Joe and his coach Nanbu have decided to shoot for the top of the Megalo Boxing world, but first, they need to train. You may remember that when he fought Yuri, Joe’s strategy was focused almost solely on counterpunching and Nanbu wants to correct this mistake. This approach makes Joe way too predictable in a fight and Nanbu intends to correct that. As Serada mentioned “[Nanbu] said [Joe] needs to stop parrying when you don’t need to and that’s essential. That can be detrimental because it makes you so easy to be fainted out.” During this training analysis, however, a flaw was noticed in Joe’s technique that the show did not acknowledge. Our hero moves forward with his legs parallel and closes together at one point, which we’re told is bad because “from a stance like this … there’s only two things you can do, step back or step forward and the split second it takes can be detrimental [as it leaves you vulnerable]. What he should have done was move his front foot forward first and then push off his back foot to kind of jump forward kind of like a shuffle.” But have no fear, our expert friend was able to assure us that everything besides this one flub was significantly better as his stance improved drastically for the rest of the session.

Due to a stroke of bad luck, Joe has to fight the security guard of a dingy pawn shop, which doesn’t sound very challenging until you realize said guard is sporting an absolutely massive version of the series’ signature punch enhancing gears with metal knuckles where Joe would have boxing gloves. Worse yet, Joe doesn’t have any gear of his own to fight back with. Thankfully, Joe's training has paid off, as we see him much more in control of the fight than ever before while sticking to every strong aspect of his style that we've gone over so far; Getting in his opponent's face, getting him frustrated, weaving through his punches and then parrying, but not to the point of being predictable with it. Joe approaches the fight much more patiently and doesn’t make the reckless mistakes that got him beat in his fight against Yuri, even successfully landing the cross counter he failed to hit the latter with. The battle ends with Joe bending over and charging forward in a move our resident boxing informer told us was a very smart move because it made him a smaller target while letting him keep his face guarded. He then dips past the enemy's punch and finishes with a devastating uppercut. The fight as a whole is perfect for showcasing Joe's progression while building from his foundation in the offensive counterpunch style.

Joe, having decided to forego the use of robotic gear altogether, is ready to start his career as a genuine pro. His first opponent in the international circuit is “Shark” Samejima, a strong hitter with an even stronger temper that’s gotten him disqualified from several matches in the past. Joe starts the fight off with what we’ve come to expect from him, lots of dodging and weaving. Things start to look fishy before long, however, as Joe isn’t punching back. It’s not because Samejima has a good guard, in fact as Mr. Serada demonstrated for us, his punches are far too wild and leave a huge part of his body open for a hit. Eli Sarada gives us a pulled back shot to show just how much a punch like this leaves you open. The real reason Joe isn’t fighting back is that for the first time in the series he’s scared. Samejima’s punches may be clumsy, but they’re also strong and the pressure of facing such a powerful opponent who isn’t holding anything back makes Joe too defensive. He even runs away from Samejima at some point, a terrible idea given that his style needs him to get up close. Serada explained this best: “Joe is no longer trying to win this fight, he’s just trying to survive.” Not focusing on hitting is of course not an effective strategy for boxing, but thanks to a pep talk from his friends, Joe gets his courage back. Joe gets back into the fray with a more relaxed stance which we were told could be a statement from Joe, to say “You’re not fighting the same guy as before.” And indeed, Joe is no longer turtling and defending, but standing strong and making his move on his opponent.

Now unafraid of battle, Joe takes control and ends the battle with another cross counter.

Kohina Ichimatsu is a little girl living on her own. She is a self-proclaimed doll, and one day she decides to call out the fox ghost Kokkuri-san, since legend has it that Kokkuri-san can give an answer to any question. Turns out, that was all in the past: nowadays, Kokkuri-san relies on digital stuff to answer the questions, but he's a klutz at it. Seeing how Kohina is living all alone, Kokkuri-san gets worried about her, and decides to become something very near to a maternal figure: he cooks for her, do chores, and keeps her away from trouble... or at least, he tries. This opening starts off with the suspicious incantation used by Kohina to call out Kokkuri-san. Then, all we see is Kokkuri-san doing chores and bragging about how good he is at it. To keep him grounded, there are the supernatural raccoon Shigaraki, and the dog ghost Inugami, both of them bullying him with their answers. Then, finally we see Kohina and all the other characters, as the setting changes. All of them are doing the Kemo Kemo Ke dance in a disco, with strobe lights and wearing cool suits, while the viewers feel like dancing, too!

Ichigo Kurosaki is your typical high school boy, leading a normal life. One night, his family is attacked by a Hollow – spirits devouring human souls – and Ichigo comes to know Rukia Kuchiki. Rukia is a Soul Reaper, and since she got injured trying to protect Ichigo's family, she had to give Ichigo all her powers, in order to allow him to fight, and crush the assaliant. Problems arise when Rukia can no longer regain her powers, and Ichigo has to fight the Hollows in her place! “Velonica” is the ninth opening for this show. It starts off by showing one by one all the other Soul Reapers like Rukia, who – episode by episode – came to know and accept Ichigo as one of them. Then, we see Ichigo all alone in the desert, and step by step he becomes surrounded by the people who helped him – his dearest friends – and the Soul Reapers. Then, as the song presses, the focus is on Aizen, Ichigo's greatest enemy. In the following frames there's Ichigo fighting alongside his comrades, and all the Visoreds who also helped Ichigo out. The opening ends with Ichigo walking through ruins, surrounded by friends and Soul Reapers, meaning that the battle is finally over.

Light Yagami is a hardworking high school student, and a natural genius. His life changes abruptly the day he discovers the “Death Note”. At first, Light thinks that the black notebook is just some sort of prank, but the truth strikes at him when he tries writing a name on it, and that person actually dies. This is how Light's journey begins; he will try to become the god of a brand-new world, free of evil. If his original concept was somewhat noble, though, Light begins to change in the process... and many will try to stop him. As Death Note is a very eerie anime, the opening needed to give off the same vibes, and it does perfectly. “What's up, people?!” can shake the viewers' hearts, what with all the shouting, and the metal music. In this opening emerges the main concept of the entire show. In fact, after chaotic frames in the beginning, showing some characters, Light, who wishes to become a god, is represented as very imposing; on the other side, there's L, and all the others who tried to stop Light. The opening ends with other chaotic frames, as the song presses, and with Light all alone among ruins and chains, meaning that justice triumphed in the end.

Durarara!! is a supernatural, mystery anime taking place in Ikebukuro, Tokyo. It revolves around a huge range of characters, and the story follows equally each of them, as they become victim and perpetrator of what's going in Ikebukuro. Each of the characters is looking for something, physical or not, and they drift among the gangs wreaking havoc in the city. As we just said, Durarara!! is an anime full of characters, all of them equally analyzed, so this show's opening keeps the same main concept. It starts off with Celty Sturluson – the Headless Rider – on her motorbike, and as the music pumps up we see frames of the various characters. Then, each character is presented with their own name, and some action that characterize them – we see Shizuo throwing a mail box at Izaya, for example. It's a very fitting opening!

Ren Amamiya has just been transferred to Shujin Academy and is about to begin his second year. Some circumstances awaken his Persona, and so he and his friends decide to form the “Phantom Thieves of Hearts”. While in the background, strange crimes begin to happen in Tokyo, Ren and his friends try to reform the hearts of corrupted people. They will lead a life as ordinary high school students during the day, turning into the Phantom Thieves at night! This wonderful opening starts off with the show's logo, and then each character begins to appear on the Tokyo background. The predominant color is red. Then, the frame is divided in two, and while above we see a static background, below there are characters in their everyday lives. As the opening keeps going, we finally see Ren in his second identity, and gradually all the other characters as the Phantom Thieves. A wonderful opening with English lyrics, for a promising show!

The most basic form of life are called “Mushi”, and they are literally everywhere, even though they can't always be seen. Ginko is a Mushi-shi, a Mushi master who travels from place to place in order to study Mushi, understand the effects they have on people, and find a way to treat the people affected by them. During his wandering around, he will meet a lot of people, and offer them his knowledge about Mushi, while learning other things in exchange. Mushishi's opening is very static; during the whole song, we don't get to see Ginko wandering around nor Mushi. On the contrary, those few minutes just show the deepest part of a forest, as the song goes by: all you see is green trees, and green leaves. Yet, we decided to put it in this ranking, right because it results totally spot-on. Ally Kerr's voice talks about a person walking thousands of miles, which is the cornerstone of this anime. Then, the atmosphere is exactly what you'll find throughout the show: delicate themes debated lightly. This opening says a lot, without showing much, and those who have watched Mushishi know what we're talking about.

Satoru Fujinuma wields a strange power, that he calls “revival”: whenever a tragedy is about to happen, the revival brings him back in time by few minutes, allowing him to possibly fix things up. When Satoru's mother gets brutally killed, and he happens to become the prime suspect, his power sends him 18 years back in time. Probably, his mother's death is connected to what happened while they were living in Hokkaido: during that time, Kayo Hinazuki, one of Satoru's classmates, was abducted and murdered. Trapped in the body of his 11-year-old self, Satoru must save his friends and his mother's lives! Boku dake ga Inai Machi's opening starts off with black and white visuals, and both Satoru – the older and the younger – enter a cinema and sit down. The movie played is one of innocent children playing in the playground outside their school: little Satoru and his friends. From a window, the older Satoru watches them while smiling, but suddenly a water flow floods the school's corridor: a metaphor meaning that the peace is threatened. Then, we see Satoru's black shape, struggling with his revivals. This opening ends with the school's corridor neat and clean, and finally the black and white cinema seats empty. This opening can really make you perceive the race against time that Satoru went through!

Takashi Natsume is an orphan who changed families year after year, as each of his relatives found him too strange to deal with. Natsume is able to see the spirits, and that's what makes him look weird. Tables turn when he happens to find the Book of Friends, a notebook that belonged to his long-gone grandmother, who could see the spirits, too. The fated meeting with Madara, a powerful spirit trapped in the body of a maneki-neko, will be Natsume's starting point: he'll begin to return the names of the spirits written on the Book of Friends, to their owners. Natsume Yuujinchou San's opening is very meaningful and touching. It starts off showing Natsume's loneliness, while he walks under the rain, and then something makes him remember his grandmother Reiko, and a gust of wind full of petals makes him realize that the rain has just stopped: a metaphor to say that he's no longer alone. Then, some frames of all the spirits he helped out pop up one after the other, and after the delicate gesture of giving a spirit's name back to his owner, Natsume is taken on the rooftop of his home by Madara. The opening ends with all Natsume's friends showing up for him – spirits and humans – and when Nyanko-sensei jumps on him, and he is about to fall down from the rooftop, each of them runs to rescue him.

Noah's Ark Circus arrives in London, ready to show spectacular stunts, made by what before were considered as rejects: amputees, dwarfs, giants, and so on. However, Noah's Ark Circus' arrival coincides with children disappearances in the city. It's time for the Queen's Watchdog – Ciel Phantomhive – to begin his investigations. Ciel, together with his devil of a butler, Sebastian Michaelis, disguised as rejects, manage to infiltrate the circus... and the curtain rises on a circus of horror. The opening of Kuroshitsuji: Book of Circus starts off right with the circus' curtains rising, and the presentation of the Noah's Ark Circus team members. Then, we see Ciel engulfed by a dark figure – Sebastian – and a lot of frames of his past. When the chorus begins, we see the Grim Reapers and then the circus' members fighting against Ciel and Sebastian. After one last focus on Ciel's eye – the one used to make a contract with Sebastian – the curtain comes finally down. ENAMEL performed by SID is just the perfect fit for Book of Circus!

Tokyo Ghoul revolves around Ken Kaneki, a university student whose weakness is Rize, an intellectual girl. When Ken finally manages to go on a date with Rize, he is just overly happy. That happiness isn't supposed to last, though; in fact, on their first date, Ken discovers that Rize is actually a ghoul – a creature eating human beings. After being assaulted by Rize, Ken miraculously survives, but he is now half-ghoul half-human. How will his life change, from that moment onward? We really had to give Tokyo Ghoul's opening our first position, as the song, the visuals and the very cornerstone of the entire show, are enclosed perfectly in this opening. It starts off with Ken sitting in the middle of a lightly cloudy sky, and then, in turns, we see the two women who forever changed Ken's life: Rize and Touka. Then, the screen cracks and all the other characters pops up too, on Tokyo's background. After other frames implying that Touka and Rize are both ghouls and showing one by one other characters – friends or foes – the opening ends letting you perceive Ken's evolution. If in the beginning of the opening he was lonely, scared, and insecure, at the end of it we see his old self and new self, compared. The opening ends with a white-haired, determined, and darker Ken. We believe that this opening is a real masterpiece, as the lyrics of the song, the atmospheres of the visuals, and its contents perfectly blend with one another.

Death Note has been one of the most popular manga of the new millennium. Setting an unrepentant killer as the main character was a very hard challenge, as Tsugumi Ohba had to make Light likeable, but he couldn’t make him be the smartest guy in the room at all times since that could make the manga a farce. Enter L, the mysterious young man that was considered the best detective in the world, and who managed to pinpoint Kira’s native land within the first pages of his first appearance. The game of cat and mouse between L and Kira was what made Death Note interesting, as the only real advantage Light had was that L didn’t believe in the supernatural. And once he found out about the shinigami –with Light himself forgetting about them- all bets were off. But every reader that was wondering how Ohba was going to get out of the corner he had written himself into when L met Rem and Light got his memories back got quite a nasty shock when, right at the beginning of the 7th volume, L died, being killed by Rem. Because if there was one character who had to have plot armor, it was was L, as one of the main trio, and tied for most popular character of the story at the time of his death. And the reaction of the readers was swift: many readers started leaving the manga, citing Mello and Near as bad clones of their beloved L. It’s telling that the live action movie tried to undo that point by making L apparently immune to the Death Note –only to kill him at the very end, but at least triumphant- and that the American version, hated as it is, didn’t even try to kill L. Since his death seemed to derail what was otherwise considered a perfect mystery manga, L’s death opens our list in tenth place.

If you ask any reader how AKIRA starts, they will probably remember the epic motorcycle chase that ends with Tetsuo almost running over a weird-looking kid with blue skin named Takashi. After that, the role of Takashi and his two allies, Kiyoko and Masaru, is a bit vague until the end of the anime. However, for readers of the manga, the three espers are far more important. We get to know them in flashbacks, suffer as they are used in horrible experiments that stunt their growth but make them look older than their true age, and, more importantly, understand why they want to find Akira. Because they look like children, and they are innocent despite all the horrors that have been inflicted on them, we just want them to survive. And, in the anime, they do. Unfortunately for Takashi, and many readers who had grown to love him, this is not true in the manga that was finished long after the anime. There, once he has found Akira and is running towards him, he accidentally walks into the line of fire of a sniper who is trying hard to end Akira’s threat to the world. He gets his head shot right in front of his long lost friend, who reacts with as much horror as the readers who were hoping to see the reunion. The destruction that follows is also a mirror of how betrayed many readers felt after seeing one of the few characters they hoped to see until the end fall dead to the ground. Since no one expected his death, Takeshi earns the ninth place on our list.

When you have the duty of saving the human race on your shoulders, things can get really difficult. This is why the Japanese government decided to create a plan for survival named the Seven Seeds project, where every country would select a number of young people that would be cryogenically preserved before the Earth was hit by an asteroid similar to the one that destroyed the dinosaurs, in order for them to repopulate Earth afterwards. Of course, in order to select the best candidates, tests had to be made, but the audience doesn’t see those until after the apocalypse happens and we’ve been following our “seeds” for a while. And this is where Shigeru comes to play. At first, we only know about him from Ango’s memories, as one of his best friends and a candidate for the Summer A’s team. Whenever we see him, he’s always there trying to be as helpful to Ango and the other candidates. So yes, the readers could imagine something was going to happen to him as he wasn’t in the final Summer A team, but the way in which he died, saving the much stronger Ango, came as a nasty surprise to everyone. Because of how much he affected both readers and Ango in general, Shigeru lands in the eight place on the list.

We’ve talked about the unspoken contract between readers and writers before. There are characters that, unless we’re in a deconstruction or a biographical story, just can’t die. Or at least, won’t die on camera. Children, for example, usually are immortal and the few stories where they aren’t become quite infamous. Main characters, on the other hand, have an almost guaranteed plot armor right until the third to last chapter. Seeing a main character die and not come back immediately is rare. Seeing a main character die and not come back at all while the story continues is practically unheard of. Enter Fuuka. With her name on the title, and the fact that we see her as the manic pixie girl to the much more serious Yuu, everyone expected to see her grow up as a character, fall in love, and to debut as a singer. We want to see her become successful. But no, she dies in the most shocking way possible: run over by a truck. The reaction of the readers was so explosive, that when the time came for the anime to adapt that episode, they decided to make her survive, which in turn enraged the fans who had come to accept that Fuuka died. The anger and rage from this death was so big that even in the manga they tried to undo it in chapter 135, with a girl who was pretty much just like Fuuka, and another character with the same name. Needless to say, despite the fact that the manga still goes on, there was no coming back from the anger that the death scene caused. And this is why Fuuka’s death wins the seventh place on our list.

Going back to the characters that usually have a plot armor against death, we have the protagonist’s best friend. While they can die early on, especially if the hero decides to ignore the call for action, once they manage to survive the first two volumes, we can expect them to stick around and either get powers, or slowly disappear from the story. Akira Nikaido from Monochrome Factor, is pretty lucky in this regard, as his best friend Kengo Asamura not only knows about Akira’s job keeping the balance between the shadow world and the human world, but is also able to change into a shin and fight alongside his friend. But Kengo is not that lucky. He’s incredibly powerful because he has a dark factor within himself. But that makes him go insane, into a berserker mode that doesn’t let him distinguish between friend or foe. And yet, he fights. Especially because he wants to protect his sister from all harm. Which is why it’s very shocking when Homurabi tortures him and then rips his dark factor from his chest. To add insult to injury, then Akira chooses to help another friend instead of reviving him, and when the battle ends, everyone has forgotten Kengo exists. Yes, even his sister. Because of this tragic outcome that didn’t set well with the readers, Kengo earns the sixth place on our list.

In the case of the Young Kindaichi, you just can’t get attached to any character. Every volume of the manga is a contained arc where Kindaichi has to find a serial killer before they kill again. That means that we start with a cast of 10 or so characters and end up with less than half of that. And, sometimes, that’s just because the author needed enough people in the reveal scene to make it interesting. Even so, there were a few characters that have a very good chance of coming out alive: Kindaichi’s friends who help him in the case. Not people we just met that arc, as those are either the killer or red shirts; no, we mean people who come and show up in more than one case, such as Miyuki, Det. Kenmochi and Inspector Akechi. And then, we have Ryouta Saki. As member of the mystery club of Fuuda High, Ryouta decided to join Kindaichi in many of his cases, using his video camera to record everything that happened in front of his eyes. Since that gave Kindaichi the vital clue for the case more than once, it was easy to imagine Saki had won his way onto the main character list, until the case of the Ijinkan Motel, where he suddenly and very shockingly is killed in his hotel room precisely because he had taped a very important clue. As the readers complained, and he was important to the case, the manga tried to solve the problem by introducing his younger almost identical brother, Ryuuji. On the other hand, the anime decided that they weren’t going to go through that and left him alive. One can’t find many deaths that made the anime team just ignore them, so Ryouta climbs to the fifth place on the list.

Kurumi Akino and Uon Hakuron have a romance that is the stuff of legends. She met him when he was wounded, and thus, saved his life; not knowing that he was a member of a Triad family. So she was kidnapped the very next day, and despite her protests, ended up involved in his world. Hakuron, for his part, is not only a Triad boss, he is also a direct descendant of the King of China. Given their differences, their relationship had ups and downs, the most notorious being when Hakuron killed one of Kurumi’s classmates because he got wind that the guy had planned to gang rape Kurumi. Not that Hakuron is that good with refusals either, but in the end, it seems that everything is going to go their way, as Hakuron asks Kurumi for her hand and she agrees to marry him. It’s a classic shoujo ending, right? Wrong. Because when Hakuron relinquishes all his weapons before entering the church and decides to marry Kurumi without any violence touching her, Kaafal, an old friend of Kurumi who was in love with her, guns him dead right outside the church before the wedding. The worst part is that Kaafal had excellent reasons to kill Hakuron: he had been sexually abusing Kurumi in the name of their “love”, and even raped her once, even if she doesn’t remember. But since she loved Hakuron, the audience forgave him for his crimes. Kaafal didn’t. Because his death is seen as a way of “stealing” the happy ending for the manga, readers weren’t happy. And so, Hakuron’s death lands him in the fourth place of the list.

Soldiers risk their lives for their country. That is something we know and understand, even if no one likes it. During a war, there are deaths. That’s another reality that can’t be denied. And yet, when it comes to fictional wars, we always hope that our favorites will survive despite all evidence to the contrary. Maes Hughes was one of those characters. Because he was easily likeable, an honest friend to the main characters and, most importantly, loved his family with all his heart. Every time he appeared, we could count on him showing off pictures of his daughter, and that made some very dark scenes become bearable. Now, by the time the first anime was made, people were a bit wiser to some tropes. While people were shocked by his death, they weren’t outraged. But here, we’re talking about the manga, where he seemed to be the only true ally the Elric brothers had in the military’s high ranks at the time, and where while he was a comic relief, he also seemed to be one of the most capable non-alchemy fighters in the series. And then, just as the readers were recuperating from another heartbreaking death, he is killed mercilessly when no one was really expecting it. A death so shocking, that even now, four adaptations later, there are fans who still hope for a version that doesn’t kill him (or make him a villain). Because of the multiple feelings Hughes’ death created, in a way that even now, 8 years after the end of the manga, it’s remembered as one of the worst moments of the story, it earns the third place on our list.

Ash Lynx’s life was always surrounded by violence. From the moment his brother Griffin came back from Vietnam almost catatonic and unable to say anything but “Banana Fish”, and Ash was forced into prostitution in order to be able to care for him, he knew that he would die in a violent way. But the readers are allowed to have hopes that it won’t come to that. Especially as he not only opens up to Eiji, a young Japanese photographer assistant to the reporter who is making an article about New York gangs, but also accepts Eiji’s offer that, once they manage to get out of the gang war started when Ash started to investigate the Banana Fish mystery, he will go to Japan with Eiji and start a new life, free from violence. And Ash succeeds in destroying those who destroyed his life. We can see that he sees the end of the tunnel, when he is walking to the airport to meet Eiji, right in the last volume. Only that someone stabs him, in revenge for something that happened volumes earlier, something that wasn’t even Ash’s fault. And Ash, instead of looking for medical attention, decides to go to the New York library, write a letter to Eiji, and slowly bleed to death. It’s very telling that more than 20 years later, when we’re finally getting an anime adaptation of Yoshida’s masterpiece, the one thing every fan wants from the adaptation is a different ending. As the grudge against Yoshida has survived the millennium, one can’t deny that Ash’s death belongs in the second place on our list.

Attack on Titan could be easily subtitled “Everyone not named Eren or Mikasa can and will die”. From the very beginning of the story, when we meet the giant man-eating Titans, we’re told that anyone can die, in the most gory and senseless fashion. We barely get to know some characters before they’re eaten, crushed, maimed or all of the above. And yet, we still hold hope that some of our favorites will survive, especially as they manage to come out alive from some real massacres, helped only by their wits and charm. Sasha Blouse was one of those characters. She won the readers’ hearts when she was nicknamed Potato Girl, for her love for Potatoes, and from then on, there were a lot of readers very invested in her continuous survival. So it’s no surprise that when she finally died, it made an impact both in and out of the story. In the story, because her death was caused indirectly by Eren’s actions, he is shunned by many of his friends, including Hange, Jean and Levi. Out of the story, fans’ reactions went from denial to rage, with some even swearing off not only the manga, but any story Hajime Isayama might write in the future. Perhaps the outrage seemed bigger than the rest on the list because it was the first that happened in an age when social media allows the readers to interact directly with the author, but even so, it managed to make other fan reactions, such as the one to Bleach’s ending, look small in comparison. As none of the other deaths managed to become trending topics –or their equivalent- in their own right, Sasha Blouse and her tragic senseless death earn the first place on our list.

Tyranitar thrives in the mountains. It has the ability to summon a sandstorm wherever it comes out, making it difficult to land a proper hit. With the sandstorm cover and its naturally high defenses, Tyranitar is about as impervious as a Pokémon can get. This bulkiness makes raising a Tyranitar difficult by nature, as Tyranitar knows it can take on anything thrown its way. It takes a truly powerful trainer to contain Tyranitar’s raw destructive power. Its strength is also what makes Tyranitar so popular. Until Tyrantrum in Gen 6, Tyranitar was about as close to a real Tyrannosaurus as a Pokémon fan could get. And really, what self-respecting 8-year-old at the time didn’t want the awesome destructive power of a giant dinosaur? Tyranitar also solidified the tradition of the “pseudo-legendary” Pokémon; a fan term designating super-powered Pokémon that were caught late-game but could evolve into creatures on par with legendaries. It was technically started by Dragonite, but Tyranitar made it clear this would be a pattern for the series to follow.

You’re never going to find Delibird used competitively. With low stats and only being able to learn 2 moves without the use of TMs, Delibird isn’t what you’d call the most useful of Pokémon. Heck, even Delibird’s signature move Present has a 1 in 4 chance of healing its target! It’s the definition of a novelty Pokémon, originally created as an exclusive for Silver but eventually transitioned into the equivalent of Pidgey or Zubat in icy areas of later generations. However, Delibird serves a very important function for Nintendo. It’s their one Pokémon created for the sole purpose of being a holiday promotional character, brought out around the winter time to get kids excited for Christmas. In the anime, it mostly shows up during Christmas specials to play the role of Santa (naturally), but it has some use in the games as well. Delibird is occasionally given out during promotional events towards the end of the year along with a valuable item. After all, Delibird is the Delivery Pokémon! What good would it be if it didn’t at least come with some sweet gifts!

Aww, it’s a baby Pikachu! Pichu was created to market two new features of Pokémon Gold and Silver. First of all, it was there to get people to test out the new breeding system. If you wanted to complete the ever popular Pikachu evolutionary line, you’d have to breed a female Pikachu with a male of the same egg group. It was the only way to obtain a baby Pichu. The second feature was the invisible friendship scale. If you wanted to evolve your Pichu into a Pikachu and get moves it could only acquire as a Pichu, you’d have to make your Pichu love you. And, really, who wouldn’t want to befriend it? Pikachu’s popularity has transcended its relation to the other members of its evolutionary line, so it’d be easy to forget about poor Pichu. It’s also the only character from Super Smash Bros. Melee, Pokémon or otherwise, to have not made a reappearance in later games. However, Pichu remains a beloved Pokémon with a history in the Pichu Bros. animated specials. These shorts aired at the beginning of new movies, where two Pichu brothers would get into silly adventures around Big Town.

Did you know some Pokémon have the power to transcend time? Well, really, there’s just the one. Celebi is known as the voice of the forest, spending its days wandering the woods and using its time abilities to revive dead wildlife. In fact, Celebi never showed up in the original Gold and Silver games! Fans that followed the anime got their first glimpse of the creature in the fourth movie, Celebi: Voice of the Forest… or just checked the programming code to find the sprite work hidden within. Celebi was created to follow up on the white-hot popularity of the previous generation’s Mew and serves a very specific niche. However, while the hype for Mew was a little more organic, Celebi showed a lot more planning in its inclusion. The anime actually hyped up the mystery a bit by introducing the method of acquisition as early as the Orange Island arc where Ash was sent to retrieve the GS Ball from Professor Ivy. The GS Ball would later be included in Pokémon Crystal and would start an event to catch Celebi. Unfortunately, though, you could only acquire the GS Ball through a Japan-exclusive cell phone attachment to download it. This feature was dropped in the international release, so Westerners never saw it.

One of the 3 Legendary Beast Pokémon, Suicune is the most popular of the trio. Maybe it’s because Suicune serves more of a distinct niche, carrying itself with more grace and elegance than your average Pokémon. Or maybe it’s because it’s the only one of the three that’s not a headache to obtain. If you’ve got a copy of Pokémon Crystal, you don’t even have to hunt it down. Instead, you’ll have an event with Eusine where Suicune will approach you for a battle without any tricks. However, what Suicune really represents within the Pokémon franchise is the wandering legendary mechanic. This was introduced in Gen 2 where you could encounter Entei, Raikou, and Suicune during a completely random battle while wandering through tall grass. However, they’d run at first sight, so you have to wear them down slowly over the course of several encounters. The frustration of trying to catch a legendary beast in Gold and Silver made the Suicune event in Crystal all the more satisfying. It was a lot more manageable to only track down 2 rather than 3!

Once found on the top of Brass Tower before it burned down, Lugia now resides deep within the Whirl Islands. However, it will only appear to someone with the Silver Wing. Lugia is known as the Guardian of the Sea and is considered the parallel to the firebird Ho-oh. It’s a tankier Pokémon than its sibling and can take way more of a beating. However, that doesn’t mean it can’t hit back! Its signature move Aeroblast hits hard with a high chance of scoring a critical hit. Lugia was the beginning of the “trio master” tradition as dubbed by the fandom. For every Legendary trio that exists, there’s an even stronger, more fearsome leader above them. Technically Ho-oh is also a trio master, but Lugia is more notable for the position since it’s the head of the very first set of legendary Pokémon from Red, Blue, and Yellow! While it was never addressed in the games, the second Pokémon movie The Power of One centered its plot around Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres being used to summon Lugia to destroy the planet. This solidified Lugia’s authority over the original trio, and for that alone it’s noteworthy.

Hey does this guy look familiar? Marill is known as the Aqua Mouse Pokémon, and despite its Water-typing, is generally found on land. Think of it like any other water mammal-like otters or beavers that live around water but still reside on land from time to time. You’ll occasionally find one out in the water though, as Marill stays afloat using that giant bulb on its tail. But Marill doesn’t need to rely on its tail too much, as it’s quite the talented swimmer. Marill can even swim against currents with ease thanks to its heavily resilient fur! Marill was the center of a ton of strange rumors regarding the first generation. Once called “Pikablu” by the fanbase, there was some confusion surrounding what the Pokémon was when Japanese promotional images were floating around the internet. This was before the news was standardized online, so people concocted the wildest tales about where you could find Marill in your Red, Blue, and Yellow cartridges. People were not aware that Gold and Silver were getting prepped for release in Japan. Marill was even showing up in anime specials long before they came out in the US. Finally, though, people were introduced to Marill’s proper name and origin when it showed up as one of Tracy’s Pokémon during the Orange Islands arc.

Gen 2’s favorite gag Pokémon, Wobbuffet looks as if it’s happily suffering through a migraine. It’s actually a pretty passive Pokémon, only attacking when it’s attacked. In fact, Wobbuffet can’t actually learn any offensive moves for itself! Wobbuffet’s only measure of defense is reflecting whatever damage it receives back at its attacker, and even then will only do so if it fears its tail is in danger. If you happen to encounter 2 Wobbuffet staring each other down in the wild… you’re better off leaving them be. They’re trying to fight, but can’t to figure out how to do it. Most anime fans who stuck through Pokémon Johto will recognize Wobbuffet as one of Jessie’s Pokémon. It was used as the butt of many a joke, popping out and shouting its name to the annoyance of his owner. The irony was that Jessie could never accept Wobbuffet as her most reliable Pokémon, as it would tend to fail whenever she entered it in contests. However, battle-wise, Wobbuffet would generally come through in the end. Beyond that, Wobbuffet is notable as the only Pokémon to have ever been outright banned from competitive play. This is because no one wants to watch 2 Wobbuffets waste their PP until someone can finally finish someone off with Struggle. It’s just not exciting.

It may seem like Togepi didn’t fully hatch, but we assure you that’s not the case. For whatever reason, Togepi’s shell is actually part of its body, making it this strange half-broken egg creature. But maybe that’s why it’s so cute. After all, Togepi’s design just makes it so fit for babying! All Togepi can do is waddle around with those nubby legs. It’s a total crybaby too, which just makes it the perfect Pokémon for mothering. More to the point, Togepi was introduced in the anime fairly early on, before even the very first storyline in Kanto ended. This means for many people who stopped watching the Pokémon anime past the first generation, Togepi is perhaps the only Gen 2 Pokémon they’re intimately familiar with. Considering how much The Pokémon Company pushes the original games and anime, Togepi is in a very unique position for any generation past that. Togepi prepped people for the new games before most were even aware they were being worked on, and that accounts for a lot of Togepi’s popularity.

This legendary Phoenix lives at the top of Tin Tower, but will only show itself to someone if they approach with a Rainbow Wing. If you manage to summon it, watch out! This angry bird is scorching hot, housing one of the strongest Fire-type moves in the entire series in Sacred Fire; an attack once exclusive to Ho-oh until Entei received it as a special event distribution. Even with what’s considered to be an unfortunate typing combination in Fire and Flying, Ho-oh remains one of the strongest Pokémon in the competitive game. You may not realize it, but Ho-oh was one of the first Gen 2 Pokémon you knew. In the very first episode of the Pokémon anime, Ash sees a strange Pokémon fly over the rainbow after the thunderstorm passes. This was before anyone even had any idea that there would be a sequel to the original Pokémon games, creating even more of a sense of mystery. This Pokémon turned out to be none other than Ho-oh, who ended up symbolizing the intrigue and wonder surrounding the franchise. Literally anything could be out there, even beyond the games.

InuYasha tells the story of Kagome Higurashi, an ordinary teenage girl living in modern-day (well late 90's modern-day) Tokyo with her brother, grandpa, and mother at their family shrine. After trying to find her cat, Kagome falls into an old well within the shrine and is transported to a fantasy feudal Japan, complete with a variety of spirits and demons. Kagome ends up freeing the titular half-demon InuYasha when in a pinch and the two soon reluctantly begin their search together for shards of the sacred Shikon jewel, finding allies and fighting all sorts of demons across Sengoku-era Japan. An introductory anime to many, InuYasha is considered to be one of the classic shonen adventure stories and is much beloved like its manga source material by the legendary Rumiko Takahashi. With its 167-long episode run, InuYasha had many different opening and ending sequences, but we chose the show's first OP, “CHANGE THE WORLD”, because it best captures the adventurous and positive spirit that embodies the feeling of early parts of the series. Performed by boy band V6 (who would also provide “Brand-New World”, the eighth ending theme), “CHANGE THE WORLD” is an upbeat, catchy pop song that, when coupled with the beautiful imagery from the opening, gets you pumped to see the latest feudal fairy tale adventure!

Living in Belchero Orphanage, young girl Riko has lived a hard life ever since her mother Lyza, a famous cave raider, disappeared when she was young. Yet, she remains full of hope and determination to live out her dream of carrying on her mother's legacy. Cave raiders are treasure hunters that explore a gigantic hole, the titular Abyss, which is full of mysterious artifacts with special powers, strange and dangerous alien-looking creatures, and a host of other oddities like the “curse of the abyss” that causes those that enter the deeper levels to become violently ill, insane, and eventually will lead to their death. Made in Abyss tells the story of Riko's journey downward, accompanied by her amnesiac robotic companion Reg. Made in Abyss was a standout series of its season in many ways with its high-budget art and animation, dark and dramatic storyline, and extremely well-done world-building. Made in Abyss' soundtrack was also phenomenal, including, of course, its opening! “Deep in Abyss” is sung by the character voice actors for Riko and Reg, which is slightly unusual for anime and makes the song feel more connected to the show. The overall sound, look, and feeling is soaring with a sense of mystery and seriousness that, together with some strong buildups, reflects the anime as a whole quite well.

As one of the longest-running and continuously popular anime and manga series, you probably already know about One Piece. Protagonist Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat Crew are on a quest to find the titular treasure, a huge hoard of amazing riches left hidden by legendary pirate Gol D. Roger. One Piece is a high-seas adventure full of swashbuckling action and some added supernatural flair like the Cursed Fruits which bestow bizarre powers and a diverse cast of humans, talking humanoid animals, and more. “We Are!” by Hiroshi Kitadani (and later others, more on that later) is probably the most iconic One Piece song. It was used for the first opening as well as for special episodes later on and was also given remixed alternate versions for the 7th and 10th openings. A triumphant and exciting pop song, “We Are!” captures the spirit of the anime perfectly and works great with the energetic animation introducing the main cast of the series to get you ready to set sail for adventure!

Eureka Seven is a science fiction, action-adventure, mecha anime about young teenager mechanic Renton Thurston who dreams of becoming part of Gekkostate, a renegade group of mech pilots that he idolizes, to get away from his backwater town of Bellforest and become a hero like his deceased father. Renton shortly gets the opportunity when enigmatic Gekkostate pilot Eureka crash lands her Nirvash typeZERO mech right into Renton's room and a mysterious force called the “Seven Swell Phenomenon” is activated within the Nirvash. Eureka Seven is Renton's journey to discovering himself and the true nature of the Gekkostate, Eureka, and the alien world on which he lives. One thing that makes Eureka Seven unique among mecha anime is its inspiration from popular culture, especially music, which is evident throughout the series, most obviously in the episode titles that draw from famous Western and Japanese song titles. “DAYS” is a pop-rock song by the immensely popular group FLOW who have contributed many opening themes for anime like Naruto, Code Geass, Dragon Ball Z, and more. “DAYS” starts off slow with very strong buildup in the beginning that leads to an exciting crescendo verse that syncs up wonderfully with the top-notch animation by BONES. We recommend checking out the other OPs, EDs, and OST as a whole as well!

Dragon Ball Z is a continuation of the world-famous, sci-fi/fantasy, martial arts Dragon Ball series by legendary manga and game artist Akira Toriyama. Dragon Ball Z tells the story of Goku who is now a young man with a son, Gohan. When humanoid alien Raditz comes to Earth and kidnaps Gohan, he reveals that he is actually Goku's brother and that Goku is a member of a nearly-extinct but powerful alien race known as the Saiyans. Goku has to team up with old rival Piccolo to fight Raditz which is just the tip of the iceberg for the foes Goku and his friends will have to face in this classic shounen fighting series. For many, Dragon Ball Z was one of their first exposures to anime and it remains a very popular and beloved series to this day, and it’s currently continuing the story in Dragon Ball Super. While non-Japanese fans might have first encountered localized openings like “Rock the Dragon” in America, “Cha-la Head Cha-la” is an instantly recognizable and nostalgic song for fans of the series that perfectly captures the excitement of the show and works great with the opening animation in all its late 80's/early 90's glory!

After she manages to help save swordsmen Mugen and Jin from execution, waitress Fuu insists that they help her in her quest to find a mysterious “samurai who smells of sunflowers”. The two reluctantly agree and begin the ragtag group of three begins the search across an anachronistic, hip-hop infused version of Edo period Japan. Samurai Champloo is a largely episodic anime with strengths in its pseudo-historic setting, awesome music and subculture-inspired style, and character personalities that contrast and play off each other wonderfully. True to its inspiration, Samurai Champloo's opening music is done by famous Japanese hip-hop producer Nujabes which is a driving force in setting the overall style and feeling of the series. The animation for this opening is also highly-stylized and makes use of a lot of short, mono-colored cutout sequences mixed with traditional Japanese painting and modern graphic design styling. Interestingly, the lyrics are also fully in English, which helps to further create the idea of blending American rap and hip hop music with a distinctly Japanese setting, or as the song puts it “far East style with the spirit of wild West”. “Battlecry” is an excellent opening and one of the most memorable of all time, even outside the adventure genre.

Girl's Last Tour is a post-apocalyptic anime following Chito and Yuuri as they explore vast, abandoned city ruins, military bases, factories, and more in a strange, relatively low-tech science fiction version of Earth after some unspecified catastrophe. Despite the gloomy setting, Girls' Last Tour, and by extent Chito and Yuuri, are mostly positive about the world. The characters' naivety and curiosity lends itself well to the show's exploration of philosophical topics which, when coupled with the interesting and strange world it is set in, makes each episode a joy to watch, just to discover what oddity the two characters might encounter. Like many other anime of this list, Girls' Last Tour has a very strong soundtrack as a whole that plays a major part in the overall experience of enjoying it. Sung by the main characters' voice actresses, “Ugoku, Ugoku” (meaning “Moving, Moving”) is a heavily electronic song with a very strong baseline and a catchy chorus. The visuals of the opening are very stylized and largely feature Yuuri and Chito on their iconic motorcycle-tank-like vehicle going up stairs and them walking or dancing in perfect sync with the music. Girls' Last Tour's OP is our number 4 pick because of how well the animation and music are put together, the interesting visuals, and how the opening fits with the feeling of the show as a whole, all of which are done so fantastically!

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is the long-awaited adaptation of the extremely popular shounen manga series written and illustrated by Hiromu Arakawa which followed the manga substantially more than the previous anime adaptation that had to create an original story after a period of time due to not having manga material to base it on. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is about Edward “Ed” and Alphonse Elric, two brothers how tried to use alchemy to resurrect their mother and lost a literal arm and a leg in the process in the case of Edward. Alphonse lost everything save his soul which was placed inside a huge suit of armor that serves as his body. Brotherhood follows the brothers as they search for the mythical Philosopher’s stone, fight evil, and uncover secrets of their society as they explore a European-inspired fantasy world dominated by the magical science of alchemy. “again” by YUI serves as the first opening to Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood and is one of the most memorable and poignant songs in a series with a ton of excellent openings and endings. We chose “again” and the first opening because of how perfectly it sets the serious tone of the series and how well the animation makes use of symbolism to highlight the core themes of the series, namely sacrifice, corruption, and relationships between people.

Probably Shinichiro Watanabe's most well known work (he also is responsible for Samurai Champloo, Space Dandy, and more), Cowboy Bebop is a science-fiction, action-adventure series about a ragtag band of bounty hunters Spike Spiegel, Jet Black, Faye Valentine, Edward “Ed” Wong, and a genetically-engineered, hyper-intelligent Welsh corgi named Ein. Cowboy Bebop explores a wide variety of themes and has a unique style highly inspired by music, in this case jazz and blues, and different real-world cultures and subcultures ranging from the American West to eco-terrorists and more! Practically every anime fan knows and loves the opening to Cowboy Bebop. With it's largely lyric-less, bebop jazz music provided by The Seatbelts, Cowboy Bebop's opening relies on its stylish and colorful animation to make an impact. “Tank!” makes heavy use of silhouettes, monochrome/selective colors, and newspaper-clipping style text ornamentation and syncs its visuals perfectly with the music, even using trumpet flairs to mimic the sound of guns firing and more. Cowboy Bebop's opening oozes style, class, and has stood the test of time as one of the greatest of all time! 3, 2, 1, Let's Jam!

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is a manga series written and illustrated by Hirohiko Araki that has been in publication since 1987 and continues to this day. The story consists of many different arcs, split into numbered parts with their own subtitle and all of them concern someone named JoJo and, as you might expect, are quite bizarre. Part 3, Stardust Crusaders, follows Jotaro Kujo, a teenage delinquent who finds out that he has a mysterious power in the form of a Stand, a manifestation of his fighting spirit with amazing strength and speed. After he is told by Mohammed Avdol that his stand's awakening means the return of a great evil in the form of a resurrected Dio Brando, the two, along with his grandfather Joseph Joestar (the now aged protagonist from Part 2 of JJBA) and later others, set off on a quest to Egypt to defeat Dio once and for all. All of the openings to the anime adaptations for JoJo's Bizarre Adventure have been top-notch, which made it an extremely hard decision to decide on which one would be our top pick. We chose Stardust Crusaders because this part best exemplifies the journey aspect of adventure anime with the whole series being a journey ever closer to Egypt, and STAND PROUD in particular (over the second Stardust Crusaders OP) because it has a great air of discovery and excitement for the start of the journey. Needless to say, STAND PROUD has an absolutely epic, power metal-style with an amazing buildup that is awesomely paired with a standout, largely 3D-animated opening that takes full advantage of its animation technology for amazing depth and cool camera movements. An exciting and breathtaking opening that is full of symbolism for what the story will tell without giving it away and a killer track to get you pumped for the episode ahead, Stardust Crusaders' first opening STANDS PROUD as our number 1 pick for best adventure anime openings!

Depression is far from an adult-only condition, as teenagers and children can go through similar experiences. Struggling to form their own identities while successfully building lasting connections with their contemporaries, puberty brings forth an avalanche of uncomfortable emotions and mood swings. My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU is all about facing these feelings and trying to make the most out of the situation. Narcissistic and nihilistic, Hachiman Hikigaya is a high school student who masks his loneliness with a supremely arrogant and offputting facade. After submitting an essay with a thesis amounting to "friends are stupid," Hachiman is forced to join the Volunteer Service Club, a group of students who aid their peers. Led by the cold Yukino Yukinoshita, Hachiman is pushed out of his comfort zone and forced to deal with other people's problems. Generally, My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU takes a more light-hearted approach to depression, although that hardly discredits Hachiman's journey. The main character believes that solitude guarantees he will never experience rejection while forgetting the benefits that arise from nurturing a support circle.

While not always a surefire way to fix a problem, a change of scenery can make a world of difference. Calligraphy is a nerve-wracking industry, one that only rewards the very best in the business. While talented and marketable, Seishuu Handa is also an arrogant newbie who is completely incapable of receiving criticism. After an experienced calligrapher lambasts the youngster's award-winning work for being unoriginal, Handa sends him flying with a swift punch to the noggin! In an attempt to punish and teach the 23-year-old some humility, Handa's father forces his son to leave his comfortable Tokyo lifestyle for the rural Goto Islands. Initially, the calligrapher sees this as the perfect opportunity to focus on his work by shutting out the rest of the planet, but the island's inhabitants refuse to allow Handa a moment of peace! Ranging from rambunctious children to intrusive old men, Goto Islands are far from a calm paradise. Barakamon's protagonist is dealing more with a case of narcissism than depression, but Handa's character arc is still driven by self-reflection and intimacy. As Goto Islands' inhabitants slowly pick away at the calligrapher's tough outer shell, audiences are treated to a touching and hilarious coming-of-age story.

While most of these entries deal directly with mental illness or loneliness, some anime are just helpful because of their pure awesomeness! By this point, Your Name. has gained a reputation as one of the greatest animated films of all time. No matter someone's background or preference, CoMix Wave Films' gorgeous masterpiece should be seen. Trust us, this film is worth the admission price! At its heart, Kimi no Na wa. is a love story between two teenagers from completely different walks of life that end up trading bodies at random intervals. As neither of them can really remember what transpired on these days, they start to leave notes to avoid screwing up the other's life. There are a couple of twists along the way, but Makoto Shinkai's film is an animated tour-de-force that should resonate with most viewers. One of the anime's main themes is that destiny can be changed, although it might require the help of a few friends.

As a concept, reincarnation is a central component of many Eastern religions, specifically Hinduism and Buddhism. While each philosophical school has their own beliefs, the general idea is that a soul can be reincarnated a number of times to try and resolve any past issues. With a recently deceased protagonist who fails to qualify for reincarnation due to a committed sin, Colorful examines human behavior from the perspective of a spirit borrowing the body of a deceased 14-year-old boy. Developed by Sunrise and Ascension studios, Keiichi Hara's supernatural drama strips away the masks that many people believe are necessary to survive. Representing unique personality traits and mental states, the protagonist learns that humans are made up of various constantly changing colors. No matter how bad things get, there will always be someone out there who shares a couple of the same shades as you. Even if the sum of their parts leads to a completely unrelatable whole, Colorful proposes that we are never truly alone. Sadness can be overwhelming, but there is always a reason to push on and live life to the fullest.

When it comes to Watashi ga Motenai no wa Dou Kangaetemo Omaera ga Warui!, a viewer's mileage is going to vary depending on how they perceive the protagonist. As she starts high school, the resentful Tomoko Kuroki yearns to leave behind her days of virtual dating to forge a genuine connection with her peers. Unluckily for the young girl, nothing goes as planned. WataMote tends to split people down the middle; some praise it as one of anime's funniest creations, while others see it as nothing more than a parade of mean-spirited humiliations at the protagonist's expense. Tomoko is the personification of social awkwardness and, on occasion, the series ventures into some truly uncomfortable territory. We are expected to laugh at her various unfortunate situations, but WataMote's brilliance does not hinge merely on making audiences feel sorry for the main character. Yes, the majority of Tomoko's problems tend to be self-afflicted, but the deeply troubled girl refuses to give up! Despite struggling with a variety of issues, Tomoko continues to push against the tide to try and improve her life.

Split into eight films, The Garden of Sinners is among the hardest anime series to accurately describe. Based on Kinoko Nasu's light novels, the story follows the investigative team of Shiki Ryōgi and Mikiya Kokutō, who specialize in the paranormal. In spite of the relatively mundane premise, The Garden of Sinners is far removed from the likes of Ghost Hunt or Neuro: Supernatural Detective. Largely taking place in the late '90s, Kara no Kyoukai 1: Fukan Fuukei launches with the detectives investigating a string of schoolgirl suicides committed by jumping off the roof of a soon-to-be-demolished skyscraper. As implied by the series' title, The Garden of Sinners is set in a city defined by corruption, grief, and sadness. Heroes do not exist in this world. Philosophical in tone and willing to get gory, Kara no Kyoukai tackles depression with an unflinching earnestness that rings true. Offering no easy solutions or angelic saviors, ufotable's anime presents one of the most realistic portrayals of the medical condition.

In retrospect, 2016 was a standout year for anime. Besides the highly rated Your Name., Kyoto Animation also blessed the world with their adaptation of Yoshitoki Ooima's Koe no Katachi. Examining themes of bullying and peer pressure, A Silent Voice is a heart-wrenching masterpiece that is simultaneously hard to watch and a crowd pleaser. As a terrible elementary school student with a mean streak, Shouya Ishida sets his sights on the deaf transfer student Shouko Nishimiya. Eventually turning the entire class against her, Nishimiya ends up being removed from school and, needing someone to blame, Ishida is used as a scapegoat by his peers. Overwhelmed with grief, the teenager makes it his mission to apologize to Nishimiya. A Silent Voice is a tear-jerker bolstered by mesmerizing visuals and a fantastic soundtrack. Running the risk of venturing into stereotypical or even cartoonish territory, bullying is hardly an easy subject to accurately portray. A Silent Voice shows that past actions have consequences but steps can be taken to make amends.

In life, there are no do-overs; thankfully, the same cannot be said for anime! Centering on a 27-year-old shut-in named Arata Kaizaki, ReLIFE refers to an organization that allows desperate people to relive their high school years as an attempt to reignite their social skills. Presented with an anti-aging drug, Arata transfers into the local high school as a third-year student and finds himself embroiled in a strange relationship with the cold Chizuru Hishiro. Funny and endearing, ReLIFE is a slice-of-life anime with a touch of romance and a whole lot of feels. While Chizuru and Arata monopolize the majority of the screentime, the entire cast is dealing with their own personal issues. From unrequited love to inadequacy, TMS Entertainment's anime covers a wide-spectrum of relatable emotions while delivering a thoroughly engaging overall experience. ReLIFE's solution does not erase Arata's past mistakes but provides an opportunity to learn from them. Even in the worst situations, there are always ways to ease the tension.

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In any discussion focusing on anime dealing with depression, Welcome to the N.H.K is destined to receive a mention. Developed by Gonzo, this classic series follows the attempts of a NEET to overcame his social anxiety and venture out into the unknown. Actually, that is what Tatsuhiro Satou really needs to do, but the college dropout refuses to open his door. Out of the blue, Satou is paid a visit by the optimistic Misaki Nakahara, who wants nothing more than to reintegrate the NEET into society. Hailing from a rich family and seemingly perfect, Misaki is struggling with her own insecurities and her motivation to help Satou is not completely selfless. While capable of instigating a chuckle or two, NHK ni Youkoso! is a psychological drama that closely examines Satou's condition. Depression can arise from a variety of circumstances, and Gonzo's anime does a fantastic job of presenting different points of view. More importantly, NHK ni Youkoso! puts Satou through the ringer and requires the protagonist to reflect on his own behavior.

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Adapted quite recently, 3-gatsu no Lion is about as close to perfection as the anime industry is likely to get. Split into two seasons, this seinen series sees Shaft at the absolute height of its powers! Backed with splendid animation and based on Chika Umino's fantastic ongoing manga, March comes in like a lion is about life, family, heartbreak, and survival. Reaching professional status in middle school, Rei Kiriyama is destined for shogi superstardom. Due to a rather troubling and isolating upbringing, Kiriyama drowned himself in the game as a means of escape. Despite being praised as a genius, Kiriyama is not even sure whether he enjoys shogi. Okay, that is enough about shogi, as it is far from the anime's priority. March comes in like a lion revolves around Kiriyama's relationship with a trio of sisters who recently lost their parents and the impact they have on each other. Pretty much everyone in the main cast has experienced a trauma, but they find solace in life's little pleasures. At times, 3-gatsu no Lion makes us want to roll up in a ball, but there is always a release for that pent-up frustration! Frankly, 3-gatsu no Lion feels like therapy!

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No Game No Life follows siblings Sora and Shiro, two amazing NEETS with exceptional gaming skills. The duo is unstoppable! Behind the username “Blank,” Sora and Shiro receive a peculiar email challenging them to a match. As they accept, this game is like nothing they’ve ever faced. Sora and Shiro are transported into another dimension where they meet the God of Games named Tet. Arriving in Disboard, the duo discovers that high-stakes gaming settles everything. Where everything is treated as a game, Sora and Shiro are in their element. No Game No Life and Dorei-ku The Animation are both fantastic suspenseful anime that deal with gaming and high stakes wagers. Putting their lives on the line, the characters in both series are incredibly smart, utilizing both elements of strategy and wit. Although differently themed, with No Game No Life being more in the Comedy and Fantasy genre and Dorei-ku The Animation a dark drama and thriller, both display an engaging and entertaining storyline.

Gyakkyou Burai Kaiji: Hakairoku-hen or Kaiji: Against All Rules is the second season to the Kaiji saga, following the life of Kaiji Ito, a man who has an addiction to gambling, but doesn’t quite have the skill for it. Piling on debt, Kaiji continues to gamble to gain back his losses. One day, Kaiji bumps into Yuuji Endou, a debt collector for the Teiai Group. Unaware of this small detail, Kaiji follows him in the hope of scoring big on a game. Kaiji later finds out Yuuji’s true intentions and is royally screwed. The Teiai Group sends Kaiji to an underground labor camp where he has to earn his freedom by playing Chinchirorin. Kaiji must play this high stakes game to live life on the surface again. Kaiji: Against All Rules and Dorei-ku The Animation are two great anime that deal with high-risk gambling. Life or death, our players wager it all, leaving viewers at the edge of their seat. Competition is fierce and the games played are attention-grabbing. Furthermore, Kaiji: Against All Rules and Dorei-ku The Animation contain dark, adult-themed scenarios, presenting the underbelly of this addictive vice, gambling.

Hachimitsu Private Academy is a prestigious all-girls boarding school, famous for its high-quality education and disciplined students. However, this is all about to change, as the school revised it’s admission policy to include male students. With the new system in place, the student body has split into a ratio of two hundred girls to one boy. Kiyoshi, Gakuto, Shingo, Andre, and Jo believe these odds to be heaven sent, a dream come true! The guys set out on the ultimate task of peeping into the girls’ bath, but are unsuccessful! Caught by the Underground Student Council, the boys are placed in the school’s prison and punished for an entire month. Here, we observe the boys undergo the struggles of their sentencing, as well as growth in friendship and camaraderie. Prison School and Dorei-ku The Animation are both anime that highlight the BDSM genre, where the characters participate in erotic and adult explicit activities/fetishes like bondage, domination, and submission. The storyline in Prison School and Dorei-ku The Animation centralize on a ruler and slave/prisoner relationship. The characters in both series are diverse, but many contain a sadistic quality, as well as being unapologetic and exceedingly eye-catching.

BTOOOM! is an anime that follows the story of Ryouta Sakamoto, an unemployed 22-year-old who still lives at home with his mom. The only real achievement to his name is being Japan’s top player of the online game, "Btooom!" One day, his life takes an unusual turn when Ryouta finds himself stranded on a deserted island with no recollection of how he got there. With a small green crystal embedded in his hand, he discovers that someone has recreated his pride and joy online game in real life. No resets or do-overs, the stakes of the game are life and death. Equipped with unique bombs called “BIM,” players are tasked with killing participants to obtain their green crystals. These crystals signify their kills, using whatever means necessary to get off the island. BTOOOM! and Dorei-ku The Animation are two exciting “play or die” anime that get the blood pumping. Our characters are dynamic, with dark and mysterious qualities that draw our intrigue. Mature themes such as sexual content and explicit violence are present in BTOOOM! and Dorei-ku The Animation, so fans of this genre will truly enjoy watching these series. Moreover, the complex scenarios in both anime are exciting and riveting.

Hyakkaou Private Academy is an elite, prestigious school admitting the best, brightest, and wealthiest. The institution, unlike many others, prepares its students for practical, hands-on, real-world experiences. By day, it provides students top-tier education, but at night, it transforms into a gambling den, educating kids in the art of money and power. Those who prove successful rank at the top of their class. Kakegurui introduces viewers to transfer student Yumeko Jabami. Beautiful and talented, Yumeko attempts to succeed in Hyakkaou Private Academy’s entire curriculum. Unlike others, Yumeko gets a rush from gambling, taking insane risks to fuel her satisfaction. “Losers make excuses and winners make it happen”. Wicked, conniving, and intoxicating are a few words to describe both Kakegurui and Dorei-ku the Animation. Both anime are shrouded in storylines that involve intense gambling situations. As these colorful and diverse characters obsessively gamble, we notice how cruel and crazy the ante becomes. Losing isn’t an option for our players in Kakegurui and Dorei-ku the Animation. The mind games and adult themes make both anime a thrilling viewing experience.

Danganronpa: Kibou no Gakuen to Zetsubou no Koukousei The Animation (Danganronpa: The Animation) is about a group of 15 students attending Hope's Peak Academy, a very prestigious school that requires high marks and the most talented applicants. These students are placed in a classroom with no visible exit. Present with the students is an adorable teddy bear, Monokuma, who is their administrator. As Monokuma instructs the students on how to escape, which is also the way to pass the class, the students must “off” each other one by one without being discovered. Danganronpa and Dorei-ku The Animation both share a very similar outline of an environment involving extreme gaming. The students/contestants are placed in a position where they must “kill or be killed.” With an array of colorful characters across each episode in both anime, each dangerous wager forces the players to become threatening killers in quirky and bizarre circumstances.

Retsuko represents all of us who have ever struggled with authority figures or a dead-end job. Though we may not all find our peace in some late-night karaoke screaming, Retsuko’s quest to find where she belongs is something we all go through, questioning what path we should follow next. The depth of moral truths shown in this brief anime is impressive, covering everything from relationships to standing up for yourself. Retsuko’s kindhearted nature and secret rebellious side are the perfect combination for a loveable protagonist. Retsuko is the main focus of Aggretsuko, but accompanying her on her journey of growth are plenty of other relatable characters! Each one of Retsuko’s coworkers has a personality of their own, with some of the characters growing as Retsuko gets to know them. From the cynical Fenneko to the reasonable Washimi, Retsuko’s interactions with her coworkers help to change her. Even as Retsuko opens up to show others her rebellious side, her coworkers begin to open up to Retsuko (and the audience) as well. The cute chibi design of characters in Aggretsuko hides the true nature of emotional depth that these characters reveal over time. We learn alongside them, especially Retsuko, as they learn more about who they want to be.

Just like many of us, Retsuko struggles with relationships, both romantic and platonic. At first, she doesn’t seem too concerned with romance, being too caught up in her job. However, after attending her friend’s wedding, Retsuko begins to think that the solution to her job difficulties might actually be to get married! Of course, finding someone to spend her life with is not as easy as she anticipated… Even as Retsuko goes out of her comfort zone to befriend many of her coworkers, she attempts to do the same when it comes to her romantic life. But instead of finding a fairy-tale ending, Aggretsuko goes on to show how difficult relationships can be. Retsuko finds out she has to be honest with herself in order to have a real, thriving relationship with someone. Aggretsuko teaches us all to let our true selves shine – only then will we find meaningful and lasting relationships with others.

Retsuko also has difficulty standing up for herself to the misogynistic bosses at her work. Through the characters of Washimi and Gori, we can see the type of woman that Retsuko wants to be – confident and respected in all aspects. Even though these women seem untouchable at first, as Retsuko gets to know them, she sees a more “human” side as well. As Retsuko learns to be stronger through her friends and experiences, we also see that this strength is even attainable for us!

Though Retsuko seems like a quiet and sweet character, her personality is actually more complex than that. Her love of singing heavy metal is something she keeps hidden from everyone, even her close friends. However, when Retsuko does start to show her friends this hidden side of her personality, she realizes that her friends actually love that part of her! It is part of what makes her unique, and her friends even end up encouraging her in it. Aggretsuko is full of moments like this, where characters learn to accept who they are as others around them show acceptance as well.

It can be difficult for an anime setting to seem realistic to an audience, especially if that setting is fantastical or unusual in nature. However, with the addition of a political background, a setting can come to life! As we learn more about how a world works, we can understand and naturalize the circumstances that happen, even in the strangest of settings. Including political discourse in a series gives that anime another layer of depth, allowing viewers to become immersed deeper into the world. Because of the effect that politics have on understanding an anime setting, this aspect is often a tool added to otherworldly anime. With genres like slice of life or romance, the world doesn’t often need as much explanation – we assume that the setting is the same as our own world, unless otherwise stated. But when fantasy, sci-fi or supernatural aspects are added, political explanation is often needed as well. The more a world can be set up to involve the audience, the better it will be for understanding. Here is a more recent example of an anime that uses politics to build its world well!

A recent series by A-1 Pictures, Grancrest Senki follows the story of Theo, a wandering knight who seeks redemption for his homeland, and Siluca, a mage who dislikes the path Lords have gone down. After a chance meeting on the road, the two decide that they should pair up, to hopefully rid the land of the chaos that currently engulfs it. Though their journey to achieve their goals will be difficult, Theo and Siluca will meet many valuable allies along the way. Will they be able to reform the system of Lords and the chaos destroying the land itself? Grancrest Senki is a great example of the kind of world-building that political discourse brings to an anime. Using the system of Lords and mages as an explanation that orders the world, viewers can make sense of this chaotic new setting. We see a whole other side to the conflict than just epic battles – Theo and Siluca must use negotiation and strategy to find allies. The extra information gives Grancrest Senki the momentum it needs to become more than just a cliché fantasy anime, lending the plot real depth and development.

Politics also present an opportunity for an anime to change or begin its plot, often introducing the world’s events. Through the use of a political structure, kings rise and fall, revolutions begin, and the setting prepares for the incoming story to be told. If an anime does not have the backdrop for such change, it can feel flat or abrupt, with character development being either sporadic or nonexistent. One example of this can be seen in Grancrest Senki, with the death of two rulers and a possible alliance beginning the series and setting the scene for our protagonists to meet. Of course, there are some anime with more clear examples of politics shaping events along the way. Let’s take a look at one of the most famous anime with this aspect.

Lelouch Lamperouge lives in Japan with his sister Nunnally, sent there in exile from the rest of his family, the rulers of the Holy Brittannian Empire. Though Lelouch exists in relative peace, that peace is shattered when Britannia invades, enslaving the nation and its peoples to their wills. Joining in the rebellion against the Empire, Lelouch strives to create a better world for his sister, even as he gets revenge for the wrong done to his family. Code Geass is perhaps the best example of politics seamlessly fusing with an anime to make it better. Every aspect of the plot is infused with a background of political discourse, creating a thorough and engaging story.

Of course, we all adore our girl Mercury, but let’s be real here – she used ice and bubbles most of the time. If we’re talking about the queen of the seas and the most dangerous water user in the series, Sailor Neptune takes that crown easily. By using her Deep Aqua Mirror, she can unleash powerful tidal wave attacks like Deep Submerge and Submarine Reflection. Along with Pluto, she used these attacks to rescue the Inner Senshi from a trap they couldn’t escape from. She can also use the mirror to predict the future, see the truth behind illusions, and create a shield. An elegant warrior needs an elegant weapon, and the Deep Aqua Mirror fits Neptune’s mysterious personality perfectly.

Skipping forward to a much more recent magical girl series, we have Cure Mermaid from Go! Princess Precure. Each of the four cures in this show has beautiful and highly effective magical attacks to go along with the surprisingly hardcore martial arts that the Precure franchise is famous for. Minami Kaido, heiress to the successful Kaido Company and aspiring marine biologist, becomes Cure Mermaid to fight the evil Dyspear and her army of minions who threaten to steal people’s dreams for the future. She has four different keys that can be used to perform variants of her main move, Mermaid Ripple. The most powerful one is the Sango (Coral) key, which changes the attack into “Coral Maelstrom”. She summons a massive river filled with coral and dolphins, and then charges at her opponent with the power of the ocean behind her. Seems like all that time spent studying marine life was worth it!

Michiru (no relation to Sailor Neptune) used to be a devoted wife and mother to her family, but became cold and distant after she turned into a Contractor. She carries out secret jobs for the government by using her power over water in some very creative ways. Uniquely, she can actually detect bodies of water with her mind and locate her enemies based on their proximity to the water source. And once she catches up to them, she can change the pressure and density of the liquid to drown anyone who crosses her path. And as a bonus, she’s also great at baking!

Ayase has quite the odd approach to how she manipulates water – she uses her hair! With her “Noble Tempest” alter ability, she can extend her hair many meters from her head and turn anything that it touches into water. And since the process is completely silent, she’s excellent at covert operations. Later in the anime, she allows herself to be experimented on and gains new powers as a result. With this refinement of her ability, she can now summon a large sea monster, whip up violent whirlpools, and overwhelm opponents with tidal waves. And coolest of all, she can use the sodium and magnesium that water contains to create rapid-fire explosions! Must’ve been taking some alchemy lessons.

In a world where every single superpowered individual is cursed with an inability to swim, control over water is a priceless skill. Luckily for the Straw Hat Pirates, Fishman Jinbei is on their side. Jinbei, a highly respected member of the Fishmen race, is a seasoned practitioner of Fishman Karate and Fishman Jujutsu. He can use the water vapor in the air to force shockwaves through his enemies’ bodies and send them flying! Even the normally impenetrable Luffy was injured by this attack. In addition, Jinbei can throw a whirlpool like a spear and a drop of water like a bullet. Don’t mess with this guy!

Once a member of the Phantom Lord guild’s Element 4, Juvia has since joined Fairy Tail and fought for the forces of good (and for Gray’s love). And thank goodness for that, since her water powers are fueled by her constantly intense emotions and pack quite a punch! Juvia’s unique ability, among others on this list, is that her body is made entirely of water. She can disappear into a puddle for a sneak attack, breathe underwater, and dodge most attacks by letting them pass through her body harmlessly. She’s also skilled at Unison Raids, combining her powers with Lucy, Gray, and Meredy on different occasions to form combos that can incapacitate their enemies in one hit. As long as she has her friends and her love for Gray, Juvia will keep fighting until the bitter end.

For another unusual take on water powers, we have Unno Rokuro, Yukimura’s Brave of Water from Brave 10. Instead of directly attacking with water for blunt force damage, he takes an approach similar to Jinbei and uses shouts and his triangle swords to resonate waves through the water and incapacitate his opponents. In addition to that, he also has a Water Crest eye underneath his eyepatch, which gives him the power to instantly record information and even extract memories. When he loses it later in the anime, he replaces it with the God’s Jewel – an even more powerful artifact that can directly control all forms of water, including blood. Yikes!

At first glance, Tier doesn’t seem to have any water powers at all. She’s an excellent swordswoman and the third highest-ranking member of the Espadas, but her elemental mastery doesn’t come into play until she releases her Zanpakuto. Then, her normal Arrancar clothes transform into shark-based bone armor and she gains the power to create and manipulate water from the gill marks on her enlarged blade. Along with slicing water attacks, Tier can also boil any water around her with her Hirviendo ability. Even if it’s ice, she can turn it into steam and deflect it around herself. And with Cascada, she can create a massive waterfall large enough to cover several blocks! She’s definitely more than just a scary face.

Devout DIO supporter N’doul is blind, but don’t let your guard down around him. He and his Stand Geb, a sentient body of water small enough to fit in a canteen, were able to drown someone in the middle of a desert! By combining N’doul’s superior hearing and Geb’s ability to hide in the sand, they killed two people and seriously wounded one of the protagonists so much that he was benched for most of the season afterwards. Geb can harden its water form and travel at speeds so fast that it can puncture metal or rip a person’s head clean off. It can also work with the natural desert environment to form quicksand and detect an enemy’s presence with falling sand particles. If someone with water powers can kick ass even in the Sahara, they’re truly a force to be reckoned with.

Spoiler Alert!! She may not be a true fighter, per se, but Lala-Ru’s control over water makes her the most important person in the entire story. In a world where water is scarce, constant brutal wars over natural resources are just a normal reality of life. But Lala-Ru’s pendant necklace has the power to restore water to the world! This makes her a target by those who want to steal her life-giving pendant, so Shu makes it his mission to protect her. This amazing power has a downside, however – every time she conjures water from the necklace, it chips away at her lifespan. Eventually, it will kill her. But in the finale, she decides that Shu has restored her faith in humanity and she sacrifices her life to drown the warmongering Hellywood and restore proper balance to the Earth. For such a little girl, she made a gigantic impact!

Throughout the week, Nekoya is a bustling restaurant serving Japanese comfort food. Every Saturday, Nekoya is closed to our world but open to mythical creatures from another one. To the foreign beings, Nekoya is a restaurant of Western cuisine. Patrons ranging from lizardmen, to princesses, to mages and dragons all enter and exit Nekoya with big smiles. It’s gotten pretty busy at Nekoya recently, so maybe the head chef, simply referred to as Tenshu, should hire a waitress from the other world. Isekai Izakaya, Isekai Shokudou, this was a no-brainer. Only difference is, Isekai Shokudou is a full-fledged series and not a short. Isekai Shokudou has a very episodic narrative, with each episode focusing on two customers. You get to see the customers’ lives back in their hometown, and how they discover the restaurant. When they arrive, Tenshu pays attention to each customer’s personality and mood, then prepares them the perfect dish. It could be a dessert, drink, or a hearty meal, but no matter what, every customer returns to Nekoya.

Had a hard day at work? Have you been overworking yourself? Or maybe you have a deadline coming up? There’s nothing wrong with taking a little break and having a drink to cool your head. However, Chisato gets drunk really fast. Whenever her husband, Sora, fixes her a drink, Chisato gets drunk right away, even if the drink is alcohol-free. Luckily, Sora is here to take care of her, no matter what mood Chisato is in. Love is Like A Cocktail is a super sweet romance anime for adults. Unfortunately, each episode is exactly 3 minutes long. On the bright side, you can finish the entire series in less than an hour. Sora stirs up a new drink for Chisato every episode. It could be a drink that helps with colds, a drink to calm your nerves, or a drink to perk you up. Then, a lemon mascot will pop up to give you the ingredients for each drink, so you can make it at home.

20-year-old Michiru moves to an all-girls dormitory in Tokyo to start her new career. It’s a little overwhelming being the new girl from the rural countryside in a huge metropolitan city. Thankfully, Michiru’s housemates ease her nerves by making her a drink or two. When they’re not drinking, the girls will go shopping, talk about boys, or complain about their boring jobs. Working isn’t always fun, but if you have friends to hang with, the work day won’t seem so bad. Sounds a lot like Love Is Like A Cocktail, right? Another anime short that gives you a new drink recipe every episode. The episodes are about thirteen minutes long, so Takumoni will also give you recommendations on the best meals to have with your drink. With each episode, Michiru spends time with one of her housemates, so no character gets shafted. The characters bounce off of one another’s personalities so well, that it’ll make you want to call up your friends for a casual drinking party.

Yukihira Soma is content with his life. He works at his family’s diner, and is always trying to make a meal that tastes better than his father’s. One day, Soma’s father leaves and decides to close down the restaurant. Soma’s father sends his son to Totsuki, a culinary arts academy that he graduated from. Totsuki’s graduation rate is less than 10%, but if Soma’s father graduated, then so can he. Soma just has to face-off against his classmates in a food war, or shokugeki, in order to survive. Food Wars is a very unique kind of shounen; it’s not a series about superpowers or fighting. Instead, you learn a lot about the culinary arts world, with each student Soma faces. Every student at Totsuki comes from a great line of chefs with their own style of cooking. Some specialize in meats, spices, or Chinese cuisine. Soma doesn’t have an exact style, so he tries to beat each opponent at their own cooking game. Make sure to eat something while watching Food Wars, otherwise you’ll be be craving the food on screen.

What’s the best way to make new friends? For middle schooler Ryou, it’s cooking delicious meals. After school, Ryou invites her friends to her house, and to indulge themselves in her food. Ryou’s food is so good,it makes everyone moan! This is a slice of life, ecchi, and gourmet anime. If you’re not a fan of foodgasms, then this anime probably isn’t for you, since Koufuku Graffiti characters eat food in a very erotic fashion. If that sounds boring, then maybe knowing that critically acclaimed director, Akiyuki Shinbou worked on this series. Not only that, but Koufuku Graffiti is a Studio Shaft work. Therefore, you know the foodgasm scenes will be animated beautifully. Once again, you might want to eat food while watching each episode, otherwise you’ll be trying to stop yourself from licking your screen.

Sasakura Ryuu is known to be the “Glass of God”. Think of him as a therapist who will listen to your problems, and shakes up the perfect cocktail to heal you. Throughout each episode, you go through a day in the life of a future patron. You get a feel for the character’s personality, lifestyle, and the predicament they’re in. All their worries, as well as yours, will go away once the character enters the bar. It’s a relaxing atmosphere with a soothing soundtrack and tasty looking drinks. The drinks look so good, we wish Sasakura could be our own personal bartender.