A Beginner's Guide: 10 Recommended Anime Series to Start With

Anime is an animation medium originating from Japan. It contains a vast number of works covering multiple genres, such as action, science fiction, romance, and comedy.

This wide variety of options can be difficult for a new viewer to navigate.

If you are new to anime, you might ask, "Where do I begin?" Perhaps you only have references to series broadcast years ago, or you've been recommended series with hundreds of episodes, which can require a significant time commitment.

This guide is designed to solve that problem.

I have selected a list of 10 series. This is not a list of the "best" series according to critics, but rather a selection of 10 suitable introductory titles. They are accessible series with high production quality and represent what anime can offer.

Let's begin.

Selection Criteria for This Guide

To create this beginner's anime guide, I relied on three specific criteria:

1. Accessibility: The plots are easy to understand from the beginning but gain complexity progressively. They do not require prior knowledge of Japanese culture.

2. Production Quality: The animation, music, and script meet a high standard of quality, which helps maintain viewer interest.

3. Genre Variety: This list includes titles from action, thriller, comedy, science fiction, and romance. This will allow you to identify which genres interest you most.

The Guide: 10 Recommended Anime for Beginners

1. Death Note

• Genre: Psychological Thriller, Supernatural, Mystery.

• Why It's a Good Place to Start: It functions as a good entry point. It is recommended if you enjoy crime series, smart thrillers, and conflicts of ingenuity.

• Summary (No Spoilers): Light Yagami is a student who finds a supernatural notebook called the "Death Note." If he writes a person's name in it while visualizing their face, that person dies. Light decides to use the notebook to eliminate criminals. His actions attract the attention of "L," a world-famous detective. An intellectual and strategic conflict begins between them.

2. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

• Genre: Adventure, Dark Fantasy, Action, Steampunk.

• Why It's a Good Place to Start: This series presents a complete narrative. It has a defined beginning, development, and conclusion. It addresses themes like loss and family, using a well-defined skill system (alchemy) and action sequences.

• Summary (No Spoilers): It follows the story of two brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric. They attempt to use alchemy to resurrect their mother, a forbidden act that results in severe consequences: Edward loses limbs, and Alphonse loses his body, his soul becoming affixed to a suit of armor. To recover their original bodies, they search for the Philosopher's Stone. In the process, they uncover a government conspiracy.

3. Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin)

• Genre: Action, Dark Fantasy, Post-apocalyptic.

• Why It's a Good Place to Start: This is a series of great global popularity that attracted many new audiences to anime. The premise is clear at the start, but the plot evolves into a complex political and mystery conflict. The animation is high quality, and the mystery elements generate interest from the first episode.

• Summary (No Spoilers): The remnants of humanity live inside cities surrounded by enormous walls. These walls protect them from the "Titans," giant humanoid beings that eat people. The story follows Eren Yeager, who vows to eliminate the Titans after an attack destroys his home. The mysteries behind the origin of the Titans and the walls are central to the plot.

4. Demon Slayer (Kimetsu no Yaiba)

• Genre: Action, Adventure, Dark Fantasy.

• Why It's a Good Place to Start: It stands out primarily for its visual quality. Demon Slayer has a traditional "shonen" (aimed at young men) genre story, but its main appeal is the animation by studio Ufotable. The combat sequences have a high level of production detail.

• Summary (No Spoilers): Tanjiro Kamado is a young man who discovers his family was murdered by a demon. The only survivor is his younger sister, Nezuko, who was turned into a demon but still retains part of her human consciousness. Tanjiro decides to become a Demon Slayer with the goal of finding a cure for his sister.

5. Cowboy Bebop

• Genre: Science Fiction, Space Western, Neo-noir.

• Why It's a Good Place to Start: This is a series with an adult and mature tone. It uses a highly regarded jazz soundtrack. The characters have complex backgrounds. Its format is mostly episodic (one case per chapter), which makes it easy to watch in segments.

• Summary (No Spoilers): The story is set in the year 2071, when humanity has colonized other planets in the solar system. It follows the crew of the ship "Bebop": Spike Spiegel and Jet Black, two bounty hunters who capture criminals. They are later joined by Faye Valentine (a woman with amnesia), Ed (a hacker), and Ein (a genetically modified dog).

6. Spy x Family

• Genre: Comedy, Slice of Life, Action.

• Why It's a Good Place to Start: It effectively combines elements of comedy and action. It is a light and entertaining series, with a script that balances humor with the espionage plot. The characters have generated significant popularity.

• Summary (No Spoilers): The spy "Twilight" must create a fake family for a mission. He adopts a girl, Anya, and enters a contractual marriage with an office worker, Yor. The situation is that he does not know Yor is a professional assassin, and neither of them knows that Anya can read minds. The plot focuses on their attempts to maintain their secret identities while pretending to be a normal family.

7. Haikyuu!!

• Genre: Sports (Volleyball), Comedy, Drama.

• Why It's a Good Place to Start: It does not require a prior interest in volleyball. The series focuses on character development (both protagonists and rivals) and on presenting the matches in an exciting and easy-to-follow manner. It is a series with a positive and inspiring tone.

• Summary (No Spoilers): Shoyo Hinata, a short student, wants to play volleyball, inspired by a player he saw on television. Upon entering Karasuno High School, he discovers his teammate is Tobio Kageyama, a very skilled player who was his rival in middle school. They must learn to cooperate to improve the team's performance.

8. My Dress-Up Darling (Sono Bisque Doll wa Koi o Suru)

• Genre: Slice of Life, Romance, Comedy.

• Why It's a Good Place to Start: It is a modern, very popular series with high production quality. It focuses on the development of the relationship between the two protagonists through a specific hobby (cosplay). It is a lighthearted romantic comedy, easy to follow, and has a positive tone. It is an excellent introduction to the contemporary "Slice of Life" genre.

• Summary (No Spoilers): Wakana Gojo is a lonely high school student who aspires to be a craftsman of traditional Japanese (Hina) dolls. He hides his hobby because he believes others will judge him. His classmate, Marin Kitagawa, is an outgoing and popular girl interested in cosplay. When Marin discovers Gojo's sewing skills, she asks for his help to create her costumes. The series follows their collaboration, their growing closeness, and their exploration of the cosplay world.

9. One-Punch Man

• Genre: Comedy, Action, Superhero Parody.

• Why It's a Good Place to Start: It is a parody of the action and superhero genre. It is comical and features action sequences with high-quality animation. Its premise is simple and direct.

• Summary (No Spoilers): Saitama is a hero for fun. He trained until he went bald and obtained strength that allows him to defeat any enemy with a single punch. This has caused him apathy, as no fight presents a challenge. The series follows his interactions with other heroes and villains as he searches for a strong opponent.

10. Toradora!

• Genre: Romantic Comedy (Rom-com), Slice of Life.

• Why It's a Good Place to Start: It is a representative example of the school romantic comedy genre. It begins with a comedy premise but progressively develops its characters and their relationships into a realistic romantic drama.

• Summary (No Spoilers): Ryuji Takasu is a kind student, but his facial appearance intimidates others. Taiga Aisaka is a short student with a hostile personality. Both are interested in the other's best friend. They decide to form an alliance to help each other initiate relationships with their respective love interests.

Additional Mentions (Further Suggestions)

If you finished the 10 series above and are looking for more, here are some additional options:

• For more Thriller/Sci-Fi: Psycho-Pass (dystopian thriller) or Steins;Gate (time travel).

• For more Comedy: Kaguya-sama: Love is War (two students try to get the other to confess their feelings first).

• For more Shonen Action: My Hero Academia (a superhero school) or Jujutsu Kaisen (supernatural action).

Conclusion: The Next Step

Anime is a medium with a great variety of stories. This list functions as a starting point.

I recommend you explore. Use this guide to identify the genres that attract you the most and look for other similar works.