This year has been marked by plenty of wins in the anime community; tons of highly anticipated releases and continuations were announced for 2025, with some having already premiered. It’s always exciting to see fan bases thrilled for new content and praising what they’ve seen when past years have definitely been more hit and miss. But if there’s one thing about anime, it’s that the medium always turns around to deliver bigger and better selections after the last dry spell.
We’ve already seen plenty of amazing shows in 2025 that have received attention. Gala is a newer dark fantasy option that’s quickly looking to rise in the ranks; Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX was a highly anticipated series with tons of eyes on it; and it’s impossible to forget the first Demon Slayer Infinity Castle movie that will be releasing soon in September. To commemorate some of the top offers of this year, we’ll be exploring the hottest genres of 2025 that got the most hype and delivered.
5) Romance
The romance genre might not have had as many series as intensely anticipated as a few of the others on this list, but it would be unfair to discount the series that did come out in 2025. Romance tends to be divisive as a genre to begin with: some fans love it, and others hate it. The truth is that romance can fall under the umbrella of so many other genres by mixing in aspects of slice-of-life, comedy, and drama. It’s extremely flexible and tends to offer a few of the lighter, fluffy plots among a sea of darker themes presented in seinen and shonen.
- Honey Lemon Soda
- My Dress-Up Darling
- My Happy Marriage
- Kowloon Generic Romance
- Zenshu
In 2025, there were a handful of awesome offers in romance that attracted fan attention. My Dress-Up Darling is an established series that had its second season debut back in July to high regard with its exploration of character motives and connections. Another show to get its second season was My Happy Marriagereleased back in January. I’d also highly recommend checking out Honey Lemon Sodaa smaller romance anime that released this year, dealing with themes of self-acceptance and coming of age.
4) Action
It’s nearly impossible to have a genre list and not have action somewhere on it. The action genre is the backbone of anime due to how often it’s blended in or included with other genres, especially fight-heavy anime series. Action can be used to highlight animation styles and let individual studios shine regarding their portrayal of the show. Not to mention, if you’re looking for a genre that’s a quick, easy watch, chances are you can find an action anime to tune into.
- Spy x Family
- Wind Breaker
- Sakamoto Days
- My Hero Academia: Vigilantes
- Solo Leveling
The best action shows in 2025 are continuations of shows that have already had their first season. Spy x Family is a great example of a fan favorite that has a third season releasing this year. Another second season that premiered in January was Solo Levelingan anime that was originally based on a South Korean web novel. While plenty of shows had their moment to come back into the spotlight, it’s important to shine a light on Sakamoto Daysthe gradually improving new series about an ex-hitman’s exploits while running a convenience store.
3) Supernatural
The supernatural genre is an interesting conundrum that technically could be included within the horror genre as a subset; however, in recent years, it’s started to be viewed separately as a way to accurately describe shows using horror elements such as ghosts, psychic powers, and spirits to carry the plot. It rubs shoulders with horror, thriller, and even mystery at times, but there’s a distinct vibe to the supernatural genre that fans can’t seem to get enough of. And because of the broad nature of the genre, the anime series included in it have vast diversity in plot, setting, and world-building.
- Toile Bound Hanako-kun
- Jujutsu Kaisen
- Slug
- Undead Unluck
- The Summer Hikaru Died
We’ve seen plenty of amazing supernatural anime get renewed and released in 2025, along with a couple of notable movie releases. Jujutsu Kaisenpart of the Dark Trio, is getting another cinema movie released with Jujutsu Kaisen: Hidden Inventory/Premature Deathwhich will compile the season two arc on the big screen. Beloved series Slugwhich technically toes a fine line between supernatural and science fiction, has had its second season released back in July. We’ve also seen an awesome new series, The Summer Hikaru Dieddebut on Netflix to widespread support and interest.
2) Science Fiction
Science fiction is a genre of anime that has been getting a lot more recognition in recent years for the total impact it’s had on the medium as a whole. The importance of sci-fi in exploring intense themes has been an important factor in questions about the meaning of life, the definition of humanity, dystopian societies, and the impact of technology on our world. On top of that, you’re going to typically get most of your mecha anime in this genre, which carries a huge weight in the anime fandom for its popularity and influence.
- Dr. Stone
- Lazarus
- Kaiju No. 8
- Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX
- Fire Force
There have been so many amazing sci-fi anime over the last decade, but in 2025, we’ve seen some that might stand out as the next big things. Kaiju No. 8 is a shonen anime that had its second season air in July of this year, and has already been touted as one of the newer series to keep an eye on. One of the most anticipated releases came from Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX back in April, adding onto an already prominent franchise in the genre. A new anime that was produced by Mappa, Lazaruswas another promising addition, set in the same universe as Cowboy Bebop.
1) Dark Fantasy
If there’s a genre that’s been ruling screens for the past few years, it’s got to be dark fantasy— a subgenre of fantasy that incorporates grittier, more mature themes and can occasionally include elements of horror. The pull of dark fantasy likely relies on the genre’s huge potential in terms of plot, power-scaling, world-building, and animation style. It doesn’t hurt that so many of the last decade’s biggest shonen tend to fall somewhere in this category.
- Chainsaw Man
- Demon Slayer
- Clevatess
- Gala
- Tougen Anki
This year, anime fans are being fed plenty of content from old, beloved series and the latest hits that are steadily gaining traction. Chainsaw Man is another part of the infamous Dark Trio, and will be getting its long-awaited first theatrical release, Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc. Another movie released this year goes to the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Infinity Castle, which will kick-start the series ending arc. And it would be unfair not to include new dark fantasy series that have made waves in 2025, like Galaan anime focusing on a boy living in a trash-filled wasteland and fighting the monsters there.
Did you agree with the genres included in this list? Tell us more about your favorite genres and which anime series you enjoyed most this year in the comments.
