Even if you’re not familiar with anime, you’ve probably heard of Dragon Ball. This classic adventure series by Akira Toriyama has been beloved by fans for decades and is one of the most famous anime ever made.
Dragon Ball is a truly iconic series that has influenced countless other anime and manga. While it’s difficult to surpass, several other shows stand out as being just as amazing and are considered among the best in anime.
Attack on Titan
While perhaps not as iconic as Dragon Ball, Attack on Titan became incredibly popular around the world in the 2010s. Even after it ended, AoT still has a strong and devoted fanbase, and people continue to enjoy and remember it with fondness.
What truly sets Attack on Titan apart is its compelling story and richly developed world. While the action and animation are fantastic, it’s the characters – their journeys, the world’s impact on them, and how that shapes our understanding of their choices and values – that you’ll remember most.
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure
Like Dragon Ball, Hirohiko Araki’s JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure was once featured in Weekly Shonen Jump and has been a beloved series for many years. While it took a bit longer for JoJo’s to gain international popularity, now that it has, fans are discovering just how fantastic it is.
Guess the anime from the emojis.
animeji
Guess the anime from the emojis.
Title
Clues
Results
Title
— Clues
—
Spanning different time periods and storylines, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure features a diverse cast of characters and has remarkably stayed fresh and engaging over its long run. It consistently reinvents itself, reliably delivering fans compelling stories, fantastic characters, and unforgettable scenes.
Bleach
Bleach, one of the most popular anime and manga series, was inspired by Dragon Ball and continued its tradition of exciting action when it was published in Weekly Shonen Jump. Many fans were worried the anime wouldn’t cover the entire manga, but the recent success of the Thousand-Year Blood War arc has been a pleasant surprise.
Like Dragon Ball, Bleach features dramatic transformations, intense rivalries, and powerful enemies. While Kubo created a unique style for Bleach, the influence of Dragon Ball is still noticeable, as it is in many other popular shonen anime from that era.
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
While the 2003 version of Fullmetal Alchemist is also worth considering, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood remains a standout anime from the 2000s.
It’s no surprise why Brotherhood remains a fan favorite. The story is captivating and features many memorable scenes, but the heart of the series lies in the powerful relationship between the main characters, Ed and Al, and the well-developed supporting cast. Watching Ed and Al’s quest to restore their bodies and make amends for attempting human transmutation is a deeply emotional experience, and it’s easy to understand why so many anime enthusiasts consider this series a classic.
Naruto
Along with Dragon Ball and One Piece, Naruto was one of the most popular and recognizable anime series from Shonen Jump. While many anime feature ninjas, Naruto, created by Masashi Kishimoto, stands out as particularly creative and engaging.
Many fans have noticed that Naruto shares similarities with Dragon Ball. Both series feature a main character who loves to eat, a cool and mysterious rival, a somewhat perverted older teacher, and characters who fight using energy. Like many popular action anime that followed Dragon Ball, Naruto borrowed successful ideas and built upon them to create its own unique story.
Yu Yu Hakusho
I’m a huge anime fan, and while everyone talks about Dragon Ball as being one of the biggest from the ’90s, I honestly think Yu Yu Hakusho is right up there with it – it sometimes doesn’t get the credit it deserves! You might know the creator, Yoshihiro Togashi, from his more recent work, Hunter x Hunter, which is fantastic, but Yu Yu Hakusho was a massive hit for him too, and a real game-changer.
Both Yu Yu Hakusho and Dragon Ball are action-packed shonen anime from around the same time period. However, they have key differences. Many fans believe Yu Yu Hakusho features better character growth, particularly with its main character, Yusuke. It also feels a bit more realistic than Dragon Ball, which increasingly focused on characters constantly surpassing each other in power as the series went on.
One Piece
Alongside Naruto and Bleach, One Piece was heavily influenced by Dragon Ball and together these four series are often called the ‘Big 3’. After almost thirty years, One Piece—the pirate story created by Eiichiro Oda—may now be even more popular than Dragon Ball itself.
It’s no surprise that so many people adore One Piece. Eiichiro Oda has created a wonderfully exciting adventure with incredibly detailed and imaginative world-building – truly some of the best in anime and manga. Despite its long run, the series remains fresh and engaging thanks to Oda’s consistently brilliant planning and execution. With so much already revealed and even more to come, it’s hard not to recommend One Piece to any anime enthusiast. Yes, it’s a lengthy series, but the compelling characters, distinctive world, and the enduring mystery of the One Piece treasure itself make the investment worthwhile.
Read More
- All Shadow Armor Locations in Crimson Desert
- Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 Episode 12 Release Date
- Dark Marksman Armor Locations in Crimson Desert
- How to Get the Sunset Reed Armor Set and Hollow Visage Sword in Crimson Desert
- Best Bows in Crimson Desert
- Wings of Iron Walkthrough in Crimson Desert
- Keeping AI Agents on Track: A New Approach to Reliable Action
- How To Beat Ator Archon of Antumbra In Crimson Desert
- Top 5 Militaristic Civs in Civilization 7
- All Golden Greed Armor Locations in Crimson Desert
2026-03-29 23:37