2024 is coming to a close, and with it comes the end of another great year foranime. In addition to ongoing titles likeOne Piece,Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, andBleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, there were plenty of great new titles to watch likeDandadan,Delicious in Dungeon, andDead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction, so fans had plenty to choose from when it came to finding anime to watch.
2024 was a great year for anime, and 2025 is already looking to be just as good, if not better. Between the various anime that will be returning with new content and the new shows that have been drumming up hype since they were first announced,2025 will be a great year for anime with how many high-quality and overall exciting anime are set to premiere starting from January 2025. A few new and returning anime stand out, in particular, and each one will surely become one of the biggest hits of the upcoming year.
10Zenshu
Anime Series By MAPPA; Directed By Mitsue Yamazaki
MAPPA’sZenshustars Natsuko Hirose, a brilliant, yet antisocial animator who’s put under so much pressure to succeed that she ends up working herself to death. After dying, however, Natsuko finds herself in the world ofA Tale of Perishing, the anime that inspired her to become an animator, and while the story is supposed to end in tragedy, she takes it upon herself to try and give it a happy ending.
Isekaianime have long become contentious with fans and critics alike, but between the meta-narrative on the struggles of being in a creative field and the gorgeous visuals of a MAPPA production,Zenshuis set to be far better than the averageisekaianime thanks to its stellar visuals and clever writing. MAPPA tends to put out great work more often than not, and hopefully,Zenshuwill be no different.
9City The Animation
Anime Series By Kyoto Animation; Based On The Manga By Keiichi Arawi
Kyoto Animation’sCity the Animationstars Midori Nagumo, a college student whose desire to have as much fun as possible runs counter to her perpetual poverty and her refusal to get a job. The series follows Midori’s reckless adventures through her city that, while an ordinary city, is populated by people who are anything but, something Midori doesn’t mind in the slightest.
Any project from Kyoto Animation is exciting, but not only isCity the Animationtheir first project in six years to not be a sequel, butCity the Animationserves as a spiritual successor toNichijou, one of thebest Kyoto Animation projects of all time,thanks to also being created by Keiichi Arawi. Anyone who lovedNichijouwill surely loveCity the Animation, and as such, there’s plenty to look forward to.
Fire Force
Cast
Fire Force is set in year 198 of the Solar Era in Tokyo, where special fire brigades combat spontaneous human combustion, transforming people into Infernals. Shinra Kusakabe, nicknamed Devil’s Footprints, joins Special Fire Force Company 8 and investigates a fire that killed his family, amid growing threats from a faction creating Infernals.
David Production’sFire Forcetakes place 250 years after the Great Cataclysm, an apocalyptic event that burned nearly the entire world to ash and saw the birth of Infernals, powerful demons born from spontaneous combustion. To combat the Infernals, the pyrokinetics of the Tokyo Empire fight as part of the Fire Force, and their latest recruit is Shinra Kusakabe, a boy who shoots fire from his feet and is slowly revealed to be connected to all the hidden workings of the world.
Fire Forceis finally returning with its final season, the first half premiering in April 2025, and just from what little promotional material is available,Fire Forceseason 3will have all the same great animation and writing that made the first two seasons such a major hit. Season 3 is going to take a while to finish, but hopefully, it will be well worth the long wait.
Sakamoto Days
Sakamoto Days centers on Taro Sakamoto, a former top-tier hitman who has traded his life of crime for a peaceful existence running a convenience store. Despite his attempts to leave the underworld behind, Sakamoto’s past catches up with him as old rivals and dangerous enemies reappear, threatening his newfound tranquility. Forced to defend his family and business, Sakamoto must draw on his lethal skills while navigating the humorous and unexpected challenges of balancing his ordinary daily life with the chaos of his former profession.
TMS Entertainment’sSakamoto Daysstars Taro Sakamoto, a man who was once the world’s greatest assassin until he abruptly retired, started a family, and put on a lot of weight. Sakamoto would prefer to spend his days with his wife and child running the family convenience store, but circumstances beyond his control force him back into action, most notably those behind his mysterious retirement, in the first place.
TheSakamoto Daysmangahas been a hit for years thanks to its great comedy and intense action scenes reminiscent ofJohn Wick, and based on promotional material,theSakamoto Daysanime is going to do a great job of translating the writing and action of the manga into animation.Sakamoto Days’ anime has been hotly anticipated for years, and fortunately, it doesn’t look like it will disappoint, in the slightest.
Panty & Stocking With Garterbelt
Panty & Stocking With Garterbelt follows two fallen angels, Panty and Stocking, who are sent to Daten City to battle evil spirits. Guided by the reverend Garterbelt, the sisters must collect Heaven Coins to return to the celestial realm. With a unique animation style and mature themes, the series blends action, comedy, and supernatural elements in its episodic narrative.
Panty & Stocking with Garterbeltwas a cult classic anime from Studio Gainax, and thanks to an infamously bizarre “Gainax ending” i.e. an ending that’s almost impossible to make sense of, many people have spent over a decade wanting some sort of continuation. That, of course, is finally on the horizon, for in 2023, Studio Trigger announced that they had acquired the rights to it and were developing the long-awaited sequel,New Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt.
In all likelihood,New Panty & Stocking with Garterbeltwill pick up from the twist ending of Stocking killing Panty and splitting her up into 666 pieces around the world, but with how bizarre the series is, it wouldn’t be surprising if they just flat-out ignored the original ending. Whatever the case, with all the major staff members returning for the sequel, it’s bound to be just as great as the original, if not greater.
5Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX
Anime Series By Sunrise & Studio Khara; Directed By Kazuya Tsurumaki
Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuXis the latest mainline series in the long-runningGundamfranchise, the seriesa collaboration between Sunrise and Studio KharaofNeon Genesis Evangelionfame. While living her peaceful life in a space colony, Machu finds herself drawn to the world of illegal Mobile Suit fights called Clan Battles, and soon enough, she becomes the pilot of the Gundam GQuuuuuuX as she and her friends slowly become embroiled in events that can change their entire world.
A newGundamanime is always exciting, but with Studio Khara working onGQuuuuuuX’s production,Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuXhas the potential to be the biggestGundamanime in years with the incredible slew of talent behind its production. There isn’t an official release date beyond a theatrical preview premiering in January, but when the series premieres in full, it’s bound to be great for old and newGundamfans, alike.
Lazarus
In 2052, humanity celebrates unprecedented peace, thanks to Hapuna—a miracle drug eradicating pain and illness. Three years later, its creator, Dr. Skinner, resurfaces with a grim revelation: Hapuna is a delayed toxin, and death looms for all who took it. With just 30 days to avert catastrophe, a global task force called Lazarus assembles to locate Skinner and develop a cure.
MAPPA’sLazarustakes place in a near-future society where the world of medicine has been revolutionized by Hapuna, the miracle drug created by the enigmatic Dr. Skinner. One day, however, Dr. Skinner announced that Hapuna kills anyone who’s taken after three years, and with almost three years having gone by since it was first administered, it’s up to the special task force Lazarus to track down Dr. Skinner and force him to make a vaccine before humanity is destroyed.
Lazarusis the latest anime by legendary director Shinichiro Watanabe, and just from the previews,Lazarushas all the same incredible action and animation that’s made Shinichiro Watanabe such a legendary figure in the anime community for decades.Lazarusis the biggest project from Watanabe in years, and any fan of his work would be remiss to pass it up.
3Gachiakuta
Anime Series By Bones; Based On The Manga By Kei Urana
In Bones’Gachiakuta, the young orphan Rudo is cast out from the floating paradise of the Sphere after being accused of murdering his father, Regto, and he ends up in the trash-infested wasteland known as the Pit. There, Rudo discovers that he’s a Giver, someone who can imbue a treasured object with supernatural abilities, and from there, Rudo swears to use his powers to get back to the Sphere and exact revenge against everyone who wronged him.
Not much has been shown of Bones’Gachiakutaanime beyond a teaser trailer and some key art, butGachiakutahas slowly been becoming a household name thanks to its great action complemented by creative and all-around gorgeous artwork, with many calling it a spiritual successor toSoul Eater. It’s one of the best manga to read right now, and with Bones in charge of the anime, the anime will surely be great.
One Piece
The One Piece anime began in 1999 and follows the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy, a boy with rubber-like abilities, as he embarks on a journey to find the legendary treasure “One Piece.” Inspired by the pirate Shanks, Luffy aims to become the King of the Pirates, accompanied by a diverse crew.
Toei Animation’sOne Pieceis set in a world amid the Great Age of Piracy. For over 20 years, pirates have been searching the world for the One Piece to earn the title of Pirate King; among them is the young Monkey D. Luffy, and with the power of the Gum-Gum Fruit, he’ll assemble a crew of his own and show that he’s not one to be underestimated.
One Piece’s anime recently went on hiatus for the first time since it premiered, and new episodes won’t return until April 2025. That’s plenty exciting on its own, but it’s especially exciting becauseOne Piece’s return in 2025 is set to cover the most iconic moments of the Egghead arc like Luffy and Kizaru’s fight and Kuma’s backstory, and with how great the anime has gotten in recent years, 2025 could be the best year forOne Piece, yet.
Dandadan
Two high school students, embroiled in a wager to prove the existence of ghosts or aliens, encounter daunting paranormal threats, acquire superpowers, and possibly discover love. The series blends supernatural elements with personal dynamics as the protagonists navigate their newfound abilities and unexpected challenges.
Science Saru’sDandadanstars Momo Ayase and Okarun, two teenagers obsessed with aliens and the supernatural who end up permanently changed by an encounter with both, with both teens gaining supernatural powers and Okarun losing his genitalia. Momo and Okarun work together and with others to get them back while fighting any supernatural threat they come across, all as a budding romance begins to develop between the two.
Dandadanwas one of the biggest anime of 2024 thanks to its clever writing and incredible art and animation courtesy of Science Saru, and withDandadanseason 2 officially in production, fans won’t have to wait too long to see more from it. There’s no telling what’s in store forDandadanseason 2, but with how great season 1 was, it’s hard to seeDandadanas anything other than thebest anime to watch in 2025.
