Hulu is one of the most accessible mainstream services for fans looking to stream the best anime available. It might not be the first platform longtime fans of the genre might look to for a focused anime fix, but it’s proven to be a reliable resource. The service has an impressively diverse library between its countless TV series and movies. Likewise, it also boasts a wide range of genres to help any kind of fan find something to intrigue them, making Hulu one of the best places to watch anime right now.
On top of Hulu’s anime offerings, those who aren’t already subscribed should consider the Disney Bundle to make the most of their streaming budget. With it, audiences are given a plethora of TV, film, and sports content from Disney+, ESPN+, and the base ad-supported Hulu plan. Fans will be able to enjoy dozens of hours of Star Wars, Marvel Studios, National Geographic, and sports content in addition to Hulu’s terrific anime selection.
Fans around the world are surely thankful for the anime genre’s newfound accessibility in the modern age, but it can still be intimidating to know where to start. Thankfully, for prospective fans who might be feeling even a bit overwhelmed, we also have a guide on the best anime available on Netflix so fans can make the most of their options.
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SPY x FAMILY2022 -
Undead Unluck2023
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Tokyo Revengers2021
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Tengoku Daimakyo (2023)
While it wasn’t one of the most prolific mainstream anime series of 2023, Tengoku Daimakyo — also known by its English title Heavenly Delusion — is a worthwhile dystopia tale. The series is an adaptation of writer and illustrator Masakazu Ishuguro’s manga of the same name and tells parallel stories. In a world where a disaster fractured Japan and left man-eating monsters in its wake, one story follows a group of children in a nursery who gradually learn the horrifying reality that lurks outside their haven’s walls.
Meanwhile, two teenagers named Maru and Kiruko team up to find a supposed place called Heaven for unique reasons, with elements of their pasts gradually coming to light. Heavenly Delusion makes the sci-fi dystopia premise stand out thanks to its combination of character-driven storytelling and enticing mystery elements at its core. The series also manages to tackle elements of societal and gender disparities with sincerity and nuance.
Death Parade (2015)
Animation studio Madhouse created an original story with an interesting premise with Death Parade. A supernatural and psychological thriller, this series centers around the strange bar Quindecim — a place between Heaven and Hell where only pairs of people who died at the same time can enter.
It’s run by the mysterious Decim, who acts as the bar’s arbiter and challenges these people to life-or-death games to decide whether they get reincarnated or banished to the void. On top of the deadly thrills, Death Parade gets surprisingly introspective and somber with its storytelling. As more challengers take part, the series fleshes out each one by delving into their various guilts and regrets about life.
Fate/Zero (2011)
The Fate franchise is one of the most lucrative multimedia endeavors in Japan, with the Fate/Zero TV series being one of its highlights in the anime genre. Adapted from Gen Urobuchi and Takashi Takeuchi’s light novel of the same name, studio Ufotable’s anime chronicles the story of the tournament dubbed the Fourth Holy Grail War, where seven mages summon various heroes from across human history to represent them.
The winner earns the Holy Grail, a magic chalice capable of granting the owner’s wishes. Fate/Zero was widely praised for its deep worldbuilding and diverse cast of characters. As expected from a studio like Ufotable, the anime series also featured some exhilarating action sequences.
Inuyasha (2000)
Combining fantasy, comedy, action, and romance, writer and artist Rumiko Takahashi’s Inuyasha is a manga classic that ran from the mid ’90s to the late ’00s. Animation studio Sunrise’s adaptation did the source material justice, adapting teenage protagonist Kagome Higurashi’s story as she travels back in time to feudal Japan to help the young half-demon boy Inuyasha recover the fragments of the ancient Shikon Jewel before they fall into nefarious hands and threaten the world.
Inuyasha has been beloved as an icon of the shounen anime and manga genres, tastefully capturing a sense of colorful adventure and supernatural intrigue. The period-piece approach with the feudal Japan setting also proves to be a great way to experiment with historical fantasy.
SPY x FAMILY (2022) new
Animation studios Wit and CloverWorks’ adaptation of Tatsuya Endo’s Spy x Family has become one of the biggest contemporary shounen hits. Follow along with Loid Forger — aka Agent Twilight — as he embarks on a covert mission to quell a potential international disaster. The show then morphs into a touching, fun, and humorous story about the “found family” theme, which has been a refreshing change of pace.
The rest of the cast comprised of Anya, Yor, and their dog, Bond Forger, complete this delightful anime rendition of sitcom tropes. And season 2 of Spy x Family has more than kept up the pace from its debut. Its episodic structure with an overarching plot sprinkled in makes the series easy to engage with.
Undead Unluck (2023) new
David Production, the animation studio behind the beloved JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure adaptation, has brought Yoshifumi Tozuka’s Undead Unluck to the screen. Cursed with a mysterious ability that causes tragic death to anyone who touches her, Fuuko Izumo welcomes her death.
But just as she’s about to die, a strange man touches her, causing him to fall in front of an oncoming train — but he begins to regenerate and is revealed to be immortal. Fuuko dubs him Andy and teams up with him to give his life one last hurrah, but the duo faces the threat of a shadowy group trying to exploit their powers.
Tokyo Revengers (2021) new
One of the more recent shounen anime adaptations, studio LIDENFILMS’ take on Ken Wakui’s Tokyo Revengers is a middle-school-themed gangster series. A grown down-on-his-luck Takemichi Hanagaki struggles in his career and social life, later learning that his girlfriend from middle school — Hinata Tachibana — had been murdered by a vicious local gang.
It seems his life is about to take a dark and abrupt end when he’s accidentally pushed in front of an oncoming train, but shockingly flashes back to his life 12 years ago. From there, Takemichi sets out to course-correct his life and save Hinanta from her future death by joining the ranks of his school’s gang.
Bleach (2004)
Studio Pierrot and Tite Kubo’s Bleach aims to conclude the anime adaptation with Thousand-Year Blood War. This anime is a long time coming and adapts the final titular story arc of the manga, with vigilante Soul Reaper Ichigo Kurosaki and his friends and allies abruptly confronted by Asguiaro Ebern, who aims to reignite the vitriolic feud between the Soul Society and the ancient Quincy family.
With this, Asguiaro looks to pave the way for Quincy King Ywach to return and lay waste to both the human world and the Soul Society. So far, the first two parts of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War have been strongly received for their stylish and action-packed take on Kubo’s source material, with a third on the way in spring 2024.
Hellsing (2001)
Though the Hellsing Ultimate adaptation that would follow it years later earned stronger critical reception, the 2001 anime is still a worthwhile watch. Animated by studio Gonzo, Hellsing centers around the vampire Alucard as he’s used by his superior, Seras Victoria, from the shadows as a weapon to protect the British Empire from supernatural threats.
An unapologetically gruesome and bombastic series, Hellsing is a wildly fun gothic horror and action-packed anime for fans looking to satisfy a vampiric craving. The only thing that holds it back is how the creative team needed to improvise an ending to the anime, as the manga had yet to finish publication at the time.
Sonny Boy (2021)
The Tatami Time Machine Blues (2022)
ID: INVADED (2020)
Space Dandy (2014)
Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead (2023) new
Dragon Ball Z Kai (2009) new
Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai (2020) new
Inu-Oh (2022) new
Directed by Masaaki Yuasa and produced by animation studio Science SARU, Inu-Oh is an inventive historical musical anime. Adapting the novel Tales of the Heike: Inu-Oh by author Hideo Furukawa, this story centers around the friendship between the titular dancer born with unique physical features and a blind musician.
The two characters bond over how 14th-century Japanese society has ostracized them from the world, morphing Inu-Oh into an anime rock opera with elements of magical folklore. Inu-Oh is one of the most creative and poignant anime movies in recent years and is worth a watch.
Trigun: Badlands Rumble (2011)
Trigun Stampede has proven to be an imaginative reboot of Yasuhiro Nightow’s classic manga, but 2010’s Trigun: Badlands Rumble is just as good. Directed by Satoshi Nishimura and once again produced by veteran animation studio Madhouse, Badlands Rumble tells an original story set sometime between episodes 10 and 12 of the ’90s anime adaptation.
Vash the Stampede travels to Macca City and is quickly caught in the crossfire of a massive gang war. Former gang leader Gasback Gallon Getaway returns to get revenge on the crew there that backstabbed him 20 years prior.
Made in Abyss: Journey's Dawn (2019)
Akihito Tsukushi’s Made in Abyss is one of the best ongoing manga and anime series today. Animation studio Kinema Citrus has done a great job of adapting the series to the screen, and Made in Abyss: Journey’s Dawn is a great new way to watch the anime.
A compilation movie, Journey’s Dawn condenses the first eight episodes of the TV show into a ~2-hour-long movie. This portion of the story follows orphaned and aspiring Cave Raider Riko with her robot friend Reg as they descend into the dangerous titular abyss to uncover its secrets. Along the way, Riko will also learn about her missing mother.
Naruto (2002)
Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto was a mainstream juggernaut for the anime genre as a whole. The series begins with the titular protagonist, who grows up an outcast of the Hidden Leaf Village who is nonetheless determined to fulfill his lofty goals of eventually becoming an elite ninja and the village’s leader.
Filled with fantastical world-building and a wide cast of colorful characters, Naruto is an imaginative and action-packed spin on coming-of-age themes and fantasy worlds influenced by Japanese mythology.
Mobile Suit Gundam 00 (2007)
Japan’s Mobile Suit Gundam franchise remains one of the most enduring anime IPs and media franchises in general. Set within a universe dense with lore and world-building, Mobile Suit Gundam 00 is among the best standalone stories for longtime fans and newcomers alike.
Telling a story with underlying themes, Mobile Suit Gundam 00 follows a paramilitary group determined to end the bloody internal warfare over scraps of usable energy.
Trigun Stampede (2023)
Veteran studio Madhouse’s original TV anime adaptation of Yasuhiro Nightow’s Trigun is celebrated as a ’90s classic. However, studio Orange has come along with Trigun Stampede as a CG reboot of the original story.
This style of animation is infamously treated with caution in many fandom circles, but this reimagining shows the strides the technology has made. Likewise, it’s made some creative twists for this continuity, like having Meryl Stryfe as an up-and-coming investigative journalist under the mentorship of the original character, Roberto De Niro.
Durarara!! (2010)
Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans (2015)
Gurren Lagann (2007) new
Psycho-Pass (2012) new
Dragon Ball (1986) new
My Hero Academia (2016)
Chainsaw Man (2022)
Mob Psycho 100 (2016)
Hunter x Hunter (2011)
Dragon Ball Super (2015)
Dragon Ball Super: Broly (2018)
Mushi-shi (2005)
Akira (1988)
Steins;Gate (2011)
Attack on Titan (2013)
Parasyte -the maxim- (2014)
Black Lagoon (2006)
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (2019)
MEGALOBOX (2018)
Yu Yu Hakusho (1992)
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (2009)
One Piece (1999)
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (2012)
Cowboy Bebop (1998)
One-Punch Man (2015)
Death Note (2006)
TRIGUN (1998)
Samurai Champloo (2004)
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