Close to the end of 2025’s last anime season, it’s already clear that this year has been outstanding for the medium. Each year, the anime industry has been steadily producing more titles and growing its global influence, and no year in its long history has passed without at least one outstanding show making a lasting impact, 2025 being no exception.
Lately, anime has been more prolific than ever before, with every year presenting fans with incredible movies and series in a variety of genres to suit every taste. Action-adventure shonen series might still dominate the medium’s mainstream lineups, yet every popular genre, from romance to horror, had a special show debut in 2025. While the Fall anime season is still ongoing, it’s not too early to look at the best anime exemplars of fan-favorite genres this year has given fans, all of which deserve to go down in history as timeless masterpieces.
Takopi’s Original Sin Became the Must-Watch Drama Anime of 2025
When an octopus-like alien from Planet Happy landed on Earth to spread joy, they hardly expected their first human friend to be a person whose life is nearly void of positivity. Takopi uses all kinds of futuristic gadgets to make 9-year-old Shizuka, a victim of bullying and neglect, smile. However, their endeavor still ends in tragedy, culminating with Takopi’s Original Sin’s first shocking twist at the end of Episode 1.
Takopi’s Original Sin might seem like a Doraemon spoof at first glance, yet its story, for being just six episodes long, is a rollercoaster of heightened emotions that intimately explores child abuse, the weight of consequences, and the importance of perspective. The best drama anime of 2025, Takopi’s Original Sin is a series one should try going in blind – but not without reading trigger warnings in advance.
Dandadan Season 2 Perfected the Greatest Supernatural Anime Tropes
When it comes to genre-bending, the new-gen shonen hit Dandadan has no rivals. Its core plot involves a slow-burn love story between Okarun and Momo, two occult enthusiasts with very different perspectives who find themselves fighting spirits and aliens alike.
The second season of Dandadan truly highlights the show’s peculiar fusion of supernatural and science fiction, opening with the haunting story of the Evil Eye before shifting to extraterrestrial invaders near the end. Touching, comedic, and thrilling all at the same time, Dandadan continues to uphold the sky-high standard it set for innovative shonen storytelling, shaping up to be one of this generation’s greatest works in the demographic.
Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle’s Action-Packed Story is 2025’s Biggest Movie
No shonen anime franchise of recent years has gotten more praise for its action than Ufotable’s Demon Slayer, and this 2025’s Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle movie is the series at its most breathtaking. Entering the culmination of the story, with the protagonists going head-to-head with Muzan and his Upper Rank demons,Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle is a cinematic masterwork of fast-paced action elevated through Demon Slayer’s signature use of grounded drama.
While Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle is just the first in an upcoming trilogy, it has already blown fans’ expectations out of the water with its outstanding animation and kinetic fight choreography. With every entry to the series, Ufotable continues to raise the bar of what anime can look like at its most technically skillful, so fans rightfully anticipate the remaining Demon Slayer movies and expect them to be just as magnificent.
Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc Made the World Fall in Love With Dark Fantasy Anime
Demon Slayer was not the only shonen anime franchise to get a movie this year, and after three years of anticipation, Chainsaw Man returned to screens with its Reze Arc feature. Chainsaw Man has been one of the most revolutionary works in the new-gen shonen anime lineup, with its dark urban fantasy setting, unexpected thematic depth, and unconventional approach to storytelling. Yet, many anime fans didn’t understand just how profound the story is until the Reze Arc movie.
A perfect mixture of high-octane, thrilling action and soul-crushing narration, the Reze Arc is where Chainsaw Man truly starts to highlight its worldbuilding and character development strengths, resulting in an unforgettable cinematic experience. The new art direction Chainsaw Man adopts in this film perfectly brings to life the chaotic energy of the manga.
Lord of the Mysteries Lives Up to Its Name as 2025’s Best Mystery Donghua
2025 was an outstanding year for Chinese animation, or donghua, attracting more anime fans to the medium with a number of breakout hits. Adapting a revered Chinese web novel, Lord of the Mysteries was one of the most anticipated donghua premieres of the year, and the end result impressed fans and newcomers alike.
A steampunk mystery series with complex worldbuilding and mature, intricate storytelling, Lord of the Mysteries transports the audience into a haunting world of magic and Beyonders alongside the protagonist, Klein, who has transmigrated into this universe through enigmatic means. At first, the series can be quite daunting for new audiences to navigate due to its narrative density. Yet, beneath the layers of ambiguity hides a dark fantasy epic of unimaginable scope that every fan of the genre would have a blast deciphering.
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