10 New Anime To Discover In Summer 2025

Horror anime are surprisingly hard to come by, so when a title like The Summer Hikaru Died comes along, it turns heads. The series follows Yoshiki, a teenager who discovers that his best friend, Hikaru, died six months ago and was replaced by something that claims to be Hikaru and retains his memories and personality, but is distinctly not him. 

It’s prime fodder for a great horror series, but The Summer Hikaru Died doesn’t stop there and actually serves as a great romance, too. Seeing Yoshiki grapple with the complicated feelings he has for Hikaru is some juicy stuff, since you want to root for him, but at the same time, you’ll probably find yourself uncomfortable seeing their romance continue, given the circumstances. Add in some grim unease thanks to other mysterious supernatural beings in the woods, dead bodies, and shady organizations entering town, and The Summer Hikaru Died is going to be a show that’s hard to ignore. It’s already earned critical acclaim. So, if you want a dark romance that’s going to get under your skin, The Summer Hikaru Died is tough to beat.

Dark subversions are nothing new to anime, and while Takopi’s Original Sin may subvert child-friendly shows in the same way Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction did in 2024, it’s far, FAR darker than that show could ever be. It starts out simply enough, with a cute alien octopus called Takopi coming to Earth to help make a little girl named Shizuka’s life happier, but within 15 minutes, it becomes absolutely bleak, and that’s just within the first episode. 

This six-episode series is not for the faint of heart and can easily drive people away due to its dark subject matter, like child abuse, domestic abuse, and neglect, among others, but they’re handled excellently. You’ll feel for each of the characters after each shocking twist, and afterward, you’ll just want a nice hug to feel better about what you saw. It’s one of those shows that plays with your heart. If you think you’re strong enough to face the despair of Takopi’s Original Sin, you can stream the whole series over at Crunchyroll. 

Kyoto Animation is one of the best animation studios in the anime industry and considered the master of slice-of-life comedies, so any new project it announces is sure to generate a fair amount of buzz. Plus, in a season that’s filled with plenty of dark titles like The Summer Hikaru Died and Takopi’s Original Sin, some levity is absolutely necessary. Enter, City The Animation. 

City The Animation does a great job of capturing the quirky lives of the people living within CITY, whether they be typical people or eccentric oddballs talking about manga with intense facial animation. There isn’t really an overarching plot that connects each segment, but there doesn’t need to be, since the fun of City is just watching its large cast interact with each other. The series is a spiritual successor to one of the best comedies of the early 2010s, Nichijou, and the same brand of zany and surrealist humor makes City The Animation a delightful blast of joy and fun. It remains to be seen if lightning can strike twice for KyoAni, but if you want a comedy that is all about having fun, go take a look at City: The Animation.

Gachiakuta is a bold series, and you’re either going to love it or hate it because of that. The series, made by Kei Urana, a former assistant on Soul Reaper (2008) and Fire Force (2019), is a grimey series about trash and the emotions we put into objects that are important to us. The series follows Rudo, a teenager kicked out of a place called the Sphere, who tries to find a way back to it, swearing vengeance on those responsible for his exile. 

You would expect the series to focus on class warfare given how much the premiere centers on it, but the bulk of the show is actually fairly conventional. The power system of Gachiakuta is interesting, and his allies, The Cleaners, are all visually distinct, generally chill people to watch. Speaking of visuals, the focus on punk and graffiti artwork is striking, to say the least, which lets the characters and giant monsters that Rudo has to fight look all the more impressive. The first season is confirmed to run for two cours, or two sets of 12-13 episodes, so if you’re looking for a stylish punk-rock action anime, head over to Crunchyroll and start watching Gachiakuta.

While there are plenty of fantasy isekai anime that release each and every season, standard fantasy stories are becoming more and more uncommon, but when they do appear, they’re usually pretty special. Clevatess is an interesting fantasy series, wherein an overwhelmingly strong monster, Clevatess, decides to raise a human child to learn more about humanity with the assistance of a female warrior he kills, revives, and then enslaves to work for him.

The world of Clevatess is very dense and feels fully lived in after only a few episodes, with plenty of alliances, races, and social dynamics that go beyond your typical fantasy anime presented to the viewer quickly. It’s not for the faint of heart, especially given the amount of dismemberment present in the first few episodes, but it’s a fantasy series that channels a lot of the same energy that Claymore (2007) did and scratches an itch that just isn’t scratched anymore in the modern-day anime landscape. It’s an ambitious series and looks to be a good blend of action, comedy, drama, and political intrigue.

Shonen titles are almost always guaranteed to provide some entertainment and be modest hits when done competently, and Tougen Anki looks to be a solid combination of modern-day Shonen action tropes. The story follows Shiki, a young man who discovers not only that he’s descended from an oni, but that he also has sick blood manipulation powers. Unfortunately,  he’s also being hunted down by descendants of the great oni killer, Momotaro, so it’s not all roses for Shiki. 

Tougen Anki is the kind of simple shonen action series that isn’t trying to reinvent the genre, but instead just delivers cool fight scenes, which is sometimes all you need to make a fun action show. It also has a nice helping of teenage angst and edginess to it, like a weird mixture of Blue Exorcist (2011) and High School of the Dead (2010). I can only speak for myself, but sometimes I want to experience shows that push the boundaries of the medium forward, and other times I want to eat comfortable junk food. Tougen Anki is comfortable junk food that can easily be found on Netflix and Crunchyroll.

Horror comedies like Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead (2023) may not be too common in today’s anime industry, but when they do appear, they’re silly in all of the right ways. Nyaight of the Living Cat decides to parody zombie films, with the series focusing on a deadly virus that spreads across the planet and turns whoever is infected by it into a cat. Oh, and if you touch a cat, then you’ll become one as well. 

The jokes are plentiful with just how cute these cats are and how everyone wants to pet them, despite how fatal doing so can be. It never takes itself seriously whatsoever and seeing all of these cute cats has got to be good for the soul. Like Tougen Anki, the series isn’t trying to be high art, but it’s easily worth watching because it executes its simple premise very well and is bound to leave those looking for a horror comedy satisfied. If you want to watch Nyaight of the Living Cat, it can be streamed on Crunchyroll. 

It’s always interesting watching a show focused on alternative world history, and Leviathan is nothing if not unique, channeling a lot of the same energy that Steamboy did back in 2004. Set in an alternative World War I, the Central Powers use giant mechs to wage war against the Triple Entente, who, in turn, use genetically modified animals to fight. All of this is from the perspective of two teens who stow away on a giant flying whale known as the Leviathan. If that premise alone sounds awesome, then you’ll love Leviathan. 

The series mixes alternative history with fantasy and steampunk, wrapping it all up in a package that feels like a classic adventure novel heavily inspired by early Studio Ghibli movies, most notably Laputa: Castle in the Sky (1986). The series feels geared toward a young adult audience, which makes sense given it was adapted from a series of YA novels. That’s not a bad thing, though, because the thrills are pretty straightforward and easy for anyone to get invested in and enjoy. It also makes the series great for younger anime fans. Plus, the show was a simultaneous Netflix release, meaning that all 12 episodes dropped at the same time, making it perfect for a quick weekend binge if you’re looking for something reminiscent of classic adventure anime.

Over the past few years, China has begun to produce its own high-quality anime series that have gotten mainstream appeal. Last season, there was To Be Hero X (2025), and now there’s Lord of Mysteries, a supernatural mystery series set in a steampunk world where a Chinese man awakens in the body of a young Victorian man and learns about the new technology of the time, as well as the magical potions that grant him power. 

It’s a lot to take in to be sure, and it’s very easy to fall off the show if it doesn’t click after a few episodes. Trust me, a lot happens in not a lot of time, and while it’s stunningly animated and gives off some dark Gothic vibes ripped straight from Bloodborne, it doesn’t hold your hand and expects you to keep up with it. If you’re able to follow at its pace, then you’ll be treated to a rich and dense world filled with plenty of entrancing mysteries and story beats that will leave your head reeling. This is a world you want to get invested in for the long haul.

While it is technically a sequel, given the fact that it’s been 15 years since the first season and how New PANTY & STOCKING With GARTERBELT has shifted studios from the defunct Gainax to Trigger, it’s only fair to spotlight a show that will most likely fall through the cracks. And also because New PANTY & STOCKING With GARTERBELT is hilarious, and I need more of it in my life.

To put it mildly, New PANTY & STOCKING With GARTERBELT is vulgar, crude, and rude in the best way. The series follows two sinful angels as they kill demons, but the number of curse words, sexual moments, and borderline offensive humor make it stand out from virtually all other anime this season. The series was inspired by Western animation, with most episodes divided up into smaller segments like in Powerpuff Girls (1998) and Dexter’s Laboratory (1996), just with the attitude of Pop Team Epic (2018), South Park (1997), and most Adult Swim shows. It may be a bit much for some, but those who want a series that doesn’t care who or what it offends, you NEED to see New PANTY & STOCKING With GARTERBELT over on Amazon Prime Video.