Whether you’re feeling like watching a touching story with characters you’ll love or an exciting adventure with lots of action and excitement, there’s an anime movie out there for you!
Anime movies are more than just regular cartoons. They’re famous for their smooth animation, detailed characters, and cool stories. That’s why they’ve become super popular in recent years.
Here’s a list of the top anime movies that will keep you entertained for a long time.
Best Anime Movies To Watch
1. Akira (1988)
- Genre: Action, Military, Sci-Fi, Adventure, Horror, Supernatural, Seinen
- Released: July 16, 1988
- Director: Otomo Katsuhiro
Back in 1988, a nuclear bomb hit Tokyo, making it unsafe to live there in the story’s time. Fast forward to 2019, which is 31 years later. Kaneda is trying to rescue his friend Tetsuo from a government project. This project aims to make people stronger using special powers known as ESP.
Kaneda fights against different groups, like the military and scientists, to save his friend. But Tetsuo has gained his supernatural abilities, so he fights back. Everything builds up to a big showdown during the Tokyo Olympics. This is when Tetsuo reveals the secrets behind the experiment.
2. Your Name (2016)
- Genre: Romance, Supernatural, Drama, School
- Release Date: August 26, 2016
- Director: Makoto Shinkai
Your Name follows Mitsuha and Taki, who have a lot in common. They both want to succeed and are young and curious about what life holds for them. Mitsuha is from a rural area and wants to explore a big city for a better life. On the other hand, Taki is studying architecture and dreaming about his future.
But something strange happens. They find themselves in each other’s bodies. Mitsuha wakes up in Tokyo as a guy named Taki, and Taki wakes up as Mitsuha. They’re living each other’s lives without knowing how or why.
They face a significant challenge: they can’t mess with each other’s lives too much or tell anyone what’s happening. And to fix everything, they must figure out how to find each other.
3. Spirited Away (2001)
- Genre: Drama, Adventure, Supernatural
- Premiere: July 20, 2001
- Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Spirited Away is a story about a girl who doesn’t like her new home. She’s stubborn and doesn’t want to visit the amusement park her parents found when they moved. But it’s too late to leave when she sees that the place changes at night.
Something strange happens: her parents turn into pigs because of a feast they weren’t supposed to attend. The girl and her family end up in a world of spirits. She needs to make friends there to save her family and everyone else.
4. Perfect Blue (1997)
- Genre: Drama, Psychological Horror, Dementia
- Premiere: February 28, 1998
- Director: Satoshi Kon
CHAM! has become increasingly popular with their fans over the last few years. But, you know, what goes up must come down. One of the group’s members, Mima Kirigoe, decided to leave and become an actress.
This decision turns Mima’s life around, but not in a good way. After getting a role in a crime drama, her job gets tough for her and her manager.
But the real trouble starts when an obsessed stalker can’t accept that Mima isn’t an idol anymore. This stalker starts doing really strange things. And it’s not just the stalker – some other people who knew Mima from her idol days also start mixing up what’s real and what’s not. This starts to mess with their minds and their bodies.
5. A Silent Voice (2016)
- Genre: Drama, School, Shounen
- Premiere: September 17, 2016
- Director: Naoko Yamada
Shouya used to be mean and tease others because he was lonely as a kid. But things change when a girl named Shouko Nishimiya, who can’t hear, joins his class and becomes a target for teasing.
Nishimiya’s classmates bully her so much that she loses her expensive hearing aid. Because of this, she has to change schools. The same classmates who bullied her now start bullying Shouya. He ends up alone without any friends.
In his last year of high school, Shouya still feels terrible about what he did in the past. He decides it’s time to face the person he hurt the most and say sorry: Shouko Nishimiya.
6. Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)
- Genre: Romance, Drama, Supernatural
- Premiere: November 20, 2004
- Director: Hayao Miyazaki
The Wizard Howl’s castle is quite unusual. It’s scary-looking and walks on its four legs all the time. Howl, the wizard, is known for his powers and for having many female fans. In Sophie’s town, people gossip a lot about him, but Sophie herself doesn’t expect anything exciting since she’s just the daughter of a hatmaker. She spends her days working in her dad’s shop.
But Sophie’s simple life changes when she’s saved by a wizard named Howl. There’s also a witch who’s jealous and puts a curse on Sophie. To break the curse, Sophie must go on an adventure with quirky friends in Howl’s moving castle. All this is happening while the threat of war hangs over her home.
7. Princess Mononoke (1997)
- Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
- Premiere: July 12, 1994
- Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Ashitaka defeats a demon boar but gets cursed with its powers. These powers can hurt him, even though they’re strong. He looks for a way to cure himself.
While searching, he gets involved in a fight with Lady Eboshi. She wants to make the city bigger by cutting down the forest and hurting nature. This isn’t good for many animals and plants.
San lives in the forest and is mad at the humans for damaging their homes. Ashitaka is stuck between the two sides. He’s dealing with his demon powers while trying to make peace between them and keep things in balance.
8. Ghost in the Shell (1995)
- Genre: Action, Mecha, Police, Psychological, Science Fiction, Seinen
- Premiere: November 18, 1995
- Director: Mamoru Oshii
In 2029, Niihama is a modern city with super-advanced technology in cybernetics. Many people have robot parts that work even better than human parts.
Section 9 is a team that keeps people safe by stopping corruption and terrorism. Their leader, Motoko Kusanagi, gets a case about a hacker using cybernetics to become skilled.
9. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006)
- Genre: Adventure, Drama, Romance, Science Fiction
- Premiere: July 15, 2006
- Director: Mamoru Hosoda
Makoto Konno is a high school student who’s almost done with school but is unsure what she wants to do next.
The story is about Makoto, a young girl. She finds out she can travel through time, and because of that, she starts making different decisions in her life.
10. The Boy and the Beast (2015)
- Genre: Adventure, Supernatural, Drama
- Premiere: July 11, 2015
- Director: Mamoru Hosoda
Kyuta, a kid without parents who lives on the streets of Tokyo, discovers a world of creatures. He gets taken in by Kumatetsu, who’s searching for the right student. Even though they argue a lot, they train and become like a family.
11. Tokyo Godfathers (2003)
- Genre: Comedy, Drama
- Premiere: November 8, 2003
- Director: Satoshi Kon
On the day right before Christmas, three homeless pals have a surprise. They come across a newborn baby while looking for a gift in a trash bin.
Even though they don’t have much, they care for the baby and name her Kiyoko, which means “pure.” The trio then sets out to find Kiyoko’s mother using the clues they find in her belongings.
12. Paprika (2006)
- Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Psychological, Science Fiction, Thriller
- Premiere: November 25, 2005
- Director: Satoshi Kon
When a device called the DC Mini, which lets folks record and watch their dreams, goes missing, three scientists team up with a police inspector and a “fairy” called Paprika to track down the thief.
As they dig deeper into the mystery, they find themselves caught in a mind-bending struggle where the boundary between reality and dreams blurs.
13. The Wolf Children (2012)
- Genre: Fantasy, Slice of Life
- Premiere: July 21, 2012
- Director: Mamoru Hosoda
The story follows Hana, a young woman who falls in love with a mysterious boy. It turns out he’s the last of his kind, a werewolf. Despite the challenges, they stay together, and when Hana becomes pregnant, they decide to raise their children together.
But tragedy strikes, and Hana loses her love. She’s left alone to care for Ame and Yuki, their two little boys who can transform between humans and wolves.
Hana faces the journey of raising them on her own, and the story is both heartwarming and realistic as they move to the countryside. The tale explores the kids’ struggle with their unique identities and animal instincts in a changing world.
14. The Tale of Princess Kaguya (2013)
- Genre: History, Fantasy
- Premiere: November 23, 2013
- Director: Isao Takahata
A simple farmer discovers a nymph hidden in a bamboo tree while cutting it. He brings her home to show his wife, and they’re amazed as the nymph turns into a baby. The couple decides to raise her as their daughter.
They name her Kaguya, believing she will become a princess one day. Later, they find a treasure in another bamboo branch. The father moves to the capital city to provide Kaguya with the life of a princess she deserves.
15. Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
- Genre: Historical Drama
- Released: April 16, 1988
- Director: Isao Takahata
Setsuko and Seita are a brother and sister facing the challenges of war in Japan. When they lose their mother in a bombing, they move in with relatives who can’t properly care for them. So, they embark on a journey together, relying solely on each other to survive.
16. Metropolis (2001)
- Genre: Adventure, Supernatural, Drama
- Premiere: May 26, 2001
- Director: Rintaro
“Metropolis” is a tale that shows how emotions make humans unique compared to everything else. The main characters are a young man and his uncle, who works as a private investigator.
The story unfolds in a far-off future where humans and robots coexist, but not always peacefully. Many robots are treated poorly, forced to live underground, and even destroyed if they enter unauthorized areas. They are used as servants for humans. The main character encounters a robot named Tima, and the story traces how their friendship and connection evolve.
17. Ninja Scroll (1997)
- Genre: Adventure, Historical, Horror, Supernatural, Romance, Samurai, Fantasy, Shounen
- Premiere: June 5, 1993
- Director: Yoshiaki Kawajiri
In Shimoda town, people are dying from a terrible sickness. The local government of the Tokugawa clan sends a team of ninjas to find out what’s happening, but they are all killed by an unknown power. The only survivor is a woman named Kagerou, who gets captured.
A mercenary named Jubei saves her, but his involvement in her mission is only temporary and driven by his interests.
18. Millennium Actress (2002)
- Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Historical, Romance
- Premiere: September 14, 2002
- Director: Satoshi Kon
The Ginei film studio is about to be torn down after many years. A former worker and filmmaker named Genya Tachibana wants to make a special documentary about the studio’s famous actress, Chiyoko Fujiwara. She was a beloved star of the Shouwa era.
The documentary follows Chiyoko’s life, which turns into an extraordinary adventure through Japan’s movie history, blurring the lines between reality and imagination.
19. Summer Wars (2009)
- Genre: Science Fiction, Comedy
- Premiere: August 1, 2009
- Director: Mamoru Hosoda
Kenji Koiso is good at math and takes a summer job in the town where his crush, Nagano, lives. But when he arrives, he discovers it’s his crush’s family reunion for their grandma’s 90th birthday.
Natsuki, the girl he likes, asks him to act like her fiancé, and things get complicated. In the middle, Kenji tries to solve a tricky math problem. Strangely, this math problem has the power to connect a different world with ours.
20. 5 centimeters per second (2007)
- Genre: Slice of Life, Drama, Romance
- Premiere: March 3, 2007
- Director: Makoto Shinkai
The story is told in interconnected segments. We follow a young man named Takaki through life, where cruel winters, technology, and adult obligations converge to test the delicacy of love.
21. Hiroshima (1983)
- Genre: Drama, Historical
- Premiere: July 21, 1983
- Director: Mori Masaki
Gen and his family live in the city of Hiroshima as Japan draws closer to World War II’s end. Gen’s father has begun to believe that the war cannot be won, earning the anger and indifference of the town and alienating him from his neighbors.
Cut off by local merchants, food becomes scarce for Gen and his family. However, these concerns begin to fade as the American military launches its final assault on Japan with its most terrifying weapon.
22. Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion (1997)
- Genre: Science Fiction, Psychological, Drama, Mecha
- Premiere: July 19, 1997
- Director: Hideaki Anno
After defeating the last Angel, Shinji Ikari enters a deep depression that influences his decision to accept the existence of humans or give up his individuality. Meanwhile, Nerv is engaged with Gendou Ikari and Rei Ayanami at the center. They look to Lilith for the answer to their ideals and the future they have planned for the world.
The End of Evangelion is the true ending that replaces the controversial attempt that Neon Genesis Evangelion bestowed on its viewers. This is how an alternative version of the events is born, complementing or completely supplanting episodes 25 and 26.
23. Castle in the Sky (1986)
- Genre: Science Fiction, Adventure, Fantasy, Romance
- Premiere: August 2, 1986
- Director: Hayao Miyazaki
A boy bumps into a mysterious young woman who has just floated down from the sky. The young woman, Sheeta, was persecuted by pirates, the army, and secret government agents. To help her escape from her, they begin an adventure involving different airships, searching for Sheeta’s identity in a floating castle of a lost civilization.
24. Memory of Marnie (2014)
- Genre: Drama, Mystery
- Premiere: August 2, 1986
- Director: Hiromasa Yonebayashi
Anna is a 12-year-old girl who suffers from severe asthma. The doctors treating her decide to send her to the country for fresh air. There, she dedicates herself entirely to her hobby of illustrating, but one day, walking through the countryside, she discovers a mysterious mansion that seems uninhabited.
When Marnie, a young blonde, appears to leave that place, she gives him more questions than answers about the mansion and its origins.
25. In the Forest of Firefly Light (2011)
- Genre: Drama, Romance, Shoujo, Supernatural
- Premiere: September 17, 2011
- Director: Takahiro Oomori
Also known as Hotarubi no Mori e. Hotaru Takegawa has spent her entire life listening to the story of a Mountain God. She decides to explore the story’s ancient forest at six when she visits her uncle. Hotaru is lost and desperate for help from her; she finds a masked forest spirit named Gin. The girl cannot touch him because she will disappear, but she helps her out of the forest despite this.
Gin makes Hotaru promise not to come back, but she ignores him and promises her a gift when she returns. The years go by, and Gin and Hotaru grow closer despite being separated by distance and the spirit world. The problem arises when they develop romantic feelings for each other, which makes the strict no-touch rule a real test.
26. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind
- Genre: Adventure, Fantasy
- Premiere: March 11, 1984
- Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Humanity destroyed the Earth with “the seven days of fire” in the distant future. Now, few human settlements remain in it. One is the Valley of the Wind, where a princess named Nausicaä tries to understand, rather than destroy, the toxic jungle surrounding her.
27. The anthem of the heart (2015)
- Genre: Drama, Romance, School
- Premiere: September 19, 2015
- Director: Tatsuyuki Nagai
Jun Naruse was a talkative girl who didn’t think much before saying what she saw or believed. Because of this, she destroys her parents’ relationship when she finds out her dad is having an affair and innocently mentions it to her mother. Unable to bear the blame for this event, she has an apparition of hers: a magical egg that seals her lips and promises that only then will she be able to allow everyone to have a happy ending.
Already in high school, Naruse is still unable to speak without feeling a searing pain in her stomach. But her predicament is about to be tested when she is selected to lead a musical for the school, where she discovers that perhaps the curse of the egg doesn’t apply if she is singing. After meeting the kind and talented Takumi Sakagami and hearing him sing, her desire to express herself becomes overwhelming.
28. The Garden of Words (2013)
- Genre: Romance, Drama, Slice of Life
- Premiere: May 31, 2013
- Director: Makoto Shinkai
Takao Akizuki has a dream: he wants to go into the shoe business. One rainy morning he decides to skip class to design shoes in a beautiful garden. In that place, he meets Yukari Yukino, a beautiful woman. Takao offers to make his new shoes, and they meet repeatedly during the rainy season.
They become supportive of each other without realizing it, and their company eases their worries. But when the rain begins to disperse, the relationship they have established will have to be tested.
29. Vampire Hunter D (2000)
- Genre: Action, Science Fiction, Horror, Drama, Romance, Fantasy
- Premiere: August 25, 2000
- Director: Yoshiaki Kawajiri
In the distant future, vampires rule the night, but bounty hunters are decimating their numbers. One of them is D, the half-human and vampire. When a young member of a wealthy family is kidnapped by the vampire Meier Link, they hire D and the Marcus brothers to rescue her.
In a race against time, D and the brothers battle demons and monsters to save the girl and begin to suspect that she wasn’t taken against her will.
30. Maquia: An Immortal Love Story (2018)
- Genre: Drama, Fantasy
- Premiere: February 24, 2018
- Director: Mari Okada
Maquia is a woman who lives in the land of Iolph, but due to a special condition that her people have, she cannot age. After the war ends, her prospects and future Maquia is left alone and aimless. In a forest, she meets Wasteland, a young human and mortal.
Maquia watches him grow up and develops a relationship with her former protégé, but eventually, they will have to deal with the idea that Maquia doesn’t age while Erial does.
31. Whispers of the Heart (1995)
- Genre: Slice of Life, Drama, Romance, Shoujo
- Premiere: July 15, 1995
- Director: Hayao Miyazaki, Yoshifumi Kondou
Shizuku is a girl on vacation and dreams of finding a talent she is passionate about. One day, she notices a curious cat on a train and chases after him.
This fateful encounter leads her to Seiji, a young boy determined to fulfill her dreams, and to the Baron, a magical cat figure who teaches her to listen to the whispers of her heart. Now, Shizuku’s adventures will surpass even her most fantastical stories.
32. Weathering with You
- Genre: Slice of Life, Drama, Romance, Fantasy
- Premiere: July 19, 2019
- Director: Makoto Shinkai
Hodaka is a high school student who decides to move from the island he lives on to Tokyo. However, his life is not a fantasy, and he soon runs out of money. After getting a job at a dodgy magazine, he meets a young girl named Hina, a fateful encounter in such a big city.
As he gets to know the girl better, he discovers he can change the weather and clear the rain.
33. The Wind Rises (2013)
- Genre: Drama, Historical, Romance
- Premiere: July 20, 2013
- Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Jirou Horikoshi has always dreamed of being a pilot, but his eyes have never cooperated. Despite being nearsighted, he doesn’t give up his dream of aircraft and enrolls at Tokyo Imperial University to study aeronautical engineering.
After his arrival coincides with the Kanto earthquake in 1923, he meets Naoko Satomi, a woman who will improve his life.
34. In this corner of the world (2016)
- Genre: Historical, Seinen, Drama
- Release: February 24, 2018
- Director: Sunao Katabuchi
This story follows a young woman named Suzu Urano, who in 1944, moves to Kure, Hiroshima, to live with her husband’s family. When World War II begins, Suzu’s life is thrown into chaos.
Her perspective will live, and her bravery takes us by the hand in a moving story during one of the saddest and most violent times in Japanese history.
35. Kiki: Home deliveries (1989)
- Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Magic, Fantasy
- Premiere: July 29, 1989
- Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Kiki dreams of becoming a real witch. Together with her chatty kitty Jiji, she will do her best during the adventure of her life. When she lands in a small town, she decides to set up a delivery service with her broom, and this process teaches her about the independence and responsibility of being an adult and growing up.
36. I want to eat your pancreas (2018)
- Genre: Slice of Life, Drama, Romance
- Premiere: September 1, 2018
- Director: Shinichiro Ushijima
One afternoon in April, recluse Haruki Shiga visited a hospital and came across a curious manuscript. In it, the life of a terminal patient with a pancreas disease that will soon take her life is narrated.
Inquiring about the manuscript, he discovers that it belongs to her classmate, the popular Sakura Yamauchi. Now, Haruki is the only one who knows his secret.
37. Josee, the tiger and the fishes (2020)
- Genre: Slice of Life, Drama, Romance
- Premiere: December 25, 2020
- Director: Koutaro Tamura
Tsuneo and Josee meet by chance on a morning walk. Tsuneo is a young university student who wants, with all his might, to fulfill his dreams, and Josee is a young woman who has given in to them because of her condition.
She is confined to a wheelchair, doesn’t like to go out, lives shut up in her house with her books and paintings, and doesn’t have a social life. When Tsuneo helps her during a mishap, Josee’s grandmother hires him as her caretaker.
38. Doukyusei (ClassMates)
- Genre: Slice of Life, Romance, School, Shounen-ai
- Premiere: February 20, 2016
- Director: Shouko Nakamura
When Hikaru Kusakabe, a high school student with a passion for music, sees that Rihito Sajo, the most diligent boy in the class, refuses to sing for the choir, he is shocked. He finally found the weakness in him.
When he finds out that Rihito is not refusing but feels insecure in his ability, he offers to tutor him for the project. Thanks to this interaction, they establish a relationship that, in Hikaru’s case, develops into an almost irresistible physical attraction.
39. Promare (2019)
- Genre: Action, Mecha, Science Fiction
- Premiere: March 24, 2019
- Director: Hiroyuki Imaishi
Thirty years have passed since the appearance of the Burnish, mutant beings that have destroyed humanity with their fire. Now, a new group of mutants will try to threaten the fragile stability that remains, and it will be Galo Thymos’s job to confront them. This story narrates the epic enmity between two groups that fight for their ideals.
40. Redline (2009)
- Genre: Action, Science Fiction, Sports
- Premiere: August 14, 2009
- Director: Takeshi Koike
Redline is the most dangerous car racing tournament in the universe. It takes place once every five years, and JP has always dreamed of participating. He needs to test the limits of his highly modified car.
But he will face government groups and criminal mafias who want prestige for themselves. Among these contestants, JP will meet Sonoshee, a captivating host who could spell doom.
