While Crunchyroll may be king when it comes to anime streaming, Netflix has really upped its game in the past few years, exclusively licensing some fantastic series around the world that might not have made the jump otherwise. It also helped create some through its Netflix Animation unit, and the results speak for themselves — the service is packed with countless high-quality anime series, making it a serious competitor to Sony-owned Crunchyroll.

So what are the best anime series on Netflix? That’s the question we set out to answer, and with our collective experience of watching too much anime, we’ve come up with this non-exhaustive list of the best anime series on Netflix. We’ve tried to pick a wide variety of genres and styles, and we’ve included some that might stretch the definition of “anime,” but everything here is worth checking out.

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is a beautiful prequel to CD Projekt’s Cyberpunk 2077 and tells the story of a street kid named David who loses everything in a horrific attack. To survive in the dystopian landscape that is Night City, David decides to turn to the dirty foothills of the city to become an Edgerunner. Animated by Studio Trigger, one of the best animation studios out there today, it’s full of charm, heart and neon vibes.

Neon Genesis Evangelion

Speaking of neon, Neon Genesis Evangelion is probably one of the most famous mech anime series of all time – at least in the West. NGE has everything you’d want from a mech anime: big monsters to beat, huge mechs, and an intense narrative. You’ll want to brace yourself before strapping yourself into Eva because it certainly goes to some wild and uncomfortable places, especially in the movies, but it’s worth a watch for any anime fan.

Kotaro lives alone

Kotaro Lives Alone is an absolutely heartwarming anime series that follows four-year-old Kotaro, a strange young boy who moves into an apartment next to an overworked manga artist by himself. We won’t spoil how or why Kotaro lives alone – that’s better left alone – but watch this one with a friend or loved one. It’s a beautiful series, but it will bring you to tears at times.

A small wizarding academy

Oh Studio Trigger, is there anything you can’t do? Little Witch Academia is a series about a young girl named Atsuko who enrolls in a witch academy but doesn’t know much about magic. It’s a series about friendship, finding magic in the world, and persevering through every challenge life throws your way.

Beastars

Beastars has it all: drama, fantasy, 8-foot tall anthropomorphized werewolves. Set in a world where everyone is an animal and eating meat is illegal, the killing and eating of an alpaca sends Cherryton Academy into a tense environment for both carnivores and herbivores. This is a series full of metaphors, wild storytelling, and really great character work.

Pokemon journeys

You already know what Pokemon is, so let’s get to the point: Pokemon Journeys is Ash Ketchum’s latest journey through the world of Pokemon. He teams up with another young trainer, Goh, and travels through eight different regions as both characters work towards their ideal of becoming a Pokémon master. It’s an exciting and moving end to a character who has graced our screens for 25 years, and is a must-watch for any Pokémon fan.

Komi can’t communicate

Komi is a high school girl who is apparently one of the most beautiful girls most people have ever seen. When she enters an elite school, everyone wants to know her… but even though she wants to know them too, she suffers from severe social anxiety that makes it almost impossible for her to talk to anyone outside of her family. Over the course of the series, she learns to overcome her anxiety and begin to make friends, converse, and emotionally connect with her classmates. It’s a beautiful story with top-notch character writing and well worth a look for anyone who occasionally has trouble being around other people.

Aggretsuko

In this Sanrio series, Retsuko – a 25-year-old red panda – deals with the frustrations of everyday life as she works on a pencil job that drives her crazy. To vent her frustration, Retsuko visits a karaoke bar to sing death metal, incredible visuals they always deliver. Aggretsuko starts off strong and gets stronger with each episode and is full of moments and stories that will make you think “damn, same girl”.

Carole and Tuesday

Shinichiro Watanabe is perhaps best known for his work directing Cowboy Bebop, but Carole & Tuesday shows just how much range he has as a director. In the near future on a terraformed Mars, a young girl named Tuesday runs away from her wealthy family to pursue her dream of becoming a musician. He meets Carole, an orphaned refugee by chance, and the two join forces to make their musical dreams come true. This is a really moving series with incredible music and it’s an absolute blast in both the Japanese and English dubs.

Kimi ni Todoke

Kimi ni Todoke sounds like a joke when you read its synopsis: a 15-year-old high school girl is hated by just about everyone because she looks like the creepy girl from The Ring, but manages to start a budding romance with the most popular boy in school. It sounds silly at first, but it’s just a trick to lure you in and trick you into the most magical and wholesome story you’ll ever see in anime. Kimi ni Todoke also has a very good live action adaptation on Netflix, so you have plenty to choose from when watching this series.

Arcana

Arcane isn’t strictly anime as most people in the West would define it, as it was animated by French studio Fortiche, but it has the same vibes, so it’s worth mentioning. Based on the popular MOBA League of Legends, the series focuses on sisters Vi and Jinx as they navigate the seemingly utopian city of Piltover. Arcane was met with positive reviews across the board, praised for its storytelling, animation, world-building, and nuanced characterization. Arcane appeals to absolutely everyone, LoL fans or not, although it’s worth noting that it’s probably not exactly kid-friendly. Just keep your head up.

Castlevania

Again, Castlevania isn’t animated in Japan, but it’s still a masterful adaptation of one of the most popular gaming franchises. Loosely based on Castlevania 3, Castlevania features legendary vampire hunter Trevor Belmont and son of evil Alucard as they battle the famous dark lord, Dracula. It’s beautifully animated, brilliantly written, and has some of the best fight scenes on Netflix. Its sequel Castlevania: Nocturne is similarly fantastic, so you have a lot to catch up on.

Delicious in the Dungeon

The less you know about this amazing anime series before diving into it, the better. It’s a fantastic series with top-notch writing, gorgeous animation, and some of the best characters in the business. Stop reading this list and go check it out right now.