Best Fall 2024 Anime, Ranked

As the year steadily comes to a close, the last batch of Japanese animated shows are airing, and the best anime of Fall 2024 could very well rank among the strongest offerings of the last 12 months. As with all quarters, the current season has nearly every genre covered, including romance, action, fantasy (isekai and otherwise), sports, sci-fi, and even horror. At a glance, Fall has the most well-rounded lineup of the year, most of which are airing on either Crunchyroll, HIDIVE, or Netflix in North America.

With 40+ Fall 2024 anime series, viewers are spoiled for choice, which is both a blessing and a curse. Keeping up with everything can be downright exhausting, so knowing which shows to prioritize can be helpful. Let’s go through the season’s best anime.

Here are a few criteria and things to keep in mind:

• The rankings will be updated weekly.
• The current cut-off date for episodes is October 11, 2024.
• MyAnimeList scores are included as a reference, but they are not the deciding factor.
• Only anime that debuted in Fall 2024 will be included; therefore, no continuations like
  One Piece
  ,
  Tower of God
  , or
  Fairy Tail: 100 Years Quest
  .
• Click on an anime’s heading to read a preview. Please note that not every show has one.

Fading Horror Greatness

Now, this is disappointing. Following its first episode, Uzumaki: Spiral into Horror seemed set to break the Junji Ito anime curse by finally delivering an adaptation that somewhat does justice to the source material. Opting to replicate the manga’s visual style, Uzumaki delivered perhaps the scariest 20 minutes of the last few years, one packed with nightmarish imagery that leaned into both cosmic and body horror. Although by no means perfect nor a replacement for Ito’s legendary manga, the first episode is very good and well worth a watch.

Unfortunately, Uzumaki experienced one of the steepest and quickest drops in quality in anime history. While the first episode calmed people’s fears that this would be another butchered Junji Ito adaptation, the second entry reinforced and amplified them, to the point of killing most of the show’s momentum or hype. Moments that should be scary were stripped of their menace, becoming laughable in the process. Even beyond the lackluster animation, the story’s pacing is also way too quick, coming across like a cliff-note version of the source material. To be fair, the first episode also has this issue, but its successor is far worse.

7 365 Days To The Wedding

A Unique Romance Anime About Two Awkward People Who Have To Fake An Upcoming Marriage

Based on a manga by the same author behind The World God Only Knows, 365 Days to the Wedding takes a peculiar look at marriage by revolving around two coworkers who decide to pretend they are engaged to reduce their chance of being relocated to Alaska by their employer. Rika and Takuya both struggle with communication, to the point that almost nobody at their job truly knows them (or even their voices). The workplace environment and adult cast instantly set the show apart from most other anime romances, and those are hardly its only unusual elements.

Now, Rika and Takuya are not instantly likable. The former’s pragmatism keeps both the latter and the audience at a distance; meanwhile, Takuya’s subdued personality is relatable but not captivating. However, they both start as fully realized characters, and 365 Days does a great job of immediately establishing their dispositions, insecurities, and comfort zones.

Like A Warm Blanket On A Cold Night

While not Fall 2024’s biggest sequel, Natsume’s Book of Friends is a very welcome return, especially since season 6 finished airing in 2016. A subversion of typical supernatural stories, this series revolves around Natsume, a teenager who can see yokai and inherits his grandmother’s Book of Friends, which holds the names of spirits and, by extension, controls them. So, Natsume decides to start returning these names to their owners, all the while aided by Madara, a powerful yokai who is in somewhat weak form at the moment.

Natsume’s Book of Friends is one of the greatest iyashikei slice of life stories of all time, and season 7 seems set to maintain its predecessor’s high quality. Moving at a refreshingly lethargic pace, the anime is comforting, entertaining, and (occasionally) emotional, making it the perfect companion piece to many of Fall 2024’s high-octane thrill rides.

A Fitting Tribute To And Celebration Of Akira Toriyama’s Legacy

Months after the untimely passing of Akira Toriyama, the legendary mangaka’s final project, Dragon Ball Daima, has finally started airing. So far, it is fantastic. Gorgeously animated and drenched in timeless whimsy reminiscent of Dragon Ball‘s early sagas, Daima has all the makings of a modern classic that blends adventure, action, and comedy perfectly, something not every storyline in this (generally great) franchise manages.

The first episode does a great job of balancing nostalgia through revamped sequences of DBZ‘s Buu Saga while also using these moments to spin a fresh tale, one that dives into concepts only previously touched upon. While Daima has just barely gotten going, the future is bright and exciting.

A Rare Sports & Romance Anime That Does Justice By Both Genres

One of the most highly anticipated Fall 2024 anime, Blue Box has hit the ground running, partially thanks to Telecom producing stunning visuals during the opening episode. Although made up of somewhat familiar parts, the story sticks out due to the way it combines sports and romance elements, two genres that occasionally interact but rarely share the spotlight evenly.

Taiki has a big crush on Chinatsu, and he is inspired to take badminton seriously after seeing the latter’s passion for basketball. Out of nowhere, he suddenly gets an opportunity to get much closer to Chinatsu when the two end up living under the same roof. Blue Box is built around not only lovable characters but ones who have pretty great chemistry, and that goes beyond just the main two. Taiki’s friendships with Kyou and Hina are also great and produce quite a few laughs.

The Best Isekai Anime Is Back For Another (Hopefully) Great Season

Re:ZERO can be polarizing. Subaru is a frustrating protagonist throughout most of season 1, although he improves as he reflects on his behavior and exercises more self-awareness. Despite being generally fantastic, season 2 threatens to overstay its welcome at points, particularly during part 2’s long dialogue-heavy sequences. Still, as far as the isekai theme is concerned, this anime is ambitious, smartly written, well-animated, and fond of frequent splashes of unsettling darkness.

Adapting volume 5 of the light novel series, Re:ZERO season 3 sends Subaru, Emilia, and a few other characters to Priestella. This journey is triggered by an invitation sent by Anastasia, a Royal Selection candidate who is striving to claim the throne before Emilia and a couple of other girls. The current storyline appears set to dig deeper into Re:ZERO‘s political situation, with the five candidates featuring prominently in the (90-minute) opening episode. Except for Emilia, the rest of the girls should benefit greatly from further exploration, something that has already proven to be the case concerning Priscilla.

However, season 3’s main focus involves the arrival of a familiar danger that threatens everyone in Priestella, and Subaru soon finds himself stuck in another “Return by Death” cycle. Re:ZERO has always known how to balance lightheartedness and cruel tragedy, a talent showcased splendidly by the Fall 2024 arc’s lengthy first episode.

A Hilarious Comedy With Great Action And Characters

Except for maybe Uzumaki, Dandadan is Fall 2024’s most hyped new anime; in fact, the first three episodes even received a theatrical run, just to emphasize the adaptation’s momentum. While still early days, Science Saru appears to have completely captured the manga’s magic, producing perhaps the best debut episode of 2024. Dandadan exudes an irresistible kinetic energy, brought to life through a fluid art style and explosive animation that lend themselves perfectly to both slapstick humor and off-the-wall action sequences.

Momo and Ken take center stage as two teenagers who get into a bet to see who can prove the existence of ghosts or aliens, respectively. Naturally, they get way more than they bargained for, introducing themselves to a war of bizarre otherworldly entities, supernatural grannies, and confiscated things. Despite starting as basically strangers, Momo and Ken’s friendship blossoms extremely quickly, and it does not feel rushed or forced.

The Redemption Arc Continues

In 2012, the Bleach anime faded into nothingness, bringing to an end a near-decade run that peaked early and gradually lost steam. Despite being generally pretty good, the series seemed to become a footnote in battle shonen history, at least on the anime side of things. However, Pierrot opted to revive Ichigo and cover the manga’s Thousand-Year Blood War, an effort that has revamped Bleach‘s image and produced arguably the most consistent batch of action-driven content of the 2020s so far.

The Conflict, aka Part 3, continues the Soul Society’s war with the Qunicy, kicking things off with two jaw-dropping fights that deliver stunning visuals, unique abilities, and shocking-ish moments. Honestly, Thousand-Year Blood War is so brilliant, that the sequel is worth recommending as a standalone animation showcase to somebody who has no intention of watching the original Bleach.