Netflix has come a long way from being just another platform to stream anime. It’s now a studio in its own right, producing original anime that rivals even Japan’s biggest names. What began as an experiment with titles like Knights of Sidonia has grown into a full-fledged catalog of bold, genre-pushing stories. Some of these shows are adaptations, others are originals, but all of them share one thing: they weren’t afraid to try something different.
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8 Best Anime To Watch On Netflix
Netflix provides a wide range of movies and shows, including anime. Here are the 8 best anime available on Netflix that you shouldn’t miss!
Lets explore 9 standout Netflix original anime that have captured viewers’ imaginations. Each series brings something distinctive to the platform.
9 Devilman Crybaby
A Tragedy Told in Screams and Silence
When Devilman Crybaby dropped on Netflix in January 2018, it didn’t just make a splash, it caused a tidal wave of emotional devastation across the anime community. Directed by Masaaki Yuasa, known for his experimental visual storytelling, the series is a brutal retelling of Go Nagai’s original Devilman manga from the 1970s. But this wasn’t just a revival. It was a full reimagining, compressed into 10 episodes that don’t let up for a second.
The story follows Akira Fudo, a kind-hearted teenager who merges with a demon to protect humanity. But the world he’s trying to save descends into chaos, paranoia, and violence so quickly that it becomes difficult to tell who the real monsters are. The anime doesn’t hold back in its depiction of sex, war, and death, and that raw intensity is exactly why it resonated with so many viewers.
Its animation style is loose, jagged, and unconventional, sometimes criticized for its lack of polish, but it’s a deliberate choice. The chaos on screen mirrors the moral collapse within the story. And the soundtrack, especially the haunting track “Devilman no Uta,” adds to the surreal and emotional atmosphere.
English dub? Yes, and a good one too, with Griffin Burns voicing Akira and Kyle McCarley as Ryo, both delivering performances that match the intensity of the original Japanese cast.
8 Violet Evergarden
Letters That Speak Louder Than Words
If there’s one anime that proves animation can be poetry, it’s Violet Evergarden. Released in January 2018 and animated by Kyoto Animation, the series is set in a post-war world and follows Violet, a former child soldier turned “Auto Memory Doll,” someone who ghostwrites letters for others.
The anime starts slow, and that’s by design. Violet doesn’t understand emotions or human subtleties. But with every letter she writes, she pieces together not just the feelings of her clients, but fragments of her own broken heart. Her journey is deeply personal, as she tries to make sense of the last words her commander told her: “I love you.”
The source material is a light novel written by Kana Akatsuki, which won the Grand Prize in the Kyoto Animation Awards, an honor so rarely awarded that many fans consider this anime something of a miracle project.
The animation is top-tier, Kyoto Animation at its absolute best. From the glimmering reflections in Violet’s eyes to the handwritten letters, every frame feels handcrafted. An English dub is available on Netflix, with Erika Harlacher delivering a soft, emotionally nuanced performance as Violet.
The anime was followed by two sequel films, Eternity and the Auto Memory Doll (2019) and the emotionally devastating Violet Evergarden: The Movie (2020), which concluded her story in a way few anime finales ever manage to do, with closure, pain, and hope, all at once.
7 B: The Beginning
When Serial Killers Meet Superhumans
Don’t be fooled by the generic title, B: The Beginning is anything but basic. Created by Kazuto Nakazawa and Production I.G., the same studio behind Ghost in the Shell, this 2018 Netflix Original blends crime thriller, sci-fi, and supernatural action into one stylish package.
The story kicks off in the kingdom of Cremona, where a vigilante killer named “Killer B” is targeting criminals. But the deeper the investigation goes, the more we realize this isn’t just a murder mystery, it’s a story about engineered humans, secret organizations, and divine-like powers. It’s layered, cryptic, and sometimes hard to follow, but that’s part of its appeal.
Keith Flick, a brilliant but eccentric investigator, and Koku, a teenager with mysterious powers, carry the two sides of the narrative. The anime constantly shifts between slow-burn deduction and high-octane supernatural battles.
The art is slick, often cinematic, with sharp contrasts and smooth choreography. It’s also one of the few Netflix anime to get a proper follow-up, with B: The Beginning Succession that dropped in 2021 to continue Koku’s story. English dub? Yes, and a solid one,with Ray Chase voicing Keith and Kyle McCarley returning as Koku.
6 Delicious in Dungeon
When Your Dungeon Party Gets Hungry, Cook the Monster
This might be the freshest name on the list, but Delicious in Dungeon has already earned its place as a Netflix hit. Based on Ryoko Kui’s manga (Dungeon Meshi), the anime premiered in January 2024 and immediately won over viewers with its quirky blend of fantasy dungeon crawling and cooking anime.
The premise is delightfully weird: after a failed raid deep inside a dungeon, Laios and his party lose one of their members to a dragon. They set out to rescue her before she gets digested, but they’re broke and out of supplies. The solution? Eat the monsters they kill along the way.
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Produced by Studio Trigger (Kill la Kill, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners), the anime combines top-tier animation with comedic timing and light-hearted character dynamics. But don’t let the humor fool you, this is a smart fantasy series that gradually peels back its world-building layers.
Every dish cooked in the show is meticulously detailed, with actual culinary logic behind it. Yes, there’s even a cooking consultant credited. The manga, which started back in 2014, recently wrapped up, so expect a tight and focused adaptation.
5 Beastars
High School Drama Has Never Been This Wild
At first glance, Beastars looks like another “anthropomorphic animal” anime. But the moment you step into Cherryton Academy, you realize it’s something much deeper, a sharp, emotionally complex exploration of instinct, identity, and repression.
Premiering on Netflix internationally in March 2020, the anime is based on Paru Itagaki’s award-winning manga and animated by Studio Orange using 3D CGI that actually works. The story follows Legoshi, a gray wolf struggling with his feelings for a white dwarf rabbit named Haru, while also battling the violent instincts that come with being a predator.
What makes Beastars so compelling isn’t just its setting or visuals, it’s the psychological depth. It dives into societal hierarchies, species-based prejudice, and the confusing space between love and hunger. And despite the premise, nothing about it feels gimmicky.
The English dub, led by Jonah Scott as Legoshi and Lara Jill Miller as Haru, has been widely praised for capturing the emotional nuance of the original. The anime has 3 seasons on Netflix.
4 The Way of the Househusband
From Yakuza to Yakanabe
Tatsu once ruled the streets. He was known as “The Immortal Dragon,” a legendary yakuza feared across Japan. Now? He’s retired, and spends his days hunting supermarket deals and making cute bento lunches for his career-focused wife.
The Way of the Househusband arrived on Netflix in April 2021, adapted from Kousuke Oono’s manga, which has sold over 5 million copies. The anime’s premise is simple but endlessly amusing: take the intensity of yakuza drama and drop it into the everyday world of domestic chores. Tatsu still speaks and moves like a hardened gangster, but his missions now involve finding the right laundry detergent and cooking the perfect omurice.
The show’s animation style stirred mixed reactions, it leans heavily into motionless panels and comic-style transitions, making it feel more like a moving manga than traditional animation. While some viewers found it jarring, others argued it suits the gag-heavy, slice-of-life comedy tone perfectly.
There’s a full English dub on Netflix with Jonah Scott voicing Tatsu, and he nails the straight-faced delivery required for the character’s ridiculous situations. The series also features short runtime episodes, making it perfect for casual viewing.
3 Castlevania
A Western Vampire Tale Told in the Language of Anime
There was a time when the words “video game adaptation” made anime fans wince. Then Castlevania arrived in 2017 and changed everything.
Developed by Adi Shankar and animated by Powerhouse Animation Studios, Castlevania was Netflix’s first real breakout anime-style hit. Based on Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse, the story begins with Dracula launching a genocidal war against humanity after the Church burns his human wife at the stake. What follows is a tale of revenge, redemption, and inherited trauma, told through the unlikely trio of Trevor Belmont, Sypha Belnades, and Dracula’s own son, Alucard.
The writing, led by Warren Ellis, treats its subject matter with surprising gravity. The characters are layered, the dialogue is sharp, and even the villains feel painfully human. Trevor isn’t a typical anime protagonist. He drinks too much, complains constantly, and stumbles through fights. But that’s exactly why viewers connected with him.
The animation is brutal and fluid, with some of the best fight choreography seen in Western-produced anime. English is the original language here, featuring an all-star cast: Richard Armitage as Trevor, James Callis as Alucard, and Graham McTavish giving one of the most nuanced portrayals of Dracula in recent memory.
Four seasons later, Castlevania concluded in 2021 with a finale that felt earned and poetic. It opened the door for Castlevania: Nocturne, a sequel series following Richter Belmont, continuing the legacy in all the right ways.
2 Baki
Muscles, Mayhem, and Martial Arts Madness
No Netflix anime lineup feels complete without mentioning Baki. This isn’t just an anime about fighting, it’s an all-out war between the world’s most unhinged martial artists, each more absurd than the last.
Based on Keisuke Itagaki’s manga series Baki the Grappler, which dates back to 1991, the Netflix revival began in 2018 with Baki, followed by Baki: Dai Raitaisai-hen and Baki Hanma. Unlike traditional shonen anime that pace fights across arcs, Baki skips the fluff. It jumps straight into bone-breaking, spine-twisting combat from the very first episode.
The story centers on Baki Hanma, son of Yujiro Hanma, the self-proclaimed “strongest creature on Earth.” But it’s less about traditional narrative and more about spectacle. Fights include everything from prisoners escaping death row just to find worthy opponents, to ancient Chinese martial arts tournaments, and even a bare-knuckle showdown between Baki and a prehistoric caveman named Pickle.
The English dub is available and surprisingly decent, with Troy Baker, Johnny Yong Bosch, and others lending their voices over the years. But this series thrives on visual impact, exaggerated anatomy, ridiculous techniques, and that surreal blend of brutal realism and mythological nonsense only Baki can pull off.
It’s not for everyone. But if you want an anime that dials testosterone up to 11 and never apologizes for it, Baki is the king of the ring.
1 Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
You Either Burn Bright, or You Burn Out
Some anime take years to earn legendary status. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners did it in ten episodes.
Released in September 2022, this standalone story set in the Cyberpunk 2077 universe came from Studio Trigger and CD Projekt Red, and it stunned everyone. Set in the neon-lit decay of Night City, the show follows David Martinez, a street kid who implants military-grade cyberware into his body to survive. What begins as an act of desperation turns into a journey of love, loyalty, and inevitable self-destruction.
The anime doesn’t require you to play the game, but it rewards those who have. From side characters like Rebecca and Lucy to the chaotic gunfights and chrome-heavy tech, the show nails the world’s tone while telling a far more personal story than the game ever did. It’s gritty, sad, and stylish, with a heart that breaks by the end.
The animation is pure Trigger: bold colors, fast cuts, and scenes that feel like a punch to the gut. The voice cast is stellar in both Japanese and English, Zach Aguilar voices David, with Giancarlo Esposito even making a surprise appearance.
Following its release, Cyberpunk 2077 saw a resurgence in players, thanks largely to this anime. It won Anime of the Year at the 2023 Crunchyroll Awards and became one of Netflix’s highest-rated original anime to date.
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