The 25 Best Anime Movies of All Time
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At the risk of receiving threat from die-hard anime stans—who will no doubt write our names into death notes everywhere—we begin.
Here we give you an attempt to rank the best anime films of all time. To do so, we should say a quick note of what we mean by “anime.” And what we mean by “anime” is: animated movies produced in Japan. So, yeah.
Without bastardizing the history too much, one can generally break anime cinema into three stages—or at least three movements/genres. The first spans the 1980s and 1990s, and represents perhaps the golden era of the medium. These films were dark and adult. They dealt with the existential threats technology seemed to pose to modern life—and, in particular, Japanese life, this moment being only a handful of decades removed from the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Think Katsuhiro Ohtomo’s sci-fi touchstone Akira and the psychological thrillers of Satoshi Kon. The next phase/genre is represented by Studio Ghibli, co-founded by Isao Takahata and Hayao Miyazaki, whose films skew toward childhood wonder, with occasional detours into dark shadows of adulthood, war, and environmental ruin. (Miyazaki is sometimes compared to Walt Disney for his prolific output and impact, but we’ll stop all comparisons there.) Then we have, after some years of monotony, the current era of anime, a hyperreal renaissance of animated technique and technology.
We’re gonna do our best to rank these films on both their genre impact as well on their own artistic quality. Part of this will be historical. Part of this will be taste. It is what it is. Deal with it, weebs.
Anyway, here are the best anime movies of all time.
Your Name. (2016)
Director Makoto Shinkai admitted the film felt unfinished when he called it a wrap—and its pacing does feel somewhat rushed at times. But for what the film attempts, which is (without spoilers) multiple high concept sci-fi moves, Your Name is definitely worth the watch.
Ocean Waves (1993)
Ocean Waves was the first Studio Ghibli film to be directed by someone other than its two founders (we'll get to them in a bit): Tomomi Mochizuki. The film was also worked on by the studio's younger staff, giving it an early adult tone that distinguishes it from some of the studio's other work.
Belle (2021)
Belle is director/writer Mamoru Hosoda's contemporary take on the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale. The result is something both nostalgic and recognizable and also utterly unique and original.
Inu-Oh (2021)
Another more recent entry on this list, Inu-Oh is a visually explosive blast. Depicting a 14th century friendship between a dancer and a blind musician, the musical film bombards the senses in the best way possible.
Violet Evergarden: The Movie (2020)
Based on the novel series by Kana Akatsuki, Violet Evergarden is that perfect cross between a war drama and sentimentalist romance. While some knowledge of the animated series and storyline will enhance the experience, the film can still stand on its own.
Gintama: The Final (2021)
A conclusion to the anime series, Gintama: The Final may be like walking into the middle of a sporting event whose rules you are woefully unfamiliar with. And if that's the case, this movie is not for you; obviously, it will best reward fans of the series. Still, it remains a dramatic and well-loved cinematic conclusion to a long-running story.
Evangelion: 3.0+1.01 Thrice Upon a Time (2021)
Speaking of cinematic continuations of long-running series: Evangelion. It's hard to top the series, though Evangelion is one of those rare achievements in varied length formats, a franchise that both tries and succeeds in both. It's not as good as one of its earlier cinematic companions, but we'll save that for later.
Mirai (2018)
Let's dive into more Mamoru Hosoda. Mirai's animation style, like much of the director's work, is like warm butter on bread. It's a kind of sci-fi daydream that's worth repeat viewings.
Wolf Children (2012)
The daydream style continues with Wolf Children, a strange, somewhat feverish meditation on family. The title is literal and the experience of watching it is one of the most unique on this list.
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006)
An earlier Hosoda work, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is maybe the director's most celebrated film. The movie uses time travel to expand the story of the novel of the same name, visualizing one of the most common fantastical tropes in anime in a manner that stands out and still stands up.
A Silent Voice (2016)
In some ways, A Silent Voice may be one of the most contemporary films on this list, covering themes that have gained more exposure in cinema—bullying, disability, friendship, mental health struggles, and suicide. Those themes may seem to clash with the colorful visual language of animation; however, in this case, the visuals make them more approachable.
Only Yesterday (1991)
One of Studio Ghibli's lesser-known works in the west, Only Yesterday finds writer/director Isao Takahata at his best. There's no fantastical elements to this one. No monsters or villains to defeat. Only Yesterday instead follows a 28-year-old woman on a trip to the countryside, using the animation to illustrate the collision of memory and present experience.
In This Corner of the World (2016)
Don't let the whimsical cover design fool you. The film is pervaded by a historical heaviness, one which so many films on this list responds to, although mostly indirectly: the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Set partially in the former, In This Corner of the World tells a semi-fictional story of life before the bomb.
The Tale of The Princess Kaguya (2013)
More Isao Takahata! This one an adaptation of a 10th century Japanese tale about an incarnate spirit of the moon. Takahata opted for a more plain animation style to ground some of the fantastical elements. The result is a truly modern fairy tale, touching on themes of parenthood and the restriction of women.
Tokyo Godfathers (2003)
It's time to talk about Satoshi Kon. It would be tempting to compare Kon to live action directors in the West given his striking cinematic language that feels, at times, alien to the animated medium, as well as his affinity for the dreamlike unreality of experience. (We're thinking David Lynch here.) Kon is all of these things but without comparison, a legend in his own right. Start with Tokyo Gadfathers during your Kon binge.
Paprika (2006)
Paprika is, without hyperbole, one of the most unique and captivating film experiences you will have with animation. A psychological thriller pitting a "dream terrorist" against a "dream detective," the film washes over you like the best kind of fever dream.
Perfect Blue (1997)
Obsession, perception, fame, the performance of identity. Perfect Blue, Kon's directorial debut, announced Kon as one of the most original minds in the history of anime and cinema. Don't read too much about this film. Just go watch it. (Especially all you David Lynch fans.)
Memories (1995)
Memories comprises three shorter films, which maybe makes it cheating to include on this list (there are lots of great animated short films). Still, we feel the unity of the three makes the inclusion justified. Simply put: few animated films of any tradition/background come close to the spectacle of these three. Jaw dropping in every frame.
Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion (1997)
A satisfying cinematic end to a beloved anime TV franchise that respected its audience's wishes? Or a totally manipulative, subversive and potentially derisive portrayal of the very anime culture that inspired and later followed the series? Tough to tell. But a masterpiece either way.
Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
The film is a sucker-punch to the gut, and we mean that in the best way possible. We’ve put this movie on lots of lists—including best war movies—and this kind of cinematic legacy means that it’s not only one of the best anime films of all time, but also one of the best movies of all time.
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)
You’ve been waiting all list. Where are the Miyazaki movies? Well, we could probably fill this list with Miyazaki movies, so we’re gonna limit it to three, just to contain ourselves. Starting with an earlier entry from the master: Nausicaä. A beautiful blend of sci-fi, fantasy, and environmentalism, the film is one of Miyazaki's most visually stunning—and it has no shortage of competition for that title.
Princess Mononoke (1997)
Depicting a violent struggle between the forrest gods and the humans wreaking havoc on the ecosystem, Princess Mononoke is an environmentalist epic and perhaps the most political film Miyazaki has created yet. The film stands apart tonally from many of the Studio's work and showcases the flexibility and power of the animated medium. If only we could go back to the '90s, when so much environment ruin was still preventable.
Spirited Away (2001)
Miyazaki’s most famous work (aside from maybe My Neighbor Totoro and Howl's Moving Castle, which we’ll put as a secondary entries here), Spirited Away bottles so many of the artist’s career themes—including the rift between childhood and adulthood, the price of greed and consumption, and the loneliness of time. It is both an escapist adventure in its own right and an antidote to the conflict-based structure of western storytelling. One of the best films of all time.
Ghost in the Shell (1995)
There may not be a more influential piece of sci-fi cinema in the history of film. (Okay, maybe Blade Runner and 2001: A Space Odyssey, but the impact of those took a bit longer to unfold.) Ghost in the Shell is maybe the first film to really treat AI as a historical inevitability, and not simply an evil narrative force. The Wachowski siblings have long credited the film with inspiring the core themes and mechanisms of The Matrix—which itself changed sci-fi film forever. So yeah, the impact was pretty huge.
Akira (1988)
Obviously, Akira was going to be number 1. This isn’t just a snobby cinema studies pick. Yes, the film’s historical impact on cinema extends even beyond the medium (much like our #2). Yes, the art itself—the use of light, the painstaking hand-drawn animation—still stands above most animated achievements. But what makes Akira special is also its subject matter, a sobering reflection on nuclear anxiety and a grave prediction of technology’s Icarus heights. It's still the best of the best.
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