While fans might love long-running anime such as One Piece, the best short anime pack just as much of a punch in a much more compact package.

To rank among the best short anime of all time, a series has to use its lower episode count effectively. These are anime with absolutely zero wasted moments. The result can be tightly paced and leave fans begging for more.

20

Odd Taxi (2021)

13 Episodes

Both a slice of life and a crime anime, Odd Taxi is pretty fascinating. It’s got anthropomorphic animals as its main characters, and the main character is a walrus who happens to drive taxis. His story cycles through a lot of eccentric passengers, but ultimately, it centers on him being connected to a missing person’s case.

Hiroshi Odokawa might be blunt and a little eccentric himself, but his life is completely turned on its head when both the police force and members of the yakuza are set on him.

More than living up to its name, Odd Taxi is a delightfully strange series with enough heart to win over any fan of crime dramas who may be put off by the series’ animal designs. Rest assured, Odd Taxi is far from family-friendly. There’s so much to enjoy in Odd Taxi, whether it’s the different passengers in the taxi, or the overall mystery, that fans might want to watch it twice.

19

Yuri!!! On Ice (2012)

12 Episodes

Release Date

2016 – 2017-00-00

Directors

Sayo Yamamoto, Jun Shishido

Writers

Sayo Yamamoto, Mitsuro Kubo

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Yuri!!! on Ice focuses on a prominent figure skater who finds himself suffering after a crushing loss, as well as a world champion figure skater who offers to help him out. The two find exactly what they need in one another when they’re not sure where their paths should point them next.

Yuri!! on Ice became a massive hit thanks to its stellar animation and focus on same-sex relationships, and seven years after the original airing of the anime, fans and critics alike are still waiting in anticipation for the release of its sequel film, Yuri!!! on Ice the Movie: Ice Adolescence.

Unfortunately, if there’s one flaw with the series, it’s that the series’ central relationship is only strongly implied as opposed to being outright confirmed. Still, far from subtext, the implications are clear to anyone paying even a little bit of attention.

18

Violet Evergarden (2018)

13 Episodes

Release Date

2018 – 2018

Directors

Taichi Ishidate, Haruka Fujita

Writers

Reiko Yoshida, Tatsuhiko Urahata, Taaki Suzuki

Franchise(s)

Violet Evergarden

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Inspired by a light novel (released in four volumes) originally published in 2015, Violet Evergarden is an exploration of just what love means. It’s poignant and emotional to watch a character who doesn’t understand love slowly come to realize how it affects the world – and her.

The titular character works as a transcriptionist following her time as a soldier in a war. When the last words of her mentor are “I love you”, she tries to understand them, and it takes her on a trip to which she tells other people’s stories while searching for answers.

Violet Evergarden is short at 13 episodes, but it spawned two movies in the years that followed its release as well, making it a little longer of a watch than some of the other short anime here if fans want the full picture.

17

Puella Magi Madoka Magica (2011)

12 Episodes

Release Date

2011 – 2011

Directors

Akiyuki Shinbo, Yukihiro Miyamoto

Writers

Gen Urobuchi

Franchise(s)

Puella Magi Madoka Magica

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When recommending Puella Magi Madoka Magica, it’s best not to say much about it other than to stick with it until the fourth episode at the very least. Madoka challenges the magical girl genre in a number of interesting ways; it’s just that they don’t reveal themselves until a viewer has settled into the show a bit. The series initially follows a young girl named Madoka as she becomes involved in the world of magical girls, but the plot is truly much more complicated than that.

Although Madoka works well as a self-contained twelve-episode series, there are also a number of sequels and side stories in the form of movies and other adaptations. Madoka is even receiving another sequel movie in the near future.

Fans typically consider some of these entries to be essential viewing, so those who find themselves wanting more can continue happily after finishing the original series.

16

Dororo (2019)

24 Episodes

Release Date

2019 – 2019

Directors

Kazuhiro Furuhashi

Writers

Yasuko Kobayashi

Franchise(s)

Dororo

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Osamu Tezuka’s creations will live forever as prized anime treasures, and among his most recognizable series is Dororo, which has been adapted and reimagined since its 1967 inception. Dororo plays around with the series formula just enough for it to feel fresh for a modern anime audience, with stylish and faithful visuals reminiscent of Tezuka’s designs, exceptional fight choreography, and timeless appeal.

The result is an approachable yet future-proof retelling of the Tezuka classic as the titular Dororo joins a strange character named Hyakkimaru as he seeks to restore his body.

Much of Hyakkimaru’s original body was sacrificed at a young age, prompting him to commit questionable, potentially inhumane acts of violence, ironically, to reclaim what he feels was lost. Given the dramatic and wretched depiction of his state as an infant, it’s easy to sympathize with Hyakkimaru, who comes off as the breakout character of the story with a potentially unexpected type of character development for a popular anime.

The series is one of MAPPA’s best anime, another stellar example of the studio setting high standards for its quality while taking on beloved projects.

15

Devilman Crybaby (2018)

10 Episodes

Devilman is one of the most influential manga ever created, which is why it’s so incredible that the best version of Devilman might be its reboot Devilman Crybaby.

The series follows a young man named Akira Fudo who is one day transformed into the ultra-powerful Devilman. Though his Devilman persona might be powerful, his obtaining those powers kicks off a chain of events that leads to incomprehensible disaster.

This tightly-packed adaptation of the Go Nagai classic fits more action and gore into its 10 episodes than most series do in 50. The series doesn’t hesitate to go all out in its depictions of more mature themes, leaving the series downright disturbing at points, earning it a high rank among the goriest anime of all time. Though Devilman Crybaby might be short, it leaves an impact that’s nothing short of massive.

14

Kaiba (2008)

12 Episodes

Release Date

2008 – 2008-00-00

Directors

Masaaki Yuasa

Writers

Masaaki Yuasa

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Despite its simple and pleasing aesthetic, Kaiba is an anime that isn’t afraid to venture into the territory of the thoroughly dark and tragic. The show’s characters inhabit a world where memories can be stored in special chips, allowing eternal life for a select few. The protagonist wakes without memories, his only possession being a locket with a photo of a woman in it, and things escalate from there.

Touching on the role memory plays in the nature of identity and class divisions, Kaiba is as visually inventive as it is thematically engaging. Another anime from visionary director Masaaki Yuasa, Kaiba packs a lot into its short run time.

Whether it be a short standalone episode focusing on a poor girl whose body is eventually stolen, or pieces of the larger plot, every second of Kiaba is throwing something interesting and strange at the viewer.

13

Kids on the Slope (2012)

12 Episodes

One of the best anime of the previous decade, Kids on the Slope is a strong example of a concise story often being prone to a more satisfying conclusion. Unsurprisingly, Kids on the Slope had every chance to thrive as an anime with the illustrious Shinichiro Watanabe of Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, and Space Dandy fame at the director’s seat.

The series has coming-of-age, music performance, and love triangle elements that’ll draw in viewers who can relate to either or all of these elements as it follows Kaoru Nishimi in 1960s Kyushu.

Like other Watanabe stories, the series incorporates multiple musical aesthetics, namely the shift from classical to jazz music.

Kids on the Slope is poised to stand the test of time as more of a niche anime for those craving a slice of life experience in a concise delivery. It’s great for a binge, and Yoko Kanno’s musical compositions for the series are a welcome addition, as always. While there are undoubtedly other more popular romance anime available, Kids on the Slope stands tall among the greats.

12

Anohana: The Flower We Say That Day (2011)

11 Episodes

Release Date

2018 – 2011

Directors

Kei Oikawa

Writers

Keiichirō Ōchi

Franchise(s)

Hinamatsuri

Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day concerns Jinta Yadomi, a young shut-in who is haunted by a tragedy that occurred in his past. One day, Menma, the ghost of one of his old friends, returns and asks him to grant her final wish so that she may move on to the afterlife. Jinta then reunites with his old friend group so that they may discover what it is that must be done to appease Menma.

Gripping and overtly emotional, Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day is a must-see for those who love tear-jerking anime. Though the series is quite emotional, there’s almost a relaxing quality to it, making Anohana one of the best slice-of-life anime despite its heavy themes. As short as it is poignant, Anohana will stay with viewers long after the credits roll after the eleventh episode.

11

Lupin the Third: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine

13 Episodes

Release Date

2012 – 2012

Network

Nippon TV

Directors

Yasuo Tsuchiya, Hideki Tonokatsu, Toru Takahashi, Naoki Hishikawa, Yuzuru Tachikawa, Shin Itagaki, Akira Nishimori, Tomio Yamauchi, Shōko Nakamura

Writers

Dai Sato, Junji Nishimura

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  Miyuki Sawashiro

  Fujiko Mine (voice)

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  Kanichi Kurita

  Arsène Lupin III (voice)

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  Koichi Yamadera

  Inspector Koichi Zenigata (voice)

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Lupin the Third is infamous throughout Japan, much like Case Closed, where it’s often not heard of in the West. Among the crime caper’s team is a woman thief who proves to be Lupin’s greatest rival and foil. Throughout the years, Fujiko Mine hasn’t always been written in the best of light, but that changed when her spin-off series debuted.

The Woman Called Fujiko Mine turns the spotlight on the woman thief, known for using her feminine wiles and deception to steal the brightest and most valuable of jewels and treasures. The Lupin crew does make their debuts, each entangled somewhere in her history, establishing their connection before the Lupin the Third series.

After decades, Fujiko is shown to be a capable but sneaky agent who serves as Lupin’s counterpart as a female thief. As her past begins to consume her, Fujiko struggles to grapple with her identity after her routine and foundation are shaken up. The series serves as an homage and asks, “Who really is Fujiko Mine?”