Best Winter 2024 Anime, Ranked

The Winter 2024 anime season is underway, bringing with it more than 30 series across a range of genres, themes, and streaming platforms. While perhaps not as overflowing with big names and sequels as some recent seasons, this quarter is not lacking in quality or variety either. Winter 2024 is especially interested in action, comedy, and isekai stories, all of which have multiple representatives that are worth checking out. Although not as plentiful as some other genres, romance anime might steal the spotlight throughout this quarter.

With close to 500 episodes airing each season, keeping up with everything is close to impossible; consequently, narrowing the options slightly can help get someone started. Let’s take a look at the best anime of Winter 2024.

The cutoff point for the current selection is January 26, 2024, and the article will be updated weekly. While each show’s MyAnimeList score is mentioned, this data is just one piece of the equation and not the sole criterion behind the rankings.

The following anime will be excluded:

• Fall 2023 Continuations (Frieren, Undead Unluck, etc)
• Long-running Anime (One Piece)
• OVAs & ONAs

11 Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?! (NEW)

MyAnimeList: 7.66

Do not judge an anime (or manga) by its title. Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?! sounds a bit too silly to be taken seriously, and it fails to paint an adequate picture of the show’s appeal. Adachi can hear people’s thoughts when he touches them, a power that has mostly been a negative addition to his life. However, one day, he accidentally touches his popular coworker, Kurosawa, and learns that he has a big crush on him. This news not only comes as a shock to Adachi, but also forces him to recontextualize his views on his coworker. As the two slowly get closer, the protagonist finds himself pulling back as he does not want to give Kurosawa false hope; however, Adachi’s feelings are also starting to become muddled.

Cherry Magic takes a fairly traditional Boys Love pairing – a confident man who is interested in an inexperienced guy – and introduces a supernatural twist that adds depth to most of their encounters. Adachi is likable as a confused guy in a tough situation with no easy answers. Meanwhile, the protagonist’s power provides insight into Kurosawa’s actions, revealing a person who is hardly as confident and secure as he might seem.

10 Tsukimichi -Moonlit Fantasy- Season 2 (-2)

MyAnimeList: 7.73

Tsukimichi -Moonlit Fantasy- has all the ingredients synonymous with generic isekai anime: an overpowered protagonist, strong female characters who instantly decide they need a master, and a bog-standard medieval-style world. However, the show still manages to establish a unique identity, and it serves as a prime example that tropes are fine as long as they are utilized well. The anime’s greatest strength is its characters, specifically Makoto, Tomoe, Mio, and Shiki. While capable of destroying disaster-level threats without breaking a sweat, Makoto is nevertheless likable, largely thanks to his comedic sensibilities and the fact he faces prejudice due to his looks. He has some flaws, even if they are not that detrimental.

In most isekai stories, the MC attracts a colorful cast of supporters willing to do anything to garner their leader’s attention. While following this formula, Tsukimichi allows these characters to exist away from Makoto’s shadow. Tomoe and Mio have arguably the most entertaining dynamic in the series, and they regularly produce big laughs and feature prominently in action sequences. Season 2 is building nicely on its predecessor’s strong foundation.

9 Delicious In Dungeon (+1)

MyAnimeList: 7.71

A clever twist on the DnD formula, Delicious in Dungeon follows a group of adventurers who are on an important mission to rescue a friend (and relative) who is being slowly digested by a dragon. The stakes are high, and they cannot afford to waste time by stocking up on too much food; consequently, they decide to catch their meals. Yes, this anime is all about living off the land, specifically a dungeon filled with all sorts of fantastical monsters and creatures. Somehow, Delicious in Dungeon can turn the most disgusting of entities into a mouthwatering dinner that would not look out of place in Food Wars.

Obviously, this series is a comedy, and it is a pretty hilarious one. The humor largely comes from Laios and Senshi’s enthusiasm for eating monsters, reactions that juxtaposition brilliantly with Marcille’s reluctance to partake in this type of cuisine. The animation is also quite good, and the dungeon’s levels are filled with neat details.

8 The Wrong Way To Use Healing Magic (+1)

MyAnimeList: 7.62

With 10 shows covering the theme, Winter 2024 is not devoid of isekai anime. These types of stories are clearly popular, but the concept’s overexposure makes it difficult to get excited over new stories since they tend to recycle the same few tropes. While that holds for some of the season’s offerings, Winter 2024 has quite a few isekai anime that go against convention. Even though the adaptation has been a mixed bag, My Instant Death Ability is So Overpowered is the ultimate anti-isekai tale. Sasaki and Peeps is a bizarre blend of clichés that stretch beyond isekai, while Ishura has plenty of fascinating parts.

Then, there is The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic, which follows a high-school student who is accidentally summoned to another world by a kingdom in need of heroes. Dragged along with two exceptional schoolmates, Ken Usato learns that he has an affinity for healing magic, a development that grabs the attention of Rose, a peculiar mage who leads the Rescue Squad. Unfortunately for Ken, his new master’s training methods are the stuff of nightmares.

The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic provides an inspired take on the isekai formula, and Ken is a decent protagonist. More importantly, the show has been hilarious so far, with Rose’s antics producing almost non-stop laughter. Hopefully, the anime will continue to build momentum as it gradually introduces the possibility of a full war.

7 Classroom Of The Elite 3 (-1)

MyAnimeList: 8.10

Building on the 2022 season, Classroom of the Elite is back to finish adapting the light novel’s first-year arcs. The Winter 2024 cour dives straight into the Mixed Training Camp saga, a storyline that sees Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing School’s classes heading to an inn where the students are blended into groups. Forced to interact and work with people they once considered enemies, this training exam should have presented the ideal opportunity for fresh dynamics to emerge. While this did happen to an extent, the anime is rushing through the adaptation so quickly, the characters barely have any remove to breathe, resulting in episodes that are hitting the main story beats without providing anything else of substance.

Season 3 is still setting up its stakes, and these arcs’ main driving force and challenges are only starting to be established; however, there are plenty of fascinating pawns on the table. Kikyou Kushida’s dual personality should continue to inspire tense meetings with Suzune, while Kakeru Ryuuen is unlikely to take his fall from grace quietly. Class 1-A’s Arisu is primed to take a more active role moving forward, with her sights set on Class 1-B’s Honami. Lastly, there is Ayanokouji, who seems to be finally in a situation he cannot fully control.

6 Urusei Yatsura (2022) 2nd Season (+1)

MyAnimeList: 7.77

Rumiko Takahashi’s Urusei Yatsura is an influential comedy and sci-fi manga that has spawned two anime adaptations. A cult classic, the 1981 version is worth checking out, but it is not easy to find in this day and age. Thankfully, the story received another adaptation in 2022, one that is readily available on HIDIVE. Featuring great animation and adhering closely to the manga, Urusei Yatsura‘s latest incarnation demonstrates why this property has endured for so long, especially in Japan.

While “modernized” in its presentation, the anime’s humor and characters echo the source material’s age, with both elements seeming like they were ripped right out of the ’80s. The “pervert” protagonist might be dated, but Ataru holds up as one of this trope’s better representatives, and his antics are consistently hilarious. Lum – Ataru’s soon-to-be bride – steals the spotlight while covering a plethora of roles. She works well as a straight (wo)man to Ataru’s shenanigans, all the while adding a touch of heart to the story. However, she is also regularly funny, especially as a driving force for the anime’s stellar slapstick.

5 Mashle: Magic And Muscles – The Divine Visionary Candidate Exam Arc (+1)

MyAnimeList: 8.07

With fairly repetitive humor and a couple of underwhelming fights, Mashle‘s Spring 2023 cour was decent but not particularly great. Still, the anime showed enough positives to suggest it could produce something of higher quality once the groundwork for its secondary characters has been laid.

Season 2 needs to prove this story can produce excitement and laughs in episodes that push Mash, the muscle-brained protagonist, to the side. This seems to be coming true, and a few of this season’s funniest moments have featured other characters, even though Mash is still very much the star.

4 A Sign Of Affection (+/- 0)

MyAnimeList: 8.28

Winter 2024 loves a good romance, and A Sign of Affection has all the pieces to be a great one. Yuki Itose, a hearing-impaired college student, has a meet-cute with the well-traveled Itsuomi Nagi while on a train, and she finds herself hoping to see him again. Luckily, her friend happens to know him, and they wind up going to his workplace; more importantly, Yuki gets the courage to ask for his contact information.

A Sign of Affection has two instantly likable protagonists. Yuki is charming and refreshingly direct, all the while still showing nerves as she is not accustomed to feeling these sorts of emotions. Meanwhile, Nagi comes very close to being slightly too perfect, but his wholesome interest in Yuki is just endearing.

3 Solo Leveling (+/- 0)

MyAnimeList: 8.45

Without question, Solo Leveling was the most highly-anticipated Winter 2024 anime. Based on arguably the most popular manhwa of all time, the adaptation needs to knock almost everything out of the park if it wants to meet expectations, and A-1 Pictures has mostly hit the ground running. That said, Solo Leveling‘s first episode mostly focused on setting up the world through some fairly heavy-handed exposition, resulting in an enjoyable but weirdly-paced opener that would have benefited from being a two-parter. Still, even if it mostly acted as a tease of things to come, the content was generally good. Fortunately, the subsequent episodes more than deliver on their predecessor’s hype, and they do a great job of highlighting this story’s appeal: vicious, intense action and a likable lead with a high power ceiling.

After gates to fantastical worlds started to pop up around the world, people began to develop special abilities, leading to the rise of the hunter profession. Split into ranks determined by their powers, hunters have no forward momentum; consequently, an E-rank member like Sung Jin-woo is destined to remain weak. While on a mission in a D-level gate, a group of hunters decide to venture down a secret passage in search of riches. This proves to be a mistake, and Sung Jin-woo finds himself on death’s door; however, he is chosen to become a player, allowing him to improve his stats as a reward for completing daily challenges.

2 Kingdom Season 5 (+/- 0)

MyAnimeList: 8.66

Kingdom should be bigger than it is. The manga is rightfully hailed as a masterpiece, but the anime got off to a notoriously underwhelming start due to the first season utilizing terrible CGI. The storytelling was already fantastic, but anime is a visual medium, and poor animation can be difficult to look past. Season 2 was a step in the right direction in this regard, and season 3 saw the animation become genuinely great, which has remained the case ever since. With over 120 episodes under its belt, season 5 is largely inaccessible to anyone who has not followed Kingdom over the years, meaning the show will not get as much attention as some other Winter 2024 anime; however, that has no bearing on its quality.

Kingdom season 5 covers the Koko You Campaign arc, which finds Li Xin’s unit being assigned to work with Huan Yi’s massive army as they take on Zhao’s forces on a distinct battlefield set in a forest. With the armies having fairly opposed philosophies, Li Xin and Huan Yi’s forces have instant tension, and they are going into a fight that could go south almost immediately. In a single episode, Kingdom‘s brilliantly sets up the storyline’s key players, the terrain they will be fighting over, and the central strategy that will likely determine the victor.

1 The Dangers In My Heart Season 2 (+/- 0)

MyAnimeList: 8.71

The Dangers in My Heart was one of 2023’s best romance anime, and season 2 could very well be better than its predecessor. Anna and Kyotaro’s relationship has completely transitioned from awkward banter to heartwarming camaraderie built on support and mutual respect.

While they are not exactly an open couple yet, the story does not downplay their fondness for each other, while still acknowledging they are both trying to come to terms with the overwhelming feelings they are experiencing. Even without the romance angle, Anna and Kyotaro’s friendship is admirable and refreshingly grounded, despite being romanticized to an extent. With beautiful animation, earnest characters, and charming humor, The Dangers in My Heart is an all-around masterclass in character development. Romance is not everyone’s cup of tea, but this series is comfortably among the top Winter 2024 anime, and a must-watch for anyone who is remotely interested in the genre.