Anime is not just for fans—it’s now the beat of world pop culture. From runway work and top songs to big TikToks and huge movie sales, Japanese cartoons have changed how the world sees, wears, and feels entertainment. If you wonder how anime moved from websites to the main spot in style, sports, and music, you are not alone. Let’s look at the 10 anime that did not just make waves—they made history.
10. Spy x Family — Style Meets Spy Work
What links top spies, mind-reading kids, and runway style? Spy x Family. With fun jokes and a loved fake family act, this big hit got the eye of top fashion houses like Dior and Loewe, making special series-based clothes. With cool looks and loved world characters, Spy x Family shows how well anime fits into big style—and it’s just growing cooler.
9. Haikyuu!! — The Game That Brought a Big Emotional Wave
Volleyball is the game, but Haikyuu!! It’s about coming together, growth, and being part of something. In the hard virus times, it brought calm to many—big for young fans—who found help in its ideas of tough play and teamwork. As said by Crunchyroll’s Gita Rebbapragada, the show helped fans find themselves again and build online groups, proving anime is more than just escape—it’s emotional power.
8. Jujutsu Kaisen — A New Time of Shonen Starts
Drop the old fight anime ways. Jujutsu Kaisen broke rules with people like Nobara and Maki, who changed what girl heroes in shonen could be. With big action, dark tales, and a cast that fans love worldwide, it’s no shock that the series is among the most talked-about shows worldwide. Jujutsu Kaisen did not just join the type—it changed it.
7. My Hero Academia — The Hero Anime for a Social Media Age
When stars like Megan Thee Stallion and NFL big names openly love My Hero Academia, you know anime has made it big. This show mixes Western hero bits with deep stories, making a world that strikes well beyond the fans. From a Dentsu Inc. study, anime hits with Gen Z more than the NFL—and My Hero Academia is a big reason why.
6. One Piece — The Never-Ending Journey
Going for 25+ years and still big, One Piece is all about long life in culture. Its great tales, big characters, and being open world over have made it a link for fans everywhere. With Netflix’s real-life model and always coming anime drops, One Piece keeps showing that some gems never lose their shine.
5. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba — Big at the Box Office
In 2020, Demon Slayer: Mugen Train was top—not just in anime but in all movie charts, being the top-grossing film worldwide that year. With an amazing look by Ufotable and a deep, cool music track, the series turned heads in Hollywood and more. As BuzzFeed said, Demon Slayer became a big name, mixing top looks with deep feeling.
4. Attack on Titan — The Big Talk That Broke the Web
Few anime got as much real-world talk as Attack on Titan. With its dark power games and big plot turns, it became the most wanted TV series worldwide in 2021, per Dentsu Inc. Each show felt like a big moment—making talks, fights, and big web hits at all web spots.
3. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood — Anime’s High Bar
If there’s a top mark for anime tales, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood holds the throne. Always on top “best anime of all time” lists, it mixes old craft, deep thoughts, and pure feeling into a top set of stories. New fan or long-time otaku, this is the show all suggest—for good cause.
2. Monster — The Top Deep Mind Game
Long before Netflix took it, Monster had made its mark among the darkest, deepest anime thrillers. The tale of Dr. Tenma and his long hunt for the dark Johan Liebert is a slow, deep fear story that digs into right and wrong, hurt, and the sides of bad. It’s back in talk show, great tales never fade—and that anime goes beyond dream or action.
1. Pokémon — The Start of it All
Before anime hit big, Pokémon was already a world hit. With its games, shows, cards, and more, it brought many to Japanese cartoons in the ’90s and keeps pulling in new fans today. Pikachu isn’t just a face—he’s a world star. Pokémon made anime easy, for all families, and forever part of the world’s pop culture map.
These 10 anime did not just play—they helped shape what world fun looks like now. Whether it’s making style trends, breaking watch records, or sparking new creators, anime is no longer on the side. It’s the top show.