by In 2025, over 250 new anime titles were released. The anime scene remained vibrant, with the latest installments of popular series like “The Apothecary Diaries Season 2,” “Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuX,” and “SPY×FAMILY Season 3,” continuing from the previous year, as well as new works like “Medalist.”
However, as anime fans know, there are other engaging titles beyond these hits. To explore these hidden gems, we surveyed over 100 “anime enthusiasts” who watch more than 25 anime titles per week and asked, “Which anime titles from 2025 deserve more recognition?” We asked participants to choose up to five broadcast/streaming titles and up to three theatrical releases to create a ranking.
1st place: Kijin Gentosho
This epic, two-season drama, which tells the story of a demon living for 170 years, spanning the Edo and Heisei eras, took first place. The appeal of this work was often cited as its “overwhelming storytelling.” Praise included, “It’s an anime that occasionally features heartwarming stories unrelated to the main story, woven into a battle anime,” “The latter half of the series is full of amazing episodes, of which there’s maybe one per season,” and “If I had to choose 10 anime episodes of the year, I’d choose half of them.”
Despite its quality, it didn’t seem to garner much public excitement, with some commenters saying, “It’s such a bold anime, I can’t forgive the world for not appreciating it,” and “If you’re looking for a period fantasy about slaying demons in 2025, this is it.” Perhaps many people have a strong image of period dramas being dull.
However, there were many enthusiastic comments such as, “The story centers on the protagonist Jinya, who reexamines his way of life in pursuit of revenge, and depicts the epic nature of the end of the age of the samurai and perverse family relationships, along with a rich variety of animal and plant motifs,” and “The use of a long period of time as the setting is outstanding.
The time in the story flows relentlessly, and it’s wonderful to experience the overlap between our sense of time and the demons in the story.” There are also charming elements, such as “It’s clever to weave in a story set in the Heisei era, and to bring in silly jokes and sci-fi gimmicks,” and “At first glance it seems like a serious anime, but it’s a strange work with both cuteness and laughter.” It’s a masterpiece that should be watched without feeling intimidated.
