Breaking Down the Best Original Anime on Netflix

There is no denying the might of Netflix. The company helped put streaming on the map more than a decade ago, and it is still expanding. From Korean dramas to reality show romances, the service has something for everyone. This includes anime as well as Netflix began investing heavily in the industry years ago. But as Netflix’s anime catalog grows, well – it can be hard to find something good to watch.

Of course, that is why we are here. ComicBook has rounded up a small sampling of Netflix’s best titles to get you going. From its very best shonen titles to its top sci-fi adventures, you can find some staples of the anime fandom below. All of these titles can be binged in Netflix if you’re in the United States, so we hope you’ve got space in your queue for these must-watch shows!

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Best Historical Anime: Vinland Saga

• Synopsis: 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.
  

Best Shonen Anime: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

• Synopsis: In Taisho-era Japan, kindhearted Tanjiro Kamado makes a living selling charcoal. But his peaceful life is shattered when a demon slaughters his entire family. His little sister Nezuko is the only survivor, but she has been transformed into a demon herself! Tanjiro sets out on a dangerous journey to find a way to return his sister to normal and destroy the demon who ruined his life.
  

Best Sci-Fi Anime: Neon Genesis Evangelion

• Synopsis: In 2015, Tokyo-3 is under attack from “Angels,” extraordinary beings that possess various special abilities. Multipurpose Humanoid Decisive Weapon, Evangelion is the only method to counter these Angels, and Shinji Ikari is chosen as its pilot. The battle for the fate of humankind has begun. Exactly what are the Angels? What is destined for the young pilots? And what will become of humanity?
  

Best Classic Anime: Cowboy Bebop

• Synopsis: The Bebop crew is just trying to make a buck. This motely lot of intergalactic loners teams up to track down fugitives and turn them in for cold hard cash. Spike is a hero whose cool façade hides a dark and deadly past. The pilot Jet is a bruiser of a brute who can’t wait to collect the next bounty. Faye Valentine is a femme fatale prone to breaking hearts and separating fools from their money. Along for the ride are the brilliant, but weird, hacker Ed and a super genius Welsh Corgi named Ein. On their own, any one of them is likely to get lost in the sprawl of space, but together, they’re they most entertaining gang of bounty hunters in the year 2071.
  

Best Comedy Anime: Assassination Classroom

• Synopsis: Forget about homework and pop quizzes. The students of Class 3E have a far more important assignment: kill their teacher befoe the end of the year! A tentacle sensei that moves at Mach 20 is out to conquer the classroom after destroying seventy percent of the moon. In addition to reading, writing and arithmeticm the murderous monster behind the lectern will teach his students everything he knows about the assassination game. Should some eager beaver prove to be a quick study in killing, he or she will save the earth from extinction and collect a hefty reward. But they’d better take some seriouse notes while class is in session becuase their slaughtering sensei has eight deadly tentacles just waiting to wreak havoc on humanity!
  

Best Romance Anime: Komi Can’t Communicate

• Synopsis: Socially anxious high school student Shoko Komi’s greatest dream is to make some friends, but everyone at school mistakes her crippling social anxiety for cool reserve! With the whole student body keeping their distance and Komi unable to utter a single word, friendship might be forever beyond her reach. Timid Tadano is a total wallflower, and that’s just the way he likes it. But all that changes when he finds himself alone in a classroom on the first day of high school with the legendary Komi. He quickly realizes she isn’t aloof-she’s just super awkward. Now he’s made it his mission to help her on her quest to make 100 friends!
  

Best Slice-of-Life Anime: Little Witch Academia

• Synopsis: Those words changed young Atsuko “Akko” Kagari forever, sparking in her a lifelong dream of becoming a real witch. Now she’s been accepted to the same school as her childhood hero, Shiny Chariot-the prestigious Luna Nova Witchcraft Academy. As the only student to come from a non-magical family, Akko finds herself surrounded by prodigies from around the world, but giving up isn’t in her vocabulary. Whether it’s making friends, proving the doubters wrong, or just flying on a broom, Akko is going to make her fantasy a reality!
  

Best Horror Anime: Death Note

• Synopsis: Light Yagami is an ace student with great prospects-and he’s bored out of his mind. But all that changes when he finds the Death Note, a notebook dropped by a rogue Shinigami death god. Any human whose name is written in the notebook dies, and now Light has vowed to use the power of the Death Note to rid the world of evil. But when criminals begin dropping dead, the authorities send the legendary detective L to track down the killer. With L hot on his heels, will Light lose sight of his noble goal…or his life?
  

Best Original Anime: Castlevania

• Synopsis: Inspired by the popular video game series, this anime series is a dark medieval fantasy. It follows the last surviving member of the disgraced Belmont clan, Trevor Belmont, trying to save Eastern Europe from extinction at the hands of Vlad Dracula Tepes. As Dracula and his legion of vampires prepare to rid the world of humanity’s stain, Belmont is no longer alone, and he and his misfit comrades race to find a way to save mankind from the grief-maddened Dracula.
  

What do you think about Netflix’s anime catalog? What are some of your must-watch titles? 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!