Quick wins for a faster PC:
Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Solo Leveling Season 2 is the best anime of 2025 by the clearest overall case: it won Anime of the Year at the 2025 Crunchyroll Anime Awards and became Crunchyroll’s most-liked, most-reviewed and most-watched series, according to GamesRadar+. The rest of the top tier is unusually strong, led by DAN DA DAN Season 2, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, The Apothecary Diaries Season 2, Delicious in Dungeon and Kaiju No. 8.
This is an editorial ranking of 2025 seasons, series and one film, weighing awards recognition, animation and direction, premise, character work, emotional payoff, audience reach and confirmed legal availability. It is not an official industry chart.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
The Summer Hikaru Died, Vol. 1 (Volume 1) | $11.98 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
|
The Summer Hikaru Died, Vol. 2 (Volume 2) | $11.25 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
|
The Summer Hikaru Died, Vol. 3 (Volume 3) | $11.98 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
|
The Summer Hikaru Died, Vol. 7 (Volume 7) | $13.98 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
|
The Summer Hikaru Died, Vol. 4 (Volume 4) | $11.25 | Buy on Amazon |
The 2025 ranking at a glance
| Rank | Title | Format | Legal destination stated in available coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Solo Leveling Season 2 | Returning series | Crunchyroll |
| 2 | DAN DA DAN Season 2 | Returning series | Not stated |
| 3 | Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End | Returning series | Not stated |
| 4 | The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 | Returning series | Crunchyroll |
| 5 | Delicious in Dungeon | Returning series | Not stated |
| 6 | Kaiju No. 8 | Returning series | Not stated |
| 7 | My Hero Academia Season 8 | Final season | Not stated |
| 8 | The Summer Hikaru Died | New series | Netflix |
| 9 | Gachiakuta | New series | Crunchyroll |
| 10 | Sakamoto Days | New series | Not stated |
| 11 | Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba | Returning franchise | Not stated |
| 12 | Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc | Film | Not stated |
| 13 | Gundam (2025 releases) | Franchise entry | Amazon is cited for a Gundam release |
| 14 | Lazarus | New series | Adult Swim |
| 15 | To Be Hero X | New series | Not stated |
Streaming rights can vary by country and change after publication; check the service in your region before subscribing.
Why these are the best anime of 2025
1. Solo Leveling Season 2
The No. 1 choice combines the year’s strongest formal momentum with the clearest measurable audience response. TheWrap reports that it won Anime of the Year at the 2025 Crunchyroll Anime Awards, while GamesRadar+ says it led Crunchyroll in likes, reviews and watch figures. Sung Jin-woo’s progression to S-rank and his confrontation with the Ant King give the season a straightforward escalation that delivers both spectacle and emotional stakes.
#1 Best Overall
2. DAN DA DAN Season 2
DAN DA DAN remains the most inventive blend of supernatural action, adolescent romance and absurd comedy in the field. Its Anime of the Year nomination was supported by appearances in action, animation, character, opening, ending and voice categories. That breadth reflects a show whose visual ideas and ensemble chemistry matter as much as its fights.
3. Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End
Frieren had the broadest awards footprint of the year. GamesRadar+ reports 29 Crunchyroll Anime Awards nominations, spanning drama, animation, background art, character design, direction, main and supporting characters, song, score and voice acting. Its patient treatment of memory, grief and the passage of time gives the series unusual emotional depth even when its fantasy action becomes spectacular.
4. The Apothecary Diaries Season 2
This palace mystery turns court politics, medicine and social observation into propulsive drama. Maomao’s work as an apothecary lets each case reveal something about the imperial court, while the continuing character tension gives the investigations cumulative weight. TheWrap names it a 2025 standout, and GamesRadar+ lists it among the Anime of the Year nominees. TheWrap identifies Crunchyroll as a viewing destination.
Rank #2
5. Delicious in Dungeon
Few anime this year balanced comedy, danger and world-building as naturally. Its party’s journey through a dungeon is also a sustained argument about food, ecology and survival. The series earned Anime of the Year recognition and appeared in comedy, drama, animation, background-art, character-design, direction and voice categories. GamesRadar+ reports 16 nominations, evidence of craft extending well beyond its premise.
6. Kaiju No. 8
Kaiju No. 8 supplies direct, high-impact action while grounding its monster battles in an adult protagonist’s second chance. It was an Anime of the Year nominee and a broad technical and voice contender; GamesRadar+ reports 16 nominations. The combination of military-scale set pieces and Kafka Hibino’s personal stakes makes it one of 2025’s most accessible action shows.
7. My Hero Academia Season 8
The concluding season earns its place through payoff rather than novelty. TheWrap highlights the final battle, heightened stakes and farewells that close a long-running superhero story. Viewers who have followed the series will find the emotional value in those accumulated relationships; newcomers should begin earlier because this season assumes substantial knowledge of the world and its heroes.
Rank #3
8. The Summer Hikaru Died
This psychological horror mystery makes friendship the source of its unease. Its central relationship is shaped by the possibility that the person who returned is not really Hikaru, and the story’s queer dimension gives that premise additional emotional specificity. TheWrap lists it among Netflix’s 2025 highlights. It is the strongest choice here for viewers who want dread, intimacy and unresolved identity questions instead of conventional action.
9. Gachiakuta
Gachiakuta frames revenge through a dystopian class system: an outcast protagonist is blamed for murder and pushed into a hostile world. The graffiti-inspired visual approach gives the series a distinctive surface, while its premise supplies immediate momentum. TheWrap lists it as a Crunchyroll 2025 highlight. It ranks below the top consensus titles because the available awards evidence is less extensive, not because its concept is less ambitious.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →10. Sakamoto Days
This action comedy follows a retired assassin trying to protect his family from former colleagues. The contrast between domestic routine and professional violence gives the premise an efficient comic engine, and the series fits viewers looking for lighter action with a strong central hook. Its placement reflects a dated year-end recommendation rather than major awards recognition, so it remains below the better-established consensus group.
Rank #4
11. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
Demon Slayer remains one of anime’s major spectacle franchises and was identified by GamesRadar+ as one of 2025’s familiar big hitters. Its value is concentrated in production scale, emotional melodrama and long-running franchise payoff. It ranks here because the year’s newer or more formally distinctive works offered stronger evidence of innovation, even as Demon Slayer continued to command attention.
12. Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc
The Reze story is a canon continuation that also works as a comparatively approachable entry point for viewers drawn to a mature, tragic love story. GamesRadar+ describes the film as the year’s film-focused anime pick in this group. Its theatrical format and concentrated narrative make it a different proposition from the television seasons above, with franchise continuity balanced against a self-contained emotional arc.
13. Gundam (2025 releases)
GamesRadar+ cites a Gundam series on Amazon as part of anime’s broad platform reach in 2025. Because the available evidence does not identify the exact Gundam title, this is a franchise-level placement rather than a claim about one specific series. Gundam’s inclusion acknowledges the year’s continuing appetite for large-scale science-fiction animation, but the title-level record here is thinner than for the ranked shows above.
Best Value
14. Lazarus
Lazarus is the list’s sci-fi thriller and auteur-leaning counterweight. GamesRadar+ names it as a notable first-half 2025 release on Adult Swim. Its position reflects that distinction and its original-series profile, while the higher ranks have stronger awards or audience evidence attached to them.
15. To Be Hero X
The final slot goes to To Be Hero X, one of the adjacent 2025 genre standouts identified in Crunchyroll News’ staff year-in-review material. The available evidence does not provide a comparable nomination count or detailed platform record, so it is a provisional lower-rank inclusion rather than a claim of consensus. It completes a list that spans mainstream action, horror, mystery, comedy, science fiction and film.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the awards say about 2025
The Crunchyroll Anime Awards picture reinforces the ranking’s top cluster. Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End led with 29 nominations. Delicious in Dungeon and Kaiju No. 8 received 16 each, while Solo Leveling and The Apothecary Diaries received 13 each, according to GamesRadar+’s reporting. The six Anime of the Year nominees were DAN DA DAN, Solo Leveling, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, Delicious in Dungeon, Kaiju No. 8 and The Apothecary Diaries.
Which one should you watch first?
- Want the most decisive action? Start with Solo Leveling Season 2.
- Prefer emotional fantasy? Choose Frieren.
- Want mystery and palace politics? Try The Apothecary Diaries Season 2.
- Want comedy with imaginative world-building? Pick Delicious in Dungeon or DAN DA DAN Season 2.
- Want horror? Start with The Summer Hikaru Died.
- Want a film rather than a season? Choose Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc, with the understanding that it continues an existing story.
GamesRadar+ reported almost $1 billion in anime box-office revenue in its 2025 year-in-review, underlining how the year’s audience extended beyond weekly streaming into theatrical releases and multiple platforms.
Recommended Free Tools
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
