15 Best Anime Series for People Who Don't Like Anime

1 week ago 10

Updated Jun 25, 2026, 8:32 AM EDT

Lucas Kloberdanz-Dyck is a writer for Collider. He grew up creating lists, stories, and worlds, which led to his love of anime and video games. He attended Sheridan College where he earned an Honours Bachelor of Game Design. Lucas and his group won 1st place for technical innovation at LevelUp Toronto 2023, and he was also an intern for the Oakville Film Festival of Arts.

Anime has dazzled fans with its creativity, animation, unique stories, and unrivaled style, making it one of the biggest forms of TV today. The medium only gets more popular by the day, with shows like One Piece and Jujutsu Kaisen attracting millions of fans. However, just because many people love anime doesn't mean there aren't as many people who don't like it. Indeed, many viewers refuse to watch anime for numerous reasons.

Everyone should be able to enjoy anime, which is why this list will rank the best anime series for all those who might not be instantly attracted to the genre. The ranking will be based on their quality, aversion to common tropes, Western appeal, and how newcomer-friendly they are. Viewers dislike anime for many reasons, including tropes they are unfamiliar with, overly sexual content, cultural differences, writing style, and art style, and these ten shows are the most inoffensive, making them a perfect entry for the genre.

15 'Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex' (2002–2005)

One of the greatest anime films of all time is Ghost in the Shell, but its TV show reimagining is just as good. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex follows Motoko Kusanagi and her squadron of anti-terrorist troops. Taking on multiple cases involving cybernetic crimes, they never know what might throw the world into chaos next.

Stand Alone Complex has a great balance between dark, gritty, grounded, intriguing, and comedic. With minimal fan service and thrilling political stories, even the biggest haters might enjoy this anime.

14 'Odd Taxi' (2021)

A walrus and a hippo in a taxi in the anime series 'Odd Taxi'

One of the most unexpected anime series of the decade was Odd Taxi, which looked unsuspecting but quickly blew up as an anime sensation. Odokawa is a taxi driver who doesn't want anything to do with his customers. However, when many of his passengers are involved in a murder, he is the last puzzle piece to solve the case.

For something as polarizing as anthropomorphic animals, fans might be surprised that non-anime viewers might like Odd Taxi, but that is because it features one of the greatest mystery stories in the medium, with the best plot twist simply being the cherry on top. Odd Taxi is unexpectedly one of the best modern anime series and a true masterpiece that many fans would enjoy.

13 'To Your Eternity' (2021–Present)

Fushi smiling at his canine companion in the anime To Your Eternity.

A mysterious orb lands on Earth to observe from a distance, able to transform into anything it sees. To Your Eternity follows the creature as it turns into a baby wolf, going on an adventure with its master to find a land of paradise. However, as time goes on, what other forms will this creature take?

To Your Eternity is a lesser-known anime gem that still deserves love, and maybe non-anime fans can provide that. This anime is a tragic series that highlights the persistence of life, also boasting universal themes that not only anime fans enjoy, but also those that everyone can relate to.

12 'Great Pretender' (2020–2024)

Makoto with a weird face at a fancy diner with Laurent and Abigail in Great Pretender

Another underrated anime from the 2020s is Great Pretender, which follows a small-time scammer who comes face-to-face with the real deal. Temporarily teaming up, they travel around the world, including Japan, London, and Los Angeles, to pull off high-stakes schemes that will land them millions of dollars.

Great Pretender adopts many styles, and while it can feel very anime-like at times, it is also a grand scheme that has elements Western viewers will enjoy. Sometimes goofy and funny, other times emotional and intriguing, this anime evokes a range of emotions through its daring stunts and charming aesthetic.

11 'Spy x Family' (2022–Present)

Three characters of Spy x Family standing together

Everyone loves spies, right? Well, if that is the case, then they need to check out Spy x Family, which follows Loid, a spy, needing to create a fake family for a mission. However, he doesn't realize that his wife is an assassin, his daughter can read minds, and his dog can see the future, leading to many chaotic situations.

Spy x Family is very anime-like, but it doesn't feature the worst tropes and uncomfortable material. Plus, the concept is immediately captivating to any audience, with each episode offering funny moments, action-packed fights, thrilling spy scenes, and an emotional punch, proving it is perfect for everyone.

10 'Demon Slayer' (2019–Present)

Tanjiro and Nezuko stand back to back in Demon Slayer

Kicking off this list is arguably the most popular anime at the moment, and what better show to get into the medium than a famous show? Demon Slayer follows Tanjiro, who travels across Japan fighting demons. On the way, he searches for Muzan, the demon who turned his sister into one, hoping to revert her status and become human again. This anime is full of epic fights and dramatic showdowns that are sure to please every action-seeker.

Demon Slayer does feature some common tropes, which is why it places at the bottom of the list, but a surprising number of people got into anime because of this series. The biggest draw is its stunning animation and stellar fight scenes, which showcase the spectacle and fluidity of the animation and highlight what anime has to offer. Demon Slayer exceeded expectations, and hopefully, non-anime fans will be pleasantly surprised.

9 'Haikyuu!' (2014–2020)

A group of volleyball players jumping toward the camera in Haikyu!!

Volleyball isn't the most popular sport, but Haikyuu! will make every viewer a fan with its classic underdog story and wholesome and inspiring character development. This anime follows Hinata, an undersized ball of energy with dreams of becoming a great spiker. Joining the volleyball team in high school, he quickly learns it will be a tough road, battling stronger opponents and getting used to his team.

Sports shows are always great for avoiding tropes like over-sexualization, but still feature many anime techniques. Haikyu does a great job of introducing the viewers to volleyball and having them learn throughout the show. While overly dramatic, Haikyu is a family-friendly anime that won't offend and is the perfect taste of the palatable anime tropes. There isn't a better sports anime than Haikyu, and it is the ideal show to get newer fans excited with all the volleyball drama and action.

Collider Exclusive · Action Hero Quiz Which Action Hero Would Be
Your Perfect Partner? Rambo · James Bond · Indiana Jones · John McClane · Ethan Hunt

Five legends. Five completely different ways of getting out alive — with style, with muscle, with charm, with luck, or with a plan so intricate it probably shouldn't work. Ten questions will reveal which action hero was built to have your back.

🎖️Rambo

🍸James Bond

🏺Indiana Jones

🔧John McClane

🎭Ethan Hunt

FIND YOUR PARTNER →

You're dropped into a dangerous situation with no warning. What do you need most from a partner? The first few seconds tell you everything about who belongs beside you.

ASomeone who already has three contingency plans running and is calmly working through all of them. BSomeone who reads the terrain instinctively and knows exactly how to use it against the enemy. CSomeone who keeps their nerve and their sense of humour when everything is falling apart. DSomeone who knows the history of wherever we are and what we're walking into. ESomeone with the right contact, the right cover identity, and the right exit already arranged.

NEXT QUESTION →

You have to get somewhere dangerous, fast. How do you travel? How you get there is half the mission.

AOn foot through terrain no one else would attempt — I move where vehicles can't follow. BOn a motorcycle, a cargo plane, or anything else that gets me there before I think too hard about it. CIn something that belongs to someone else — borrowed, stolen, or improvised under fire. DFirst class, with a cover identity and a gadget that does something I won't explain until it's needed. EBy whatever means are available — I've driven, flown, and once arrived by camel. The destination matters, not the method.

NEXT QUESTION →

You're pinned down and outnumbered. What does your ideal partner do? This is when you find out what someone is really made of.

ADisappears into the environment, flanks them silently, and ends it before I've reloaded. BCracks a one-liner, grabs a fire extinguisher or a chair, and improvises something that somehow works. CProduces a gadget specifically designed for this exact scenario and uses it with infuriating precision. DPulls out a whip, a pistol, and an archaeological insight that somehow gets us out alive. ENeutralises the threat with maximum efficiency and minimum words — they were already three moves ahead.

NEXT QUESTION →

The mission is paused. You have one evening to decompress. What does your partner suggest? Who someone is when the pressure drops is who they actually are.

AA bar with terrible lighting, cold beer, and absolutely no questions about feelings. BThe finest restaurant in the city, a bottle of something expensive, and a conversation that is equal parts brilliant and exhausting. CA local dig site, a museum after hours, or a long story about why that particular artefact matters to human civilisation. DPizza. Bad TV. Falling asleep halfway through a movie neither of you were watching anyway. EA debrief that turns into three hours of contingency planning that somehow becomes the most fun you've had all week.

NEXT QUESTION →

How do you prefer your partner to communicate mid-mission? Good communication is the difference between partners and a liability.

APrecise and minimal — tell me what I need to know and nothing else. Every word has a cost. BDeadpan and dry — keeping it light keeps me sharp, even when everything is on fire. CEnthusiastic and slightly chaotic — but always with useful information buried somewhere in the noise. DCalm and controlled through an earpiece, with a plan that covers every variable I haven't thought of yet. EBarely at all — silence is a language and they speak it fluently.

NEXT QUESTION →

Your enemy is powerful, well-resourced, and has the upper hand. How should your partner approach them? The approach to the enemy defines the partnership.

AInfiltrate their inner circle, learn everything, and dismantle them from inside out before they know we're there. BStudy the historical pattern — every villain of this type has a weakness written somewhere in the past. CGet them talking. The more they monologue, the more time I have to figure out how to beat them. DGo through them. Directly. With as much force as the terrain allows. EFind the one thing they haven't accounted for — there's always one thing — and make sure we're holding it.

NEXT QUESTION →

Things go badly wrong and you're captured. What do you trust your partner to do? Who someone is when you need them most is the only thing that matters.

ACome in alone, quietly, and get me out before anyone knows they were there. BHave already been working on the extraction since the moment I disappeared — the plan is already running. CCome in loud, come in fast, and worry about the collateral damage later — I'd do the same for them. DUse every resource, every contact, and bend every rule until I'm out — they don't leave people behind. ECharm their way in somehow, bluff through the hard part, and still manage to look good doing it.

NEXT QUESTION →

What does your ideal partner bring to the table that you couldn't replace? A great partner fills the gap you didn't know you had.

ATechnology that shouldn't exist yet and the training to use it under any conditions. BSurvival instinct so refined it borders on supernatural — and the scars to prove it's been tested. CKnowledge of history, language, and culture that makes them invaluable in places where force is useless. DThe ability to walk into any room in the world and immediately become the most trusted person in it. EStubbornness that refuses to accept a situation is hopeless — and the improvisational skill to back it up.

NEXT QUESTION →

Every partnership has a cost. Which of these can you live with? No one comes without baggage. The question is whether you can carry it together.

AA partner who never fully switches off — always watching exits, always calculating threats, even at dinner. BA partner who gets the job done brilliantly but has the emotional availability of a locked filing cabinet. CA partner who makes everything ten times more complicated than it needs to be — but who always comes through. DA partner who gets personally attached to every relic, ruin, and artefact we encounter, which slows everything down. EA partner who was not built for this and knows it — but shows up anyway, every time, without being asked.

NEXT QUESTION →

It's the final moment. Everything is on the line. What do you need from your partner right now? The last question is the most honest one.

AOne line. Absolutely dry. Delivered like the world isn't ending. Then we move. BNothing said at all — just a look that means we both already know what has to happen. CA plan I don't fully understand that somehow accounts for everything, delivered in thirty seconds flat. DA piece of historical context that reframes the entire situation and tells us exactly what to do next. ESomeone who steps forward instead of back — because that's who they've always been.

REVEAL MY PARTNER →

Your Partner Has Been Assigned Your Perfect Partner Is…

Your answers have pointed to one action hero above all others. This is the person built to have your back — for better or considerably, spectacularly worse.

Rambo

Your partner doesn't talk much, doesn't need to, and will have assessed every threat in your immediate environment before you've finished your first sentence. John Rambo is not a man of plans or politics — he is a force of nature shaped by survival, loyalty, and a capacity for endurance that goes beyond anything training can produce. He will not leave you behind. He has never left anyone behind who deserved to come home. What you get with Rambo is the most capable, most quietly ferocious partner imaginable — one who has been through things that would have broken anyone else, and who chose to keep going anyway. You'll never need to ask if he has your back. You'll just know.

James Bond

Your partner will arrive perfectly dressed, perfectly briefed, and with a cover story so convincing it'll take you a moment to remember what's actually true. James Bond is the most professionally dangerous person in any room he enters — and the most disarmingly charming, which is the point. He operates in a world of layers, where nothing is what it appears and every advantage is used without apology. You'll never be bored. You'll occasionally be furious. But when it matters — when the mission is genuinely on the line and the margin for error has collapsed to nothing — Bond is exactly the partner you want. He has survived things that have no business being survivable. He does it with style. That is not nothing.

Indiana Jones

Your partner will know the history, the language, the cultural context, and exactly why the thing everyone else is ignoring is actually the most important thing in the room. Indiana Jones is brilliant, reckless, and occasionally impossible — but he is also one of the most resourceful, most genuinely knowledgeable partners you could find yourself beside. He approaches every situation with a scholar's eye and a brawler's instinct, which is an unusual combination and a remarkably effective one. He hates snakes and gets personally attached to objects of historical significance, both of which will slow you down at least once. It doesn't matter. What Indy brings is irreplaceable — and the adventures you'll have together will be the kind people write books about. Assuming you survive them.

John McClane

Your partner was not supposed to be here. He does not have the right equipment, the right information, or anything approaching the right odds. He has a sarcastic remark and an absolute refusal to accept that the situation is as bad as it looks. John McClane is the greatest accidental hero in the history of action cinema — a man whose superpower is stubbornness, whose contingency plan is improvisation, and whose capacity to absorb punishment and keep moving would be alarming if it weren't so useful. He will complain the entire time. He will make it significantly more chaotic than it needed to be. And he will absolutely, unconditionally, without question come through when it counts. Yippee-ki-yay.

Ethan Hunt

Your partner has already run seventeen scenarios by the time you've finished reading the briefing, and the plan he's settled on involves at least two things that should be physically impossible. Ethan Hunt operates at the absolute edge of human capability — technically, physically, and intellectually — and he brings the same relentless precision to protecting his partners that he brings to dismantling organisations that shouldn't exist. He is not easy to know and he will never fully tell you everything. But he will carry the weight of the mission so completely, so absolutely, that your job is simply to trust him — and the remarkable thing is that trusting him always turns out to be the right call. The mission will be impossible. He will complete it anyway.

↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ

8 'Banana Fish' (2018)

Two characters exchanging an item in Banana Fish

Its cute and innocent title shouldn't fool fans; Banana Fish is an intense gang anime with plenty of violence and sexual content. The anime follows Eiji, a Japanese photography assistant, who comes to America to learn about American street gangs. However, he and Ash Lynx, a young gang leader, discover a conspiracy that involves all the major crime bosses, the military, and his past as the two try to expose the drug.

While Banana Fish features sexual content, it isn't the same as most anime, with it being more triggering and trauma-inducing instead of fan service. This mature content isn't for everyone, but the dark story is much more in line with Western media. It features almost no anime tropes and will remind viewers of Western gangster movies, making Banana Fish a unique anime that non-anime viewers might enjoy.

7 'Monster' (2004–2005)

Naoki Urasawa is a legendary creator responsible for anime and manga like Pluto and 20th Century Boys. However, his magnum opus is arguably Monster, a mystery thriller about a doctor looking to right his wrongs. Decades after Tenma saved the life of a child instead of the mayor, that same child is now a serial killer, prompting Tenma to hunt him down and rectify his choice while learning about Johan's dark past.

While Monster might be too long for a viewer who doesn't like anime, they will be wishing for more episodes after quickly binge-watching the entire series. There isn't a better mystery anime than Monster, with its complex characters, fascinating side stories, compelling mystery, and gripping plot. Monster is an essential 2000s anime unlike any other and is perfect for fans who don't like anime because of its lack of tropes and focus on a profound story.

6 'Frieren: Beyond Journey's End' (2023–Present)

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End is the most recent anime on this list, shocking the world by becoming one of the most popular and critically acclaimed series because of its unique take on the fantasy genre. Decades after Frieren and her party defeated the demon king, she returns to visit, only to find her friends aging and passing on. As an elf, she regrets not speaking with them more, going on a nostalgic journey with her friends' students to talk with their souls.

Frieren is a phenomenal anime that blends many popular elements to create something entirely new and fresh. Frieren has a visually stunning world, profound themes of regret and nostalgia, endearing characters, and thrilling action. Every fan can get into fantasy, and Frieren is arguably the best fantasy anime that doesn't rely on tropes, delivering a journey full of action, worldbuilding, and relaxation for cozy vibes.

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