Best New and Returning Anime Series of 2023 to Watch

Anime is on the rise these days, and we have its catalog of impressive shows to thank. Japan continues to pump out some of the most innovative and exciting stories in television, after all. From old-school favorites to new hits, anime is becoming a broader part of our pop culture vocabulary. But if you are not sure where to start watching, we’ve got you covered.

Luckily, 2023 has put out some top-tier anime titles, and they are easier to watch now than ever before. Streaming services like Hulu, Max, and Crunchyroll continue to make anime more accessible to everyone. For those curious about the best anime of 2023 (so far), you can read up on the medium’s top shows below and start streaming episodes ASAP:

Heavenly Delusion

• Info: “Within the safety of the walls, youths are raised in a nursery-style setting by robots. While life there may appear stale on the surface, the children are full of potential and curiosity. In many ways it is like a slice of heaven. The outside world is a hell-scape. It is almost entirely void of anything mechanical and is now inhabited by bizarre, yet powerful super-natural beings. Maru, with the aid of Kiruko, is out there crisscrossing what was once Tokyo for heaven. But after searching for so long, maybe heaven is more of an untenable dream than a potential reality.”
  
• Review: Heavenly Delusion made its anime debut this year with a promising sci-fi plot and plenty of twists to boot. If you like post-apocalyptic shows with supernatural twists, Heavenly Delusion is right up your alley!
  
• Where to Watch: You can watch Heavenly Delusion on Hulu now.
  

Skip and Loafer

• Info: “Mitsumi is bound for high school in Tokyo! She’s got book smarts, but this small-town girl is about to find out she’s massively unprepared for the social norms of big city high schoolers.”
  
• Review: Skip and Loafer is standing tall as the must-watch romance of 2023. When a small-town girl comes to the big city, Mitsuri’s world is turned upside down, and audiences will fall in love with the girl’s charm just as fast as her friends did.
  
• Where to Watch: You can watch Skip and Loafer on Crunchyroll now.
  

Oshi no Ko

• Info: “Gorou is an ob-gyn with a life far removed from the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry―the world of his favorite idol, rising star Ai Hoshino. But when the two are unexpectedly brought together, their fates become intertwined in ways that defy all reason. For the good doctor, it’s time to stan(d) and deliver!”
  
• Review: Oshi no Ko brings together the glitz of idol life with true crime. If you like upbeat music and gorgeous animation, this underdog winner should be on your must-watch list!
  
• Where to Watch: You can watch Oshi no Ko on HIDIVE right now.
  

Trigun Stampede

• Info: “Vash the Stampede’s a joyful gunslinging pacifist, so why does he have a $$6 million bounty on his head? That’s what’s puzzling rookie reporter Meryl Stryfe and her jaded veteran partner when looking into the vigilante only to find someone who hates blood. But their investigation turns out to uncover something heinous-his evil twin brother, Millions Knives.”
  
• Review: If you remember back in the day, Trigun ran the anime fandom, and now the series is back with a revival. Trigun Stampede shows the future of anime with its CG animation, and its brisk action will have fans feeling like they’re watching a movie.
  
• Where to Watch: You can watch Trigun Stampede on Crunchyroll now.
  

Vinland Saga Season 2

• Info: “As a child, Thorfinn sat at the feet of the great Leif Ericson and thrilled to wild tales of a land far to the west. But his youthful fantasies were shattered by a mercenary raid. Raised by the Vikings who murdered his family, Thorfinn became a terrifying warrior, forever seeking to kill the band’s leader, Askeladd, and avenge his father. Sustaining Thorfinn through his ordeal are his pride in his family and his dreams of a fertile westward land, a land without war or slavery…the land Leif called Vinland.”
  
• Review: If you love vikings, then Vinland Saga is the show to watch. The hit series has returned with season two this year, and the anime fandom has been geeking out the entire time over its introspective drama. So if you love Norse culture and myths, you better get into season 2 ASAP.
  
• Where to Watch: You can watch Vinland Saga season 2 on Crunchyroll right now.
  

Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2

• Info: “Yuji Itadori is a boy with tremendous physical strength, though he lives a completely ordinary high school life. One day, to save a classmate who has been attacked by curses, he eats the finger of Ryomen Sukuna, taking the curse into his own soul. From then on, he shares one body with Ryomen Sukuna. Guided by the most powerful of sorcerers, Satoru Gojo, Itadori is admitted to Tokyo Jujutsu High School, an organization that fights the curses… and thus begins the heroic tale of a boy who became a curse to exorcise a curse, a life from which he could never turn back.”
  
• Review: Jujutsu Kaisen is back at last! MAPPA Studio has returned to the series with its new season, and the company is on fire with its animation. If you want to be on topic this season, Jujutsu Kaisen better be on your radar.
  
• Where to Watch: You can watch Jujutsu Kaisen season 2 on Crunchyroll right now.
  

Gundam: The Witch From Mercury Season 2

• Info: “A.S. (Ad Stella) 122― An era when a multitude of corporations have entered space and built a huge economic system. A lone girl from the remote planet Mercury transfers to the Asticassia School of Technology, run by the Beneritt Group which dominates the mobile suit industry. Her name is Suletta Mercury. With a scarlet light burning in her pure heart, this girl walks step by step through a new world.”
  
• Review: Gundam: The Witch From Mercury is the latest mainline series to touch the IP, and it is top-notch. A mix of sci-fi fantasy and school drama, The Witch From Mercury is a buoyant ride with adventure from start to finish.
  
• Where to Watch: You can watch Gundam: The Witch From Mercury on Crunchyroll right now.
  

Attack on Titan: The Final Series, Finale Part 1

• Info: “Many years ago, the last remnants of humanity were forced to retreat behind the towering walls of a fortified city to escape the massive, man-eating Titans that roamed the land outside their fortress. Only the heroic members of the Scouting Legion dared to stray beyond the safety of the walls – but even those brave warriors seldom returned alive. Those within the city clung to the illusion of a peaceful existence until the day that dream was shattered, and their slim chance at survival was reduced to one horrifying choice: kill – or be devoured.”
  
• Review: When it comes to anime, few franchises are as well-known as Attack on Titan. The manga came to an end some years ago, but the Attack on Titan anime has yet to wrap. The first half of its finale two-parter went live this spring, so if you want to witness a historic moment in anime, you better binge up to the finale ASAP.
  
• Where to Watch: You can watch Attack on Titan’s finale on Crunchyroll right now.
  

What do you think about this year’s new and returning anime? What are you streaming these days? Let us know what you think in the comments below as well as on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!