ooking to the sky, we often find hope in some form.
There are many questions that we ask ourselves when we enter adulthood. How do we spend our time on earth? What do we live for? Were we born for any particular reason? Sometimes we need to look beyond our borders for answers. Regardless of where we are born and where we live, we all ask these questions of the world and of ourselves. There have been many anime that have posed philosophical questions, just as many that just ask “What if there was a dude who could punch a mountain really hard?”
Take my hand as we dive into the wonderful world of anime.
Behold! The List!
Here we stand with a nice hefty list of some nice anime to watch. Some are classics, some diamonds in the rough.
Hi Ash. Hi Pikachu. Image courtesy of IMDB.
- Pokemon
More than likely the first anime someone will watch, this acts as a decent look into the world of Pokemon and a nice starter anime. This is a great way to start, adorable pokemon, likeable protagonists, likeable antagonists, and of course the crazy in depth worldbuilding of the Pokemon series. We sit back and watch as ten year old Ash Ketchum bonds with his Pikachu as he rises the ranks of the Pokemon and befriends all kinds of people like Misty and Brock while avoiding the devious and sinister Team Rocket.
Way Past Cool! Image courtesy of IMDB.
- Sonic X
If Pokemon was not your first anime, chances are pretty good that Sonic X probably was instead. Another anime tied directly into a popular video game series, this show takes Sonic the Hedgehog in a unique direction. During a fight with the notorious Dr. Ivo “Eggman” Robotnick involving the endless cosmic energy of the Seven Chaos Emeralds, Sonic and many of his friends find themselves transported to the modern human world! Also Eggman gets sent there too.
With our Mobian friends sent into our world, not only do they meet all kinds of human allies and foes, but they also encounter unique challenges from a racecar driver trying to beat Sonic in a race to the gang entering a fighting tournament to win one of the Chaos Emeralds. This is a classic series that admittedly has faced a mixed perception in the general sphere, but there are plenty of Sonic fans who feel nostalgic for this show.
You just gotta do what you can! Believe it! Image courtesy of IMDB.
- Naruto
A classic of the medium. Naruto tells the story of the titular young ninja striving to reach the prestigious rank of Hokage. However, he is no normal ninja. When he was a baby, the spirit of the Nine-Tailed Fox was sealed within him. The way the monster slaughtered folks in the Village Hidden in the Leaves led to Naruto being ostracized and bullied all throughout his childhood. This series has truly earned its status of iconic.
There is a cast of truly lovable characters in this series, from the tenacious and optimistic Naruto himself, the brooding edgelord Sasuke, the battle smart Sakura, the cool and calculating Kakashi, and even more! Naruto played an instrumental role in popularizing anime out in the wild wild west. Absolutely an anime worth adding to your personal watchlist.
Travelling through time! Woot! Image courtesy of IMDB.
- Stein’s Gate
Time travel! If you like classic films that tackle the subject like Back to the Future, you will adore Stein’s Gate. In this semi grounded slice of life sci fi adventure, we follow a small group of friends consisting of Mayuri Shiina the heart of the party, Itaru “Daru” Hashida the hacker, Kurisu Kaise a scientific expert, and Mad Scientist Hououin Kyouma! These friends must now embark on a journey of friendship and heartbreak after accidentally discovering time travel with a banana, a cell phone, and a microwave. However, these friends must also acknowledge the fact that all choices in time travel have consequences, exploring themes of discovering your identity, moving on from familial loss, holding on to those close to you, and much more. On top of all of that, they must also fight off agents of a corrupt megacorporation.
Hope you get through this in One Piece. Image courtesy of IMDB.
- One Piece
Ooooh boy. You really need to sit down for this one. One Piece has somewhat of a reputation for being one of the longest anime out there. While it never was the longest anime ever made, it is certainly one of the more lengthy popular ones. In this series, we watch the goofy, gleeful, and lovable Monkey D. Luffy as he traverses the sea building up a crew to travel the great big blue until he can one day sail the Grand Line in search of the titular One Piece, the treasure of a late great pirate. A series with many lovable heroes and villains, it should be no mystery as to how this show also managed to become so popular in the states alongside its Shonen Jump brother, Naruto.
Walking a path well travelled, you are never alone. Image courtesy of IMDB.
- Frieren at Journey’s End
Admittedly a hidden gem among other high fantasy anime, Frieren takes an unconventional approach. The series starts at the end of the standard hero’s journey. The Demon King has been slain, countless lives saved, and several members of the hero’s party have passed away from old age. Several, but not all. As such, we shall follow Frieren as she takes in a protege, makes new friends, faces down the stray minions of the Demon King, and continues her greatest quest; finding herself.
This anime is a lot slower paced than a lot of the entries on the list. There isn’t exactly as much action, but the fight scenes are more grandiose and dramatic with more fluid animation. The overall cozy atmosphere of the show and the emphasis on the characters makes this a great diamond in the rough for you to love.
Can you beat Goku? Image courtesy of IMDB.
- Dragon Ball
There is a good chance that this is the first anime that came to your mind. Why would it not be? Goku is one of if not the most iconic anime protagonists of all time. Everyone loves Dragon Ball Z, but before you watch that, you should probably watch Dragon Ball first to understand the characters and their backstory (specifically because DBZ is in fact the sequel). The Saiyins are a race of human-like aliens with enhanced super strength who live for battle. When the planet is destroyed by a mysterious force, the infant Kakarot is launched into space to survive the exploding planet. We then watch as the baby with the tail grows up to be Son Goku, the young hero who must explore the world and find the Seven Dragon Balls, powerful relics known to grant one wish.
The narrative of a young boy finding a new family in an unfamiliar place to make an identity of himself and helping others is sure to remind us westerners of Superman while bringing its own spices to the table.
International law of humanity: Giant robots are the coolest. Image courtesy of IMDB.
- Mobile Suit Gundam
Do you like giant robots? Yes. Everyone does. Mobile Suit Gundam is a beloved icon of what can only be described as the “giant robots” subgenre. In this series, humanity has perfected space travel, but sent a number of colonies into the stars first. All seemed well until the first colonies turned on the earth, dropping a gigantic satellite on the planet, killing millions and starting a war. We follow a young man named Amoru who hijacks a mysterious weapon known as the Gundam. This gundam becomes a crucial tool in the space war to save humanity.
Just a standard Sunday stroll. Image courtesy of IMDB.
- Death Note
Ah yes. The iconic Death Note. Who here has not heard of Death Note? You? Good, you can read this entry and go watch it. In Death Note, we witness the journey of Light Yagami, a seemingly average student who lives in a corrupt society where criminals have enough money to just walk out of jail and go back to doing what they do. This whole situation is horrific, and Light agrees. When a paragon of death known as Ryuk gives Light a magic book that kills people, Light takes justice into his own hands. As such, we watch as Light is forced into the ultimate mind game as he avoids being arrested for his actions.
It’s Saitama, chilling with Genos. Image courtesy of IMDB.
- One Punch Man
All across this list, we’ve seen examples of characters steadily getting stronger as they find themselves and defeat the crazy criminals and villains. However, what happens when the hero reaches their peak in strength at the very start of the story? Saitama learns that lesson the hard way. When he decides to become a hero, he overtrains and ends up outranking every single hero and villain in his path. That leaves him with the same question that we all ask ourselves; What now?
Are you ready to take the jump?
Anime is incredibly varied. Some wacky adventures here, more serious escapades there, all diving into unexpected places. You got a nice list to start from, so how far are you willing to go?
