Shonen Jump is the biggest name in anime, and for good reason; their manga are always among the most popular, critically and financially, and when they inevitably receive anime adaptations, they’re almost always of the highest visual quality, which, in turn, makes them incredibly popular worldwide for years on end.
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It’s easy to see why Shonen Jump is treated as being almost synonymous with anime, but that couldn’t be further from the truth; Shonen Jump’s biggest competitors are always releasing anime that are just as good as Shonen Jump’s biggest titles, if not better, and that’s especially true of a few great anime, in particular.
10) To Your Eternity
In Studio Massket’s To Your Eternity, a mysterious being released a sphere into the world and gave it the power to take on the forms of the dead. The sphere soon evolves into an immortal being named Fushi, and it’s with his powers that he begins to learn about life and everything good and bad to come with it.
To Your Eternity is a wonderfully introspective and melancholic story about the meaning of life, and when it uses that to highlight the positives and negatives of human connections, it becomes a work unlike any other. The series has gone through a number of radical genre shifts, but fortunately, it never fails to keep its core message alive and well.
9) Detective Conan
TMS Entertainment’s Case Closed, better known as Detective Conan, stars Shinichi Kudo, a teen detective turned into a child by the mysterious Black Organization. Now living as Conan Edogawa, Shinichi must uncover the truth of the Black Organization to both take them down and get his life back, all while solving any other crime he runs into along the way.
Much like One Piece, Detective Conan is an anime that won’t end anytime soon, despite running for decades, but with its fun cast and clever writing, it’s no less of an entertaining, episodic romp. It’s long been established as one of the biggest anime franchises in history, and overall, it’s easy to see why.
8) Ranma ½
MAPPA’s Ranma ½ stars Ranma Saotome, a young martial artist forced into an engagement with the abrasive tomboy Akane Tendo, and between their general selfishness, the multitude of other people in love with them, and Ranma being cursed to turn into a girl whenever he’s splashed with water, a relationship is far easier said than done.
Ranma ½ is an all-time classic action-comedy, and with its great fight scenes, engaging cast of characters, and perfect comedic timing, it’s easy to see why. Whether it’s the original anime or the recent reboot from MAPPA, Ranma ½ is always great to watch, and that won’t change anytime soon.
7) Inuyasha
Sunrise’s Inuyasha stars Kagome Higurashi, a seemingly ordinary girl who suddenly finds herself transported to Sengoku Japan. There, Kagome accidentally destroys the legendary Shikon Jewel and scatters its fragments across the land, so she must team up with the unruly half-demon Inuyasha to reassemble it before it falls into the wrong hands.
As the work to immediately follow Ranma ½, Inuyasha has all the same charm and wit as its predecessor, but with a larger focus on action and character writing, it’s arguably even more polished in every regard. Inuyasha has always been one of the most iconic anime of the 2000s, and decades later, it’s easy to see why.
6) Gachiakuta
In Bones Film’s Gachiakuta, after being accused of murder and being banished to a trash-infested wasteland known as the Pit, Rudo discovers that he’s a Giver, someone who can imbue a treasured object with supernatural abilities, and from there, Rudo swears to use his powers to get back to the Sphere and exact revenge against everyone who wronged him.
Between its stylish art and animation and a cast that perfectly complements a compelling revenge and mystery narrative, Gachiakuta is an incredible series for anyone looking for a reinvention of the shonen formula. It’s a fairly new story, but Gachiakuta is already taking the world by storm, and fortunately, it’s not slowing down anytime soon.
5) Attack On Titan
In MAPPA’s Attack on Titan, after man-eating Titans destroyed humanity’s last stronghold for the first time in a century, Eren Yeager’s family is caught in the crossfire, and he’ll dedicate the rest of his life to ridding the world of Titans, even if it ends up being far more complicated than he could have imagined.
Attack on Titan is often regarded as the defining hit of modern anime, and between its incredible visuals and thoughtful narrative that goes well beyond just fighting monsters, it’s easy to see why. Ironically, the original manga was rejected by Weekly Shonen Jump before being serialized in Bessatsu Shonen Magazine, and that’s probably the biggest reason it became a hit.
4) Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End
Madhouse’s Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End stars Frieren, the unaging elven mage of the hero’s party who just completed their journey to defeat the demon king. It isn’t until the hero, Himmel, dies decades later that Frieren realizes how much she cared about them, though, and so she decides to go on another journey to learn to understand others better.
It’s one thing for Frieren to look stunningly gorgeous, but with its fun cast and thoughtful narrative about life and forming connections with others, it’s an anime that truly succeeds in every regard. Frieren was quick to take the world by storm, and with Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End season 2 coming soon, it’s going to get bigger than ever.
3) Magi: The Labyrinth Of Magic
A-1 Pictures’ Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic takes place in a world where people challenge mysterious and deadly dungeons to obtain incredible wealth and power. Among them is the duo of Aladdin and Alibaba, and while they just wanted to go on adventures, they soon find themselves involved in massive conspiracies that could determine the fate of their entire universe.
With a perfect combination of action, worldbuilding, and character writing, Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic is an incredibly fun and unique series that gets the most out of its premise at every turn. Magi’s anime was tragically cut short before it could get to its biggest arcs, but even what little was animated is still plenty worth watching.
2) Mob Psycho 100
Bones Film’s Mob Psycho 100 stars Mob, a boy who has to suppress his emotions at all times to control his powerful psychic abilities. Despite that, Mob constantly tries to better express himself as he strives to make friends and impress his crush, all of which is made even harder by the constant supernatural threats he has to deal with.
Mob Psycho 100 is fun to watch just for the pure spectacle of its gorgeous and creative animation, but with its great comedy and heartwarming coming-of-age narrative for its lead, it has plenty of stellar writing to complement the visuals, as well. There’s never been an anime quite like Mob, and it’s easy to see why it’s so beloved.
1) Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Bones Film’s Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is the second adaptation of the Fullmetal Alchemist manga. Unlike the 2003 anime, also made by Bones Film, Brotherhood is a straightforward adaptation that covers Edward and Alphonse’s search for the Philosopher’s Stone and their fight against the Homunculi in its entirety, all with few divergences from the source material.
Having a straightforward adaptation of the Fullmetal Alchemist manga is great on its own, and with its amazing animation and direction, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is an amazingly thoughtful and engaging work complemented by incredible visuals. Brotherhood has always been a massive hit with fans and critics, and there’s no better contender for the best shonen anime not from Shonen Jump.
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