Amazon Primehas always been one of the stranger animestreaming sites. They once tried to launch their own full-fledged anime site called Anime Strike, but it was cancelled after a year of poor reception, and they’ve been slow to return to anime ever since, with anime now just being another type of show they offer.
Despite everything, there’s been a genuine effort from Amazon Prime to change how they handle anime, and now, it’s easy to see them as one of the best sites around. A few of their titles make that point especially clear, as whether they’re old titles or new ones, they perfectly capture how great Amazon Prime has gotten at handling anime.
10Wotakoi: Love Is Hard For Otaku
Anime Series By A-1 Pictures; Based On The Manga By Fujita
In A-1 Pictures’Wotakoi: Love Is Hard for Otaku, former childhood friends Narumi Momose and Hirotaka Nifuji reunite as adults over their one shared interest:otakuculture. Now that they’re adults, though, they decide to use their love of anime and video games to give dating a try, and it’s as awkward as one would expect.
Wotakoi’s subject matter makes it a very funny anime filled with pop culture references and general jokes aboutotakuculture, but underneath all that is a genuinely heartwarming story about friendship and finding love in your adult years. A show pulling off a combination like that is incredibly rare, andWotakoi’s success in doing so is nothing but commendable.
9Death Note
Anime Series By Madhouse; Based On The Manga By Tsugumi Ohba And Takeshi Obata
Madhouse’sDeath Notestars Light Yagami, a young genius who stumbles upon the eponymous Death Note, a notebook that can kill anyone whose name is written inside. With the power of the Death Note, Light plans to spread his twisted idea of justice as the self-proclaimed God, Kira, even as the world’s greatest detective, L, tries to stop him.
With its gorgeous direction and clever storytelling,Death Noteis one of the most iconic anime of the 2000s, and even after so many years, it more than deserves its stellar reputation. It might not be an Amazon Prime exclusive, but the fact thatDeath Noteis there says a lot about how great an anime streaming service they’ve become.
8Umamusume: Cinderella Gray
Anime Series By CygamesPictures; Based On The Manga By Masafumi Sugiura
CygamesPictures’Uma Musume: Cinderella Grayis a prequel to the originalUma Musume: Pretty Derbyanime. The series stars Oguri Cap, a minor character from the original anime, and explores how she rose from being a no-name Uma Musume from the sticks to one of the top racers in the country that everyone can’t help but love.
While the originalUma Musumeanime was a serviceable tie-in to the game,Cinderella Grayis an all-around fantastic sports anime for its strong character writing and consistently fantastic visuals and direction.Uma Musumeis incredibly big right now, andCinderella Graywas probably the best way to capitalize on its success.
7Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX
Anime Series By Studio Khara; Directed By Kazuya Tsurumaki
Studio Khara’sMobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuXis an alternate take on the Universal Century where Char stole the Gundam and won the One Year War. Five years later, a girl named Machu lives her life without purpose in this new reality, and while that changes when she discovers an underground Mobile Suit fighting ring, it’s not necessarily for the better.
Between its gorgeous visuals, fun characters, and the unique spin it put on such an iconic story,Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuXis one of the strongestGundamentries in years, both visually and narratively. The show wasn’t without its flaws, as most people will attest to, but overall, it’s easy to seewhyGQuuuuuuXwas a critical and financial success.
6Princess Tutu
Anime Series By Hal Film Maker; Created By Ikuko Itoh
Hal Film Maker’sPrincess Tuturevolves around a fairy tale that fell into a standstill with the prince losing his heart. On a whim, the writer gives a duck in love with the prince the power to transform into Princess Tutu to move the story along, but unfortunately, many forces would prefer things stay as they are.
With its fun story, cute visuals, and a staff composed of the biggest names fromSailor Moonand other magical girl anime,Princess Tutueasily embodies all the best elements of the stories that came before it. It’s one of thebest magical girl anime a person can watch, and anyone who hasn’t would be remiss to not change that.
5New Panty & Stocking With Garterbelt
Anime Series By Studio Trigger; Directed By Hiroyuki Imaishi
Studio Trigger’sNew Panty & Stocking with Garterbeltis the sequel to the originalPanty & Stocking with Garterbeltanime from 2010. After resolving the original anime’s infamous twist ending, Panty and Stocking are back to goofing off and sleeping around while occasionally saving people from Ghosts, but in a new twist, the Demon sisters are now their allies, if only technically.
Even with 15 years having gone by,New Panty & Stocking with Garterbeltmore than lives up to the hype by being even goofier and raunchier than the original anime with all the same great visuals. It’s only about halfway through its run, but without a doubt, it’s already an easy contender forthe best anime of summer 2025.
4Vinland Saga
Anime Series By MAPPA; Based On The Manga By Makoto Yukimura
MAPPA’sVinland Sagais a fictionalized account of the life of Thorfinn Karlsefni, the first Viking to build a major settlement in North America. Thorfinn devoted himself to becoming a warrior in the pursuit of revenge, but it’s not long before Thorfinn must confront the follies of his violent life and learn the best way to live his life.
With a near-perfect combination of animation and mature storytelling,Vinland Sagais an amazing anime to watch from start to finish, whether it’s focused on intense action or philosophical drama. There’s never been an anime quite likeVinland Saga, and even withtheVinland Sagamanga’s finale, it’s a series everyone needs to experience.
3Hunter X Hunter
Anime Series By Madhouse; Based On The Manga By Yoshihiro Togashi
Madhouse’sHunter X Huntertells the story of Gon Freecss, a boy who becomes a Hunter both to go on an adventure and find his father, Ging. Along the way, Gon learns about the mysterious power of Nen and the true dangers of the world, and both add a level of seriousness to Gon’s quest he never could have imagined.
With consistently amazing visuals and direction and a perfect story complementing it at every turn,Hunter X Huntereasily stands out as one of the best anime adaptations a person can watch. Many have even gone so far as to call it the greatest anime of all time, and overall, it’s easy to see why.
2City The Animation
Anime Series By Kyoto Animation; Based On The Manga By Keiichi Arawi
Kyoto Animation’sCity The Animationis centered around the daily events that go on in a city that’s simply called City. Many of the adventures center around perpetual slacker Midori Nagumo and her friends, but overall, the story is about every weird person who lives in the City and the odd things they go through every day.
Even with just a few episodes to its name,City The Animationis an amazing watch due to its hilarious comedy and for having some of the most vibrant and expressive animation in modern anime. It’s a perfect return to form for Kyoto Animation, and it’s already an easy contender for one of their best projects of all time.
1Dororo
Anime Series By MAPPA; Based On The Manga By Osamu Tezuka
MAPPA’sDororois a modern take on the classic story by Osamu Tezuka. Like in the original, the samurai Hyakkimaru travels with the young Dororo to kill the demons that stole his body parts when he was a child, although there are numerous differences in how the story plays out, most notably in how it’s given a proper ending.
Between the gorgeous animation and fight choreography and its gripping character drama,Dororois a perfect modernization of the classic story for how well it respects the original while still putting its own spin on things. The series still holds up tremendously well after so many years, and there’s no better contender for the best anime on Amazon Prime.
