9 Chinese Anime That Can Be Called Masterpieces, Ranked
These days, great anime can come from anywhere. As the genre continues to grow in popularity, more studios are rising not just in Japan, but in other countries as well. Over the last decade, fans have been getting more and more great Chinese anime as well, known as donghua.
While donghua didn’t have the best of reputations in years past, lately there have been some true masterpieces, especially as they’ve begun adapting great manhua and webnovels. While there might be a heavy focus on the cultivation and isekai genre, that hasn’t stopped them from creating peak. Fans that haven’t been keeping up with the donghua scene have been missing out, but there’s still time to catch up on all the greatest Chinese anime.
Hitori no Shita: The Outcast Offers a Great Supernatural Martial Arts Adventure
Also known as Yi Ren Zhi Xia, The Outcast is one of the longest-running donghua out there, dating all the way back to 2016. Adapting a popular manhua, The Outcast sees Zhang Chulan go from university student to working for an organization that deals with qi-wielding “Outcasts.” Turning into a pretty immediate success, The Outcast is five seasons deep, with a sixth planned for 2026.
The Outcast is a series that gets better with every season, as it has more time to build up its unique world. Still, even from the beginning, the series offers some incredible martial arts action to keep viewers engaged. That said, given the first two seasons are mostly build-up compared to what comes later, it ranks last.
Fog Hill of the Five Elements Features Pulse-Pounding Action
Fog Hill of the Five Elements is a series custom-built for the action junkies out there. Samsara Animation Studio created a series that’s not just gorgeous, but doesn’t look like anything else out right now. The exaggerated line-art can make scenes feel like moving sketches, which will just leave animation nerds in awe that anyone would even make a project like this.
The series focuses on Xuan, an elected official that’s been chosen to travel into the foggy mountains, where they have the opportunity to gain special magical abilities from the beings that live within. At just seven episodes, it might feel like this series isn’t really long enough, but that’s part of the appeal. Each episode is so action-packed that there’s never a chance for the series to feel like it’s drawn out or running out of steam; it’s just pure, unadulterated awesomeness the whole way through.
Scissor Seven Has Created One of the Funniest Anime About Assassination
Take Mob Psycho 100 and exchange the psychic elements for assassinations, and the result is Scissor Seven. The series’ art style might trick viewers into thinking it doesn’t take itself seriously, until they get a glimpse at some of the anime’s awesome fight scenes. That matches up with its lead protagonist, Seven, who’s forgotten that he was once a legendary assassin.
Despite running for nearly five seasons, Scissor Seven still feels like a wildly underrated series given how good it is. The anime manages to balance humor with a surprisingly compelling plot and some pulse-pounding action scenes. Plus, given most episodes have a shorter runtime than average, this is one of the most binge-worthy series on Netflix.
The King’s Avatar Gives a Glimpse at the World of Competitive Gaming
The King’s Avatar is a large part of why Chinese anime got its breakout moment. The series follows Ye Xiu, a legenary player of the MMO “Glory”, who’s forced to retire from professional gaming at 25, only to re-enter the game on his own and continue breaking records. King’s Avatar launched at the perfect time, as anime about people living in game worlds were still common at the time.
King’s Avatar immediately grabbed fans off the strength of its animation, courtesy of B.CMay Pictures. However, the series also offers a captivating lead character in Ye Xiu, a charismatic guy who’s unapologetic in his confidence in playing “Glory.” Above all, though, it’s cool getting a glimpse into the cutthroat world of competitive eSports gaming.
Lord of Mysteries Has Quickly Become a Rising Star in Anime
It didn’t take long for Lord of Mysteries to become one of the biggest donghua around. The series was already a massive hit as a web novel though, so perhaps no one should’ve been surprised. The series focuses on Zhou Mingrui, who’s been transported into another man’s body on another world after doing a good luck ritual.
Lord of Mysteries‘ gorgeous steampunk setting has been brought to life thanks to B.CMay Pictures, with every episode featuring multiple scenes animation fans can pour over for hours. While viewers might get lost because of the ample exposition, that just means they’ll get more value out of rewatching the series. Even setting aside all the mysteries surrounding Klein, the series’ immersive worldbuilding will keep most viewers engaged for the entire first season, and eagerly awaiting the second. Still, this anime remains locked in the fifth place spot just because it’s still early compared to other series that have been consistent for longer.
Heaven Official’s Blessing Is More Than Just a Beautiful Romance Anime
Popular web novel Heaven Official’s Blessing received a donghua adaptation at the top of the 2020s courtesy of Haoliners Animation League. Heaven Official centers around Xie Lian, a god who’s investigating a mystery surrounding a ghost kidnapping brides to pay off his debts in the Heavenly Realm. As expected from the creator of Mo Du Zu Shi, Heaven Official gains most of its following from its beautiful romantic elements, but there’s more to the series than that.
Haoliners Animation League has never been lazy about its action elements, and Heaven Official is no exception. The battle scenes are stunning, offering a mix of slick-looking martial arts with cool magical abilities. Yet despite its willingness to offer great action, the story and worldbuilding always take the center focus.
To Be Hero X Might Be the Best Superhero Anime Ever Made
To Be Hero X doesn’t have nearly enough fanfare for how good the series has been. Set in a world where anyone is capable of being a hero if enough people believe in them, To Be Hero X explores what being a “hero” means in a world of corporations and social media. In that way, it feels similar to Tiger & Bunny, yet without the comedic elements and with a wider cast to focus on.
To Be Hero X relies on nonlinear storytelling that demands viewers’ attention at all times, but even that becomes entertaining as viewers get to piece together exactly how everything works. Meanwhile, Studio BeDream deserves an award just for the animation alone, as it flips effortlessly between 2D and 3D animation and does a fantastic job with both. Fans of great fight scenes should definitely place this series on their plan to watch list, as the series features action that could even stand up to Solo Leveling.
Link Click Features Clever Mysteries & Time Travel
Link Click might be the most underrated donghua out there, especially given how good it is. While many of even the best donghua tend to be isekai or cultivation stories, Link Click finally gives fans something different as it explores the use of time travel with its characters. Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang rely on special powers to travel back in time via any photo they look at to discover items lost by prospective clients, but traveling back in time without making any changes to the past is often a bigger challenge than it seems.
Link Click is one of those rare anime where there are simply no weak spots. Its animation is breathtaking, made all the more impressive thanks to the series having some great fight scenes. Meanwhile, its plot offers a compelling mystery that will keep viewers glued to their seats until the end.
Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation Tells a Tale of Romance, Betrayal, and War
Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation is the story of the infamous demonic cultivator Wei Wuxian after he’s been brought back to life to solve a mystery. Yet no synopsis could do justice to Grandmaster‘s story, or the romance between Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji. Though the two start as polar opposites, the series gradually pulls them together as rapidly changing circumstances force them to rely on one another.
Still, the series is far more than a romance, blending both war and light horror elements to create a fantasy anime that stands out among its peers. Grandmaster starts slow, taking its time to develop its massive cast and unique world, but that just means viewers will be hooked by the time the plot really gets going. One of B.CMay Pictures’ earliest projects, they still managed to do a fantastic job with the animation, bringing Grandmaster‘s beautiful world to vibrant life. Even those who aren’t BL fans would do well to check out this masterpiece of a series.
