The world of anime is expansive and offers many unique stories with compelling characters, engaging plots, and epic moments. While some anime come and go, many deliver unique and memorable experiences. Those types of anime typically contain well-written storylines and characters.
For our ongoing series of articles depicting the best anime, we’d like to highlight the best anime for beginners. From iconic Shonen series to those that are perfect to show younger audiences, these anime will encourage folks to give this medium a shot.
Of course, if we’ve missed any of your favorites, feel free to comment below and we’ll add them when we can!
Dragon Ball
Dragon Ball is a popular series that’s hard to miss. It laid the groundwork for future shonen series to follow and has captivated audiences for many years. It’s an excellent starting point for beginners who love adventure stories with action, humor, and fantasy elements.
The story follows the adventures of Goku, a young martial artist with a heart of gold. He embarks on a quest with his friends to find the mystical Dragon Balls before evildoers can use their wish-granting powers for nefarious reasons.
This series provides enough fabulous action scenes that often put our characters on the brink of death. The story gives our cast great development, making it worth watching for those who value character growth. Many characters receive great backgrounds, personalities, and motivations, making it easier for viewers to connect with them.
In conclusion, Dragon Ball is a delightful action-adventure series every anime newcomer should watch. While the show shifts more toward the action side of things in Dragon Ball Z and Super, you’ll wind up enjoying what the entire franchise offers.
Cowboy Bebop
Cowboy Bebop is regarded as an anime classic by retro fans. This show features compelling characters, innovative storytelling, and a fantastic soundtrack. It’s also great for those looking to get into the sci-fi genre. This show is relatively short with only 26 episodes. This makes it easy for viewers to binge the entire series in one sitting or through several sessions.
This anime delivers an immersive universe full of weird creatures, bounty hunters, and other organisms. It delivers a great balance between its humor and action, making it an easy watch for newcomers. The story follows the protagonist Spike and his crew tackling numerous missions to get paid. You’ll learn about his character and the others gradually over time as they receive excellent development.
The anime features a varied and fantastic soundtrack. It contains some delightful jazz, blues, and funk-inspired melodies that help it stand out from others in the genre.
If you’re new to anime and are a huge fan of sci-fi adventure stories, Cowboy Bebop should satisfy you.
Higurashi When They Cry
Death Note
From one psychological thriller to another, we examine Death Note. This is a unique shonen series that stood out from others that were released alongside it at the time. It’s known for having a gripping narrative, complex cast, and stunning visuals. It’s a great psychological alternative for those who may not adore Higurashi’s weird narrative structure.
The story follows Light Yagami, a high school student who gets ahold of Death Note. Death Note is a book that allows its users to kill anyone whose name is written inside it. Light uses Death Note to murder many criminals under the alias Kira. Even though he’s adored for his actions, a young detective named L challenges Light and vows to bring him to justice.
Viewers watch as L and Light engage in many cat-and-mouse mental battles to see who will prevail in the end. This anime does a fine job of blending its mystery, thriller, and supernatural aspects to create a wonderfully-written tale. It touches upon great themes like justice, power, and human nature in a way that’s exciting and relatable.
For those who love stories with smart characters and countless mind games, Death Note’s a must-watch.
You can read our thoughts on Death Note in our full-season review here!
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is regarded as the best shonen series, according to hardcore anime watchers. It delivers a fascinating story about two brothers named Edward and Alphonse who travel the world to find the mysterious Philosopher Stone. By their journey’s end, they want to revert their bodies to normal after a childhood accident led to Edward gaining prosthetics and Alphonse losing his human body.
These brothers’ adventure is full of action, heartbreak, and mystery. They’ll meet many people who seem kind-hearted at first but are hiding despicable truths. At the same time, Edward and Alphonse befriend many folks who’ll provide them with great support and knowledge about their world. Each character they meet has a fascinating background and personality, making it easy for newcomers to connect with them.
The anime isn’t afraid to place our characters in comical situations. These humorous scenarios give viewers a break from the show’s information-heavy and gut-wrenching scenes.
On top of having beautiful and exciting fights, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is a must-watch anime for those who love stories with great world-building, action, and fantasy elements.
Sailor Moon
Sailor Moon is often regarded as one of the best anime series for beginners due to its compelling storytelling, relatable characters, and its role in introducing viewers to widespread tropes and themes. The story revolves around Usagi’s journey to use her Sailor Moon powers to fight evil. She’ll also have to recruit other Sailor Guardians and find the legendary Silver Crystal to save the world.
The story’s simplistic but filled with enough engaging humor, action, and drama to keep viewers invested. The story features a great cast of characters, each with their unique personalities and abilities. Usagi and the other Sailor Guardians endure relatable challenges involving friendship, self-doubt, and personal growth. These problems assist the audience in establishing a tight connection with the characters and give them reasons to root for them.
If you like series with strong female leads and magic, Sailor Moon is a must-watch.
Fruits Basket (2019)
Anime reboots can be hit or miss. On one hand, they’re great for introducing newer fans to classic shows and often delve into content that wasn’t included in the original adaptation. However, there’s always a chance the newer iteration fails to deliver an experience that’ll satisfy long-time fans of the franchise. Thankfully, Fruits Basket (2019) is a stellar remake that falls into the brighter category.
This anime introduces newcomers to the Sohma family, who are cursed and turn into animals of the Chinese zodiac when embraced by someone of the opposite gender. Our protagonist Tohru becomes entangled in this family’s affairs, leading to many comedic, dramatic, and slightly romantic scenarios that’ll warm viewers’ hearts. The characters are well-developed and relatable.
Each member of the Sohma family has a great personality and backstory. Their interactions with Tohru are a sight to see and will keep you entertained throughout all of its seasons.
This series offers valuable themes regarding love, friendship, self-discovery, and many life lessons that will resonate with you. On top of the anime having compelling audio and visuals, this is a remake that nails it.
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann is a fabulous mecha series that’ll get anyone excited about giant robots clobbering each other. This anime follows Simon and Kamina as they explore the surface world for the first time, thanks to their mech, Lagann. While traversing its landscape, they meet Yoko, who informs them about the evil Lord Genome and his hold on the world.
With Yoko’s help, the boys embark on a mission to reclaim the surface world from Genome’s grasp. This story is jam-packed with exhilarating imagery, compelling themes, and dramatic scenarios. Furthermore, the anime contains inspiring one-liners that are still quoted by anime fans’ today.
The characters are just as entertaining as you’d expect and undergo incredible development, making them feel realistic and memorable. In addition to having a heart-pumping soundtrack that adds a layer of enthusiasm and depth to its battle and emotional scenarios, you’re in for an unforgettable thrill ride with Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann.
Nichijou: My Ordinary Life
Nichijou: My Ordinary Life is an excellent choice for anime beginners because of its lighthearted and comedic scenarios, grounded characters, and episodic format. This anime offers a bizarre portrayal of everyday life and examines a group of female friends who like to get into mischief. Its light-hearted humor and storytelling make it a great entry point for those who are fans of slice-of-life stories.
While the girls look similar in design, the show gives them some unique quirks and personalities to help them stand out. From the energetic and eccentric Yuuko to the robot Nanao Shinonome, each character brings a layer of fun and heart to the narrative to make things enjoyable for the viewer.
Overall, Nichijou: My Ordinary Life is a great anime to introduce to newcomers because it’ll prepare them for other comedies that adopt a similar format.
Hajime No Ippo
For viewers who love movies like Rocky or enjoy watching real-life sports on television, Hajime No Ippo should entertain you. This anime contains incredible fight scenes, motivational dialogue, and moving story beats that’ll keep you invested. Our story follows Ippo, a shy boy who discovers his passion for boxing after a professional boxer named Takamura introduces him to the sport.
After Ippo impresses Takamura one day, he leads our protagonist to his gym and introduces him to his boxing mates and coach. Through several training sessions, fights, and emotional interactions, Ippo aims to be an incredible boxer. As one can expect, Ippo’s journey will have its many highs and many lows. Each boxing match will help Ippo improve, not only as a boxer but as a person.
Newcomers will love Ippo’s character and will adore seeing him triumph over the many obstacles that stand in his way. On top of having phenomenal animation and music that captures the raw intensity of boxing, Hajime No Ippo is a perfect sports anime that’ll entertain everyone.
So, there we have it, our picks for the best anime for beginners through the years!
What do you think of our picks? Do you agree? Are there any notable omissions? Let us know in the comments below!