Not every anime show can achieve the mainstream success of the most popular anime like My Hero Academia or Attack on Titan, even if some shows deserve it, which means that there are a lot of underrated anime gems waiting for fans to discover and enjoy them. There seems to be an almost constant stream of highly-acclaimed anime series these days—more than anyone interested in the art form will have enough time to consume, in fact. This inevitably causes some underrated series to slip through the cracks.
Naturally, no list of underrated anime could cover every single anime that gets overlooked. But at least this list can highlight 20 obscure anime of particular note and hopefully help them get more recognition.
20 Hell Girl (2005 – 2017)
Hell Girl is an underrated supernatural/horror anime full of self-contained episodes of characters suffering at the hands of those around them. After reaching their limits, they use a website to summon the mysterious Hell Girl, Enma Ai. Enma Ai offers to send their tormentors to Hell if they enter into a contract with her, though the price is steep, as they also condemn their own souls to Hell once they die.
Hell Girl is an amazing series that shows the hold vengeance can have on a person. There’s some dark satisfaction seeing some genuinely evil people getting “what they deserve,” but it also questions one morality and the nature of revenge. The fourth season is available to watch on Crunchyroll, but the rest of the series is currently not available to stream in the US.
19 AnoHana: The Flower We Saw That Day (2011)
After the tragic death of their friend Menma when they were kids, Jinta Yadomi and his friends have grown apart. Jinta himself has become a recluse until the ghost of an older Menma comes to him one summer day, asking for his help in granting her “wish.”
AnoHana is a touching coming-of-age story that deals with grief and growing up. Jinta, Menma, and the rest of the “Super Peace Busters” are all well-written characters whose individual experiences of grief are just as heartwrenching as their collective experience. It may be underrated, but AnoHana is one of the best anime of all time. AnoHana is available to watch on Crunchyroll.
18 Skip Beat! (2008 – 2009)
Kyoko Mogami lives to support her boyfriend, an up-and-coming pop star. However, once his stardom begins to manifest, he betrays Kyoko, abandoning her in spite of her years of total support. She then vows revenge and embarks on a quest to become a star renowned enough to eclipse her former lover.
While the anime is relatively short, Skip Beat! also has Drama CDs that continue the story, but if the show had been less underrated these could have been additional seasons. An interesting tale of love, loss, and revenge, Skip Beat! deserved more attention than it got. Skip Beat! is available to watch on Crunchyroll.
17 Haganai (2011 – 2013)
A group of wayward, socially inept high school students comes together to form a club with the goal of teaching one another how to make friends. Full of fanservice and dark humor, it’s not exactly the most approachable series, but it’s maintained a passionate fanbase over the years, and it’s way more underrated than it deserves to be.
Haganai features a dry, sarcastic sort of humor that contrasts strongly with many of its very loud, in-your-face contemporaries. It’s certainly not for everyone, but those who value humor above all else may want to give Haganai a go. Haganai is available to watch on Crunchyroll.
16 Hikaru No Go (2001 – 2003)
Anime series based on card games are pretty common—series Yu-Gi-Oh! and the more niche but still compelling Chihayafuru spring to mind—but there are few based on things like board games. Hikaru no Go is one of those few and is based on the ancient Chinese board game of Go.
This series puts an interesting and entertaining spin on the game, as it follows middle schooler Hikaru as he enters the world of professional Go players under the guidance of a ghost from the Heian era. This series, all about the surprisingly competitive nature of professional Go players, is illustrated by the artist of Death Note Takeshi Obata. Hikaru no Go is available to watch on Hulu and Crunchyroll.
15 The 12 Kingdoms (2002 – 2003)
Inuyasha is certainly one of the most popular anime series in the fantasy/historical genre, but it’s far from the only one. The 12 Kingdoms is an underrated gem that’s based on the manga with the same name. While the manga follows various characters, the anime focuses on Yoko Nakajima, a red-haired girl who discovers that she’s an empress after she finds herself transported from Japan to another world.
Inspired by Chinese mythology, this underrated isekai anime series is a bit on the eccentric side, but it’s great for fans of high fantasy. Yoko is an admirably strong female protagonist who perseveres to earn her title of Emperess of the Kingdom of Kei. The 12 Kingdoms is available to watch on Crunchyroll.
14 Kaleido Star (2003 – 2004)
Everyone has a dream, and Sora Naegino, a teen from Japan, dreams of being a top performer at the world-famous Kaleido Stage. Though she dreams big, she finds that realizing her ambitions of becoming a world-renowned performer will take blood, sweat, and tears.
While Kaleido Star has the vibrance of a typical shoujo anime, it has a fairly down-to-earth story that really makes fans empathize with all the trials and tribulations Sora and the other characters endure. For fans of Oshi no Ko wanting something less dark, Kaleido Star is a perfect pick. Kaleido Star is available to watch on Crunchyroll.
13 Mushi-shi (2005 – 2006)
Mushi-shi is a slow-paced anthology series following the travels of a man named Ginko. The world is inhabited by a kind of ethereal spirit called Mushi that interact with humans just trying to go about their daily lives. Ginko can see these Mushi, and he makes it his occupation to help people besieged by their negative effects.
There isn’t much of an overarching plot, and the series instead focuses on the lives of the people Ginko helps. It trades action and suspense for beautiful animation and small-scale storytelling, and the series proceeds at an unhurried pace that lets fans soak in the atmosphere. Its unique style may make it underrated, but this is exactly why anime fans should watch it. Mushi-shi is available to watch on Crunchyroll and Hulu.
12 School Rumble (2004 – 2005)
This is a two-season romantic comedy series starring two main protagonists, Tenma and Kenji, who are entangled in a love triangle involving their enigmatic classmate Oji. It’s told in a series of short sketch-like sequences, and it follows not only the main characters but also a variety of relatively minor characters and their ridiculous exploits, as well.
It’s been described by reviewers as both shounen and shojo, so it appeals to a wide variety of audiences with its content. Most fans agree that School Rumble‘s fast and fun energy and slightly surreal brand of humor succeed, and it’s got a stellar soundtrack, furthering its status as an underrated anime masterpiece. School Rumble is available to watch on Crunchyroll, Hulu, and Amazon.
11 Tsuritama (2012)
Ostensibly a sports anime, Tsuritama focuses on a pretty underappreciated activity of fishing. It also deviates from the norm of the genre in several other ways, as it doesn’t really focus on the bombastic drama and action sequences other popular sports anime like Blue Lock favor.
Instead, the main storyline has a narrow, personal focus. It follows high school student Yuki, who has been moved around all his life and has a terrible time making friends. When he and his grandmother settle in Enoshima, a transfer student named Haru shows up claiming to be an alien and insists on living in their house. The zany setup gives way to an underrated but heartfelt series about friendship and dealing with anxiety. Unfortunately, Tsuritama is currently unavailable to stream in the US.
10 Yakitate!! Japan (2004 – 2006)
A food-based comedy series from 2004, Yakitate!! Japan is vastly underrated compared to anime titles like Food Wars! The main character, Kazuma, is pursuing his dream to make the national bread of Japan and secure a spot at the most prestigious bread bakery in the country. Kazuma also has a special power called “Solar Hands” which makes his hands slightly hotter than a normal person. Useless as that sounds, it does help his bread to ferment faster.
It’s a sweet, funny series all about making and enjoying food, and it features tons of over-the-top food tasting reactions for fans’ viewing pleasure. Yakitate!! Japan is available to stream on Crunchyroll.
9 Monster (2004 – 2005)
A critically-acclaimed yet tragically underrated anime series, Monster is a dark and realistic thriller about brain surgeon Dr. Kenzo Tenma following his decision to save the lives of two young twins instead of the mayor of his town in Germany.
Nine years after this fateful decision, Tenma discovers one of the twins, Johan, has grown up to be a monstrous serial killer, while the other lives an oblivious life with her foster parents. The plot chronicles Tenma’s attempts to undo the mistake he made when saving Johan’s life. The anime is committed to reproducing the highly-praised manga it’s based on in every way, from its dark cinematic art to its sophisticated storyline. Monster is available to watch on Netflix.
8 Samurai Flamenco (2013 – 2014)
Samurai Flamenco follows the journey of male model Masayoshi Hazama as he undertakes his lifelong goal of being a superhero. Unfortunately for Masayoshi, he doesn’t have any superpower or any special abilities at all. Instead, he runs afoul of both the city’s rougher elements and the police over and over again until a young officer named Hidenori Goto gets involved and ends up supporting his cause.
It starts as a light-hearted superhero-themed comedy before it abruptly pivots genre halfway through, ramping up in intensity with each new episode until you can’t look away. A forerunner to the extremely popular superhero anime My Hero Academia, Samurai Flamenco is an underrated anime adaptation that deserves more love. Samurai Flamenco is available to watch on Funimation.
Failed musician Soichi Negishi dreams of rising to pop stardom, but, in order to pay the bills, he becomes the frontman of a notorious death metal act Detroit Metal City. As his popstar ambitions continue to flounder, his metal alter-ego grows in popularity, something he secretly resents. Desperate to escape his new role as a metal legend, Soichi’s attempts to quit Detroit Metal City only result in further fame.
Despite its low budget, Detroit Metal City manages to be a hilarious celebration of music of all sorts. With the recent success of Bocchi the Rock, another music anime, it is now a perfect time to revisit this underrated series. Detroit Metal City is unfortunately currently unavailable to stream in the US.
6 Hamatora (2014 – 2015)
Hamatora also touches on aspects of the superhero genre. The two seasons of its anime take place after the events of the manga of the same name, but fans don’t necessarily have to be familiar with the source material to enjoy the series. The two main characters, Nice and Mursaki, run a private investigative agency, and the two of them use special powers called Minimums to solve their cases.
Primarily a supernatural mystery series, it keeps the tension high through many unpredictable twists and turns. It’s easy to get swept up in the plot, but the series never loses sight of the likable characters that probably drew fans in the first place. Hamatora is available to stream on Crunchyroll.
5 Gintama (2006-2021)
Gintama is easily the longest series on this list, running for over 350 episodes and multiple movies. While the series has a major following in Japan, it is relatively unknown in the West except in hardcore anime circles, which is what makes it underrated. The anime follows Gintoki, Kagura, and Shinpachi as they help various people with odd jobs in a sci-fi version of old Tokyo where aliens and Samurai can be found side by side.
The series is incredibly unpredictable, with the show balancing humor, drama, and action expertly. While it is largely episodic, it eventually becomes more serialized as more of Gintoki’s past is revealed, making Gintama surprisingly similar to One Piece. Despite its incredible length, Gintama never loses its immense heart and provides fans with an excellent anime experience all the way up to its near perfect ending. Gintama is available to stream on Crunchyroll with select episodes being available to watch on Hulu as well.
4 Eden of the East (2009)
An unusual blend of survival, political intrigue, and psychological suspense, Eden of the East defies easy classification, which unfortunately is probably why it is so underrated. The premise is that twelve individuals known as “Selecao” have been given access to ten billion yen in order to save Japan from a future missile strike.
If the Selecao run out of money or spend it selfishly, they are “eliminated” by a mysterious person known only as The Supporter. Nothing else is off-limits in the game, including killing the other participants. The protagonist, Takizawa Akira, is one of these Selecao, but he must contend with the added difficulty of suffering from amnesia. This is an anime that sucks fans into a slick, unusual plot and leaves them hungry to know how it ends. Eden of the East is available to watch on Crunchyroll and Amazon.
3 Last Exile (2003)
In a retro-futurist setting loosely based on World War I aerial combat, the pilot and navigator duo of Claus Valca and Lavie Head operate as couriers in a war-torn stretch of sky known as the Grand Stream. Tasked with a mission thought to be beyond their abilities, the two become a part of a grander conspiracy unfolding between two warring nations and a malignant faction stoking the flames of conflict between the two.
Last Exile is best known for its unmatched steampunk aesthetic, and fans of retro-futurism or anime set in the Victorian era absolutely need to give this underrated gem a watch. Last Exile is available to watch on both Crunchyroll and Amazon.
2 Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere (2011 – 2012)
Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere is a difficult series to define; it’s primarily a science fiction anime following humanity’s failed attempts to travel into space to flee the dying Earth. An unknown force prevents them from leaving, and they’re forced to return to Japan, as it’s the only hospitable place left on the planet.
Most of the human population is relegated to pocket dimensions, but, after a time, those people invade and conquer Japan, forcing the inhabitants to live on a city-ship, forever circling their country. As rumors of an apocalypse draw closer, protagonist Tori Aoi devises a way to take back their homeland. Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere is available to watch on HiDive.
1 Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit (2007)
Occupying the tragically sparse landscape of anime featuring strong female protagonists, Moribito stars the wandering, spear-wielding warrior Balsa as she attempts to atone for the deaths she’s caused in the past by saving an equal number of lives. She encounters Prince Chagum during her journey and becomes his bodyguard, attempting to protect him from an assassination order given by his own father.
The series has beautiful animation and a lovingly crafted fantasy world, as well as compelling characters who have their troubled pasts revealed piecemeal throughout the series. Fans should give this underrated fantasy a look for its sheer artistry alone. Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit is available to watch on HiDive.
Hopefully, after reading this list of the most underrated anime of the past 20 years, fans will have many inner gems to discover and enjoy.