As 2024 comes to an end, TheWrap is looking back on all the amazing anime series we saw come to our TV and streaming screens.
This year was jam-packed with successful Japanese animation. The beginning of the end of “My Hero Academia,” a remake of the 1989 anime series “Ranma 1/2,” and fans continued the adventure of new heavy-hitting anime series “Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End.”
Whether you’re heading to Crunchyroll, the one-stop-shop for all anime, or the anime streaming novice Netflix, the animation genre is growing and it’s calling for more shows to be produced. This year anime lovers were also graced with what is likely “Dragon Ball” creator Akira Toriyama’s final original work after his death.
As plans for more and more anime are announced, let’s take a moment to appreciate all of what 2024 had to offer.
The Best Anime Series of 2023
“My Hero Academia” Season 7
Written and illustrated by its creator Kōhei Horikoshi, “My Hero Academia” was adapted from its manga series and into an anime, which premiered in 2018. In the show, a young boy named Izuku/Deku Midoriya aspires to be a “Quirk” — a human with super powers. Initially possessing none of his own, he is gifted by the greatest hero power, All Might, after being the only person to stand up for and protect a friend during a tragic accident. His adventures continue when he joins a school that cultivates the next generation of heroes.
In Season 7, the kickoff to the final chapters of hit show centers on Deku and the gang attempting to take down the League of Villains.
Where to watch: Crunchyroll
“Solo Leveling” Season 1
In action fantasy thriller, which stepped onto the scene this year, fans witness the journey of Sung Jinwoo, the weakest E-ranked member of a guild of powerful hunters who are tasked with fighting off monsters around the globe. After being given a second chance at life, Sung Jinwoo sets out to learn the secrets behind his new powers. “Solo Leveling” originated as a manhwa, a Korean webtoon, but was adapted into an anime series.
Where to watch: Crunchyroll, Prime Video with Crunchyroll, The Roku Channel, Fandango at Home
“Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End” Season 1
“Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End” is an anime series adapted from the manga of the same name, written by Kanehito Yamada and illustrated by Tsukasa Abe. The show follows Frieren, an elf mage whose 10-year-long effort led her to defeating the Demon King and restoring peace to the land. Frieren, who can live over a thousand years, sets off on a journey by herself for 50 years, leaving her comrades behind. When she goes back to visit her friends, they’ve become much older while she remains the same.
With her team only having a little bit of life left, she sets off on a new journey with the goal of meeting as many people as possible, while struggling with regrets of losing time with those she cared deeply about. Season 1 of “Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End” premiered in 2023, but wrapped up in March 2024.
Where to watch: Crunchyoll, Prime Video with Crunchyroll, Fandango at Home, The Roku Channel, Apple TV
“Dragon Ball Daima”
“Dragon Ball Daima,” which likely stands as “Dragon Ball” creator Akira Toriyama’s final original work after his death in March, follows Goku and his friends after a conspiracy turns them small. They are now forced to find their way out of a new dimension called the Demon Realm.
Where to watch: Crunchyroll
“Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba — Hashira Training Arc” (Season 4)
Set in the early 20th century Taishō era of Japan comes the tale of 13-year-old Tanjiro Kamado, a boy who enlists in the teachings of first-class demon slayers with a mission to avenge his family who were slaughtered while he was running errands. The only person he has left is his sister, who has been turned into a demon. The two embark on a journey to find the Demon King, Muzan Kibutsuji, alongside fellow demon slayers Zenitsu and Insosuke.
In Season 4, the series centers on Tanjiro undergoing training with the Stone Hashira, Himjima, as he moves closer to his goal of becoming a Hashira — the highest ranked demon slayers in the Demon Slayer Corps. This is all in preparation for the the team’s forthcoming final battle against Muzan Kibutsuji.
Where to watch: Crunchyroll, Hulu, Netflix, The Roku Channel, Apple TV, Disney+, Prime Video with Crunchyroll, Fandango at Home
“A Sign of Affection” Season 1
This romance anime is one for the lovers. Adapted from Suu Morishita’s manga of the same name spotlights college student Yuki Itose, who has congenital hearing loss, and has started developing feelings for an upperclassman named Itsuomi Nagi after he helps her out one day while the two are on the train.
Where to watch: Crunchyroll, Prime Video with Crunchyroll, The Roku Channel, Apple TV
“Delicious in Dungeon”
Those looking for a fun, action-packed adventure can lean on Netflix’s “Delicious in Dungeon.” It’s a quirky tale about a group of explorers who venture off to a cursed kingdom, cooking along the way. But when they start to run low on supplies, the group is forced to rely on whatever they can find in the dungeon they’re traveling through.
Where to watch: Netflix
“Dan Da Dan” Season 1
“Dan Da Dan” was adapted from Yukinobu Tatsu’s manga of the same name is about two highs schoolers who have differing opinions about whether or not ghosts and aliens exist. After making a bet, paranormal activity comes to life, forcing the pair to take the spirits on with the help of some friends and supernatural powers.
Where to watch: Crunchyroll, Disney+, Hulu, Prime Video with Crunchyroll, Apple TV, Fandango at Home, YouTube
“Kaiju No. 8” Season 1
The Japanese term “kaiju” is associated with television, film and books that have stories featuring giant monsters, usually depicted in narratives attacking major cities or battling militaries or other creatures. “Kaiju No. 8” follows that same tradition, centered on a group of characters living in a world where enormous monsters are attacking the humans that inhabit it.
The anime comes as an adaptation of Naoya Matsumoto’s original manga series of the same name and follows the journey of Kafka Hibino, a young man whose ambition to join a crimefighting team that protects the world from the massive monsters is reinvigorated by a fellow aspirant.
Where to watch: Crunchyroll, The Roku Channel, Prime Video
“Ranma 1/2”
“Ranma 1/2” was adapted from Rumiko Takahashi’s manga of the same name, and Netflix remade the 1989 anime and dropped the series dropping this year. The show revolves around a teen boy named Ranma who is a trained martial artist. However, he succumbs to a curse that transforms him into a girl whenever he’s splashed with cold water.
Where to watch: Netflix