The anime industry offers us stories in many formats, and one of the best ways to experience them is through anime movies. With them, you don’t have to wait for days for the next episode to release. Furthermore, the stories in anime movies are often self-contained and rarely require sequels.
Which means that there is less waiting for years as well, and you get to come out with a complete experience. If you’ve been wanting to know about some amazing anime movies or simply want to see how they compare to each other, this article is your final stop. Here are the 20 best anime movies of all time, ranked according to their quality.
20. The Boy and the Beast
The Boy and the Beast is an isekai story with a unique twist. A runaway boy ends up in a world full of beast – like creatures that are actually capable of human speech and are almost like humans in that regard. He then becomes an apprentice of Kumatetsu, a rowdy warrior.
The reason this movie sits at the bottom of this ranking is not that the movie is bad. The creator of this movie, Mamoru Hosoda, actually goes on to make even better movies that are actually present in this ranking.
19. The Boy and the Heron
Hayao Miyazaki came out of retirement to give us what might be his final anime movie, which is already a big deal. But the movie itself is genuinely strange and wonderful. A grieving boy follows a talking heron into a mysterious tower and enters a world that’s equal parts beautiful and unsettling.
It’s more personal and harder to decode than most Ghibli films, which is either its greatest strength or its biggest flaw, depending on who you ask. It ranks above The Boy and the Beast because Miyazaki’s imagery alone earns the slightly higher placement.
18. No Game, No Life: Zero
This movie functions as the prequel to the story of No Game No Life. However, Sora and Shiro are practically non-existent in this movie. Instead, it follows the life of Riku and Schwi. Riku is a normal human living during the era of war between races, right before the game-like rules of the world were created, and Schwi is of a higher race, who ends up falling in love with a human.
This movie is emotionally devastating, so prepare your tissues. However, it also ranks this low because it cannot be watched as a standalone movie in a true sense, and the weight of the outcome is only truly understood if you watch the anime as well.
17. Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie: Rebellion
This movie is the direct sequel to the anime Puella Magi Madoka Magica. It picks up right after Madoka becomes a goddess in a contained universe that is created by Homura. As a standalone, this movie simply doesn’t work. However, if you’ve seen the original anime, now is the best time to binge this movie, as another sequel is coming soon.
However, that is also the reason that this movie doesn’t rank higher. While it is better than a lot of movies in this ranking, it does require you to properly understand the events of the anime in advance. Furthermore, this movie raises massive questions and leaves them open in ways that are fascinating but also deeply frustrating.
16. Violet Evergarden: The Movie
Violent Evergarden’s hopes and wishes are realized when she finds out that Major is actually alive on a remote island. Initially, he refuses to meet her, but they eventually have a beautiful reunion, and Violet finally understands what “love” means.
This movie is the finale of the wonderful story of Violet after the war. However, it ranks low because it, too, fails to be self-contained. You would need to watch the entire anime before watching this movie.
15. Spirited Away
Spirited Away is a masterpiece, and you already know it. Chihiro falls into a spirit world, has to work in a bathhouse to save her parents, and grows up right in front of your eyes. The entire movie is like a fever dream, and it even won an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
It’s on this list more out of respect than ranking math – it’s a Miyazaki classic, and the fact that it sits at 15 just tells you how stacked this list gets from here on out.
14. Demon Slayer The Movie: Infinity Castle – Part 1: Akaza Returns
This movie is where Demon Slayer starts entering its final arc. Tanjiro and pretty much everyone else are dropped into the Infinity Castle, and now everyone has their own battle to face. However, the highlight is Tanjiro vs. Akaza.
This movie is a sequel and leaves a lot of room for further sequels, but at the same time, it delivers a perfect ending for a major character. This movie sits at 14 because the story is still unfolding, and the full emotional payoff will land even harder once the arc is complete. Furthermore, you need to watch a lot of content before diving into this movie.
13. The First Slam Dunk
This is the only sports movie that will make you cry a lot. Unlike the anime, the protagonist here is Ryouta Miyagi. The movie jumps back and forth between his past, which caused him immense trauma, and the current game that they are playing. The movie does a perfect job of depicting emotions through basketball itself.
However, the animation style of this movie can be a bit of a turn-off for a lot of people, which makes this movie rank slightly lower. Yet, it still sits comfortably as a better movie than the last seven that we saw.
12. Howl’s Moving Castle
Howl’s Moving Castle is yet another Miyazaki classic. However, instead of feeling like a fever dream, this one feels like a kid’s imagination of a world that doesn’t exist. A young hat-maker named Sophie gets cursed into old age by a witch and ends up living with a vain, dramatic wizard in a walking castle.
The story is looser than most movies in this ranking, and the ending is famously weird – but the atmosphere, the characters, and Joe Hisaishi’s music make it unforgettable.
11. Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc
This movie proved that Chainsaw Man is more than just a weird action anime. The movie follows Denji when he meets a girl named Reze. Denji has never experienced proper love in his life; however, this time it appears that Reze is the girl he will spend the rest of his life with. The first half of the movie is a perfect romance.
However, it turns out that the girl is the bomb devil and wants Denji’s heart. The ending is heartbreaking, and it will only make you feel much sadder for Denji. This movie would’ve easily been in the top five if it weren’t for the fact that you have to watch an entire anime before stepping into it.
10. Look Back
Just like Chainsaw Man, Look Back is yet another masterpiece created by Tatsuki Fujimoto. However, you do not need to watch an entire anime before stepping into it, making it rank higher than Reze Arc.
The story follows the lives of two girls as they become friends and create their own manga. This movie was so good that it is also getting a live-action adaptation soon. However, it sits at the bottom of the top ten because the ending could be a big turn-off for many.
9. Pompo: The Cinéphile
Think of this movie as a love letter to cinema itself. Gene is a timid young man who works as an assistant to an eccentric girl, Pompo, who makes B-movies. Gene, however, has a dream of making his own movie one day, and he finally gets the opportunity.
We follow him as he makes his first movie, while also connecting with the protagonist of the movie that he is making. To be honest, the story of the movie Gene makes is already better than most movies in this ranking. The only reason this movie doesn’t rank any higher is that now we are entering the territory of true masterpieces.
8. Wolf Children
Mamoru Hosoda is the original creator of this movie. His other work is mentioned at the bottom of this ranking. However, Wolf Children is his true masterpiece. The story follows the life of a single mother whose children are werewolves. The movie does an amazing job of portraying the efforts of a single mother and the difficulties that come with it.
The reason this movie ranks this high is that it uses two characters to give two different endings of the same story. That is easier said than done, because Ame and Yuki lived the same life, but they both had a different end that was more fitting to them.
7. Your Name
An anime movie list cannot be made without talking about Your Name. This is a romance story where the characters aren’t just separated by space, but also by time. Both of them swap bodies, giving us a fantasy element as well.
The reason this movie ranks this high is that it is visually stunning, the soundtrack by RADWIMPS is iconic, and the emotional weight of the third act in the movie is delivered perfectly. The only reason it’s not higher is that the director often follows the same pattern, making this movie less unique.
6. I Want To Eat Your Pancreas
The title of this movie may sound weird, but don’t be fooled. This movie is a romance masterpiece that you will think about for months after watching. The title itself is a metaphor about wanting to absorb someone’s life.
A quiet loner discovers his cheerful classmate is secretly dying from a pancreatic illness, and they spend her remaining time together in the most unexpected ways. Their friendship slowly turns into innocent romance before the anime drops a huge, inevitable bomb.
The only reason this movie isn’t ranked even higher is that the ending can feel a bit abrupt for some viewers. In any case, it’s a masterpiece that is worth watching.
5. Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms
We are now in the top five. Maquia is one of the most underappreciated movies of all time, as not many fans know about it. Unlike almost every movie in this ranking, this movie focuses on a concept that I don’t know how the creator came up with.
We follow the life of a girl who belongs to the race of immortals. She adopts a human child. The child slowly grows, but she remains the same age. This creates room for many emotional scenes, and the movie executes all of them perfectly, earning a high ranking on this list.
4. Josee, the Tiger and the Fish
This movie is a kind of romance that earns its ending. Josee is a young girl with a disability that requires her to use a wheelchair everywhere. On the other hand, Tsuneo is a young boy who dreams of going abroad to a very specific place to see a very specific fish.
Slowly, they fall in love with each other. There is no tragedy, and yet, it will make you cry. It’s a perfect self-contained romance story that deserves more love.
3. 100 Meters
100 Meters is the embodiment of sports stories. The movie follows the life of two friends. One of them is naturally talented, and the other one is a hard worker who goes all out. They compete in different eras of their life, and the movie tackles the question of “why even run to begin with?”
The reason this movie ranks this high is that it’s simply perfect. It also leaves an open ending, where it is never explicitly stated who won. That is because it was never about winning to begin with.
2. Into the Forest of Fireflies’ Light
This is the shortest movie in this ranking, and it is not even an hour long. Even then, the story this movie managed to tell in that short amount of time is better than almost every story in this ranking.
A girl gets lost in a forest and befriends a spirit named Gin, who will disappear if a human ever touches him. They spend summers together across years, growing up and growing closer, while that one rule hangs over everything. The bittersweet sadness of it is handled with such restraint and beauty that it sits comfortably in the second spot.
1. A Silent Voice
A Silent Voice earns the top spot not just because of how sad it is, though it is absolutely devastating, but because of what it says. Shoya bullied Shoko, a deaf girl, throughout elementary school. Years later, he seeks her out to make amends, while also dealing with his own crushing self-hatred.
It’s a movie about guilt, isolation, redemption, and whether you can actually forgive yourself. It handles disability, mental health, and social anxiety with more care and honesty than almost any other film in any medium, making it an easy pick for first rank.
| RANK | MOVIE | MAL Rating (as of June 28, 2026) |
| 20 | The Boy and the Beast | 8.22 / 10 |
| 19 | The Boy and the Heron | 7.60 / 10 |
| 18 | No Game, No Life: Zero | 8.16 / 10 |
| 17 | Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie: Rebellion | 8.51 / 10 |
| 16 | Violet Evergarden: The Movie | 8.83 / 10 |
| 15 | Spirited Away | 8.77 / 10 |
| 14 | Demon Slayer The Movie: Infinity Castle – Part 1: Akaza Returns | 8.66 / 10 |
| 13 | The First Slam Dunk | 8.70 / 10 |
| 12 | Howl’s Moving Castle | 8.67 / 10 |
| 11 | Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc | 9.06 / 10 |
| 10 | Look Back | 8.62 / 10 |
| 9 | Pompo: The Cinéphile | 8.13 / 10 |
| 8 | Wolf Children | 8.56 / 10 |
| 7 | Your Name | 8.82 / 10 |
| 6 | I Want To Eat Your Pancreas | 8.55 / 10 |
| 5 | Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms | 8.40 / 10 |
| 4 | Josee, the Tiger and the Fish | 8.38 / 10 |
| 3 | 100 Meters | 8.34 / 10 |
| 2 | Into the Forest of Fireflies’ Light | 8.26 / 10 |
| 1 | A Silent Voice | 8.93 / 10 |
So, which one is going to be your first binge? Let us know in the comments.
