10 Anime Shows That Are 10/10 With No Weak Episodes, Ranked

Published Oct 23, 2026, 6:44 PM EDT

Lucas Kloberdanz-Dyck is a writer for Collider. He grew up creating lists, stories, and worlds, which led to his love of anime and video games. He attended Sheridan College where he earned an Honours Bachelor of Game Design. Lucas and his group won 1st place for technical innovation at LevelUp Toronto 2023, and he was also an intern for the Oakville Film Festival of Arts. 

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When reviewing anything, it is most common for reviewers to rank the medium on a scale from one to ten, and in an era when everyone wants to share their opinion, scores are flying everywhere. This is especially common with anime, where fans will rate shows like Attack on Titan and One Piece anything from a 5 to 10, whether that is actually what the anime is deserving of.

However, it is rare for fans to give an anime a perfect 10, which is weird in a time when everyone wants to share their opinion. That is why this list will feature ten 10/10 anime shows based on aspects such as animation, writing, originality, consistency, fan opinion, critical acclaim, and overall quality. It is hard to say if these anime are perfect, but they are at least as close as it gets.

10 'Samurai Champloo' (2004–2005)

Image via Manglobe

Shinichiro Watanabe is one of the greatest anime directors of all time, and while everyone knows him for his magnum opus, Cowboy Bebop, his lesser-known series deserve love as well, such as Samurai Champloo. When a girl hires two wandering samurai as bodyguards to escort her on her journey to find a man who smells like sunflowers, the trio gets up to all sorts of trouble.

Whether this is better than Cowboy Bebop is not up for debate, because the fact remains that Samurai Champloo is a 10/10. The signature style is one of a kind, creating a stylish and cool aesthetic mixed with heartfelt and meaningful moments. But this doesn’t get in the way of the cool factor and well-animated fights that make this a masterpiece.

9 'Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion' (2006–2008)

Image via JNN

This is a polarizing anime series, but it really shouldn’t be, because Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion is undoubtedly a 10/10. When the titular character gains the ability to control people, he uses his newfound power to lead the people of Japan in a revolution against their Britannia Empire overlords, but that is only the start of his vengeful plot.

Code Geass has one of the best political storylines in anime, using its tactical prestige to create a well-thought-out narrative with plenty of twists and turns. When fans aren’t shocked by plot twists, they are engaged by one of the best casts of characters in anime, who all play a vital role in the story, making it even better than usual.

8 ‘Steins;Gate’ (2011)

Image via White Fox

Time travel is one of the most difficult genres to write, but one anime that gets it right is Steins;Gate. When a self-proclaimed mad scientist accidentally creates a machine that can send texts into the past, it tears apart the timeline, threatening their reality. Now he and his friends must deal with a mysterious organization while trying to reverse the rift in time.

Steins;Gate is one of the best-written pieces of fiction out there, especially considering it has virtually zero plot holes for a time travel story, a marvelous feat of writing. Steins;Gate starts off slow, but it picks up to become one of the best anime series of all time, and a 10/10 if anime fans ever saw it.

7 'Neon Genesis Evangelion' (1995–1996)

Image via Tatsunoko Production

It isn’t common for some of the best anime series of all time to be from the avant-garde genre, but one show that pulled off the impossible was Neon Genesis Evangelion. With the world facing another cataclysmic event, the only hope for humanity is Shinji and other mentally unstable teenagers to fight off the angel-like aliens.

Neon Genesis Evangelion is one of the greatest anime series of the 1990s, earning its status by innovating the medium, both sci-fi and avant-garde, making the latter and its style more well-known. Some may find Shinji annoying, but he is a well-written anime character who shows a vulnerable and complex side, especially when paired with the overall themes that prove how engaging this anime is.

6 'Mob Psycho 100' (2016–2022)

Image via Bones

Some anime simply have it all: animation, action, comedy, good characters, and more, like Mob Psycho 100. Shigeo is the world’s strongest psychic, but all he wants is a normal life. Unfortunately, because he restrains his emotions, his powers burst out, making life more difficult for him, his friends, and his enemies.

This list features a variety of anime, but Mob Psycho 100 is also the newest, and it has already established itself as a modern classic. The animation is absolutely stunning, enhancing the action sequences with flashy visuals and directorial creativity. Mob Psycho 100 also boasts some of the best characters, full of heart and delivering hilarious moments, proving the anime can do it all.

Collider Exclusive · Action Hero Quiz Which Action Hero Would Be
Your Perfect Partner? Rambo · James Bond · Indiana Jones · John McClane · Ethan Hunt

Five legends. Five completely different ways of getting out alive — with style, with muscle, with charm, with luck, or with a plan so intricate it probably shouldn't work. Ten questions will reveal which action hero was built to have your back.

🎖️Rambo

🍸James Bond

🏺Indiana Jones

🔧John McClane

🎭Ethan Hunt

FIND YOUR PARTNER →

01

You're dropped into a dangerous situation with no warning. What do you need most from a partner? The first few seconds tell you everything about who belongs beside you.

ASomeone who already has three contingency plans running and is calmly working through all of them. BSomeone who reads the terrain instinctively and knows exactly how to use it against the enemy. CSomeone who keeps their nerve and their sense of humour when everything is falling apart. DSomeone who knows the history of wherever we are and what we're walking into. ESomeone with the right contact, the right cover identity, and the right exit already arranged.

NEXT QUESTION →

02

You have to get somewhere dangerous, fast. How do you travel? How you get there is half the mission.

AOn foot through terrain no one else would attempt — I move where vehicles can't follow. BOn a motorcycle, a cargo plane, or anything else that gets me there before I think too hard about it. CIn something that belongs to someone else — borrowed, stolen, or improvised under fire. DFirst class, with a cover identity and a gadget that does something I won't explain until it's needed. EBy whatever means are available — I've driven, flown, and once arrived by camel. The destination matters, not the method.

NEXT QUESTION →

03

You're pinned down and outnumbered. What does your ideal partner do? This is when you find out what someone is really made of.

ADisappears into the environment, flanks them silently, and ends it before I've reloaded. BCracks a one-liner, grabs a fire extinguisher or a chair, and improvises something that somehow works. CProduces a gadget specifically designed for this exact scenario and uses it with infuriating precision. DPulls out a whip, a pistol, and an archaeological insight that somehow gets us out alive. ENeutralises the threat with maximum efficiency and minimum words — they were already three moves ahead.

NEXT QUESTION →

04

The mission is paused. You have one evening to decompress. What does your partner suggest? Who someone is when the pressure drops is who they actually are.

AA bar with terrible lighting, cold beer, and absolutely no questions about feelings. BThe finest restaurant in the city, a bottle of something expensive, and a conversation that is equal parts brilliant and exhausting. CA local dig site, a museum after hours, or a long story about why that particular artefact matters to human civilisation. DPizza. Bad TV. Falling asleep halfway through a movie neither of you were watching anyway. EA debrief that turns into three hours of contingency planning that somehow becomes the most fun you've had all week.

NEXT QUESTION →

05

How do you prefer your partner to communicate mid-mission? Good communication is the difference between partners and a liability.

APrecise and minimal — tell me what I need to know and nothing else. Every word has a cost. BDeadpan and dry — keeping it light keeps me sharp, even when everything is on fire. CEnthusiastic and slightly chaotic — but always with useful information buried somewhere in the noise. DCalm and controlled through an earpiece, with a plan that covers every variable I haven't thought of yet. EBarely at all — silence is a language and they speak it fluently.

NEXT QUESTION →

06

Your enemy is powerful, well-resourced, and has the upper hand. How should your partner approach them? The approach to the enemy defines the partnership.

AInfiltrate their inner circle, learn everything, and dismantle them from inside out before they know we're there. BStudy the historical pattern — every villain of this type has a weakness written somewhere in the past. CGet them talking. The more they monologue, the more time I have to figure out how to beat them. DGo through them. Directly. With as much force as the terrain allows. EFind the one thing they haven't accounted for — there's always one thing — and make sure we're holding it.

NEXT QUESTION →

07

Things go badly wrong and you're captured. What do you trust your partner to do? Who someone is when you need them most is the only thing that matters.

ACome in alone, quietly, and get me out before anyone knows they were there. BHave already been working on the extraction since the moment I disappeared — the plan is already running. CCome in loud, come in fast, and worry about the collateral damage later — I'd do the same for them. DUse every resource, every contact, and bend every rule until I'm out — they don't leave people behind. ECharm their way in somehow, bluff through the hard part, and still manage to look good doing it.

NEXT QUESTION →

08

What does your ideal partner bring to the table that you couldn't replace? A great partner fills the gap you didn't know you had.

ATechnology that shouldn't exist yet and the training to use it under any conditions. BSurvival instinct so refined it borders on supernatural — and the scars to prove it's been tested. CKnowledge of history, language, and culture that makes them invaluable in places where force is useless. DThe ability to walk into any room in the world and immediately become the most trusted person in it. EStubbornness that refuses to accept a situation is hopeless — and the improvisational skill to back it up.

NEXT QUESTION →

09

Every partnership has a cost. Which of these can you live with? No one comes without baggage. The question is whether you can carry it together.

AA partner who never fully switches off — always watching exits, always calculating threats, even at dinner. BA partner who gets the job done brilliantly but has the emotional availability of a locked filing cabinet. CA partner who makes everything ten times more complicated than it needs to be — but who always comes through. DA partner who gets personally attached to every relic, ruin, and artefact we encounter, which slows everything down. EA partner who was not built for this and knows it — but shows up anyway, every time, without being asked.

NEXT QUESTION →

10

It's the final moment. Everything is on the line. What do you need from your partner right now? The last question is the most honest one.

AOne line. Absolutely dry. Delivered like the world isn't ending. Then we move. BNothing said at all — just a look that means we both already know what has to happen. CA plan I don't fully understand that somehow accounts for everything, delivered in thirty seconds flat. DA piece of historical context that reframes the entire situation and tells us exactly what to do next. ESomeone who steps forward instead of back — because that's who they've always been.

REVEAL MY PARTNER →

Your Partner Has Been Assigned Your Perfect Partner Is…

Your answers have pointed to one action hero above all others. This is the person built to have your back — for better or considerably, spectacularly worse.

Rambo

Your partner doesn't talk much, doesn't need to, and will have assessed every threat in your immediate environment before you've finished your first sentence. John Rambo is not a man of plans or politics — he is a force of nature shaped by survival, loyalty, and a capacity for endurance that goes beyond anything training can produce. He will not leave you behind. He has never left anyone behind who deserved to come home. What you get with Rambo is the most capable, most quietly ferocious partner imaginable — one who has been through things that would have broken anyone else, and who chose to keep going anyway. You'll never need to ask if he has your back. You'll just know.

James Bond

Your partner will arrive perfectly dressed, perfectly briefed, and with a cover story so convincing it'll take you a moment to remember what's actually true. James Bond is the most professionally dangerous person in any room he enters — and the most disarmingly charming, which is the point. He operates in a world of layers, where nothing is what it appears and every advantage is used without apology. You'll never be bored. You'll occasionally be furious. But when it matters — when the mission is genuinely on the line and the margin for error has collapsed to nothing — Bond is exactly the partner you want. He has survived things that have no business being survivable. He does it with style. That is not nothing.

Indiana Jones

Your partner will know the history, the language, the cultural context, and exactly why the thing everyone else is ignoring is actually the most important thing in the room. Indiana Jones is brilliant, reckless, and occasionally impossible — but he is also one of the most resourceful, most genuinely knowledgeable partners you could find yourself beside. He approaches every situation with a scholar's eye and a brawler's instinct, which is an unusual combination and a remarkably effective one. He hates snakes and gets personally attached to objects of historical significance, both of which will slow you down at least once. It doesn't matter. What Indy brings is irreplaceable — and the adventures you'll have together will be the kind people write books about. Assuming you survive them.

John McClane

Your partner was not supposed to be here. He does not have the right equipment, the right information, or anything approaching the right odds. He has a sarcastic remark and an absolute refusal to accept that the situation is as bad as it looks. John McClane is the greatest accidental hero in the history of action cinema — a man whose superpower is stubbornness, whose contingency plan is improvisation, and whose capacity to absorb punishment and keep moving would be alarming if it weren't so useful. He will complain the entire time. He will make it significantly more chaotic than it needed to be. And he will absolutely, unconditionally, without question come through when it counts. Yippee-ki-yay.

Ethan Hunt

Your partner has already run seventeen scenarios by the time you've finished reading the briefing, and the plan he's settled on involves at least two things that should be physically impossible. Ethan Hunt operates at the absolute edge of human capability — technically, physically, and intellectually — and he brings the same relentless precision to protecting his partners that he brings to dismantling organisations that shouldn't exist. He is not easy to know and he will never fully tell you everything. But he will carry the weight of the mission so completely, so absolutely, that your job is simply to trust him — and the remarkable thing is that trusting him always turns out to be the right call. The mission will be impossible. He will complete it anyway.

↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ

5 'Nana' (2006–2007)

Image via Madhouse

Action anime is more popular than most genres, but there is a whole world out there for fans to experience, such as shoujo and josei, which are responsible for shows like Nana. One girl is moving to Tokyo to find her boyfriend, and another girl is going there to pursue her passion for music. They share virtually nothing in common, except for the same name and the fact that they will be roommates.

Nana unfortunately never got an ending, which resulted in many fans forgetting this perfect anime, but there are still lots of viewers who appreciate what it built. This is one of the most realistic anime series ever, depicting authentic human emotions with nuance and genuine scenarios. There is so much that Nana does well, but the characters are the soul that makes it 10/10.

Image via Bones Inc.

The best anime of all time will never be unanimous, but the one series that the most fans can agree on is probably Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. After brothers Edward and Alphonse lose parts or all of their bodies in a taboo alchemical experiment, they set out on an adventure to find the philosopher's stone. However, all they uncover is a government conspiracy that threatens to consume the world.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood has a little bit of everything for everyone, and that range of perfection is why so many viewers give it a 10/10. From the characters to the worldbuilding, mystery, action, animation, lore, comedy, romance, drama, and more, this anime has everything. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood isn't flawless, but it is the closest thing to it.

3 'Gintama' (2006–2021)

Image via Bandai Namco

Comedy anime are very hit or miss, meaning they are rare to get 10/10, but Gintama is one of the few that many can agree is perfect. Set in an alternative history where aliens took over feudal Japan, the era of samurai is over, forcing a former warrior, Gintoki, to set up an odd-jobs shop. He and his two companions get into trouble trying to help, whether that is with aliens, the government, or the police.

Gintama is known for having some of the best filler in anime, but all of it is essential. The jokes are chaotic, parodic, and absolutely crazy, using its wacky, yet endearing cast to create one of the most entertaining anime series. What's more, Gintama can also spice things up on a serious note, using action-packed dramatic arcs to enhance the storytelling and character dynamics.

2 'FLCL' (2000–2001)

Image via Crunchyroll

As mentioned, avant-garde anime aren't the most popular, but because of their experimental style, there are a few masterpieces, such as FLCL. Naota is a young boy who takes on all the responsibilities of his brother after he leaves, meaning he has no time to be a kid. However, when a pink-haired woman turns his world upside down, he gets involved in a grand sci-fi coming-of-age story.

FLCL is only six episodes long, meaning it doesn't take long to convince fans why it is so perfect. This coming-of-age tale tells a familiar story of puberty through absolutely surreal storytelling and innovative style. Bizarre, eccentric, and heartfelt, FLCL is a glorious anime with timeless themes and stunning animation that proves it is a hidden gem that more fans should watch.

1 'Monster' (2004–2005)

Image via Madhouse

Naoki Urasawa is one of the greatest manga authors of all time, and his most popular series is also an easy 10/10. Monster follows Dr. Tenma, who sets out on an adventure to kill a serial killer who was just a kid when he saved him. Taking matters into his own hands, will Tenma be able to pull the trigger when he learns of Johan's dark and tragic past?

Monster is one of the few anime that non-anime fans would like, mainly because it avoids tropes and the many flaws of anime. However, it retains its anime charm and goes beyond with its writing, which creates two of the best characters in the medium, specifically Johan, a renowned villain. Monster isn't just a 10/10 series; it is one of the best anime shows of all time.

Monster