsu from within the armor of Susanoo without any problems at all.

Kamui is perhaps one of the coolest jutsu in the Naruto series because of how much power it possesses. It is a Mangekyo Sharingan jutsu and it is a powerful jutsu indeed. It is a quite original and special kind of space-time ninjutsu. It exceeds both the Second and Fourth Hokage’s space-time ninjutsu, as stated by Minato Namikaze (The Fourth Hokage). This is coming from someone with the impressive nickname, the Yellow Flash of the Leaf. Kamui lets the user transport objects and targets to and from another dimension. So transporting people is not an impossible feature for the wielder of the kamui jutsu. Not only can it be used to transport objects instantly, but it can also link the user’s body parts to kamui’s other dimension, essentially making objects like weapons go straight through the user’s body parts. This makes the user unable to be hit by any attack and also allows them to pass though any object, like the ground, tree’s, walls etc. These are features kamui let’s the user control as long as they have the power to use their mangekyo sharingan. That all amounts to this jutsu taking the number one spot on the top 10 list of Naruto jutsu!

Let us begin this list with two of the cutest fairies in anime history that can melt the heart of any little girl: Mipple and Mepple from Pretty Cure. These mythical beings are sent to earth from the Garden of Light which is slowly being conquered by darkness. They need the help of school girls Nagisa Misumi and Honoka Yukishiro in order to defend their home and to protect the people close to them. A magical adventure with lots of new friends and enemies is about to begin. Mipple and Mepple are the first choice on our list since they represent fairies in cute animal form. It might be true that they don’t have wings and are not able to fly around and sprinkle some fairy dust. Still, they are mythical creatures that help our two heroines out in every way they can. They are loyal yet a little bit childish at times and are one of the main reason why Pretty Cure is so popular.

Let’s continue this list with a fairy that you wouldn’t expect to be a fairy at first glance. This anime gets its name from its main hero Negima, a young boy and wizard apprentice who needs to pass his final exam in order to become a full magician. His last test turns out to be very different from what he had expected and now he has to work as an English teacher at an all-girls boarding school. Will he be able to become a full wizard? Albert Chamomile might look like a white ermine, but is in fact a magical creature standing somewhere between an elf and a fairy with the appearance of an animal. Despite his cute looks he has a big mouth, smokes cigarettes and loves stealing underwear. Somehow he still ends up becoming one of Negima’s closest friends and helping him out whenever he can. Albert Chamomile is one of the more unlikely recommendations on this list, but this doesn’t mean that the fairy in ermine form doesn’t deserve a little bit of recognition.

Next up is a fairy for all of you that prefer grown women over small flying pixies. Lady Sakuya is the leader of the Sylph race, a family of Wind fairies. She earned her title as well as the respect of the people around her through her strong character and excellent leading skills. She is also skilled with the sword and does quite well in official fights. Sakuya is your take on strong female mythical creatures, something that many viewers can appreciate in anime. Not only is she good-looking, but she can also defend herself and is able to actually contribute something to the storyline of Sword Art Online. She is a perfect addition to our top recommendations since she shows a different, more sophisticated side to fairies in anime.

What would you do if you could change your personality in the blink of an eye? Ran, Miki and Suu are here to help you find out! Student Amu wakes up one morning with three mysterious eggs in her room. It doesn’t take too long for three little girls to hatch out of them and declare that they are Amu’s new best friends. They are here to help her find out who she really wants to be in life and also to fight evil powers that are haunting the unborn dreams of children. I admit that it is never clearly stated that the three cute heroes are fairies, rather they are called Guardian characters, but they are as close as you can get to a Japanese version of Western fairies. They keep bugging Amu, are always by her side and will help her out whenever they can. These girls just belong together, especially since they represent different sides of Amu’s personality, and that is why we had to include all three of them in our list.

If you thought Ran, Miki and Suu are cute, wait until you meet Lilith from the second season of Rosario to Vampire. Lilith is a small fairy with green hair and two sets of wings on her back. She looks like she would never be able to harm anyone, but there is another side to this mythical creature. Lilith is the holder of the Lilith Mirror, a magical object that allows its holder to see a monster’s true form and all of his hidden desires. This little fairy is two-faced since she looks as innocent as a fairy can be while still hiding some special powers. She can be lost at times, only to be cheerful again and then show her mysterious evil side. This character proves that not all fairies need to be innocent and constantly smiling. Sometimes their cute appearance can be a mask hiding something more sinister behind it.

Our list is already filled with cute characters, pink outfits and lots of fairy dust. Now we are also adding sugar-sweet pastries to the mix with Yumeiro Patissiere. This anime tells the story of Ichigo Amano, a girl that can be clumsy at times, but loves nothing more than sweets. She enrolls at St. Marie Academy, a school for people that share her passion, in hopes of becoming a pâtissière in the future. Along the way she meets new people, other students and the Sweets Spirits. Vanilla is Ichigo’s sweet spirit and thus is always by her side. If you are looking for innocence and cheerfulness in character form, Vanilla is the way to go. The gold-haired fairy is mostly seen smiling, but at the same time she is always ready to start a fight with the other spirits. At the end of the day, she is a lovely character that makes the sweet story of Yumeiro Patissiere even sweeter.

Not all fairies are innocent and helpful. Some of them can be mischievous little creatures, just like Tiana from Kaze no Stigma. For those of you that are unfamiliar with this anime, it is set in a fantastic universe with all types of magic. You will get drawn into a world filled with wind and fire magic users as well as rivalries between clans and family members. What universe would be better suited to also incorporate some mythical fairies? Tiana is a blue-haired fairy that likes to cause trouble. For example, she makes students believe their school is haunted simply for her own enjoyment. But at the same time she is still a child at heart and doesn’t want to harm anyone. This little fairy loves her pranks and thus adds some jokes and funny moments to the overall storyline of Kaze no Stigma. Our Top 4 anime fairy!

If “fairy” is already part of an anime’s name, we can expect to see some mythical creatures, right? For those of you that aren’t familiar with this must-watch show, Fairy Tail revolves around a guild of magicians that take on all kind of jobs to make a living. Together they set out on great adventures and epic tales, all while still being connected at heart. In the middle of this crazy group of mages is Evergreen, a woman who once was a little girl wanting to be nothing else than a fairy. Some of you might argue that Evergreen is technically still a human. I will not disagree, but her commitment to her dream of becoming a real fairy is remarkable and puts her into the Top 3 on our list. In her fairy form with her short green dress and wings on her back she looks like a grown-up version of Tinkerbell. Even though she can seem arrogant and vain at first, she is actually a strong woman that is not afraid of stepping up for what she believes in. Evergreen is as much fairy as all the other mythical creatures on this list and definitely deserves to be Top 3.

Not all fairies live in enchanted forests. Some of them just show up at your workplace and explain to you that you are suffering from Amnesia - so begins the story of this anime. Our nameless female protagonist faints at her part-time job and wakes up to a mythical boy wearing weird clothes floating above her head. He tells her his name is Orion, that he is a fairy and that he is the only person she should trust from now on, because her world is about to be turned upside down. But can she really trust him? Orion is a fascinating character. Not only is his character design as outstanding and unique as the looks of the rest of the anime, but as a viewer you keep questioning what his real motives are. He seems to care for the protagonist and is genuinely doing his best to protect her and help her retrieve her memories. But in Amnesia you can never be sure of what will happen next and Orion is definitely no exception.

Last but definitely not least I want to introduce you to a fairy that is a treasured childhood memory for many girls: Lala from Ojamajo Doremi. This classic anime tells the story of three girls who stumble across the hidden shop of witch Majorika and her helping fairy partner Lala. After transforming the powerful witch into a green blob by accident, the friends swear to become witch apprentices and to make up for the harm that they have caused. Will they be able to achieve their goals and become powerful witches? Ojamajo Doremi is one of those shows that has introduced kids around the world into the anime universe before they even knew something like that existed. Lala might be a character that is often forgotten next to the main heroes, but she is still vital to the whole story. She is helpful yet carefree and usually tries to stay out of the many fights between Majorika and the girls. Lala is one of the many things that makes this anime so special and easily deserves the final spot on our list.

Miyoko gives a Chinese twist to the curry requirement at the Autumn Elections Preliminaries. After mixing pork and pineapple in her stir fried rice, she bakes it inside a hollowed pineapple, giving the curried fried rice a moist consistency, sweet flavor and a jewel-like appearance. After tasting the sweet and sour pork inspired dish, one of the judges imagines Miyoko as a fiery kung-fu master who then knocks him out with a punch, and states that her dish puts men to shame. Good for her, as she is intent on proving women can be as good if not better than men in the cooking world. Miyoko got 87 points for this dish which had her in the top 4 until the Aldinis and Megumi presented their dishes. This victory means a lot to Miyoko, it's original and makes you want to try it at home!

Akira Hayama is a part of the Shiomi Seminar which is a club at Totsuki where they specialize in spices. He is Jun Shiomi’s assistant and an expert in spices. He makes this dish for Souma and Megumi when they decide to do some research on spices before the curry themed Autumn Elections preliminaries. Akira uses water instead of broth in his curry and he uses some fresh spices along with dry ones. The fresh curry leaves give ten times more flavor than dried ones, quite literally blowing Souma's clothes off with the impact from the aroma alone, while the flavor sends Megumi into a different realm. Seeing Akira make something he can't make himself, and timing his cooking based on his scent, really lights a fire under Souma regarding his own recipe for the preliminaries; making this moment what motivates him to spend days focusing on refining his curry recipe for the competition. It seems like an important moment in both Akira's and Souma's life at Tostuki.

On the first day of the Training Camp, the participants are required to catch and/or pick their own ingredients from the resort grounds, anything withing the fence is fair game. After Souma takes Inui's kaki seeds to use as their key ingredient, he fishes a char, gets fresh eggs and Megumi gathers wild edible plants. In no time flat, Souma batters the fish and uses the crushed kaki seeds as breading (the okaki in the name refers to the seeds and age means fried), Megumi deep fries the wild veggies and they serve the dish with a fluffy egg yolk-based dipping sauce. After envisioning herself being embraced by a merman with a kaki seed head, Inui acknowledges that in all her years giving this challenge, nobody has ever done something as out-of-the-box as this and of course, she passes team Souma. Souma's ingenious approach is why his Char Okakiage made it on the top 10.

After the urban life planner, Yaeko and her henchmen sabotage Restaurant Yukihira by destroying all the meat and most other ingredients, they rub salt in the wound by challenging Souma to make a meat dish or she’ll shut them down. Souma accepts and serves what looks like a roast pork! The “roast pork” was actually made with potatoes and mushrooms with thick slices of bacon wrapped around it and seasoned with what he could find intact in the kitchen. The aroma and visual appeal tempt Yaeko and when she takes the first bite, her knees go weak and she moans with delight. In order to be allowed to finish the delectable fake Pork Roast, she promises to leave Yukihira Restaurant alone, freeing them of her forever. But not before Yaeko and her henchmen orgasmically finish their plates and lay satisfied on the ground. The originality, reactions and positive repercussions are why the “Gotcha” Roast Pork made the top 10.

Souma's first Shokugeki (Food War) was against the meat queen, Ikumi Mito, to keep the Donburi Research Society (Don RS) club from being demolished and risking being expelled if he were to lose. To compete against Ikumi's A5 Wagyu Beef Don, the poor broke Souma uses discount sirloin from the grocery store, but tenderizes it with onions and tops it with a glaze made from wine and the drippings left in the cooking pan. He also added picked plums to the rice for a refreshing kick. The judges can't stop eating and even ask for seconds when they're done. Ikumi's dish however, is left unfinished. When Ikumi herself tries Souma's Chaliapin Steak Don, she is “shown” by the Don that she can be herself and with a moan of ecstasy she admits defeat. And that's how Souma saved the Don RS. True story!

Megumi Tadokoro also made a big splash at the Autumn Elections' preliminaries. She went with her signature, Japanese countryside style and presented a hot pot dish. However, monkfish preparation is extremely difficult and requires a lot of experience and skill, which Megumi acquired as a young child to help her family. Besides impressing the judges by expertly slashing the giant hanging fish on her own, the first taste transports them to a cozy, homey setting by the masterful preparation of sauteed fish liver, miso and sake with the perfect addition of curry spices and vegetables from Megumi's home town that gave the dish a home-grown, heartwarming effect. This landed her in 4th place with 88 points, allowing her to stay in the running. Megumi proved herself with the preparation of this dish, and that's why her Dobujiru is on our list.

The Sumire Street Shopping District, where the Yukihira restaurant is located, is dying because Mozuya, a successful fast food chain, opened at the train station and serves delicious karaage (fried chicken). Souma and Ikumi partner up to come up with a recipe that will revive the shopping street by keeping people there. They come up with a karaage roll made with high quality chickens from Ikumi’s family, a carefully crafted original sauce made by the meat expert herself and a warm, fluffy freshly made rice wrap to hold it together. It is also portable so students and businessmen on their way home can enjoy it while they walk. Having added a little “Sumire mark” on the flour wrap, people start asking for the “Sumire Mark” wraps by name! Thanks to this amazing invention, Sumire was bustling again bringing business back to all the shops alike. When the Mozuya manager tries it herself, she feels the unity of the shopping street in its flavor and accepts defeat. More than enough reason to add it to the list!

During their 490th cooking duel, Souma and his father, Jouichirou challenge each other to make a breakfast that will revitalize a Megumi who hasn't slept, Isshiki who just finished his gardening work and Fumio who says she's too old to eat anything heavy in the morning. Jouichiro's response is to make a vegetarian ramen using tempeh as the main ingredient, yuzu infused noodles, soy milk, miso, vegetable broth, ginger, garlic and other garnishes and seasonings. The result is a rich, flavorful ramen that looks like it will be too heavy first thing in the morning, but in fact it’ss light and makes the three judges feel like they can't stop eating this rich, warming dish. Needless to say, Souma lost to his dad once again. The unique fusion approach to making a vegetarian ramen that satisfies both young and old, tired or not, is why Jouichiro's unique dish made it at number 3.

After failing chef Kojirou Shinomiya's challenge during the Training Camp at Totsuki Resort, Megumi is expelled but with Souma as her sous-chef they have a rematch risking both of their survivals at Tostuki. Megumi recreates the very Kojirou's Terrine but with her own twist. Her Rainbow Terrine is a colorful display of 7 different vegetable pâtés, with a bit of all-spice to aid the judges' digestion. It's accompanied by 2 different sauces, a sweet one and an herb sauce, giving the dish 14 different flavors! While Kojirou's terrine showcased fresh vegetables, Megumi's focused on ones that have been traditionally preserved giving the judges a sense of home-cooked warmth that even had them fighting over whether she was a vegetable god or guru. And when chef Kojirou tastes it, though he finds weaknesses in it, he realizes that Megumi's dish has the warmth of a mother's love and that is what his own cooking has been missing and why he feels stagnated as a chef. He acknowledges Megumi's dish and even sheds a tear before rescinding her expulsion. Softening chef Kojirou's heart and teaching him a lesson was quite a feat and she did it pretty much by herself since Souma wasn't allowed to change her recipe. That's why Megumi's Terrine comes in second.

Shimotsu-to means “four substance decoction” and as a Chinese medicine specialist, Hisako Arato used four Chinese and Japanese medicinal herbs that tonify and invigorate as well as curry spices. Hisako presented her dish after the dark, obsessive Nao Sadatsuka, who served a black curry with a horrible aroma but a flavor that mesmerized the judges. Hisako's medicinal mutton curry reinvigorates the judges and “erradicates all the evil from their bodies and souls” after the black curry, which they say in comparison the Shimotsu-to Curry was crude and offensive. The judges award Hisako 92 points, putting her in 1st place. When Nao tastes the Shimotsu-to Curry, she falls to her knees, her darkness is cleansed, she becomes bright and purified and her two-year grudge against Hisako turns into a deep admiration instead. For combining flavor, texture aroma and Chinese medicine in a way “no first year student should be able to”, being able to purify and revitalize Nao and the judge with the weakest constitution and well as being given the highest score in her block, Hisako comes in at 1st place in our list as well!

Angel Beats! takes place in the world of purgatory between the afterlife and the real world, where the spirits of those who have unfinished business or can’t accept their fate must reside. This takes on the façade of a high school in Angel Beats!, where Yuri’s Afterlife Battlefront group fight against the mysterious young girl, Angel, who they believe has been sent by god to obliterate them and send them to the afterlife. There are many members of the Afterlife Battlefront, including the master computer hacker, Takeyama. Takeyama excels at two important key attributes to be considered a true otaku. Firstly his computer programming and hacking skills are the best within the whole afterlife school. Due to his obsession to detail and belief in his own intelligence, his hacking skills are enough to crack the codes to Angel’s mysterious powers. Takeyama also suffers from an acute case of having read far too many sci-fi manga, continually chastising his comrades for failing to him by his rather chuunibyou self created nickname of ‘Christ’.

In a seemingly random act of violence, ten missiles strike Japan. However, this unprecedented terrorist act, later to be known as "Careless Monday," does not result in any apparent victims, and is soon forgotten by almost everyone. Then, 3 months later Saki Morimi is rescued by Akira Takizawa while in the United States. Takizawa has no memory, no clothes and an AI controlled special phone with 8,200,000,000 yen in digital cash. Takizawa is charged with using this money to save Japan in any way he decides. Turns out, he is not the only person who has been given this challenge, 10 others, many of whom are prodigies in their own fields have also received this sum of money. What follows is a mysterious story full of twists, betrayals and even murder in the quest to save Japan. Takizawa comes to rely on the help of the famous NEET prodigy, Yutaka Itazu in his quest to unravel the mystery of the phones and who took his memories away. Itazu is a shut away computer programming otaku, who has cut off all communication with the outside world beyond brief contact via the internet. His home is a tech otaku’s paradise with countless computer components, as well as piles of manga anthologies. Itazu was once feared by the government due to his hacking ability, but due to an unfortunate incident where he lost his pants and didn’t have a spare pair to go buy a new set, the newly nicknamed, Panties, hasn’t left his apartment since.

Being trapped in a maximum security prison doing manual labour when you thought you were attending a new all girls school as the only 5 guys? Sounds like everyday adolescent males dream turned into a terrible nightmare. Especially when your prison guards are three insanely attractive but maniacally man hating female members of the secretive disciplinary committee. Kiyoshi, Andre, Gakuto, Joe and Shingo must simultaneously survive the hellish prison treatment, but also ensure they are not permanently expelled from the academy, so they can fulfil their dreams of attending the summer camp and their hopes of seeing an imaginary wet T-shirt competition. Gakuto is the mastermind behind any of the groups daring plans to escape or to trick their enforcers. He is an otaku for Chinese military history and all of the manga and video games based around this period of history, so much so that he risks the expulsion of all of the group members when he assists Kiyoshi in escaping so he may spend time with his darling Chio-chan. His request for helping with this, is the limited edition Chinese warrior figurine that is releasing in Akiba on that day. He even suffers the indignity of soiling himself loudly in front of the entire IT class during a rare venture into the main academy approved by the council, just so he can obtain his precious statue. Putting your hobby above ever having a sex life is pretty damn otaku.

After he unexpectedly inherits the family Dojo, despite lacking the fighting prowess of his elder sister, Tae, Shinpachi finds himself bullied by others. He is in fact an accomplished swordsman, despite lacking the necessary attitude which leads to him being an unlikely recruit for Gintoki’s group. Shinpachi wishes to further learn about the way of the samurai from the masterful Gintoki, however, he is often forced to play the straight man and make responsible decisions for the pair of them. So why exactly is Shinpachi an otaku, in feudal Japan of all places? Well Shinachi is in fact a hardcore Idol otaku and is completely obsessed and infatuated with the idol, Otsu. So much so, in fact, that he is the proud and noble leader of the Otsu Imperial Army fan group. Shinoachi’s serious and thoughtful façade drops whenever he is speaking about or let alone sees his favourite Idol performing. With many hilarious nods to modern day idol otaku, Shinpachi shows that this level of dedication and obsession to a hobby has existed in Japan since Feudal times.

No Game No Life is all about a sibling pair of gaming otaku, Sora and Shiro. Abandoned by his parents, Sora is a brilliant NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) shut-in gamer along with his stepsister, Shiro. He does not take life very seriously and is pretty much a good-for-nothing gamer. One day, he and his sister are called into an alternate world in order to save its people and unite them by taking part in high stakes games that have real consequences. Sora’s apathy towards general life is washed away by the prospect of playing games brought to life in the alternate world. Possessing substantial intelligence, Sora could have a successful future in many different fields in the real world; however he prefers the life of a hardcore gamer, and something many of us can relate to. Sora using his gaming talents to become the unlikely and hilarious champion of another world is every otaku’s dream.

Otaku no Video is a loose adaptation of the real life story of the founding of major anime studio Gainax, and serves as a documentary detailing all aspects of the otaku lifestyle. It features a unique blend of the animated story of protagonist Ken Kubo and his journey into the realm of otaku life. We can watch here real life live action interviews with many prominent otaku, addressing all aspects of the hardcore otaku life. This film not only details anime and manga otaku, but many other sub cultures including, but not limited to, sci fi and military geek cultures. The main character of Otaku no Video is Ken Kubo, a young man in his twenties in Toyko, living a fairly normal life, working a salaried job until he inadvertently becomes mixed up with a group of otaku. Although he initially doesn’t understand their passions for anime and manga, he slowly changes, becoming more like them, until he finally decides to cast his formal ‘normal’ life aside and aims to become the king of all otaku – the otaking! Deciding to detach yourself entirely from the rest of the world to fully embrace your passion is the sign of a true hardcore otaku.

In the Tokyo district of Ikebukuro, things are not always as they seem. As well as being one of the well known otaku districts of Tokyo, Ikebukuro is home to many strange groups and individuals. Mysterious powers pull the strings of its populace from the shadows, violent gangs that associate with a colour code clash in the streets, and mobsters and civilian’s alike whisper about sittings of the legendary headless rider. Throughout Durarara!! many characters are revealed to have hidden lives and allegiances to the different groups, such as the Dollars or the Yellow Scarves. This is also true for Kadota’s group, who appear to give advice and hang out with Masaomi, Anri and Mikado. One member of this group is Walker, who along with his close friend Erika, makes few references that aren’t rooted in the world of manga or anime. During serious conversations he is often discussing a comic signing or a voice actor’s personal appearance in the otaku hub of Ikebukuro. Walker is far from just a manga obsessed otaku, he is prone to acts of extreme violence including petrol bombing cars in order to save damsels in distress. He also likes to perform torture by letting the victim to choose a light novel or manga, and carrying out the contents. During a conversation with his gang, Walker even says “I can’t afford to be picky about food if I’m going to end up in the 2D world one day! So I’ll eat anything, even insects!”

A hilarious short form anime series that examines what happens in relationships between a full blown otaku and a ‘norm’. Kaoru is a serious office lady who's passionate about her job. Her husband Hajime, on the other hand, is a hardcore otaku who lives a nearly shut-in lifestyle. What follows is examples of the misunderstandings that can take place when your significant other doesn’t quite share your hardcore passion for hobbies. Hajime on the surface appears to be a normal member of society, however his otaku tendencies have lead him to becoming a shut in from society, and thus putting pressure on his wife Kaoru to be the main bread winner for the two of them. Hajime does, however, make somewhat of a living from his passion for anime, he runs an anime review blog that is popular in the community, and it makes him some spare yen on the side. When asked by a friend if anime is interesting, he replies with ‘more than this fleeting world’. The true otaku will always seek to make their hobbyist lifestyle into their method for earning money, take it from us here at Honeys Anime!

Danganronpa: The Animation is the anime adaptation of the cult classic detective visual novel PSP and VITA game. Makoto Naegi is an average student with extraordinary luck when he is invited to join the prestigious Hopes Peak Academy, home to the brightest group of ‘ultimate’ talents in the country. However, after awakening with no memories, Makoto and 15 other classmates, each with a unique personality and ultimate talent, are confronted by the deceptively evil teddy bear MonoKuma. What unfolds from here is a game of despair, where the only way to escape being trapped in the school forever is to kill one of your classmates and escape being caught by the rest of the group. If this isn’t enough motivation to kill, then MonoKuma is more than happy to provide Makoto and the others with ample motives. Bearing the title of Ultimate Fanfic Creator, Hifumi’s identity as an extreme otaku is apparent from the start. Hifumi is heavily overweight due to the amount of time he spends reading comics and drawing his own fan made content. Suffering from a supremely inflated opinion of his own intelligence and importance (chuunibyou), and unique obsessions with the mascot character princess piggles. Hifumi often exclaims that he is only interested in 2D females and people in general. Sporting some of the best lines of dialog both in the game and in the anime series, Hifumi is a god tier otaku and worthy of his title of Ultimate.

Based upon the awarding winning visual novel game of the same name, Steins;Gate is a mind bending science fiction about creating the world’s first time machine set in Tokyo’s otaku haven, Akhihabara. Okabe Rintaro and his fellow future gadget lab members inadvertently create the world’s first time machine and accidentally incurring the wrath of scientific research organisation SERN. In the future, SERN have obtained ultimate power of the world due to their time machine research. There is no war, no famine and no strife, however freedom of will and joy is also entirely absent. The future gadget lab members battle to avoid this future by changing their own past with the ability to send D-Mails (text messages) to the past in order to influence decisions and change the present. Okabe’s trust right hand man and lab member No.3, Daru the ‘super hacker’ is also an otaku of extreme notoriety. Daru openly refers to his 2D wives who he spends time with in his PC eroge (erotic games) on multiple occasions, while spending all of his spare time hanging out at NyanNyan MayQueen Maid Café admiring the otaku princess, Faris Nyan Nyan. When he doesn’t full understand some of Makise Kurisu’s scientific explanations, Daru asks things to be explained in either eroge or RPG terminology to hilarious results. Daru’s obsessive tendencies has also lead to him becoming an advanced level hacker, even capable of cracking the toughest security networks in the world.

Bold, vocal, and never afraid to speak out his mind, Jean initially had a huge problem with the series’ main character, Eren, finding the latter’s motivations self-serving and unrealistic. As the series progresses, though, viewers get to see Jean evolve from an egoistic, deterministic teen to a young man who is willing to take the mantle of leadership if it means saving his comrades’ lives. From the moment he was introduced to the story, Jean stated that he wanted to rank high in his class so that he could live a life of comfort in within Wall Sina. After experiencing battle firsthand, however, he decided to enlist in the Scouting legion, becoming a valuable member of the team in the process.

The quiet, introverted Annie is our lists Number 9. Introduced as a young girl with unique fighting skills and an air of superiority over her fellow cadets, she quickly became one of the best trainees of her batch. She was so talented, in fact, that she easily overpowered Eren and the much bigger Reiner in hand-to-hand combat. In the Female Titan arc, however, her true colors were revealed. Being the only one among her batch’s top ten who opted to sign up for the Military Police in Wall Sina, she was the last person anyone suspected of being the deadly Female Titan. When in her titan form, she becomes exponentially deadly, able to completely dominate Eren’s Rogue Titan with her mastery of titan powers and skills.

There’s no doubt about it. Hange is a little bit unhinged. In fact, her curiosity (Is obsession a better word?) about titans is something that is considered close to insanity. Well, maybe she is a little bit unsound in the mind. However, that does not stop her from being a complete badass. In fact, titans do not faze her at all. Instead, she actively seeks them out. Hange is the very epitome of fearlessness. When a titan appears, it is not revulsion or fear that she is overcome with. Rather, she is usually overcome by an almost childlike curiosity and fascination about the deadly giants. Oh, and she doesn’t flinch when she tortures them for her researches too, as shown by her actions with Sawney and Bean, two titans that she successfully captured.

As his peers remarked in the Female Titan arc, most of the Survey Corps usually miss Reiner’s capabilities as a fighter because he gets eclipsed by Mikasa’s raw power and insane ability with the 3D Maneuver Gear. However, Reiner, the number two, is still a remarkably reliable, capable, and resilient individual, able to kill titans with his raw power alone. Of course, through the course of the series, numerous revelations would be made regarding Reiner’s true identity. Before that, however, fans of the anime would surely be treated with his displays of strength and heroism, especially during the Castle Utgard arc (which hopefully would make it to the anime’s second season), where he took on a titan literally with his bare hands. No 3DMG. Just with his hands. Crazy? Maybe. Badass? Definitely.

The beautiful, demure Krista is widely regarded by many to be a flower amongst a sea of thorns. Indeed, when one looks at her, one would wonder exactly what she is doing in the military. After surviving an attempt on her life during her childhood, she enlists in the military, where she ended up being friends with her squad mates. Usually referred to as a “Goddess” by her peers due to her beauty (Jean, Armin, and Sasha directly thought this, and Reiner even went as far as to wish she would marry him), she is nonetheless a strong-willed young woman. Eventually, she would play a very active part in overthrowing the government, ultimately ending the arc with her own hands. Once the anime catches up to the manga at this point, everyone would see just how badass Krista really is.

Yes, Armin might not be that deadly with the 3D Maneuver Gear. His titan kills are pretty average at best, too. However, what he lacks in fighting prowess, he more than makes up for with his genius-level intellect. Possessing an extremely gifted mind, Armin is able to to come up with strategies that ultimately save dozens of lives multiple times. In fact, he is so smart, Erwin Smith, the Survey Corps’ commander, fully trusts his intuition. What makes Armin so cool is the fact that he is the very epitome of the saying that the mind might very well be deadlier than the sword. As the series progresses, everyone’s respect for Armin’s intellect and mental prowess grows exponentially. Eventually, in the Clash of Titans arc, which is yet to be animated, everyone would see just how much damage Armin could do just with the power of his words.

Eren is hot-headed, reckless, and violent in battle, relishing in the pain of his enemies. Yes, he’s pretty dark, but he is the perfect lead for a very gritty anime such as Attack on Titan. Starting off as an almost annoyingly weak character, Eren eventually grows in strength and maturity, becoming an intuitive soldier in the Survey Corps with the added ability to transform into the Rogue Titan, a 15-meter behemoth that Eren eventually learns to control. Possessing a drive that is almost inhuman and a resilience that is downright unnatural, Eren is one character that, like him or not, will always be etched in viewers’ minds long after the series has ended. Of course, the fact that he transforms to arguably the most awesome-looking Titan around helps his case a lot. As the very characterization of the anime itself, Eren is our proud Number 4.

So why exactly is Erwin Smith, a side character, in the third spot on this list? Let me state his case in one sentence. The man is so ridiculously badass, it’s scary. Introduced as the level-headed and almost Machiavellian leader of the Survey Corps, Erwin is depicted to be the man responsible for a number of the Survey Legion’s innovations. What makes him such a cool character though is the fact that behind his almost immaculate appearance, lies a ruthless, uncompromising, devil-may-care nature that people are bound to fear. In the end of the anime alone, he quickly embraces an on-the-spot execution by the Military Police without a second thought, and he does not even flinch nor move an inch when the Rogue Titan severs the Female Titan’s arm and sends it flying towards him. In a sense, Erwin is the epitome of the saying that to control monsters, one must be a monster as well.

Mikasa’s ridiculous natural talent in fighting and slaying titans is made evident from the beginning of the series. In fact, her sheer number of titan kills is the one of the highest in the universe of the manga and anime. Cold, calculated, and with a sheer and vicious desire to protect those that she considers precious to her, Mikasa never wavers when it comes to slaying anyone that gets in her way. Though she does have her limits, Mikasa nonetheless takes the Number 2 spot in this list due to her insane ability to slay titans efficiently. Her protective nature towards her friends and family, as well as the fact that she is the lone Asian in the anime, makes her even cooler. Her character is so strong, she’s almost OP, making everyone, from conventional anime fans to extremist feminists, admire her characterization.

Of course, at the top of our list today is the man who is considered as Humanity’s Strongest Soldier. Gifted with an almost inhuman prowess with the 3D Maneuver Gear, he is able to slay titans almost effortlessly at all. He is also cold and calculating, never hesitating to draw his blade in the face of adversity. He is also well-respected, to the point when even bullheaded people like Eren look up to him as a role model. In battle, Levi is just a step away from being ridiculously OP. He kills titans in a manner that makes Mikasa, already considered as a genius, pale in comparison. Of course, his other quirks, such as is obsessive compulsive nature and his ridiculously cool demeanor, makes him into arguably the most awesome character in the Attack on Titan universe.

Personal computers or "persocoms" have been created to look like humans, making life much easier as these persocoms take on the tasks of computers and assist in day to day errands Motosuwa Hideki is just a broke prep school student who really wants a persocom, but they're too expensive for him. On the way home one day, Hideki picks up a persocom that has been thrown away. Little does Hideki know, "Chii," as he calls her, is going to change his life as she might be one of the rumored "Chobits". CLAMP does a great job appealing to young girls with the exciting story of Chobits! Chobits is a story of complicated relationships and drama. Romance is complicated even at a young age, so Chobits can be a good anime to watch to see the different sides of love and how it can be made difficult with artificial lifeforms like the Chobits. It helps to know that not everything in your life sucks and other people have their own problems.

Maaka Karin looks like your average high school girl, but in fact, she comes from a family of vampires residing in Japan. Karin's a little different from her family, though. Once a month, Karin's blood increases and she has to give her blood to others or else she'll have a nosebleed! One day, there's a new transfer student, Usui Kenta, who actually causes Karin's blood to increase more frequently. Kenta has the worst timing, too, so he keeps discovering Karin at the worst moments! Is her secret going to be revealed? Have you ever felt like some sort of alien lifeform who just can't fit in? Meet Karin, a girl who doesn't 100% fit in with humans and is the complete opposite of her own family! Karin shows you that you can't let your circumstances get in the way of your living life. You'll find that what you think makes you weird actually makes you special

Humans have lived behind walls for the better part of a century, away from the grotesque creatures called Titans who nearly slaughtered humans to extinction many centuries ago. Mankind has just lived without incident for the past century. One day, a colossal titan breaks through the wall letting in the other titans. After witnessing the gruesome death of someone dear to him, Eren Yeager dedicates his life to the Survey Corp with the sole goal of eradicating the titans from existence. However, there's not much known about the Titans and even worse, Eren doesn't really seem to know much about himself. Shingeki no Kyojin is an anime that knows no boundaries. Young girls will love strong female characters such as Mikasa who shows that strength is in having something to protect. Shingeki no Kyojin can make you feel like anything is possible, you just have to believe in yourself and find the power within to protect others. Don't let people fool you; there's more to Shingeki no Kyojin than fighting titans.

Kouyama Mitsuki is a 12 year old girl who was diagnosed with a malignant tumor of her throat, making it difficult for her to do what she loves: sing! However, Mitsuki wants to pursue her dream of becoming a singer to fulfill the promise she made with the boy she loves. One day, two shinigami come to watch over her, but she can see them! Now, with the help of these two shinigami, Mitsuki will be able to fulfill her promise and pursue her dream before her time runs out. Mitsuki is a great example for young children. She shows you that you can overcome all odds to make your dreams come true against all odds. Mitsuki doesn't let her own illness hold her back, and you shouldn't either. She may be 12 years old, but Mitsuki is emotionally strong enough to defy her family and those around her for the sake of her own dreams. Full Moon wo Sagashite is the perfect anime for all girls out there who have their own battles ahead of them.

Sakura Chiyo has a crush on Nozaki Umetarou, but when she confesses her feelings to him, Umetarou gives her his autograph! Apparently he's a very popular shoujo mangaka who mistakens her as a fan. Chiyo tries to tell him that she wants to be with Umetarou, to which Umetarou invites her over to help as a mangaka assistant! Chiyo's love life won't be an easy one, but now she gets to see a whole new side of Umetarou involving the world of shoujo manga. Life can be difficult when you're young, so a good anime to watch when you need to relax is Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun. Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun has light hearted humor that helps ease the troubles that seems to weigh heavily on the minds of young girls. Life isn't easy just because you're young, you know. Unrequited love isn't always funny in the real world, but if you just take it with a grain of salt the way Chiyo does, you might just find that unrequited love isn't as hard as you think. Enjoy this shounen comedy that shows you just to enjoy thing life throws at you!

There's a mysterious channel called the Mayonaka TV that airs at midnight and is rumored to let you see your "other half" in the TV screen. A recent murder has led Yuu, Chie, and Yosuke to question its relation to Mayonaka TV. Yuu discovers he can enter the TV screen opening up a whole new world filled with shadows that may have something to do with the murder. Now it's up to Yuu, Chie, and Yosuke to save the victims of Mayonaka TV and figure out who the killer is before it's too late. Do you ever think that it's difficult to be open about who you are in the face of society? People can be harsh and society unforgiving. Persona 4 may be the perfect anime to watch! Persona 4 is about facing your inner demons and accepting the parts that you keep hidden from others for fear of social acceptance.Let Persona 4 teach you all about self acceptance!

The government is able to calculate a person's mental state, also known as "psycho-pass." With this equation, police officers are able to decide if a person is likely to commit a crime and arrest them before a crime is committed. Tsunemori Akane is a new cop on the scene who challenges the current status quo. She meets Kougami Shinya, a dog of the police force, who is forced to risk his life to take down criminals due to his status as a criminal. Together, Akane and Shinya work to figure out the mastermind behind all the unusual murders taking place. Psycho-Pass is a lot like high school. People are always making hasty judgements on who you are, which can hinder your life, but that doesn't mean it has to get you down. Kougami Shinya continues to work hard and protect others despite his own status as a criminal. Psycho-Pass is a great anime that teaches us to challenge the ideas of society and not just accept everything as is.

Komatsu Nana is the type to fall in love hard and fast, which usually ends with her being left behind and in tears due to her dependent and clingy personality. This time it's different! She's got a new boyfriend that she's able to maintain a long distant relationship with. Yet, Nana sets off on a journey to Tokyo to be near her boyfriend, Shouji. Along the way, she meets Osaki Nana, a punk-looking girl who shares the same name. Osaki Nana is a punk rock singer moving to Tokyo to pursue her dreams. Both Nanas share a snowy train ride together before parting ways to find their own happiness, but little did they both know, that this was the beginning of an even deeper friendship that will put your ideas of "love" to shame. If you're looking for a happy love story, this isn't the anime for you. Nana is about finding a friend that you can trust with your life. Life may not go so smoothly for you, but when you find someone who you can trust wholeheartedly, you can withstand everything. Nana is an anime about finding true friendship in spite of everything else.

Yona is a naive princess who knows nothing of hardship aside from having to deal with her current suitors. One day, the murder of the king by the hand of the man she loves, Su-won, forces her to flee for her life with her bodyguard, Son Hak. Now that Yona is no longer in the palace, she discovers that the Kingdom of Kouka is ravaged by poverty, illness, and corruption. Determined to take back her kingdom, Yona goes on a journey to find the dragons of prophecy who will help change the Kingdom of Kouka. Sometimes, all you need out of life is a reverse harem! Escape from the monotony of life with a reverse harem like Akatsuki no Yona where you will experience betrayal, hardship, truth, and self discovery. It's an epic tale about a young princess growing up to be a strong warrior. That's the type of fairy tale every little girl should dream of as she grows up!

Tsukino Usagi is a lazy, ditzy crybaby who is often being scolded by her family for failing tests. One day, Usagi comes across Luna, a cat with a crescent on her forehead who can talk! Luna bestows upon Usagi the power to change into Sailor Moon and fight the forces of darkness to save the world. Don't worry, she's not alone! Sailor Moon must find the other sailor senshi to bring down the forces of darkness! It's hard to find anything who hates Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon, boy or girl. It's a story about a spoiled girl with no redeeming qualities finding her niche in life and growing into a powerful sailor senshi. Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon is about the close bond of friendship helping to protect lives and change the world. Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon is an anime like no other that really encompasses many lessons we need as we grow up. That's what makes Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon number 1!

No anime list could be complete without an adorable idol! Enter Miss Monochrome: an aspiring android idol determined to make it big in the music world. However, the road to fame isn't easy, and after being tricked out of all her money by her former manager, Monochrome is sadly stuck working in a convenience store. Although created and played by much-loved voice actor Yui Horie, Miss Monochrome is more than just a great voice. Watching her build relationships with those around her, and chasing after a fateful promise from her past is bound to give any viewer a warm fuzzy feeling inside.

Our third character in the list comes from the anime adaptation of internationally-popular Boy's Love game DRAMAtical Murder. He might look like your regular weirdo what with that gas mask covering his face and a lab coat with Mary Poppins-esque pockets, but behind all of that he has a heart of gold (and the face of a true bishounen!). Following his first appearance when he falls from the sky and his various adventures following around his "Master" Aoba Seragaki, Clear is always fun to watch. His childish innocence regarding the world makes for an interesting clash with his high-level fighting skills, and the way he cares for his comrades is nothing short of adorable. With a stunning singing voice to boot, this particular android clearly (sorry) deserves to make the list.

Next we have an android that was built for battle. Both a Catholic priest and an AX Agent, Trinity Blood's Tres is quite literally a fighting machine, able to carry out any mission with a calm demeanour. Also known as Gunslinger, Father Tres blesses Trinity Blood viewers with intense action scenes that leave us praying for more. Tres' use of language reflects the fact he isn't human, preferring to use military-esque, emotionless terminology in lieu of natural-sounding conversation. Although this may make him seem unfeeling at first, viewers soon learn that he is loyal to a fault, and even capable of deeper emotions such as love. Although he may deny his own humanity, viewers are bound to see him as more man than machine.

In the future, people live side by side with Giftia, androids that resemble humans in every way possible - they even possess emotions! However, there's just one catch: their limited lifespan. Once this has passed, they become "Wanderers" - extremely powerful but uncontrollable. Isla is just one of these Giftia, working for SAI Corporation's Terminal Service, who deal in recovering Giftia before their lifespan ends. Due to her clumsy nature, Isla is at first given little responsibility. However, when partnered up with newbie Tsugasa Mizugaki, she goes back out into the field for the first time in years. Whilst she is at first distant and cold, she slowly opens up and allows herself to feel the emotions she has denied herself for so long. Plastic Memories would not be such a touching series without this particular android.

Created by Professor Hayashi in order to keep his sickly daughter company, Tama became able to feel human emotion due to a terrible experiment in which the professor tried implant said daughter's personality into Tama, costing his daughter her life. Although abandoned, Tama (or what's was left of her, in any case) is picked up by Gintoki, and ends up spending a lot of time at his Yorozura. Eventually, Tama puts her past behind her, and starts working at Otose's Snack House, allowing her to slowly learn more and more through her interactions with various people. Although she is still limited in her understanding due to her android status, her warm personality and determination to help others make her wonderful to watch.

She may look like your everyday high school girl, but Yuki Nagato is a humanoid interface, created to observe human activity on Earth and in particular protagonist Haruhi Suzumiya. Although she is capable of human emotion, Yuki struggles to understand feelings and rarely expresses them. In fact, she rarely expresses anything, preferring to keep her interactions with other characters short and simple. But behind Yuki's stoic personality lie intense supernatural powers and superhuman intelligence, allowing her to quickly assess and defeat any opponents, and making her a reliable member of the SOS Brigade. She also isn't as cold as she may seem at first. As the series progresses, Yuki slowly becomes more expressive, proving herself to be a trustworthy, caring character and more than worthy of fifth place on our android list.

Next up is Nano Shinonome from everyone's favourite not-so-ordinary slice of life anime, Nichijou. Built by child Professor Hakase Shinonome, Nano has the appearance of your everyday schoolgirl - or at least she would, if it weren't for the rather large yet completely useless key protruding from her back. Unlike the more serious characters in this list, Nano provides a joyous sense of comic relief. Waiting to see which of her limbs will suddenly fall off next to reveal one of the Professor's new inventions is fun enough, but Nano's cute reactions and determination to be seen as a regular high school girl will have you giggling for sure.

Sometimes bad guys make the best characters. Especially when they're as epic as "perfect warrior" and all-round evildoer Cell from world-famous masterpiece Dragon Ball Z. The ultimate combination of computer and cloning, Cell is an amalgamation of the cells and personalities of other characters in the series, which in an odd way serves to make him completely unique. Made by evil scientist Doctor Gero, Cell also has a unique way of developing his own character, namely through time travel and absorbing his enemies. What better android character could there be than a sentient deadly weapon from an ultimate classic anime?

When Hideki Motosuwa finds a Persocom, an android that doubles up as a fully-functioning computer, in the trash, he counts his lucky stars. But why would anyone throw away such a cute computer? Maybe it's the fact she can only say "Chii"? Or maybe it's because she might be a Chobits, a legendary Persocom said to be capable of human emotions? No matter the reason, Chii is well-loved by viewers not only for her adorable appearance, but the way her character develops throughout the series. Watching her take tiny steps forward as Hideki teaches her how to do simple tasks and speak, and seeing her learn and grow as a person - or rather, android - and is a joy in itself.

From the genius known as the "God of Manga" Osamu Tezuka comes this classic title, and the original android protagonist. Also known as Tetsuwan Atom in Japanese, Astro Boy was created by Doctor Tenma to replace his son who passed away. Although due to multiple series he travels through many different storylines to get there, Astro always ends up as a hero for justice, fighting evil across the world. Arguably the starting point for all anime and with multiple remakes and comebacks, Astro Boy has stood the test of time as the most popular android character, earning him the number one spot in this list.

Friends are a great thing, right? Certainly not for the cast of Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai who has more than just some troubles finding kindred spirits. Transfer student Hasegawa Kodaka has never been able to make many friends due to his delinquent-like appearance. Even though he is a good guy his classmates don’t want to have too much to do with him. The same goes for Yozora, a bad-tempered girl who enjoys talking to an imaginary friend. Together they decide to start a club designed for all people that cannot make friends, but don’t want to settle for a life in solitude. Our first recommendation is a great choice for people who love shows revolving around school clubs, especially with a main cast that couldn’t be more diverse. Not only is this show hilarious, but it also doesn’t try too hard to be a touching story; it doesn’t end in the club members becoming friends for life and embracing each other while tears are running down their faces. Instead you get a laid-back and entertaining school adventure.

After a show with a guy that only looks like a delinquent, let’s move on to a show with an actual troublemaker as protagonist. Tatsumi Oga is a first year student at a school dedicated to all boys who do not want to conform to society’s rules. The life of the foul-mouthed and arrogant student changes when he encounters a green-haired baby boy who supposedly is the son of a demon king and needs Tatsumi to be his parent. How will his unforeseen parenthood turn out? Just the whole setup of the show is already hilarious enough to make you smile. We have a tough male protagonist who suddenly has to look out for a baby while still continuing his normal life. On top of this unlikely duo you will also constantly get introduced to new characters that seem to get crazier and crazier each time. Beelzebub is a must-watch and definitely worth a try if you haven’t seen it yet.

Next up is a not-so-average Slice of Life show that will give you an insight into the daily lives of high school boys. Friends Tadakuni, Hidenori and Yoshitake attend the same all-boys high school and spend almost every moment of their daily lives together. They are growing up and have to tackle classes and exams while being more interested in sports and girls. Join them on their daily adventures. This recommendation definitely goes out to everyone who enjoys Slice of Life stories, but at the same time thinks they can be too slow or uneventful sometimes. Here we have a great combination of this genre with comedy that will make you laugh like no other. This show perfectly depicts the silly, carefree and action-filled lives of high school boys while still having a lot of simply hilarious jokes.

When the word baka is already in the title how serious can you expect a show to be? Protagonist of this story, Akihisa Yoshii, is a baka, an idiot. He gets ranked into the lowest class of his local school and spends his days together with other failure students. But he is ready to take on the higher-graded students with the help of his friends and a summoned fantasy creature by his side. BakaTest, as the show is sometimes called, could easily be another boring Fantasy/Action/Romance/School show, but only if you want to see it as one. Rather, you should not take the story too serious and see it as a parody on common battle shows. It is a weird combination of unlikely genres and unlikely characters and will certainly entertain you one way or another. Check it out!

Let’s move on to a show that might be the oldest one on this list, but charms fans with its timeless sense of humor. We already had stories revolving around high school boys, but this anime puts a new spin to it with Cromartie High School, a school dedicated to delinquents. Here, tough guys constantly compete to show off their strength and to make clear who is the most badass of them all. One thing is clear: Takashi Kamiyama isn’t it. But he has determination and his own goals in mind for this school. Cromartie High School is not as famous as it deserves to be. It is one of the best comedy anime out there and turns common school anime clichés upside down. Nothing is normal about the setting of this show, especially not the crazy yet hilarious characters. This show is funny in a refreshing and clever way and definitely deserves you giving it a try.

For those of you that prefer girls over delinquent high school boys we have another must-watch anime legend: Lucky☆Star. The anime tells the story of Konata, Kagami, Tsukasa and Miyuki and what they experience in their daily lives. Every episode is a combination of a bunch of different things and situations happening, all held together by the four girls and their friendship. There are a couple of things that make Lucky☆Star unique. It really does not care about a long or coherent storyline, so you will be thrown into random moments of these girl’s lives. But its main source of comedy are the amazingly accurate pop culture references between the scenes. The story of these charming girls definitely deserves some recognition.

Those of you that can only picture zombies as vicious monsters should take the time to watch our next recommendation. High school boy Aikawa Ayumu really isn’t the luckiest guy. First, he gets killed by a crazy serial killer. Then he gets resurrected by a girl necromancer and has to work as her zombie slave. But if that wasn’t already enough, next he steals her Magical Girl powers by accident and has to fight all of her battles for her, a job that includes wearing a pink dress and an even pinker chainsaw. You think you are ready for this adventure? Kore wa Zombie Desu ka? has already earned recognition on multiple lists on this website and there is a reason for that. The storyline sounds as weird as it comes, but that doesn’t mean that the producers didn’t invest time and effort into the show. The anime makes sense in its own universe and the characters are so weird that they are charming again. This show is a true must-watch, especially for fans of Harem, Magical Girl and Fantasy stories.

We are moving into our Top 3 and what better show to start with than infamous and beloved Gintama? This anime welcomes you into the world of ancient Japan, only set in a different universe. Meet freelancing samurai Gintoki Sakata who actually just wants to spend his days in peace, but needs to take on all different kinds of jobs to make a living. His daily adventures never get boring and it doesn’t take too long for him to meet the strangest and most entertaining characters. It is pretty unlikely that most of you haven’t heard of Gintama yet so let me just name some of the reasons why this show is so great. It is unique and has something special to it while still being able to be loved by a big and diverse fanbase. The humor is universal and just plain hilarious as well as random enough at times for you to not take this show too serious. Gintama makes fun of so many other anime and shows so many pop culture references that it is hard not to fall in love with it.

Do you ever walk across a bridge and wonder what’s going on underneath it? No? Me neither, but Arakawa Under the Bridge will still introduce you into the crazy world underneath a bridge. The story begins with businessman Kou Ichinomiya being indebted to girl Nino who lives, you might have guessed it, underneath a bridge. His whole life revolves around the determination to never owe anything to anyone. In order to pay back the favor he promises to become Nino’s boyfriend - and move in under the bridge. With Arakawa Under the Bridge we are slowly moving into a territory where you need to love completely weird storylines in order to appreciate the show. However, if you are ready to go on a crazy adventure and do not expect much logic or seriousness, Arakawa Under the Bridge will get you hooked like no other show. It is the perfect combination of being weird while still remaining entertaining and having an actual storyline. This show will cheer you up, no doubts about that.

You want scenes that are so hilariously random that you just have to burst out laughing? Nichijou will give you exactly that. This anime can best be described as an everyday story set in an extraordinary universe. It is a School and Slice of Life show that will introduce you into the daily lives of a main cast that couldn’t be more special. Don’t say we didn’t warn you! It comes as no surprise that this show is part of our Top 10 list and even our top recommendation. Trying to describe just how charmingly weird Nichijou really is might be impossible, you have to experience this show for yourself to understand what the hype is about. Nichijou is easy-going, pure and so heartwarming while still being crazy enough to make you burst out laughing with almost every scene. Definitely give this little gem a try!

Though his full name is Kaizou Konpaku, Ichigo and the others refer to him as Kon. He is a modified soul capable of fighting hollows. Kon usually takes the form of a small, stuffed teddy bear with a spiky mane and short tail. During the Hueco Mundo Arc, Kon played the role of hero for Karakura Town. Urahara turned Kon into Karakura-Raizer. He then led his team of follow superheroes against the growing number of Hollows that had appeared in town. They then entered a mysterious fortress and took down the Arrancar within. The fortress was destroyed just in time for the final battle to take place in Karakura Town. It’s tough not to like this cute little bear that is actually very perverted and is attracted to women with large breasts. At one point, he took over Ichigo’s body and made a move on Orihime and then kissed Ichigo’s female friend Tatsuki Arisawa (angering her in the process). Let’s also not forget that he also sang the intro for Bleach’s Opening #6.

“Nel” was the former Tres (#3) Espada. She contains two forms. The first is that of a young child. She looks very small and sounds adorable when she talks with her lisp. Despite this childlike demeanor, she has a surprisingly advanced vocabulary. Though she believes all Shinigami to be evil, she does develop a connection with Ichigo and follows him into Las Noches. Her second (and true) form is that of physically mature woman. In this form, she acts more composed, analytical, and is able to fight her opponents very methodically. She demonstrated this in her fight against Nnoitra Gilga (5th Espada). Also, she was also capable of defeating him when she released her Zanpakutou and entered her Resurreccion form: a centaur. However, at a critical moment she unexpectedly reverted back to a small child. She retains her strong attachment to Ichigo when she enters her mature form. At one point, she comically almost knocked Ichigo unconscious after the battle with Nnoitra. She tackled him with an overly enthusiastic hug while he was already passing out from exhaustion.

She was the original Shinigami stationed in Karakura Town. Her adopted brother is Byakuya. At first, she was very cold to others and had trouble making friends. She took her responsibilities as a Shinigami extremely seriously and wanted to fulfill her duty. But, she slowly opened up to Ichigo and the others. She is the one responsible for explaining the world of Shinigami and Hollows to Ichigo. Though not the strongest fighter, her Zanpakutou’s unique ice techniques and her ability to wield Kidou make her a formidable opponent. Early in the anime’s lifespan, people often “shipped” Ichigo and Rukia together. The time they spent together in the first couple of arcs led them to developing a close relationship. Ichigo was the first person that she truly opened up to. Her personality and physical appearance were strikingly opposite to Orihime’s. So, that was another reason why people wanted to see them end up together.

This man is the #1 Espada of Aizen’s army. Of course, having the title means he should be the strongest and lead all the other Espada. This is a responsibility Starrk wants nothing to do with. Unlike the others, he has a distaste for battle and harbors no inherent aggression. The only real motivation he had in the battle at Fake Karakura Town was to prevent any more of his comrades from dying. He is also the only Espada to have split his soul into two beings. Starrk’s counterpart is Lilynette Gingerbuck. The reason for this split is because the original being was so lonely. Its mere presence caused other hollows in the vicinity to lose their soul and die. This was a major reason why they began following Aizen. He was the only person that didn’t die when he was in their presence. The lead up to the reveal of Starrk as #1 was worth it, save for one aspect. His power, fighting prowess, techniques, and character design were definitely fitting for the top Espada. But, it seemed that he was capable of more if he had been truly motivated. Either way, he is a great character and his fight against Shunsui is one of the best ones of the series.

He is the former Captain of the 8th Division. Currently he is the Captain of the 1st Division and Captain-Commander for the entire Gotei 13. He is one of the oldest captains and was trained personally by the previous Captain-Commander Genryuusai Yamamoto. His appearance stands out from the other Captains because he wears a straw hat and a pink, flower patterned kimono over his captain’s uniform. He is an easy-going guy who tries to avoid fighting as much as possible. I mentioned that he isn’t particularly interested in fighting. This was spotlighted in his fight against the #1 Espada, Starrk. Both have similar personalities. So much so, that Starrk proposed the idea that they only pretend to fight while the other Shinigami and Espada battle intensely. Shunsui admitted that he’d prefer to do just that, but he decided that he couldn’t do that to his follow comrades. In the fight he also showed his Zanpakutou’s unique ability: the power to make children’s games real.

Toushirou is the Captain of the 10th Division of the Gotei 13. He is the youngest captain and is labeled a true prodigy. He keeps a cool demeanor most of the time, but he does consider himself above “immature actions”. He has also developed a cold attitude towards most people. The notable exceptions are Momo Hinamori and Rangiku Matsumoto. There are two main reasons why he’s on this list. First off, it’s truly impressive to see Toushirou’s ability and potential be praised by other formidable characters. Captain Commander Shunsui commented in his fight against Starrk that Toshirou could potentially become stronger than him in another hundred years. Even the enigmatic Gin Ichimaru has stated that Toushirou is the reincarnation of a powerful guardian that returns every few centuries. Of course, this isn’t an exact prophecy. He’s just addressing the fact that this young captain is genius the likes of which are extremely rare. The second is because of his relationship to his lieutenant, Rangiku Matsumoto. They often bicker with one another, but they actually have a long history and deep down they look out for each other. One important aspect of their relationship is that Toushirou is often tossed aside by bumping into Rangiku’s bosom. Their interactions have led to tons of fanfiction “shipping’ them together.

Grimmjow was the 5th Espada in Aizen’s Arrancar army. Outside of battles, he is a laidback person who shows disrespect for authority. He’s always looking to prove his strength. Usually that meant wanting to pick a fight with Ulquiorra, whom he saw as inferior in combat prowess, and trying to squash the grudge he had with Ichigo. Once he’s in the midst of combat, his true self emerges. His aggression and ability to exploit the smallest of openings left by his opponent is scary, to say the least. His character design remains a fan favorite to this day. He has light blue, spiked hair and blue eyes with green lines below them that ooze ferocity and strength. His mask covered the right side of his face and was a basic design of a two rows of jagged, sharp teeth. The perfect way to emphasize Grimmjow’s straightforward desire to fight. His Adjuchas form is one of the best ones we’ve seen as well. In the past he was shown as a scaly, white panther. In the flashback, he quickly attacked a group of Adjuchas and impressed them to the point of becoming their leader. He vowed to be their king and lead them towards becoming Vasto Lordes. This glimpse into his past is actually very touching and provides backstory for why Grimmjow always pushes himself to exceed his own limits and overcome any opponent.

Gin was the Captain of the 3rd Division before he defected and joined Aizen’s ranks. He is known for his nondescript clothing and generally bland appearance. Except that his eyes are always closed and constantly has a large smile plastered on his face. He has the ability to unnerve those around him. This skill plus his naturally mysterious nature give off the sense that he is hiding some sinister plot and is just putting on a fake persona. Gin’s backstory and reasons for aiding Aizen in his plans, for over one hundred years, are heartfelt and tragic. The audience never knew what he was thinking and whether he was in fact truly following Aizen or waiting for an opportunity to turn on him. His manipulation and disinformation skills were second to none. He managed to hide his intentions and his Bankai’s true ability from Aizen for all of that time. In the end, he managed to come the closest to killing Aizen before Ichigo showed up in his new form.

Before his betrayal of Soul Society, he was the captain of the 5th Division. His gentle personality and soft-spoken attitude earned him the respect of his peers and subordinates. Unfortunately, it was just an illusion that covered up his treacherous and selfish nature. Once he departed from Soul Society, he showed his true colors and led an army of Arrancar in a war against his former comrades. On more than one occasion, Espada have mentioned that the Arrancar follow Aizen because he is a being without fear. This is one of the many reasons for why he is such an attractive character. Aizen was the ultimate bad guy of the series. He outsmarted all of the other Shinigami and even pitted them against each other a few times. He felt that everyone (except Urahara) was beneath him in terms of intelligence and strategy. In fact, Aizen spent over one hundred years and sacrificed hundreds of Shinigami in order to create the Hougyoku. Everything up to the final showdown had been according to his plan. He was most definitely the Batman of the Bleach universe. Also, no one ever posed a threat to him, until his Gin betrayed him and his final battle with Ichigo. I want to emphasize “final” because in their first fight Aizen famously put an abrupt end to Ichigo’s attack (and theme song Number One) with a single finger. Throughout his reign of terror, he had no problem taking on multiple captains at once. Even when he encountered a new technique or Bankai, he quickly developed a counter and regained control of the situation. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that the only reason he was defeated by Ichigo was because he was the main character. Sometimes “plot armor” is stronger than the strength of an immortal being with hundreds of years of planning.

Ichigo is an angsty teenager who hates school, but has a strong sense of justice. His inclination to fight at every opportunity comes from his desire to protect those around him. It is something that was instilled into him as a young child when he overheard his father say that his name meant “to protect one thing”. Ichigo inherited unique properties from each of his parents. His father was a former Shinigami and his mother was from a pure Quincy bloodline. It’s no surprise that the titular character of the series is also one of the most loved ones. We saw him start out as a normal-ish person with a heightened awareness for hollows. Then, he slowly transitioned into a formidable Shinigami, capable of standing toe to toe with any of the captains. Eventually, he became something even greater than that. As I mentioned before, his unique heritage played a key role in his development of abilities and strength. But, his Hollowfication was something else he had going for him as well. He was in a constant struggle against his inner-hollow trying to free itself and take over his body. This Hollow-Ichigo is a very cool aspect of himself that forced him to confront his true motivation for fighting and wanting to gain power. It assisted him in several battles and gave him access to a multitude of unique abilities. Ichigo Kurosaki was given all of the tools (by the author Tite Kubo) necessary to become the strongest character in the entire series. This could come off as lazy writing, but it hasn’t stopped Ichigo from constantly gaining the top position in popularity polls in Japan.

Among the main characters of the anime, Kurapika seems to be the most level-headed and calculating. It’s quite ironic, however, that among the anime’s leads, he is also the one that ultimately takes on a very self-destructive and ruthless path. With his heart imbued in hatred, Kurapika is one character that few would like to cross. What makes him strong is the fact that he adopts an almost moral tendency to pursue his goal no matter what the cost. Through the course of the series, his powers grow, until such a point when he is able to fell one of the members of the group he so despises. Oh, and his chains are pretty awesome too. In fact, for anyone who doubts this guy’s power, I have two words for you - Emperor Time.

The intelligent, charismatic leader of the Phantom Troupe is our list’s Number 9. A born leader, he is able to keep the members of the deadly troupe in check, despite every single one of them having very strong and volatile personalities. He is also extremely calm and collected, rarely showing any apprehension even in very dire circumstances. What makes Chrollo so deadly is his set of skills that are so well-balanced, it’s frightening. He’s a great hand to hand fighter, using both his strength and intelligence to exploit his adversary’s weakness. However, what really makes Chrollo so formidable is his ability to steal his opponents’ Hatsu using a book known as “Bandit’s Secret,” whose effects are pretty much permanent.

A fan favorite, Killua is Gon’s best friend, serving both as Gon’s ally and antithesis. Personality-wise, Killua seems cheeky and full of mischief. All this, however, is simply a mask that hides an extremely traumatic past. Raised within the confined of the Zoldyck family and recognized as a prodigy in the art of killing, Killua is a very efficient and deadly assassin, literally able to rip out a person’s heart in the blink of an eye. Though he struggles for a good part of the anime due to interference from his brother, who imbibed the concept of him never entering a fight that he is not sure he would win, Killua eventually overcomes this and becomes one of the anime’s strongest characters. With deadly skills that make grown men weak in the knees and enhanced stamina and durability that enables him to take a lot of damage and still keep going, Killua is this list’s Number 8.

Of course, one cannot make a Top 10 list in Hunter x Hunter without mentioning the brother who actually strikes fear in the deadly Killua, his brother, Illumi. Displaying very little expression in the outside, one simply needs to stand beside him to realize that Illumi is twisted inside and out. In fact, he is so twisted that the series’ favorite sociopath, Hisoka, actually treats him as a friend. I guess it really takes one to know one. As a brother, he is extremely overprotective to Killua, though his forms of affection are somewhat unconventional. Take putting a needle in his brother’s brain, for example. Though he is very calm and collected almost all the time, he does have a really scary side, which showed up when he threatened Hisoka’s life when the latter asked if it would be ok to kill his brother. With his masterful use of needles and a personality that chills people to the bone, Illumi is our Number 7.

From the outside, Neferpitou looks a lot like the conventional anime cat-girl, with huge eyes and a very feline appearance. Make no mistake, though, for this almost cute little cat of darkness is one sadistic, terrifying being. When fighting, they love playing with their opponent, much like a cat does to a mouse before cruelly ripping its head off. This was shown in all its cruel splendor when Gon, Killua, and Kite made their way to the Chimera Ant nest in an attempt to kill the Queen before she gives birth to the King. In a series of events which drew a lot of shocked gasps from the audience, the formidable Kite was effortlessly mangled, decapitated, and reanimated for sport by the deadly Neferpitou. Though Neferpitou eventually gets killed by Gon, they have gone down in the anime’s canon as one of the strongest characters in the series.

Even before he became a fully-fledged Hunter, Gon was already a young boy gifted with a unique set of skills that make him a nightmare for those who cross him (couldn’t resist the wordplay there, sorry). With his trusty fishing rod and his extremely likable personality, he is one of the easiest to get along with in the series’ massive cast. However, he does have a flaw, in the sense that his temper and impulsive nature is something that makes him in a pretty volatile individual. Gon grows stronger as the series progresses, and by the final arcs of the anime, he is already one of the most powerful characters in the series, boasting several accomplishments in terms of strength and combat ability. What makes Gon really strong, however, is the fact that his drive is so strong, even when faced with an unbeatable opponent, he does not give up. Reckless, brash, and ultimately dangerous and formidable, Gon is this list’s proud Number 5.

At this list’s Number 4 is the self-serving, self-absorbed, sadomasochistic, sociopathic Hisoka. Portrayed as a man whose desires solely lie in pleasure, regardless of how sick it could be. He has an insatiable love and desire for spilling blood while at the same time having the tendency to spare the life of people he thinks have the capacity to be strong just so he can kill them in the future. Weird? Very. Sick? Definitely. Modeled after The Joker in the Batman franchise, Hisoka is also a true-born sociopath. His values are extremely vague, and what he considers precious today might be trash to him tomorrow. What actually makes Hisoka so scary and powerful is his absolute lack of morals. he has no problems killing anyone of any age, and his tendency to be extremely powerful, to the point where he is able to take down powerful opponents without breaking a sweat.

Though much of his power and accomplishments happen off-screen, Ging’s reputation far precedes him. Famous for being a Hunter who was able to accomplish a number of nigh-impossible missions alone, and his ability to disappear without a trace is something that’s considered special since even seasoned Hunters are unable to track him down. Apart from this, he seems to hold a number of special secrets, such as how to use mysterious runes which are affected by Nen. In the few times that his strength is shown in the anime, however, there is no doubt that he is one of the strongest characters. He is extremely fast, strong, and a proficient Nen user, to the point where Netero himself stated that Ging was one of the most proficient Nen users in the world. Charismatic, mysterious, and a natural genius, Ging is this list’s Number 3.

Isaac Netero is first introduced as a playful, light-hearted old man. However, what lies beneath the surface of his pleasant exterior is a fighter far beyond anyone in the Hunter x Hunter universe. Training his body for years in a mountain and achieving strength beyond the limits of a well-trained human, he was heralded as the most powerful in the entire world. In fact, had it not been for his age (the man’s 110), he would have easily been the Number 1 in this list. Despite him stating that he has severely weakened and that he’s way past his prime, Netero is nonetheless able to dominate most of the allegedly strong characters in the series. Mastering his body, mind, and his spirit, Netero is very deadly in both hand to hand and Nen combat. Though he eventually did fall to the King of the Chimera Ants, Meruem, he was nonetheless the only character who was able to do the King damage, to the point where the already overpowered King felt fear for the first time.

Displaying immense strength and brutality from the moment he was born, Meruem, the King of the Chimera Ants, is the most powerful character in the entire series. Born as the ultimate biological weapon, his strength is immense, as shown by the negligible effort it takes him to kill off a powerful character in the series. What makes him so dangerous, though, is the fact that he is extremely confident in his abilities, to the point where he never hesitates at all during combat. Perhaps the most fearsome ability of Meruem, however, is his Aura Synthesis, which enables him to devour a Nen user, synthesizing his victim’s aura to his own. If this was not enough, he also evolves through the series, becoming more and more powerful. In fact, if it wasn’t for the poison left in his system by Netero’s suicide attack, he probably wouldn’t have died at all. Well-rounded, properly developed, even sympathetic to a point, and practically overpowered, Meruem takes this list’s Number 1 spot proudly.

A franchise renowned all over the world, Ghost in the Shell series was originally created by Shirow Masamune, and brought into the cinema by the hands of filmmakers such as Oshii Mamuro and Kamiyama Kenji. The series itself is set in a universe where the technology of full body transplant from flesh to machine is possible. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex is an alternate setting of the original Ghost in the Shell movie series; focusing still on the heroine Kusanagi Motoko and the members of Section 9 dealing with crimes in the hands of those who misused the cybernetic technology, until one day they encounter a hacker named the Laughing Man, and are consequently dragged to follow his trail all over Japan. The main heroine, Major Kusanagi Motoko whose body was cyberized at a very young age, might just be more badass than Ergo Proxy’s own heroine Re-l Mayer. The sci-fi setting gives a very similar vibes to Ergo Proxy’s world building, even if Ghost in the Shell focuses more to action and a special detail in cybernetics and mecha. Production I.G. delivers Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C in such a way to highlight not only its scifi nature, but also its more mature themes: violence, profanity, and sexual views. If you’re a fan of Kanno Yoko’s music, this series is a must pick-up. Ghost in the Shell as a franchise has been largely successful, resulting in its many works in various media: movies, novels, manga, and even games. But Stand Alone Complex deserves its own shine as an anime series. If you decided to take up on its challenge, make sure you don’t forget to catch up with its glorious second season: Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG.

Kara no Kyoukai might be one of Type-Moon’s most obscure series—perhaps because it was released as movie series and thus limiting the audience for people outside of Japan. Part of what many Type-Moon fans lovingly called the Nasu-verse, Kara no Kyoukai tells the story of Ryougi Shiki, a girl with a supernatural ability to see and brings end to everything with her “Mystic Eyes of Death Perception”. Intrigued by a series of violent, mysterious deaths happening in their town, Kokutou Mikiya finds that Ryougi Shiki is related to those murders. Between Shiki’s split personality, the dangerous supernatural forces, and their growing intimacy, Shiki struggles to find her identity and where her place is with Mikiya. Set around the ‘90s, parallel to other Type-Moon’s works such as Tsukihime and Fate/stay night, Kara no Kyoukai highlights more mature, psychological, if slightly supernatural themes such as split personality, rape, drugs, murder and gore, as well as familiar philosophical concepts often used in Type-Moon’s works. Throughout the movie series, again and again Shiki proves to be such a strong and interesting female lead, clearly not losing compared to Ergo Proxy’s Re-l Mayer, even if her weapon is mostly only a blade of knife. Kara no Kyoukai might lack the scifi aspect, but it definitely delivers the dark, psychological theme, referencing many religious and philosophical concepts that would definitely be a superb exercise for your brain. Its seiyuu line-up does not disappoint either; pairing Sakamoto Maaya and Suzumura Kenichi’s acting, as well as several other top-tier seiyuu such as Tanaka Rie and Hoshi Souichirou, Kara no Kyoukai brings thriller alive through its characters and storyline, leaving the audience satisfied by the end of its epilogue movie.

For many anime fans who were teenagers around 2003, Wolf’s Rain probably brings a sense of nostalgia. Taking place in a pre-apocalypse society in the distant future where all wolves have seemingly gone extinct, Wolf’s Rain tells the story of wolves who take human forms and embark the journey to find their Paradise along with the Lunar Flower who is supposed to lead them to where it is, named Cheza. The similarity that stands out the most between Wolf’s Rain and Ergo Proxy is not the scifi concept or the dystopian society both take place in. It is the theme of journey that the main characters go on to, highlighting its complex story and, what some of us might feel pretentious, concepts. Both shows play with a lot of symbolism that would leave the audience reeling in thoughts. Studio Bones provides gorgeous landscapes and detailed background, as well as amazing fighting scenes. Its soundtracks are definitely something to look forward too, as well—with Steve Conte doing the opening and Sakamoto Maaya singing the ending, as well as Kanno Yoko helming the music, this anime promises various feelings to deal with.

Adding more to the strings of anime set in dystopian, post-apocalyptic society, Coppelion offers a newer, fresher look of recent anime. Following the story of the three girls dispatched by the Self-Defense Forces for a search and rescue mission, Ibara, Aoi and Taeko get into the ghost town of Tokyo after a nuclear power plant meltdown 20 years ago. Called the Coppelion, these girls are born through genetic engineering, giving them natural antibody against the radiation for the sake of their mission, and various unique individual abilities such as enhanced physical strength and senses, improved regenerative ability, and elemental or spatial manipulation. Like Ergo Proxy, Coppelion focuses on the dystopian society through the stories of female leads, balancing philosophical, psychological, and sci-fi themes with fighting scenes to reel the audience in. GoHands’ trademark animation and colors might make Coppelion feel brighter, but it doesn’t mean it fails in giving its audience the conflicted atmosphere associated with anime set in dystopian society throughout the story. The roles of military and government also gives it a similar feel to Ergo Proxy to a certain degree. Those who love angela’s music would be delighted by the opening of this anime. Another appeal would be its seiyuu line-up, which includes Hanazawa Kana and Tomatsu Haruka, as well as Sakamoto Maaya and Suzumura Kenichi. For those who plan to jump into the dark, psychological-themed anime, Coppelion is a good one to consider.

As one of the older dark, psychological-themed mystery anime, Serial Experiments Lain still piques the interests of those who still haven’t watched it. Following the story of fourteen year-old Iwakura Lain, who received an email from her supposedly deceased school friend Chisa, inviting Lain to join her in the world of ‘Wired’, which is basically an internet-like connection in that world. Pulled along by her curiosity, Lain begins uncovering the mystery of ‘Wired’ and the organization Knights who stand behind it all. Lain might not be a combat-familiar female lead, but she is definitely doesn’t lose in terms of strength and character’s interest compared to Ergo Proxy’s Re-l Mayer. If you enjoyed the dark colors and atmosphere or Ergo Proxy, you will definitely enjoy Serial Experiments Lain’s general vibe, as it plays with a lot of similar philosophical concepts and questions regarding existence that Ergo Proxy brought up. Watching Serial Experiments Lain once is not enough—in order to actually understand it, you would need multiple rewatch, and in each of it, you’d discover new train of thoughts to follow.

Yet another glorious sci-fi movie anime series, Mardock Scramble is written by none other than Ubukata Tow, who is famous for his works in mixing sci-fi and dark psychological theme. Set in a city called the Mardock City, the story revolves around Rune Balot, a former teen prostitute who got involved with a casino manager Shell, who later attempted to blow her up in a car. She is then saved by a scientist who reassembled her entire body using reinforced synthetic fiber, and begins to follow her desire for revenge towards Shell with Oefcoque, an artificial intelligence in the form of a mouse who could talk and turn into weapons, clothes, and any tools. Similar to Ergo Proxy, Mardock Scramble is set in a cyberpunk futuristic world where everything looks blindingly gorgeous, but, at the same time, is also dangerous. Rune Balot is arguably one of the strongest female main characters, proving her versatility as she keeps standing up whenever she’s knocked down in every movie, despite her first line being a wish for death. Mardock Scramble deals with questions of rebirth, of what it means to be alive, and like Ergo Proxy, it requires multiple watch to get all the hidden gems in the story. GoHands deliver gorgeous and rather emotional battle scenes, and, in both the second and third movie, breathtaking casino scenes. It does not shy from more mature aspects such as rape, sexuality, and gore. Also of note would be the seiyuu of Rune Balot, Hayashibara Megumi, who brings Balot into life flawlessly. The three Mardock Scramble movies are definitely a must watch if you like Ergo Proxy, or are simply a fan of anime with similar genre.

Already a great mystery expert, Kudou Shinichi age 17 has gained reputation for solving seemingly impossible cases. His life takes an unexpected turn when the two suspicious men he was following gave him a drug that reversed his aging to that of a seven year-old. Even with a body of a child, his intellect remained and continues to fight crime under the new name, Edogawa Conan, while hiding his identity to everyone including his childhood friend, Mouri Ran. Detective Conan is HUGE with 800+ episodes and can get very overwhelming. However, it’s a very good police/detective story with tons of mysteries for Conan and his gang to solve. Stories range from murder mysteries, to catching a gentleman thief. Honestly, I was burnt out seeing Conan doing the “Conan tranquilizing ‘guy’ and use the voice changer to expose culprit” routine for the millionth time. Please don’t hate me for saying that. The reason why Detective Conan is at top 10 because it’s an entry level anime for anyone who’s dying to be the next Sherlock Holmes… with an aging problem who won’t age after 800+ episodes… and manages to solve everything under everyone’s noses.

What if a girl flashes her panties in front of Iridatsu Yuuta? The world ends! No seriously, this ‘guy’ can destroy the world if you flash them panties. Iridatsu Yuuta is your typical young man who apparently got his soul separated from his body. With the vague guidance of a cat spirit, he watches the tenants of an apartment building and oftentimes play pranks on them. Eventually, Yuuta decides to try and figure out why Earth will be destroyed. At first the first few episodes made it seem like Punch Line is just another ecchi harem anime, but as soon as the story picks up, it’s rather a grim story of Yuuta failing to save those he loves in both past and present. Punch Line may not have the same story writing pedigree on the list, but it does show that not all mystery anime has to be something gloomy all the time with lots of blood.

It has been 10 years since Heaven's Gate appeared in South America and Hell's Gate appeared in Japan, and the purpose is unknown. What is known however is people with supernatural powers known as ‘contractors’, emerged after the gates appeared in the world. In the Japanese city surrounding Hell’s Gate, Section 4 Chief Misaki Kirihara finds herself at odds with an infamous Contractor, codenamed Hei. Called "Black Reaper" in the underground world, Hei, like his associates, undertakes missions for the mysterious and ruthless Syndicate while slowly peeling back the dark layers covering a nefarious plot that threatens the very existence of Contractors. The show is structured around Hei and his jobs assigned by the Syndicate. His tasks usually involve tracking down other contractors and eliminate them, and like any typical thriller, Hei is soon dragged into a web of conspiracies involving the mysteries of the gates and the nature of the contractors. Will Hei continue to become the Syndicate’s tool, or break away and become a free man?

A crime solving mystery anime that takes place in the far future. Seriously, a majority of the shows that set in the future are either dystopian worlds of man merging with machine or post apocalyptic worlds where technology was lost and… I’m going off on a tangent here. The story revolved around the Psycho-Pass system that determines the role of a person in society and detects people with criminal intent. These people with criminal intent, depending on the severity of the crime, will be brutally erased from existence using the Dominator gun. Like all technology, the system is abused by a lot of people and it’s up to rookie Tsunemori Akane and detective Kogami Shinya to stop them. This show is not for the faint of heart and it has one of the most disturbing themes you can imagine ranging from typical murder to using corpses as works of art. If you want to see how far a human being can go to commit crimes, then you might want to check this out.

Private investigator Asougi Rin has the gift of immortality given to her by the Yggdrasil, an enormous tree only immortals like Rin can see. Little is known about this tree, more so, why it gave Rin the gift of immortality. On a typical day at work, Rin saved the amnesiac Maeno Kouki from unknown assailants. Kouki has no recollection of anything that happened even though he remembers his name. Rin caught interest in Kouki’s problem and sets out to find out what’s going on. Soon after Rin discovered that Kouki is connected to a series of events that spans many lifetimes involving the mysterious man named Apos, and angels that are out to kill immortals like Rin. We planned to put this in our Top 10 Yuri Ecchi anime, but decided not to because it’s more fitting on this list. What that means is Mnemosyne contains some lesbian sex. What’s that? You’re interested in checking this out? We’re pretty sure not a lot of you are aware of this anime and that’s understandable because Mnemosyne is one of those hidden gems that got overshadowed by popular and mainstream anime. Mnemosyne is a psychological thriller that tells a grim story of an immortal woman living her life as a human and her job gets her into a lot of trouble with powerful beings that could finally end her life. This anime has gore, lots of gore, but not too obnoxious enough that makes anyone extra queasy. What’s the name of the fetish of getting eaten alive? Vore?

Shimizu Megumi has always dreamed of making it big in a big city, but she’s stuck in her hometown of Sotoba and hates the town because it doesn’t have the modern amenities a big city has, except for that huge Western-style mansion at the top of a hill, seemingly out of place against the mundane rural landscape. However, things turned out for the worse as Megumi met her untimely death, and a series of deaths followed after the Kirishiki family moved into the mansion. Shiki, or Corpse Demon, tells the story of a town trying to survive from this undead plague that’s ravaging the town. Initially, the town doctor Ozaki Toshio thinks the town is suffering from an epidemic and soon after, they discovered the dead are walking amongst the living. It appears science is not enough to explain what’s going on. Shiki is a good supernatural thriller that shows both sides and blurs the line of what is considered good and what is considered evil.

I know, I know, the list is kinda grim with these depressing stories, but don’t worry, this entry will lighten your mood! Imagine cyberspace is part of real space and augmented reality is fully realized, and with the aid of special cyber visors, you can interact with things that are physically non-existent, this is the world of Dennou Coil. Okonogi Yuuko and her little sister, Okonogi Kyoko, moved to Daikoku City, the technological center of the emerging half-virtual world. Yuuko joins her grandmother’s investigation agency which helps the neighborhood find lost virtual pets to patching up corrupted space. Yuuko and the gang repeatedly cross paths with expert hacker Amasawa Yuuko who seeks to find answers to the mysterious computer virus that emerges from corrupted space. That’s pretty much it. You follow Yuuko and the gang taking jobs that deal with problems emerging from the virtual space. As they dig deeper while crossing paths a lot with the hacker Amasawa Yuuko, they begin to see new things beyond the virtual visor. Dennou Coil is one of those shows that’s one of a kind, very fun and emotional. It’s a ride I guarantee you will never forget.

The original anime adaption is way better than Brotherhood. There, I said it.Fullmetal Alchemist looks like it’s a shounen fighting anime at first glance, but once you get into the story and characters, it’s actually more of a psychological thriller anime with a dab of humor. You follow the Elric brothers, Edward and Alphonse, as they go on a quest to find the Philosopher’s Stone to undo the damage they had done and restore Edward’s arm and leg and Alphonse’s body after failing in transmutation. Edward rose up in rank and became a State Alchemist. With their rank, the Elric Brothers dug deep into alchemy and along the way they unraveled corruption, genocide, encountering the elusive homunculus, and discovering the true nature of the Philosopher’s Stone. Don’t let the funny reactions of Edward after calling him short fool you because Fullmetal Alchemist is one of the most thought-provoking, engaging and oftentimes depressing anime out there. Oh did I tell you FMA is one of my favorite anime of all time?

Nippa~! Maebara Keiichi is an eccentric city kid who moved to the quiet town of Hinamizawa. He instantly became friends with the town’s kids, and the town openly accepted him. Seems like a great place to live until a murder took place, and the town went to a cheerful place with nice people into something more strange and sinister. Nippa~! Figuring out the mystery will make your head spin in this anime. The anime has multiple scenarios telling a different story and showing different outcomes, and the outcomes usually involve the bloody brutal death of one of the key characters. You try and piece together the stories by finding something consistent. Keiichi is sort of the sacrificial lamb in these stories as he tries to make sense of everything. The best part of the anime is how unnerving it is, like the entire town of Hinamizawa is possessed by something. NO, KEIICHI! DON’T ENTER THE PHONE BOOTH!!! Nippa~!

Yagami Light is the perfect boy scout: He’s good looking, smart, raised by an upstanding family, and is good at everything. One day he sees a peculiar-looking black notebook with the name Death Note on the cover after reading the instructions inside, Light discovered he can kill anyone just by writing their name in the notebook. With his new found power, Light took it upon himself to rid the world of evil. Is Light the world’s judge, jury and executioner ridding the world of evil or has he become so obsessed with his power to snuff everyone’s life at the flip of the pen? This anime is the most unique in the list because the main character is also the main villain. It’s the change of perspective that makes Death Note such a joy to watch. Instead of figuring out how the villain got away with murder by investigating, in Death Note, you watch the villain hatch his plans to kill his targets and avoid getting caught by hiding the evidence and some supernatural help from Ryuk. In order for Light to kill his targets using the Death Note, he must figure out the real name of the target or otherwise they won’t die. This can lead to some interesting scenarios that I won’t spoil. One of the best parts of the anime is the dangerous cat and mouse game between Light and a mysterious man with strange habits only known as L. The man known as L is equally smart as Light and their interaction as foe and friend is arguably the best part of the series. L knows Light took part in these murders, but he can’t connect the dots, and Light knows L is a threat, but he can’t dispose of him because he doesn’t know his name. If you’re looking for a show that has a well-written story filled with intrigue, love, hate, deception, and betrayal, and a strong cast of characters, Death Note is an anime you should never miss.

Shirayuki is just an ordinary small town girl, who happens to have one very unique distinguishing feature. She has fiery red hair. This attracts the attention of the local prince, who commands her to become his concubine. She refuses and escapes to a neighboring kingdom, where she meets the brave prince Zen and earns his trust. Shirayuki then begins a new life in the kingdom of Clarines under Zen’s protection, where many adventures await for them. Snow White with the Red Hair is a fairy tale-like story. Unlike the rest on this list, this show is more of a dramatic fantasy. It doesn’t have the action you expect to find in the fantasy genre. Instead, it displays a romantic story between a prince and a common girl.

This is the story of Maria, a sexy and powerful witch who lives in medieval France, during the time of the Hundred Years War against England. She’s completely against war and does everything in her power to stop the battles between humans. She will summon terrifying dragons to scorch the land and scare the hell out of anyone who turns to violence. Junketsu no Maria has been quite the popular show last winter, probably thanks to its wonderful action scenes with tons of creative displays of magic. It also has a certain comedic element and many jokes and talks about sex, as one of the show’s themes is Maria’s virginity. It’s also one of the purest Fantasy anime of 2015, since it’s set in medieval times, where there’s no technology whatsoever.

One of the most popular shows of this 2015 Anime Fall season, Chivalry of a Failed Knight follows the story of Ikki Kurogane, the lowest ranked Apprentice Knight at the Hagun Academy. He is baptized as the “Worst One” since he has little magical powers according to the standards. However, he is able to stay in the academy thanks to his physical abilities and strong will to improve. On the first day of his second year at the academy, Ikki is challenged to a duel by the prodigy freshman student Stella Vermillion. In this fight, the loser becomes the winner’s slave for life, which later on gives way to both ecchi and romantic scenes. Chivalry of a Failed Knight displays a futuristic fantasy world that relies more on the practice of magic that on the development of technology. The story itself is not very original (to say the least), but the action is quite well-developed and the ecchi/romance portion of the show does its job just fine.

The Testament of Sister New Devil has been the most popular fantasy show of 2015 winter season. It tells the story of Basara Toujou, an apparently regular boy who’s suddenly told by his father that he has two little sisters. He now has to learn how to be an older brother, which becomes more difficult than it should, as his little sisters turn out to be demons. He’s not as ordinary as he looks either, though. This is a fantasy harem story with strong comedic elements, some romance and lots of fan service. The action scenes are all in all quite good, but the show clearly focuses on the ecchi side. If you’re into both fantasy and ecchi anime, this one is the right choice for you.

The legend says that whenever the Demon God awakes, the Goddess of Fate will choose six heroes and grant them the power to defeat the forces of evil. These are known as the Heroes of the Six Flowers, who appear every couple of hundred years to save the world. Adlet Mayer is a young man who’s trained his entire life to become one of the six heroes. Upon receiving the mark of the Six Flowers, he sets on a quest with Princess Nashetania (also one of the six) to join the remaining heroes. Confusion and suspicion arise when all the heroes meet, realizing there are seven of them instead of six. This fantastic story gives a little twist to the classic heroic adventure against evil, since we cannot be sure of who’s the real enemy.

In a futuristic New York, a breach has opened, letting alien-like creatures and monsters in. Humans co-exist with these beings, in a tough city where crime, secret intelligence and magic are an everyday thing. Leonardo Watch is a young boy who has been given the “All Seeing Eyes of the Gods”, and he joins the Libra organization to fight criminals and learn the truth behind his recently acquired ability. Kekkai Sensen is, at first, extremely weird and somewhat difficult to understand, in the sense that many of the events that take place do not have a logical explanation. This is a world of fantasy where paranormal things simply happen for no apparent reason, like giant entities coming out of nowhere to give you god’s eyes in exchange for your little sister’s eyesight. Having said that, once you learn to follow the show’s quick pace, you’ll enjoy the story’s development as well as the action filled adventures Leo and Zapp are embarked on.

The Heroic Legend of Arslan is yet another pure fantasy show set in medieval times. It follows the story of 14 year-old Prince Arslan, son of the great King Andragoras and heir to the throne of Pars. After losing his first battle and facing the fall of his kingdom, Arslan sets out on a journey to recover what’s his by birthright and to fulfill his destiny as the great ruler he’s meant to become. This fantastic adventure takes us through some mythical kingdoms and puts us in the midst of war, as we join young Arslan on his path to prove himself a worthy leader. Aside from the load full of action, the story itself is extremely well-developed and has a lot of drama, since the main character has to face many trials on his way.

Dungeon (for short) takes place in the magical city of Orario, where Gods have descended to give worthy human adventurers their blessing. This is how Bell met the gorgeous, yet of little renown, goddess Hestia. He now wanders the city’s dungeons to rise as a great adventurer and bring honor to his goddess, while also trying to win the heart of Aiz Wallenstein, a beautiful and famous female adventurer who’s completely out of his league. This show is probably the definition of the fantasy genre. It’s set in a magical world that closely resembles RPG games, where characters fight monsters in dungeons using magic and special abilities as they gain experience and level up. These features are probably what makes Dungeon so popular and the top fantasy anime of a 2015 spring season that brought us high-quality fantasy shows like Arslan Senki and Kekkai Sensen.

Gate is another great recommendation for fantasy genre purists. The story takes place in Tokyo, sometime in the near future (21st century), where a mysterious portal has appeared, letting warriors, mythical creatures and monsters from another world come in. Youji Itami, a 33 year-old otaku with military training is awarded for his heroic deeds when the portal army raids Tokyo, and is later appointed as the leader of a reconnaissance team to explore the other side of the portal and find out about potential threats. In this new realm, he will find powerful and interesting supernatural allies. Gate gives us everything we can expect from a fantasy world, from orcs and elves to mages and demons. It also combines the best of two worlds, the modern military warfare and the powerful magic of a mythical land filled with creatures of legend.

When the popular online game, Yggdrasil, is suddenly shut down, the experienced player known as Momonga decides to remain logged in till the very last minute. He then realizes that he’s become his own avatar and can’t possibly log out. He soon accepts and embraces his new reality, as he deems it much more fulfilling than the human world. Overlord is, to many at least, the top fantasy show of the year. This last summer season gave us many great fantasy anime (Gate, Rokka, Akagami no Shirayuki), but none as good as Overlord. This show completely changed the cliché version of the “trapped inside a game” show. It has a simple story with many elements taken from RPG games and an overpowered main character. It is a simple formula that succeeds in displaying the type of world we always wanted to be immersed in while playing an RPG game. The main character, Momonga, has a load full of power and absolute freedom to explore a vast realm filled with mythical creatures, warriors and wizards. Being the overpowered mage he is, there are no limits to what he can do in this world of fantasy.

As the title suggests, the whole anime revolves around mermaids. Akeno however, belongs to an enforcement unit of the mermaid society and she actually keep tracks of the mermaids to ensure that they conform to the rules and make sure that they blend into society. Having shoulder length front hair and a ponytail that reaches the nape of her neck, Akeno has a pine-like shade of green. Originally introduced as a fierce disciplinarian, Akeno eventually grew a soft spot and even felt compassionate towards her peers. Disregarding her job, Akeno was even shown to be quite docile in contrast with her strict personality at first.

Introduced only as a supporting character, no one knew that this office clerk of a talent agency will garner her own fan base despite not being an idol. She is shy, a daydreamer and loves sleeping. What's there NOT to love about her? Kotori has relatively short hair (reaching just above her shoulders), she has bangs that covers her forehead and her hair is coloured a dark shade of green. Her green hair are similar to her traits as she is calm and docile, to the point of being meek. She is also an easy person by nature and honestly, it is always a refreshing experience to see her have some screen time after the idols.

We think that this character can be considered a mad scientist. However, the whole premise of this show is mad anyway, so she is perhaps the most normal of them all. Fuwa aspires to be a scientist in the art of sex. In a world where the concept of dirty jokes do not exist, it is no wonder that science will be curious to explore the unknown. She will constantly bug everybody with inappropriate questions just to further her research. Fuwa has long hair that reaches to her back. She also has long wavy hair. That and her hair colour reminds you of seaweed giving her an unkempt look. While not actually fitting into any broad description of having green hair, the loyalty of Fuwa eventually switches to the protagonists and she aids them during their times of need. It is a main trait of a green haired characters to be a loyal supporter to the main characters - a trait of healing skills as they are support by nature!

Despite having a weak constitution, Asa doesn't rely on others like most of the weaker and sicker characters. She is cheerful and happy most of the time and loves cooking. She is one of the main heroines in this rom-com, so she is a bit shy with her feelings. Her short green hair, tied up in a ribbon and dyed a brilliant shade of chartreuse expresses her trait of rejuvenation. Despite being sick and frail, she does her best to herself and the people around her, happy. She is energetic and lively and also a bit of a tomboy as well. Definitely not the traits of a sickly character!

The main protagonist of the story, Eureka is a pilot of of the NirvashTypeZERO. Appearing distant and aloof at first as well being blunt with her words, Eureka eventually grows to communicate more with humans, being able to understand and express emotions as well. Eureka growth is similar to that of a robot learning the human emotion. Eureka is not fully human but more of a humanoid. She had a hard time at first dealing with interpersonal issues and even questioned them. Eventually, a revitalization of her character shows us a newer side to her, one that is more sympathetic and understanding towards others. Eureka has very short hair, her hair is pinned up in front and she has a very light shade of green

A bubbly singer, a hyperactive child, cheerful and optimistic is what describes Ranka. This positive individual brings joy to the world. Yet, she harbours a dark past and it can even be said that she wears a mask to conceal her true emotions most of the time. While her positivity and energy is merely a facade, Ranka is a highly developed character as much emphasis is placed in exploring her persona. She has short hair (and an ahoge!) and has a nice dark shade of juniper green. Like her green hair, she shows a calm, peaceful and happy exterior, but behind the foliage of a forest lies a hidden and dark secret. Nevertheless, she is still a lovable character!

Rarely speaking and having hawk like eyes, Minami is thought to be scary and unfriendly. However, she has a very kind side to her and cares deeply for just about anybody. Even amongst friends, she doesn't speak much and is easily embarrassed when others remarked about her kind nature. Minami plays the role of a loyal support. She won't leave her friends behind and would rather not be recognised for any of her kind deeds. Her warm personality brings comfort to the people around her especially her best friend in the series, Yutaka Kobayakawa. Minami has short and bright lime green hair

Simply known as Tsuruya in the series, she plays the support role in the anime and is the close friend of the popular Mikuru Asahina. Fun, bubbly, cheerful and hyperactive, her personality won her a fan base despite being a side character. In addition to her cheerful personality, Tsuruya also has a peculiar but adorable speech pattern by leaving a syllable out when she speaks some times. Tsuruya upbeat attitude shows the rejuvenating and refreshing side to the series. The side character's role after all is to add comic relief and provide light heartedness to the series after prolonged exposure to the same storyline. She has a darker shade of green, almost like a clover long, waist length hair which flows freely . This is the reason as to why we are putting her on Number 3.

Next on the list is the Sonozaki twins. During the course of the anime, if you are unable to discern between the two, don't worry, you're not alone. While there are much confusion, there is a way to discern between the two. Mion is the more tomboyish and rash twin whereas Shion is the more refined and shrewd of the twin. Due to the premise of the story, both twins have equal dark secrets to hide. Their green hair is a representation of the secrets they harbour and they both appear fun-loving and innocent. As the story progresses, their history and dark pasts comes to the surface which comes as a total shock to many of fans of the anime. Both of the twins have long bright mint green hair but while Mion keeps her hair tied up in a long ponytail, Shion keeps her tied up with at back with a ribbon.

It is a pleasant surprise that one of the best shows of 2015 came from a relative newcomer of a director, albeit one who has a wealth of experience. Miura’s involvement in Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works marks the second time he has helmed the role of director after his debut in 2008 with the 6th Kara no Kyoukai film, making his directorial resume exclusive to adaptations of original works crafted by Type-Moon. The 2015 Fate adaptation is a particularly intriguing point of reference as it serves as a second attempt to capture the Unlimited Blade Works storyline in anime form after Studio Deen’s less than satisfying attempt in 2010. Despite being a TV series, the 2015 adaptation succeeds not only in telling the story in an engaging and comparatively coherent manner, but also in looking a whole lot nicer. While it being produced by Studio ufotable, known for making only the most gorgeous of anime in recent years, definitely made a huge difference, the adaptation’s tendency to convey subtle messages through scene composition and visual symbolism is an indication of Miura’s competency and experience. Miura’s short directorial resume hides the wealth of experience he has as an animator, episode director and storyboard artist for many of ufotable’s other works. If anything, his consistent involvement in ufotable works and increment in creative responsibility for them as the years pass makes him a reliable name to look for in a well-balanced and entertaining anime.

Most anime fans todays are split between supporting and absolutely loathing the high school genre of anime shows, which is understandable since there still is not much of a fine line between using modern anime aesthetics to draw in viewers to a meaningful story and pandering to mindless fans who just want to have a good time. Lately though, there have been a few shows trying to prove that it is possible to do both at the same time. Kamei’s major and only directorial effort in 2015 is a one cour high school romance show named Saenai Heroine no Sodatekata (Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend) which aired in the beginning of the year. Commonly shorthanded as Saekano, this show follows the footsteps of Lucky Star and Oreimo in exploring the bizarreness of Otaku lifestyles in Japan while also telling engaging personal stories of its charming cast. This sets the stage perfectly for Kamei’s to show his proficiency in handling both full-on pandering shows (Oreshura) and touching relationship stories (Usagi Drop), of which he creates a memorable package combining the two aspects in Saekano. More importantly, Saekano is a nice follow-up to his previous efforts as director in Ryuugajou Nanana no Maizoukin, which had heaps of potential and attempted to adhere to a similar tone but was evident of his inexperience. Hopefully, Kamei can develop his talents for the recently greenlighted second season of Saekano.

One Punch Man is probably the most hyped for anime this year. The expectations that fans of Murata’s manga could not have been met without it being one of the best action series ever. Thankfully, Natsume does just that by bringing together possibly the most prolific animation team for a one cour TV series and adapt into anime form a product so refined and well-crafted that not even the most cynical of Murata’s manga fans can find much fault in. Natsume is also an individual who has a wealth of experience as an animator and episode director but not so for being a director. His only other directorial efforts are for the Space Dandy franchise, meaning that he must have been doing something very good there in order for him to be given the responsibility to adapt One Punch Man; needlessly to say, there is much about him that made him the right choice. Natsume’s animation experience put legendary shows from the 2000s such as Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann and Tatamy Galaxy under his resume, familiarising him with anime chockful high-octane scenes that are not only cool to look at, but are also meaningful. His ability to form hyper-competent production teams, as must have been the case for One Punch Man, and his promising record of past contributions to the anime world makes him a director that everyone should expect the best from in his future works.

Unlike the previous three entries, Asaka Morio is no newcomer to directing anime. In fact, his record as a director is full of so many good shows that it would not have been at all surprising for him to be higher on this list. Asaka only directed Ore Monogatari!! this year, a show which called for a creative mind who was capable of expressing the delicate and subdued aspects of its characters. Anime fans who are familiar with the more popular of Asaka’s previous works, namely Chihayafuru, Nana and Cardcaptor Sakura, may see how his tendency to tell an entire story through his shot composition and lighting leads to a dynamic and appealing adaptation, especially considering the original story was a shoujo manga. However, Asaka’s proven competency actually makes Ore Monogatari!! somewhat of a disappointment as it fails to engage the viewer to the same degree that some of his previous shows did. Fans of Chihayafuru in particular might remember how the emotional stakes of some of the later matches kept them at the edge of their seats.

No veteran anime watcher could have possibly expected Nagai Tatsuyuki to be a director for a serious Alternate Universe Gundam show. It simply was not considered in the realm of possibility. A space meteor might could have fallen onto the surface of the Earth before it happened. But alas, we live in a world where Tomino’s G no Reconguista is a massive flop and Nagai’s contribution to Iron-Blooded Orphans might make it the best addition to the TV series part of the Gundam franchise in the past two decades. While Nagai’s most popular work is undoubtedly To Aru Kagaku no Railgun, his directorial style is best understood by examining his adaptations of Toradora! and Honey and Clover II. Nagai’s works often lead to the viewers forming very strong emotional connections with their characters because of his uncanny ability to make them feel real, and he manages to do so without their interactions ever feeling unnatural. In effect, Iron-Blooded Orphans becomes the first Gundam show in a long while to really put an effort in fleshing out its characters, putting a whole half a series in doing so before leaping into the action-packed fights and political conflicts that the Gundam franchise is known for. As of now, the show is still unfinished but has already accomplished through one cour what many Gundam shows have failed to do altogether. Nagai is also one of the few directors in this list who took part in more than one anime released this year, having also directed the film Kokoro ga Sakebi Tagatte Irunda. Unfortunately, the film has yet to be made widely accessible to Western fans and was not taken into account for this list, but it is easy to see how it could have raised Nagai’s by a place or two.

Ando’s major work this year is Akagami no Shirayuki-hime, which honestly had much less to do with its allusion to Snow White than some may have expected. Regardless, the show is a definitely example not only of shoujo shows done right, but also done to excellence. While much of this surely has to do with the quality of the original manga, there is quite a few aspects of creative brilliance in the anime adaptation. Although Ando is not known for making anime that are popular or have really memorable stories, the closest to which being his work as an animation director to the Cowboy Bebop movie nearly two decades ago, he demonstrates repeatedly his aptitude in formulating an aesthetic style that are really fitting for his shows. For Akagami, he creates a world that can be both bright and fairy tale-like or grim and dangerous, depending on the situation that the characters face. Careful attention is given to the lighting and colour palette in order to accentuate the mood of the scene and the plot is carefully constructed so that we learn about but the world and the characters at a comfortable pace. Ando is a well-rounded director whose greatest flaw is probably not being recipient to better source materials, which is not to excuse some of the writing problems in Canaan. Him directing Akagami no Shirayuki-hime proves that he is capable of fulfilling the potential of well-written manga and the second season of it, which is airing in the upcoming 2016 Winter season, promises to be among the best of its peers. On a side note, Ando has also funded through Kickstarter a 30 minute long short anime named Under the Dog. To be released next year, this work may be the follow-up to the cyberpunk anime from yesteryear that many anime fans are looking for.

In my humble opinion, Oikawa should have been higher on this list even considering the ridiculousness of the top three directors this year. However, to describe the precise reason would require an explanation that skirts dangerously with spoilers for a certain show, thus leading to this compromise. Other than directing two seasons of Minami-ke and being part of the key animation team for Honey and Clover, Oikawa has no significant role in making anime. There is little to speak of for his directorial style either, since the former could not have much to do with his adaptation of the second season of Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Come wa Machigatteiru, oftentimes abbreviated as Oregairu. The fact that there is little to comment about his past makes his work this year a real curve ball that no one could have predicted. As his only directorial effort this year, Oregairu Zoku is most notable for being a sequel to a rather memorable anime from 2013 that turned many heads because of its likeable characters and comedy. In the transition process to its second season, Feel replaces Brain Base as the animation studio and brings in an entirely new creative team, meaning that everything that was set as precedent was thrown out other than the voice actors and the singer of the OP, yanaginagi. As such, the second season can be thought of as a completely different work to follow-up an already competent anime series, meaning that it was probably more reasonable to expect it to worsen in quality than anything else. In reality, not only is Zoku an improvement in many different technical aspects of the first season, it is also a brilliant adaptation to the interpersonal character stories of the original light novel series’ latter half that could easily have failed if it were not for the creative sense that the show exhibits. More than anything else, Oikawa creates some of the best dialogue-centric scenes that can be found in any anime and that, in combination to his knack of depicting character through subtle motions, is a talent that does wonders.

Kyogoku Takahiko directed the entire Love Live! franchise. All the music videos you can find of Muse’s catchy tunes, Kyogoku is the mind behind them. How can a single individual even handle that much creative responsibility? To put it simply, the two seasons of Love Live! shows that Kyogoku is capable of making use amateur voice actors and characters who are supposed to be underdeveloped by design and tell engaging stories. As the only addition to the franchise this year was Love Live! The School Idol Movie, it may be appropriate to devote more attention on his other work this year, GATE: Jieitai Kanochi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri. GATE as an anime adaptation to a popular manga is rather notable for employing a significantly different art style in order to make it easier for characters to move on screen. However, just a glance at the promo material shows that a significant amount of attention was placed in both the character designs and the background art. Few other series released this year had this much detail to every little thing that came onto screen and almost no show had as strong an opening set of episodes as GATE did in immersing the viewer into its setting. This really pays off when the plot reaches a plateau, and the detailed traits of each character really help keep the show interesting even when it has no right to be. Kyogoku is therefore on his way to mastering the art of making not-very-cool things a lot more intriguing than its concept suggest. He did so with Love Live!, which really should not have been more than a collection of musical videos, as he will probably solidify his status as a legendary director soon enough when another potential mega-franchise reaches his hands.

Ishihara Tatsuya directed most of the better KyoAni. He then decided that his track record was not pristine enough and decided to defy all expectations by making a masterpiece out of Hibike! Euphonium. Kyoto Animation is one of those studios where some fans have mixed feelings towards not because they make bad anime, but because they sometimes release a show that ends up being decent instead of really, really good. Hibike! Euphonium is really, really good when it was perceived by many fans to mirror K-On!, a less impressive KyoAni series, and may possibly end up being the studio’s most iconic franchise if the following season and films are anywhere as good. Ishihara, being a participant to almost every KyoAni work in some way, is therefore an essential creative mind that is responsible for the studio’s consistent quality. His directing style revolves around the studio’s capacity of producing extremely high production value shows, of which he maximises the potential of by exploring all avenues of scene composition including lighting, body language, music and an absolutely phenomenal attention to movement. It is difficult to round up what Ishihara does well because he does everything well. For as long as Kyoto Animation and Ishihara keep making anime, there is no valid argument for people claiming that anime is dead.

It is likely that if you took interest in this article, you have also taken to heart Shirobako’s crash course on the anime industry. If not, do take delight in knowing that one of the best anime ever made is still ahead of you. Mizushima Tsutomu’s brilliance lies in his mastery of communicating through the anime medium. Unlike Ishihara, none of his works are technical masterpieces in the sense that fans are wowed by the sheer beauty of whatever is on screen. Instead, Mizushima creates engaging and fulfilling moments in his storytelling by knowing exactly the kind of story he wants to tell and understanding the absolute limits of the anime medium. In effect, he is not afraid of drowning viewers in difficult terminology as he did in Shirobako because he fully expects, rightly so, that we would in our own effort attempt to learn the words used by creators of our favourite shows. What also makes Mizushima the undoubted best director of 2015 is the notion that within a bit over a year, he taught all of us what the director of an anime does through Shirobako and showed in real life what he is capable of when he extended the Girls und Panzer der Film’s runtime by 30 minutes just because he and the production team wanted to. He made absolutely every moment of his anime a pleasure to watch by knowing what we as viewers want to see and pushing to the utmost limits of what a production team can do. On a bit of a side note, he also made adapted the ingenious Prison School manga into a just as ingenious comedy anime that as enjoyable as it is revolting, but I digress. To put it simply, Mizushima is likely the man who saved anime.