2025 is shaping up to be an awesome year for anime.Solo LevelingSeason 2was comfortably the biggest series of Winter, and I would argue it was also thebest show of that quarter. More than three months later, Sung Jinwoo’s latest animated adventure is still head and shoulders above everything else in terms of sheer popularity and exposure (at least, outside of Japan). When all is said and done, and 2025 turns into 2026,Solo Leveling Season 2will be looked back upon as one of the year’s strongest shows. It deserves that praise.
That said, the biggest anime is not always the best anime, and 2025 has plenty of contenders that have or will present convincing cases for warranting the latter title.Summer 2025, in particular, is filled with massive series, most of which have gotten off to fantastic starts. Let’s highlight a few shows that have the potential to be 2025’s best anime, even more so thanSolo Leveling Season 2.
Updated on May 26, 2025:A section for Solo Leveling Season 2 has been added, just to make it clear that the anime is also among the best of the year, particularly in terms of action. Also, each anime’s current scores on MAL and Anime-Planet have been added, along with their Crunchyroll scores if they are available on the streaming service.
I lovedSolo Leveling Season 2and cannot wait for its sequel. These recommendations mostly serve to highlight other must-watch 2025 anime. Also, most of the upcoming shows have only aired a handful of episodes, so these are just predictions for what could end up being the best anime of 2025.
MyAnimeList: 8.69
Anime-Planet: 4.55/5
Crunchyroll Average Rating: 4.9 (Full Series, not just Season 2)
Before going into the other anime, let’s giveSolo Levelingthe praise it deserves.Solo Leveling Season 2is a very specific type of anime, one that shines extremely brightly in a relatively narrow field. Except for the upcomingDemon Slayermovie,Solo Leveling Season 2will likely go on to be remembered as 2025’s best action anime, with nearly every episode including gorgeously animated fights that are generally a blast to watch.
Sure, the plot is mostly just functional, but it works well in the context of a power fantasy and aura farming story. And, to be crystal clear, there is absolutely nothing wrong with enjoying a power fantasy, and I personally really like these sorts of escapes from reality. Although it was divisive since it strayed from the established formula, season 2 also had an emotional episode that revolved around Sung’s family.
At the end of the day, multiple anime will be the “best of 2025,” and they should all be celebrated.
MyAnimeList: 8.94
Anime-Planet: 4.37/5
Crunchyroll Average Rating: 4.9
Although debuting in June 2025,Takopi’s Original Sinis a 6-episode ONA, so it exists outsidethe Summer 2025 season’s conventional schedule. At this point, the series is only about halfway done, so there is always the chance that things could get better or worse; however, the former seems almost impossible as Enishiya’s anime has been borderline perfect so far. Based on a short 2-volume manga,Takopi’s Original Sincombines sci-fi elements with a very human and distressing story that deals with bullying, suicide, child abuse, animal cruelty, and neglect.
Takopi’s Original Sinpulls very few punches when tackling its themes, so please take that into account before watching it.
Largely ignored by her mother and relentlessly bullied at school, Shizuka needs help. She is on the verge of giving up on the world, and her only lifeline is her dog. One day, she meets a naive alien named Takopi who just wants to make the young girl smile. He uses cool sci-fi technology to do incredible acts, including reversing time, to try and help his new friend. However, Takopi not only struggles to get through to Shizuka, but its Earthly experiences also challenge its innocence.
While not an easy watch by any stretch of the imagination,Takopi’s Original Sintells a refreshingly mature talethat is rich in emotion, complexity, and ambition. Shizuka and Takopi are two of the most sympathetic and likable anime characters of 2025, despite being wildly different from each other. Even the “antagonists” have plenty of depth to them, as they are not just caricatures designed to inflict misery on the vulnerable protagonist.
MyAnimeList: 8.82
Anime-Planet: 4.32/5
Crunchyroll Average Rating: N/A
In a season filled with notable newbies,The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignityis Summer2025’s biggest new anime. Also, in a season filled withgreat romance anime,The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignitymight be the genre’s best representative; at least, it has the potential to reach the top. Saka Mikami’s manga is well-established as a modern classic and has been going strong since 2021.
While its Netflix exclusivity and delayed international debut could negatively impact its rollout, the adaptation is in near-ideal hands, as CloverWorks can be relied upon to deliver top-notch animation that does justice to the source material. UnlikeTakopi’s Original Sin,The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignitytells a simple story that fits seamlessly into the romance genre’s conventions. Kaoruko and Rintarou attend neighboring schools that despise each other (well, really, one of them hates the other), but these two students are more than ready to push against social pressure to permit their budding love to blossom. They have an adorable meet-cute and instant chemistry, setting the stage for a beautiful romance.
The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignitymight not hit the mark with people who cannot stand teenage love stories, but the same could be said forSolo Levelingand folks who are not into action. Within the context of romance anime, this show is the most exciting release sinceThe Dangers in My Heart, and it could even be better than that masterpiece.
MyAnimeList: 8.47
Anime-Planet: 4.35/5
Crunchyroll Average Rating: 4.9 (Full series, not just season 2)
DandadanandSolo Levelingshare a few things in common. Both anime are based on wildly popular comics that not only ensured they immediately attracted massive audiences, but also that they would need to meet extremely high expectations. Both adaptations debuted in 2024 and were among thatyear’s best shows, although I would argue thatDandadanwas better thanSolo Leveling. They both announced sequels for 2025, enabling them to quickly build on their momentum.
Now,Solo Leveling Season 2felt like a bigger deal thanDandadan Season 2, which is currently airing as part of the Summer 2025 season. The latter set such a high bar with its first entry that it is hard to imagine a scenario where season 2 could blow its predecessor out of the water. In comparison,Solo Leveling’s2025 animemarked a massive step-up, with the sequel tripling down on the first season’s strengths (the fights and Sung being effortlessly cool).
What isDandadanabout? Well, Momo and Ken go on ridiculous adventures that involve either yokai or aliens, all the while they slowly begin to recognize their feelings for each other (and maybe some other characters).
All that being said,Dandadanis (arguably) closer to the full package thanSolo Leveling. The anime is a genre-blender in the most impressive possible way, merging action, romance, comedy, sci-fi, and supernatural. Such a scattershot approach could and should result in an uneven mess that does not please anyone, butDandadansomehow makes it work. Momo and Ken’s romance is just adorable, while the fight sequences are well animated and benefit from an assortment of characters with very different powers and designs. The comedy is generally on-point, incorporating both wit and slapstick.
MyAnimeList: 8.92
Anime-Planet: 4.59/5
Debuting alongsideSolo Leveling Season 2,The Apothecary Diarieswas Winter 2025’s other big anime, even though Maomao was never going to match Sung’s mainstream international appeal. If viewed solely on the cours released during Winter,Solo Levelingwas the slightly better show, although your pick likely came down to genre preference.
However,The Apothecary Diariescontinued for another three months and 12 more episodes, and the anime just went from strength to strength. So far, season 2’s final few chapters were 2025’s peak in terms of storytelling, paying off nearly 50 episodes of masterful writing, character development, and historical world-building.Takopi’s Original Sinmight be able to matchThe Apothecary Diaries, but it cannot afford to miss a beat for the rest of its run.
The Apothecary Diariesfollows Maomao as she uses her knowledge of poison tosolve mysteriesin China’s imperial court, although that summary makes the anime sound more formulaic than it is. While the cases are entertaining, they are primarily used to explore the setting’s social and political climate.
