Anime movies often delve into profound societal issues, offering unique perspectives on life’s complexities. This curated list features standout films, many from Studio Ghibli, renowned for their quality and impact. Discover the best anime movies of all time – as voted by fans across the globe. Don’t worry; we have specifically avoided any spoilers, so none of these movies will be ruined for you!

In a metropolis where humans and robots coexist in an uneasy, often contentious, partnership, a super-powerful android named Tima finds herself caught up in a violent struggle for control. When political tensions rise and paranoia spreads, the film descends into an eerie, oppressive nightmare in which technology is a tool both for wondrous effects and absolute destruction.

Based on the 1949 Osamu Tezuka manga of the same name, Metropolis is directed by Rintaro and Katsuhiro Otomo of Akira fame wrote the screenplay. The film is a tragic and disturbing sci-fi work, with a haunting soundtrack, apocalyptic imagery, and deeply unsettling themes. It lingers like a ghost in the machine. It’s definitely one of the best anime movies of all time.

In Hiroshima, the story follows Suzu, a young woman full of life and cheer, who marries and tries to build a life in the midst of wartime Japan. But as the war intensifies, the anime peels back the layers of devastation—to show, in the end, just how much war takes from us. And the true horror comes not just from the loss in that moment, but from the relentless struggle to survive and the overwhelming number of lives lost across so many communities. Suzu and those around her endure the torment of knowing just what it costs us to live.

In This Corner of the World is not only a historical drama; it is also a gut-wrenching, emotional trip into the war’s horror, packed with grief, despair, and an enduring sense of helplessness.

Set on a far-off isle, the tale follows Class 1-A as they confront a perilous new baddie named Nine, who has a nightmarish quirk that could unmake all the things the heroes hold dear. Stakes don’t come much higher than this, and yet the film somehow gives us a personal reason to invest in the outcome. The cost of being a hero never figures so prominently as the toll taken on our characters in this installment.

My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising might seem like just another action-packed shonen film, but under all the explosions and epic hero battles lies a haunting tale of sacrifice and the heavy burden of being a hero—especially for Izuku “Deku” Midoriya.

The narrative centers on Miyo, a young girl who flees her problematic life by employing a magic mask to shift into a cat and be nearer to her love interest, Hinode. While the movie’s bright animation and whimsical moments reel you in, the real fright is in the slow-moving dread of Miyo’s isolation as she becomes lost in her cat persona.

This captivating yet spooky story, directed by Junichi Sato and Tomotaka Shibayama, takes a deep plunge into the human heart’s darker places.

Picking up after the events of Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo, the film takes us on a journey with Shinji Ikari, the now emotionally tortured protagonist. We see him grappling with the following world: one that has, thanks to his own hand, been pushed to the edge of total collapse. With the remains of civilization strewn about, Shinji does some intensive soul-searching (of course, with the help of some old and new friends) and manages to navigate a rather twisted, post-apocalyptic landscape. Along the way, he and his group encounter some very familiar faces, as well as some very new ones.

Directed by Hideaki Anno and Kazuya Tsurumaki, Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time is the final chapter of the Neon Genesis Evangelion saga, and it’s as emotionally wrecking as it is mind-bending.

 Focusing on Satoru Gojo and Yuta Okkotsu before Yuji Itadori ate a cursed finger and joined the world of all demons and Jujutsu sorcerers, Jujutsu Kaisen 0 is an action-packed anime film that serves as a prequel to one of our favorite series. The movie reveals some of Gojo’s elusive backstory – and also cements Yuta as the ultimate badass long before he ever stood before Sukuna and became the bane of all evil curses.

 As, let’s say, divisive as the ending to the Jujutsu Kaisen manga was, almost every fan will agree that the series peaked with its prequel arc. The tragic love story between Yuta and Rika also lends some crucial context for later seasons in the anime, so it’s worth keeping this one on your watchlist before any new seasons of Jujutsu Kaisen arrive. Also worth mentioning is Megumi Ogata’s killer performance as Yuta

 Char’s Counterattack sought to finally put an end to the legendary rivalry between Amuro Ray and Char Aznable. After years of conflict between the Earth Federation and the forces of Zeon come to a stalemate, the fight between the two ace pilots becomes deeply personal, culminating in a clash that forever shook the Gundam series.

 It’s Gundam. You can’t go wrong with any Mobile Suit Gundam film. As a cornerstone of Japanese animation, the series’ blend of philosophical themes and political intrigue molded the blueprint for geniuses like Hideaki Anno to follow. It also offers a fitting end for Amuro Ray’s storyline, seeing him go from an average high school student to a legendary mecha pilot.

 Instead of making us wait for new episodes, one of our favorite anime series of the past few seasons delivered a full-fledged feature film after its first season ended. Demon Slayer: Mugen Train (or Kimetsu no Yaiba, for true anime purists) follows the young Tanjiro Kamado, his sister, Nezuko, and the rest of their party as they board the mysterious Mugen Train, where a series of disappearances has taken place.

Demon Slayer is easily one of the best anime shows in recent memory, and Mugen Train serves as the perfect introduction to its quality storytelling and intense fight scenes. The film also features some gorgeous animation and the same lovable Koyoharu Gotouge character designs we’ve come to love.

A deeply personal and uniquely fantastical fairy tale from the mind of Hayao Miyazaki, The Boy and the Heron follows Mahito, a grieving boy who recently lost his mother in WWII-Era Japan. Already you can feel this is one hell of a tearjerker. However, things quickly take an unexpected turn when he’s drawn into a surreal underworld where spirits dwell. 

 Besides the fact that this might be Miyazaki’s final film (for real, this time,) The Boy and the Heron feels like a culmination of his life’s work – nostalgic yet daring, melancholic yet hopeful. Its lush visuals and unique characters are almost a challenge to modern sensibilities, painting Mahito as the unlikely hero in a must-watch film for any fan of animated storytelling.

 From the mind of one of the hottest artists in anime storytelling comes Paprika. This surreal drama follows Dr. Atsuko Chiba (voiced by Megumi Hayashibara,) a brilliant scientist who uses an experimental device called the DC Mini to enter patients’ dreams as her flamboyant alter ego, Paprika. Things get messy when a stolen DC Mini starts bringing peoples’ subconscious to the waking world, and now Atsuko (with a little help from Paprika) must stop the madness before the boundary between imagination and reality collapses entirely.

Paprika is the anime precursor to movies like Inception. Its parade of surreal dreamscapes – each visually appealing enough to be short films of their own – could only come from the mind of Satoshi Kon. Whether it’s a dreamy concert or an unsettling nightmare, Paprika is more than just a regular slice of life drama with bits of surrealism: it’s a cult classic that cemented Kon’s legacy as anime’s master of mind-bending storytelling.

A Letter to Momo follows the story of Momo Miyaura, a young girl grappling with the recent loss of her father, Kazuo. After the tragedy, her mother, Ikuko, moves the family to a small island town. On the island, Momo encounters three mischievous spirits, Iwa, Kawa, and Mame, who help her cope with her grief, unravel the island’s mysteries, and ultimately find redemption for their past actions, which led to their transformation into Yokai.

A Letter To Momo is a gorgeous story about dealing with loss and mystery. It incorporates elements of Japanese mythology and folklore. Despite having heavy themes like this, there are plenty of comedic elements and moments throughout the story, lightening the atmosphere and making it a heartfelt movie.

This is the first Studio Ghibli movie on this list, so be warned, you will see many of them!

From Up On Poppy Hill is set in Tokyo in 1963. It follows the story of students Umi Matsuzaki and Shun Kazama as they join forces to save their school clubhouse from demolition to make room for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics stadium. Along the way, they uncover a family secret tied to Japan’s post-World War II recovery and develop a deep friendship that transcends their initial goal of preserving the clubhouse.

Studio Ghibli is notoriously beautiful. Their animation style, sprawling landscapes, and music composition are often reason enough for most fans to watch their movies. That being said, their storytelling is on par with their incredible quality, and with ups and downs everywhere, you will want to follow Umi and Shun through their journey of discovery.

Based on the third novel of Hideyuki Kikuchi’s Vampire Hunter D series, Demon Deathchase, the story follows D, a vampire hunter who is also known as a Dhampir, or a half-human, half-vampire hybrid. After a wealthy man’s daughter is abducted by a vampire nobleman, her father hires D to hunt down the vampire and rescue his daughter.

Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust is one of the darker movies on this list, followed by a fantasy, horror theme involving vampires. The movie was widely considered a success, and we count ourselves among those who consider it a success. Having stayed true to the original novel, the movie is an excellent foot into the world of Vampire Hunter D.

The Secret World of Arrietty is a gorgeous tale based on Mary Norton’s novel The Borrowers and depicts a miniature family called The Borrowers who live clandestinely within a normal-sized house hidden from its inhabitants. When a boy named Shō stumbles upon Arrietty, one of the borrowers, during a visit to his family home, they form an unlikely friendship. However, tragedy strikes as Arrietty’s parents’ caution about revealing their existence to humans proves true, compelling Shō and Arrietty to collaborate in safeguarding her people from discovery by humans.

Studio Ghibli strikes again with a fantastic movie and story that links to beloved fairytales worldwide, including Thumbelina and stories of fairies and gnomes. The story is surprisingly touching as the unlikely friends navigate this new friendship, its dangers to their respective worlds, and much more.

When Marnie Was There is a mysterious tale following Anna Sasaki, who stays with relatives in Hokkaido. She encounters the enigmatic Marnie in an abandoned mansion, and their friendship grows. Through Marnie, Anna unravels secrets about herself, leading her to discover her identity and place in the world.

Surprisingly dark for a heartfelt and touching movie, we weren’t surprised by the depth of this gorgeous Studio Ghibli movie. With a touching story about Anna finding herself, this movie will tug at your heart, but most Studio Ghibli movies will.

In The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, 17-year-old Makoto Konno gains the ability to “time-leap” after a strange encounter with a walnut-shaped object. After narrowly avoiding a fatal accident, she realises she can jump back in time to alter events. Initially using her power frivolously, she soon learns the consequences of her actions as she grapples with the ethical and emotional implications of altering time.

While the movie has a fun premise and tells the relatable story of what almost any of us would do if we suddenly could leap through time, it has a surprising twist at the end that is well worth the watch and a good lesson about abusing the passage of time.

This movie was inspired by the 1948 American film 3 Godfathers and tells the story of three homeless people who find an abandoned newborn in the garbage on Christmas Eve. With nothing but a baby, the note left with the child, and a key that leads to a bag with clues about the parents’ identity, Gin, Miyuki, and Hana set out on a journey across the city to find the baby’s parents.

Wikipedia’s description of this movie as a “tragicomedy adventure film” should say it all. This movie has more ups and downs than a rollercoaster and a darker side that you wouldn’t expect from the name or the poster. If you are up for this movie’s wild ride, it is definitely worth a watch.

Based on the 1998 anime series of the same name, the movie takes place between episode 22 and episode 23 of the original anime. The film is set in 2071 after the Earth has been abandoned mainly because of a disaster on the moon. As the story unfolds, it centres around a mysterious terrorist planning to exterminate the human population of Mars with a weaponised virus. The bounty hunter crew aboard the spaceship Bebop are hot on the trails of the terrorist that is planning the attack.

Who doesn’t love Cowboy Bebop? If you have yet to indulge in one of the best anime of all time, the movie is a good place to start or an excellent way to get more context into the anime.

Yet another fantastic Studio Ghibli animation, based on the 1985 novel of the same name, Kiki’s Delivery Service, tells the story of the titular character Kiki who is a young witch. Each young witch must go out on her own and make their own way, and Kiki does so by moving to a new town, despite being a young girl and opening a courier service in the town where she moves. Despite her youth, Kiki experiences the same problems in life as anyone would, trying to make it on her own, like loneliness, depression, and struggling to understand her purpose.

Studio Ghibli is particularly famous for dealing with heartbreaking themes in a gorgeous setting with a musical score to match. The fact that Kiki is experiencing such deep emotions despite her youth makes her relatable and makes for a story about the human condition that is relatable to all ages.

We could make this a Studio Ghibli list, but it isn’t our fault that they have made some of the best anime movies ever. Whisper of the Heart is an animated romantic drama based on the 1989 manga that follows Shizuku Tsukishima, a young girl who loves to read, and Shirō Nishi. Shirō runs an antique shop in town, whom Shizuku falls in love with.

This film excels at making the mundane cinematic and beautiful. This heartwarming love story about ordinary people living a relatively everyday life is a beautiful break from the action-packed anime movies you might typically find. It is the perfect respite for those wanting to enjoy a good movie.

This adult animated neo-noir cyberpunk action thriller film (I know, take a breath) is based on the manga of the same name. It is a universe that has been explored in many forms. Set in 2029, the story follows Motoko Kusanagi, a cyborg police officer and public security agent who is hunting a mysterious hacker named “The Puppet Master”. Despite being a cyborg, Motoko has to balance her humanity with the growing prevalence of technology in her city and not lose her identity.

The neo-noir and cyberpunk genres are gorgeous when rendered in anime form, but Ghost in the Shell has created something special, with a crime sci-fi anime that defies expectations, even almost thirty years later.

One of the oldest anime movies on the list, Akira is yet another epic tale set in the post-apocalyptic but cyberpunk-inspired future of 2019. After much of the world was destroyed in World War III, civilisation settled somewhat in Neo-Tokyo. Tetsuo Shima, a member of the Bosozoku biker Gang, was in a bike accident that gave him supernatural powers. Unfortunately, not all people deal with power well, and he turns into a bit of a psychopath, drawing the attention of a secret organisation backed by the government.

Directed and written by Katsuhiro Otomo, Akira is a testament to his unrivalled storytelling skills. Despite its age, it transcends most sci-fi films. Whether you have a knack for the sci-fi genre or not, Akira is hands down a must-watch anime title and definitely one of the best anime movies of all time.

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya probably has one of the richest histories, based on the 17^th-century Japanese literary tale The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter. The story follows a young, small-scale girl found inside a glowing bamboo shoot by a bamboo cutter, whose wife decides to raise her as their daughter, calling her Princess. Loved by all who encounter her, her father is convinced of her divine royalty and tries to make it a reality.

This anime movie is something special. Being gorgeously based on Japanese literary history and flawlessly executed, it should be no surprise that the movie was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

This epic apocalyptic science fiction film follows the teenagers Shinji Ikari, Rei Ayanami and Asuka Langley Soryu, pilots of the mechas known as Evangelions or EVA. Defending humanity from a mysterious extraterrestrial threat known as Angels, the film follows their exploits as they wage this war against a seemingly insurmountable threat.

Neon Genesis Evangelion is an anime you will undoubtedly have heard of. Not only is the franchise a classic in the anime community, but the film itself is a wealth of emotions as it takes you on a wild ride.

One of the oldest Studio Ghibli movies on this list, this movie is based on the 1982-1994 manga of the same name and tells an exciting story of a future that both has technology and is highly primitive. Industrialism and global expansion of the human race have practically been brought to a standstill, and gigantic bugs have taken over a lot of the world, terraforming the environment with toxins that are fatal to humans. The story is based on a prophecy of a saviour who will reunite the world and find a way for humans and bugs to coexist.

As far as Studio Ghibli movies go, this is often an overlooked gem of the studio. The film can feel quite long-winded, but if you have the patience to sit through the start, it ramps up impeccably and is a great watch.

Sometimes known as Laputa: Castle in the Sky, this Studio Ghibli classic tells the story of two orphans, Sheeta and Pazu, who are on the run from the army, the government, and a group of pirates, and on an epic journey to find a legendary airborne island known as Laputa.

Despite being on the run from some pretty scary individuals, following children as the main characters of Castle In The Sky brings an unexpected level of innocence to this film while still characteristically exploring the more complex themes that Studio Ghibli tends to explore.

Venturing into the realm of psychological horror for this one, Perfect Blue is loosely based on the novel Perfect Blue: Complete Metamorphosis and follows a Japanese idol, Mima Kirigoe, who has left music for a career in acting. Her fame leads to many difficult situations, such as fear, paranoia, and an obsessive fan-turned stalker.

We Love It focuses on terrifying topics like harassment, fanaticism, and terror, all wrapped up in dreamy visuals that significantly represent how we view the lives of idols and celebrities through rose-coloured glasses.

One of the most popular Studio Ghibli movies and the studio’s mascot, My Neighbour Totoro, tells the story of two young sisters who move to the countryside with their father to be near the hospital where their ailing mother is receiving treatment. To their surprise, the rural countryside is filled with wondrous forest spirits, including Totoro. The two young girls go on a magnificent adventure.

While there is plenty to love about the whimsical adventure as it is, there is plenty of speculation about the movie’s more profound meaning. Many think it is a whimsical journey that helps the girls cope with their mother’s conditions, while others think it is the girls’ own journey through death itself. Either way, the movie is gorgeous and deserves a spot on this list.

A bit on the odd side, Wolf Children tells the tale of precisely that: Wolf Children. Hana, an ordinary young woman, falls in love with a werewolf while she is in college, and their love results in two beautiful half-wolf half-human siblings, Ame and Yuki. Following the death of their father, Hana must navigate this new life as a single mother raising two inhuman children.

While this movie definitely doesn’t follow a relatable theme, what with the half-human, half-wolf children, it does cover profound themes like love, loss, and living as a single parent, and is widely regarded as one of the best anime movies of all time.

One of the more recent movies on the list, A Silent Voice, is based on the manga of the same name and starts with a young boy named Shōya standing on a bridge about to commit suicide. The movie shows his life leading up to that moment, how he was a bully to a deaf student at his school named Shōko Nishimiya and was alienated from the rest of his classmates because of his actions.

Having been the victim of bullying himself, the story has a strong anti-bullying message and intense emotional depth as he tries to redeem himself with the deaf girl he has been bullying. We love a good anime movie with a strong moral message.

This gorgeous story is loosely based on the 1986 novel of the same name by British author Diana Wynne Jones. It is arguably one of the first movies fans think about when thinking of Studio Ghibli. The movie follows Sophie, who is on a quest to break a curse that has turned her into a 90-year-old woman and has to find Howl’s moving castle.

This movie is beyond gorgeous. With sprawling landscapes, an amazing story about staying true to yourself no matter the circumstances, and a score that you will literally want to play on repeat after watching it, Howl’s Moving Castle has undoubtedly earned its place on this list.

In the late Muromachi period of Japan, Princess Mononoke is yet another powerful tale about the dangers of industrialism and expansion, specifically what happens when the gods (kami) of the forest in Japanese lore decide to fight back.

Trust Studio Ghibli to cover heavy-hitting themes like conservation and environmental concerns in a way that goes against their usual light theme and stays true to their gorgeous style and storytelling.

This gorgeous film follows Mitsuha Miyamizu, a high school girl who lives a quiet life in the rural town of Itomori, Japan. Life becomes a little less quiet when Mitsuha suddenly starts swapping lives with Tai Tachibana, a boy from Tokyo. With moments of comedy as the two try to navigate not only new bodies of the opposite sex but also new lives, the two get to know each other just by living each other’s lives. No one could anticipate the events that followed.

This movie is one of the most gorgeous anime movies out there, and the twist will leave you in tears. We recommend giving it a chance if you haven’t watched it yet.

Speaking of movies that will have you in tears, Grave of the Fireflies is based on the 1967 semi-autobiographical short story of the same name by Akiyuki Nosaka and tells the story of orphans of war, Seita and Setsuko as they struggle to make their way to safety across Japan towards the end of World War II.

This movie is heart-wrenching. While still having the gorgeous flair synonymous with the Studio Ghibli name, it pulled no punches in showing the world the reality and cruelty of war.

Spirited Away is almost universally considered one of the best anime movies ever made, with a fiercely loyal fan base. The story follows Chihiro, a young girl who moves to the country with her parents and finds a strange pathway leading to a field where a seemingly magical market occurs. What follows is an adventure to save her parents after they have been turned into pigs by an evil witch who has locked her into a contract by stealing her name.

Spirited Away has all of the gorgeous views, the score, and the story of most other Studio Ghibli movies, but the whimsey and magic of the film struck a chord with many anime fans, creating a cult following that continues to watch the movie to this day.

Also, check out our lists of the 13 best anime games of all time or 28 best old anime movies or the strongest female anime characters.