The best anime of 2021

17 superb anime you should catch up on this fall

We’re almost at the end of the year, and we’ve seen practically every new anime series premiere, from exciting new programs like Naoko Yamada’s The Heike Story and Platinum End to returning favorites like Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Lupin III: Part IV, and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean! With a flood of fantastic and exciting new anime coming out in 2021, it’s understandable that some of the year’s best may have gone under your attention. To that aim, we at Polygon HQ collaborated to compile a list of some of the finest anime released this year so far.

Here are 21 of the greatest anime shows to air in 2021, ranging from popular titles like My Hero Academia and Megalobox 2 Nomad to more niche titles like Odd Taxi, Uma Musume: Pretty Derby, and Pui Pui MolCar. If you’re seeking for the greatest new anime of 2022, we’ve got you covered right here.

BEASTARS (SEASON 2)

Beastars is a fable about a wolf that wants to have sex with a rabbit but is afraid he may consume the rabbit. I believe it is a metaphor for puberty. Though it has the potential to be a cringey, misdirected investigation of race. Perhaps it is shining a spotlight on sexual violence on campus. Perhaps it’s a coming-of-age narrative about a generation of young people who have been estranged from their parents as a result of fast changing conventions. To be honest, I’ve lost interest in what it’s all about.

I know this offends some people, but Beastars works for me when I stop attempting to create a one-to-one relationship between our world and its metropolis of horny adolescent carnivores and herbivores. When I approach the program on its own terms, I like it the most. Beastars is analogous to Romeo and Juliet in this regard. A sensual, violent, and frequently infuriating story about star-crossed lovers who are held apart by society. Beastars, like Shakespeare’s writings, can be distorted into anything you want it to be. —Christopher Plante

BLUE PERIOD

Most people think of Yatora Yaguchi as a delinquent, yet he’s actually a kind man. He has a thriving network of friends and outstanding grades, yet he is bored with his life. He begins to pursue art after being inspired by an upperclassman’s enormous, stunning artwork. However, as someone who has always been successful with little effort, he is astounded by the amount of labor required to become a master of the arts. He suffers when comparing his work to that of his classmates, but he perseveres since he discovered a pastime in which he is truly interested.

While the animation in Blue Period isn’t very impressive, the tale it depicts is accessible to anybody with artistic interests. Juliette Lee

DEMON SLAYER: KIMETSU NO YAIBA SEASON 2

Most people think of Yatora Yaguchi as a delinquent, yet he’s actually a kind man. He has a thriving network of friends and outstanding grades, yet he is bored with his life. He begins to pursue art after being inspired by an upperclassman’s enormous, stunning artwork. However, as someone who has always been successful with little effort, he is astounded by the amount of labor required to become a master of the arts. He suffers when comparing his work to that of his classmates, but he perseveres since he discovered a pastime in which he is truly interested.The Mugen Train film itself was amazing, so it’s no wonder that it plays out so effectively over the serial television arc. While it may be too soon to praise the Entertainment District arc, season two of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba has so far shown to be a respectable follow-up to the 2019 smash-hit. —TE

FRUITS BASKET: THE FINAL

Fruits Basket entices viewers with the promise of a pleasant narrative about a family that transforms into animals when caressed, then completely disarms them with a slew of generational pain. All of this comes to a climax in the final season, when courageous orphan Tohru Honda attempts to escape the curse that binds the Sohma family to overbearing family patriarch Akito. But, because this is Fruits Basket, everyone, even Akito, has experienced trauma. The heartbreaking final season of Fruits Basket exposes that not everything about Akito is as it appears. When the big moment arrives, everyone experiences a wave of emotional release. Stock up on tissues. Radulovic, Petrana

THE HEIKE STORY

Adapted from Hideo Furukawa’s 2016 translation of the Japanese folk epic Tale of the Heike, director Naoko Yamada’s film is produced by Science SARU (Keep Your Hands off Eizouken!) (A Silent Voice) The Heike Narrative tells the story of Biwa, a young orphan endowed with the power of foresight who is adopted by Taira no Shigemori, the oldest son of the great Taira clan, and troubled by his own visions of death. Predicting the Taira clan’s demise, Biwa bears witness to the clan’s numerous catastrophes and tragedies but refuses to aid them in retaliation for her father’s murder.The Heike Story is one of the most gorgeous anime to premiere this year, with exquisite Ukiyo-e-esque scenery, an evocative tune by composer Kensuke Ushio, and an emotionally captivating story written by Reiko Yoshida (Violet Evergarden). —TE

HORIMIYA

Horimiya, a program named for its two key love interests, Kyouko Hori and Izumi Miyamura, is about as adorable as you’d expect a show named after its two loves to be.

Hori, a caring big sister and confident student with friends, and her growing romance with Miyamura, a shy and silent loner with a secret edgy look outside of high school, are the subjects of the episode. (We discover that guy has tattoos and piercings!) Other shojo stories may take full seasons for the love partners to hold hands, and may not even reveal a kiss. In Horimiya, we witness them fall in love after a few episodes. This speed allows the show’s first season to swiftly transition away from focusing just on Hori and Miyamura’s relationship, allowing viewers to learn about all the other people in their lives.Over time, we watch Miyamura, who was formerly lonely, create a caring and supporting group around him.

Horimiya accomplishes nothing extraordinary or new; it’s just a lot of fun to watch. The protagonists avoid significant conflict in favor of beautiful connections that overcome adversity without much growth. Sure, there isn’t a huge, fulfilling ending as in a show like Fruits Basket, but you’re also spared the tears. What’s more, you don’t have to invest all that much time, with a comprehensive tale beginning and ending after just one season. Horimiya was just a fun and light summer bite of a watch for me. Ana Diaz,

JOJO’S BIZARRE ADVENTURE: STONE OCEAN

Based on the sixth arc of Hirohiko Araki’s popular supernatural action series, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean follows Jolyne Cujoh, the daughter of Stardust Crusaders protagonist Jotaro Kujo, who is condemned to 15 years in Florida’s Green Dolphin Street Prison after being framed for murder. The stakes only rise from there, as Jolyne displays weird supernatural talents of her own while being hunted by devious criminals and would-be hitmen intent on killing her and her family.As one might anticipate, David Production has once again nailed it, transferring Araki’s unique and distinctive visual style and tale to animation in ways that both honor and improve on the original material. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean is off to a wild and thrilling start, with just the first 12 episodes accessible to view on Netflix so far, with additional episodes set to premiere early next year. —TE

JUJUTSU KAISEN

Jujutsu Kaisen was the breakthrough anime success of 2020, and it is still going strong in 2021. The plot revolves around Yuji Itadori, a good-hearted schoolboy who one day consumes a real finger that acted as a receptacle for a terrible demon known as Sukuna. Itadori is taken in by the dubious but powerful tutor Gojo Satoru, who assembles a Naruto-like ensemble of three primary characters who fight together to battle the creatures known as curses in their world.

Jujutsu Kaisen is a show that plays with shonen anime cliches. Unlike previous episodes, Jujutsu Kaisen begins with Itadori’s own vulnerability and him imploring the devil within to save him.

The program begins slowly, but those who stick with it for a while will be rewarded. The characters are handled with care, especially the ladies, and the three major characters form a charming dynamic reminiscent of siblings who enjoy to pick on one other. Staying will reveal some of Company Mappa’s greatest work, since later combat sequences are some of the best animation to emerge from the studio to date. Basically, Jujutsu Kaisen is ideal for long-time shonen fans searching for something that isn’t afraid to stray from the well-trodden roads of its predecessors and conjure up something a little darker, a little weirder. —AD

LAID-BACK CAMP (SEASON 2)

Laid-back Camp’s second season is a superb follow-up to its first, and has been named the most comfortable anime in the previous decade. Rin still enjoys camping alone, but she is gradually opening up to her new group of friends from her school’s camping club.

It’s still a pretty pleasant, relaxing slice-of-life animation about a group of ladies going camping. It stays true to its beginnings as a semi-educational show, and this season provides entertaining glimpses into some intriguing locations of Japan. —JL

MEGALOBOX 2: NOMAD

The second season of Megalobox is a significantly darker, melancholy, and more tragic underdog narrative than the previous season’s devil may care attitude. The champion fighter known as “Gearless” Joe is a long cry from when we last saw him; addicted to opioids, fighting clandestine cage battles for chump coin, and, most distressingly, alone. Nomad is a fitting successor to the first season’s incredible action and character-driven drama; a spectacular narrative of a champion’s sudden fall from favor and subsequent resurrection into a warrior far stronger and more determined than ever before. —Egan, Toussaint

MY HERO ACADEMIA (SEASON 5)

The fifth season of Studio Bones’ smash superhero action drama UA High School saw the students of UA High School thrown into even more perilous situations with higher stakes. Season 5 of My Hero Academia focuses on Endeavor’s recovery from his encounter with the super-powered Nomu at the end of the previous season, the hero Hawks working undercover to take down the League of Villains from the inside, and Deku manifesting a new aspect of his quirk One for All as he delves deeper into the history of his predecessors and their connection to the villainous All for One. —TE

ODD TAXI

Odd Taxi is, well, unusual. Odokawa, a 40-something year old cab driver who also happens to be a walrus in an universe populated by anthropomorphic animals, is at the heart of a slice-of-life mystery drama about the disappearance of a young girl. Despite how dire that initial premise sounds, the anime as a whole is an expert blend of black comedy and irreverent banter; a series whose focus rotates through a cast of eccentric, offbeat, and above all achingly human characters whose lives intersect Odokawa’s in search of their heart’s desire, whether it be the semblance of true love or simply going viral on social media.Odd Taxi is a must-see series that is a strong candidate for the most unusual and overlooked anime of 2021. —TE

PUI PUI MOLCAR

Pui Pui Molcar is one of the strangest and most amusing comedy anime to be released in 2021. The program consists of a series of sketches following the Molcars on different mishaps in a city populated by huge, fluffy guinea pigs with wheels for feet. Pui Pui Molcar is packed with as much ingenuity as real chuckles, from traffic jams to spontaneous bank heists, rescuing kittens, and avoiding a zombie apocalypse. With each episode lasting just under or about eight minutes, it’s a fantastic snack-sized, low-commitment anime that may be a nice change of pace if you’re looking for something enjoyable to watch or if you’re sick of your kid watching Cocomelon all the time. —TE

RANKING OF KINGS

Ranking of Kings, based on Ssuke Tka’s manga of the same name, is set in a mythical realm of swords and sorcery and chronicles the narrative of Bojji, the eldest son and successor to his father, the great gigantic King Bosse. Despite his kind character, Bojji is despised by his father’s court and the inhabitants of the kingdom since he was born deaf and dumb. Only one person seemed to understand him: Kage, a mysterious monster who promises to back Bojji’s ambition to become king through thick and thin. After his monarchy is seized by his devious half-brother Daida, Bojji sets out on a mission to become stronger and restore his throne.

Ranking of Kings is an amazing coming-of-age fantasy comedy with endearing characters, a lovely storybook color palette, a fully absorbing plot full of peril and intrigue, and surprisingly spectacular combat. Bojji is the prettiest anime protagonist in 2021, conveying depths of compassion and endurance with only a few words and expressions. Ranking of Kings certainly rates among the very finest anime the year has to offer if you’re seeking for an animation that will surprise, excite, and endear itself to you to no end. —TE

SAKUGAN

Sakugan is set in a subterranean world inhabited by monsters known as the “Labyrinth,” and follows the story of Memempu, a precious nine-year-old who longs to explore the world beyond the safety of human colonies, and her father Gagumber, a former “Marker” (see: explorer) and mech pilot working as a lowly miner. After their home colony is brutally attacked by kaiju, Memempu begs Gagumber to let her become a Marker and hunt for the legendary location she has only seen in her dreams. With no other option, Gagumber accepts and accompanies his daughter on their search for adventure and solutions to the world’s puzzles.

Beyond the spectacular mecha battles and stunning views, the odd pair father-daughter connection between Memempu and Gagumber, who constantly argue with one another at every step, is at the heart of Sakugan’s appeal. It’s the narrative of a little girl who ventures beyond the protection of her house to make her own mark on the world, as well as the story of a father who wants to protect his daughter while still understanding that she needs room to learn and develop. Sakugan’s status as one of the year’s greatest anime is secured by that relationship and dynamic; an experience shared by a father and daughter who have as much to learn from each other as they do to teach one other. —TE

SK8 THE INFINITY

Reki, a hardworking skateboarder, enjoys the S races, which are secret skating events held at night. These races are dangerous, and some of the most famous underground skateboarders settle their quarrel (yep, that’s the phrase used in the anime) in S. Langa, a Canadian transfer student, prefers snowboarding, but with Reki’s support, he begins skating and participates in S. Conflict emerges as it is revealed that the designer of S is more diabolical than he appears, and Langa begins to outshine Reki.

Sk8 is unique due of its unique personalities. It’s the ultimate short sports anime to satiate whatever hunger you may have in 12 episodes, thanks to its wide array of wonderful characters (Cherry stans, unite!) and compelling backstories. —JL

SONNY BOY

Shingo Natsume returns with Sonny Boy, an all-new original sci-fi survival drama, following the financial and creative success of such series as the first seasons of One-Punch Man and Boogiepop and Others. The show depicts a group of high school kids who are inexplicably transferred to another world, seemingly separated from space and time, along with their school building, on the eve of summer break. With no adult supervision or knowledge of how they got there, the pupils must strive to make order out of chaos if they are to escape this bizarre environment, much alone discover answers.Add to it the fact that some of the guys and girls in the gang have suddenly developed odd and strong new supernatural powers, and you’ve got a powder keg just ready to explode. What truly distinguishes Sonny Boy is its stunning locations and attention on the adolescent drama between its protagonists. Mari Fujino’s (Perfect Blue) art direction stresses striking color contrasts to convey exotic environments, frequently depending on pure black to simulate empty voids, while Hisashi Eguchi’s (Perfect Blue) character designs are evocative of 1970s and 1980s anime.

Sonny Boy is an engaging sci-fi mystery grounded by sympathetic coming-of-age stories based on a cast of distinctive and unusual characters presented with great style, comedy, and nuance. —TE

SSSS. DYNAZENON

SSSS.Gridman was one of the year’s most anticipated debuts, resurrecting one of Tsuburaya Productions’ dormant properties into a beautiful animated love letter to all things tokusatsu. SSSS.Dynazenon is a magnificent continuation of the original series, moving attention to another brave squad of young heroes lead by a mysterious man named Gauma who must come together to face an invasion of destructive kaiju using the combined might of the morphing mecha known as Dynazenon. The series’ obvious connections to the Gridman universe are tenuous yet enticing, bringing up a wealth of interesting possibilities for future shared experiences while creating its own tone and stakes distinct from its predecessor.

SSSS.Dynazenon is one of Trigger’s greatest anime to date, a rollicking action mecha series with explosive combat, stunning animation, and well developed characters. —TE

STAR WARS: VISIONS

Star Wars: Visions brings together seven companies and nine prominent filmmakers, including Hiroyuki Imaishi (Promare) and Kenji Kamiyama (Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex), to produce their own stories set in the Star Wars world using Japanese animation. The result is an anthology of shorts that pushes the boundaries of what audiences and fans have come to anticipate from the legendary sci-fi adventure epic while tapping into the underlying animating concepts that have made it one of cinema’s most popular series. Far from the typically suffocating conformity that has pervaded most of Star Wars material since Disney’s purchase, the anthology contains stories that you wouldn’t anticipate from everyone’s favorite space opera.A bunny girl brandishing lightsaber katanas, Tezuka-esque boy robots channeling the force, Sith clone children cleaving Star Destroyers in two with super-powered sabers, and other unexpected variations on traditional Star Wars tropes and themes are all present. More than that, it’s the unmistakable work of a new generation of animators paying respect to one of the most iconic film series of all time. The Force is powerful with this one, no matter how you look at it. —TE

TO YOUR ETERNITY

Many anime have similar plots, but To Your Eternity may be the only one with an eternal, sentient orb as the protagonist – but Fushi isn’t an orb for long. After being sent to Earth by an unknown creator, the ball gradually begins to learn from its surroundings, developing consciousness and the capacity to turn into whatever stimulates it. Fushi begins a heart-wrenching voyage of self-discovery as he evolves from a rock to a wolf and, finally, a boy, learning what it actually means to be human, from the simple joys of eating fresh-picked fruit to the ways sadness and loss are woven into the fabric of existence.However, the series never loses its feeling of optimism, finding beauty in life’s impermanence and reminding viewers that nothing is truly gone as long as it lives on in your memory. —Gennis, Sadie

TOKYO REVENGERS

When Takemichi, a part-timer, is hit by a train, he is suddenly transported 12 years back in time to when he was just a 14-year-old cry baby delinquent. Given this second chance, Takemichi is determined not only to forge a better career for himself, but also to utilize it to prevent the death of his middle school sweetheart, Hina, at the hands of the Tokyo Manji Gang in the future. Takemichi journeys between the past and present throughout the gritty and twist-filled series, only to realize that each new disaster he diverts in the past leads to another tragedy in the future.While the time travel mystery provides a powerful hook for the program, it is the riveting character development that makes Tokyo Revengers a must-see. Takemichi becomes closely engaged with Tokyo Manji in the past in order to affect the future, forming complex connections with its members such as the child-like, yet vicious leader Mikey and the mature-beyond-his-years Draken. Tokyo Revengers, a perfect combination of high-octane action and emotional character drama, is swiftly establishing itself as one of the finest current shonen series. —SG

UMA MUSUME: PRETTY DERBY (SEASON 2)

The second season of Uma Musume: Pretty Derby puts a heart-racing animation spin on the true story of Japanese thoroughbred Tokai Teio. She’s a dedicated horsewoman who aspires to be as swift as her master, Symboli Rudolf. Teio seems a lock to win the triple crown, but an unforeseen injury throws her off balance, making things difficult for her.

Uma Musume’s creators pull off an intriguing accomplishment with extra drama and a scattering of extremely well-known voice actresses: they truly make you care about the horses. I learnt a lot about genuine Japanese racehorses while watching this, and parts of the episodes had me in tears as I cheered on Teio. They really got me. —JL

ZOMBIE LAND SAGA REVENGE

Zombie Land Saga Revenge continues the story of the distinctive zombie ladies who became idols where the first season left off. We eventually get to learn more about individuals like Yugiri, a 19th-century courtesan, and learn more about the Saga region. Saga, the Japanese prefecture that the idol group is attempting to revitalize, appears to be cursed, causing tragic occurrences to occur and preventing it from ever blossoming. The females, on the other hand, do not give up. Zombie Land Saga Revenge is a must-see for fans of catchy melodies and slapstick humor. —JL