When it comes to anime, Hulu has the winning hand over the vast majority of its streaming rivals. It’s easy to see why, given Hulu’s powerhouse lineup. Among the many shows currently available, Hulu has lined up many of the classic series that helped make anime a breakout success in the United States. That alone would have been desirable. But Hulu hasn’t rested on its laurels, and it continues to add new hit anime series from Japan almost as soon as they become available. If you love anime, that’s a nearly unbeatable combination. For newcomers and veterans alike, you can start your deep dive into Japanese animation with our list of the best anime that you can stream on Hulu right now.
New to the world of anime? Thankfully, we also have a guide to the best anime on Netflix if you’re in need of more suggestions.
Inuyasha
If you’re an old-school Toonami viewer, you probably know Inuyasha very well. Based on the popular manga series, Inuyasha introduces viewers to Kagome, a high school student in the present who has no time for myths and legends. At least not until Kagome finds herself stuck in Japan’s distant past alongside the half-demon warrior Inuyasha. Much to Kagome’s surprise, she finds that she has some measure of control over Inuyasha when he gets out of hand. But both of them are surprised when their quest to reclaim a shattered gem stirs romantic feelings in both of their hearts.
Created by: Katsuyuki Sumisawa
Cast: Kappei Tamaguchi, Satsuki Yukino, Noriko Hidaka
Number of seasons: 7
Watch on Hulu
Bleach
In Bleach, young Ichigo Kurosaki’s life has been touched by the supernatural for years. However, his ordinary existence comes to an end when the Soul Reaper, Rukia, transfers the vast majority of her powers to him. Now reborn as a Soul Reaper himself, Ichigo dedicates himself to protecting both the living and the dead from evil spirits. Of course, he can’t do it alone, especially when Rukia finds herself hunted by the Soul Society because of the way that she relinquished her abilities. Fortunately, Ichigo soon discovers he has new allies who can help carry his burden.
Created by: Masashi Sogo
Cast: Masakazu Morita, Fumiko Orikasa, Yuki Matsuoka, Kentarō Itō, Noriaki Sugiyama
Number of seasons: 6
Watch on Hulu
Devil’s Line
There are demons and monsters among us, but they’re not all bad in Devil’s Line. For example, Yūki Anzai is a half-vampire/half-human hybrid who uses his powers to protect humanity as part of Division 5 of the Tokyo Police Department. But when he rescues a young woman, Tsukasa Taira, their mutual attraction sorely tempts Anzai to put the bite on her. It’s hard to control his darker urges when he has those feelings in his heart, but Tsukasa stands by Anzai even in the face of adversity. Yet that’s far from their only problem as demonic attacks escalate around them.
Created by: Kenji Konuta, Ayumu Hisao
Cast: Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, Yui Ishikawa, Mamoru Miyano, Ryouhei Kimura, Akira Ishida
Number of seasons: 1
Watch on Hulu
High School of the Dead
Imagine if The Walking Dead took place in Japan, and the primary survivors were students and teachers from a high school. That’s essentially the premise of High School of the Dead. The series follows Fujimi High School student Takashi Komuro at a moment when he and his childhood friend, Rei Miyamoto, have a very strained relationship. When the zombie apocalypse breaks out, Takashi and Rei are thrust back together alongside some of their fellow students and instructors. Who can they really trust in this dark new world? Everyone will have to make moral compromises to survive, even Takashi and Rei.
Created by: Yōsuke Kuroda
Cast: Junichi Suwabe, Eri Kitamura, Nobuyuki Hiyama, Hitomi Harada, Miyuki Sawashiro
Number of seasons: 1
Watch on Hulu
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is so huge right now that the anime movie that came out in 2020 recently beat the Mortal Kombat reboot and topped the U.S. box office. The anime series of the same name is also incredibly popular all over the world. It takes place in Japan’s distant history, as a teenager named Tanjiro loses his family to a demon attack. Tanjiro’s younger sister, Nezuko, is the only survivor, but unfortunately, she is transformed into a demon by the experience. To avenge his family and save his sister’s soul, Tanjiro undertakes a quest to become a demon slayer.
Created by: Ufotable
Cast: Natsuki Hanae, Akari Kit0, Hiro Shimono, Yoshitsugu Matsuoka
Number of seasons: 1
Watch on Hulu
Megalobox
In the future, boxing has been spruced up a bit for the next generation. In Megalobox, the sweet science now includes fighters who battle with exoskeletons that enhance their strength. But that’s not enough for Junk Dog, aka Joe. He’s an underground fighter in scripted matches who wants to break into the real Megalobox competitions. After getting a chance to fight the Megalobox champion, Yuri, Joe is forced to start at the bottom and work his way back up to earn the right for a rematch. It’s not an easy road, even with technological enhancements. That’s why it’s going to take heart and determination for Joe to make his way to the top.
Created by: Katsuhiko Manabe, Kensaku Kojima
Cast: Kaiji Tang, Jason Marnocha, Erica Mendez, Lex Lang
Number of seasons: 2
Watch on Hulu
Rurouni Kenshin
What would you do to escape your darkest sins and find redemption? For the lead character of Rurouni Kenshin, it meant leaving behind his life as an assassin and becoming a wanderer. Kenshin Himura is seemingly only remarkable by the scar on his face, but his fighting skills reveal the past that he has tried so hard to forget. With the encouragement of Kaoru Kamiya, Kenshin reinvents himself as a defender of the people who strives to move beyond his formerly wicked ways. But there’s always someone threatening his newfound peace, and Kenshin never walks away from a fight that matters.
Created by: Aniplex
Cast: Mayo Suzukaze, Miki Fujitani, Miina Tominaga, Yuuji Ueda
Number of seasons: 3
Watch on Hulu
Yu Yu Hakusho
At the start of Yu Yu Hakusho, the leading character, Yusuke, is anything but a hero. Instead, he’s a teenage narcissist who seemingly only cares for himself. And yet Yusuke surprises everyone, including himself, by sacrificing his life to prevent a young boy from being killed by an oncoming car. The powers that be in the afterlife are suitably impressed, and they allow Yusuke to come back to life as a Spirit Detective. Even Yusuke’s former rival, Kuwabara, becomes a part of his new life as they are drawn into the ongoing battle between monsters, demons, and humans for control of reality.
Created by: Studio Pierrot
Cast: Nozomu Sasaki, Shigeru Chiba, Megumi Ogata, Nobuyuki Hiyama, Sanae Miyu
Number of seasons: 4
Watch on Hulu
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Technically, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is not a reboot of the 2003 Fullmetal Alchemist series. Instead, it’s simply a more faithful adaptation of Hiromu Arakawa’s original manga. In an alternate steampunk universe, Edward and his brother, Alphonse Elric, pay a heavy price when they try to resurrect their mother with alchemy. Edward loses an arm and a leg, while Al’s spirit is stuck in a suit of armor. Instead of giving up, Edward becomes a Fullmetal Alchemist and teams up with his brother on a quest to restore their bodies before facing a conspiracy that has links to their long-missing father.
Created by: Hiroshi Ōnogi
Cast: Romi Park, Rie Kugimiya, Megumi Takamoto, Shin-ichiro Miki
Number of seasons: 1
Watch on Hulu
Afro Samurai
Afro Samurai wasn’t created for Samuel L. Jackson, but the versatile actor was drawn to the adaptation of Takashi Okazaki’s manga series. Jackson also voiced Afro, a lone warrior in a feudal future. When Afro was a child, a man called Justice killed Afro’s father and claimed the Number One Headband, an object said to bestow godlike powers on its wearer. As an adult, Afro alienates his childhood friend, Jinno, and claims the Number Two Headband so he can challenge his father’s murderer. However, the holder of the Number Two Headband constantly has to defend his trophy, and Afro has several battles to fight before he can come face to face with Justice.
Created by: Yasuyuki Mutō, Tomohiro Yamashita
Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, Kelly Hu, Ron Perlman, Phil LaMarr
Number of seasons: 1
Watch on Hulu
Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?
To answer the question posed by the title, yes, it probably is. But Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? wouldn’t be as much fun if it didn’t riff on its silly title. In this show, a 14-year-old boy, Bell Cranel, craves adventure and hopes to find a girlfriend by saving her from a monster. Instead, Bell’s life is saved by Aiz Wallenstein, a young woman whose fighting skills far exceed his own. After Bell falls hard for Aiz, he experiences a rapid increase in his abilities and gains a comically large group of female admirers … including the goddess Hestia.
Created by: Hideki Shirane
Cast: Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, Inori Minase, Saori Oonishi, Maaya Uchida, Haruka Tomatsu
Number of seasons: 3
Watch on Hulu
Overlord
In the future of Overlord, an immersive virtual game is about to be permanently taken offline. However, Momonga, a player who has dedicated over a decade of his life to the game, refuses to log off as the servers go dark. Much to Momonga’s surprise, the game lives on even after it is shut down. But he remains trapped in his avatar form, while the nonplayer characters develop personalities and desires of their own. As the last true human in the game, Momonga wields incredible power. Regardless, Momonga’s intentions are sometimes misinterpreted by his new subjects as he sets out to learn more about his new home.
Created by: Yukie Sugawara
Cast: Satoshi Hino, Yumi Hara, Sumire Uesaka, Kenta Myake, Ami Koshimizu
Number of seasons: 3
Watch on Hulu
Fire Force
Fire Force‘s opening is literally explosive. When a man bursts into flames in a train car — transformed into what have become known as infernals, living and walking infernos — Tokyo’s Special Fire Force 8 isn’t far behind. The elite team is composed of pyrokinetics with the power to control flame with their minds, and they’re the only defense Tokyo has against this new rash of disastrous fires. We soon learn this fiery phenomenon isn’t a one-time deal. People are being turned into infernals all over the place. Fire Force follows the attempts of Special Fire Force 8 to find out what’s behind the secret of the infernals while also dealing with tensions sparked by the arrival of the new team member Shinra (Gakuto Kajiwara).
Created by: Atsushi Ōkubo
Cast: Gakuto Kajiwara, Kazuya Nakai, Christopher Wehkamp
Number of seasons: 2
Watch on Hulu
The Promised Neverland
In The Promised Neverland, an orphaned girl named Emma lives with her friends, Norman and Ray, as well as many other orphans in Grace Field House. While awaiting adoption, their lives are blissfully carefree under the guidance of “Mom.” At least until Emma discovers the truth: Grace Field House isn’t an orphanage, it’s a farm … and the kids are the cattle! To escape their grim fate, Emma has to lead the children to safety even if it means venturing into an outside world even more dangerous than the one they want to leave behind.
Created by: Toshiya Ono, Kaiu Shirai
Cast: Sumire Morohoshi, Mariya Ise, Shinei Ueki
Number of seasons: 2
Watch on Hulu
Our Last Crusade or the Rise of a New World
It wouldn’t be inaccurate to say that Our Last Crusade or the Rise of a New World has some elements of Romeo and Juliet in it … mixed in with some amazing fantasy. In this alternate world, the Heavenly Empire uses advanced technology in its seemingly endless war with the magicians of the Nebulis Sovereignty. Two warriors on each side, Iska and Aliceliese, meet each other in battle before realizing they share a common goal: To end the war. They may also share their hearts with each other, if they can move past their differences.
Created by: Kento Shimoyama
Cast: Sora Amamiya, Yûsuke Kobayashi, Kellen Goff
Number of seasons: 1
Watch on Hulu
Akudama Drive
Akudama Drive is kind of like The