Best Anime Movies of All Time: Top 15 Ranked by IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes & Box Office

Ten-year-old Chihiro stumbles into a spirit world when her parents are transformed into pigs at an abandoned amusement park. To free them, she must work in a magical bathhouse run by the witch Yubaba — surviving encounters with a river spirit, a mysterious masked creature called No-Face, and a dragon named Haku who knows more about her than she does.

Why it’s #1: Spirited Away is not just the best anime film ever made — it is one of the best films ever made, full stop. It won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2003, the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival (the first animated film to win), and was the highest-grossing film in Japanese history for over 20 years. Roger Ebert described it as a film that “connects with the deepest memories of childhood.” The visual imagination on display — the spirit bathhouse, Chihiro’s train ride over the sea, No-Face’s spiral into hunger — is unmatched in animation history.

Hayao Miyazaki reportedly began writing Spirited Away for the 10-year-old daughter of a friend, wanting to make a film in which she could see herself as the hero. The result is a film that works as a children’s adventure, a coming-of-age story, a commentary on Japanese labour culture, and a meditation on identity and memory — all at once, and all effortlessly.

Set in the final months of World War II in Japan, the film follows Seita, a teenage boy, and his younger sister Setsuko as they struggle to survive after their home is destroyed in a US firebombing raid and their mother dies from injuries. Orphaned and alone, they attempt to live independently — with devastating consequences.

Why it deserves its place: Grave of the Fireflies is one of the most emotionally devastating films ever committed to animation. Roger Ebert called it one of the greatest war films ever made — not because of its battles, but because of what it shows war does to children. Based on the 1967 semi-autobiographical short story by Akiyuki Nosaka, the film carries the weight of a personal confession from a man who lost his own sister during the war.

Critically, this film holds a 97% on Rotten Tomatoes — the highest of any film on this list. It is the definitive proof that animation is not a genre but a medium capable of the same emotional depth as any live-action film. Warning: do not watch this alone.

Young warrior Ashitaka is cursed after killing a demon that was once a sacred boar god. Seeking a cure, he finds himself caught between an industrialising human settlement led by the fierce Lady Eboshi and the forest spirits led by San (Princess Mononoke) — a young woman raised by wolves who will stop at nothing to protect the forest.

Why it matters: Princess Mononoke was the first Studio Ghibli film to receive significant international distribution and was the highest-grossing film in Japanese history until Spirited Away surpassed it four years later. It marked Miyazaki’s shift from family-friendly storytelling to genuinely complex moral territory — the film has no villain, only competing interests. The environmental themes, still prescient today, hit with particular force because Miyazaki gives equal weight to both sides of the human-vs-nature conflict.

Tokyo teenager Taki and rural girl Mitsuha inexplicably begin swapping bodies while they sleep. They communicate through notes left on each other’s phones and begin to fall in love — until Taki realizes something is deeply, temporally wrong with the connection between them.

Why it’s a modern classic: Your Name was the highest-grossing anime film worldwide until Demon Slayer: Mugen Train, earning $380 million on a modest budget. But the numbers undersell what makes it special — Shinkai’s film is a grief story disguised as a romance, and the moment it reveals what it’s actually about is one of the most genuinely surprising plot turns in recent animated cinema. The RADWIMPS soundtrack is inseparable from the emotional impact. A Hollywood live-action adaptation has been in development for years.

In a dystopian, post-apocalyptic Neo-Tokyo, biker gang member Tetsuo develops terrifying psychic powers after a government experiment, spiralling out of control while his friend Shotaro Kaneda tries to stop him — as military forces and revolutionaries close in.

Why it belongs here: Akira is the film that introduced anime to the Western world. Released in 1988, it was unlike anything global audiences had seen — a densely layered cyberpunk nightmare with hand-drawn animation of breathtaking technical complexity (the film contained over 160,000 individual animation cels). Its influence on science fiction, from The Matrix to Stranger Things to Kanye West’s visuals, is incalculable. It defined what anime could be for an entire generation of international creators.

In middle school, Shoya Ishida bullied deaf classmate Shoko Nishimiya so relentlessly she transferred schools. Years later, wracked with guilt and ostracised by his own peers, Shoya seeks out Shoko — but reconciliation, forgiveness and redemption are far more complicated than a simple apology.

Why it’s essential: A Silent Voice is one of the most honest portrayals of bullying, disability and redemption in modern cinema — animated or otherwise. Kyoto Animation’s characteristic warmth and visual intimacy make the film feel genuinely personal rather than issue-of-the-week. The film holds a remarkable 97% on Rotten Tomatoes and handles its sensitive subject matter — including suicidal ideation — with rare courage and care.

Demon slayers Tanjiro, Nezuko, Zenitsu and Inosuke board the Mugen Train to assist the legendary Flame Hashira Rengoku in investigating a demon. What follows is a battle inside dreams, a confrontation with an Upper Rank demon, and an ending that broke audiences worldwide.

Why it made history: Demon Slayer: Mugen Train grossed $512.7 million worldwide — the first non-American film to top the global annual box office in history. Released during COVID-19, it set every conceivable Japanese box office record, surpassing Spirited Away’s 20-year domestic record within 73 days. It holds a 98% on Rotten Tomatoes — the highest critics score on this list — and the audience score of 99% reflects its near-universal emotional impact. Rengoku’s arc remains one of the most beloved character stories in the Demon Slayer franchise.

Young hat-maker Sophie is cursed by a witch and transformed into an old woman. Seeking a cure, she finds shelter in the walking castle of the vain but secretly vulnerable wizard Howl — who is entangled in a war he wants no part of.

Why it endures: Howl’s Moving Castle is Miyazaki’s most overtly anti-war film and, arguably, his most romantic. Joe Hisaishi’s waltz theme is one of the most beloved pieces of film music ever composed. The English dub features Christian Bale as Howl and Billy Crystal as the fire demon Calcifer — both giving career-memorable performances. Its 8.2 IMDb score reflects a film that improves with every viewing as its allegorical layers become clearer.

Runaway teen Hodaka moves to Tokyo and meets Hina, a girl who can stop rain by praying to the sky. As Tokyo drowns in endless rain, Hina’s power makes her increasingly vital — but also increasingly endangered.

Why it matters: Weathering With You earned $193 million worldwide and was selected as Japan’s entry for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. Its controversial ending — in which the protagonist chooses love over literally saving the world — divided critics but created one of the most discussed finales in recent anime history. RADWIMPS returns for a soundtrack that is arguably even stronger than Your Name’s. Visually, Shinkai’s rain-drenched Tokyo is the most beautiful city ever rendered in animation.

Two young sisters Satsuki and Mei move to the countryside to be near their hospitalised mother and discover the gentle forest spirit Totoro — a massive, cat-like creature visible only to children, who becomes their magical protector during a time of family uncertainty.

Why it’s timeless: My Neighbor Totoro has no villain. It has no traditional plot conflict. And it is one of the most beloved films ever made. Totoro himself — the Studio Ghibli mascot — has become a global cultural icon. The film’s quiet, unhurried approach to childhood wonder and parental anxiety is emotionally radical in the best possible way. Roger Ebert wrote that it represents “a world where there is no evil” and described the experience as “perfect.” At 86 minutes it is the shortest film on this list and the one most likely to make you call your parents.

Teenager Suzume meets a mysterious young man closing magical doors that release destructive forces into the world. When he is transformed into a three-legged chair, Suzume must travel across Japan — closing doors and confronting the earthquake disaster that shaped her childhood.

Why it resonates: Suzume is Shinkai’s most emotionally mature film and his most explicitly political — a tribute to survivors of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. It earned $214 million worldwide and was Japan’s submission for the Academy Awards. The film’s road trip structure, its RADWIMPS-and-Toaka soundtrack, and its deeply moving final act make it a worthy conclusion to what is effectively Shinkai’s disaster trilogy (Your Name, Weathering With You, Suzume).

Former pop idol Mima transitions to acting, only to find her mental reality fracturing as an obsessive fan stalks her, an internet persona claiming to be her surfaces, and her grip on what is real and what is performance completely dissolves.

Why it belongs here: Perfect Blue is the most unsettling film on this list and one of the most influential psychological thrillers in cinema history — animated or otherwise. Darren Aronofsky licensed a shot from it for Requiem for a Dream. Black Swan’s entire premise owes a significant debt to Perfect Blue’s exploration of identity, performance and obsession. At just 81 minutes, it is relentlessly paced and genuinely disturbing. Satoshi Kon — who died in 2010 at age 46 — was among the greatest directors of his generation.

Young Mahito follows a mysterious grey heron into an abandoned tower and enters a fantastical world where the dead and living exist side by side — confronting his grief over his mother’s death and meeting a version of his great-uncle who has been building and maintaining this impossible realm.

Why it won the Oscar: The Boy and the Heron won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature at the 2024 Oscars — Miyazaki’s second after Spirited Away. It is his most personal film, described by critics as a meditation on creativity, grief and what we leave behind. The critic-audience score gap (97% RT critics vs 79% audience) reflects its deliberately oblique, dream-logic narrative — this is Miyazaki making a film entirely for himself, and it shows in both its brilliance and its inaccessibility.

Timid student Yuta Okkotsu is haunted by the powerful cursed spirit of his childhood friend Rika, who died tragically and is now bound to him — putting everyone around him at risk. Jujutsu High School enrols him to learn to control the curse, while the villain Geto targets Rika for her immense power.

Why it earned $196 million: Jujutsu Kaisen 0 is a prequel film set before the main JJK anime and serves as both a standalone story and a masterclass in MAPPA’s animation capabilities. The final battle between Yuta and Geto is among the most visually spectacular action sequences in modern anime. It earned $196 million worldwide and remains one of the highest-grossing anime films in North America. No prior knowledge of Jujutsu Kaisen is strictly needed, though the anime series enriches the viewing experience significantly.

In a post-apocalyptic future overrun by a toxic jungle, young warrior princess Nausicaä tries to maintain peace between warring human kingdoms while uncovering the truth about the ecosystem both sides are trying to destroy.

Why it’s essential: Nausicaä predates Studio Ghibli itself — it was the film that convinced producers to fund the studio’s creation. Miyazaki’s environmental and anti-war themes are present in their purest, rawest form. The film holds an 8.1 on IMDb and a 91% on Rotten Tomatoes, and directly influenced everything from Princess Mononoke to Avatar. A 1985 US cut titled Warriors of the Wind infamously censored and rewrote the film — the original Japanese version is the one to watch.