10 Best Anime Movies of the 2020s So Far, Ranked

While anime has always proven itself to be an exceptional and highly popular medium over the years, the digital age has seen a massive explosion in popularity in animes of all types. Anime has simply become more accessible and widely available than ever before, as more and more audiences have been enthralled by numerous anime series, from long-running classics like One Piece and Dragon Ball to newer titles like Chainsaw Man and Jujutsu Kaisen. While anime s primarily associated with long-running series, the explosion in popularity has also affected many anime films in recent memory.

Anime movies are far from a new phenomenon, with all-time classics like Akira, Spirited Away, and Perfect Blue consistently being praised as some of the best-animated movies of all time. However, with the more recent worldwide acceptance and explosion of anime, anime films have been the most successful and beloved as they’ve ever been in markets around the world. Whether they are original films weaving their own story or simply a theatrical continuation of a long-running series, there is no shortage of iconic anime films that have already made the 2020s a defining decade for the medium.

10 ‘Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero’ (2022)

Directed by Tetsuro Kodama

The latest film in the long-running Dragon Ball series, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero sees the return of the villainous Red Ribbon Army, an evil organization that Goku defeated in the original Dragon Ball series. However, with Goku and Vegeta too busy training with Beerus and Broly, it becomes up to Piccolo and Gohan to put a stop to the villainous threat before they can enact their evil plan. To make things worse, the Red Ribbon Army has created two new powerful android warriors, designed specifically to take down the Z warriors.

While it may not have a massive impact on those who aren’t already fans of Dragon Ball, Super Herocontinues the trend of massive-scale visual spectacle cinematic experiences for the series. The film specifically acts as an evolution for the series by adopting stylized 3D animation, giving the film a distinct look that makes it feel like it hopped directly off of the manga pages. It helps make the flashy action sequences that much more exciting, as well as it being wholly satisfying to watch a Dragon Ball story that isn’t focused on Goku.

Watch on Crunchyroll

9 ‘Pompo: the Cinephile’ (2021)

Directed by Takayuki Hirao

Pompo the Cinephile follows the story of Pompo, a lover of all things cinema who has been building up her repertoire as an established director in the movie capital of the world « Nyallywood ». One day, Pompo’s assistant Gene finds massive inspiration from one of Pompo’s scripts, declaring that he wants the film to be made as soon as possible. This allows Pompo to try out producing instead of directing, telling Gene to shoot the film in what will be his first directing gig.

Beyond its cutesy and lightweight exterior, Pompo the Cinephile is a genuine love letter not just to film and filmmaking, but to the art of creation, and the beauty of creating a work of art in the visual medium. The way that the film creatively visualizes normally boring and tenuous acts such as editing and sound mixing makes for a genuine sight to behold, with an uncanny ability to amp up an audience’s passion for film. It’s certainly a mandatory watch for fans of filmmaking, animation, and the process it takes to create.

Rent on AppleTV+

8 ‘Inu-Oh’ (2022)

Directed by Masaaki Yuasa

Inu-Oh follows the story of the young, titular Inu-Oh, a boy born to an esteemed family who has been afflicted with an ancient curse that has forced him to live as an outcast in his town. However, he soon finds himself making an unexpected friendship with blind musician Tomona, a young priest haunted by his past. In their time together, Inu-oh ends up discovering a passion and uncanny ability to dance, and the duo quickly become inseparable friends as larger and larger crowds begin to flock to their extravagant concerts.

Director Masaaki Yuasa has always been attributed to his beautiful and mystifying animation style, most often seen in Mind Game and Devilman Crybaby, and said style flourishes in Inu-Oh. The film makes a work of art out of its musical sequences while telling a compassionate and deeply impactful story of friendship and deeper bonds. The way that the film combines the visuals of a flashy rock concert with the elegance and grace of an ancient folk ritual is a sight to behold, making it easily one of the most underrated anime films in recent memory.

Watch on Hulu

7 ‘Demon Slayer The Movie: Mugen Train’ (2020)

Directed by Haruo Sotozaki

The first of many ventures into film for massively successful anime franchise Demon Slayer, Demon Slayer The Movie: Mugen Train sees the main group of heroes boarding the Infinity Train, where they meet with the Fire Hashira, Kyojuro Rengoku. Together, they are tasked with taking down a dangerous demon who has been tormenting the passengers of the train, in what is easily the most dangerous demon that they’ve faced so far.

While many anime movies that come from preexisting series go out of the way to make their cinematic experiences non-canon to the main series, Mugen Train does the exact opposite, making the film the connecting bridge between seasons 1 and 2. While this certainly brought much more interest to the film than other anime film adaptations, what has helped it become such a monumental success is its beautiful standalone themes of acceptance and loss. Combined with the signature beautiful animation of the show brought to a cinematic budget, it’s no wonder that it became the highest-grossing anime movie of all time.

Watch on Crunchyroll

6 ‘The First Slam Dunk’ (2022)

Directed by Takehiko Inoue

The quintessential combination of traditional 2D Japanese animation and 3D computer animation, The First Slam Dunk creates a visual feast that can only be described as the future of animation. The film follows the story of the Shohoku High School basketball team in what is their most difficult game yet, competing as the underdogs against the reigning champions of the league. The film goes back and forth between the present-day match and stories from the past on how each of the players got to this point and joined the team.

Few films have been able to blend 2D and 3D animation as seamlessly as The First Slam Dunk, which accomplishes masterful feats of animation without breaking a sweat. At the same time, it perfectly understands and captures the energy and adrenaline of competition, and never fails to get the audience amped up as the game continues. It all comes together in one of the most breathtaking and beautifully animated climaxes in any animated film, and will only continue to increase its massive reputation and legacy as the years go on.

5 ‘Belle’ (2021)

Directed by Mamoru Hosoda

A wildly imaginative digital era retelling of Beauty and the Beast from the director of Digimon: The Movie, Summer Wars, and Wolf Children, Belle completely flips the classic fairy tale on its head. The film follows the story of Suzu, a reclusive 17-year-old high school girl who is still reeling from the pain of losing her mother at a young age. She soon finds refuge in the massive online world of « U », and becomes engrossed in this alternate reality world as her avatar, Belle, a pop star icon loved by millions. However, after an encounter with a dangerous beast, Suzu begins to realize that she may have more in common with him than expected.

Instead of simply retreading the same story beats and characters of the original fairytale in a modern setting, Belle acts as a complete evolution of the story of Beauty and the Beast, down to its core themes and values. The way that it implements social media and the digital world into its story is far from forced, and acts as a genuine modern-day variation of the timeless themes while allowing it to delve deeper into its personal story. This is all on top of the spectacular visual style that has made it one of the most beautiful and distinct anime films out there.

Watch on Max

4 ‘Suzume’ (2022)

Directed by Makoto Shinkai

From Makoto Shinkai, the director of Weathering With You and Your Name, Suzume is yet another fantasy adventure that combines young adolescent love with a mysterious, unexplainable force. In the film, young Suzume is living her life as normal before a chance encounter with a mysterious young man thrusts her into the world of magical doors and protecting Japan from disaster. To make matters worse, a mischievous magical cat ends up transforming this man into a sentient children’s chair, so it becomes up to Suzume to help him with his duties as well as help him retrieve his original body.

Suzume features all the classic staples of Shinkai’s previous works, from extravagant mysteries with a high concept to overarching themes of acceptance and bodily autonomy. What makes Suzume especially special when compared to the rest of Shinkai’s filmography is its clear parallels and themes surrounding the impact and pain of the 2011 Japanese earthquake. It helps give the film a distinct identity of its own compared to his other works, while still being able to tell its deeply compassionate story effectively.

Watch on Netflix

3 ‘Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time’ (2021)

Directed by Hideaki Anno

Neon Genesis Evangelion is one of the most critically acclaimed and beloved anime series of all time, with the most legendary part of the show being its finale movie, The End of Evangelion. However, well after End of Evangelion ended the original series, creator Hideaki Anno would return for a retelling of the series told across a series of cinematic movies, starting in 2007. Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time acts as the long-awaited final chapter of this series of films, with the previous film having been released in 2012.

The film had monumental expectations placed upon it, having to live up not only to the previous Evangelion remake films, but also living up to The End of Evangelion, one of the most acclaimed anime movies of all time. Miraculously, Thrice Upon a Time was able to not only live up to these monumental expectations, but bring new light and perspective to the original story, as well as Evangelion as a whole. Rarely has a film with such monumental expectations been able to live up to and in some ways even surpass said expectations, creating a feat of filmmaking that may never be replicated again.

Watch on Amazon

2 ‘Blue Giant’ (2023)

Directed by Yuzuru Tachikawa

A beautiful and distinct love letter to jazz and the magic of performance art from Yuzuru Tachikawa, director of Mob Psycho 100, Blue Giant is a work of art from beginning to end. The film follows the story of high school student Dai Miyamoto, who has high aspirations to become a legend of jazz, wanting nothing more than to perform on a large stage and become one with the annuls of history. He soon finds himself starting a band with fellow jazz enthusiast Yukinoi Sawabe and his roommate Shunjia Tamada, who has never touched an instrument before. Together, they unexpectedly find success and joy with their new lives as jazz musicians.

Blue Giant combines beautiful, ultra-stylized 3D animation sequences with some of the most raw and dynamic jazz performances put to film to create a cinematic whirlpool of emotions that never fails to make an impact. The film at its very core essence understands the power and strength that performing can provide, compounding and expressing these emotions in a way few films, anime or otherwise, have been able to accomplish. In due time, it will quickly rise in the ranks to be considered one of, if not the best movie about jazz of all time.

1 ‘The Boy and the Heron’ (2023)

Directed by Hayao Miyazaki

The unexpected yet widely appreciated return of masterful director Hayao Miyazaki, The Boy and the Heron acts as the perfect swan song for his legendary career in animation. The film follows the story of Mahito, a young boy haunted by the loss of his mother who is forced to live in a new rural home while the Second World War rages on. In his time of readjustment in this new environment, he finds himself discovering a strange world beyond our own, filled with magical creatures and danger around every corner, that happens to hold the answers to Mahito’s internal struggles.

Miyazaki’s previous film was 10 years before with The Wind Rises, yet The Boy and the Heron continues to prove exactly why he is the greatest of all time when it comes to Japanese animation. The film only continues to play into his greatest strengths as a filmmaker, reflecting and paralleling the themes and conventions of his previous works while at the same time acting self reflective towards his career and life as a whole. The way that the film weaves together beautiful imagery, highly creative concepts, and a heartfelt and personal message of loss and acceptance easily makes The Boy and the Heron a rare, special filmmaking feat only seen once in a lifetime.

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NEXT: 40 Best Anime Movies of All Time, Ranked