Best Anime of 2026 So Far, Ranked

We are past the halfway mark of 2026, and the year has already produced more great anime than some full years manage. Here is our ranking of the standouts so far.

The top of the year

1. Frieren Beyond Journey’s End Season 2. The quietest epic in anime picked up right where it left off and somehow got more confident.

2. Solo Leveling Season 2. The shadow army grew, the animation stayed absurd, and Jinwoo kept carrying the action crown.

3. Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3. The Culling Game arc finally arrived worldwide and delivered the chaos everyone wanted.

4. Bleach Thousand Year Blood War The Calamity. The true ending of Bleach, animated like a farewell gift.

5. Mushoku Tensei Season 3. Studio Bind refuses to miss.

6. The summer surprises. Chainsmoker Cat became the year’s word of mouth hit, The World Is Dancing turned heads as the most beautiful show of the season, and Tomb Raider King gave dungeon fans a new obsession.

Half a year remains, and the fall slate looks dangerous too. This list will not survive December untouched.

My take: Frieren at the top is not even a debate for me. Nothing else on television, animated or otherwise, is operating with that much emotional precision right now.