We’ve taken a look at the 13 worst anime according to the popular website My Anime List, which aggregates reviews and ratings from millions of fans and ranks all anime. While the site isn’t perfect — the community is quite prudish and will generally rank any anime with sexy fan service on the low side — it can be fun to see how your favorite anime stacks up against all the others. So let’s check out the 13 best anime according to MAL in this post!
MAL Ranks the 13 Best Anime. Is Your Favorite Show on the List?
How are we choosing what goes on this list of best anime?
- We’re sorting all anime series on MAL according to their overall ranking.
- Any series gets only one mention on the list. So if several seasons of Gintama show up multiple times, it only gets counted once.
- Remember that these rankings can move around over time. If you check them in a month, they might be different.
Violet Evergarden (8.89)
First up is my beloved Violet Evergarden, one of the greatest things Netflix has done for anime. It’s the story of a fictional country that suffered through a terrible war. Former child soldier Violet starts a career as an “Auto Memory Doll” who writes letters on behalf of her clients, learning to capture the essence of their message, even as she mourns the death of her beloved Major Gilbert. Make sure you watch this!
Code Geass: Lelouch of the Revolution (8.91)
One of the best anime series I can think of, Code Geass is the story of Lelouch Lamperouge, who leads a rebellion against the evil forces of Brittania who have conquered Japan. It’s got excellent animation and story by Sunrise and CLAMP.
Clannad: After Story (8.93)
The emotional second half of the story of Clannad represents the pinnacle of the collaboration between visual novel maker Key and Kyoto Animation. Can you get through it with dry eyes?
March Comes In Like a Lion (8.93)
A popular anime about Rei Kiriya, a 17-year-old professional shogi player with many internal struggles, and how he overcomes them. It’s the highest-ranked work animated by studio SHAFT, and that’s saying something.
Koe no Katachi (8.94)
A legendary film from Kyoto Animation, it follows the story of Shoya, a young boy who bullied his deaf classmate Shoko but has been tormented by this ever since. I can’t think of another anime that’s affected me so deeply.
Fruits Basket (9.00)
The Fruits Basket remake that started in 2019 was the most perfect thing fans could have ever asked for, and I loved every minute of it. Once again we get to follow the orphaned Tooru Honda as she lives with the mysterious Souma family, who are cursed to change into animals of the Chinese zodiac when hugged.
Kaguya-sama: Love is War (9.04)
My own pick for best anime ever, Kaguya-sama was a massive treat for romantic comedy fans. Class president Miyuki Shirogane and vice president Kaguya Shinomiya love each other, but each is determined to force the other into confessing their love first. It features some of the smartest writing I’ve ever seen in anime.
Hunter x Hunter (9.04)
A popular shounen manga and anime, Hunter x Hunter follows Gon, a young boy who embarks on a journey to find his father and become a Hunter. The series seems to have been less popular in the past but has seen its MAL rank rise as fans appreciate the show more.
How should you pronounce Hunter x Hunter? We’ve got a blog post here!
Shingeki no Kyojin (9.05)
One of the wildest rides in anime, Attack on Titan showed us a community of people living inside a walled city with giants called Titans who preyed on them. I remember thinking how impossible it would be to craft a story that properly paid off this bizarre start, but I’ve been happy with the show ever since.
Gintama (9.06)
Another legendary anime from the shounen genre, Gintama is set in an alternate version of Edo. It’s interesting to note that Gintama is the only entry in this list with a strong comedic element. I guess it’s hard to create humor that appeals to fans around the world?
Bleach (9.06)
The long-awaited third arc of the manga, Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War has been a huge hit with fans. They responded by ranking the series as the third-best anime on the MAL scoreboard.
Steins;Gate (9.07)
As a card-carrying fan of time travel and related sci-fi stories, I’m proud to have published the original Steins;Gate for PC. The anime is an amazing story based on the visual novel by Nitroplus about a group of young scientists in Akihabara in 2010. When they accidentally invent a time machine out of a microwave oven, they doom humanity to a dark future.
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (9.10)
And so, the best anime according to the My Anime List website is…drum roll, please…Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. When the manga was adapted in 2003 with a story that differed from the then-still-ongoing manga, fans demanded a do-over. The result was the glory that is Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, a total remake that followed the manga more closely.
Was Your Favorite Show on This List of the Best Anime?
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