5 Must-Watch Netflix Anime That Put Most Mainstream Series To Shame

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Published Oct 25, 2026, 4:00 PM EDT

Umair is a contributor for the ScreenRant anime section. He has always been enthusiastic about pop culture. Whether it's anime, movies, TV shows, manga, manhwa, video games, or pop music, he is always tuned in.

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Netflix has long been home to some of television's biggest hits, from Stranger Things to Squid Game. But while the streamer built its reputation on blockbuster movies and big-budget dramas, anime has become one of its biggest draws. In fact, GEM Partners' 2026 Anime Global White Paper found that Netflix was the top anime platform in seven of the nine major markets surveyed, putting it ahead of dedicated anime service Crunchyroll in most of them.

There's something for just about every kind of viewer in that growing library. Long-running favorites like One Piece sit alongside daring originals such as Masaaki Yuasa's Devilman Crybaby and the visually stunning Violet Evergarden. Still, plenty of viewers continue to write off anime simply because it's animated, missing out on shows with the kind of writing, tension, and emotional payoff that can go toe-to-toe with the best live-action series.

The 1998 Animation In Cowboy Bebop Easily Puts Modern Big-Budget Sci-Fi To Shame

Spike with a gun in Cowboy Bebop episode 1

It's hard to believe that Cowboy Bebop first aired in 1998. More than two decades later, Shinichiro Watanabe's space western still has more style and personality than most modern sci-fi shows. From its hand-drawn action to Yoko Kanno's unforgettable jazz soundtrack, the 26-episode series has aged remarkably well. Even Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu, with all its big-budget production, could learn a thing or two from it. And considering Netflix's short-lived 2021 live-action remake, there's really no need to explain why the original remains the one worth watching.

Set in 2071, the story takes place after a hyperspace gate accident leaves the Moon shattered and Earth largely uninhabitable. Humanity has since spread across the solar system, where crime has given bounty hunters, known as Cowboys, plenty of work. The anime follows the crew of the spaceship Bebop: easygoing martial artist Spike Spiegel, former cop Jet Black, con artist Faye Valentine, young hacker Radical Edward, and Ein, an unusually intelligent Welsh Corgi.

Despite Netflix still hosting its canceled 2021 live-action adaptation, the original 1998 Cowboy Bebop anime left the US and Canadian libraries in October 2023. It's currently available on Netflix in 36 international regions, covering the UK, much of Europe (including France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the Netherlands), Asia-Pacific (Japan, India, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Thailand), Latin America (Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, and Colombia), and South Africa. US viewers can still catch the original series on Crunchyroll and Hulu, or watch it on Prime Video by purchasing individual episodes or subscribing to the Crunchyroll Amazon Channel.

Most episodes see the crew chasing another strange bounty, usually ending with more trouble than money. There's plenty of comedy, slick gunfights, and jazz along the way, but Cowboy Bebop has a much sadder story running underneath it all. Spike's history with the Red Dragon Syndicate, his complicated past, and his rivalry with Vicious gradually come back into focus. What starts as a fun space adventure slowly becomes something far more personal, as each member of the Bebop crew struggles with a past they can't quite leave behind.

Delicious in Dungeon Makes Massive Live-Action Fantasy Shows Look Surprisingly Shallow

Laios Touden and his party in Delicious in Dungeon

Don't let the goofy title or cooking-heavy premise fool anyone. Delicious in Dungeon is one of the smartest fantasy anime on Netflix, delivering the kind of carefully built world that makes big-budget live-action shows like The Witcher and The Rings of Power look surprisingly shallow by comparison. Adapted from Ryoko Kui's manga, the anime starts with an unusual premise: a group of adventurers forced to eat dungeon monsters just to survive. What sounds like a running joke quickly becomes the show's biggest strength, with every meal revealing something new about the creatures, their habits, and the world they inhabit.

The story follows Laios Touden and his party after a Red Dragon defeats them deep inside a dungeon and swallows his younger sister, Falin. There's no time to waste if they want to save her, but heading back in without food or money is a problem. Their solution? Eat whatever they find along the way. That's where Senshi comes in, a dwarf with an almost ridiculous knowledge of dungeon cuisine. He joins Laios, elf mage Marcille, and half-foot locksmith Chilchuck, turning every monster encounter into an opportunity to try something new.

The cooking gimmick is only the beginning. Every creature has its own place in the dungeon's ecosystem, and learning how they live, hunt, and reproduce becomes just as interesting as the meals themselves. As the party ventures deeper, the goofy adventure also starts revealing a much darker story involving the Mad Mage, Thistle, and the dungeon's origins. With Delicious in Dungeon season 2 set for October 2027, there's plenty of time to catch up.

Pluto Turns A Classic Childhood Story Into A Brutal Sci-Fi Murder Mystery

Atom Looking Closely To A Scientific Device In Pluto

On paper, Pluto is a reimagining of Osamu Tezuka's Astro Boy, the 1963 pioneer that kickstarted the modern anime industry, specifically its 1964 story arc, "The Greatest Robot on Earth." With Monster creator Naoki Urasawa and co-writer Takashi Nagasaki behind it, the familiar childhood sci-fi story becomes a dark murder mystery that feels more like a prestige crime drama than a traditional anime. Netflix tells the story across eight episodes, each running close to an hour, giving Urasawa plenty of room to build the mystery and let its characters breathe.

The story takes place in a future where humans and robots live side by side, years after the devastating 39th Central Asian War. That fragile peace starts falling apart when the world's seven most advanced robots begin getting murdered one after another. Europol detective Gesicht is assigned to investigate, but there's a frightening catch: he's one of the seven robots being targeted. As he follows the trail, he crosses paths with Atom, the robot better known as Astro Boy, and begins uncovering a conspiracy tied to the war.

But the murders are only part of what makes Pluto so good. Urasawa uses the investigation to explore what happens when beings capable of thought and emotion are forced to live with the horrors of war. Gesicht's own memories make the case increasingly personal, while Atom's presence adds another layer to the question of what actually makes someone human. Fans of Westworld will find plenty to love here, but Pluto has its own identity, balancing a tense mystery with an emotional story that stays with viewers long after the final episode.

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Is Still One Of The Most Brutal Video Game Adaptations Ever Made

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners has been one of Netflix's finest sci-fi anime since it debuted in 2022, and it's still hard to believe Studio Trigger managed to pack such a brutal, emotional story into just 10 episodes. Created in collaboration with CD Projekt Red, the studio behind Cyberpunk 2077, the series stands alongside Arcane as one of the best video game adaptations in recent years. The first season follows David Martinez, a talented but struggling student at the prestigious Arasaka Academy. When a sudden tragedy turns his life upside down, David finds himself with little left to lose and even fewer ways to survive.

After getting his hands on a military-grade Sandevistan implant, David enters Night City's criminal underworld, teaming up with the mysterious netrunner Lucy and a crew of mercenaries led by Maine. At first, the edgerunner lifestyle looks like the perfect escape from his old life. But Night City has a nasty habit of chewing up anyone who gets too comfortable. As David keeps adding more cyberware to his body, the risk of cyberpsychosis becomes harder to ignore, pushing the story toward some genuinely heartbreaking territory.

And there's even more Night City to explore now. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 premiered on Netflix on October 20, 2026, with another 10-episode standalone story featuring an entirely new cast.

Neon Genesis Evangelion Is The Masterpiece That Rewrote The Entire Mecha Genre

Shinji, Asuka, and Rei as seen in Neon Genesis Evangelion

Even though Neon Genesis Evangelion is regarded as one of the most influential anime ever made, plenty of newer viewers skip it because of its 1995 hand-drawn animation. That's a massive mistake. Created by Hideaki Anno and produced by Gainax, the original 26-episode series aired almost 31 years ago, and its psychological writing still holds up better than most modern sci-fi shows. The series also has a movie ending, The End of Evangelion, which offers a much darker take on the events surrounding its final episodes.

Set fifteen years after a global catastrophe known as Second Impact, the story takes place in the fortress city of Tokyo-3. Humanity is under attack from mysterious beings called Angels, and its last line of defense is NERV, a secretive organization that deploys giant biomechanical weapons known as Evangelions. Fourteen-year-old Shinji Ikari is forced by his estranged father, Gendo, to pilot Unit-01, alongside Rei Ayanami in Unit-00 and Asuka Langley Soryu in Unit-02.

But Evangelion is far more than another humanity-versus-monsters story. Its battles are only part of the appeal, as the series focuses on the emotional damage caused by forcing children to carry the fate of the world. Shinji's fear of rejection, Asuka's need for validation, and Rei's struggle with her identity give the show a psychological edge rarely seen in mainstream sci-fi. And with NieR creator Yoko Taro officially writing a new Evangelion series, there's never been a better time to catch up.