[0:01] [clears throat]
[0:11] >> Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're
[0:13] counting down our picks for the best
[0:15] anime of 2026 so far. We'll only be
[0:19] including series and seasons that
[0:21] started airing this year.
[0:30] Number 10, Hell's Paradise season 2.
[0:33] While the first season was an
[0:35] exceptionally solid start, the latest
[0:37] foray into the disturbing land of
[0:39] Shinsengumi blew it out the water.
[0:49] With Gabimaru and the rest of his
[0:51] mismatched crew of prisoners and
[0:53] executioners finally facing head-on
[0:56] against multiple Tensens, Hell's
[0:58] Paradise delivered some exceptionally
[1:00] awesome and brutal fights.
[1:10] >> [groaning]
[1:16] >> With the anime now covering 2/3 of the
[1:18] original manga, we're hopeful that MAPPA
[1:21] can finish off this excellent adaptation
[1:23] sooner rather than later.
[1:26] >> [screaming and groaning]
[1:29] >> Number nine, Nippon Sangoku, The Three
[1:32] Nations of the Crimson Sun. Every so
[1:35] often, a new anime series emerges that
[1:38] completely flies under the radar at
[1:40] first, only for everyone to realize just
[1:42] a few episodes in that it's a top
[1:45] contender for one of the year's best.
[1:53] Nippon Sangoku takes place in
[1:55] post-apocalyptic Japan, where it has
[1:58] been split into three imperial
[2:00] territories known as Yamato, Buo, and
[2:03] Sei. The protagonist, Alteru Misumi,
[2:06] leads a movement and aims to reunify
[2:08] Japan with his sharp intellect rather
[2:11] than brute force.
[2:17] >> [music]
[2:20] >> If you feel like watching something that
[2:21] is unique in both its setting and art
[2:24] style, you can go wrong with Nippon
[2:26] Sangoku.
[2:32] Number eight, Baki Dou, the invincible
[2:34] samurai. If you thought Baki couldn't
[2:37] top its ridiculousness with the likes of
[2:39] the prehistoric fighter of Pickle and
[2:41] the epic father-son battle, then boy,
[2:44] you were wrong. The latest series in the
[2:47] martial arts anime somehow brings back
[2:49] the legendary Japanese swordsman,
[2:51] Miyamoto Musashi, from the dead to duke
[2:54] it out against Baki's already unique
[2:56] roster of combatants.
[3:10] Musashi's unique fighting style brings a
[3:12] fresh angle to the world of Baki,
[3:14] especially his imitation cut technique
[3:17] where he can essentially slash his
[3:19] opponents with an invisible sword.
[3:28] No matter what weird gimmicks this
[3:30] series introduces, you're guaranteed to
[3:33] be always glued to the screen with each
[3:35] showdown.
[3:43] Number seven, Dorohedoro season two.
[3:46] Welcome back to the hole. It's like six
[3:48] long years, but Dorohedoro finally
[3:50] returned to our screens in all its gory
[3:53] and [music] twisted glory.
[4:01] >> [groaning and screaming]
[4:03] >> Mappa has once again done a fantastic
[4:05] job of bringing Q Hayashida's wacky
[4:08] world to life in this second outing,
[4:10] which was certainly worth the wait. The
[4:13] mystery surrounding Caiman's past slowly
[4:15] unraveled as we were also introduced to
[4:17] the members of the Cross-Eyes gang who
[4:20] are certainly linked.
[4:29] All the while, we got to learn a lot
[4:30] more about how the Sorcerers Society
[4:33] functions. If you haven't already caught
[4:35] up with this show, don't hesitate any
[4:37] longer because you're not going to find
[4:39] such a perfect balance of humor and
[4:41] brutality anywhere else.
[4:50] >> [screaming]
[4:51] >> Number six, Oshi no Ko season 3. The
[4:55] latest series of Oshi no Ko initially
[4:57] starts with a greater focus on Ruby
[5:00] after her brother believes that the true
[5:02] mastermind behind their mother's death
[5:04] is dead.
[5:17] Of course, it was never going to be that
[5:19] simple and after discovering the truth,
[5:22] Aqua decides to take his schemes even
[5:24] further than ever before.
[5:36] Like with previous seasons, Oshi no Ko
[5:39] is a wild ride of a mystery drama within
[5:42] the shady underside of Japan's
[5:44] entertainment industry. We can't
[5:46] recommend this series enough, and now is
[5:48] the perfect time to catch up before the
[5:51] [music] fourth and final season.
[5:58] >> [music]
[6:07] >> Number five, Witch Hat Atelier. It's
[6:10] certainly been a long wait, but we can
[6:12] say with full confidence that the anime
[6:14] adaptation of Witch Hat Atelier has been
[6:17] worth it. The series follows Coco, who
[6:20] is taken on as a witch apprentice by the
[6:22] charming Qifrey after a forbidden magic
[6:25] accident causes her mother to become
[6:27] encased in crystal.
[6:32] >> [gasps]
[6:35] >> With its high fantasy setting, Witch Hat
[6:37] Atelier combines incredible
[6:39] world-building with a unique blend of
[6:41] mystery and adventure that is well worth
[6:44] your time.
[6:47] >> [laughter]
[6:49] >> The team at Bug Films have outdone
[6:51] themselves here, especially with the
[6:53] stunning animation the show provides.
[7:06] Number four, Steel Ball Run, JoJo's
[7:09] Bizarre Adventure.
[7:21] Viz Media, Netflix, what on earth are
[7:23] you playing at with this bizarre release
[7:25] schedule? If you just released this
[7:28] weekly like any normal anime, there's no
[7:30] doubt in our minds that it would be at
[7:32] the top of this list. Now that we've got
[7:35] that out of the way, David Production
[7:36] has once again given us another
[7:38] brilliant anime adaptation of the
[7:40] series.
[7:52] >> [music]
[7:53] >> Taking place in a separate continuity
[7:56] from the previous series, it stars
[7:58] Johnny Joestar and Gyro Zeppeli, who
[8:01] both compete in a cross-country horse
[8:03] race in the American Old West.
[8:05] Thankfully, Netflix has announced that
[8:07] the series will return in the fall.
[8:10] Let's just hope this series will be able
[8:12] to cross the finish line without any
[8:14] further delays.
[8:21] Number three, Frieren: Beyond Journey's
[8:24] End season two. Despite being much
[8:26] shorter than the previous one, the
[8:28] second season of Frieren was everything
[8:30] we could have hoped for and more.
[8:37] With the first-class major exam that
[8:38] dominated the second half of the first
[8:40] season out of the way, the show returns
[8:43] to Frieren, Fern, and Stark's journey
[8:46] towards the Aureole. The show continues
[8:48] to build on the bond between these three
[8:50] characters, all the while fleshing out
[8:52] the excellent world-building and lore
[8:55] that it excels at.
[9:07] And of course, there's plenty of
[9:09] dangerous encounters along the way,
[9:11] resulting in some top-quality fight
[9:13] sequences, especially the ones against
[9:15] demonkind.
[9:23] Number two, Re:Zero - Starting Life in
[9:26] Another World season four. Subaru
[9:28] Natsuki's life just doesn't get any
[9:31] easier, does it? After the previous
[9:33] season leaned hard on large-scale
[9:35] battles against the Witch Cults, season
[9:38] 4 returns to its deeply punishing
[9:40] psychological and mystery roots.
[9:53] Taking place in the Pleiades Watch
[9:55] Tower, Subaru undergoes his most
[9:57] haunting challenge yet when he suddenly
[9:59] loses all of his post-isekai memories,
[10:03] which makes things all the more
[10:04] confusing for him when he returns BY
[10:06] DEATH.
[10:09] >> [screaming]
[10:13] >> THIS ARC IS ONE OF THE MOST popular in
[10:15] the light novels, and we can't wait to
[10:17] see where IT GOES NEXT.
[10:22] >> [screaming]
[10:24] >> BEFORE WE UNVEIL OUR TOP PICK, here's a
[10:27] few honorable mentions. Golden Kamuy
[10:29] final season.
[10:39] Fate/Strange Fake
[10:58] Sentence to be a hero.
[11:08] >> Before we continue, be sure to check out
[11:10] WatchMojo's 24-hour live stream. All of
[11:12] your favorite videos in one place, 24/7.
[11:15] Always on, always live.
[11:19] >> NUMBER ONE, Jujutsu Kaisen the Culling
[11:22] Game part one. Following on from the
[11:25] chaos that was the Shibuya incident,
[11:27] Yuji Itadori not only has to carry the
[11:29] guilt and trauma that went down, but
[11:32] also deal with the fact that his mentor
[11:34] Gojo has been sealed away.
[11:40] Now, we know how popular Gojo is with
[11:42] fans of the series, but this is where
[11:44] the latest season thrives as it now
[11:46] allows characters both old and new to
[11:49] take more of the spotlights.
[11:53] >> [music]
[11:59] >> What makes this season feel so special
[12:01] is that the stakes are higher than ever.
[12:04] No character feels completely safe,
[12:06] creating some real tension. And of
[12:08] course, the fights, which are the main
[12:10] selling points of this series, are even
[12:12] more impressive than ever with excellent
[12:15] animation and choreography.
[12:24] >> [music]
[12:31] >> What's your favorite anime of the season
[12:33] so far? Let us know in those comments
[12:36] below.