If you’re one of those audiences that watch anime based on official rankings, then this article is handcrafted for you. This boasts the top 10 highest rated animes of all time and we’ve made sure there are no repetitions because if we were ranking each season of anime individually, then half the list would be Gintama entries. One exception aside, all the animes mentioned below can be considered as a whole so you can start them all from Season 1 and end with their latest season. Without further ado, here we go to the highest rated animes of all time.
10- Fruits Basket
This classic romance shoujo anime managed to climb the highest rated animes ranks because of its lovable cast of characters and emotionally resonant storytelling. Despite beginning its story way back when anime was only starting to get popular in the West, its loyal fanbase and quality writing kept them coming back for more seasons and even brought newer fans into the fray. Its final season aired back in 2021 and managed to stand as the highest-rated shoujo anime season of all time.
9- Kaguya-sama: Love is War
Kaguya-sama is the topmost romance anime of all time and that speaks volumes in the sphere of anime. Whether it deserves it or not, this anime managed to appeal to the masses with its relatable, self-aware, and comedic storytelling and its human characters that don’t shy away from being emotional and nuanced when the situation calls for it. The latest season specifically is what bumps it up on this list.
8- Legend of the Galactic Heroes
You’d be surprised by how many fans still consider this to be their favorite anime. Legend of Galactic Heroes is a classic that aired from 1988 to 1997- that’s before most of us were born. With a staggering 110 episodes, this OVA stands the test of time as one of the highest rated animes of all time in the era of modern sakuga animation and the evolution of storytelling in anime and manga.
7- Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War
Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War, despite technically being a sequel anime series, deserves to be on this highest rated animes list due to its entirely different production value, animation, and vision. Back in the day, both the anime industry and the fans considered that this final arc of Bleach could not be adapted to anime due to its scenes of blood, gore, and horror. But times are different and with Mappa releasing Chainsaw Man, Bleach’s Thousand Year Blood War wasn’t just a dream anymore.
6- Hunter x Hunter (2011)
Hunter x Hunter’s 2011 remake brought new fans to the series and actually popularised the show worldwide as one of the best battle shonen ever created. People compared it to the likes of One Piece and Berserk which alone speaks to its credit. Despite being an incomplete story, it’s a testament to the greatness of Togashi’s Hunter x Hunter to rank this high on this list of highest rated animes of all time.
5- Attack on Titan
Attack on Titan boasts of featuring some of the highest-rated episodes in anime of all time. Not only that, it is the only anime with so many episodes ranked above 9.5 or even near 10 on both MAL and the IMDB pages. It’s no surprise that it would end up on this highest rated animes list- instead what’s surprising is that it’s still only ranked at number 5.
4- Gintama
Gintama, overall, is the highest-rated, even most critically acclaimed battle shonen manga and anime of all time and it is downright funny how easily and confidently it holds this position. But this is of course no gag, unlike half the actual anime itself, Gintama deserves this spot wholeheartedly. The fact that it is not half as popular as the likes of One Piece or Hunter x Hunter is truly a shame because, like them, this too is a once-in-a-lifetime masterpiece in the realms of fiction.
3- Steins;Gate
The only seinen anime in the highest rated animes of all time list, Steins;Gate boasts the most complex but convincing time travel tropes in all of fiction according to most anime fans that have seen the series. The anime has a great cast backed up by talented voice actors and the storytelling is mature and layered. It doesn’t hold the viewers hand and it usually takes one or two rewatches to get the full nuance of the show.
2- Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Previously the top-ranked anime of all time on all platforms, FMAB fully adapts the actual source material unlike its predecessor Fullmetal Alchemist which aired when the manga was still ongoing. Within a brief 60-ish episodes, this anime has everything you can think of and it delivers and executes all of its themes and plot points to perfection. Despite being dethroned, it still holds the second spot in the highest rated animes of all time list
1- Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End [9.18]
Currently the top-ranked anime of all time, Frieren quickly rose the highest rated animes ranks to stand as the Queen of all anime because of its profound and poignant writing, direction and characters. Everything about this anime sends its viewers down an emotional trail or a nostalgic trip and we all come out of it a better person. To put it in one word- this anime is a healing experience. And even though it would’ve ranked high with its pure fantasy, slice-of-life outlook, the action sequences in the show also go off the charts. So really, it is simply perfect.
- Also Read: Top 10 Best Manga Series Of All Time
If you enjoyed the highest rated animes list and are on the lookout for the best mangas of all time you can click the link above and have a look. It’s a surprising and maybe even thought-provoking list because you’d think the mangas of the above animes would rank high on that list but no.
