Less is often more with most stories, but there's something to be said for those long series that keep our attention for months on end. Pouring yourself into a new world, getting to know and love a fresh cast of characters, and following them in adventure after adventure is a treat unlike any other.
Best Anime From The 90s
The 1990s were a great time for anime, and several series from the era remain popular today. Here are the best anime from that decade.
Fortunately, there are plenty of amazing anime series long enough to keep your attention for the rest of 2026. Perhaps to be expected, several of the longest anime ever made are shonen series adapted from Weekly Shonen Jump manga. This doesn't make them any worse for wear, but it's important to temper those expectations accordingly.
Hunter X Hunter (148 Episodes)
Hunter x Hunter's 2011 remake is quite possibly the best-written shonen anime of all time. The series adapts up to Chapter 339 of the manga, covering everything in the story up through the end of the 13th Hunter Chairman Election arc while adapting the legendary Chimera Ant arc, which the original Hunter x Hunter anime unfortunately could not cover. Hunter x Hunter's nuanced character-writing, thematic depth, and excellent pacing are only amplified by the anime's strong art direction, stellar music, and beautifully adapted fights.
Part of what makes Hunter x Hunter so compelling is how comfortable the anime is subverting and playing with shonen tropes that lesser series would play straight. This is an anime that commits to actions having real consequences, and characters reacting to major events in realistic, often depressing, ways. The worst part of watching Hunter x Hunter is that it'll ruin other shonen anime for you.
Hunter x Hunter
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- 2011 - 2014
WHERE TO WATCH
My Hero Academia (170 Episodes)
My Hero Academia just wrapped up a legendary run spanning eight seasons. One of the greatest anime adaptations of all time, My Hero Academia in many ways set a new standard for turning manga into anime. Long gone are the days of shonen series releasing episodes weekly, in fear of catching up to their manga and eventually needing to pad things out with filler. By breaking up the series into a seasonal structure, My Hero Academia not only kept its story quality in check, it resulted in some of the best animation in anime, period.
In many ways, My Hero Academia is the rare anime that's better than its manga. The voice acting, art direction, music, and presentation are simply on another level and never dip in quality. If anything , MHA actually improved over the course of its run. Sporting a large cast of memorable characters, fantastic villains, and an insanely cool power system via Quirks, My Hero Academia is the perfect anime to dedicate the rest of your year to.
My Hero Academia
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- 2016 - 2025-00-00
Naruto (220 Episodes)
The original Naruto anime is genuinely fantastic. An underdog story about the importance of hard work, believing in yourself, believing in yourself, and the weight of generational trauma, few shonen anime have the depth the original Naruto does. The character development for the entire cast is excellent, giving even minor characters time to shine and grow into their own. The fights are superb, balancing top-notch choreography with potent drama; and the story's many twists & turns are as gripping as they are often heartbreaking.
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Naruto's biggest problem is the fact the anime dedicated its home stretch to 85 filler episodes of varying quality. If you just care about living in this world and seeing the cast do their thing (which most fans will by the end of Naruto Episode 135), there's no harm in sticking with the filler to the end. But the story is so compelling, no one will blame you for jumping to Naruto: Shippuden Episode 1 following the original anime's Valley of the End showdown and aftermath. Either way, you're in for one of the best shonen anime of all time.
Naruto
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- 2002 - 2007-00-00
Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (224 Episodes)
The original Yu-Gi-Oh! Anime is filled with slow-paced filler that drags the story out and completely ignores the card game's rules more times than fans can count, but it's worth watching for all its highs. At its best, there's nothing quite like Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters. The original Season 0 is worth watching for context on the characters before the Duelist Kingdom storyline, but the series does a good enough job of standing on its own without those first few episodes.
The anime has some quality issues with its story in later seasons, but Duelist Kingdom and Battle City frankly make the Yu-Gi-Oh! Anime worth watching. Great character development, fun plot twists, and creative duels that'll have you scratching your head as often as sitting on the edge of your seat make Yu-Gi-Oh! A shonen classic even at its worst. Consider skipping the filler arcs, though.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters
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- 2000 - 2004-00-00
Pokémon the Original Series (276 Episodes)
Believe it or not, the original Pokémon anime actually holds up really well. Covering Ash's adventures in Kanto, the Orange Islands, and eventually Johto, the series is far from perfect, but has a lot of heart and does an amazing job of reimagining Pokémon Gen 1 and Gen 2 into a living, breathing world, making sense of how people would actually co-exist with Pokémon. The anime takes a while to hit its stride animation-wise, but by the first tournament arc, Pokémon picks up and never looks back.
The build-up to each major League is really what makes Pokémon special. Watching Ash earn all of his Badges one by one and build his team for the Kanto, Orange Island, and Johto tournaments makes those final battles all the sweeter to watch. It really feels like you're watching something special when Ash faces off against his rival Gary in the Silver Conference. If you want a real commitment, just keep watching after Ash leaves for Hoenn. As of Horizons, there are over 1,300 episodes of the Pokémon anime – though few seasons are as iconic as Ash's Gen 1 through Gen 2 run.
Pokémon
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- 1997 - 2023
Dragon Ball Z (291 Episodes)
Dragon Ball Z should only be watched after you watch the original Dragon Ball, technically making this a 444 episode commitment – but if you're willing to give Akira Toriyama's masterpiece a chance, you'll be met with one of the greatest anime of all time. There's a reason every modern shonen anime under the sun references Dragon Ball Z in some capacity. From transformations, to rivals, to straight-up story beats, DBZ basically codified anime as we now know it.
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There's a lot more to Dragon Ball Z than most fans realize. The series is filled with well-written character development, surprisingly nuanced themes about accepting there will always be someone better than you & passing the torch onto the next generation, and the absolute best fight choreography in the medium. No one knew how to write a battle quite like Akira Toriyama. If you watch Dragon Ball Z, just make sure to watch with subs and the original Japanese music for the highest quality possible.
Dragon Ball Z
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- 1989 - 1996
Fairy Tail (328 Episodes)
Fairy Tail is an acquired taste, to say the least, and something of a love or hate series. Fairy Tail doesn't take itself particularly seriously, goes out of its way to have fun with its cast, and features a truly excellent soundtrack with some of the best anime music ever. At its core, Fairy Tail is a shonen anime that embraces everything shonen series are known for, for better or worse. This means plenty of fan service, the power of friendship saving the day, and a large cast of colorful characters.
For what it's worth, there is a lot Fairy Tail does well. The anime's story is genuinely touching at times, and several story arcs stack up to the best shonen has to offer (in particular the Tartoros and Tenrou Island arcs). Even at its worst, Fairy Tail gets by by being a sincerely fun anime that knows when to take itself seriously, and when to cut loose. Fairy Tail isn't for everybody, but if you're looking for an easy anime to watch throughout the year, you can do worse than Fairy Tail. Even the filler episodes are mostly solid.
Fairy Tail
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- 2009 - 2019-00-00
Bleach (366 Episodes)
One of the most popular anime of the 2000s, it's not hard to see why Bleach became a big enough classic to stand alongside Naruto and One Piece as part of anime's Big Three. Extremely stylish, sporting one of the best anime soundtracks of all time, and a lot more going on under the surface than the series' haters care to admit, there's a lot to love about Tite Kubo's magnum opus. Part of what makes Bleach such a stand-out is the series' humble beginnings. Bleach's Agent of the Shinigami arc manages to balance all the best traits of a training arc, slice of life series, and monster of the week serial while building up a genuinely compelling cast in a surprisingly rich world.
Once the anime hits the Soul Society arc, Bleach hits all-time great territory with one of the best shonen sagas ever written. The anime does unfortunately suffer from filler issues, a repetitive arc, and a cast of characters that grows too big for its own good, but even at its absolute worst, Bleach is worth a watch. The series recently returned with Bleach: The Thousand-Year Blood War, picking up where the original anime left off in one of the best animated & directed anime series of the 2020s. That alone makes Bleach's 366 episode-length worth binging.
Bleach
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- 2004 - 2012-00-00
Naruto: Shippuden (500 Episodes)
The sequel to the original Naruto anime, Naruto: Shippuden suffers from lower lows than its predecessor, but makes up for most of its shortcomings with much higher highs. Naruto: Shippuden is home to some of the best animated and best-directed episodes in anime history, and storyline up to the Pain arc is genuinely fantastic. Things start to get dicier as Shippuden gets into its endgame, but even at its absolute worst, the Naruto sequel is an unforgettable ride filled with memorable character development and superb fight choreography.
The biggest problem with Naruto: Shippuden is the filler. Unlike the original Naruto which set most of its filler after the conclusion of the canon storyline, Shippuden pulls a Dragon Ball and weaves its filler into the storyline. This leads to awkward pacing that occasionally even conflicts with Masashi Kishimoto's original intent. That said, if you're willing to watch through Naruto, you owe it to yourself to watch Shippuden to see how the story ends. Just consider skipping Boruto.
Naruto: Shippuden
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- 2007 - 2017-00-00
One Piece (1,155 Episodes & Counting)
At over 1,100 episodes (with even more to come before the anime is over), One Piece is a series that could realistically take new viewers years to finish if they don't binge-watch or opt for the One Pace fan project which re-edits the anime's slower scenes and filler to be more in-line with the manga. Either way, there's no wrong way to watch One Piece. A modern epic in every sense of the word, One Piece has been pumping out episodes more or less weekly since 1999 and is only now entering its final saga. With the One Piece anime finally going seasonal ahead of the Elbaph arc, there's never been a better time to catch up.
The best way to experience One Piece really is to go at your own pace. Eiichiro Oda's writing is better savored, as every arc is jam-packed with excellent character development, surprising world building that often comes back in big ways, and meticulous fight scenes very few shonen series can compare to. It's genuinely amazing how much One Piece has changed since Episode 1, so take your time and dive head-first into the adventure of a lifetime. If you start now, you might even get to the time skip by Christmas. Say goodbye to all your free time, though – and hello to your new favorite series.
One Piece
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- October 20, 1999