2025 is in the books (or close to it, based on the date of this publication), so it’s time to look back and see which anime made it to my personal Anime of the Year. Of course, I do need to state my disclaimer that this is just a personal list based on what I watched. Yes, there are shows that I missed that you have probably watched that might make you disagree with me, but that’s okay. I’m just making this list because I enjoy sharing the shows that I enjoyed.
Also, another rule that I have is that no sequel seasons are allowed. It must be a brand-new season that started in 2025 (no spillovers from 2024). This means Wind Breaker and Call of the Night are disqualified, which is a shame because if they were included, either one of them could have taken the crown (and it would have probably been Call of the Night… I LOVE that show!)
As customary, before we get to this year’s list, let’s take a look at the past winners!
2024: Girls Band Cry
2023: Boku no Kokoro no Yabai Yatsu
2022: Yofukashi no Uta
2021: Tokyo Revengers
2020: ID:Invaded
2019: Dororo
2018: Violet Evergarden
2017: Made in Abyss
2016: ERASED
2015: Death Parade
2014: Your Lie in April
2013: Kill la Kill
2012: Shinsekai Yori
2011: Steins;Gate (also my Anime of the Decade)
2010: RAINBOW: nisha rokubou no shichinin
So, which show will be joining this prestigious list? Well, first… let’s take a look at all of the shows I watched this past year (which does include sequels, even though they are not eligible)
Solo Leveling -Arise from the Shadow-
Honey Lemon Soda
Okinawa de Suki ni Natta Ko ga Hougen Sugite Tsura Sugiru
Ubel Blatt
Douse, Koishite Shimaunda.
Zenshuu.
Wind Breaker S2
The Beginning After the End
Kowloon Generic Romance
Can a Boy-Girl Friendship Survive?
The Shiunji Family Children
Summer Pockets
Your Forma
Dandadan S2
My Dress-Up Darling S2
Gachiakuta
The Summer Hikaru Died
Yofukashi no Uta S2
The Rising of the Shield Hero S4
Watari-kun no XX ga Houkai Sunzen
Cultural Exchange with a Game Center Girl
Bad Girl
Takopii no Genzai
My Hero Academia S8
Bukiyou no Senpai
Chitose-kun is in the Ramune Bottle
To Your Eternity S3
Gnosia
Let’s Play: Quest Darake no My Life
One Punch Man S3
SPY x FAMILY S3
Towa no Yuugure
Egao no Taenai Shokuba desu.
Kao ni Denai Kashiwada-san to Kao ni Deru Oota-kun
With that list in mind, here are my Top 5 Anime of 2025.
5. Gachiakuta
This one just wrapped up its first season right before I penned this editorial, and I gave it a glowing 4.5/5 score although it doesn’t truly change up the tried-and-true shonen battle formula. So, why such a high score? Easy… excellent art, animation, and character development made what was old seem fresh and interesting. There is, surprisingly, a lot of depth here to some of the characters, and while the show didn’t get to all of them in a way I would have liked, the ones they did get to made you care deeply about them.
While the OP and ED themes (save for the second ending) weren’t my cup of tea, the soundtrack was pretty well-done, too. Gachiakuta just had a lot of the right things going for it, which made it a highly enjoyable shonen battle series. It received a second season, which wasn’t shocking in the least bit, and as I said in my review, this show has the makings to be a major player in the shonen battle scene. With My Hero Academia fading away for good, this is a great time to position itself as the next big thing.
4. Gnosia
Technically, this one isn’t finished. It’s slated to have 21 episodes, and therefore, will spill over into the 2026 Winter season. While that makes it eligible for this year, it disqualifies it for my list next year, but I felt the need to mention it simply because anything else I watched just wasn’t as good as this show. It mixes A.I. and time travel, my top two favorite sci-fi genres together, and wraps all of that around a Danganronpa-style mystery of “who did it?”
What’s nice is that because of the different timelines, the case is different every single time, and the cast of characters changes with new faces getting dropped in nearly every time things reset. While the main plot initially is to find who is infected with a Gnosia, there is a shift that gives our main character, Yuuri, a whole new goal while dealing with the Gnosia mystery. It’s intriguing, well-paced, and deserves a spot in my top five despite not being finished yet.
3. Kowloon Generic Romance
I have to say… it has been a LONG time since the top three choices fought back and forth for the number one spot. This could have easily taken it, but I had to break them down to a microscopic level to sort who gets third, second, and first.
Kowloon Generic Romance gives off those old-school 90s anime vibes with its art style, but then does a phenomenal job of immersing the viewer into a sci-fi mystery about missing memories all contained within the city of Kowloon, which holds a huge mystery in and of itself. In the middle of it all is a real estate worker named Kujirai, and her co-worker Kudou. They have a budding relationship, but something about it seems all too familiar.
That’s when the mysteries begin, and each episode leaves you wanting more as they slowly breadcrumb the pieces in front of you, holding back the big reveals intentionally. It was an incredible ride, and even though it didn’t take first place, it’s still a show that you need to go out of your way to check out!
2. The Summer Hikaru Died
Another heavy hitter that could have easily taken first place. This one just squeaked over Kowloon due to the fact that it had a bit more emotional depth to it. Hikaru died (as if you couldn’t tell from the title), but his body is still alive thanks to a parasitic life form that inhabited it. Yoshiki is Hikaru’s best friend, and even though he knows something is off, he accepts whatever is inside of Hikaru because he can’t bring himself to let go of his friendship, as Hikaru was the only one who truly made an impact on his life.
It’s a sad, emotional struggle for Yoshiki, but the show also manages to wrap everything around a horror-centric plot. Typically, I’m not a fan of horror, but this show pulls it off so well by focusing on character development and tying all of them into a well-paced and well-written plot. If I dislike horror, but like this show enough to put it in my #2 spot, you can just imagine how good it truly was. Another must-watch if you have not done so.
So, that means there was one show that was better than the rest for me. So, without further hesitation, I give you my 2025 Anime of the Year…
1. Takopi’s Original Sin
If you took one look at the key art, you would think this would be a cute show for kids, but this 6-episode ONA delivered one of the hardest-hitting emotional roller coasters I have been on in quite some time. There was immaculate character development throughout, and despite its short length, it managed to tell one of the most complete stories I have seen in anime in quite some time. Shizuka is such a tragic character on so many fronts.
She’s the type of character who just can’t catch a break in life, and a character you just want to protect with all your heart. Takopi is completely oblivious to it all because of the nature of his species and his mission: to bring happiness to those who need it. He cannot comprehend things like hatred, bullying, and suicide, but he begins to learn about it, and knows that it’s a problem that he can try and fix… but he fails over and over and over again, and it’s heartbreaking to see him try so hard and get nowhere.
The more he tries and fails, the deeper Shizuka’s despair becomes. His helpfulness hurts her even more, and the characters she’s surrounded with don’t help matters either. It’s a never-ending chasm she free-falls into, hitting bottom after bottom as Takopi moves the base with each attempt to save her. This show will wreck you emotionally, and as soon as I watched it back in June, I knew right away that this could possibly win my personal Anime of the Year award. All I had to do was see if any other show could eclipse it, and based on what I said, two shows came close, but as good as Kowloon and Hikaru were, they still couldn’t invoke the emotions that Takopi delivered.
Therefore, the winner was clear. I would recommend everyone to watch this, but I know that this show exhibits very sensitive topics that some may not be able to handle, so I advise watching with caution, but if you can bring yourself to, I would. It was just that good.
Until next year… look forward to what’s to come in 2026 and enjoy anime, everybody!
Ja ne!
