Anime has long been enjoyed around the world, and its recent meteoric rise in popularity throughout the 2020s has brought more eyes to the art form than ever before. New shows, like the high-energy, action-packedSolo Leveling,are becoming sensations in the West, only further spreading the word of anime and what it offers.
However, a new ranking of the most popular anime of the year in Japanmight just shock fans from other areas of the world.According toPR Times, some of the biggest titles in the U.S. haven’t made nearly the same impact in their country of origin, while shows that have largely flown under the radar have become some of Japan’s most popular.
One of the biggest names in the isekai genre,Re:Zeroreturned in 2024 with its highly anticipated third season, which wrapped up its second cour earlier this year.Its popularity shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, as isekai has dominated the anime scene for a number of years, resulting in more and more ‘reborn as’ shows every season.
Re:Zero’s action-packed third season made quite a bit of noise while airing, and it might just find itself on similar lists outside Japan. Fortunately for fans, a fourth season was announced directly following the conclusion of season three,and viewers won’t have to wait very long to watch it.
Fire Forcehas been one of shōnen’s top titles for a number of years, and its third and final season washighly anticipated by fans since season two concluded in 2020. The first cour premiered as arguably the strongest series of the spring 2025 season, introducing one of the wilder twists anime has seen in recent years, causing some waves in the community.
Shōnen action has always been anime’s most popular genre, and fans are always tapped in to its next big release.
It isn’t much of a surprise thatFire Forceended up on Japan’s top 10 most popular list, as the series seems to be consistently successful around the world. Shōnen action has always been anime’s most popular genre, and fans are always tapped in to its next big release.
Apocalypse Hotelis likely the first surprising entry on the list. Premiering during the spring 2025 season, the post-apocalyptic series is by CygamesPictures, a studio that has become known for theirUma Masumeseries in recent years,and now seems to be branching into other genreswith the currently airing horror hitThe Summer Hikaru Died.
The series tellsa fun and often touching storyabout the Earth becoming inhabitable, and a hotel that’s run by aliens and robots who are patiently awaiting humanity’s return home. While it certainly did well among hardcore anime fans in the West, the series certainly wouldn’t crack any of the most popular lists, and certainly not over some of the titles that have aired in 2025.
Another surprising entry, season two ofShoshimin: How to Become Ordinaryaired during the spring anime seasonand didn’t make all that much noise in the Western anime community. The series follows Jogoro Kobato, who always wanted to become a detective but often intruded in others' mysteries. He and his shy friend vow to become ordinary people in high school.
The mystery-driven series has gained itself a modest but devoted following for its slice-of-life and romance elements, offering a similar package to 2012’sHyouka. Outside of Japan, it isn’t likely thatShoshiminwould break into any top 10 lists, but it is a show that rightly deserves a bit more recognition.
Medalistflew somewhat under the radar during the winter anime season, existing in the shadow of major smash hits likeSolo LevelingandThe Apothecary Diaries. Nevertheless,fans recognized something special during its initial airing, and took to social media to sing their praises. The sports series hits on all the right, highly emotional notes.
Whether it would land on a top 10 most popular of the year ranking outside of Japan is debatable, but the series has been an undeniable highlight of 2025.Medalistis able to cram in some meaningful character growth over the span of 13 episodes, anda future continuationhas found itself among some of the most highly anticipated follow-ups to come.
The Apothecary Diarieshas been a massive success in a number of different regions around the world,and its presence on this list should not come as a surprise to anyone. If anything, Western anime fans might be wondering why it isn’t higher. The mystery-romance series offers one of the more endearing protagonists to come from anime in recent years, and its popularity reflects that.
Earlier in the year,The Apothecary DiariesandSolo Levelingwere battling it outfor most popular show of the winter anime season, before the latter ended andThe Apothecary Diariesdominated the spring. The series has, unsurprisingly, been renewed for a third season, which does not have an official release date yet but is rumored to arrive in 2027.
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Manmight just be the most surprising entry on the list, considering it isn’t what Western fans would consider anime. To Japanese audiences, however,the term is reserved for any sort of animation, regardless of where it originates from.Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Manis a Disney+ exclusive series that is currently ongoing.
There aren’t many superheroes as recognizable or relatable as Spider-Man, and it seems that holds true anywhere in the world. The series premiered in January and tells the origin story of Peter Parker, but in an alternate timeline witha number of differences from what fans know of the character.
Lycoris Recoilwas one of the surprise hits of 2022, arriving as an original anime series that quickly took the community by storm on release. Though there’s been no announcement of any follow-up season, 2025’sLycoris Recoil: Friends are thieves of timearrived earlier this year as a series of shorts all barely longer than a few minutes in runtime.
Despite the series' popularity, theFriends are thieves of timeshorts didn’t create much buzz, and probably wouldn’t qualify for any list tracking the most popular shows of the year to this point. Regardless, its popularity in Japan will likely lead toanother full-length anime project in the future.
Thanks to its recent English-language release on major app stores this past June, a large and growing portion of the anime community is likely familiar withUma Musume Pretty Derby, the hit mobile game about horse girls. Surprisingly, however, it seems Japanese anime fans are all in on the franchise, as the spin-off seriesUmamasume: Cinderella Grayhas come in as the second most popular anime of the year.
Whether it would place so highly on a similar list elsewhere in the world remains to be seen, but it seemsUma Musumeis here to stay.
The series follows Oguri Cap and her journey to becoming an all-time great horse girl, and has begun gaining some traction in the West thanks to the original game’s international release in June. Whether it would place so highly on a similar list elsewhere in the world remains to be seen, but it seemsUma Musumeis here to stay.
Black Butleris an established titlein the anime scene, with its first season having premiered nearly two decades ago and garnering its own proud and dedicated following. However, inconsistent releases over that period of time have somewhat quieted the buzz surrounding the series, and though its fan base is deep,Black Butlerhas occupied a space separate from the most popular releases every season.
Though that didn’t stop the series fromclaiming the number one spot on Japan’s most popular anime of 2025 list, outdoing a number of highly anticipated releases from other massively popular franchises. In the U.S., fans might expectSolo Levelingto run away with the crown, especially aftersweeping the recent Crunchyroll Awards.
In Japan, however, it seems the smash-hit power fantasy series came and went without making too many waves.
