The Best Anime On Crunchyroll You Should Watch Right Now
Crunchyroll is the go-to streaming service for any anime fan, with tens of thousands of episodes of anime available across just about every genre you could imagine. It’s not the only place to watch anime online, but it’s easily one of the best, and is home to the largest library of anime on the internet.
But what are the best anime on Crunchyroll? We put our heads together to come up with a list that we think encompasses a wide range of genres and styles for any anime fan. This list isn’t exhaustive – not by a long shot – but if you’re looking for something to watch on Crunchyroll, every single one of these is worth checking out.
Spy x Family
Crunchyroll
Spy x Family is one of the more recent success stories in anime, with the series seemingly blowing up overnight after it started airing in 2022. It tells the story of an adoptive family with a pretty curious set of identities — Loid, the “dad” is an international spy and secret agent, Yor, the “mom,” is a professional assassin, while Anya, the child of the group, is a mindreader. They also have a precognitive dog named Bond, because why not?
Yor and Loid don’t know each other’s identities, and neither of them know that Anya can read minds or that Bond can see the future, leading to some hilarious hijinx with some truly spectacular action scenes thrown in. It’s a great watch, and with season 2 having started recently, it’s definitely worth checking out.
One Piece
Toei Animation
One Piece fans will tell you that the series is the greatest story ever told, and they might be right. Bad stories don’t run for over 25 years, become the best-selling manga of all time by a wide margin, and run for over 1000 episodes. This fantastic pirate anime is known for its strong character work, spectacular fight scenes, and gripping stories.
If you’re staring down the barrel of 1000 episodes, it might seem a little bit daunting, but we promise that if you give it a go, even just for the first story arc, it won’t be long before you’re all caught up. It’s one of the best shonen anime series ever, and you won’t regret watching it.
Mob Psycho 100
Don’t be put off by the peculiar art style in Mob Psycho 100 — what it lacks in grace it more than makes up for in heart, charm, and action. In a world with a surprising amount of psychics, one man, Arataka Reigen, runs a ghost-busting medium business and is hailed as a powerful psychic. The problem? It’s all a lie.
When he ropes middle school boy Mob into his schemes, the two get caught up in a shady underworld filled with terrifying psychics and even more terrifying emotions. Mob Psycho 100 will make you laugh, it will make you cry, it will make you punch the air and shout “hell yeah.” It’s a near-perfect anime from start to finish.
Bocchi the Rock!
Speaking of anime that will make you cry, Bocchi the Rock is certainly one that will get you there. It’s a pseudo-comedy series that focuses on Hitori Goto, also known as Bocchi, an introvert who loves to play music but absolutely hates interacting with anyone ever.
Watching Bocchi learn to make friends, join a band, and manage her social anxiety with the help of her bandmates is a genuinely touching experience, and it helps that there’s some fantastic music throughout the series, too. There’s a lovely little substory in here about learning to share your emotions through music as well, and it all comes together with some of the most expressive animation in anime today.
Noein: To Your Other Self
Satelight
As we’ve written before, Noein is one of the best anime you’ve never watched, and we absolutely still stand by it. It’s a little bit sci-fi, a little bit isekai, and a little bit shonen, taking bits and pieces from a wide range of genres to create something that’s greater than the sum of its parts.
It’s honestly a little difficult to explain – even after writing 1000 words on it I’m not sure I could clear it up – but it’s a masterclass in animation, art direction, and subversive storytelling. It’s better experienced than explained, so open up Crunchyroll and sit down for one of the best anime you’ll ever watch.
Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card
Madhouse
I don’t need to tell you that Cardcaptor Sakura is good, it feels like everybody knows that by now. The original saga of the anime is available on Crunchyroll, though it’s sadly only in its dubbed form which is missing a little bit of charm. Still, once you’re done watching that, it’s time to get stuck into Clear Card, and we promise it won’t disappoint.
Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card is CLAMP at its best, with gorgeous art direction and costume design, fantastic storytelling, and some really lovely moments to tie it all together. It ends on a massive cliffhanger, but that’s okay, because Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card season 2 is on the way — why not catch up in the meantime?
Detective Conan/Case Closed
Toho Company
Detective anime are rare, but Detective Conan – also known as Case Closed – represents the absolute best the genre has to offer. The premise is simple: a teenage detective gets forced to ingest an experimental drug, but instead of killing him, it shrinks him down into the body of a small child. He then has to work with adults to help solve crimes and mysteries, all while avoiding the shady Black Organization and keeping his true identity a secret.
Detective Conan is dripping with style, rocking a very old-school anime aesthetic, and has some genuinely thrilling mysteries that unfold in each and every episode. Some of them are a bit over-the-top with how convoluted they can get, but even then it’s still a blast to watch it all come together in the end.
Love Live! Sunshine!!
Look, idol anime isn’t for everybody, but we’re trying to cast as wide a net as possible here so bear with us. Love Live! Sunshine!! is the second series in the Love Live franchise, and in our opinion it’s still one of the best. It follows a group of schoolgirls whose school is about to be shut down, as they decide to form an idol group and enter competitions to try and win enough money to keep it funded.
Yes, it’s very girly, and yes it’s packed with cutesy outfits, songs, and performances, as any idol anime is. But if you give it a chance, if you truly look at what’s on offer here, you get a story that’s quite lovely, characters that are very relatable, and visuals that pack a punch from the first second until the credits roll.
Healin’ Good Pretty Cure
And since we’re on the topic of cutesy anime, let’s talk about Pretty Cure. It’s a very long-running series of magical girl anime, often shortened to Precure, spanning over 850 episodes over 20 years with 20 different sub-series within it. Precure represents the quintessential magical girl anime, with all the transformations, silly little wands, and very camp villains you’d expect.
Healin’ Good Pretty Cure is the 17th sub-series in the Precure franchise, and it focuses on medicine and nature, with each of the Cures (the girls with magical powers) having abilities and costumes based on specific elements. It’s got cute animals, surprisingly great battle scenes, and a story that is not afraid to get dark when needed.
Dragon Ball
Akira Toriyama, Shueisha
You know what Dragon Ball is, everybody does. We debated whether or not to include it in this list, but you can’t really have a best anime list without including the series that almost single handedly popularized shonen anime in the West.
Crunchyroll actually has the entire Dragon Ball saga available to stream, including every episode of the original Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball Super, and Dragon Ball GT, even though the last one is very much disputed in canon. It’s even got 16 different Dragon Ball movies on there, including the recent (and very good) Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero.
Vinland Saga
You know what’s missing from most anime? Gritty vikings. That’s where Vinland Saga comes in. It’s an incredible viking-focused anime that follows Thorfinn, a viking-in-training after a family member was killed by raiders.
We don’t want to spoil too much, especially going into the series’ second season, but it’s got great battle scenes, storytelling that’s almost unmatched in modern anime, and some really amazing cinematography. Do yourself a favor and go in as blind as you possibly can.
Code Geass
You couldn’t have a best anime list without Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion, one of the best anime ever to be produced. This mecha anime is set in an alternate timeline where the world is ruled by three monolithic nations: the Holy Britannian Empire, the Chinese Federation, and Europa United.
The three nations often clash in bloody wars, with Brittania getting the upper hand with the use of its gigantic mechs. Lelouch, a former pawn of the Brittanian Empire, becomes gifted with an incredible power, and ultimately becomes the leader of a resistance army against the empire, vowing to take it down. It’s a thrilling watch, and one that you definitely need to check out at least once in your life.
Chainsaw Man
MAPPA
We’ve written a lot about Chainsaw Man in the past, and we’re not the only ones obsessed with it. Animated by MAPPA, with some gorgeous artwork and animation, and it’s got a story to match. Only one season is available on Crunchyroll at the time of writing, but through those twelve episodes you’ll laugh, cry, be weirded out, and be terrified. We won’t spoil it, but you should give it a go, even if you don’t click with it immediately.
Fair warning though: this is not an anime that’s suitable for kids. There’s some overt sexuality, a lot of violence, blood, and gore, and some heavy themes that definitely won’t be for everyone. Keep that in mind going in, and you might just find yourself enjoying one of the most celebrated anime in recent history.
