Crunchyroll is the world’s leading anime platform that also releases what is the most-watched anime in the world. This year, they revealed a list of the top 20 most-watched anime.
Without revealing numbers and exact placement in this ranking, the streaming service released the most watched anime in the last decade in each region of the globe. And in another result, the 20 most viewed anime in the world in the last half of 2019, which also guarantees us an insight into current trends.
Most Watched Anime in the world
1. Naruto Shippuden
A sequel to the Naruto anime, Naruto Shippuden debuted on Japanese television in 2007. Since then, the adventures of the young ninja who dreams of becoming the next Hokage, the ultimate leader of his village, have only grown in fan numbers.
When Naruto was just a baby, his village was attacked by the powerful monster New-Tails Fox. His father, the Fourth Hokage, sealed the monster inside Naruto to save the village. This Anime Tops the Most Viewed anime.
2. Shingeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan)
Attack on Titans takes place during a time when humanity is living in cities surrounded by walls. Suddenly, the titans arrive and threaten everyone’s survival.
Four young characters, Eren Yeager, Mikasa Ackerman, and Armin Arlert, become the new generation of soldiers in a battle against the Titans.
Much more than an anime-only with scenes of violence (although it is very violent and shocking!), Attack on the Titans has a highly complex plot full of breathtaking twists, secrets, and revelations that no one can expect.
3. Black Clover
The Black Clover anime is about Asta, a young man born without magical power in a world where everyone has magical abilities. Yuno, his childhood friend, is a magical prodigy with great powers and talents.
These Orphaned boys grow up together on the outskirts of Clover Kingdom. They compete with each other to become the Wizard King, and Asta’s path toward his great goal changes when he acquires a mysterious “anti-magic” power.
4. Dragon Ball Super
Goku won over everyone with his comeback in Dragon Ball Super. He is a powerful character representing strength and adventure, so he was welcomed back after being gone for 18 years, after the original Dragon Ball manga and Dragon Ball Z anime series.
The Saiyan’s adventures continue after they defeat Majin Buu and save Earth. But now, other powerful beings are looking to come over to Earth. The only way for Goku to stop them is by achieving the power of a god.
This anime was composed of some of the most acclaimed sagas by fans, such as the Golden Frieza Saga, the “Future” Trunks Saga, the Universe Survival Saga, and the Broly Saga.
5. Boruto – Naruto Next Generations
Boruto is a spin-off show that follows Naruto’s son Boruto and their friends as they work to reach their ninjutsu goals.
The Boruto anime is about a young ninja who has problems with his father and makes choices that are not always the best for him. But he does not give up, even after things go badly for him.
But the young ninja’s path is beginning, and unexpected events cause him to acquire new powers after defeating a villain who predicts that Boruto will still face great adversity and suffering in his life.
6. One Piece
The anime follows the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy, a young man who sees his life change ultimately after acquiring rubber properties by accidentally ingesting a Demon Fruit. Having as his childhood idol the famous pirate Shanks the Red, Luffy gathers a crew, the Straw Hat Pirates, and sets out on a journey in search of the most wanted treasure in the world, One Piece.
One Piece received high praise from critics, who pointed to the characters, humor, characterization, and art as the production’s strengths. Several manga that gave rise to the anime broke publishing records and were among the world’s most-watched anime.
7. My Hero Academia
My Hero Academia is a story a Izuku Midoriya who lives in a world where everyone is born with what they call “Quirk,” a different power or ability that can be used to become a superhero. However, Izuku – or Deku, was born without Quirk. Despite this, the young man dreams of becoming a hero and risks his own life to help the world’s greatest hero capture a villain.
Because Deku has the heart of a true hero, All-Might shares his powers with him, making the boy his successor a symbol of peace. But there is still a long way to go for Izuku to fulfill his dream.
8. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure
Multiple members of the Joestar family are destined to fight the creatures using powers passed down from generation to generation. There are eight arcs, each with one family member, and their name can always be shortened to “JoJo.”
The show has many perilous challenges, including vampires, Nazis, and ancient spirits. In between generations, the threats are often more challenging to conquer.
9. RWBY
The anime takes place in a world called Remnant, once completely shaken by supernatural forces and dark creatures. At one point, however, humanity discovered the power of a mysterious element known as Dust, which allowed humans to gain an advantage over creatures.
In the present day, Dust is used to develop magical abilities and weapons by Hunters and Huntresses to combat the supernatural forces that still exist.
A viral success since its release, RWBY became the first American anime to be “brought” to Japan, with distribution from Warner Bros.
10. Hunter x Hunter
Original Hunter x Hunter episodes aired in 1999, and the show conquered new generations of fans as they aired. Gon, a young man raised by his aunt after his father left him with her for some mysterious reason, discovers he has amazing abilities and sets off to become a hunter to find his father.
After discovering that his father is still alive, Gon decides to go on a journey to find him and, to do so, trains to become a Hunter, individually licensed to track secret treasures, fugitives, and other things or people.
To become a Hunter, One needs to pass the Hunter Exam, a series of challenges that Gon will face to become a hunter. His new friends, three other hunters-to-be, help him through the journey even though they each have their own reasons for wanting to take the exam. Gon and his friends experience unexpected adventures along the way.
11. Ace Attorney
Based on the first three games in the acclaimed video game series, Ace Attorney, this anime is set in a reality where the justice system requires the courts to reach a verdict within three days.
Phoenix Wright is the protagonist, who Mia Fey mentors. He represents defendants in their confrontations with the prosecution’s witnesses and is depicted as a rookie attorney who occasionally seems naive. After being murdered by a serial killer, Phoenix grows closer to Maya Fey, Mia’s younger sister.
12. Mob Psycho 100
Mob is a young man with psychic powers who tries to lead an everyday life as his powers grow. However, he needs to control his emotional capacity, which can cause him to explode if he reaches 100%. To do so, he avoids using his incredible powers.
The novel starts with a boy named Chase battling the Claw, an organization of paranormals that want to take over the world. The boy also has to deal with his ghost, claiming to be his spiritual advisor.
Another 12 most-watched current trends around the world
Talking about the most-watched anime, we must also mention the one with the most current views. And Crunchyroll just released this list! To be more accurate, the platform released the 20 most-watched anime in the world (without specifying region) in the last quarter.
From what we have already described above, Naruto Shippuden, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Black Cover, Attack on the Titans, Hunter x Hunter, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, My Hero Academy, and One Piece also appear in this ranking. But there are still 12 other productions!
13. Naruto
The Naruto franchise is still going strong. As if Naruto Shippuden and Boruto: Naturo Next Generations were not enough among the highlights, the Hokage’s first anime (long before he was Hokage!) is also among the most-watched.
The plot follows the young Naruto and his development as a ninja. In this path, we see him learning to deal with the nine-tailed fox spirit that is sealed within him and strengthening his fighting skills and powers against unexpected enemies.
The beginning of the series focuses on Naruto’s Team 7 and its challenges. But, as the episodes go by, he starts training to fight Sasuke, who has betrayed his village to train with the villain Orochimaru.
14. Assassins Pride
During humanity’s near extinction, society organizes itself by social class. Nobles can manifest so-called mana, which grants them superhuman abilities to use against the lycanthropes. The Nobles live in various city-states, shielded from the outside world inside domes.
The daughter of a noble father with a common mother, Melida Angel, never manifested mana. Her grandfather (noble) orders the assassin Kufa Vampir to tutor his granddaughter to find out if she is a true member of the Angel family.
15. Bleach
Young student Ichigo Kurosaki has always had the uncanny ability to communicate with the spirits of people who have died. Although the fact has always marked his path, his life changes completely when he meets a shinigami (Reaper of souls).
Amid an unpredictable battle, the shinigami transfer their powers to Ishigo, who now has to face the Hollow – an evil spirit entity – and ensure they don’t attack the other spirits.
Ishigo needs to help Rukia, who was once a Shinigami but has been arrested and judged by Soul Society for passing their powers on to a human. To do so, the young man will count on the help of his friends, who may have developed spiritual powers themselves.
16. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
Tanjirō Kamado led a simple life alongside his family until a demon killed his mother and brothers and turned his younger sister into a demon. Determined to make his sister human again and protect other families from a tragedy like the one he lived through, the young man decides to become a demon slayer.
Tanjirō becomes a Demon Slayer by undergoing tough training for about two years and then is allowed to participate in the Final Selection of the Demon Slayer Corps.
17. Dr. Stone
On the day he finally dares to reveal his feelings to the young Yuzuriha, the student Taiju sees the light falling from the sky and tries to protect his beloved. The light petrifies all humanity, but Taiju’s courage keeps him conscious while the others gradually lose their humanity.
Taiju cannot just break free from the stone and emerge from 6000 years in the past, but he also discovers that his best friend Senku survived 2000 years ago. They discover a potion called “nital” that can dissolve petrification, then develop ingredients for it together.
While trying to use it on Yuzuriha, they release Tsukasa, who has a traumatic backstory. He wants to destroy all the petrified adults for a good reason because of his trauma when he was younger, and he sees them as impure.
18. Fairy Tail
This anime follows Lucy Heartfilia, a traveling sorceress who finds even more adventures on her way than she could have imagined, and Natsu Dragneel, a powerful mage and one of the five remaining dragon hunters.
Together, they team up with other mages guided by Natsu, traveling to earn money and hone their skills.
But the group must band together even more to face the feared villain Acnologia. Also known as the Black Dragon or Dragon King, he is a dragon hunter who can transform into a dragon by bathing in the blood of his slain dragons.
19. Fire Forces
In the future, many countries will disappear after the sea level rises considerably. The fire brigades, the Fire Force, try to fight incidents of spontaneous human combustion.
The so-called first-generation infernals are mindless beings that burn. The second generation is people with the ability to pyrokinesis but who maintain their human form and control of fire. The third generation, meanwhile, is capable of emitting flames.
The plot follows the young Shinra Kusakabe. A third-generation, he is known as the “Devil’s Footprints” for his ability to emit fire from his feet. After feeling guilty about the death of his mother and younger brother in a house fire, he joins the 8th Special Fire Company to save more people.
20. Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma
Sōma Yukihira dreams of becoming a full-time chef at her father’s restaurant. When the young man graduates from school, however, his father closes the restaurant and decides to go to work in America. But the patriarch proposes a challenge: to graduate from the Tōtsuki Culinary Academy.
Why is this a challenge? Because only 1% of students at this elite cooking school graduate! In addition, disputes between students, for whatever reason, are resolved in cooking duels.
And the recipes seen in the anime are real! Since chapter 5 of the manga that inspired the animation, model and culinary chef Yuki Morisaki has collaborated by providing authentic recipes.
21. Radiant
Based on the first French manga to be published in Japan, this anime takes place in a world where part of the population comprises sorcerers, people capable of making magic from the energy they call “fantasy”.
Only sorcerers can fight the so-called Nemesis, giant monsters that also use this power. However, direct contact with opponents can cause what they call a curse, a kind of side effect on the sorcerer’s behavior or physical form. For this reason, the others are somewhat prejudiced against sorcerers for fear that they will transmit this curse or attract new nemesis.
22. Sword Art Online
In 2022, young Kirito is one of the lucky 10,000 selected to test the closed beta phase of the virtual reality game Sword Art Online. To play, participants wear a helmet that stimulates the five senses through their brain, giving them the feeling of being truly inside the game.
However, players find that exit the game is no longer possible. They must beat the 100 levels of the medieval and fantasy fighting game to free themselves. But you have to be very careful because if they die in the game, they die in real life too.
There, Kirito will form alliances to try to survive and discover the origin of this situation, in an attempt to free all players without risking their lives.
23. The Rising of the Shield Hero
Young Naofumi Iwatani’s life changes entirely after being summoned by mages from a kingdom in a parallel world to become a hero and help them save that universe from monster’s attack.
While three other youths are given offensive weapons such as spears and swords, Naofumi is given a defensive shield. If that already draws the kingdom’s scorn for him, the situation only worsens after the new warrior is falsely accused of rape by the princess.
Scorned, Naofumi starts training alone. One day, he buys a girl from a slave trader to save her. The two start training together, so she can wield weapons while he is responsible for defense.
24. Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun
Iruma Suzuki is a boy who, at age 14, is sold by his parents to a demon known as Sullivan. Unexpectedly, Sullivan adopts the boy as his grandson and takes him to the Demon World.
There, Iruma is enrolled in the Babyls Demon School, where he befriended the demons Alice Asmodeus and Clara Valac. As advised by Sullivan, Iruma must never reveal that he is a human to avoid being eaten if anyone finds out.
Although he always tries to blend in, certain situations and adventures that await him may jeopardize his attempts to hide his identity.
