We at GuthixTricks have come prepared with a list of the best anime movies of all time!
Welcome to the world of advanced comic strips called Anime.
There is a hunger for anime but people don’t know which one to choose. So here we are with the list of the Best Anime Movies of All Time.
Anime can be called as the elevated level of the comic strips meant for children, wherein children used to live their dream lives by roaring in jungles, winning over 100 men alone, rushing through the skies and fighting carnivorous demons.
This concept gave rise to some of the top anime movies we can see today. The modern concept anime came from the lands of Japan during the early 20th century, which refers primarily to the animation style which captured the world’s attention towards itself.
(Credits- Wallpaper Cave)
Anime is distinguished by vibrant colors, spectacular themes, and larger-than-life characters, which gave birth to the best anime movies of all time.
Top 10 anime movies of all time
So let us begin with the anime movies which we though deserved to be acknowledged and have been considered to be the 10 top anime movies.
1. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
For a beginner of anime, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is a genuine thought which comes to mind that anime must be all about bloodshed, weapons, giant robots, spacefaring bounty hunters, and cyborg warriors.
However, some of the most influential stories are far more humble and down-to-earth. This anime names ‘The Girl Who Jumps Through Time’ is one such novel and one of the best anime movies.
It also has an essence of the wonderful aspect of time travel, but the overarching theme is one of adolescence and facing the consequences of our actions.
Interestingly, the fact is that this anime film is reportedly based on a 1967 fictional novel of the same name by a Japanese writer, Yasutaka Tsutsui.
The rating of this anime movie is PG. Released in 2006, with a movie-length of 1h 38m, this anime is definitely a decent place to start your anime journey because it seeks its place among the top anime movies.
You can easily stream this movie on an anime app and enjoy it in your free time.
Check out the trailer of The Girl Who Leapt Through Time.
Highlights-
- IMDB rating: 7.7/10
- MyAnimeList rating: 8.3/10
- Genre: Animation/Sci-Fi
- Year: 2006
- Movie Duration: 1hr 44mins
2.Cowboy Bebop: The Movie
Released in 2001, the Cowboy Bebop was a ground-breaking anime TV series that came out in the late ’90s and is till date considered to be one of the best anime movies.
It has secured its place in the hearts of anime lovers who vote it to be the top anime movies of all time. Cowboy Bebop anime show is also regarded as the best anime of all time .
In reality, the job is currently undergoing a live-action remake, which adds more spice to this series, however, the classic versions are always said to be the best.
Thus it is recommended that interested anime viewers would try out the original series first.
The action-adventure movie features the same smooth graphics as the TV series, though not a little more refined, and has much of the same themes scattered throughout.
The strong characters and vibrant colors within the anime act as a backbone that gravitates its viewers. The total duration of this top anime movie is 1h 55m, with an R rating.
Check out the trailer of Cowboy Bebop: The Movie
Highlights-
- IMDB rating: 7.9/10
- MyAnimeList rating: 8.4/10
- Genre: Animation/Sci-Fi
- Year: 2001
- Movie Duration: 2hrs
3.Ninja Scroll
One of the anime series of the old times, Ninja scroll is among the top anime movies and much loved by its audience. Made in 1993, this is a 1h 34m movie.
Maintaining its name in the top anime movies of all time, this anime film is about the life of a fearless ninja warrior.
At the time of the Tokugawa Shogunate, a roaming swordsman must face the hell-bent clan of demons to conquer Japan – that’s the story of Ninja Book.
It might sound pretty ordinary, just like the other ninja cartoon stories we come across, but this film has become a global sensation for a variety of reasons.
It is one of the best anime movies of all time. Firstly, the animation which is seen in this anime film is dynamic and stunning even to this day.
We are familiar with so many amazing stunts we see in movies these days, but this anime is no less.
Second, the hyper-violent and heavily erotic nature of the film proved, perhaps for the first time, that anime was not just for girls or small children.
In fact, anime was created keeping in mind that this will revolutionize the idea of cartoons and elevate the level of entertainment for adults as well as kids.
So if you wish to get your hands on this amazing anime movie just download it off an anime torrent site which will be free of cost and will save you the effort.
Check out the trailer of Ninja Scroll.
Highlights-
- IMDB rating: 7.9/10
- MyAnimeList rating: 7.6/10
- Genre: Animation/Action
- Year: 1993
- Movie Duration: 1hr 39mins
4.Spirited Away
If someone asks about the best anime movie that has collective features such as the value of love, honesty, self-knowledge, and victory, Spirited Away is one package.
To several viewers, Spirited Away was their initial exposure to the animation genre – mostly due to Disney’s role in bringing the film to the United States.
And even though it came out almost 20 years ago, it’s still Studio Ghibli’s most far-reaching show, both in terms of success and how relatable it is.
That is presumably because children and adults around the world will all appreciate the themes to any point in the film – including the value of love, honesty and self-knowledge, and victory over insurmountable odds.
This is a strong reason why this film is one of the best anime movies of all time. Spirited Away is available on Netflix along with many other anime on Netflix.
It also helps that this family-friendly movie is filled with fun and familiar characters to the gills. Spirited Away is a PG rating film of the duration of 2h 15 min.
Check out the trailer of Spirited Away.
Highlights-
- IMDB rating: 8.6/10
- MyAnimeList rating: 8.9/10
- Genre: Animation/Fantasy
- Year: 2001
- Movie Duration: 2hr 5mins
5.Princess Mononoke
When asked about the top anime movies, which hold strong story-line, bold and charismatic characters, influential background and catchy animation, Princess Mononoke can’t be left out.
This is one of the best anime movies and was released in 1997.
Alongside the other top anime movies like Spirited Away and Grave of the Fireflies, Princess Mononoke is the third Studio Ghibli movie to grace our best anime movies of all time list.
This esteemed studio is both extremely prolific and creates beautiful pieces of the top anime movies.
This film may be their most controversial film because it examines the all-too-real discord between mankind and nature, but it is no less a mystical adventure into a world more beautiful than our own.
With a rating of PG-13, this is a long movie timed 2h 15m, but it’s totally worth watching! You can watch Princess Mononoke off any free anime site.
Check out the trailer of Princess Mononoke.
Highlights-
- IMDB rating: 8.4/10
- MyAnimeList rating: 8.8/10
- Genre: Animation/Fantasy
- Year: 1997
- Movie Duration: 2hr 14m
6.Your Name
This is a recent film that was released in the year 2016, but still gained its popularity to become one of the best anime movies in this short duration.
Considering that the anime dates back to the early 20th century, it might seem ridiculous to put a film that is just a few years old on this list.
Once, we would have done a disservice to the whole list if we did not understand the global sensation that is Your Name.
After all, this story of two high school girls, mysteriously switching bodies, has now been the fourth-highest grossing film in Japanese history – making it the best anime movies of all time.
This new and excellent concept drew people’s attention and they were immediately liking it.
It’s been met with positive reviews, both from reviewers and fans alike, and that’s hard to deny.
With so much love and adore, this top anime movie is a must-watch! The duration of this anime movie is 1h 52m and is PG rated.
If you wish to stream the dubbed version of this anime check out our take on the best dubbed anime sites. Use these sites to get the dubbed version of any movie you please.
Check out the trailer of Your Name.
Highlights-
- IMDB rating: 8.4/10
- MyAnimeList rating: 9.1/10
- Genre: Animation/Fantasy
- Year: 2016
- Movie Duration: 1h 52m
7.Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust
Released 20 years ago, this film changed its tag from just an anime movie to the best anime movies of all time.
Although most people will think it’s a little impious to place this series film sequel above the first, we’re of the strong opinion that this second season(which came out 15 years after the first) is the better film.
However, this is not a loquacious statement. Compare the two side-by-side, and we hope you would conclude that the slickness of the film, the style of the painting, the beauty of the setting, and even the journey (physical and mental) of the title character all have more complexity than the original entry.
Even if this isn’t your focus, this film features some great action and plenty of fascinating characters that instantly catch your attention and get you to watch this top anime movie.
The duration of this anime movie is 1h 43m and it is R-rated. Check out the trailer of Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust
Highlights-
- IMDB rating: 7.7/10
- MyAnimeList rating: 7.9/10
- Genre: Animation/Horror
- Year: 2000
- Movie Duration: 1h 43m
8.Paprika
Paprika is the cup of tea for the action-thriller lovers of all time. It was released in the year 2006.
This anime movie is considered to be one of the best anime movies of all time because of its spiced up action, storyline and the thrill it provides to its audience.
Paprika’s perplexing graphics are amazingly catchy and the audience gets to experience some sort of live-action.
Paprika may sound like a deep dive for how weird it is, but it certainly merits the respect it has received.
It has been loved by its viewers and as a result, it is on the top anime movies list! With a movie duration of 1h 30m and an R rating, this movie gives you thrills for sure.
Check out the trailer for Paprika.
Highlights-
- IMDB rating: 7.7/10
- MyAnimeList rating: 8.1/10
- Genre: Animation/Sci-Fi
- Year: 1993
- Movie Duration: 1h 30m
9.Tokyo Godfathers
There’s a specialty about this anime movie that got itself the position among the top anime movies.
If we were to tell you that the producer of Paprika had paired up with the maker of Vampire Hunter D, you might be expecting some sort of sci-fi horror adventure that would leave you dazed or confused after seeing it. But, you’d be mistaken.
The dream mashup eventually culminated in this film, a story of three homeless people who discover an abandoned child in the garbage and decide to go on a quest to reunite the child with his parents.
This amazing storyline gets you to the edge of your chairs to watch more of this top anime movie.
Also, there’s always a lot of visual skill to achieve in this movie, but the true star of the show is the characters and their particular storylines and the wider world surrounding them.
With a movie duration of 1h 37m and PG-13 rating, this anime movie was released in the year 2003.
Check out the trailer of Tokyo Godfathers.
Highlights-
- IMDB rating: 7.8/10
- MyAnimeList rating: 8.3/10
- Genre: Animation/Adventure
- Year: 2003
- Movie Duration: 1h 37m
10.Akira
It would be a sin to not put Akira in the list of the top anime movies as it totally deserves it. In fact, Akira might well be the best anime movies of all time.
In Reference to this, this anime movie has appeared in everything from South Park to Kanye West’s music video for Stronger.
Especially for its visual style and animation, the film is heralded as a masterpiece of filmmaking – and understandably so, because still 30 years since its original release, it is still a beautiful science-fiction film to be seen.
Thus, it is undoubtedly on the list of the best anime movies. It’s also taught in film history courses at schools around the country island Japan.
In case there’s only one movie on your list that you’re going to end up viewing, this one would have to be it.
With the length of the movie being 2h 5m and an R rating, this is the best anime movie to recommend, watch and regretfully watch again!
Check out the trailer of Akira.
Highlights-
- IMDB rating: 8/10
- MyAnimeList rating: 8.2/10
- Genre: Animation/Sci-Fi
- Year: 1998
- Movie Duration: 2h 5m
Stream the best anime movies of all time, now!
A large audience likes to watch the best anime movies of all time because they wish to connect with these animated characters who all are larger than life.
In reel life, the characters are magical and hence they attract us, some even inspire us to achieve various goals that we have set for ourselves in real life.
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